Friday, October 11, 2013

Jaeger-LeCoultre - Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea (RED)™ & Atmos 561 by Marc Newson AUCTION












Jaeger-LeCoultre - Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea (RED)™ & Atmos 561 by Marc Newson

Jaeger-LeCoultre pieces customized by
Sir Jonathan Ive and
Marc Newson go under the hammer at (RED) AUCTION on November 23rd


October 2nd, 2013 - New York


Two of the world’s foremost design pioneers, Sir Jonathan Ive, KBE, and Marc Newson, CBE, have collaborated with musician and philanthropist Bono to organize a (RED) Auction celebrating the very best of design and innovation. Jony and Marc have spent the past year and a half curating the collection, which comprises objects from disciplines as diverse as space travel and lighting design to contemporary art and rare automobiles, all unified and distinguished by their excellence and innovation. Proceeds from the 23 November 2013 sale at Sotheby’s New York will benefit The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.



The auction will feature icons of design selected by Jony and Marc and works that were personally customized by the pair, including a custom Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos 561 clock with unique red accents created for the (RED) Auction, and a Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea watch which has been customized with a unique red dial and the (RED) logo engraved on the back of the watch. "It's been a thrilling journey for Jony and me to curate this collection of pieces that celebrate extraordinary design that we love, that transcends all boundaries of time and place. Each object and the process of creating it conveys a rich set of human values, so it seems fitting that they should be auctioned with a different sense of human value in mind, to raise as much as possible to help people's lives today," said Marc Newson. “We'd like to thank our partners for their sincere generosity and for giving so gladly and willingly.”
“This is a great honour for Jaeger-LeCoultre to be part of this global project in association with Sotheby’s and support a true sustainable cause (RED) has been fighting for since 2006. Calling upon the Manufacture’s creativity and watchmaking savoir-faire, reinterpreting two of our iconic timepieces with the recognition of two great names of Design has been even more thrilling”, said Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Daniel Riedo.
 
Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea

Jaeger-LeCoultre chose to reinterpret this legendary timepiece specifically for the 2013 (RED)TM Auction, creating three pieces whose design remain faithful to the original Europe version of the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea but with a unique red dial. On the back of the watch, the (RED)TM logo is engraved.

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In 1959, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented the Memovox Deep Sea watch, its very first automatic diver’s watch equipped with an alarm, of which there were two versions: one intended for European sports enthusiasts and the other for American divers. In 2011, in homage to its rich past and to the delight of fine watchmaking connoisseurs, the Manufacture paid tribute to this historical model with a limited series re-edition, the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea watch. Like the original, it came in a European and a US version. Equipped with a 40.5mm-diameter steel case and powered by the automatic Memovox Calibre 956, the 959-piece European version was distinguished by its black dial, while the 359-piece
American version features a black/grey dial bearing the “LeCoultre” signature.


The Jaeger-LeCoultre’s legendary clock, a work of art that revisits the design’s source

A unique piece of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos 561 by Marc Newson has been customized by designers Sir Jonathan Ive and Marc Newson on the occasion of the 2013 (RED)TM Auction. The clock features red accents on the hands, the month indication and the calibre’s logo. A (RED) TM and Marc Newson logo on the back and the inscription “Unique Piece” seal the unique collaboration between Jaeger- LeCoultre, (RED)TM and the designers.


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Initially born in 2008 from a collaboration with Designer Marc Newson and the Manufacture Jaeger- LeCoultre, the Atmos 561 by Marc Newson has been catapulted into the ranks of today’s great design. While keeping the timeless classicism of the famous clock from 1928 and its quasi perpetual motion, Marc Newson went back to the source of design and conceived a refined and modern aesthetic. Surrounded by a transparent Baccarat crystal bubble, the Atmos clock reveals the hours and minutes, the months and the moon phase on two different rotating disks, and ultimately the number of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 561 that drives the clock.


The Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea will be available to view at pre-auction
exhibitions at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong and London;
Hong Kong Exhibition: October 3 – 7
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong
London Exhibition: October 12 - 20
34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA UK
The Atmos 561 by Marc Newson
will be available to view at Bergdorf Goodman in New York;
New York Exhibition: October 16 – November 11
Bergdorf Goodman, 5th Avenue at 58th Street, New York, NY 10019


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Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Parmigiani Fleurier - TECNICA PALME Chrono Unique






Parmigiani Fleurier - TECNICA PALME Chrono Unique NEW



























The palm is a symbol of life that transcends cultural boundaries. Palms thrive in hot, dry countries where every drop of rain is precious, providing thirst-quenching fruit for the local population and welcome shade under their fan-shaped leaves.

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Parmigiani Fleurier has chosen to honour this life-giving tree in a unique timepiece, the Tecnica Palme, which brings together four Haute Horlogerie complications in a single movement, and whose dial represents one of the greatest feats of artistry ever achieved by the brand.

The decorative craftsmanship displayed in the Tecnica Palme equals the technical mastery of the watchmaking itself. Given that its movement features a tourbillon, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar and a chronograph, it’s difficult to imagine how any decoration could compete. And yet... The eye cannot help but be captivated by the shimmering brilliance of the palm leaf motif that adorns this piece; it owes its beauty to the art of engraving and Grand Feu enamelling.

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The Tecnica Palme’s decorative odyssey begins in the Parmigiani Fleurier manufactures of the watchmaking centre, which supply two plates (one for the dial, one for the double case-back) in a special “enamellable” alloy of white gold and palladium (210). Before these perfectly smooth plates can be graced by the enameller’s brush, they must first be engraved. This process creates a texture and a pattern which scatter the reflected light from the enamel in all directions. The artisan engraver knows it is his job to give the enamel its brilliance, but is also acutely aware that even the slightest error can obliterate it. He therefore works with painstaking care to engrave each palm-shaped recess in the plates, as well as a host of tiny lines which portray the leaf veins and act as reflectors. In addition, he creates a hollow at the centre of each leaf, which emphasises the three-dimensional impression of depth in the final composition.

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The enameller hence receives a richly textured set of plates that have required dozens of hours of work already. Using a brush, he drops a very fine mixture of coloured glass and water into each recess or segment, then fires the plates in the kiln at 800°C for a few tens of seconds. The water evaporates, and the glass particles melt and reduce in size; they adhere to the support, creating the colour. The enameller applies several successive layers in order to gradually fill the engraved recesses.

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The main challenge of this process is controlling the colour, which darkens as the enamel layers are applied, and achieving this within the constraints of a given thickness. The difficulty therefore lies in finding the precise balance between the set thickness and the perfect colour. To achieve this, the enameller and the engraver had to coordinate their expertise beforehand, learning about each other’s craft and the constraints involved, and together redefining the important parameters for the decorative plates.

The result is a fresco of palm leaves and an extraordinary brilliance.

The light is reflected off the enamel in as many directions as there are angles and reliefs on the engraved case-back’s textured surface. Its colours are intense yet translucent, giving an exquisite impression of depth when the sublime details of the engraving are observed beneath the enamel. The whole composition achieves perfect harmony through the meticulous orchestration of rare shades of blue.

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The decoration features both on the Tecnica Palme’s dial and on the inside and outside of the double case-back. The motif also appears on the ardillon buckle and on the horns of the case. Finally, the enamel is also in evidence on the watch’s hands, where the luminescent coating would normally be applied. In a significant first for the watchmaking world, the skeletonised structure of the hands is filled with a translucent layer of enamel. In this case, with no support from behind, the enamel is applied using the plique-à-jour technique, which requires consummate skill. The hands of the Tecnica Palme form a kind of stained glass window, their delicate colour standing out against the whole composition yet revealing the dial underneath them as they advance. This adds an extra dimension to the sublime interplay of colours that illuminates the piece.

The Tecnica Palme is one of the most complex Haute Horlogerie timepieces, with its mechanism featuring no fewer than four complications. A minute repeater, a chronograph, a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar are housed in a single complete integrated movement.

The minute repeater is wound elegantly by rotating a knurled ring under the bezel a quarter turn clockwise. This sophisticated activation mechanism represents a challenge in terms of water resistance, as the surface area to be protected from water is much larger than a traditional side bolt. The white gold case has been designed to ensure that the minute repeater chime has the best possible resonance in an optimal space. In a world where electricity is omnipresent, the minute repeater, which historically enabled the time to be read at night, may seem obsolete. However, the Tecnica Palme’s two “cathedral” gongs chime the hours, quarter-hours and minutes with an unrivalled tone which will enchant more enlightened watch lovers.

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The movement finishes are exceptional, with all of the bridges hand-engraved. This requires an enormous amount of work both before and afterwards, given that embellishment itself involves deforming the material. All the movement’s settings must be checked and precisely readjusted after the bridges have been decorated. High-quality craftsmanship is paramount at Parmigiani Fleurier, regardless of the hours of behind-thescenes work it requires.

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The Tecnica Palme is a tribute to watchmaking expertise and traditional craft skills. The watchmakers who produced it have truly surpassed themselves; it has revived the intricate beauty of engraving and the subtlety of enamel work; finally, it has brought together and intertwined all of these disciplines to achieve aesthetic harmony. The result is as precious as a palm tree in the midst of an arid desert. TECNICA PALME

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Technical details

MODEL  
Tecnica Chrono – Unique model

MOVEMENT
PF 352
Hand-wound
48-hour power reserve
Calibre 13’’’ – 29.30 mm
Thickness: 9.35 mm
Frequency: 3 Hz – 21,600 Vib/h
47 jewels
Number of components: 578
Minute repeater with 2 ”Cathedral“ gongs
Hand-engraved bridges,
hand-polished bevelling and backing bevelled bridges
FUNCTIONS
Hour
Minute
Tourbillon
Minute repeater
Minute repeater wound up by turning the bezel
Perpetual calendar
Chronograph
EXTERIOR
Round case: Ø 46.70 mm. Thickness: 16.80 mm
Material: 18 ct white gold. Polished finish
Knurled fixed bezel and winding bezel
Water resistance: 10 m
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Crown: Ø 7.00 mm
Case-back with sapphire crystal
Hinged double case-back hand-engraved and enamelled according to theme,
with hand-engraved interior
Individual number and 'MODELE UNIQUE' (unique model) engraved on the case-back
DIAL
Material: 18 ct gold
Hand-engraved with a translucent enamel covering
Flat polished applique indexes
Skeletonised Delta-shaped hands enamelled using the plique-à-jour technique
LEATHER
Hermès alligator with engraved and enamelled ardillon buckle,
polished finish


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