VOUTILAINEN - V-8R Limited Edition
V-8R is the winner of the GPHG 2013 in men's watch catagory.
Kari Voutilainen was born in Finland in 1962 and has a passionate interest in horology spanning thirty years. He completed his initial watchmaker’s training at the world renowned watchmaking school of Tapiola in Finland.
He first came to Switzerland in 1989 to attend the International Watchmaking School, where he completed the WOSTEP complicated watch course, a post graduate course for those watchmakers dedicated to the restoration of complicated, high quality rare watches. He was quickly spotted by Parmigiani Mesure et Art du Temps, where over the following ten years he was at the centre of the restoration work of some of the world’s rarest pieces as well as the creation of new and original ‘one-off’ pieces.
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Giving back to others much of the fruit of his experience, Kari Voutilainen taught for the next three years at the WOSTEP School of Watchmaking, heading the department of complicated watchmaking. He also undertook the complete training of beginners, and added many new courses to the curriculum that he had devised himself.
He is, as his nature suggests, the first to commend the kind and generous teaching of those master watchmakers who have passed on their ‘centuries old’ watchmaking knowledge.
Alongside his professional work, Kari Voutilainen has devoted himself, through many long evenings of tireless work over the last fifteen years, to developing the ultimate perfection of new and unique mechanisms, which are represented in his highly elegant watches.
Following his passion, and in order to preserve this highly prized tradition, Kari Voutilainen established his own business as an independent Artist Watchmaker in the village of Môtiers in 2002. The beautiful and tranquil region of ‘Val-de-Travers’ gives itself by its very nature to thoughtful and creative watchmaking. Distant markets as far away as China have been conquered by the works of past Masters from this region.
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Kari Voutilainen’s natural gift for perfection, coupled with his broad experience and deep understanding of very high quality, antique, complicated watches, are the quintessential ingredients for innovative creation in the art of watchmaking. Not one to satisfy himself by imagined creations alone, he makes all of his creations himself. He is totally involved in every detail whether technical or aesthetic; like a true artist or sculptor, nothing is left to chance.
Only this way can his masterpiece timekeepers, based on solid technical foundations and incorporating timeless classical design, pass from generation to generation as the inheritance of a time honoured and proudly maintained tradition.
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As with all entirely handmade watches, their number will remain limited; each one is crafted according to specific requirements and has its own individual and personal qualities. It goes without saying that these technical marvels are clothed and protected only by the most precious of metals.
It is for these reasons that pieces signed by Kari Voutilainen will make their mark in the history of watchmaking, to the great delight of those collectors fortunate enough to own one.
Kari Voutilainen: “When I was designing my in house caliber some years ago, there were already plans in my mind for future possibilities regarding complications and new features. The first question that came up after the new base caliber was released was simply: what should be the next development? After discussions within the workshop together with my team, we decided that a power reserve indicator was a perfect first complication that was exactly in character with a manual winding wristwatch. The first step was to define the characteristics we wanted to achieve. I felt it was good at this point to add a hacking feature for the seconds, and to design the power reserve in an unusual way so that it could actually be seen by the user; normally this is impossible to see inside the movement. However, there was one important aspect that I wanted to design which is harder to describe: the limiting of the power reserve to the period of the best torque of the mainspring. When you finish winding any watch, there will be a certain amount of power reserve built up in the mainspring. However, the hours at the end of the reserve period will not be optimal for the best chronometric results. My solution is taken from the best examples from the past: a Maltese cross construction on the winding barrel limits the power reserve to only supply slightly more than 2 days of optimal power out of 65 hours of torque to the movement. So said, so done, and the new mechanical design was worked out, requiring the production of some 70 new movement parts. As a final flourish, new dial design was created for this timepiece, with framed sub-dials and a new guilloché pattern.”
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Technical characteristics:
Voutilainen V-8R
Voutilainen V-8R
- Unique, in house designed movement with power reserve, hours, minutes and seconds
- New direct impulse escapement with two escapement wheels
- Hacking mechanism (stops seconds’ hand during time setting)
- Visible power reserve mechanism with cone system
- Power reserve: Maltese cross system on barrel, in order to limit power reserve to the optimal torque supplied during 49 hours (full power reserve is 65 hours)
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- Movement:
- 30mm x 5.60mm, 4N gold plated German silver main plate and bridges, 228 components
- Wheels made of rose gold
- Jewels: 28
- Free sprung balance (wheel diameter 13.60mm) with Grossman interior curve and Philips exterior curve, beating at 18,000 vph
- Dial: silver, engine turned by hand, applied indexes and numerals in goldbr>
- Hands: gold and steel, hand made
- All manufacturing, construction, fabrication, hand finishing and assembly in the Voutilainen workshop
- Case: 39.00mm x 11.40mm
- Sapphire glass front and back, with anti reflection treatment
- Available in platinum, 18k red or white gold with matching tang buckle and
- alligator strap.
- Limited edition of 25 pieces worldwide
Technical characteristics:
Reference: 28-R
Movement: Manual-winding mechanical
Power reserve: 49 h, 18000 variations / hours
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Power reserve, Seconds
Year: 2013
Collection: V-8R / Limited Edition to 25 exemplaires
Waterproofness: 30 m
Size: ø 39 mm
Thickness: 11.4 mm
Case: Red gold
Bracelet strap: Leather
alligator
Buckle: Pin buckle
www.Voutilainen.ch
