Saturday, September 29, 2018

ROGER DUBUIS – EXCALIBUR Spider Quatuor Carbon Edition


ROGER DUBUISEXCALIBUR Spider Quatuor Black Carbon 48 - Unique Edition

Black star attraction

Stunning paradoxes stemming from progressive complications and disruptive materials. In 2018, the brand that dares to be rare hits new heights of creative transformation with the coming of the fierce dark knight to the hyperwatch segment.

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Enter the all-black Excalibur Quatuor Carbon, the ultimate paradox between a ‘heavyweight’ movement and a ‘featherlight’ ultra-modern timepiece.
 
Convicted serial innovator

The Roger Dubuis ‘disruptive materials and progressive complications’ ethos has enabled it to acquire an international reputation as an avant-garde Maison perpetually on the look-out for pioneering technical developments and creative aesthetic options – as well as unexpected combinations of the two.
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Among other world firsts, this incubator of inventiveness and unparalleled technical prowess has given rise to the Quatuor calibre, Roger Dubuis’ revolutionary response to the challenges of gravity.

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Stemming from seven years of R&D and protected by two patents, the Excalibur Quatuor with its four sprung balances set at 45-degree angles proudly symbolises the mechanical magic of one of the most innovative 21st century Manufactures. Today, Roger Dubuis remains one the only Maisons capable of mastering such a complicated calibre, entirely in keeping with the powerful movements and equally strong aesthetic codes of the Excalibur collection.

Codebreaker extraordinaire

Since its creation in 2013, the robustly designed Excalibur Quatuor has rocked the watchmaking world in gold, titanium and silicon, while 2017 saw a world premiere version in state-of-the-art CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM (® in the USA).

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Today, the brand that dares to be different catapults innovation to the next level by combining this iconic timepiece with a disruptive multi-layer carbon.

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Not to mention the fact that its dark good look comes with the added benefit of the bantam-weight nature of carbon which is over 60 per cent lighter than gold.



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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: EXALIBUR

Model: Excalibur 48 Spider Quatuor Carbon Edition 

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Ref. – RDDBEX0673

Movement  
Quatuor
The Roger Dubuis Quatuor RD101
calibre symbolises the mechanical magic of one of the most innovative Manufactures of the 21st century.
Calibre
RD101 skeleton watch
Type: Hand-wound mechanical calibre
    Reference: RD101
    Components: 590
    Jewels: 113
    Diameter: 16 3/4
    Thickness: 10.6 mm
    Frequency: 4x4 Hz (4x28,800 vph)
    Charcoal rhodium-plated
    Circular-grained motif
Power reserve: 40 hours
Function: 4 sprung balances, 5 differentials
Stamped with the Poinçon de Genève
The ultimate guarantee of the finest traditional watchmaking.
Roger Dubuis makes it a priority, when producing this timepiece,
to follow only the most demanding & strictest criteria for quality and craftsmanship.
Case
Round shape
Black carbon
Size: 48mm
Sapphire case back with Anti-reflective treatment on the inner side.
Water Resistance: 3 BAR (30 m)
Dial
Black carbon and red skeleton dial,
18K white gold hands with red tips
Strap & Clasp
Strap: Black soft barénia leather strap, red stitching
Clasp:Titanium black DLC, adjustable folding buckle

EDITION
Limited Edition - Only of 8 pieces

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Press release - 2018
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For more information, please contact:
Pauline SIZORN
Press Manager
Tel: +41(0)22 783 28 44
Email: pauline.sizorn@rogerdubuis.com
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Friday, September 28, 2018

De Bethune – Maestri’ Art - Unique Piece


De BethuneMaestri’ Art I & II Japan Engraved Dial Special EditionUnique Piece

New Maestri’Art Collection

I have always been entranced by the craftsmanship and techniques involved in Asian art. Despite natural feelings of apprehension, I wished to create timepieces that would serve as a support on which to express this art”, confides Denis Flageollet, Master Watchmaker and Creative Talent of De Bethune.

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After the special series of 12 Art Pieces, the DB25 Imperial Fountain timepieces, De Bethune once again draws inspiration from the Asian heritage so greatly prized in the West and presents two one-of-a-kind models.

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The ▼ DB25 Imperial Fountain Chinese Zodiac Animal Heads - Gragon 2015

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Conversely, the second model focuses on the quest for artisan-style techniques that involved adjusting hand engraving methods to fashion an extremely high-tech material such as titanium.

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The first is crafted from a specific alloy little known in the West, using the working methods of historical Japanese metallurgists and combining this ancestral expertise with cutting-edge techniques.


Maestri’Art I

This model recreates the technical and aesthetic spirit of Tsubas, the Japanese sword guards designed to protect a samurai’s hand from sliding into the blade.

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In creating this entirely engraved contemporary timepiece, De Bethune conveys its determination to perpetuate a heritage shared by goldsmiths and watchmakers, by applying to this timepiece born of cutting-edge technologies a set of meticulous ancestral techniques illustrating powerful symbols from Japanese and Chinese mythology.

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The animal motifs inlaid and engraved on the model exalt this material by infusing it with strength and light. Witness the dragon perched on the clouds and stretching across the entire watch, from the dial to the case middle and on to the back. He is boldly defied by a tiger, master of the bamboo forest. The tiger represents power, courage, bravery and ferocity, all elements of raw human nature.The dragon also embodies power and vitality, but combined with wisdom.

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These two types of character appear in human beings in the making. To begin with, the tiger dominates and then, as time goes by, the dragon progressively takes over and an individual thus acquires balance and maturity. The tiger and dragon thus represent an important symbolic image often used to signify self-control in the teaching of martial arts.

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The hours and minutes functions are displayed on a microlight dial, in the centre of this objet d’art.

 Maestri’Art II

This model evokes the finesse and extreme delicacy of Asian etchings, often made on bronze vases. It channels the spirit of Chinese poetry and engravers through a modern watch.

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After the achievement represented by its starry skies, De Bethune continues its research on titanium, this time focusing on hand engraving. Enhanced with gold particles, the latter drew upon the spirit of innovation and expertise cultivated by the Manufacture. The result is a classic blued titanium watch with hours and minutes shown on 12 diamond hour-markers.

The various finishes of the mirror-polished bridges adorned with De Bethune decorations highlight the silicon heart of the patented annual balance of Calibre DB2005, alongside a number of innovations and patents from the Manufacture.

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This mechanical hand-wound movement beating at a frequency of 4 Hertz is equipped with a self-regulating twin barrel ensuring a 6-day power reserve, the famous triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system protecting the regulating organ, a silicon escape-wheel and a balance-spring with flat terminal curve ensuring optimal concentric development.

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In Asia, and particularly in China, symbols occupy a crucial place in art, culture and daily life. Whether ancient or modern, Chinese koi symbolism appears in the decoration of objects, furniture and clothing. With its powerful scales, the carp was often compared to a warrior and venerated for its courage and perseverance in swimming upstream to leap over the “Dragon’s Gate” (Longmen Falls).

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If it managed to clear the falls, it turned into a dragon. A candidate having successfully passed the difficult exams giving access to the highest levels of the imperial administration was referred to as “a fish transformed into a dragon”.

In developing these artistic creations, De Bethune highlights the work of the greatest artisans in their respective crafts. Both engraved by the artist Michèle Rothen, these two models are at the crossroads between art and artisanship.

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Sharing values such as meticulous care and fine craftsmanship, combining its watchmaking expertise with the experience and creativity of illustrious Japanese and Chinese artisans, the Manufacture De Bethune recognises in Far Eastern art the same level of excellence as that prevailing in Swiss Watchmaking.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection  Maestri’Art
 

Availability: Unique pieces

Name: Maestri’Art I

Functions: Hours, Minutes
Movement: AUTOV2

Type: Mechanical self-winding movement
Adjustment: Winding and setting the time (2 positions)

Movement
Calibre autoV2
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Number of parts: 217
Jewelling: 29 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Specificities:
Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, optimized for
temperature differences and air penetration De Bethune Patent (2016)
"De Bethune" balance-spring with flat terminal curve De Bethune Patent (2006)
Steel escape wheel
Optimized oscillating weight in titanium and alloy of tungsten
Adornment: 
Hand-crafted finishing and decoration
Display: Hand-polished steel hands
Dial
Alloy according to Japanese ancestral methods, engraved by hand
representing a tiger and a dragon enhanced with gold particles
Case 
Material: Alloy according to Japanese ancestral methods engraved by hand
enhanced with gold particles
Case diameter: 43 mm
Case thickness: 10 mm
Lugs: Short floating lugs in black polished zirconium De Bethune Patent (2006)
Crystal: In sapphire crystal (hardness of 1800 Vickers) with double anti-reflective coating
Case back: Open in Alloy according to Japanese ancestral methods engraved by
hand enhanced with gold particles
Sapphire crystal (hardness of 1800 Vickers) with double anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 3 ATM
Strap: Extra-supple alligator skin, lining in alligator
Buckle: Pin buckle in black polished zirconium


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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Name: Maestri' Art II

Functions: Hours, Minutes
Movement: DB2005
Type: Mechanical manual-winding calibre
Adjustment: Winding and setting the time by means of the crown (2 positions)

Movement
Calibre DB2005
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour/ 4 Hertz
Number of parts: 160
Jewelling: 27 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: 6 days, ensured by a self-regulating twin barrel De Bethune Innovation (2004)

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Specificities:
Titanium balance wheel with white gold inserts, optimised for temperature differences
and air penetration De Bethune Patent (2016)
"De Bethune" balance-spring with flat terminal curve De Bethune Patent (2006) Silicon escape wheel
Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system De Bethune Innovation (2005)
Adornment: Silver plate and barrel bridge cover adorned with “Côtes De Bethune
Hand-snailed barrels
Hand-polished, chamfered steel parts
Display: Hands in hand-polished steel
Dial
In blued grade 5 titanium engraved by hand enhanced with gold particles
Hours and minutes shown on 12 diamond hour-markers
Case 
Material: Blued polished grade 5 titanium
Case diameter: 42 mm
Case thickness: 8,8 mm
Lugs: Integrated, hollowed lugs
Crystal: In sapphire crystal (1800 Vickers hardness) with double anti-reflective coating
Case back: Open case back in polished grade 5 titanium
Sapphire crystal (1800 Vickers hardness) with double anti-reflective coating
Water-resistance: 3 ATM
Strap: Extra-supple alligator leather, alligator lining
Buckle: Pin buckle in blued grade 5 titanium

Availability: Unique pieces 

Price:
CHF 135,000 Maestri’Art I
CHF 110,000 Maestri’Art II



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Press release -- Geneva 2018
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De Bethune Geneva Office 
Terrasse Agrippa D’Aubigné 6,
P.O. Box 3158,  Grand-Rue 1204 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 310 22 71
Fax:+41 22 310 33 40
Contact geneva@debethune.com
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Thursday, September 27, 2018

BVLGARI – OCTO Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon Edition


BVLGARIOCTO Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon 40 Limited Edition

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MINUTE REPEATER CARBON


Futuristic high-tech materials dedicated to Haute Horlogerie, acoustics and aesthetics. Much like a stealth plane, it is so light and slim that one could easily forget it is even on the wrist, elegantly offering a new journey through time leading straight to the future.

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This year, the world’s thinnest Minute Repeater appears attired in black. Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon follows on from the model that in 2016 set a new standard in the striking watch category. Clad in its high-performance black livery, this new execution picks up the fundamentals of its predecessor in an interpretation oozing strength, technology and a touch of mystery.

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The Maison had opted for a titanium case two years ago. This ultra-light and highly resistant technical material is endowed with impressive acoustic properties. This year, Bvlgari is unveiling a superlative model.

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Its daring and original case features a high-tech contemporary material. The case, the bezel and the caseback are made from an epoxy thermosetting resin called Carbon Thin Ply (CTP). It includes extremely thin carbon fibres that guarantee robustness despite their ultra-thin structure. The 40 mm-diameter case measures 6.85 mm thick.

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This unprecedented high-tech material has been chosen as much for its powerful and distinctive aesthetic as for its physical properties, since these polymers feature rare and surprising acoustic properties that endow the Minute Repeater with powerful sound output. The small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock and the hour-markers, also made of CTP, are strategically incised.

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These openings serve to amplify resonance inside the case housing Calibre BVL 362 and compensate for the absence of substantial internal volume, the latter being the customary precondition for effective sound propagation.

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Cutting-edge technology meets horological tradition, since this in-house manual-winding Minute Repeater movement is the thinnest in the world to date, at just 3.12mm thick. Once cased up, it serves to keep the total thickness of the watch down to just 6.85mm.

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Bvlgari has chosen to affix the circular cross-section gong-rings directly to the case. The extreme miniaturisation of the 362 components inside this extremely thin case is exemplified by the centrifugal governor featuring a diameter of just 3.3mm including its two poising weights.

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The striking mechanism pusher, equipped with a safety feature, is positioned at 9 o’clock on the case middle. The case is teamed with an extremely supple carbon bracelet.

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Weighing in at just 47 grams, the supremely futuristic Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater Carbon offers a refreshing new take on tradition.

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Technical Specifications

Collection: OCTO

Model: FINISSIMO MINUTE REPEATER CARBON

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Ref. 102794

Movement
Manufacture-made manual-winding minute repeater
Calibre BVL 362, driving indications of the hours,
minutes and small seconds; 3.12mm thick,
42-hour power reserve; Côtes de Genève motif,  
362 components, chamfering and circular graining.

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Case
Carbon Thin Ply (CTP),  
Diameter: 40 mm, 6.85mm thick.
Carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy matrix composite.
Numbered crown in titanium treated with DLC (Diamond Like Carbon);
Water-resistant to 10m.
Dial
CTP dial with openings (hour-markers and small seconds)
serving to amplify the sound output.
Bracelet
Carbon bracelet with titanium treated with DLC folding clasp.

Edition
50-piece limited edition.

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#OCTO
#LIFEISNOTROUND
#BVLGARIWATCHES
#BVLGARIBASELWORLD
@BULGARIOFFICIAL

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Press Release - 2018
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Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Harry Winston – Project Z12 Zalium™ Edition


















Harry WinstonProject Z12 Zalium™ 42.2mm Limited Edition


Project Z12

The Harry Winston Project Z12 is a concentric, modern timepiece, featuring a highly architectural design and a new complication that highlights the mechanical, playful spirit of the watch. This sporty, groundbreaking timepiece displays retrograde hours and minutes in a unique layout: central, concentric and subtly asymmetric.

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In keeping with the tradition established fourteen years ago by Harry Winston, the timepiece is housed in a case made of Zalium™, the brand’s exclusive, comfortable and high-performance alloy. Style and substance come together in Project Z12, adding an altogether unexpected dimension to the watch. The unique and offbeat Project Z approach offers up a powerful watch that conveys a real message: breaking with the conventions of time and space.

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The layout and nature of the complications forge the identity of each Project Z timepiece. For the past fourteen years, the line has stayed true to a highly mechanical fine watchmaking spirit that features radically modern accents. Over the years, the creations of Project Z have relied on the off-centering of indicators, asymmetrical elements, and imbalanced effects that achieve stability through the strength of the design. In contrast, Project Z12 relies on concentric levels of indicators and practically perfect symmetry. Yet there is far more at play than meets the eye. While its hands lie in the center under a large, openwork blue bridge, they are clearly moving. And not just moving...jumping. The two hands move over a 140-degree field and when each reaches the end of its rotation, it jumps back. In total, this retrograde choreography occurs 26 times a day, right in the middle of overlapping circles.



Leaps and Bounds

The Project Z12 watch stands out from usual retrograde displays. Its hands create an almost perfect illusion in which the hands appear to trace a perfect 360° circular trajectory. This impression is strengthened by the hour, minute, and date circles, as well as the other intermediate layers. Yet, Project Z timepieces possess a spirit that is entirely unique.

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The specific allure consists of an interplay between classic elements and appearances — striving to exceed and reinvent both. Thus, despite its symmetry and concentricity, Project Z12 features a display with the same off-centered touch that has always given Project Z timepieces their signature dynamism. This appeal is also supported by the specific presentation of the date displayed on a disc located on the edge of the dial. This sapphire disc is fixed and punctuated by transfers bearing numbers between 1 and 31. Luminescent material moves beneath its surface to illuminate the date.


Bridge

The protruding element of Project Z12 is the large, arched bridge that straddles the central axis of the dial. Following in the footsteps of Project Z10 and Z11, it is built like a steel beam, made of transversal reinforcements that provide Project Z12 with strong construction and design.

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Evoking the unyielding structures of Manhattan’s great bridges, the timepiece recalls Harry Winston’s New York City heritage. At the center of this bridge is the Harry Winston emerald, its signature hallmark and a recurrent design featured on its timepieces. Likewise, the Zalium™ bridge is marked by the three arches surrounding the crown. This iconic motif is an ode to the entrance of Harry Winston’s historic Fifth Avenue Flagship Salon.


Dimensions

This powerful arched bridge naturally adds height to Project Z12’s movement. To give it the space it needed without upsetting the finely designed proportions of Project Z timepieces, Harry Winston chose to keep the format of the Zalium™ case. Like Project Z11, it maintains a 42.2 mm diameter and the thickness has only been added through the use of a domed sapphire crystal.

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The bridge, decorated in blue, lays out the color theme of Project Z12. The color blue also stands out on the calfskin strap featuring a print reminiscent of a denim weave. Blue can also be found on the rim surrounding the hour and minute circle, as well as the matching hour markers, offering the best window into the misleading symmetry of Project Z12.

Design

Behind the scenes of the highly characteristic displays lies a brand-new movement, developed exclusively for Project Z12. The HW3306 automatic-winding caliber boasts a power reserve of up to 72 hours. In accordance with Harry Winston’s high standards, it is fitted with a silicon balance spring and wound by the brand’s signature white gold openwork rotor.

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The finishing touches all adhere to the highest quality fine watchmaking standards. The movement animates the bi-retrograde display and gives Project Z12 its unique character. Combined with Project Z design codes, it results in a watch that is the only one of its kind in terms of appearance, complication and spirit. This exclusive creation is available in a limited-edition of 300, all featuring Zalium™.

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Technical Specifications

Collection    Project Z

Name Project Z12

Reference OCEAHR42ZZ001

Movement
Caliber HW3306

Type Mechanical, automatic winding
Movement dimensions
Diameter: 34.0 mm
Height: 5.37 mm
Сomponents 332
Number of jewels 35
Frequency 28,800 vibrations/hour (4Hz)
Balance spring Flat silicon balance spring
Finishes Rotor in 18K white gold, circular Cotes de Geneve
Power reserve 72 hours
Functions
Retrograde hours and minutes, date
Case
Zalium™
Dimensions
Diameter: 42.2 mm
Height: 11.27 mm
Crystal Sapphire with double-sided anti-reflective coating
Case back Open, sapphire crystal
Water-resistance 10 bar
Dial
Three-dimensional architectural dial, circular black
satin hour circle, sapphire date disc
Strap
Calfskin with denim effect, rubber base
Buckle Zalium™ ardillon buckle with folding safety clasp

Limited Edition 300 pieces

           
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Press Release - 2018
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