Frederique Constant - SlimLine Tourbillon Manufacture Range

Frederique Constant - Slim Line Tourbillon Manufacture Range NEW

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Following on from the successful launch of our Ladies’ Slimline Collection, Frederique Constant is delighted to present the limited edition gentlemen’s Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture.  With an appearance that is at once classical and timeless, while at the same time fresh and modern, this new model perfectly illustrates all that is good, all that is exciting, and all that is unique about Frederique Constant timepieces.

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Individually numbered, only 188 of each Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture model will be available to the public.  Each will be presented in a beautiful wooden gift box, and features a technologically advanced manufacture movement that is unique to Frederique Constant, the silicium escapement wheel and lever. 

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The silicium movement has added greater durability, unrivalled accuracy of timekeeping, and reduced service requirements to models that were already among the most technologically advanced in the world.  With a fast 28,800 beats per hour, each watch in the Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture range will not only keep time better than ever thought possible in a mechanical watch, it will also provide a 48-hour power reserve.

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Clean lines give the slim stainless steel case an even more sophisticated, 50’s-style appearance.  The thickness of the watch’s body incredibly measures less than a single centimetre, and the beautiful, understated raw materials lend a quiet elegance, even an unspoken self-assurance to this timepiece, much like the men who wear them.

 

Two models in the Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture range are offered; one with a polished all-stainless steel case and the other with a shining stainless steel main body accentuated with a stunning 18-karat solid rose gold bezel.  The back of the case is covered with see-through sapphire crystal, allowing owners the opportunity to see firsthand the finely decorated calibre with it’s rose gold plated rotor.

 

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The rich silver, curved dial features beautiful, rose gold-plated indices, all hand applied in-house by Frederique Constant’s skilled craftsmen and women.  The dial also boasts a day-night indicator, and finally, there’s a fine view of the tourbillon cage at the 6 o’clock position.

 

Both models feature a 60-second tourbillon, in which the seconds hand is actually an integral part of the rotating tourbillon cage. One complete rotation of the dial takes place each minute, putting both elegant beauty and incredible technology on display at the same time and in the same place.

 

An elegant watch needs a strap befitting the timepiece it surrounds. The Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture models each come with an alligator leather strap with a folding buckle, allowing the watch to sit easily and comfortably on your wrist.

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 Frederique Constant has always believed that truly exceptional hand-made watches of the quality on offer in the Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture range don’t have to come at an outrageous price.  Up till now, anyone looking at a true tourbillon watch could expect to pay anything from €50,000 to €60,000 and upwards.  Some of our competitors “boast” of watches that cost many multiples of those prices.

 

For that reason, we are pleased to offer the new Slimline Tourbillon Manufacture models starting at just €26,500 for the stainless steel version, and €28,500 for the 18-karat rose gold bezel version. 

 

For more information, please feel free to contact Mrs Yasmina Pedrini via pedrini@frederique-constant.com.

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www.Frederique Constant.com

Blancpain - VILLERET Calendar Chinese Traditionnel Edition

The famous China Garden in Zurich, a gift from the city of Kunming, was the setting chosen by Blancpain for its presentation of this world première. During the evening, the many guests enjoyed a chance to discover an interpretation of time different from that generally envisioned in the West. The wealth of this technical and cultural diversity, as well as a distinctive form of artistic expertise, are admirably expressed in this new horological masterpiece.

 

Water is one of the five elements in Chinese culture, and it was thus on the small island in the centre of the garden’s ornamental pond that Blancpain President & CEO Marc A. Hayek testified to the technical feats inherent in the new timepiece and revealed the origins of this accomplishment: “It represents the culmination of five years of research, development and reflection on the history of Blancpain in China.” There could thus have been no finer showcase for this presentation than Zurich’s China Garden, one of the finest of its kind in the world.

The complexity of the new Calendrier Chinois Traditionnel watch, based on the moon, stems as much from the number of indications to be displayed as from the irregular nature of their cycles. As part of the event, well-known contemporary Chinese writer and television commentator, Leung Man Tao, provided insight into the importance of the moon and its influence on the Earth, as well as the age-old fundamental principles of reading and interpreting time that are profoundly rooted in Chinese culture.

 

Throughout the evening, invitees were immersed in the Chinese universe through the cuisine, the particularly beautiful decoration, and the various artistic demonstrations. As befits a language that has no alphabet but instead several thousands of characters formed by lines or strokes, a calligrapher was on hand to transcribe guests’ wishes. An enamelling specialist from the Manufacture Blancpain was also present on this occasion.

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In addition to the many national or international guests, a delegation from Kunming had flown in for the event. The list of well-known figures in attendance included famous German actor Erol Sander, motor-racing driver Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis, Mrs Nayla Hayek, Chair of the Swatch Group Board of Directors and Chinese artists Feng Yuan Zheng and his wife Guo Jingjing.

Blancpain - VILLERET Calendar Chinese Traditionnel Limited Edition

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Blancpain presents a world-exclusive version of the first wristwatch equipped with a traditional Chinese calendar. The Manufacture in Le Brassus thereby wishes to honour this age-old culture of which the modern-day representatives show a keen interest in haute horlogerie, by introducing a useful yet symbolic model that is destined to take its rightful place among the ranks of the finest horological achievements.

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The Traditional Chinese Calendar watch by Blancpain is based on fundamental principles established for millennia and profoundly rooted in Chinese tradition. On its fascinating dial, the hours, minutes and the Gregorian calendar rub shoulders with the main indications of the Chinese calendar: traditional double-hour indication, day, month with indication of leap months, signs of the zodiac, as well as the five elements and the 10 celestial stems.

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The combination of the latter with the 12 animals of the zodiac that represent the terrestrial branches follows the sixty-year cycle that is central to Chinese culture. The moon phases, a key element in Blancpain complete calendars, are also presented and play a particularly important role in this model, given the link between the lunar cycle and traditional Chinese months.

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Contrary to the Gregorian solar calendar which uses the solar day as the base unit, the traditional Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, meaning a solar calendar with the lunar cycle (29.53059 days) as its base unit. Since a year comprising 12 lunar months (354.36707 days) is approximately 11 days too short compared with the tropical or solar year (365.242374 days), a leap month is sometimes added to preserve the match with the cycle of the seasons.

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Given that each month of the Chinese calendar, including the leap months, begins on the day of the new moon, its length is either 29 or 30 days. This means that when a year comprises a leap month, this 13-month year will be longer than the tropical year. On the contrary, when there is no leap month, the year of 12 lunar months is shorter than the tropical year. This distinctive feature is the reason behind the variable date of the Chinese New Year.

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The new self-winding Calibre 3638 powering this watch is endowed with a 7-day power reserve, despite the presence of 434 parts including 39 jewels.

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  Its complexity stems as much from the number of indications to be displayed as from the irregular nature of their cycles. The hours, minutes and the Gregorian calendar are presented in the centre. The counter at 12 o’clock indicates the double-hour numerals and symbols (24-hour cycle); while the one at 3 o’clock shows the elements and the celestial stems (10-year cycle).

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The month of the Chinese calendar (12-month cycle), its date (30-day cycle) and the leap month indicator appear at 9 o’clock, while a 12 o’clock aperture reveals the zodiac sign of the year in progress (12-year cycle); and the moon phases are displayed at 6 o’clock.

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The 45 mm-diameter platinum case is fitted with a crown adorned with a cabochon-cut ruby and comprises five integrated under-lug correctors serving to adjust the indications. It features the classic signature features of the Villeret collection: its double-stepped shape; a grand feu enamel dial with a chapter ring composed of gold appliques ,and indications transferred before the firing process; the main hands shaped like slightly hollowed leaves; and the blued steel Gregorian date pointer appearing in the traditional serpentine form.

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This 20-piece limited edition watch is equipped with a white gold oscillating weight, set with a Madagascar ruby and engraved with a dragon to celebrate the year 2012.
The Traditional Chinese Calendar watch is also available in a non-limited red gold version.

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Technical details

Self winding

Yes

Date	Yes
Double window date indication	No
Automata	No

Case material	Platinum, oscillating weight and crown set with a Madagascar ruby // Red gold
Case thickness	15.00 mm
Case diameter	45.00 mm
Water resistance	3.00 bar
Between horns	23.00 mm
Sapphire back	Yes
Carat measurement	Yes

Dial	White grand feu enamel
Bracelet	Alligator lined with alzavel

Calibre	3638
Calibre thickness	8.30 mm
Calibre diameter	32.00 mm
Power reserve in hours	168
Power reserve indication	No
Jewels	39
Components	463

Limited edition	Yes
Remark	Yearly limited edition

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