A. Lange & Söhne – RICHARD LANGE - Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna” History

A. Lange & Söhne – RICHARD LANGE - Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna” History

A breath of history

The RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna” and its historic role model

 

There are timepieces whose fascination persists for centuries. Chronometer No.93 crafted by Dresden watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert in 1807 is one of them. His unusual regulator dial inspired the design of the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna”.

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Three rings in a pyramid-shaped arrangement characterise the prominent regulator dial of the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna”. The striking design with a separate display for each unit of time dates back to a historic role model: the gold pocket watch No. 93 from the workshop of eminent Saxon watchmaker Johann Heinrich Seyffert.

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The three overlapping circles on its enamel dial indicate the minutes at the top as well as the hours and seconds at the bottom. Today, the watch is on display at the Mathematics and Physics Salon, where Seyffert worked as an inspector from 1801 until 1817.

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At the time, Seyffert was one of the most notable protagonists of precision watchmaking in Saxony. With his achievements and inventions in the domain of chronometry, he deserves credit for furthering an evolution that culminated in the establishment of the first Glashütte watchmaking company by Ferdinand A. Lange in 1845. Apart from members of the Saxon court, his customers also included the likes of Alexander von Humboldt, who relied on a Seyffert pocket chronometer during his noteworthy expedition to South America.

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What the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna” shares with Seyffert’s approach to horology is the quest for the ultimate in precision. Technically, it explores new dimensions.

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The precisely-jumping displays of its perpetual calendar are integrated into the dial just as harmoniously as the power-reserve indicator and the first Lange outsize date to be featured in a model of the Richard Lange watch family. The movement side is no less spectacular than the dial.

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There, the patented orbital moon-phase display tracks the position of the moon relative to the earth and the sun.

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* Tel.: +49 (0)35053 44 5505
* E-mail: presse@lange-soehne.com
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ARNOLD & SON – TE8 Tourbillon

ARNOLD & SON – Royal Collection TE8 Tourbillon Limited Edition NEW

Timeless elegance, handcraft and innovative technology:
Arnold & Son’s TE8 Tourbillon

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True to English watchmaking heritage, Arnold & Son unveils two new references of its TE8 Tourbillon, with the hand-finished A&S8000 calibre. This defining timepiece heralds in the Royal Collection that combines classic styling with leading-edge technology.

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TE8 

Exclusive Arnold & Son tourbillon movement A&S8000, hand-wound, black open dial,
18-carat white gold case, diameter 44 mm
© Arnold & Son

The tourbillon is one of the most elegant and inspired complications in the history of watchmaking. As simple in principle as it is difficult to make, the mechanism was designed to eliminate the errors of rate caused by gravity on a pocket watch carried in a vertical position.

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Weighing mere fractions of a gram, it consists of a mobile cage that contains all the parts of the escapement, with the balance at the centre. The cage completes one revolution around its own axis every minute, thus ensuring that the balance wheel oscillates at different positions in the course of its 360° journey and that the rate remains as constant as possible.

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TE8
Exclusive Arnold & Son tourbillon movement A&S8000, hand-wound, anthracite open dial,
18-carat red gold case, diameter 44 mm
© Arnold & Son

The TE8 Tourbillon heralds the Royal Collection that combines classical styling with innovative, state-of-the-art technology. The letters “TE” stand for tourbillon escapement. Some of its more distinctive features are obvious at first glance. Compared with other more conventional tourbillons found today, the TE8’s movement is said to be “inverted”: in other words, most of the technical elements and visually interesting features can be seen on the dial side, when they would normally be hidden away on the reverse.

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The timepiece also boasts a number of typically English technical idiosyncrasies that will interest even the most discerning watch connoisseur. Take the symmetrical layout of the movement, for instance: the barrel spring and the tourbillon cage are centred along the watch’s longitudinal axis. The main jewels are hold by screwed gold chatons. They are a reminiscence of the finest Haute Horlogerie mechanical watches of the good old days and contribute to the beauty of the movement.

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TE8
Exclusive Arnold & Son tourbillon movement A&S8000, hand-wound, anthracite open dial,
18-carat whitegold case, diameter 44 mm
© Arnold & Son

In addition to their esthetical appeal, gold chatons also allow to replace damaged jewels without modifying the boreholes in the plates and bridges. A closer examination of the winding system and the gear train reveals a traditional construction used in high-end pocket watches that involves the use of “wolf-teeth”, an asymmetrical tooth system featuring both long and narrow spokes used primarily to improve the smoothness of the overall movement and to enhance its elegant design.

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From an aesthetic point of view, however, the feature that sets Arnold & Son’s TE8 Tourbillon apart is its singularly English design. Some of the more obvious elements include the meticulously positioned three-quarter barrel bridge with its large wave-shaped cut-out and a lavish decoration unique to Arnold & Son, the triangular tourbillon and motion-work bridges, and the three-spoke design of the wheels, which are shaped with such distinctive flair.

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Needless to say, every detail of this striking piece, such as the black and brushed polishing, bevelling and movement decoration, is painstakingly hand-finished by Arnold & Son’s master watchmakers.

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A&S8000
© Arnold & Son

This unique tourbillon timepiece will be produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces of each version, in a 44 mm 18-carat white gold and 18-carat red gold case with either a movement with NAC grey treated bridges and black ruthenium treated main plate or rhodium treated bridges and NAC grey treated main plate. Each watch case is individually numbered and engraved.

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Technical Characteristics

References: 1SJAR.G01A.C112A 18-carat Red Gold Case
References: 1SJAW.B02A.C113A 18-carat White Gold Case

Calibre:                                  
A&S8000
Exclusive Arnold & Son mechanical movement tourbillon movement,
Hand-wound, 19 jewels, diameter 32.6 mm, thickness 6.25 mm,
Power reserve 80 h, 21,600 vibrations/h
Functions:
Hours, minutes, tourbillon
Movement decoration:

• 18-carat white gold case model:

nickel-silver movement, NAC grey treated bridges and black ruthenium
treated main plate with superlative Haute Horlogerie finishing: hand-
chamfered bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining and A&S
specific waves decoration, circular satin-finished wheels with hand-
chamfered and polished edges, screwed gold chatons, mirror-polished
tourbillon cage and bridge, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads

• 18-carat red gold case model:

nickel-silver movement, rhodium treated bridges and NAC grey treated
main plate with superlative Haute Horlogerie finishing: hand-chamfered
bridges with polished edges, fine circular graining and A&S specific waves
decoration, circular satin-finished wheels with hand-chamfered and
polished edges, screwed gold chatons, mirror-polished tourbillon cage and
bridge, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads

Dial:  
Black or anthracite open dial
Case:   
18-carat white gold or 18-carat red gold, diameter 44 mm,
Cambered sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both sides,
Case back see-through sapphire,
Water-resistant to 30 m
Strap:
Hand-stitched black or brown alligator leather
Water resistance:
30 Meters
Limited edition: 25 timepieces

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 ARNOLD & SON SA
Marketing & Sales
Boulevard des Eplatures 38
CH – 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds
Switzerlandinfo@arnoldandson.com
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ORIS – Air Racing Edition IV

ORIS – BIG Crown ProPilot Air Racing Edition IV NEW

In honour of the Oris Swiss Air Racing Team’s Gold Race win at the 2013 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, Oris is proud to present the Air Racing Edition IV, a pilot’s watch limited to 1,000 pieces.

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The race was won by Oris ambassador Don Vito Wypraechtiger in his Formula One class Scarlet Screamer. The enormously talented Swiss aerobatic pilot became the first non - American to win the Gold Race in the event’s 50-year history.

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To commemorate Don Vito’s landmark achievement, Oris has created the Air Racing Edition IV, the latest addition to the new Oris Big Crown ProPilot collection.

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The new watch has an engraved outline of the Scarlet Screamer on its case back, alongside its limited-edition number. Its grey dial has black 3Dprinted numerals, while the hands and hour markers are finished in green Super-LumiNova. The contrast between the grey and the green makes the watch highly legible in all conditions.

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The watch’s legibility is improved further by its domed sapphire crystal glass, which is treated with an anti-reflective coating on the inside to minimise glare caused by the sun and reflections from cockpit instruments.

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The timepiece has a black diamond-like carbon PVD-coated stainless steel 45mm case and comes on a grey fabric strap with an Oris - patented folding clasp, also finished in black diamondlike carbon PVD-coated stainless steel. The watch is powered by an automatic movement and is water-resistant to 10bar/100m.

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The Air Racing Edition IV’s pilot’s watch credentials will come in handy when Don Vito returns to Reno in September to defend his title with the watch firmly strapped to his wrist.

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Product Features

Model: Oris - Air Racing Edition IV 1,000 pieces
Reference No. 735 7698 4783 TS Ø 45.00mm

Movement
Automatic mechanical movement  
Oris Cal. 735 (based on Sellita  SW220-1)
With date and day window at 3 o’clock
Functions 
Centre hands for hours, minutes and seconds,
enlarged individual date and day windows,
instantaneous date and day, date and day corrector,
fine timing device and stop-second
Case
Material: Stainless steel case diamond-like carbon PVD-coating
Screwed case back with an engraving of the
Scarlet Screamer and limited edition number
Screw-in stainless steel crown with diamond-like carbon PVD-coating
Water resistance to 10 bar/100m
Crystal
Sapphire crystal domed on both sides, with anti-reflective coating inside
Dial
Dark grey dial with 3D black printed Arabic numerals,
minute indices printed with Super-LumiNova
Hour and minute hands filled with Super-LumiNova
Strap/Bracelet 
Grey textile strap with Oris-patented stainless steel folding clasp with
diamond-like carbon PVD-coating
Extras
Special luxury wooden presentation box, certificate, limited to 1000
Edition
Limited edition 1000 pieces
Price
Swiss Retail Price: CHF 1,800.00

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Urwerk – EMC Black

URWERK – EMC Black NEW

URWERK’s EMC Black: A new dawn for the future of fine watchmaking

 
EMC Black features the world's first mechanical movement with electronic monitoring system

Entirely conceived, developed and created by URWERK, EMC – for Electro Mechanical Control – is the world's first 100% mechanical, high precision watch enabling its owner to monitor the movement's timing rate. And there's more: EMC also enables simple adjustment of the timing to suit the daily rhythm and lifestyle of its owner.

In addition to EMC's conventional indications – hours, minutes, seconds and power reserve indicator – is added a completely original performance indicator display, delta/δ, which is activated on demand by a push of a button. This patented, ultra-high precision, performance indicator, is a world first. And the wearer can then easily adjust the movement's precision (rate) by simply turning a screw on the back. EMC offers the horological Holy Grail: ultimate precision for each individual owner.

EMC's gloriously deconstructed ‘instrument panel’ dial consists of discrete, circular and crescent-shaped subdials contrasting superbly against the sleek, black DLC-treated titanium and steel case.

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The indication in the top left corner is the real giveaway that EMC is unlike anything seen before in haute horlogerie: It is a patented, precision performance indicator measuring instantaneous rate (delta or δ) that displays if the movement is running fast or slow.
Feeding the precision indicator are highly innovative, bespoke electronics. Electronics in a mechanical watch? That’s right. After all, EMC stands for Electro Mechanical Control. While EMC’s movement is 100% mechanical – designed, developed and crafted by URWERK and rigorously tested so that it meets the highest standards for a precision watch – URWERK have integrated into the movement a timing rate monitoring unit powered by a manual winding generator and super capacitor.

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The monitoring unit comprises an optical sensor that captures the timing rate of a specially designed balance wheel; a micro-computer then compares that rate against an ultra-fast (16,000,000 Hz) reference oscillator to calculate the isochronism of the movement i.e. how regular its timing is. Each microsecond difference is expressed as a gain or loss of a second per day of the timing rate, displayed on the precision indicator by pressing a caseband button. Fine-tuning of the rate can then be made using the adjustment screw on the caseback, which changes the active length of the balance spring.

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“EMC is an ode to the mechanical watch and craft of the watchmaker,” explains Felix Baumgartner, master watchmaker and co-founder of URWERK. “The mechanical watch is a sensitive organism and the timing rate of its movement can fluctuate due to several factors. These changes of pace and performance can easily be detected by a watchmaker, a professional who is armed with the equipment necessary for testing the accuracy of the movement.
“However, it is rare for an amateur to have these tools. But with the EMC, an amateur can have them and is able to dive into the heart of their watch, to see it live and evolve. And we even give the owner a chance to interact with it by allowing them to adjust its timing rate to better suit their daily rhythm and pace of life.”

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EMC in detail

At its heart, EMC offers triple functionality:

• showing how external parameters (positional changes, temperature and pressure) influence the timing of the movement

• enabling the wearer to correct these timing variations by adjusting the rate for the best chronometric performance possible

• facilitating interactivity between the timepiece and its owner – the wearer of the watch also becomes its regulator

“A mechanical watch can reach stunning levels of chronometric performance in a perfect environment,” explains Martin Frei, URWERK co-founder and artistic director. “But only if it exists in its own little bubble, protected from external knocks, at a constant temperature.
“However, that is simply not practical. After all, a watch’s raison d’être is being on its owner’s wrist, about how its wearer interacts with it. So we looked at the problem counter-intuitively and gave the wearer – the very person responsible for disrupting its movement’s timing rate – the key to correcting it. It is man’s hand that perfects the mechanics and opens the doors to an infinite power of adaptation.”

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EMC features a deconstructed dial with four separate indications: A clockwise tour of the displays, from top left, presents the: on demand, precision indicator (instantaneous rate delta "δ") ranging from -20 to + 20 seconds per day; seconds dial with counter-balanced seconds hand; hours and minutes; and 80-hour power reserve indicator. Turning EMC over reveals the fully in-house movement with the integrated circuit board – the EMC 'brain' – the top of one of the two mainspring barrels near the crown and the top of the balance wheel and optical sensor on the winding handle side.

EMC is inherently a precision mechanical watch with an in-house movement conceived, developed and crafted in the URWERK ateliers in Zurich and calibrated by URWERK in Geneva. The movement meets the most stringent quality control, with its chronometric performance tested in five positions during a 30-day cycle to ensure that it meets the highest standards for a precision watch.

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EMC’s movement is equipped with the following features:

• - A bespoke balance wheel made of ARCAP, an alloy long admired by URWERK for its non-magnetic and anti-corrosion properties. From the very first glance, the originality of this specially-developed balance is striking. Its perfectly linear morphology is the result of careful calculations to optimize data from the optical sensor, maximize aerodynamic efficiency and minimize loss of amplitude.

• - Power is provided by two large mainspring barrels in series, mounted vertically on a single shaft. These provide a long 80-hour power reserve, which is conducive to stable linear timing performance.
• - The timing adjustment screw is accessible on the back of the watch and allows the owner to make very fine adjustments to the balance rate regulator by changing the active length of the balance spring by turning a simple screw.

To monitor and evaluate the mechanical movement, an ‘electronic brain’ was then needed.  Olivier Evalet, a software developer who is passionate about software and computer engineering, has been instrumental in helping this bold project succeed. "The idea was to use precision optics, i.e. light, to measure the precision of a mechanical movement,” he says. “The accuracy we managed to achieve is better than 10 microseconds.”

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The innovative EMC timing rate monitoring unit has been developed to include the following:

• - An optical sensor on the balance wheel capturing the precise rate of oscillation of the 4 hertz / 28,800 vph regulator, over a period of 3 seconds. This sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver positioned either side of the balance, and is triggered manually by pressing a button on the left side of the case.

• - A 16,000,000-hertz electronic oscillator. This provides EMC’s reference timing rate. The performance of the balance of EMC (4hz) is compared against this lightning-fast oscillator to obtain the most accurate measurement possible.

• - Artificial intelligence – integrated circuit
• This computer determines the difference between the timing rate of the movement and that of the reference oscillator. Each microsecond difference between the two values is expressed as a gain or loss of a second per day of the timing rate. A variation of just 0.0000014 of a second per half-vibration translates as a variation of a second per day.

• - Manual-winding generator (the generator): EMC’s monitoring unit (the optical sensor and the computer) is powered by a micro-generator made by the Swiss company Maxon, which is well known for developing motors for NASA’s Mars rovers.

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"I am passionate about perfecting watchmaking mechanics. The electronics integrated into EMC allow for this perfection,” concludes Felix Baumgartner. “We have created a timepiece in which the subtleties of its mechanical precision are not just laid bare, but can be nuanced and perfected by the beholder.
“The information supplied by the electronics, coupled with ease of fine tuning, allows complete chronometric personalization of the timing. The integrated monitoring and EMC's high precision make me proud to be responsible for its development.”

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Technical Specifications

Case          
Material    Black DLC treated titanium and steel      
Dimensions    43mm width, 51mm length, 15.8mm height     
Crystal    Sapphire crystal      
Water resistance    Pressure tested to 30m / 3ATM      
Finishing    Shot-blasting    
Movement          
Calibre         UR-EMC calibre conceived, developed and manufactured by URWERK      
Escapement    Swiss lever escapement      
Balance wheel    ARCAP P40, linear balance coupled to the optical sensor      
Frequency    28,800 vph – 4Hz      
Balance spring    Flat      
Energy source         Vertically mounted double mainspring barrels, connected in series      
Power reserve         80 hours      
Winding    Manual winding      
Finishing:    Côtes de Genève, snailing, micro-bead blasting, polished bevels on screw              
Artificial intelligence          
Generator:    Maxon® generator with manual winding charging super capacitor      
EMC system:   Optical sensor controlled by an integrated circuit board;
                      16'000'000 Hz reference oscillator             
Indications/functions  
Hours, minutes, seconds; precision delta, power reserve.       
Timing adjustment screw    

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CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Margot and Soprano GPHG 2014

CHRISTOPHE CLARET – MARGOT & SOPRANO GPHG 2014

Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2014

Le Locle, September 15th 2014

We are proud to announce that two Christophe Claret timepieces – Margot and Soprano – have been preselected by the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2014 jury ahead of next month’s prize-giving ceremony. 

Mr. Wolfgang Sickenberg Director of Operations
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Margot has been preselected in the top 6 watches in the “Ladies’ High-Mech” category; Soprano in the top 6 watches in the category for “Striking” timepieces. The winner of each category will be announced at the red-carpet GPHG ceremony held at Geneva’s Grand Théâtre on Friday, October 31st. Margot is Christophe Claret’s first ladies’ watch complication. Presented at Baselworld 2014, this timepiece – hailed for its consummate style and originality – gives a poetic, playful and romantic slant to high-end, precision watchmaking. 

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Margot features an ingenious mechanism that lets the wearer play “He loves me, he loves me not” by pressing a pusher at 2 o’clock, which ‘picks’ petals off a delightful dial-side depiction of a daisy.

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The elusive answer appears in a window at 4 o’clock: un peu (a little), beaucoup (a lot), passionnément (passionately), à la folie (madly), pas du tout (not at all). How does your sweetheart feel about you? Margot whispers the answer… At each press of the pusher, a distinct, crystalline chime resonates, aurally signaling the pace of the game, while on the back of the watch, there is a rollercoaster ride of emotions with a color-sentiment game played out on the automatic winding rotor.

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As for Soprano, this exceptional timepiece features two major complications: a 60-second tourbillon and 4-note minute repeater striking Westminster Quarters on patented cathedral gongs. As with all Christophe Claret timepieces, technical watchmaking excellence is married with sublime aesthetics, right down to the smallest details.

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The 60-second tourbillon carriage is on full view through the open dial at 6 o’clock and is supported by a single arm stepped bridge in the characteristic style of Charles X. Soprano’s case combines titanium with either white or red gold.

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As timepieces preselected by the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, Margot and Soprano will feature as part of GPHG 2014’s international tour.
Dates and venues are as follows:
New Delhi, India: Imperial Hotel, September 27th, 2014 / Swiss Embassy, September 26th, 2014
Beijing, China: Yishu 8 – Maison des Arts, October 10th to 13th, 2014
Geneva, Switzerland: Cité du Temps, October 22nd to November 2nd, 2014

Additionally, the winning GPHG watches will be exhibited in London as part of Salon QP, from November 6th to 8th, 2014. 
Christophe Claret is a haute horlogerie brand whose exclusive timepieces are available in four collections: Traditional Complications, Extreme Watches, Casino Game Watches and Ladies’ Complications. In its own special way, each timepiece is an expression of the values that define and distinguish the master watchmaker himself: innovation, perfection, passion, uniqueness and exclusivity.

Press release
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Christophe Claret SA 

Le Soleil d'Or 2
2400 Le Locle
T: +41 32 933 00 00
F: +41 32 933 80 81
info@christopheclaret.com

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