Bell & Ross Releases the BR01-92 Gold Ingot Watch

Swiss watchmaker Bell & Ross has released a new striking addition to its BR01-92 collection, the Gold Ingot watch that is a limited edition of just 250 pieces. The extra large case measures 46mm wide and is constructed in 18 carat rose gold. Gold is the theme for this watch and the material is carried through every aspect of its construction with the exception of the shiny black alligator strap. My favorite part of the watch is the special pyramid texturing on the dial that helps to break up the solid gold construction which includes the hands, dial, and Arabic and stick hour markers. The gold hour and minute hands are skeletonized so that you can see the gold underneath. Even the screws which are typical constructed from steel are gold on the Ingot.

The Bell & Ross BR01-92 Gold Ingot watch is powered by the swiss ETA 2892A2 automatic mechanical movement which has a meticulous finish. It contains 21 jewels and beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. The power reserve for the watch is approximately 42 hours, a high precision adjustment in 4 positions with a tolerance of 0/+10 seconds a day. The Gold Ingot displays hours, minutes and central seconds and the dial is protected by an antireflective sapphire crystal. It is waterproof to 100 meters (325 ft).

The Chopard Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL Power Reserve

Here’s an interesting marriage between luxury cars and watches. I find myself writing about this collaboration quite a bit lately, but here’s a watch that doesn’t shy away from making its tribute clear to all who glance in its direction. The Chopard Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL Power Reserve screams testosterone with its tire tread inspired rubber strap and fuel gauge power reserve. And for lack of more articulate explanation of my feeling for this watch I say - What a cool watch. The Chopard Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL Power Reserve has a 44mm case which is 8 mm thick and is produced in several metals. It is powered by the self-winding movement caliber A07.161 which features hours, minutes, date, power reserve and sweep seconds. The watch is completed by the patterned Dunlop tire tread strap in black rubber.

TAG Heuer Has Finally Made the Monaco V4 a Reality

TAG Heuer has been developing this timepiece for years, it was first introduced at Baselworld in 2004 as just a concept. After 3 more years of development in 2007 the brand presented its pre-series prototypes. Well the journey is about to be complete and this one time concept timepiece is now becoming reality with an expectation to be available for sale by the last quarter of this year. While it is not uncommon for luxury watches to be inspired by luxury cars, the Monaco V4 watch found its inspiration from the car engines. Which should make for an easy transition as car engines and mechanical watches have similar concerns in regard to performance.

The TAG Heuer Monaco V4 is unique in many respects, instead of a rotating oscillating weight for automatic winding they have substituted a 4.25-gram platinum ingot which is used as a kind of cylinder, in a linear movement. One of the most car engine like developments is the drive-belt transmission of power. This includes 13 notched belts with a gauge measuring 0.5 x 0.45mm. The movement has 2.2mm diameter bearings with 0.25mm balls that rotate inside, instead of synthetic rubies often used for reduced friction. It also includes four barrels that serve as energy generators and feature transparent sapphire bridges. Each single barrel produces energy of 375 grams which results in a total output of 1.5 kilos.

The New Patek Philippe Calatrava Officier

The Calatrava line of watches from Patek Philippe has been joined by yet another addition to the very popular collection, the Calatrava Officier Reference number 5153 is a watch with classic design and beauty. This new addition is only being produced in a single metal, 18 carat yellow gold which and will have a total width measuring 38 mm in diameter. The case has a Bassine-style bezel with a signature turban-shaped crown as well as horns with rounded ends feature visible screw attachments. The sapphire crystal case back is protected by a hinged anti-dust cover which helps create a 30 meters water resistance for the watch.

The dial is made in a silvered opaline with a hand-guilloché center and has gold applique hour markers. The gold hands display hours, minutes and center seconds and there is a date window at the 3 o’clock position. The Officier is nicely complimented by the matt chocolate brown large square-scaled alligator strap. The Calatrava Officier is powered by a mechanical self-winding, 324 S C caliber movement which by itself is 27 mm in diameter and 3.3 mm high. The movement is comprised of 213 parts which includes 29 jewels and 6 bridges. The movement has a gyromax balance and has a total of 28,800 vibrations per hour. The movement allows for power reserve with a maximum of 45 hours.

The New A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk

The new Zeitwerk watch from A. Lange & Sohne is a beautiful combination of the brands traditional style and technical accomplishment that the brand is known for and a new and interesting take on time display. The extremely high quality mechanical watch is unique for the brand, straying from the traditional hour and minute display of most luxury watches and echoing the more modern digital world of timekeeping. When the creators at Lange began contemplating such a task the question they asked themselves was “Can the principles of a mechanical watch and a modern time indication format be persuasively combined?” With an answer heard around the world Lange introduces Zeitwerk, the first mechanical wristwatch with a jumping numeral display.

The A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk features a brand new in-house movement L043.1 caliber with a manual wind and a constant force escapement complication. The movement is made up of 388 parts including 66 jewels. This watch is an impressive movement with not one but two jumping complications, one for the hours and one for the minutes. A constant force escapement is situated with the balance wheel to ensure that the same amount of force is released all the time to produce excellent rate results. The oscillation system has a shock-resistant glucydur balance with eccentric poising weights; superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house with patent-pending attachment system (balance spring clamp), frequency 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring.

The Zeitwerk has a large case which is just under 42 mm wide case but remains only 12.6 mm thick. It is available in four different metals - 18 carat white, yellow, and rose gold as well as platinum. The reason I most admire this watch is the unique dial layout and functionality. Imitating a digital watch with its display of the instantly changing jumping hours and minutes. But keeping the watch from a completely modern style is the small seconds dial at 6 o’clock and the power reserve indicator at the top of the dial. The hands are constructed from rhodiumed gold. The watch is completed by the hand-stitched crocodile strap with a Lange prong buckle in solid gold or platinum.

The Birth of the Patek Philippe Seal

Beginning Spring 2009 Patek Philippe is defining a new standard of quality for mechanical watches with the launch of the brand new Patek Philippe Seal. From now on all of the Patek’s mechanical movements will be embossed with the beautiful new Patek Philippe Seal, just another reminder of the quality the brand delivers. While the well known and highly respected Geneva Seal applies to a timepieces movement, the Patek Philippe brand strives to reach a much higher level of excellence. This inspired the development of a seal that applies to not just the movement but a mark of excellence that applies to the entire timepiece. All cases, dials, hands, pushers, spring bars for straps, and functional aspects of a timepiece bearing the Seal must meet the watch industry’s most exclusive and stringent hallmark of quality.

Patek plans to phase out its use of the Geneva Seal which is the hallmark currently used on all the mechanical movements crafted by Patek Philippe, and will be gradually replacing it with its own seal. An interesting difference to the Geneva Seal is the process in which the final rate tests are executed, which are performed with fully assembled watches while conventional tests are preformed on uncased movements. The Patek Philippe Seal guarantees the quality of all materials used in the construction of the watch. As one of the last manufacturers to still keep all manufacturing aspects in house it is one of the rare brands that can oversee and ensure the quality of its product, the Patek Philippe Seal is a great way to remind its customers of this.

The Richard Mille RM 016 Titalyt Caliber

Richard Mille has created a new version of its extra-flat RM 016 caliber that has previously been produced in rose gold, white gold and titanium. The RM 016 was the first new case shape for the brand since the Richard Mille Watch line was first introduced.The newest addition to the RM016 is crafted in grade 5 titanium and finished with a Titalyt treatment. The use of this special Titalyt treatment marks the first time it has been used in the creation of a timepiece. The creation of this watch utilizes the process of titanium oxidation which is fulfilled using electro-plasma. This process improves the hardness of the metal as well as its friction, wear and corrosion-resistance. This process also corresponds to AMS 2488D aerospace material norms and the biocompatible treatment is widely applied in the aerospace, medical and automobile industries. The process also results in a uniquely colored case that stands out from other titanium watches. The 49.8 mm x 38 mm case is also shockproof and scratchproof. The RM016 Titalyt® features the automatic winding 005-S caliber skeleton movement with variable rotor geometry. The watch displays hours, minutes, date indicator and variable geometry rotor.