Saturday, February 15, 2014

JEANRICHARD – Aquascope JAPAN

















JEANRICHARD AQUASCOPE JAPAN NEW

JEANRICHARD launches new Aquascope timepiece
To celebrate 150 years of Swiss-Japanese diplomatic relations


Tokyo, JAPAN (February 6, 2014) – The Swiss watchmaker JEANRICHARD launched today the latest addition to its Aquascope collection. This new timepiece was conceived to celebrate the 150 years of Swiss-Japanese relations in 2014. Its special dial design is derived from a well-known Japanese woodblock print by renowned artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849). “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” is amongst his best known works from “The Thirty-Six Vews of Mount Fuji”.


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“We are proud to unveil this special model as a homage to this anniversary between Switzerland and Japan”, said Bruno Grande, CEO of JEANRICHARD. “As Daniel Jeanrichard is the first Swiss watchmaker to have ever built a watch movement back in 1681, we appreciate the pioneering spirit of the delegation that came to Japan 150 years ago. It is easily imagined that the delegation was strongly driven by their passion for success and pursuit to achieve something extraordinary. And what better way to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the two countries than to create unique timepieces by a Swiss watchmaker that pays respect to one of Japan’s greatest artists ever – Katsushika Hokusai”.

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Katsuhika Hokusai (1760 – 1849) is probably the best ukiyo-e artist in Japanese history. Hokusai produced a tremendous amount of outstanding prints and paintings which have made him famous over the years.

AQUASCOPE
"From the age of five I have had a mania for sketching the forms of things. From about the age of fifty I produced a number of designs, yet of all I drew prior to the age of seventy there is truly nothing of great note. At the age of seventy-two I finally apprehended something of the true quality of birds, animals, insects, fish and of the vital nature of grasses and trees. Therefore, at eighty I shall have made some progress, at ninety I shall have penetrated even further the deeper meaning of things, at one hundred I shall have become truly marvellous, and at one hundred and ten, each dot, each line shall surely possess a life of its own. I only beg that gentlemen of sufficiently long life take care to note the truth of my words."
-(Hokusai)-

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Hokusai was a man who pursued his art all his life. Lived his life to the fullest, savouring the best of each moment. He is a man who enjoyed everyday adventurers, authenticity and who made no compromises, be that on quality or on design. Hokusai had an independent spirit, scorned conventions and played by his own rules, travelling off the beaten paths. – Qualities of a true JEANRICHARD man - perfectly matching JEANRICHARD’s Philosophy of Life brand concept.

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ABOUT 150 years of Swiss-Japanese relations

It was 150 years ago on February 6, 1864, when a Friendship and Trade Treaty was signed between Switzerland and Japan. It was in the final years of the Edo period (1602-1868) when Japan opened its boarders to foreign trade. Aimé Humbert-Droz, a native of Neuchâtel, was mandated in April 1861 by the Swiss Federal Council to conduct an official delegation to Japan with the intention to seize this opportunity to open new markets for the Swiss watch industry and the textile manufacturers in Eastern Switzerland. A proponent of liberalism, Humbert served as president of the Watchmakers Association and was a member of the Swiss Council of States. He ultimately played an instrumental role in concluding the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Switzerland and Japan. Humbert landed in Yokohama harbor on April 27, 1863, on the Dutch warship Medusa. From his arrival onward, he tirelessly pursued negotiations with the Japanese authorities. Finally, on February 6, 1864, representatives from the Tokugawa shogunate and Humbert's delegation signed the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce - the eighth such treaty signed by Japan with a foreign country. As a consequence, Swiss trading houses in Yokohama were among the leading exporters of Japanese silk in the 19th century and in return, Switzerland exported fabrics and watches in significant quantities. The trade of Swiss watches to Japan flourished ever since.

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About JEANRICHARD

JEANRICHARD watches have been conceived for all those who enjoy challenges, revel in the unknown, and would like to live their lives to the fullest, savouring the best of each moment. These are the everyday adventurers, who enjoy authenticity and will make no compromises, be that on quality or on design. They are independent spirits who scorn conventions and play by their own rules, travelling off the beaten paths. The art of life JEANRICHARD timepieces come in four different collections, each paying tribute to the elements of our universe: Terrascope, Aquascope, Aeroscope and 1681. Earth, water, air, plus the fire of passion that has inspired our brand for over three centuries and has excited sophisticated globetrotters every day anew.
The different collections are to be found on: www.jeanrichard.com.

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ABOUT Katsuhika Hokusai (1760-1849)

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. He was influenced by such painters as Sesshu, and other styles of Chinese painting Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which includes the internationally recognized print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, created during the 1820s.

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Technical specifications
Ref: 60400-11E202-FK6A

Polished and vertically satin-finished stainless steel case
Circular satin-finished stainless steel bezel

Unidirectional rotating bezel
44.00 mm
Height: 13.05 mm
Antireflective sapphire crystal
Case-back, screwed-down, engraved
Screwed-down crown
Water-resistant to 300 m
Movement JR60, self-winding
Calibre: 11 ½’’’
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Jewels: 26
Power reserve: minimum 38 hours
Functions: hour, minute, second, date
White, grey, blue or black “Hokusai” style engraved dial
Applied rhodium-coated indexes with luminescent material
Rhodium-coated hands with luminescent material
Blue or black rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet
Stainless steel folding or butterfly buckle

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Friday, February 14, 2014

RICHARD LANGE – PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna”
















A. Lange & Söhne -
RICHARD LANGE - Perpetual Calendar TerralunaNEW


Regulator with orbital moon-phase display and 14-day movement

The RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna” is a horological masterpiece that combines A. Lange & Söhne’s benchmark precision, inventiveness, and design com­pe­tence. Featuring an orbital moon-phase display, a perpetual calendar with the Lange outsize date, a power-reserve of 14 days, and a constant-force escape­ment, this extraordinary time-keeping instrument represents the pinnacle of Saxon watchmaking artistry.  

The RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna is equally impressive on both sides. On the dial side of the 45.5-millimetre pink- or white-gold case, the watch stands out with the regulator layout of scientific precision watches. The movement side presents an innovative and useful orbital moon-phase display that depicts the constellation of the earth, moon, and sun.

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Three circles for time 
The large minute circle is at the top of the dial of the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna. The smaller dials for the hours and seconds are beneath it, shifted toward the right and left. As was already the case with the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON  “Pour le Mérite” presented in 2011, this dial design was inspired by a great historic role model: Johann Heinrich Seyffert’s 1807 regulator from the world-famous timepiece collection of the Mathematics and Physics Salon.

With his ingenious designs, Seyffert helped transform Dresden into a hub of precision horology in the early 19th century. A great advantage in precision pocket watches, the regulator format was appreciated not only by time-keeping services and observatories, but also by watchmaking manufactories where it was used for synchronising new timepieces. This is because it provided an accurate display of the minutes and seconds.

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Four windows for eternity 
Beneath the characteristic Lange outsize date – the first one in a model of the RICHARD LANGE watch family, incident­ally – two smaller apertures show the day of the week on the left and the month on the right. Thanks to this arrangement, the calendar displays can be easily read at a glance. The calendar is mechanically programmed to correctly display the differ­ent durations of the months in a year as well as those in leap years until 2100.

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The leap-year indication is located in a small round window on the right-hand side of the 15 of the minute circle. All displays of the calendar switch for­ward instantaneously to assure unam­big­uous readings at all times. To keep the power for the switching process as low as possible, the required energy is gradually built up via a cam and then released abruptly at midnight.

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The ambitious precision goals of Lange’s product developers come to the fore not only in the configuration of the moon-phase display mechanism, which consists of three solid white-gold discs, but also in its design. To achieve a vivid and aesthetically sophisticated image of the orbiting moon-phase display, they chose a special coating process.

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On the celestial disc, for example, interference effects absorb all of the non-blue colour spectra of the incident light. The result is a deep-blue surface studded with more than a thousand high-contrast, sharply contoured stars.

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Constant force for two weeks 
With two rugged mainsprings, the twin barrel delivers a power reserve of 14 days. When a spring barrel stores so much energy, special technical precautions must be taken to keep the rate of the watch stable during the entire power-reserve period. The torque of the fully wound spring would be too high to be delivered directly to the going train. And as its torque declines when it approaches the unwound state, the accuracy of the watch would deteriorate.

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An elaborate constant-force escapement compensates for both phe­no­mena. In ten-second intervals, it releases an identical portion of the available energy to the balance, thus assuring that the torque remains constant. The result is an unvarying amplitude and high rate accuracy from the first day to the last. At the 6-o’clock position, a power-reserve indicator in the form of a circumferential ring tells the owner when the time has come to replenish the movement with fresh energy via the winding crown.
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The pursuit of supreme precision  
Since 2003, Lange has been part of the small community of watch manufactories that master the technology needed to produce balance springs. Only thus can the utmost precision be assured.

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For this reason, in addition to the balance spring, the remontoir spring of the constant-force escapement is also made in-house for the new L096.1 manufacture calibre of the RICHARD LANGE PERPETUAL CALENDAR “Terraluna. The indexless oscillator beats with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour.

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Further Lange-style quality hallmarks include the hand-engraved balance cock and a lavishly hand-decorated movement. They are impressive manifestations of the manufactory’s quest for precision down to the very smallest detail.


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Contact information for the media

Arnd Einhorn, Director Press and PR
* Tel.: +49 (0)35053 44 5505
* E-mail: presse@lange-soehne.com
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