Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ROMAIN GAUTHIER - Prestige HMS Titanium


ROMAIN GAUTHIER - Prestige HMS Titanium

Romain Gauthier profile

Romain Gauthier was born in 1975 in Le Sentier, in the picturesque Vallée de Joux, at the heart of fine Swiss watchmaking. It was there that he developed a passion for traditional haute horlogerie blended with clean, contemporary design and innovative micro-engineering.  After studying precision-mechanics, Romain gained a diploma as a constructor of precision machinery.
In 1997, he started his first job as machine programmer/operator and over the following years, Romain managed and grew the department into one of the best - equipped and most efficient production facilities in Europe.

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Determined to create his own watch brand, Romain completed an MBA in 2002. His final thesis – passed with distinction – was the business plan for Montres Romain Gauthier. He then began work on the timepieces themselves. "I knew that a good movement was the basis of everything I planned to build, so I started with that."
In 2005, after three years of working in secret, Romain launched his brand in Baselworld 2007 with the Prestige HM, featuring his own in-house manufacture movement.

In 2006, after four years of working in secret, Romain launched his brand with the Prestige HM, which featured his own in-house manufacture movement.  The HM was followed in 2012 by the Prestige HMS and the ground-breaking Logical One in 2013.
Manufacture Romain Gauthier is a manufacture in the truest sense of the word in that they design, develop, produce, assemble and regulate entirely in-house.  Manufacture Romain Gauthier has advanced CNC machines and automatic lathes and produces virtually every high-quality component in-house.

The picturesque Vallée de Joux in the Swiss Jura mountains is at the heart of fine Swiss watchmaking. It was there that Romain Gauthier developed his passion for traditional haute horlogerie blended with clean, contemporary design and innovative micro engineering.

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Prestige HMS – Hour, Minute, Seconds – by Romain Gauthier is a perfect blend of the traditional and the contemporary. Hours and minutes are clearly legible in the large sub-dial, while cut-outs in the main dial reveal the intricate workings of the precision micro-mechanics of the in-house manufacture movement beneath. The visible oscillating balance wheel at 7 o’clock and open seconds’ wheel at 5 o’clock add vibrancy and animation to an already rich visual experience of mechanics, texture, colour and composition.

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The dial of the Prestige HMS is a series of circles within circles. Working from the outside in, we have a chapter ring on a band around the perimeter of the dial. Inside that there is the off-centre sub-dial of the hours and minutes, its centre a harmonious composite of the engraved R. Gauthier logo on light grey, anthracite sun-ray guilloche radiating outwards and an opening allowing visual access to the movement below. A semi-circular ring arcs over the lower portion of the hour/minute sub-dial and indicates the seconds.

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The elegant 41mm diameter case is distinguished by clean, unbroken lines around its full case perimeter and it is the remarkable absence of a crown that reveals just how special the movement is. Placing the crown on the back increases winding efficiency and water resistance, while reducing wear and stress of components. The large-diameter flat crown enables the watch to be easily wound, even while on the wrist.

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The movement was entirely conceived, developed, designed, produced, assembled and regulated by Manufacture Romain Gauthier. Virtually every component bears Roman Gauthier's distinctive touch: from the Vallée de Joux style finger bridges that catch both the light and the eye with their seductive polished curves; the bespoke gear wheels with their circular arms; the polished screw heads with their distinctive S-slot; the delicate balance wheel with its distinctive curved arms and calibrated eccentric weights has been designed and manufactured by Romain Gauthier; and right down to the triangular pallet lever (a Romain Gauthier invention). In fact, the only components not designed by Romain Gauthier in the movement are the mainspring, balance spring and jewels (and even the latter are oversized to his specifications).

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Prestige HMS is available in a 41mm diameter red gold, white gold or platinum case and a 43mm titanium case

ROMAIN GAUTHIER - Prestige HMS Red Gold

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ROMAIN GAUTHIER - Prestige HMS White Gold

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Technical Specifications

Indications: off-centre hours, minutes and small seconds

Movement
In-house manufacture movement Calibre HMS
Power reserve: 60 hours
Number of jewels: 22
Number of components: 128
Balance frequency: 28,800 bph / 4Hz
Fine finishing including hand polished screws and jewel countersinks;
Geneva waves, hand bevelled and polished bridges.

Case and strap
Case materials: red gold, white gold, platinum or titanium
Dimensions: 41mm x 12.1, 43mm x 12.1 (titanium)
Water resistance: 10m /1 atm / 30’
Strap and buckle: alligator leather hand-stitched in Switzerland
with pin buckle in metal to match the case.

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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ulysse-Nardin - Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture
















Ulysse-Nardin - Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture Limited Edition NEW


The Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture celebrates the interplay of light and innovation.

Ulysse Nardin unveils its first timepiece featuring an exclusive skeleton tourbillon caliber. Incorporating the very latest silicon technology, it is an exquisite expression of the brand's pioneering spirit.

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An independent watchmaker specializing in innovative techniques, Ulysse Nardin unveils the Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture, its first timepiece featuring a skeleton caliber that has been fully developed and manufactured in-house. With this watch, the Le Locle-based Manufacture combines cutting-edge technology with an aesthetic exploration of the themes of transparency and simplicity. The Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture is an impressive and unique contemporary timepiece that pays tribute to the brand’s prestigious past.

Purity and transparency.

Skeletonizing is a subtle art that requires both watchmaking know-how and an artistic sensibility. The aim is to reveal the inner workings of the movement by reducing the structure of components to a bare minimum, allowing light to penetrate freely through. Ulysse Nardin’s Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture is a brilliant example of this endeavor.

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The watchmaker’s new movement has been specially developed for this occasion, and instantly seduces with its refined architecture and perfectly balanced proportions. The barrel at 12 o’clock mirrors the escapement placed at 6 o’clock. Above the latter is a ratchet wheel engraved with the brand name, insignia and the power reserve. Surfaces are decorated with an eye-catching contrast of bead-blasted and polished finishes. Color variations enhance the visual interest of metallic components. Crimson rubies sparkle among the hand-beveled bridges embellished with a satin-finish “sunray" decoration.


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On the version with a red gold case, each train wheel is rhodium-plated, while those of the platinum version are finished in glowing straw-colored 18-carat yellow gold. The blue of the steel screws echoes the azure tone of the silicon components. The specially designed hands are inspired by a gently curved leaf shape and are skeletonized at their tips. Recalling a Ulysse Nardin caliber from 1922, the back bears a screwed-in plate engraved with the serial number, making each timepiece unique.

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Cutting-edge technique.

Since it was founded in 1846, Ulysse Nardin has distinguished itself with its pioneering approach. The accuracy and quality of its timepieces have forged an unrivalled reputation for the brand in the rarefied world of fine watchmaking. Perpetuating this spirit, Ulysse Nardin has been a forerunner in the use of silicon, which it featured in a watch for the first time in 2001.






























The Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture is an elegant showcase for this exceptional know-how: nestled within the hand-wound mechanical movement is a flying tourbillon that comprises a balance spring, anchor and escapement wheel made from silicon. The power reserve offers an impressive duration of 170 hours.
































The Skeleton Tourbillon Manufacture is available in two limited editions: 99 pieces in red gold and 99 pieces in platinum.


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Technical Data

Reference 1702-129 red gold
Reference 1709-129 platinum
Movement 
Caliber UN-170 Manufacture,
23 jewels, 18’000 V/H
Power-Reserve 
Approx. 170 h
Winding
Manual Winding
Functions 
Hours and minutes
Case 
Red gold or platinum
Dimensions
44 mm
Water-resistance
30 m
Crystal
Antireflective sapphire crystal
Case-back
Sapphire crystal
Band
Alligator leather with simple buckle

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