Thursday, January 26, 2017

PANERAI – PAM00726 LUMINOR 1950 REGATTA Oracle Team USA Chrono TITANIO


  OFFICINE PANERAIPAM00726 LUMINOR 1950 REGATTA Oracle Team USA 3 DAYS Chrono Flyback Automatic TITANIO – 47mm

SIHH 2017

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Official Watch of Oracle Team USA

THE EXCELLENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF PANERAI MECHANICS ARE EMBODIED 
IN THE NEW SPECIAL EDITION CREATED FOR ORACLE TEAM USA, 
DEFENDER OF THE 35 TH AMERICA’S CUP, 
WITH THE REVERSE COUNTER FUNCTION FOR ACCURATELY 
DISPLAYING THE STARTING TIMES OF A RACE.

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Panerai pays its respects to ORACLE TEAM USA, Defender of the 2017 America’s Cup, Panerai has created the special edition Luminor 1950 Regatta ORACLE TEAM USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio, an automatic chronograph with a power reserve of three days, fitted with the Regatta countdown mechanism. This is a new model of an instrument with sophisticated technical solutions, designed to be worn by sailing enthusiasts, and its design is inspired by the colours of ORACLE TEAM USA: black, red, white and blue.

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The Regatta countdown function is remarkably simple to use, reflecting the excellence of the technical innovation within the P.9100/R automatic chronograph calibre used in the Luminor 1950 Regatta ORACLE TEAM USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic. A red push-piece at 4 o’clock causes the central red chronograph minute hand to move back in one-minute jumps, until it is set to the correct countdown position.

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When the chronograph is started, by operating the start/stop push-piece at 10 o’clock, the relative hands start to move, initially indicating the minutes and seconds remaining before the start and, once the countdown is finished, the time elapsed from the start of the race. The push-piece at 9 o’clock returns all the chronograph hands to zero or, if it is pressed when the hands are already moving, it operates the return-to-zero (flyback) function, thus enabling a new time interval to be started immediately without carrying out the stop and reset operations.

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The black dial of the Luminor 1950 Regatta ORACLE TEAM USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic has the sandwich structure and the classic Panerai design with its large linear markers and figures, enhanced by the elements which enable the indications of the chronograph functions to be read.

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The chronograph hands are central and distinguished by different easily recognisable colours, while the red hand indicating the hours rotates in the small dial at 3 o’clock, symmetrical with the small seconds dial with a blue hand. On the flange are the 15-minute scale of the count-down counter, with the last ten minutes marked in blue and red, and also the tachymeter scale in knots which enables the speed of the yacht to be measured over a predetermined distance.

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The Luminor 1950 case has the characteristic Panerai lever device for protecting the winding crown, and it is 47 mm in diameter. It is made of brushed titanium, a material which is light and strong with the bezel polished in contrast. The solid back is engraved in relief with the logo ORACLE TEAM USA, the inscription 35TH AMERICA’S CUP and a drawing of the defending team’s legendary trimaran.

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The P.9100/R automatic movement have several technical characteristics which are evidence of the level of technical excellence of the Panerai Manufacture in Neuchâtel: it is a sophisticated chronograph movement with a vertical clutch and column wheel, a variable inertia balance which oscillates at 28,800 vibrations an hour, and the seconds reset mechanism for accurate synchronisation. The rotor winding the springs of the two spring barrels oscillates in both directions, providing a power reserve of three days, the minimum standard for Panerai in-house calibres.

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Water-resistant to 10 atmospheres (100 metres), as is appropriate for an advanced instrument for professional sailors, there are only 200 units of the Luminor 1950 Regatta ORACLE TEAM USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic (PAM00726).

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It is supplied with a black strap of untreated leather, personalised with the America’s Cup logo heat-embossed on both sides, with contrasting sewing in red and blue thread.

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35th AMERICA’S CUP Special Edition Watches


  • PANERAI Luminor Marina 1950 America’s Cup 3 Days Automatic Acciaio – 44mm
  • PANERAI Luminor 1950 Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Ceramica – 44mm
  • PANERAI Luminor 1950 Regatta Oracle Team USA 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Titanio – 47mm
  • PANERAI Luminor Marina Oracle Team USA 8 Days Acciaio – 44mm
  • PANERAI Luminor Marina 1950 Softbank Team Japan 3 Days Automatic Acciaio – 44mm
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TECHINCAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: LUMINOR 1950 REGATTA Oracle Team USA 3 DAYS Chrono Flyback Automatic TITANIO – 47mm

Reference: PAM00726

MOVEMENT
Automatic mechanical, Manufacture P.9100/R calibre
Executed entirely by Panerai  
Diameter (13¾ lignes) little thicker (9.55mm) and has 26 more parts
Movement consists of 328 components altogether
Oscillation frequency 4 Hz
Glucydur® balance, 28,800 alternations/hour.
KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device.
Power reserve: 72H
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes, small seconds, seconds reset, flyback chronograph,
regatta countdown, knots scale for calculation of average boat speed
CASE
Brushed titanium Grade 5 (Ti 6Al-4V).
Diameter 47 mm.
Engraved brushed titanium buttons for the chronograph functions at 10 o’clock and 8 o’clock. Brushed button and orange surface for the regatta function at 4 o’clock.
BEZEL Polished titanium.
BACK
Solid back is engraved in relief with the logo ORACLE TEAM USA.
DEVICE PROTECTING THE CROWN
(protected as trademark) Brushed titanium.
CRYSTAL
Sapphire, made of corundum, 1.6 mm thick. 
Anti-reflective coating.
WATER-RESISTANCE 10 bar (~ 100 metres).
DIAL
Black with luminous Arabic numerals and hour markers
Hours counter at 3 o’clock, seconds at 9 o’clock,
central chronograph seconds and minutes hands, knot scale on the rehaut
STRAP
Black strap of untreated leather, STD, 26/22 Standard.
Personalised with the America’s Cup logo heat-embossed on both sides, with contrasting sewing in red and blue thread.
Buckle: Trapezoidal brushed titanium buckle.

Unique edition of 200 units pieces


* The trademark Velcro® and Coramid® are notproperty of Officine Panerai
*Officine Panerai is not the owner of the Glucydur® and KIF Parechoc® trademarks.

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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

JACOB & CO. – ASTRONOMIA Gravitational Tourbillon FLAWLESS Sapphire Case Edition


JACOB & CO.ASTRONOMIA Gravitational Triple Axis Tourbillon FLAWLESS Sapphire Case 50mm Edition

JACOB & CO. PRESENTS 
THE ASTRONOMIA FLAWLESS

Jacob & Co. blends the intricate world of high jewelry with that of haute horlogerie to introduce the latest addition to the brand’s signature Astronomia collection, the Astronomia Flawless.

While the timepiece offers an exquisite display of immaculate aesthetics, there is multifaceted meaning behind the new Astronomia’s name. “Flawless” not only refers to the watch’s impeccable appearance, but it is also the term for the highest grade of diamond clarity according to the Gemological Institute of America’s diamond grading scale. For a diamond to be declared flawless, no inclusions or blemishes should be visible under 10x magnification. Flawless is therefore a fitting benchmark for Jacob & Co.’s evolutionary interpretation of the Astronomia collection’s signature sapphire case.

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The large sapphire crystal has been a consistent design element of Jacob & Co.’s Astronomia collection since the introduction of the first Astronomia Tourbillon in 2014. The transparency of the case allows the movement of the gravitational triple axis tourbillon be clearly visible from multiple angles.

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Last year, Jacob & Co. increased the transparency of the case and the visibility of the Astronomia’s complications with the 2016 Baseworld novelty, the Astronomia Clarity. Nonetheless, in the spirit of constant improvement, the Astronomia Flawless again elevates the level of transparency offered by the Astronomia Clarity, with the introduction of the Astronomia Flawless’s monoblock sapphire crystal case. The sophisticated craftsmanship of the monoblock sapphire crystal creates the illusion that the complications within the case are floating effortlessly in midair.

To achieve this appearance, a number of the collection’s components that were previously produced in precious metal are instead made in sapphire crystal: the one-piece case middle and lugs, the dial (a blue-coloured sapphire) and even the buckle. These changes have added a considerable layer of complexity to the new watch, as the production of the case middle alone requires 15 individual steps that account for around 326 hours of work, the case back requires around 297 hours of work, the dial 280 hours and the buckle 295 hours.

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If you add to this the 288 hours required for the production of the domed crystal evident in all Astronomia models, you have a total of 37 weeks of production for just the sapphire components – excluding engraving! For this reason, only nine individually numbered pieces of the Astronomia Flawless will be made.

The manually wound JCAM16 caliber with its triple axis tourbillon, rotating earth and sun and subsidiary hour and minute dial has also evolved in the Astronomia Flawless.

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A rose-gold finish has been applied to the titanium bridges and the central axis is adorned with a 2.23-carat Jacob Cut® yellow diamonds representing the sun, in addition to the 1-carat diamond, which also has the 288 facets of the Jacob Cut®. Although the dial appears the same as on other Astronomia models, the dial on the Astronomia Flawless is actually made out of sapphire crystal and has been given a blue coating.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: Grand complication

Model: ASTRONOMIA FLAWLESS Gravitational Tourbillon

Reference: 750.120.40.AD.SD.1NS Sapphire

Case
Diameter: 50mm
Thickness: 25.45mm
Material: Sapphire with double anti-reflective treatment
Case back: Sapphire with double anti-reflective treatment and silver metallization
Bows: Winding and time-setting via two 18-carat rose gold bows
Crystal: Unique domed sapphire with double anti-reflective treatment
Water resistance: 30 meters (ISO 2281); 2-year warranty.
Movement
Caliber: Jacob & Co. in-house manually-wound calibre JCAM16
Diameter: 40mm
Height: 17.15mm
Material: Titanium with rose gold finish and sapphire crystal barrel bridge
Components: 367
Power Reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 21,600 v/h (3 Hz)
Jewels: 42
Finishing: Plate and bridges: bevelled and polished by hand, drawn flanks,
circular graining, polished jewel sinks, polished screws; barrel: circular graining
Functions
Central axis, adorned with an exclusive spherical 288-facet Jacob Cut® yellow sapphire, with patented differential gear system that performs one revolution around the dial in 20 minutes, with four branches:
  • Subsidiary hour and minute dial
  • Exclusive 288-facet spherical Jacob Cut® white diamond (weight: 1 carat), rotating about its own axis once every 60seconds
  • Magnesium globe with continents depicted in rose gold and oceans in blue lacquer, rotating about its own axis once every 60seconds
  • Triple-axis gravitational tourbillon cage rotating about its own axis once in 60 seconds, about the axis of its branch from the central axis once every 5 minutes, plus the complete rotation about the central axis once every 20 minutes.
  • Dial and hands
Dial
Blued sapphire dial
Hands: Hand-finished in rose gold
Strap 
Rubber blue
Buckle: Sapphire crystal

Limited Edition: 9 pieces; Individually Numbered Pieces.

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For media inquiries please contact:
Jacob & Co. Corporate Office
susan@jacobandco.com
+1.212.719.5887
Europe & Trade Press
press.gva@jacobandco.com
+41.22.310.6962
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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

LONGINES – Flagship HERITAGE – 60th Anniversary 1957-2017 Edition















LONGINES – Flagship HERITAGE60th Anniversary 1957-2017 Limited Edition

Flagship Heritage 60th Anniversary 1957-2017
An exceptional anniversary timepiece 

Saint-Imier (Switzerland), January 2017 – Longines celebrates this year the 60th anniversary of its first Flagship collection. For this occasion, the watchmaking brand introduces the Flagship Heritage – 60th Anniversary 1957-2017. This timepiece was inspired by a Flagship model kept in the Swiss watchmaker’s headquarters, favoured by Longines’ Ambassador of Elegance, Kate Winslet. Available in steel, yellow gold or rose gold, these numbered and limited-edition models display a flagship on the back, as did the original pieces.

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Longines sold its first Flagship in 1957, and ever since, the collection has met with lasting success. This timeless watch, with its white dial, thin profile and fine fasteners, quickly won over Longines clients. A perfect blend of technical mastery and subdued elegance, the Flagship owes its name to the ship upon which the flag of the fleet’s commander in chief snaps in the wind. A symbol of Longines’ wishes for this new collection, this caravel is stamped on the back of Flagship watches.

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Today, the Swiss watchmaking brand celebrates 60 years of this iconic collection, a symbol of quality, high precision and distinction, by launching the Flagship Heritage – 60th Anniversary 1957-2017. It was Longines Ambassador of Elegance herself, Kate Winslet, who chose the face of this anniversary timepiece. During a visit to the brand’s headquarters in Switzerland, the British actress fell in love with a model of the Swiss watchmaker. This is the timepiece from which Longines drew inspiration for the subdued and chic dial of this anniversary edition.

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Available in steel, yellow gold or rose gold, the numbered timekeepers house an L609 mechanical calibre in their 38.5 mm case. Exclusive timepieces, the gold versions are limited to 60 watches while the steel versions are limited to 1957 watches.

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The brushed silvery dial is adorned with 8 indexes and 4 Arabic numerals, in yellow gold or rose gold colours. As with the original timepieces, the back of these commemorative watches bears a stamped caravel – the flagship. A brown leather watch strap completes this exceptional timepiece.

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Technical sheet

Model: Flagship HERITAGE 60th Anniversary 1957-2017  Edition

Reference number:
    Stainless Steel - L4.817.4.76.2    Limited series of 1957 numbered pieces
    Rose Gold - L4.817.8.76.2    Limited series of 60 numbered pieces
    Yellow Gold - L4.817.6.76.2    Limited series of 60 numbered pieces

Movement:
Automatic winding mechanical movement
Calibre L609 (ETA 2895/2)
11’’’ ½  lines, 27 jewels, 28’800 alternations per hour
42-hour power reserve
Functions   
Hours, minutes, small second and date at 6 o’clock
Case   
  • Stainless steel
  • Rose Gold
  • Yellow Gold
Round,  Ø 38.5 mm.
Flagship stamped on the case back
Glass: Sapphire crystal with multi-layered anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: Up to 3 bar (30 meters)  
Dial
Brushed silver, 2 zones,
4 Arabic numerals and 8 applied indices in pink or yellow 
Hands
Yellow or pink Dauphine hands;
hour and minute hands coated with Super-Luminova®
Strap
Brown alligator strap with buckle

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Press release - 2017
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For further information please contact:
Longines International Public Relations
2610 Saint-Imier, Switzerland
publicrelations@longines.com
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AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic



















AUDEMARS PIGUETRoyal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic

SIHH 2017
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Black Ceramic - 2017

The Perpetual Calendar is strongly embedded into the core of Audemars Piguet’s origins. It is also the reminder that all of time measurement derives from astronomy and naturally occurring cycles. In 1955, Audemars Piguet introduced a world first – a perpetual calendar wristwatch with the essential leap year indication, made in only 9 examples, all in 18 carat yellow gold.

Since then Audemars Piguet has launched many more perpetual calendar wristwatches, among which the latest 2016 Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, combining yellow gold, the iconic Gérald Genta design and the ultra-classic complication in all of watchmaking.

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Today, Audemars Piguet enriches its line of Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars with a full black version, made of hand-finished black ceramic. Day, date, month, astronomical moon, week of the year displayed on the dial’s outer chapter ring and the essential leap year indication hold pride of place on the “Grande Tapisserie” decorated dial. Housed in an assertively sized 41 mm case, the selfwinding watch’s larger calibre 5134 is fully visible through the glareproofed sapphire crystal caseback.

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Challenging to master but virtually unscratchable, black ceramic withstands high temperatures and thermal shocks, and is consequently extremely resistant to ageing. Numerous operations demanding extreme patience and skill are required to achieve a uniform, compact and ultra-hard material that can then be machined and hand-finished.

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Audemars Piguet’s specialists required more than 600 hours of research to develop this new wristwatch: whereas it takes six hours to machine, polish, hand-finish, assemble and control a stainless steel Royal Oak bracelet, it takes thirty hours to accomplish these exact same procedures for the black ceramic bracelet…5 times longer!

The dial, with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, is slate grey with black counters and displays a photo realistic astronomical moon that contrasts with all of the black components of the piece.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model: Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic 41 mm

Reference: 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01 - Black dial

Movement
Self winding Manufacture Calibre 5134
Total diameter: 29mm (12’’’ 3/4lignes)
Total thickness: 4.31mm
Number of jewels : 38  
Number of parts: 374
Minimal guaranteed power reserve:40h
Frequency of balance wheel (Hz): 2.75 (=19,800 vibrations /h)
Case
Black ceramic case
Case 41 mm
Glare-proofed sapphire crystal and caseback
Water-resistant to 20 m
Dial
Slate grey dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern.
Black counters,  white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating, black inner bezel
Functions
Perpetual calendar with week indication, day, date,
astronomical moon, month, leap year, hours and minutes
Bracelet
Black ceramic bracelet with titanium AP folding clasp

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Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA
Route de France 16 - Case postale 16
1348 Le Brassus - Switzerland
Phone : + 41 21 642 39 00
Fax : + 41 21 642 34 02
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Monday, January 23, 2017

De Bethune – DB25L Milky Way Platinum















De BethuneDB25L Milky Way Platinum

GENEVA - 2017
DB25L Milky Way

For thousands of years, man has been trying to express the fragile beauty of the heavens in material form. A source of endless fascination, and a canvas for both spiritual and artistic endeavour, the infinity of its enigmatic immensity is not easily tamed, as those who have sought to capture it have found. How can so much subtlety, life and complexity ever be apprehended? For, from the finely curved lines of ancient celestial goddesses to the shameless gazes of our satellites, the Milky Way is a vibrant reflection of humankind and of its progress through time.

Following the example set by nature, the De Bethune Manufacture's craftsmen have used an artful combination of elements and materials to encapsulate in gold and glass a few drops of the essence of the skies. Dexterous fingers have shaped a titanium mirror and, through the flames, an experienced eye has brought forth its infinite chromatic richness.

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This unique blue oxide structure plays host to the captive stars. First, small white gold spheres set one by one by hand stand out from the deep sky blue. Then, their abundance is revealed under the fiery dart of the laser. Draped in a fine layer of pure gold leaf, they shine and sparkle, casting out subtle golden glints of colour. Finally, a blued steel and platinum spherical moon-phase stands guard majestically over this Elysium. Mesmerised by so much life, unable to turn away, one surrenders to it, leaving behind a small part of one’s soul as the price for redemption. This reciprocity, close to love, is the very essence of De Bethune creations, where an emotional and infinite connection is created between the object and its owner, exuding a beauty that will endure over time.

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And yet, it is precisely time that inhabits this proud platinum case with hollowed lugs. Centuries of knowledge and experience stand alongside the most contemporary of materials and innovations in an alliance where the spirit of the great master watchmakers of the past is reborn each second. Here, the respiration of a balance spring on its silicon core echoes the age-old transformation of energy into units of time. There, the steel case back of its mechanical body, polished to a mirror shine, celebrates a forgotten knowledge once reserved solely for the emperors of China. Emerging from this fusion of past and present is the future of mechanical time, that of twenty-first century watchmaking.

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However, also underlining the outstanding mastery of the De Bethune Manufacture artists and the unique challenge they face in their work, is its apparent simplicity, like that of starry nights. For, in their quest for perfection and the absolute, the essential reigns supreme and the best always triumphs over pointless complexities. Even the dazzling diamonds encircling it show modesty and restraint beside the celestial clouds of gold on its dial. So, whenever life's frenzy takes over and monopolises our time, as we reflect upon its relentless onward march, we may suddenly need to lose ourselves momentarily in contemplation of one of its most sublime representations, and to reach for the stars.

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Technical Specifications


Model: DB25L Milky Way

Reference: DB25JLPS3V2

Movement
Manufacture Calibre DB2105v2
Type: Mechanical caliber with manual winding
Adjustment: Using the crown (3 positions) for winding,
setting the spherical moon-phase and setting the time
Number of parts: 286
Jewelling: 29 jewels
Diameter: 30 mm
Power reserve: 6 days, ensured by a self-regulating twin barrel - A De Bethune Innovation (2004)

Technical features:
  • Silicon annular balance encircled by a white gold ring - De Bethune Patent (2010)
  • De Bethune” balance-spring with flat terminal curve - De Bethune Patent (2006)
  • Silicon escape wheel
  • Spherical moon-phase indicator with precision of one lunar day every 122 years- De Bethune Patent (2004)
  • Triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system - De Bethune Patent (2005)
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Adornment: Plate and barrel bridge cover in mirror-polished steel
Hand snailed barrels
Hand-polished, chamfered steel parts 
Functions
Hours, minutes, spherical moon-phase at 12 o’clock, Power reserve on case back
Display
Hours and minutes hands in polished rose gold
Spherical moon-phase indicator in palladium and flame-blued steel with precision of one lunar day every 122 years at 12 o’clock – De Bethune Patent (2004)
Power reserve indicator on the back
Dial
De Bethune star-studded sky in blued and polished titanium with white gold stars pin joined by hand
Milky Way patterns produced by micro laser striking gilded with 24 carats gold leafs
Case
Material: Platinum set with 66 baguette-cut diamonds
Diameter: 44,6 mm
Thickness: 11.3 mm
Lugs: Integrated, hollowed lugs
Adjustment: Using the crown (3 positions) for winding, setting the spherical moon-phase and setting the time
Crystal: Sapphire (1800 Vickers hardness), with double anti-reflective coating
Back: Open back in polished white gold and sapphire crystal (hardness of 1800 Vickers) with double anti-reflective coating
Strap
Extra-supple alligator skin with alligator padding
Buckle and ardillon in platinum


* Manufacture De Bethune innovations and registered patents

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Press release - Geneva 2017
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De Bethune Geneva Office 
25 Grand-Rue 1204 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 310 22 71
Fax: +41 22 310 33 40
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