Concord – C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon
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| Courtesy of Ariel Adams |
When Concord released the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon in
2008, many people believed it signalled what the future of high-end
watchmaking would look like. It was a time of rapid modernisation in the
watch industry, in both talent, and perceptions of what high-end
collectors wanted to buy. There was less focus on traditionally
conservative design, and a great deal of experimentation with what were,
in the context of the often staid high-end watch industry, quite
radical designs. In many ways the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon helped
define an era.
While the “Quantum-inspired” super-watch era never replaced
a preference for traditional designs, projects like the C1 Quantum
Gravity Tourbillon have had a lasting effect on what modern luxury
timepieces strive to be.
Under the Movado group, Concord was “re-launched” only
shortly before they released the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon. The
brand eschewed much of its traditional DNA, instead opting for a
futuristic industrial look, which reached its zenith in this particular
timepiece. The movement of the Quantum Gravity is a feat unto itself, in
addition to the overall case design. Concord worked with the hottest
movement maker of the era, a firm known as BNB Concept, to develop the
mechanism inside the watch. Heavy on conceptualisation, the movement
features a bi-axial tourbillon (spins on two axis points at once),
connected to the rest of the movement with tiny suspension-bridge-style
wires. A small cylinder of green liquid is located on the dial, which
empties and fills as a means of indicating the power reserve left in the
mechanical movement.
The easiest way of understanding the point of the C1
Quantum Gravity Tourbillon is to realise that it helped fully legitimise
modern conceptual futuristic design as having a place in the high-end
watch industry. Whatever it lacked in elegance, it made up for in
inventiveness.
Concord fully acknowledges that the movement was designed
separately from the case, something common at the time, when both
elements of the watch had distinct appeal to collectors. In mostly
titanium and 18k white gold, the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon watch
even relied on vulcanised black rubber as a case material and design
element. Only 10 pieces were ever produced.
Harry Winston – Histoire de Tourbillon 3
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| Courtesy of Ariel Adams |
Little known and amazingly creative, the small collection of exclusively limited edition
Histoire de Tourbillon watches from Harry Winston are some
of the most unique timepieces on the planet. In 2009 Harry Winston
surprised the watch world (once again), by releasing the Histoire de
Tourbillon1 timepiece. It was a self-proclaimed re-interpretation of the
tourbillon and, through what would be five eventual models, the
Histoire de Tourbillon family has offered something truly original to
the ultra-luxury watch world. As of 2013, the fifth Histoire de
Tourbillon has yet to be released.
In 2012 Harry Winston released the third instalment of the
Histoire de Tourbillon with the 3. It should be noted that none of the
Histoire de Tourbillon watches appear anything like one another. Other
than each of the models sharing yellow and blue colour accents, and
offering the same original take on how to display a tourbillon, the
pieces are entirely distinct.
Why a focus on tourbillon-style escapements and then a
deconstruction thereof? Tourbillons are traditionally escapements that
revolve around their own axis, originally designed for pocket watches in
the late 18th century. Meant to enhance accuracy, they serve mostly as
decorative features in modern wristwatches. They also serve as status
symbols. Having a timepiece with a tourbillon means wealth. Harry
Winston – in a pure luxury vein – attempts to play with this concept,
not only imagining different forms of tourbillons, but also of
timepieces themselves.
The Histoire de Tourbillon 3 begins with a rather large
65mm wide case that is made from 18k white gold as well as Harry
Winston’s own alloy, known as Zalium. Shaped like a box, time is told
via two discs that independently tell the hour and minute. A large open
window offers a view of the movement, and a display that is a triple
tourbillon.
For this version of the Histoire de Tourbillon, Harry
Winston wanted three tourbillons in each timepiece. The largest
tourbillon is a bi-axial double tourbillon with an internal 40-second
tourbillon and an external 120-second tourbillon. To the right is a
third tourbillon that rotates once every 36 seconds. The mastery is in
the display, watching the two balance wheel spins on each of the three
axis points, in unison.
While not a mainstay of each Histoire de Tourbillon model,
the 3 slyly incorporates what Harry Winston is mostly known for:
precious stones. A power reserve indicator on the lower right of the
case, used to let you know when to wind the mechanical movement, is
lined with 11 sapphires and 3 citrines; when the latter pass by the
arrow, it is time to wind the piece up. Harry Winston produced just 20
pieces of the Histoire de Tourbillon 3.
Hublot – MP-05 LaFerrari
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| Courtesy of Ariel Adams |
In 2012 Hublot partnered with the Italian automobile maker
Ferrari, as their official luxury watchmaker and event sponsor. In the
watch industry, Ferrari is known for being the source of several failed
high-profile partnerships, that never quite resulted in highly-demanded
timepieces, despite the great value and world-wide appreciation of the
brand. Hublot was intent on making the relationship work, and they did.
According to Hublot Chairman, Jean-Claude Biver, the key to
producing a successful Ferrari watch was in making a totally unique
creation, that combined Hublot and Ferrari DNA. Others, before Hublot,
simply tried to adapt existing designs and then include the Ferrari logo
on them. Hublot would not make this same mistake, which ended up being
the correct decision. Hublot released the Big Bang Ferrari collection,
and it became an instant hit with watch lovers. As a showpiece to embody
the spirit of the relationship, as well the technical might of both
brands, a high complication piece needed to be produced.
Existing as part of Hublot’s Masterpiece (MP) collection,
the MP-05 LaFerrari coincided with the release of the automobile of the
same name. To car lovers it would be a timepiece inspired by a Ferrari
engine bay, and to watch lovers it would be important for containing a
movement with the world’s longest power reserve.
Most mechanical watches have enough power for about two
days of operation. Mechanical watches are powered by a tightly wound
spring that slowly unwinds over time. Watches with power reserves
between three to 10 days are available, and beyond that there are
perhaps three or so watches with a power reserve of around one month.
Hublot’s goal was to do even better. After a great deal of development,
the movement for the LaFerrari watch was capable of storing enough power
for a total of 50 days worth of power reserve.
That much power required Hublot to stack 11 mainspring
barrels on top of one another. The tricky part was in designing a system
that allowed them to unwind slowly and consistently, so that the watch
would remain accurate. Time is indicated on moving drums on the right of
the dial, and to the left is a power reserve indicator that allows the
wearer to know when to wind the movement. Hublot could not resist
placing a tourbillon in the watch – which is horizontally displayed
through the lower part of the case at the bottom of the stack of
springs.
Winding the watch is no doubt a chore and the LaFerrari
contains no crown. Instead, Hublot includes a special drill with the
piece, that is used to wind it up when necessary. The MP-05 LaFerrari
will be produced as a limited edition of only 50 pieces.
Hysek – Colosso
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| Courtesy of Ariel Adams |
During the mid-2000s there was a field of thought in the
ultra-high-end world of luxury watches that the more over-engineered
something was the better. This was a novel idea, because you had a
situation where watchmakers produced products that answered questions
no-one asked. The goal during this time was to impress and inspire awe,
and to display, to an increasingly finicky group of collectors, that you
had produced something no-one else could have imagined. It appealed to
the very core of why some people buy high-end watches; to stimulate
their need for novelty while showing them a machine that might have
previously been thought impossible.
This mentality was quite different to that which motivates
most makers of watches, be they large companies or independent
workshops. Watches are typically born from a perceived market demand, or
often the production of something that a watchmaker or designer
personally wants to wear on their own wrist.
Things that stray from the norm are no doubt going to be
interesting, especially when they fit in your palm and are priced at
over half a million dollars. Toward the end of the last golden age of
“shock and awe” watches, came the Colosso by Hysek. The brand was
started by the famed watch designer Jorg Hysek, but by the time the
Colosso was released, in 2008, he was no longer associated with the
brand. His legacy of unique, and highly avant garde yet functional
design, carried into what the brand would continue to produce, as one of
the industry’s rarer watchmakers.
A large three-dimensional representation of the earth, in
full colour, is perhaps the first thing most people notice about the
Colosso. Sitting under a dome of sapphire crystal, the globe turns fully
each 24-hour period, coinciding with the time. It makes a bold first
impression. In short, the Colosso is a multiple time-zone watch, with a
minute repeater, housed in a distinct case, made from sapphire crystal
and gold, that offers a view of the movement’s inner workings.
Minute repeater travel watches are rare – mostly because of
their limited utility. The point of a GMT or multiple time-zone watch,
is to be used while travelling, so that the wearer can be aware of their
home time as well as local time. In the Colosso the second time zone is
represented via two linear displays at the bottom of the case. Pushers
move a disc in a reference city window, so that the user knows the
relative location of where else in the world they are reading the time
from.
Time is indicated on a larger, more traditional display,
that has a big date indicator (using two discs to indicate the date).
Under everything, is a vivid view into the complex mechanical movement
contained within the bulky mass. Inside the watch is a minute repeater
mechanism that, when activated, uses a series of chimes to sound out the
time musically. These are often fragile complications, so their
inclusion, in a watch meant to be worn while travelling, is less than
common. A rare creation, the Colosso arrives in a presentation box made
from a form of fossilised wood.
URWERK – UR-CC1 King Cobra
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| Ariel Adams |
The genius of boutique Swiss watchmakers such as URWERK is
in how insane they are. The genesis of the UR-CC1 watch comes neither
logically as an evolution of timekeeping instruments, nor as a
predictable work of art combing traditional artisanal decorative
practices within fine watchmaking. No, the “King Cobra” watch, as it is
nicknamed, is inspired by relatively mundane old automobiles, obscure
horological experimentation that was never commercialised, and a
watchmaker’s penchant for simply being different.
The UR-CC1 watch has the alternative name “King Cobra” for
no other reason than URWERK enjoys adding the name of a fearsome natural
predator (often a reptile or arachnid) to each of their new creations. A
better way of thinking about this wild watch is to understand that the
goal was to display the hours, minutes, and seconds, each on a linear –
versus circular – display.
URWERK, as a brand, is interested in reimagining not only
how watch movements are typically built, but also how time is displayed.
It is a provocative concept given that the majority of analogue watch
or clock dials on the planet are round. URWERK wanted to make them
linear, and in so doing, comment on how time goes continuously in one
direction, rather than round and round in repetitive circles.
Pointing to the speedometers of certain mid-20th century
automobiles, such as Dodge and Volvo, URWERK imagined how to incorporate
such a display on a timepiece. Despite being wearable on a wrist, the
UR-CC1 case and dial barely resemble most other timepieces. Neon green
displays contrast with an 18k white gold case. One version of the King
Cobra watch even places a black coating over the white gold entirely
hiding it from view, and allowing only the wearer to know the true case
material.
From the bottom of the case to the top, three distinct
dials offer the hours, minutes, and seconds – the latter display being
both linear and digital. Flip the watch over and the time is displayed
even more elegantly on the back of the watch.
Inside the UR-CC1 is a mechanical movement completely
developed from the ground up for this application, and the watch is
designed to offer glimpses of it through a series of sapphire crystal
windows all over the case. Originally released in 2009, URWERK produced
just 50 pieces of the UR-CC1 King Cobra.
Van Cleef & Arpels – Poetic Wish Set
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| Courtesy of Ariel Adams |
Paris-based high-end watch and jewellery maker Van Cleef
& Arpels know how to create an emotionally charged luxury item. In
fact, in their own words, many of their timepiece creations contain
“poetic complications”. Even their engineers are working on making you
feel something.
In 2012, Van Cleef & Arpels upped their own ante with a
duo of timepieces (for him and her) that embodied the brand’s focus on
romance, art and precious materials. These Poetic Wish watches take you
to Paris for a simple romance between a couple located at two famous
landmarks. Each is a watch with an impressively complicated movement and
gorgeous hand-made dial.
What is striking about the Poetic Wish watches is that they
do not indicate the time at a glance. In fact, to see the time you must
activate the minute repeater mechanism contained inside the watch. Once
activated, it triggers the movement of two animated elements on the
dial, which move into position along the hour and minute scale to
indicate the time. This is in addition to the minute repeater chimes
that indicate the time to the closest five minute mark.
The ladies’ Poetic Wish watch uses a traditional Van Cleef
& Arpels case, lined with diamonds, depicting a scene from none
other than the Eiffel tower. The female character in the couple stands
atop the tower gazing across the river to Notre Dame cathedral. The dial
is hand-made, using a combination of techniques including engraved
gold, engraved mother-of-pearl, and careful enamel painting. Most of the
work is done under a microscope requiring copious amounts of time to
complete.
Set in a Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight-style case, the
men’s version logically takes place with our male character situated
atop the Notre Dame. His view, as he longingly gazes at his love, is of
the Eiffel Tower. Similar decorative techniques are used to produce a
very different design for this dial, which includes a pleasant night
sky, again with mother-of-pearl engraved clouds.
The reverses of the watches allow open views of the
mechanical movements, which include innovative features designed to
improve the sound of the minute repeater. Often, the chimes from such
functions are muffled by the case. In order to reduce this effect, the
Poetic Wish watches have minute repeater gongs that are attached not to
the case, but to the sapphire crystal itself.
* ‘Midnight Poetic Wish with diamond bezel’ for Men, $530,000
‘Lady Arpels Poetic Wish with diamond bezel’ for Women, $470,000
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