Friday, April 20, 2012

BADOLLET - Ivresse

BADOLLET - Ivresse NEW 











The exhilaration of time stems from its absolute infinity.

It is the epitome of the elegance of time. The purest expression of time, with no superfluous ornamentation, yet devoid of austerity. With an innate elegance over which time has no hold it revels in the spontaneity of the passing hours.

"It" Is the new finely crafted watch from Badollet: Ivresse.


















Beneath an apparently understated air lies an uncompromising personality. The gentle curves and softened angles of the rectangular platinum case enfold the wrist in a warm embrace. Its finishes radiate a deep and intense purity that highlight its midnight blue face. The play on contrasts is heightened by the brushed finish of the dial set against the circular satin-brushed chapter ring. The latter appears to be literally suspended thanks to striking light and shadow effects, while the discreetly cut-out hands accompany time in its perpetually renewed cycle. The design, pared down to its most obvious and natural expression, celebrates functionality and readability rather than aesthetic excess, as the Badollet griffin appears in solitary splendour at 12 o’clock.









































The aesthetic refinement, created by Eric Giroud, is equalled only by the mechanical complexity of this timepiece. The flying tourbillon movement, exclusively designed and developed for Badollet, is deliberately hidden from sight. Visible only through the transparent case-back, the tourbillon carriage recaptures the delicate modesty of vintage watches. The sapphire opening is shaped like the symbol of infinity, in a tribute to time as the universal driving force. Elusive, yet perceptible, immutable and yet exhilarating. In a 21st century fascinated by disorder and the ephemeral, equilibrium is the exception. The fine balance epitomised by this timepiece, Ivresse, represents an art of living favoured only by those who prefer authenticity to frivolous exuberance.


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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

MOVEMENT: BADOLLET 2012
Dimensions: Length 35.00 mm. Width 19.50 mm. Thickness : 6.40 mm.
Distinctive feature: Domed movement with cone-shaped going train
Winding: Manual
Power reserve: 120 hours
Description: Central hours and minutes, flying tourbillon, hanging barrel
Mainplate: Nickel silver, entirely hand-decorated with chamfering, chasing, concave chamfering, circular graining and straight graining executed in the traditional manner

CASE:
Material: 950 platinum
Crystal: Sapphire, colourless anti-reflective treatment on both sides, extra-hard treatment
Caseback crystal: Flat sapphire, colourless anti-reflective treatment
Crown: 950 platinum
Length: 53.80 mm
Width: 30.00 mm
Thickness: 12.30 mm
Interhorn width: 20.00 mm
Water-resistant to 30m

DIAL:
Dark blue vertical satin-brushed base, applied riveted circular satin-brushed silver-toned chapter ring 12 nickel-plated mirror-polished riveted metal hour-markers, 36 nickel-plated incised 0.40 mm-diameter beads, riveted applied BADOLLET symbol

STRAP:
Material: Genuine full-grain alligator leather strap, large square scales
Finish: Safari finish, rolled edges, flat profile, genuine tone-on-tone "pompon" alligator leather, tone-on-tone stitching, heat-embossed
Colour: Midnight blue
Buckle: 950 platinum

www.badollet.com 

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater

The New Face of Tradition Girard-Perregaux


Girard-Perregaux - 1966 Minute Repeater Limited Edition


A masterpiece of elegance and technology, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater unveils a magnificent mechanism that produces an intense sound. Its acoustic merits and the purity of its lines rely on over 220 years of tradition and excellence. The timepiece symbolises all the expertise of a brand that pushes back the boundaries of watchmaking with grandes complications.
 

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It is one of the few watches to combine mechanical excellence with exceptional musical qualities to such a degree. The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater model pays homage to the most prestigious of Haute Horlogerie traditions. Pure design, noble materials and a beautiful complication: the piece displays all the signs of an exceptional timepiece.
Its classic, elegant exterior houses one of the greatest of grandes complications: the minute repeater. The invention of repeater watches was originally intended to meet the need to strike the hours during the night before the existence of electric lighting. Today, the charm of striking the hours, quarters and minutes makes it one of the best-loved complications for enthusiasts of beautiful watchmaking.

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The construction of the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater watch fully respects the great watchmaking tradition. The creation of the sound relies on a device that requires the presence of two circular gongs coiled inside the case and small hammers that strike them at regular intervals. In order to create a vibration to produce the sound that comes closest to perfection, the tuning of the chimes remains one of the most delicate elements; one that Girard-Perregaux takes particular care in refining.


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The watch's special design required thorough research into acoustic qualities. In particular, the Manufacture worked on three construction points on the case. The diameter of the calibre and the interior diameter of the case are perfectly balanced, a ratio that guarantees maximum resonance. The case-back is curved in order to increase the volume of air between the movement and the case, which significantly improves the propagation of the sound. Finally, the lower part of the case-back is diamond-polished, an operation that allows acoustic interference to be reduced.

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In order to further highlight the nobility of the timepiece, craftsmen have taken great care over every aesthetic detail. The white enamel dial exhibits absolute restraint. The leaf-shaped blued hands and applied hour markers bear the unmistakable mark of purity. The watch contains a hand-wound mechanical movement equipped with a power reserve of over 4 days, housed in a pink-gold case with a diameter of 42 mm.
Combined with its unique decoration and finishes, the watch is the most successful expression of a minimalistic philosophy. The desire for aesthetics is taken to the extreme. The master watchmakers have chosen a half-arrow shape recalling the gold Bridges, the brand's signature, in order to perfect the balance bridge of this meticulously decorated and rounded calibre. Rounding consists of filing the extremities of the arms in a perfectly regular manner in order to give them a semi-cylindrical shape, while at the same time respecting the delimitation of the centre and heels. In order to finalise the operation, the craftsmen smooth it using stones, buffs, pegwoods and diamond pastes in order to obtain perfect rounding. All the movement parts require the same care, thus blending function and design in a perfectly coherent relationship

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 Though not a true Limited Edition, production is nonetheless exclusive by virtue of the fact that Girard-Perregaux can produce only about 15 to 20 pieces per year. The price is SFr. 250,000.

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater
Technical specifications

Girard-Perregaux E09-0001 movement
Mechanical with manual winding
Display: hours, minutes, small seconds
Dimensions: 14¼’’’ - 32 mm
Total height: 5.36 mm
Number of components: 317
Jewels: 27
Power reserve: minimum100 hours
Winding: manual  Variable inertia balance wheel "Rounded" gold balance bridge, half-arrow type
Frequency: 21,600 vibrations / hour (3 Hz)
Mainplate: rhodium-plated and circular-grained
Bridges: Côtes de Genève, polished re-entrant angles
Striking mechanism with two opposing hammers, hours, quarter hours, minutes
Striking-mechanism speed regulation via inertia wheel, countersprings accessible on the bridge side, inverted minutes rack; conventional striking gongs.
Strap in full black matt alligator
Pink gold ardillon buckle
Numbered edition
Reference 99650-52-711-BK6A
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 www.thenewfaceoftradition.com