Wednesday, January 8, 2014

ZENITH – El Primero 410 Chronograph















ZENITH El Primero 410 Chronograph Limited Edition NEW

                                           El Primero 410
                              In the footsteps of a legend


A movement well-known to collectors beats at the heart of the latest Zenith watch: Calibre 410. Created in 1969 as a variation of the legendary El Primero, it combines the performances of the world’s most accurate automatic chronograph with triple calendar and moonphase indications. Steadily perpetuated over the years, it now appears in a form bridging past and present, orchestrated around a display loyal to the historical model, while the case displays resolutely contemporary lines.
  Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...            BIG FOTO




While one man took a small step that proved a giant leap for mankind by walking on the moon, Zenith did much the same for watchmaking that same year. After seven years of research, the Manufacture presented El Primero, the first ever integrated automatic chronograph, also equipped with a date and a tachometric scale. It was already an impressive feat in itself, backed by exceptional precision since the calibre beat at the exceptional speed of 36,000 vibrations an hour, corresponding to 1/10th of a second precision. That same year, buoyed by the daring that has guided its steps since its founding in 1865, as confirmed by the over 300 patents registered to date, the Manufacture Zenith further rolled back the boundaries of its art by equipping its calibre – that had become an instant watch industry icon – with triple calendar and moonphase indications.

The name of this movement also born in 1969 was the El Primero 3019 PHF, later referenced as 410. Built around a column wheel and endowed with a 50-hour power reserve, like all the El Primero movements that would punctuate the Zenith collections, Calibre 410 made its way through the decades until the year 2000 thanks to remarkable reliability coupled with extraordinary precision. But icons never die, and Zenith is now reviving it in 2013 in a 500-piece limited series featuring a slate grey dial.

   Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...          BIG FOTO



From the 1970s to the 21st century

Almost half a century after its creation, El Primero Calibre 410 has evolved in various ways, including having a complete model named after it and finding its way back into the legendary El Primero collection. Introduced this year with a silver-toned dial, it reproduces the original function layout in a distinctively 1970s spirit.

   Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...   



The days and months are counted off at 10 and 2 o'clock respectively, while the date remains imperturbably enthroned between 4 and 5 o’clock. Merging into the hour subdial at 6 o’clock, the moonphase depicts the revolutions of the night star through a special-shaped aperture with two rounded cut-outs reproducing the dark part of the moon. The latter thus reveals its successive phases – and faces – throughout its cycle (waxing moon, full moon, waning moon, new moon). The disc bearing two moons is driven by a 59-toothed wheel corresponding to two lunar cycles (2 x 29.5 days). This is a model that reinvents the subtlety of the moonphase function by combining technique with poetry.

  Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...           BIG FOTO


The Manufacture-made complications of El Primero Calibre 410 are fairly classic, yet nonetheless rare. While Zenith wished to preserve the authentic character of an icon 20th century icon, it has succeeded in infusing it with “that little something extra” that imparts a modern touch and makes it truly unique. Appearing in a contemporary 42 mm size, the steel case displays decidedly on-trend curves with alternating polished and brushed finishes. The round chronograph pushpieces proclaim their originality, while the snailed counters create a subtle contrast with the sunray dial motif. Rimmed by the tachometric scale on the opaline inner bezel ring, the rhodium hour-markers stand out clearly to ensure perfect readability, while the Zenith star on the tip of the blue central chronograph seconds hand flies around the dial as if to underscore its prestigious kinship with the world’s most accurate series-made chronograph. The beating pulse of an authentic Manufacture model driven by the daring spirit of the one that will forever remain “the first”, the El Primero Calibre 410 reveals its fascinating 390-part mechanism through the sapphire crystal case-back. It brings to the wrist the unique pleasure of owning an icon.

  Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...           BIG FOTO


---------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
AUTOMATIC COLUMN-WHEEL CHRONOGRAPH WITH DAY/DATE/MONTH AND MOONPHASE INDICATIONS
EL PRIMERO 410 CALIBRE: 390 COMPONENTS, 31 JEWELS & 36,000 VPH
42 MM DIAMETER CASE

500-PIECE LIMITED EDITION
MOVEMENT
El Primero 410, automatic
Calibre: 13 ¼ ‘‘‘ (Diameter: 30 mm)
Thickness: 6.60 mm
Components: 390
Jewels: 31
Frequency: 36,000 VpH – (5 Hz)
Power-reserve: min. 50 hours
Finishing: Oscillating weight with “Côtes de Genève” pattern
FUNCTIONS
Hours and minutes in the centre
Small seconds at 9 o’clock
Date indicator between 4 and 5 o’clock
Full calendar indications (day, date, month)
Moonphase indicator
Chronograph:
– 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock
– 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock
– Central chronograph seconds hand
Tachometric scale
CASE, DIAL & HANDS
Material: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42 mm
Dial opening diameter: 37.10 mm
Thickness: 12.75 mm
Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal
Water-resistance: 10 ATM
Dial: Silver-toned sunray
Hour-markers: Rhodium with SuperLuminova SLN C1, faceted
Hands: Rhodium with SuperLuminova SLN C1, faceted
REFERENCE:
03.2091.410/01.C494

Brown alligator leather strap with protective rubber lining
Stainless steel buckle with triple folding clasp

Press Release
--------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Zenith Watches
-----------------------------------------
www.Zenith-Watches.com

Monday, January 6, 2014

PRE-SIHH 2014: MALTE TOURBILLON HIGH JEWELLERY















VACHERON CONSTANTIN  – MALTE Tourbillon High Jewellery


The high-tech horology highlights the most sophisticated and delicate of all settings: the invisible setting.

Marrying different art forms, combining talents, and innovating while respecting one’s heritage: Vacheron Constantin meets these demands by honoring time with what is beautiful, precious, precise and delightful. Symbolising the cultural bridge between the arts, engineering and creative genius, Vacheron Constantin’s Malte tourbillon high jewellery brings together the magic of watchmaking and the mystery of gem-setting.

Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO



This exceptional piece is a vibrant dedication to the Métiers d’Art, which here border on the sublime. With the invisible settings all entirely hand-crafted, it is dressed in 418 baguette diamonds (totalling approximately 19.6 carats), creating a supreme illumination of time.

Only a few artists today have mastered the technique for producing invisible diamond settings. The gold is completely hidden behind the precious stones: supported by a track, they form a field of light without any trace of fastening and, as a result, emit maximum luminosity.

Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO


Vacheron Constantin chose to apply this technique to a shaped watch which, despite its curved profile, has edges, sharp angles and taut lines, all of which made the work much more challenging. And to accomplish this, a whole range of craftsmen, from designer to gem-setter, from watchmaker to jeweller, worked in perfect harmony, orchestrating their respective skills and motivated by the same determination to surpass themselves.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO


The cutter worked on the stones one by one, to the nearest micron, so that the jewel-setter was able to fit them perfectly into the place prepared for them. The precision required for such an exacting task meant that over 100 hours of goldsmithing work went into creating this wondrous composition of diamonds.

With the gold completely hidden by the gems, the watch becomes a sculpture in diamonds: lugs, bezel, case middle, dial, buckle, every single element shimmers with light, from the crown to the emblematic Maltese cross.

The Malte tourbillon high jewellery model also meets the new criteria of the Hallmark of Geneva. Instated in 1886 by the Grand Council of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Hallmark of Geneva is a guarantee of origin, of craftsmanship, of durability and of expertise. This unique quality label has undergone at the end of 2011 a fundamental transformation, since the certification no longer concerns the calibre alone, but the timepiece as a whole. This new approach represents a major evolution of this independent certification that has enjoyed the longstanding support of Vacheron Constantin and which has just decided to respond more fully than ever before to the legitimate expectations of an ever more informed clientele.

Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO



The 2795 calibre, a perfect example of the Manufacture’s expertise

Such an exceptional watch deserved an equally exceptional movement, and this model is duly equipped with mechanical hand-wound Calibre 2795, comprising 169 parts and endowed with an almost two-day power reserve.
This new tonneau-shaped movement – making a perfect fit with the case – is entirely developed and crafted within the Manufacture. The tourbillon carriage is inspired by the brand’s signature Maltese cross, and magnificently showcases the exceptional level of finishing of each movement part, including a number of naturally hand-bevelled interior angles.

Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO


The rounding off of the tourbillon bar, which always represents a significant technical challenge, calls for over 12 hours of manual work in order to meet the finishing criteria demanded by Vacheron Constantin. Rounding off consists of filing each end of the arms in order to give them a conical or semi-cylindrical shape, while respecting the limits of the centre and the heels. To finalise this operation, the craftsmen rub it down with stones, buffs, wooden pegs and finishing pastes in order to achieve a perfectly polished effect.


Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ....             BIG FOTO





The exceptional character of the 2795 calibre is underscored by its côtes de Genève decoration, meticulous hand-chamfering of the bar edges, and engraved individual serial number.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

MALTE Tourbillon High Jewellery
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece
 
Reference 30630/000G-9899


Caliber 2795
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
27.37 x 29.30 mm (12’’’ 1/4 x 12’’’ 3/4)
6.10 mm thick
Approximately 45 hours power reserve
2.5 Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
169 components
27 jewels
Indications
Hours
Minutes
Small seconds on tourbillon carriage
Tourbillon
Case

Diamond paved 18K white gold, diamond-set caseback and crown
Case: 208 baguette-cut diamonds, total weight of approx. 11 carats
Caseback: 20 baguette-cut diamonds, total weight of approx. 1.00 carat
Crown: 4 baguette-cut diamonds, total weight of approx. 0.10 carat
38 mm x 48.24 diameter, 12.73 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback
Dial

Diamond-paved18K gold dial (174 baguette-cut diamonds, total weight of approx. 6.70 carats)
Strap

Black Mississippiensis alligator leather strap with alligator leather inner shell, 

hand-stitched, saddle finish, large square scales
Clasp
Diamond-paved 18K white gold folding clasp (12 baguette-cut diamonds, total weight of approx. 0.79 carat)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information please contact:
Sra. Jennifer Lara
Marketing & Communications Manager Latin America
Vacheron Constantin
jennifer.lara@vacheron-constantin.com
Luis Alejandro López-Silva
Public Relations Agency Manager
PR4U para Vacheron Constantin México
pr4u.agency@me.com

--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
www.vacheron-constantin.com - presse
---------------------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Vacheron Constantin 
---------------------------------------------------------------------
www.Vacheron-Constantin.com