Monday, March 31, 2014

CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Maestoso















CHRISTOPHE CLARETTraditional Complications Maestoso Limited Edition NEW

Maestoso
Traditional pivoted detent escapement with constant force
Art in the service of time

It possesses the majesty of masterpieces over which time holds no sway. It is the new creation by Christophe Claret; A vibrant tribute to watchmaking heritage, an ode to research and innovation. This timepiece boasts no fewer than three patents, the fruits of development conducted entirely in-house by Manufacture Claret, offering a new lease of life to the traditional pivoted detent escapement.


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Maestoso. Its name speaks for itself. Majestic and imposing, through its personality as well as its technicality. Derived from a team spirit that revels in taking on the finest challenges, no matter how much time it takes. Maestoso has written a new chapter in the history of Haute Horlogerie. And the challenge? To equip a wristwatch with a traditional detent escapement, a mechanism usually designed to run in a perfectly stabilized position.

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It is worth reiterating that the whole watch – case, hands and all the parts of the movement, down to the balance spring – was designed, manufactured and assembled in Manufacture Claret's workshops. Maestoso is one of the few watchmaking creations today to be equipped with a cylindrical balancespring; extremely difficult to make, but the beauty in Christophe Claret’s eyes is worthy of the challenge that it entailed. True to the fine craftsmanship that the brand has always advocated, the timepiece is hand-finished in the purest Haute Horlogerie tradition. Perfection can be read in the detailsand in the technical and aesthetic challenges constantly taken on by the watchmakers in the Manufacture’s Soleil d’Or ateliers.

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This type of detent escapementfirst appeared in the 18th century, at a time when watchmakers were competing to create a time-measuring instrument of maximum precision, to be used to determine a ship’s exact geographical position at sea. Regarded as the quintessence of chronometric precision, even ahead of the tourbillon, this historic escapement is traditionally equipped with a laminated gold blade spring. Christophe Claret has made sure to adhere to these specifications to the finest detail. At the time, it was found primarily in marine chronometers, mounted on gimbals to ensure an invariable position. Though it demonstrated exemplary reliability, it actually had the weakness of being particularly sensitive to lateral impacts.

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There is a considerable challenge: the slightest shock to a detent escapement can cause it to stop or even release the escape wheel and break. Another danger is overbanking, in which an external shock, or even setting the time, can cause the balance wheel to oscillate with excess amplitude, i.e. more than 360°, causing a second impulse. This can speed up the escapement wheel and disrupt timing. Enabling the mechanism to operate in all the positions that wearing a wristwatch entails – without resorting to the convenience of a modern, shorter detent – is a genuine gamble, pulled off via the three patents and a series of additional innovative systems.

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To prevent the detent from turning over, an anti-pivot cam, integral to the spring balance, works in conjunction with the safety finger. The ensemble is fitted between a mainplate and two sapphire bridges, and pivots on a ball bearing – a patented mechanism – that distributes the load on the escapement. So it de facto absorbs the impacts by means of a spring that provides the requisite flexibility. The upper bridge, crafted from sapphire crystal, allows the intrinsic beauty of the mechanism to be fully appreciated.

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To cope with the risks of over-banking, a flexible thrust bearing fitted on the wheel and connected to the balance absorbs any excess energy.Christophe Claret has also endowed the watch with a constant force, guaranteeing stable energy and amplitude throughout the power reserve. Thus the constant force spring, wound up by the barrel, always releases the same energy at regular intervals, making the torque to the escapement more constant. Finally, a stop seconds, another patented device, also plays an essential role by stopping the balance when setting the time.,

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Besides these ingenious additional systems, a micrometric worm screw on the regulator, also patented, is used to regulate the timing rate. Visible at 8 o'clock, the mechanism combines performance with design. Last and not least, Maestoso is equipped with two mainspring barrels, each with two superimposed springs transmitting force to the regulatorand providing an optimal power reserve of more than 80 hours.

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And you cannot help but notice that, in addition to its precision, the mechanism blossoms, occupying all the spaceoffered inside the 44mm diameter case. In perfect harmony, Maestoso makes depth of field its best asset.Opening up the perspective, the graduated flange bears applique indexes, with the logo of the brand subtly appearing as the 12 o'clock mark. The transparency of the bridges turns the spotlight on the detent escapement and constant force mechanism.

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 The pillars sculpted in the form of ruffs, inspired by watches from the time of Louis XIV, open up a lateral view of the mechanism. The bridges are inspired by Charles X. The aesthetic coherence with Christophe Claret’s Soprano is striking. All the functional elements of the decoration, such as the gold chatons cradling the jewels, play in concert for a captivating show, masterfully orchestrated by the DTC07 caliber. The hour and minute hands, emblematic of the brand, are enhanced by a luminescent coating and fly majestically over the movement. Made from titanium and rubies, the hands echo the set jewels.

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The horological mastery of the watchmakers in the Manufacture’s Soleil d’Or ateliers brilliantly combines the traditionalknowledge and skill of Christophe Claret in the constant quest for innovation. Available in 5N red gold, anthracite PVD titanium with white gold, or anthracite PVD titanium with red gold, the watch intimately connects the past to the present through art. An art dedicated entirely to time, which speaks for itself: Art for art's sake.

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Technical Specifications

Movement
Caliber : DTC07, mechanical hand-wound
Dimensions : Diameter: 31 mm / Height: 8.60 mm (without hands)
Number of components: 301
Number of jewels: 44
Power reserve: 80+ hours / Two barrels fitted in parallel with four springs
Distinctive features: Charles X style skeletonized stepped bridges
Functions
Hour and minute display
Constant force at 4 o'clock
Case
44 mm x 52.11 x 13.59 mm
  •  Reference: MTR.DTC07.030-050  
5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium (polished / satin-finished)
Black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova
  • Reference: MTR.DTC07.000-020 
White gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium (polished / satin-finished)
Red ruby and black PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova
  • Reference: MTR.DTC07.060-080 
5N Red gold
Black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hand with Super-LumiNova
Crown
5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium with black PVD-treated titanium cabochon
Water-resistant
30 metres (3 bar / 100 ft)
Dial
Constant force at 4 o'clock
Bracelet/strap
Black alligator
Clasp
ADLC-treated stainless steel, 
Anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium caps, 
5N red gold Christophe Claret logo
Limited edition: 20 pieces
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Sunday, March 30, 2014

TUDOR – Heritage Black Bay


TUDOR Heritage Black Bay NEW


TUDOR PRESS KITBASELWORLD 2014
 

An open book on decades of deep-water adventures, steeped in the mysterious aura of a hidden bay that gradually reveals its secrets to those who venture there, the TUDOR Heritage Black Bay is a long-lost treasure, returning to the light of day. 

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First presented in 2012 in an appealing version with warm colours, the following year it was awarded the “Revival” category prize by the jury of the 2013 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The TUDOR Heritage Black Bay returns in 2014 icy and sharp. This new version exalts the original purpose of the TUDOR Submariner tool-watches and their use on the wrists of divers serving in some of the world’s greatest navies.

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The Heritage line by TUDOR is distinguished by the unique creative process of the brand’s Style Workshop as well as an exceptional attention to detail. The very opposite of a mere re-edition, a Heritage product is the powerful result of a true temporal and stylistic encounter of past, present and future.

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The aesthetic codes that contributed to the renown of the historic models are preserved and injected with modern touches to update its iconic status. The TUDOR Heritage Black Bay embodies the pinnacle of this creative approach, since its inspiration is anchored, not in a historic model, but rather in the nearly 60 years of the brand’s emblematic divers’ watches.

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The TUDOR Heritage Black Bay derives its overall lines and its domed crystal from the brand’s first divers’ watch, the TUDOR Submariner reference 7922, launched in 1954.  (TudorCollectorsite.blogspot.com)

It also owes to its ancestor its domed dial, a feature shared by the first TUDOR Submariner models, but which had since vanished. Its imposing winding crown is a nod to a model presented in 1958 under reference 7924 and dubbed “Big Crown” by collectors.

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Its characteristic angular hands, known by connoisseurs as “Snowflakes”, were seen from 1969 to the early 1980s. These multiple references to the brand’s aesthetic heritage, combined with contemporary design elements such as the robust 41 mm steel case with a refined finish, a coloured, anodized aluminium crown tube, as well as superbly crafted interchangeable bracelets make the TUDOR Heritage Black Bay a watch with a powerful identity that vividly embodies the brand’s renewal process.

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The 2012 TUDOR Heritage Black Bay, with its black-chocolate dial, its pink-gold hands and hour markers, its creamy luminescent material and its burgundy bezel, is reminiscent of the gentle warm patina of an antique watch. It tells of the nostalgia for objects whose appeal increases over time and plays on the charm of its attractive aura.

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For this second version, TUDOR’s Style Workshop sought to convey through design details the intention governing the creation of the brand’s first divers’ watch: namely, to produce a technical and reliable divers’ tool-watch. The result is an antithetic and yet complementary TUDOR Heritage Black Bay, presented in cool colours accentuating this model’s inherent virtues of fine workmanship, finishing and precision.

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While the first version radiated gentle, soft warmth, the face of the second is icy with sharp lines infusing it with a decidedly high-tech allure. Its deep-black dial strikes a cold, marked contrast with the silvery hour markers and their white luminescent material. The silver-coloured, luminescent hands feature the same contrast as they cut across the dial with surgical precision.

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 Finally, the bezel in midnight-blue, matching the colour of the crown tube, tempers the vibrancy of the steel case, while lending an aquatic and highly functional dimension that echoes the military past of certain brand references. During the second half of the 20th century, the French Navy was equipped with TUDOR divers’ watches, which were generally blue.

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Like all models in the Heritage line, the TUDOR Heritage Black Bay comes with two bracelets or straps: an adjustable black and blue fabric strap with a sophisticated weave; and the other a choice of either a midnight-blue distressed leather strap matching the bezel, or a satin-finished and polished steel bracelet. Both come with a folding clasp.

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Technical Specifications


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Reference: 792200B

Mouvement
Mechanical automatic TUDOR 2824 calibre, 
Total diameter 26 mm
Height 4.60 mm
Jewels 25
Frequency 28,800 vibrations/hour
Power reserve ~38 hours
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds
Case
Steel, polished and satin finish, 
41 mm Steel unidirectional rotating bezel with matt midnight blue disc 
Screw-lock crown engraved with the TUDOR rose
Blue anodised aluminium crown tube Domed sapphire crystal 
Water-resistant: 200 metres (20 bar / 660 ft)
Dial
Darkest black "Snowflake" hands and silver-toned hour-markers with ice-white luminescent coating
Bracelet/strap
Aged midnight blue leather or steel with folding clasp 
Delivered with an additional fabric strap with buckle

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