Is Rolex the king of the watch industry, like many people (want to) believe? Or, did Rolex crown itself as the king of the watch industry, and therefore have a crown as their logo?

Like many people, I always wondered what watch brand was the absolute number 1. But who and what defines the number one? As a small child, I always believed the one that produced the largest quantity of watches, is the number one. Since I was infected with the Swatch virus, that started in 1983 (I was four and had a Swatch on my wrist - I couldn't even read time), I believed Swatch was the number one. As I grew older, Swatch grew to be a huge international hype. When I grew even older and started to understand the value of money and recognize the diversity of the many brands, I believed Rolex was the number one. Not only because it seemed everybody who spoke about watches, spoke about Rolex; but also because it seemed the ultimate watch brand for many.

When I started high school and started to work in the family business during holidays, I learned there were so many more brands out there. Many of them weren't even sold in The Netherlands and I started to fall in love with Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe and Audermars Piguet. Now that I am working in this industry for more than 10 years, I have the greatest respect and appreciation for the geniuses that are still alive and create amazing, innovative movements (like: FP Journe, Richard Mille, Grubel & Forsey, Renaud & Papi, etc). But also people, like Kurt Klaus, who work for the major brands (I had the honour to have met him on many different occasions and even drove him from one side of The Netherlands to the other - the poor guy, I drilled him for the complete two hours).

At the end of this post I will share my opinion of whom I believe is the king, but first let's define some means to measure the greatness of a brand. First and foremost, people will always define quantity. But this is tricky, since some Japanese or Chinese manufacturers most probably produce more pieces annually than the complete Swiss watch industry. So, we need to narrow this down. The second definition that pops into my mind is exclusiveness and that is immediately linked to luxury. And, to measure exclusivity one can use recommended retail prices and therefore crown the most profitable watch brand as the king of the watch industry?! But, what about values at auctions? Let's propose historic and/or market prices as a third definition.
As a fourth definition we could consider is independence as a parameter... We all know "money makes money" and with enough marketing budgets, one can 'buy' exclusiveness, market shares, brand awareness and raise auction priceses (Antiquorum Scandal and remember the Omegamania auction?!). So, independent brands should be considered more successful, if they excel in a market that is dominated by huge globalized public listed companies (Swatch Group, Richemont, LVMH and others). And, last but certainly not least, perception is a parameter I want to consider. For my bachelor thesis I did research about brand identity versus brand image of watch brands. This is a very interesting and timeless subject: The self-perception of almost anyone (persons and companies) is different if compared to how we are perceived (but then again, the truth is in the eye of the beholder ;) ).

If we look at these five parameter to define who is the king of the watch industry, we have to analyze each paramter:

1. Quantity
As discussed already, some single Asian brands produce annually more watches than the complete Swiss industry, so we need to narrow it down. In the trade we generalize and split the market in to three segments: Low-end (up to EUR 1.000), mid-range (between EUR 1.000 and EUR 3.000 - some say EUR 5.000) and high-end (a.k.a. Haute Horlogerie - from EUR 3.000 or EUR 5.000) and up. And in the high-end there are many sub-segmentations possible, but we will neglect those for now. In the low-end, Seiko is the king of quantities. In the mid-range, I find it very difficult to quantify, but I personally believe it is Tissot (please share if you have any statistics - I couldn't find any now). And, in the high end it is indisputably Rolex! Although Rolex does not publicize any figures, there are rough estimates that Rolex manufactures about 1 million watches a year. We can conclude this by the figures the COSC publicizes.

2. Exclusivity/Profitability
Many watch brand nowadays compete for the title to have created the most exclusive watches. Some say the most expensive watch is the most exclusive (I believe that today this is still the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon). Others say that this is not only one of the most expensive watches, but also a watch that has been produced in a limited series... Of course, a piece unique should win this title... lately people say it is the replica of the Breguet Marie-Antoinette. But let's not forget the IWC Grand Complication Il destriero scafusia, Vacheron Constantin Tour de I'lle and Blancpain Le Brassus 1735 Grande Complication. Of course there are a few more that belong in this list. But measured overall, Patek Philippe is the brand that creates and manufactures the most exclusive watches in the market (you'll rarely find discounts on these watches - many models will be sold with a premium). Their aim was from the start to create the best watches in the market and even today they live by this promise. Linked to this, I dare to say it is the most profitable company, if measured by market price divided by quantity sold annually (no numbers know, so this is pure my personal hunch).

3. Timelessness/Market Values
Although recommended retail prices could indicate how exclusive a timepiece is, but wouldn't market prices be an even more important tool to classify the exclusiveness of watches? As discussed in the previous paragraph, there are only a few watches that actually sell above the asking price. The first watch that comes to mind is the Rolex Daytona in stainless steel for a watch that is still in production and on auctions almost all vintage Patek Philippe watches break records (In the top 10 of The Most Important Vintage Wristwatches (made before 1990), all 10 watches are by Patek Philippe!). Therefore I believe Patek Philippe is the undisputed king of timelessness and holding its value. Or even more important, proving to be a good investment: It will only go up in price. On top of that, nowadays, almost every new launched Patek Philippe watch sells for a higher price than the recommended list price! But ofcourse the also produces models that make many of us wonder what the designers where thinking while creating these pieces.

4. Market size: Independents vs. Groups
After the quartz-crisis in the 1970s, not many watch companies survived and most of them that survived joint forces. Nowadays, we can conclude that the luxury goods sector is dominated by corporations. And this also counts for the watch industry. Many international watch brands (mostly haute horlogerie brands) are now part of a large consolidated corporation selling watches, jewelry, leather goods, hunting weapons and writing instruments. Although Swatch Group is the only luxury corporation that focuses on the watch industry, it is by far not the largest group, measured in turn over. The top 10 of luxury good companies that manufacture watches is (in 2006 in billion USD):

1. LVMH (Zenith, TAG Heuer, Hublot, Dior, etc.) = 20,2
2. Richemont (Cartier, Mont Blanc, IWC, Panerai, etc.) = 6,3
3. PPR (Gucci, Bedat, Sowind, etc.) = 4,7
4. Chanel = 4,6
5. Swatch Group (Omega, Breguet, Blancpain, Longines, etc.) = 4,2
6. Valentino (Valentino, Hugo Boss, etc.) = 2,6
7. Hermes = 2
8. Giorgo Armani = 2
9. Dolce & Gabbana = 1,4
10. Bulgari = 1,3

Unfortunately all these groups do not publicize the individual figures of the subsidiaries and therefore we can't analyze and compare individual watch brands. On top of that the individual watch brands also do not publicize their turnovers and profit margins, so therefore we have no clue who is the 'largest' watch company by turnover. But if we have to guess what group is the largest, based on their turnover generated by pure watch sales, Richemont is definitely the largest! Although LVMH is more than three times larger, their watch sales most probably do not surpass those of Richemont! We have no clue how profitable Patek Philippe and Audermars Piguet exactly are, but everybody in the watch industry indisputably assumes that Rolex is the largest and most profitable individual watch brand/company. There is no manufacture that produces around 1 million quality watches annually with an average price of approx. USD 8.000! And then we do not even take Tudor in to account, but that is probably pocket change for Rolex S.A.?!

5. Perception
This is a difficult one! As written before, I have written my bachelor dissertation about Brand Identity versus Brand Image. They only way to quantify this is to do a large-scale poll. In this poll one should assess the identity of a brand and compare it with the perception of its consumers. So litteraly compare the image of the consumers with the identity a brand. Again I emphasize that this post is my personal opinion and I am heavily generalizing here. My purpose is to provoke responses, so please do share your opinion. If I have to guess, I believe that Rolex believes they are the king of the watch industry (therefore have a crown in their logo). On the other hand if you ask the majority of the population and ask them what the best watch brand is, probably 80% will say Rolex! Rolex ranks number 72 of the Top 100 Best Global Brands (Newsweek), so that is not very strange. The funny things is two years ago the Swatch Group publicly attacked Rolex (the subject of my next post), by claiming that in three years time Omega will be bigger than Rolex, measured in turn over. So, in 2006 Nick Hayek Jr. claimed that by 2009-2010 Omega will be bigger than Rolex (therefore admitting Rolex is the king) and aiming to be the king of the watch industry.

What about the 20% that doesn't believe that Rolex is the king... Many people who have decided to by a good watch, go out there without analyzing the large selection of watches available and buy a Rolex. They buy a Rolex, because they believe they bought 'THE' best watch out there. But, often they are disgusted by the fact that 'everyone' has a Rolex (or Lolex - or any other look-a-like). If their passion for mechanical movements grow, they are obliged to look into other brands. If you want a chronograph (and have a Daytona or can't get one) you are obliged to look at other brands. If you want a watch that is even more complicated, you definitely have to look elsewhere. So, for lovers of mechanical movements and complications, I believe Patek Philippe is the undisputed king, and I simply base this notion on the fact of the auction results! But even the true WatchFreaks often love Rolex watches too! Rolex has made and still makes iconic/minimalistic/qualitative movements and watches! Personally I have loved Rolex, then the love passed, it come back again and now turned into a love-hate relationship.... Yes, I know: Love is complicated ;) Maybe a nice topic for another post! 

Personally I believe that the King of the watch industry is a watch brand that finds a balance between heritage, innovation, quality and timelessness (read: is of will be a legend). Personally, I believe Patek Philippe is the king of the industry, because:

- Like many other watch brands, has an amazing heritage. It is still a family company (but not the Patek or Philippe family - but still independent).

- It is one of the most innovative watch manufacturers out there. I believe Patek was the first one to create silicium spare parts in their movement. But to be honest, Audemars Piguet and Ulysee Nardin are as innovative. But it underlines again that the independents invest more in the long term, versus the short term profit strategy of many groups.

- I believe innovation and quality go hand in hand, but when Patek Philippe was founded their aim was to produce the best movements and watches out there. This is proven by the results on auctions. Today they also produce one of the best watch movements and watches, this is underlined by the huge waiting lists for models and the premiums people are willing to pay for the new watches!

- In the battle of who produces the largest watches, Patek still sticks to the 'old-fashioned' small and thin movements. I believe that is very daring, but then again, that shows vision and faith in their own identity and strategy!

- Last, but not least: Exclusivity/Distribution. Even though Rolex doesn't really have many retailers compared to other brands, Patek is truly exclusive. It only has a handful retailers and they only work with the best retailers in every city/country! No concessions to quality and service! 

The funny thing is, I believe that Patek is the King of the watch industry, I still do not have the urge to run out and get one particular Patek at this very moment. I do love the 5960p, but still I love my Portuguese Chrono more (sorry!). And I always loved the Nautilus (am a huge fan of Gerald Genta - AP Royal Oak is my favourite), but even though the new 5711/1 grew to a good size of a 43mm, I find the watch thin (case and bracelet)! But what an amazing movement and what a finish on every single detail! 

Yes, when I am a bit older and have a lot more grey hair, I definitely want a Perpetual Calendar in white gold (5140G). But still, 37mm is very small. My wrist is not to big and therefore I don't wear watches over 44mm, where 42mm is ideal for me. 39mm is really the minimum for me, but just for the love for the brand and this model it is a dream to wear the 5140! But first I want the IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar (IW502218).

I am very curious who you believe is the king of the watch industry!

A mechanical greeting,

Alon

P.S. Rolex was founded in 1905 and the Crown-logo was registered in 1925.

It also became apparent as time went on that they would blend with personal computers, stereos and other electronics, to the point where consumers could carry the world around in a purse or shirt pocket.

At first, this explosion of small portable electronics made watch and jewelry retailers a little nervous: After all, if the phone serves as a pocket watch, why would you wear an additional timepiece on your wrist?

But as cell phones got fancier and more complicated, so did watches—to the point where now, some 20 years after cell phones emerged, the role of both items in the luxury market has changed.

Cell phones were once a status symbol, and it was considered the height of cool to take a phone call mid-meal at a hip restaurant. Today, it takes a little more than that to impress a client or a potential girlfriend.

At the same time, it has become a mark of taste and discernment to collect high-end mechanical watches. It seems that phones haven't squeezed watches out of the luxury market so much as they've forced watchmakers to take their product to the next level. The result? Phones, other electronics and watches are all getting along just fine: often placed side-by-side in the same store, one category helping to sell the other.

"Our watch business is not at all threatened by cell phones," says Andrew Block, the executive vice president of Tourneau, where Vertu phones have been available for the past five years. "We're the biggest Vertu retailer in the country, and Vertu has a good chance to edge into our top 10 brands. The phones sell at an average price point of $5,000. They have some amazing features—global reach, an unbelievably strong signal, concierge services—but mainly, Vertu is an image thing. You don't wear a Vertu on your belt. You walk into a room and put it on the table and say, 'Here's my Vertu.'"

Block expects more and more jewelers will carry high-end phones, and certainly watch companies will become more involved in electronics.

In fact, popular watch brand TAG Heuer plans to introduce a cell phone later this year (brand representatives would not provide further details until later this summer).

When the phone does hit showcases, Tourneau intends to carry it.

"Phones are great incremental business," Block says. "They don't take a lot of space, and a customer who will pay $5,000 for a phone won't hesitate to buy a high-end, high-tech watch. I don't expect people to collect phones the way they collect watches."

From electronics to watches Meanwhile, at least one high-end electronics retailer is crossing over into watches. Abt Electronics in Glenview, Ill., the country's largest single independent consumer electronics and appliance store—and arguably the fanciest—has opened the Abt Time Boutique, a store within a store that carries watches ranging from a $100 Skagen to a $12,000 Chronoswiss. Abt also carries one set of Omega's "Moon Mission" collection—for $150,000.
[caption id="attachment_849" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Abt Electronics"][/caption]

"Watches were the No. 1 request in our customer surveys," says Michael Abt, president of Abt Electronics. "We added the watch boutique last Thanksgiving, and we've found that in a lot of ways, watches are easier to sell than appliances: no delivery, no installation, no dealing with wiring."

The company also does sell a lot of phones, and the average consumer, male or female, uses the phone as a watch, he says.

"But watches are more of a jewelry item—especially for men, since they can't collect shoes or handbags the way that a woman does," Abt says. "Seventy percent of our watch customers are men."

A near-term goal for the retailer is to attract the highest-end watch brands, including Patek Philippe and Rolex.

"We're maybe five years away from that," Abt says. "It took us a long time to get the highest-end audio lines, and it'll be a similar process: courting the manufacturers, getting them into our store to show them that we're a luxury store, not an appliance dealer. We'll have a watchmaker on premises by next year, once we've sold about 5,000 watches. We already offer basic services such as sizing and battery replacement."

Meanwhile, Breil Milano, the Italian watch and jewelry manufacturer, has started using electronic gadgets as promotional devices: most notably a limited-edition MP3 player in the shape of a USB key.

The item was created to celebrate the opening of the first Breil Milano store in the United States, which opened in New York City this past April. But Fabrizio Cattaneo, the company's U.S. marketing director, cautions watch manufacturers against allying themselves too closely with electronic goods.

"This MP3 player is not something we're going to sell," he says. "It was the perfect promotional gift, but we don't want Breil to be perceived as a high-tech brand because that's not who we are. We don't promote technology, but we do emphasize innovation and new materials in our watches and jewelry, as well as new chemical treatments."

Those are actually just some song lyrics, but I think they actually convey how I feel about this NBA off season thus far. I don’t remember an offseason like this with so much significant movement. And Elton Brand, ooooooh, I ain’t seen nothin’ that shady since Carlos Boozer. But in all seriousness, this free agent period was way more interesting/tragic than I anticipated.

It started with a rash of opt outs by some pretty big names. I was wondering why this would happen, but then when you consider the likes of the players who will be coming up in 2009 and 2010, Kobe, Iverson, McGrady, LeBron, Rasheed Wallace, Yao Ming, Dwayne Wade, Michael Redd, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Amare, Manu, Chris Bosh…you get the idea. So it seems to me the players who opted out realized they better go ahead and get while the gettin’s good, because in the next two years the watering hole is going to dry up for lesser players. I understand that some of the players I listed will resign before they even hit free agency, but then again, nobody thought Elton Brand or Baron Davis would opt out.

Let’s start with Elton Brand. Elton Brand is a moron. "Philly suits my tough grind it out style," he says. Bullshit, more like the West is too hard and I'm only concerned with making All Star teams and making a ton of cash without having to deal with the pressure of expectations. Brand spends all summer telling the Clippers that he just wants some help; they draft Eric Gordon (who I'm actually not sold on, but still). Reports were out that he specifically wanted the Clippers to target Baron "Boody Doo" Davis, they make it happen; then he promptly splits town. I’m going to borrow a term from a well spoken friend of mine, “What a pussois.” Brand turns down an offer from the Clippers to take $82M (which actually turned out to be $79.795M), and his excuse was “Oh, it’s closer to home, and I’m expecting my first child, and I want my baby’s grandparents to be close.” Elton, that’s fine, it’s not like for $80M you couldn’t fly the whole extended family out to the west coast once a month, but that’s neither here nor there. The problem I have is that as of two weeks ago, “your intent was to resign with the Clippers,” it’s not as if you didn’t know you had a baby on the way, or that California is about a six hour flight away from the New York. Those aren’t great truths humanity has just recently stumbled upon, you knew those things when it was supposedly your intent to stay in L.A. And it wasn’t just for the money because, the Clippers were giving you comparable money. So where does that leave us? With Brand being soft & selfish? Perhaps. But at the end of the day, what else would you expect from a Blue Devil? Somebody should tell his agent that it’s just poor Brand management. But don’t let all my hating fool you, as far as “seemingly” good guys (because nobody really knows these guys) I still feel Elton Brand, the person, is still good in my book…and $80M is $80M.

Baron Davis, I feel sorry for. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have gone to L.A. just for the money (he wasn’t going to see that kind of money from anyone else) but Brand no-doubt was a selling point in getting Boom Dizzle to sign. Now, I don’t know any of these guys, and I’m pretty sure I couldn’t call up Baron Davis if I wanted to, but my name also isn’t Elton Brand. I don’t think it would be impossible for Brand to call Davis (directly) and saying something to the effect of, “hey man, I’m out.” Again, I don’t know either of these guys, and Brand may have very well done that, and if he did, I commend him for not screwing a franchise as well as one of my favorite players in one fell swoop. All I know is, just watch Baron Davis and the newly minted member of the German National Hoops Squad (Chris Kaman) to do some things if they can stay on the court together.

From bone-headed player moves, to bone-headed organizations, the Milwaukee Bucks reportedly will re-sign their center to a 5 year $72.5M extension. Why are you looking at me like that? Ohhhh you don’t know who their center is. Andrew Bogus—I mean Bogut is all set to become the highest paid Aussie in the league. Think about that, an average of $14.5M dollars per year, [in contemplation] hmmm 14.5, 14.5 why does that number seem familiar? Oh I know, because that’s about how many points per game he averaged last season. I just don’t even get this, if you’re going to break the bank in keeping one of your stars, at least let it be someone you already know someone else is going to drop the bank on, but Andrew Bogut? This is like when Isiah drafted Renaldo Balkman because he “was certain” the Suns were going to draft him with the next selection. When asked about Renaldo Balkman, the Suns GM responded, “Who is Renaldo Balkman?” GMs all around the league most be pissed. All kinds of marginal players and their agents are going to show up and say, “Well Andrew’s dad gave him $72.5M!” Actually the more I think about it, it’s just funny; Elton Brand is only worth about $1.4M/year more than Andrew Bogut. Bogut better thank that agent, get him a Patek Philippe, or send his kids to college, oh wait, he already did.

Le calibre 240 extra plat (2.43 mm) héberge même un mini rotor décentré pour le remontage automatique. Squeletté et gravé à la main, cette merveille ne sera produite qu'à quelques exemplaires par année, qui serons vendus sans peine au prix de 55'000 euros environ.

source : montres-de-luxe.com

Les marques retail (BtoC)

 Les marques « retail » vont privilégier le développement de magasins exclusifs et des mégastores en propre.  Elles vont appliquer une politique de prix uniforme sur l’ensemble de leur réseau et ainsi conserver une maîtrise des prix et de leur image. Les employés de vente sont, en général des salariés de la marque, ils sont formés par la maison, et possèdent une parfaite connaissance de l’esprit et des codes de la marque.

Circuit de distribution traditionnel pour les marques retail

 Grâce à un système de base de données clients, les boutiques exclusives et les mégastores vont permettre à la marque de luxe d’avoir une meilleure connaissance du client final, et de pouvoir mieux le servir. En revanche, il apparaît quasi-impossible de recueillir des informations clients dans les grands magasins et les duty free, d’autant plus, que la clientèle de ces deux derniers canaux est bien souvent étrangère et occasionnelle, donc difficile à fidéliser.

 Les marques wholesale (BtoB)

 Les marques wholesale, sont des marques qui vont être distribuées par des détaillants multimarques, mais également dans les grands magasins. De ce fait, les marques vont se retrouvées en concurrence dans une même boutique. Il est reconnu que les secteurs de l’horlogerie et de la joaillerie ont depuis longtemps souhaité privilégier ce mode de distribution, essentiellement pour des raisons de coûts.  

Circuit de distribution traditionnel pour les marques wholesale

 Prenons l’exemple du secteur horloger : on compte actuellement huit grands acteurs (Rolex, Richemont, Swatch Group, LVMH, Patek Philippe, Bulgari, Chopard et Gucci) qui contrôlent plus de 90% de l'horlogerie de luxe. Swatch Group et Richemont détiennent à eux seuls 27 des principales marques horlogères (18 chez Swatch Group, 9 chez Richemont) parmi les plus prestigieuses: Breguet, Blancpain, Omega, Jaquet Droz pour Swatch Group; Cartier, Piaget, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin ou Baume & Mercier pour Richemont. Or, au milieu des années 1990, une bonne partie de ces marques étaient encore indépendantes. La distribution et la vente au détail de l'horlogerie sont aujourd'hui encore largement assurées par des tiers, en Suisse comme à l'étranger.

 D’après un article de Worldtempus, le regroupement des marques commencent à changer les choses, en effet, les moyens à disposition sont autres. Après avoir, dans un premier temps, intégré et concentré leur production, les groupes horlogers convoiteraient les marges confortables de la distribution. Pourquoi laisser d'autres s'enrichir en vendant leurs propres produits? Certes, les fabricants de montres auront encore longtemps besoin de distributeurs et de détaillants tiers (tout comme ces derniers ont besoin des marques). Ils ne pourraient supporter seuls les coûts de leur distribution. Swatch Group, premier groupe horloger mondial, «dépend» ainsi d'un réseau d'environ 40 000 points de vente indépendants dans le monde pour écouler ses montres et pour assurer une partie du service après-vente.

 Le développement de boutiques exclusives

 Alors que les rôles sont clairement définis et respectés, on sait qu'aujourd'hui les groupes horlogers cherchent de plus en plus à intégrer le plus loin possible la chaîne de distribution pour toucher le consommateur final. L'enjeu est capital. C’est ainsi que l’on voit, depuis quelques années, les marques multiplier l'ouverture de boutiques exclusives, en nom propre, ou en partenariat avec des détaillants. Depuis 2006, l’on a pu constater l'ouverture par Audemars Piguet d'une boutique exclusive à Paris, par Vacheron Constantin à Moscou. Pendant la même période, IWC ouvrait un magasin à Zurich.

 Boutique Audemars Piguet - Rue St Honoré - Paris 

Boutique en propre Cartier - Rue de la Paix - Paris 

Ces boutiques permettent aussi aux marques une réactivité accrue, un service après-vente certifié et un meilleur contrôle de leur image. Dans l'univers du luxe, ce dernier point prend une importance primordiale. Pour vendre du rêve à des prix stratosphériques, il faut y mettre la forme. De plus, qui dit luxe dit distribution plus exclusive. Et, contrairement aux surfaces multimarques, dans une boutique exclusive le client n'a pas l'occasion de comparer avec la concurrence. Il est important de bien comprendre le fonctionnement du réseau de distribution traditionnel afin de mieux comprendre les effets et l’impact d’un site e-commerce sur ce même réseau. 

En conclusion, force est de constater que les marques de luxe évoluent dans un contexte de distribution relativement complexe, et qu’il existe déjà - notamment pour les marques wholesale – une forme de cohabitation entre le réseau de détaillants multimarques agréés, et les boutiques en propre monomarque. Internet représenterait, en quelque sorte, une boutique en propre monomarque supplémentaire.

 Source : www.worldtempus.com

Nel corso dell’asta oganizzata da Sotheby’s a Ginevra, sono stati venduti 159 orologi, per un incasso complessivo di 10,9 milioni di franchi. La quotazione più alta è stata ottenuta da un raro cronografo Patek Philippe, passato di mano per 2,35 milioni di franchi (pari a circa 2,25 milioni di dollari). Apparteneva al conte Carlo Felice Trossi

Il lotto, di alto valore simbolico, ha scatenato un’accesa competizione fra i partecipanti, che si sono sfidati a suon di rialzi. Nella stessa seduta altri due cronografi sono stati venduti a prezzi da amatore: il primo è andato a un collezionista europeo per 1,05 milioni di franchi, l’altro a un facoltoso cultore americano per 945 mila unità della stessa valuta.

[via: deluxeblog.it]

Astăzi cadranele au 3 limbi: pentru ora, minute şi secunde. Primele cadrane aveau însă doar o limbă, cu indicaţie pentru oră. La acestea era foarte greu de citit ora exactă. Se presupune că Daniel Quare a introdus minutarul în jurul anului 1691. Şi astăzi se mai foloseşte formula clasică cu două limbi, în special la ceasurile foarte subţiri, cum ar fi acest Jaeger-LeCoultre Ultra Thin:

Primele indicaţii pentru secunde au apărut în formă subsidiară. Adică aveau cadran mic, separat, de obicei la ora 6 sau 9. Aceste lucru se datorează faptului ca secundarul este legat direct de roata a patra în cadrul mecanismului şi aceasta se află descentrată deoarece în centru se află roata minutarului, care, după spune numele, duce limba minutelor (mai multe despre mecanismul unui ceas şi plasarea exactă şi rolul acestor roţi voi vorbi pe larg într-un post viitor). Un exemplu al acestui aranjament clasic se poate vedea la modelul Calatrava Ref. 5119 produs de Patek Philippe:

Şi acum ajungem la cea mai cunoscut aranjament pentru cadranul unui ceas: 3 limbi, toate centrale. Acesta este la fel ca şi cel cu secundarul subsidiar, doar că acesta fost mutat în centru (această mutare nu a fost deloc uşoară, după cum voi arăta ulterior). Pentru exemplificare am ales un Glashüette Original Senator Navigator:

Astăzi multe ceasuri au şi alte funcţii în afară de a arăta ora. Aceste funcţii "superioare" sunt numite complicaţii. Cea mai comună este data (mulţi specialişti nu o consideră ca şi o complicaţie, deoarece este extrem de comuna, dar voi discuta altă dată această problemă). De obiceai ea este arătată printr-o apertură (deschidere în cadran) în dreptul orei 3:

Un alt tip de indicator pentru dată este indicatorul central. Este în esenţă o limbă suplimentară care arată data partea exterioară a cadranului. De obicei, această limbă face o rotaţie completă odată la 31 de zile, dar există mecanisme cu indicaţie retrogradă, adică în ziua de 31 revine la poziţia iniţială, cum este cazul acestui Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Day and Date Retrograde:

To be continued...

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Jaeger-LeCoultre

JLC vine anul acesta, aşa cum ne-a obişnuit dintotdeauna cu inovaţii tehnice excepţionale. Primul dintre ele îl reprezintă al treilea model rezultat din parteneriatul lor cu Aston Martin: AMVOX 3:

Calibrul 988, Mecanism automatic cu tourbillon, 35 de rubine, rezervă de putere de 48 de ore, indicator AM/PM, al doilea fus orar. Disponibil în ceramică neagră sau aur roz de 18 carate. Ediţie limitată de 300 de bucăţi.

Un alt model este o reeditare a modelului Memovox Polaris din 1965: Memovox tribute to Polaris. Disponibil în serie limitată de 768 de bucăţi, în oţel inoxidabil. Calibru 956, mecanism automatic cu alarmă, dată, rezervă de putere de 45 de ore, 23 de rubine, 268 de piese şi 7,45 mm grosime:

Două ceasuri create pentru doamne sunt Reverso Squadra Lady Automatic şi Reverso Squadra Lady Duetto. Primul dispune de un mecanism automatic cu rezervă de putere de 42 de ore, iar cel de-al doilea dispune de indicator AM/PM şi este decorat cu 73 de diamante.

Ultimul model pe care il voi prezenta este Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2. Urmaşul lui Gyrotourbillon 1, prezintă un tourbillon sferic cu 2 axe şi este primul ceas de mână din lume care are arcul balansierului cilindric. Calibru 174, 58 de rubine, 371 de piese şi este disponibil în serie limitată de 75 de bucăţi, în platină 950.

Patek Philippe

Creatorul celor mai complicate ceasuri din lume ne prezintă anul acesta câteva modele deosebite. Primul pe care îl voi prezenta este Ref. 5970J. Mecanism cu cronograf, calendar perpetuu şi indicator AM/PM.

Un ceas subţire, cu calendar perpetuu şi mecanism automat este Ref. 5139G:

Un model deosebit îl reprezintă referinţa 5180/1G. Mecanism scheletonizat, automatic, disponibil în aur alb:

Cireasa de pe tort este Ref. 5131J, "Word Time Watch". Ceasul arată simultan ora în toate cele 24 de fusuri orare şi este decorat cu un cadran emailat.

To be continued...

- Rado
- Longines
- TAG Heuer
- Ace Watches
- U-boat
- Welder

Usually when you have walked around for a couple of hours on the fair, you get a sense if it is a slow year, a year of line extensions or a revolutionary year. The year 2008 seems as a year of line extensions and as I call it, a period of consolidation. The brands are consolidating their successes. The successes of the last decade are prolonged and these are the trends for 2008 in my opinion:

1. Diamonded watches for ladies AND men are STILL hot:

Corum Diamond Watch (for men)

Corum Diamond-Ruby Watch (for Ladies)

Patek Philippe Nautilus Full Diamonds (men or women)

Even Longines has jeweled watches and this is a special piece where the side of the lunette/bezel is set.

2. Big is still the trends, we thought that 46mm is large, well:

Longines made the HydroConquest in 47,5mm, see the differecen compared to my fathers 46mm IWC Big Pilot.

Welder made another watch 55mm with 3 time zones

3. Black cases are still very trendy, black PVD on steel or titanium or ceramic:

TAG Heuer Grande Carrera RS2 Limited Edition

Master of Ceramic: Rado!

U-boat makes black watches with black PVD on steel, titanium or complete ceramic cases.

4. Pink Gold is here to stay (it was in the 1920s and the 1950s):

TAG Heuer Grande Carrera Limited Edition

Patek Philippe World Timer

Longines L990 Manufacture Limited Edition

5. HiMech = HiTech Mechanical Watches:

Chopard Chrono

Blancpain is the only one with a real watchmaker on the fair

Patek Philippe Advanced Research Lab was the first to create a silicium escapement!

AND I WANTED TO SHARE THIS WITH YOU, THE CEO OF THE SWATCH GROUP (Nick Hayek Jr.) SCHLEPPING A CHAIR TO THE GLASHUTTE MEETING ROOM (IS THIS BRAND GETTING EXTRA ATTENTION?!):

Tomorrow more news...

Everybody who studied a bit of Latin, can split the word 'Manufacture' in two: 'Manu' and 'Factura' and knows one can translate this in: Manu is hand and Factura is to manufacture (Isn't it funny what the English word derives from). Wikipedia gives the following definition for this word:

"Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand") is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale. The term may refer to a vast range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale."

By this definition almost all Swiss watchmakers can call themselves Manufacture Watchmakers. But then Wikipedia also states:
"Manufacturing is used ironically within some of these companies as a term referring solely to the marketing of the product, perhaps due to it having the alternate meaning of creating false statements. More generally, many companies use it to describe the entire process of production, all the way through from idea conception to its first use by the consumer."

This is something that I can agree with. If we follow this definition of Manufacture, then suddenly there are NOT many watchmakers that are 'true' watchmakers. Companies that do not create new calibres are not watchmakers, but watch assemblers or to make a bridge to car making: Watch Tuners (Does the program 'Pimp my Watch' already exist?!). These watchmakers take a calibre and tune the 'engine' of the watch (Tissot, Raymond Weil, Rado, Baume & Mercier and many more). As you notice this discussion is soley about the 'heart' of the watch, the movement. That is why I only take mechanical watchmaking in to consideration in this article.

Until couple of years ago there was only ONE company in Switzerland could make Hair Spring Balances from mechanical movements (Nivarox), so there was not one compay that could make a 100% manufacture mechanical watch movement, so that was the start of when can one call it's movement a manufacture movement?! In the watch industry there is still no clear definition. Some say a watch movement should made up by 80% of spare parts that are MANUFACTUREd by the watchmaker itself. Some say it is 90% and other says, no that is impossible and it should be 70%. If you search for a definition of manufacture on the official website of the non-profit organization Haute Horlogerie, you can find the following interesting article:

"For a long time, Manufactures were a rare breed in the watchmaking world and for one reason: after the quartz tidal wave, few companies held on to production resources that were tuned to the manufacturing of mechanical movements. Given the investments and skills this type of venture entails, few were tempted to make the move towards greater autonomy and industrial integration, in particular as there were no bottlenecks in production. How things have changed. With the return of mechanical watches, one of the main priorities has been to guarantee a continuous flow of supplies, particularly of movements. Hinging on this is brands’ credibility among an increasingly well-informed public, not to mention their all-important legitimacy at a time when more and more companies lay claim to the title of Manufacture.

Once used indiscriminately, the title of Manufacture has grown in importance and this time brands have the credentials to go with it. With an eye on the competition, numerous brands have grasped the nettle and embarked on production of their own in-house movement. Hublot has announced its calibre for next year, as has Bovet. Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta will follow suit in 2009. Omega, Panerai, Maurice Lacroix and Frédéric Constant can already pride themselves on having taken this crucial step. When Bovet took over three manufacturing firms (tourbillons, calibres and balance springs) that were grouped together under STT Holding, including the former Progress Watch, to create Dimier 1738, the brand was propelled to the rank of Manufacture. In 2002, no-one would have bet on such a transformation, except perhaps a certain Nicolas Hayek…"

Where this article stops, I want to continue, because the family Hayek had a bigger impact on the (Swiss) watch industry in last 25 year, than many grand watchmaking houses in the last hundred years. For those that are not up to date about the Hayek Family (Creaters of the Swatch brand and largest share holders of the public company Swatch Group - the biggest watchmaking group in the world), I'll give a short summary:

In 1982, N. Hayek Sr. was attracted as a consultant to advise the SMH Group to overcome the 'Quartz Crisis', that crushed the mechanical watch sector: cheap and precise electronic watch movement (mostly Japanese) took the Swiss mechanical watch industy by surprise and many companies went bankrupt. In 1983 SMH group created a revolutionary watch concept: a plastic watch with a down-sized quartz movement (lesser spare parts) that took the world by storm. I don't think I need to elaborate about the brand Swatch.... The name of group that owns over 156 Swiss watch (spare parts) factories and the following brands nowadays: Breguet, Blancpain Glashütte-Original, Léon Hatot, Jaquet-Droz, Omega, Longines, Rado, Union, Tissot, ck Calvin Klein, Certina, Mido, Hamilton, Pierre Balmain, Flik Flak and, last but certainly not least, Swatch.

The advantage of such a group is that they lifted the complete Swiss watchmaking industry and saved many ancient watch brands. The down side is that they also bought all the important spare part manufacturers (like: Nivarox, ETA, Valjoux, etc) and control the companies that are the supplier of approximately 90% of the watch industry. As you can guess, this creates monopoly inefficiencies and arrogance. For this reason many watch brands started creating their own calibers, because ETA announced to stop supply spare parts and only complete movement (read: reason to raise prices). Legendary brands like Patek Philippe and Rolex always have been independent (read: not belonging to any public listed company) and always make sure they will stay like that, they increased their research & development efforts to the maximum and took steps to create a watch movement that is almost 100% manufacture. But also many brands, like named in the article of Haute Horlogerie, are stepping up their R&D efforts. Last years many brands started to create new calibres, and if they didn't have the knowledge in-house, they would either team-up with manufacturares or simply buy the complete company:

- Mont Blanc bought Minerva
- Audermars Piguet took shares in Renault & Papi
- Breitling bought Kelek (but not a manufacture)
- Harry Winston teams up with a different magnificant individual watchmaker every to years to create a unique Opus watch.
- Group effort: Cartier uses JLC movements (Richemont)
- Chanel will launch watches with Audermars Piguet movements during Basel 2008.
- Omega bought the co-axial eschapment from the Englishman George Daniels (BTW: Patek turned it down in the 1970s).

What I also believe many brands forget in their race to become a 'pure' manufacture, does the consumer really want/need it? Personally, as a purist, I love the thrive for excellence, but a bit more quality is an exponential spur in cost/price. What's wrong with the strategy Breitling and the pre-Richemont IWC have: Their philosophy is to create a product with an excellent price-quality ratio. That means, create watches they believe are 'Instruments for Professionals' and using the best resources at the best price. So, they always use the Valjoux 7750 (nowadays ETA 7770 - Yes, both a Swatch Group company and ETA swallowed the legendary Valjoux), and enhance it to their personal quality specifications. And what I think even is more distinguished, is the fact that they are open about the fact that they are NOT a manufacture. Nowadays, almost every watchmaker calls oneself a manufacture, but if you confront them with the question, how many of your spare parts are actually made in-house, you never get a straight anwser!

I will not start the discussion about what is actually 'Swiss Made'. If you are curious, have a look at the website of: The Swiss Watch Industry FH, you will be amazed what a hollow title that is!

To end this article: Should watchmakers become a true Manufacture?

To my opinion, please do, but only if you are true to your own values and more importantly to your fans, the WatchFreaks. Don't do it to have a reason to increase prices. Don't do it to spite the big bad wolf, The Swatch Group. Don't worry about them, the Anti-Trust Laws in the EU are fierce and they can't use all the movements they produce for their own watch brands (unlike they claim). Don't be vague about it, be ethical and don't mislead the consumer. The society is changing so rapidly, that the watchmakers should be happy that, in such a hi-tech society, people still buy old-school timekeepers. Everybody has a clock on his cell phone, in his car, on his microwave, Philips Wake-Up Light, etc.

It seems that the main interest in mechanical watches comes from men. The industry seems to recognize this because most new mechanical watches (especially those with complications) are for men. Sure, there are some staples. Rolex makes lovely mechanical watches for ladies, but honestly do these women care that it is mechanical. When it comes to a Rolex, do the men?

There are many people out there who would like us to believe that a lady wants a pretty watch and she doesn't "care what is under the hood." Sometimes this is true, but I'm sure there are some ladies out there interested in watch complications.

Let's see what's out there for women:

• Rolex offers an automatic with or without a date for women, although they now offer more feminine looks in larger models. I mean really, the "Safari Daytona" is not for a man, unless he's dressed in women's clothes.
• Zenith has several of their "Open" Collection for women with hearts & stars & cutesie frills.
• Cartier's women's models are about 80% quartz.
• Patek Philippe's highest selling line, the "Twenty~4", is available mostly in quartz with a couple manual wind models. They do have a new ladies Calatrava dual time zone with a display back.

Honestly, as much as I follow the watch market, I don't really know what is available for women in mechanical complicated wristwatches. They have a very small share of the market.

Is it fair, or justified, or simply a business decision? Let me know.

Als eine gewisse Herausforderung hatte ich die Artikel bei Wikipedia empfunden, die vorher zu einigen Marken (v.a. Rolex, IWC und Omega) eindeutig besser als im Watch-Wiki gewesen waren. Jetzt hat sich das Verhältnis, so denke ich, ins Gegenteil verschoben, so daß man Wikipedia hinsichtlich Uhren- und Uhrenmarken-Beschreibungen wohl als obsolet betrachten kann. Was dort v.a. fehlt, ist der ganze Hintergrund, einerseits zu den Fachbegriffen, aber auch zu den einzelnen Modellen der Marken (mit genauen Detailinfos und Bildern) und den Werken.

Damit das hier nicht immer so trocken bleibt, habe ich hier nun auch einmal ein schönes Bild einer ebenso schönen Uhr hineingesetzt, nämlich der Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin. Ohnehin ist Jaeger-LeCoultre eine besonders sympathische Marke, die es verdient, besonders hervorgehoben zu werden.

...

Nachdem ich das geschrieben hatte, habe ich mich entschlossen, auch JLC zu den Kurzportraits im ZEITGEFÜHL hinzuzunehmen. Es gibt dort also ab sofort wieder einen ausführlicheren Beitrag. Aber noch ausführlicher, nämlich 10 Seiten, auch mit schönen Uhrenbildern, steht die Marke im ZEITGEFÜHL-Uhrenbuch beschrieben.

(Bild mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Jaeger-LeCoultre)

Shopping is by far one of the most stressful parts of the holiday season. Even people like myself, who love shopping and any excuse to spend endless hours at Chopard, find the lengthy lines and pushy crowds to be overwhelming.

So to help you save time and stop stressing, here are some great gift ideas that will help you to enjoy more of the season and not just the holidays. This year's Chic Holiday Gift List is all about extravagance, luxury, and over the top gifts that are exquisitely chic, timelessly coveted, and distinguishable statement pieces that remark on a life of privilege and style. Whether you are giving or receiving, these luxurious items will ensure that the New Year is celebrated in an elegantly chic fashion.

Susan’s 2007 Chic Holiday Gift List

This year, it is very true that the greatest gifts come in small packages. Elegant watches and magnificent jewelry are at the very top of my chic holiday gift list for 2007. The key is quality not quantity, so focusing on lavish pieces that last a lifetime make the perfect gifts for anyone who loves living in the lap of luxury.

Van Cleef & Arpels reinvents the ring with this Lotus Between-the-Fingers Ring, designed from white gold and diamonds to delicately wrap around your fingers.

This multi-colored gem and gold chain by Rosalina adds color and style when worn with basic black, a perfect look for a night at the ballet or black tie event. Rosalina is a San Francisco based designer, but recently I had the great pleasure of meeting her in New York. We discussed how my clients can create any piece by Rosalina to reflect their personal style.

Forever classic, these long shoulder dusting diamond Cartier earrings, worn by Debra Messing at the EMMYs, take centre stage when worn with an elegant but simple evening gown.

Herve Van Der Straeten’s 24k gold Vermeil cuff bracelet is a stunningly luxurious piece that wraps your wrist in one of the finest French designer’s coveted creations.

Designer Michelle Ong’s unique fusion of contemporary style with delicate detailing is ever present in this jeweled cuff, which transforms even the most structured look with a touch of femininity.

Lydia Courteille’s boutique in Paris is filled with uniquely remarkable jewelry, of which her BIG rings with intricate detailing are my favorite pieces.

This superb pair of amethyst earrings from Chopard are set with 4 flower shape cabochon amethysts. They belong to the “Haute Joaillerie” collection and can be found at the new Chopard Boutique on Madison and 63rd which is "must-see" over the holidays. I have a particular affinity for these earrings because of the elegant and romantic design and the color evokes some mystery for me.

This exquisite yellow and orange hued Graff Diamond Ring is one of the most luxurious pieces a woman can wear. Being of such exceptional color, its composition was initially questioned, but since proven to be entirely natural this diamond ring has captured the attention of collectors and high society. Such an impressive piece should be worn by someone with an equally bright personality, as to avoid being out-shined by the naturally splendid hue of this extraordinary diamond.

The vintage jewelry House of Buccellati creates the most beautifully breathtaking pieces, such as this divine 18k gold and diamond bracelet. Buccellati is one of my favorite jewelers. I own a cuff as well and I wear it all the time - dressed up or down and always receive compliments. It's my signature piece of jewelry.

Patek Philippe’s ladies “Twenty-4” 18k white gold and diamond timepiece, with it’s unquestionable craftsmanship and classic style is the perfect accessory to wear all year long and any time of day.

Carl F. Bucherer's limited edition Patrai Tribute to Fritz Brun watch for Him, combines luxurious Louisiana alligator leather and 18k white gold to create a stylishly sophisticated timepiece that has uncompromising quality.

In addition to the exquisite jewelry and watches that top my 2007 luxury gift list, here are a few more extraordinary gift ideas that have caught my eye and are sure to become the most coveted items of the new year. Luxurious materials and exotic detailing are transforming classic style handbags into trendsetting statements that exude privilege and are stylishly chic.

This extremely unique and decadently decorated Fendi Bag is the epitome of luxury and exclusiveness, as it is sure to have a wait list. Its outrageous plumes and multicolored texture, hung from a simple leather handle, create a bag that is chic and stylish.

Louis Vuitton’s blue Alligator bag combines luxurious leather with a classic style that can be carried through years and seasons, as it is timelessly chic.

For champagne and fashion lovers alike, the ultimate gift this season toasts to combing incredible taste, haute couture, and luxurious living. For jet setting fashionistas who love to celebrate in style, Karl Lagerfeld’s hand-signed lizard skin suitcase filled with Dom Pérignon Rosé takes the cake as the most luxurious gift idea for 2007. Included with this extraordinary collectors item is a private tasting in point-of-origin Hautvillers as well as personal invitations to the most exclusive Dom-Pérignon-Events around the world. A truly spectacular present that gives the gift of great taste and times that will last all year long.

And for those who are looking for a novelty item I suggest a gift from Lambertz. The delicious selections of gingerbread are cleverly packaged. The cover to the box is a picture frame which you can use for personal photos. A lovely idea to sweeten your holiday. And of course, for the millions of women who suffer from Paris envy, my book CHIC IN PARIS, is a great stocking stuffer or small gift idea. This guide consists of interviews with eight Parisian women whom I have selected for their undisputed taste in fashion, their sense of self that is expressed in their style philosophy, and their secret addresses of boutiques, couturiers and designers that allows them to pull it all inimitably together. Truly a gift that will spread both style and cheer, it is available at select boutiques and at Bergdorf Goodman, or can be ordered online at Amazon.com.

“Walking away from eBay”

  Buyers and Sellers of Luxury Watches Can Now Take Their Transaction History and Ratings With Them When They Move to The Luxury Watch Exchange, a Unique Watch Auction Website Which Offers Proven Reliability and Dramatically Lower Fees 

Contact:  Mark Evenson, (owner / founder)

Address: 8805 Tamiami Trail North Suite #186, Naples, Florida 34108

Phone: 239-597-6889 

Email: Mark@LuxuryWatchExchange.com

URL:  http://www.luxurywatchexchange.com   

The exclusive “boutique” auction website www.LuxuryWatchExchange.com is making an irresistible bid to attract buyers and sellers away from eBay, Yahoo and the other large public auction sites by offering every advantage the big sites offer plus exclusive niche market features they won’t get anywhere else…and all for much lower fees.

What sets The Luxury Watch Exchange site apart is a unique Import Feedback feature. This enables established sellers (and buyers too) to insert an alphanumerical code into their existing eBay, Yahoo, Amazon or other general auction site profiles and then, go back to their Luxury Watch Exchange profile and ‘import’ their transaction history and ratings, thus adding their prior feedback to their feedback on transactions made through the Luxury Watch Exchange.

This cutting edge technical feature isn’t the only advantage that’s causing established buyers and sellers to leave their current sites and sign on with this hot new auction site. 

Other features which make this site irresistible include: (1) sellers applying to join the Luxury Watch Exchange site are vetted for proven reliability, experience and expertise before they can become Approved Sellers on the site, adding a buyer confidence not found on the open-to-everybody sites; (2) buyers and sellers can communicate privately on line through the site before bidding on auction watches, clarifying condition, origins and shipping details to avoid misunderstandings after the sale; (3) forum and newsletter features keep the dedicated luxury watch collector up to date on what’s happening in this specialized market; (4) articles by experts, sellers, and collectors provide background history and research information on luxury timepieces to site members and casual site visitors.

In the burgeoning and unwieldy world of online auctions it’s refreshing to find an auction site obviously created and operated by experts who clearly love luxury watches and timepieces. Here they’ve created a specific niche auction site to safely indulge their passion…and have undercut the big sites by offering low transaction fees.

Leí hace poco que los fotógrafos profesionales hace tiempo que abandonaron Leica. No he tenido oportunidad de hablar con ningún fotógrafo ni con ningún artista que se exprese mediante la fotografía en este tiempo, pero es una de las preguntas/dudas que tengo.

 Qué tiene esta mítica cámara? En caso de tener algo... qué es lo que hace que artistas actuales no la utilicen? Qué material emplean ahora mismo para realizar sus obras? Seré capaz de hacer fotografías medianamente aceptables con una Leica M8 'clásica'? O quizá hoy en día tengamos tanta prisa para todo que no seamos capaces ni de preparar un encuadre decentemente?

Personalmente el diseño de Leica me encanta por su simplicidad y clasicismo, aunque no tenga nada que ver con el tipo de arte que me interesa. Se asemeja a Patek Philippe y a su diseño, tradición y 'modernidad'  por la que, curiosamente, no pasa el tiempo.

A lifetime of artistry and skill Complicated watchmaking is the supreme test of the designer's expertise and watchmakers' skill. At Patek Philippe we master all horological complications and have twice this century built the world's most complicated portable timepiece. In each watch many lifetimes of artistry and skill are captured to produce an object of timeless worth.

This caliber is distinguished by a chime of exceptional sound quality. It took Patek Philippe extensive research efforts in metallurgy and acoustics to achieve a sound of such perfection and unrivalled purity. On demand, the minute repeater will strike the hours, the quarter-hours, and the minutes which have elapsed since the last quarter hour. One hammer strikes the number of hours on a low-pitched gong. Then, two hammers consecutively strike the number of quarter-hours on the low-pitched gong nd the high-pitched gong. Finally, the second hammer strikes the high-pitched gong for a count of the number of minutes that have elapsed since the last quarter hour. It takes the largest number of strikes – 32 in total – to indicate the time at 12:59. Twelve low-pitched strikes, three high-low double strikes, and 14 high strikes.

* Self-winding minute repeater with perpetual calendar and moon phases
* Day, month, leap year indicators
* Rose gold
* Balance-wheel: Gyromax
* Geneva Seal Hallmark
* Case diameter: 42.00 mm
* Diameter: 28.00 mm
* Power reserve: min 38 max 48 hours
* Number of jewels: 39
* Thickness: 6.90 mm

Source

A supreme test of ingenuity. A 'complication' in watchmaking is anything a mechanical watch might do beyond telling the time and simple date. Patek Philippe upholds a tradition in complications that are useful in everyday situations, such as Annual Calendars , dual time zones and World Time displays. At Patek Philippe, we enjoy unrivalled expertise in our knowledge and practice of this pinnacle of the watchmaker's art.

* Chronograph with a 30-minute elapsed time counter
* Manual winding
* Seconds subdial at 9 o'clock
* Water resistant: 25 m
* Sapphire crystal case back
* Fold-over clasp
* Strap widths Case x Buckle: 21 x 16 mm
* Diameter: 42 mm
* Total diameter: 27.5 mm
* Caliber CH 27-70
* Thickness: 5.57 mm
* Jewels: 24
* Balance-wheel: Gyromax
* Number of parts: 208
* Geneva Seal Hallmark
* Power reserve: 60h max
* Vibrations per hour: 18'000
* Base movement “Nouvelle Lémania” exclusive execution to Patek Philippe

Source

Patek Philippe's Calatrava Travel Time Ref. 5134 enriches the classic form of the Calatrava collection with the complication of a movement that can simultaneously display the time in two different time zones.

* Two time zones; 24 hours subdial
* Manual winding
* Seconds subdial at 6 o'clock
* Water resistant: 25 m
* Sapphire crystal case back
* Fold-over clasp
* Strap widths Case x Buckle: 20 x 14 mm
* Diameter: 36 mm
* Total diameter: 21.9 mm
* Jewels: 18
* Caliber 215 PS FUS 24H
* Power reserve: 44h max
* Thickness: 3.35 mm
* Balance-wheel: Gyromax
* Vibrations per hour: 28'800
* Number of parts: 178
* Geneva Seal Hallmark

Source

A totally new Patek Philippe chronograph: the long awaited first ever Patek Philippe self winding Annual Calendar Chronograph introduced only in platinum. A very complex and ingenious movement comprising 456 parts to offer a reliable and easy to use chronograph. The design style of the new Patek Philippe chronograph is in the continuity of Patek Philippe's signature style. The innovative mono-counter dial has been designed to offer very good readability and a technical touch to the style.

* Caliber CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H
* Geneva Seal Hallmark
* Mechanical self-winding movement
* Chronograph with 60-minute and 12-hour monocounter at 6 o'clock
* Day, date, and month in apertures
* Power reserve and day/night display
* Anthracite dial, gold applied hour markers
* Strap: alligator with large rectangular scales, hand-stitched, matt dark brown
* Fold-over clasp
* Sapphire crystal case back
* Water resistant to 25 m
* Platinum
* Case diameter: 40.5 mm

Source

This new chronograph with perpetual calendar and flawless baguette diamonds combines technical aplomb with aesthetic appeal. The master jeweler’s art is united with Patek Philippe’s ingenuity in grand complications.

* Chronograph with 30-minute counter, perpetual calendar, day and month in apertures, date and leap year by hands, moon phase, am/pm indicator
* Manual winding
* Seconds subdial at 9 o' clock
* Water resistant: 25 m
* Interchangeable full back and sapphire-crystal case back
* Strap widths Case x Buckle: 21 x 16 mm
* Diamètre Diameter: 40 mm
* Caliber CH 27-70 Q
* Total diameter: 30 mm
* Jewels: 24
* Thickness: 7.20 mm
* Balance-wheel: Gyromax
* Number of parts: 353
* Geneva Seal Hallmark
* Power reserve: 60h max
* Vibrations per hour: 18'000
* Dials available in French (F), English (E), German (G) and Italian (I). Article codes under the pictures are for specific dials in English

Source

Originally intended for men's wrists, the Annual Calendar gradually won over women's hearts with its technical refinements and sleek elegance. Now, this watch is also available in a decidedly feminine version, subtly combining horological complications with sensuous luxury. Launched in 1996, the Annual Calendar for ladies is now available in a rose gold version that emphasizes its sensuously curved silhouette.

* Annual calendar with date, day of the week, month and moon phases indication
* Self-winding
* Sweep second hand
* Water resistant: 25 m
* Sapphire crystal case back
* Strap widths Case x Buckle: 19 x 14 mm
* Diameter: 37 mm
* Total diameter: 30 mm
* Thickness: 5.22 mm
* Power reserve: 48h max
* Jewels: 34
* Balance-wheel: Gyromax
* Caliber 315 S QA LU
* Number of parts: 328
* Vibrations per hour: 21'600
* Geneva Seal Hallmark
* Dials available in French (F), English (E), German (G) and Italian (I). Article codes under the pictures are for specific dials in English
* Mechanical self-winding movement

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