Wednesday, May 28, 2014

TAG HEUER – CARRERA Calibre 1887 Chronograph Monaco Grand Prix




















TAG HEUERCARRERA Calibre 1887 Chronograph Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition NEW

TAG HEUER & MONACO
TIME CHANGERS, RACING PIONEERS

Last Saturday, May 24, on the eve of the most glamorous race in motorsports, TAG Heuer hosted its annual VIP party aboard a towering luxury yacht in the brand colours at anchor in the port of Monaco, with the full squad of its longstanding Formula One racing partner, McLaren Mercedes, in attendance. During Sunday’s race, on a racetrack festooned with TAG Heuer banners, a star-studded roster of celebrity and racing Brand Ambassadors enjoyed an unrivalled view of the proceedings from inside TAG Heuer’s private box.

However, the high-visibility partnership of TAG Heuer, the world leader in prestigious Swiss chronographs, with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), the governing body of the iconic Grand Prix event, runs deep beneath the glamour, and is based on shared values and commitments.

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TAG HEUER & ACM: TWO TIME - CHANGING PIONEERS
In 1911, ACM launched the Rallye de Monte-Carlo, the first event gathering drivers from all across Europe, at once to prove that steam or gas powered vehicles could successfully cross the continent in winter, and to showcase the final destination, the famous casino capital of Monte Carlo. That same year, TAG Heuer patented Time of Trip, the first 12-hour dashboard chronograph for cars and aircrafts. In 1916, Heuer unveiled another time-changing breakthrough: the first stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second. In 1929, ACM pioneered the first Formula 1 Grand Prix within a city centre; and 70 years later it organised the first clean-energy rally.
Today, the TAG Heuer and ACM partnership includes the alternative propulsion 15th Rallye de Monte Carlo des Energies Nouvelles in March 2014.
This May, however, all focus is on the key event of the racing season, the Grand Prix de MonacoTAG Heuer’s 499th Grand Prix with its longtime partner McLaren Mercedes. The storied event  gives TAG Heuer a new opportunity to assert, once again, its status as the Swiss watch brand of record in Formula One.

TAG Heuer, the watch brand with the longest-standing legitimacy and legacy in F1 Motor Racing

The first watch brand to sponsor a professional driver — Jo Siffert, 1969.
The brand whose colours, crest and watch co-starred with the great
Steve McQueen in Le Mans, 1971.
The first watch brand to partner with a Grand Prix team — Scuderia Ferrari, 1971-1979.
The most-winning watch brand at Monaco (15 victories) as part of the longest-running partnership in Formula One (29 years) with McLaren Mercedes — 1985 to now.
The Official Timekeeper of Formula One, 1992-2003 — 1/1,000 of a second.
The Official Timekeeper of Indy Racing League, 2004-2006 and again in 2014 — 1/10,000 of a second.
The Official Partner of the Monaco Grand Prix with Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM) — 2011 to now.


TAG Heuer: the watch brand that invented the motor-sports chronograph

TAG Heuer forged the original link between race cars and watches, then crafted and perfected it, pushing it to an unprecedented level of luxury prestige.

Through its longstanding links with the best teams, drivers and cars in motor racing, the Swiss brand, the undisputed world leader in luxury sports chronographs, has pushed time and its keeping to dizzying levels of precision — 1/10th, 1/100th, 1/1,000th and 5/10,000th of a second.

TAG Heuer & MONACO: the watch brand and the Automobile Club de Monaco push their partnership to the next level

Every motor racing world champion from Juan Manuel Fangio to Jenson Button has been part of the TAG Heuer legend. So has almost every race in the sport, but none more so than the mythic Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious of them all.

The role TAG Heuer plays in Monaco is unparalleled in the Swiss watchmaking world. It has sponsored more first-place Monaco drivers than any brand in history. TAG Heuer ambassadors who have crossed the checkered flag first at Monaco include Niki Lauda, Jody Scheckter, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton.

In 2011, TAG Heuer and the Automobile Club de Monaco signed a historic agreement making the Swiss brand the ACM’s Official Watch and Chronograph and Eyewear Partner of its most glamorous event: the Grand Prix of Monaco.


TAG HEUER & MONACO 2014: OUT FRONT, SETTING THE PACE

As with all of TAG Heuer’s racing partnerships past and present, TAG Heuer doesn’t just hang its colors on a banner and share in the champagne. Long before the race starts, TAG Heuer is down in the pits and the paddocks, working side by side with the drivers and crews.

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CARRERA (43mm) Calibre 1887 Chronograph Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition

The one and only CARRERA, the first sports chronograph designed for professional drivers and sports-car enthusiasts, is the standard-bearer of TAG Heuer’s unrivaled motorsports heritage. Created by Jack Heuer in 1963 and named after the dangerously grueling “Carrera Panamericana Mexico Road Race”, it was standard issue for Ferrari drivers. In 1970, every member of the 'scuderia' — Jackie Ickx, Clay Regazzoni, Mario Andretti, Carlos Reutemann and Jody Scheckter --  wore a solid gold Carrera engraved with his name and blood type. Since, It has been worn by every TAG Heuer driving great: Alain Prost, David Coulthard, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button...

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This newest addition to the CARRERA legend is standard issue for McLaren drivers and pays tribute to the Monaco Grand Prix — the race’s name is lettered in red on its ceramic bezel with tachymetre scale, and its official logo is engraved on the sapphire caseback, along with the limited edition number (0001/2,500). Beneath the glass beats TAG Heuer’s 100% in-house manufactured Calibre 1887 movement. The fetching dial is in black, with two grey stripes and a red line.

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The hands and  hand-applied Arabic numerals are in special “black gold” plating. The 43mm case is in sandblasted Titanium Grade 2 with black titanium carbide coating. The black rubber strap is embossed with a unique tire design inspired by the F1 tires of 1963, the year the Carrera was born. Racing look aligned with true racing lore, in an exclusive homage to a unique heritage.

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Technical Specifications

 Model: TAG HEUERCARRERA (43mm) Calibre 1887 Chronograph Monaco Grand Prix Limited Edition

Reference: CAR2A83.FT6033 Black dial, black titanium case, black rubber strap

Movement   
Description:
TAG Heuer Calibre 1887 . Swiss Made. Automatic calibre.
Diameter: 29.3 mm (13''') — 39 rubies.
Rapid date correction.
Performance:
Balance frequency: 28.800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz).
Power reserve: about 50 hours, about 40 hours when the chronograph is engaging.
Display:
Hours — minutes — small seconds at 9.
Chronograph minutes at 12 and chronograph hours at 6.
Date at 6.
Decoration:
Oscillating mass: 'Côtes de Genève' engraved 'TAG HeuerCalibre 1887 Swiss Made'
Dial   
Black dial with two grey stripes and red line
3 black counters:
  • Chronograph minute at 12 o’clock
  • Chronograph hour at 6 o’clock
  • Running second at 9 o’clock
Hand-applied black gold* arabic numerals
Polished black gold* hour and minute hands with luminescent markers
Red chronographs hands
Polished black gold* running second hand
Hand-applied TAG Heuer logo
“CARRERA – Cal. 1887” lettering on the dial
Hand-applied black gold date window at 3 o’clock
Case   
Case diameter: 43mm
Sandblasted Titanium Grad 2 case with black titanium carbide coating
Scratch-resistant curved sapphire crystal with double antireflective treatment
Red “Monaco Grand Prix” lettering on ceramic bezel with tachymeter scale
Scratch resistant sapphire case back with specific Monaco Grand Prix logo and Limited Edition XXXX/2500
Water resistance: 100 meters
Strap  
Black rubber strap with embossed “tyre design”
Black titanium Grade 2 folding clasp with safety push buttons
Availability   
From January 2014 (ex La Chaux-de-Fonds)
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Price : Estimated SRP  
Switzerland: 5’900 CHF
Europe: 5’100 EUR
North America: 6’600 USD
Japan: 653’400 JPY
Hong Kong: 53’200 HKD

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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

VALBRAY – EL1 Chronograph

















VALBRAY EL1 Chronograph Limited Edition NEW


VALBRAY & LEICA PRESENT THE EL1 CHRONO 
Created on the occasion of the “100 years anniversary of Leica photography”, limited to 100 pieces.

THE BIRTH OF THE PROJECT
New projects often arise by meetings guided by destiny. The birth of the watch EL1 Chrono doesn’t make an exception…
Côme de Valbray is a real passionate of photography and Leica cameras.
Alfred Schopf, CEO of Leica Camera AG, watches lover and collector, discovered in 2013 the Oculus timepiece made by Valbray. Fascinated by this unique creation, he then asked to organize a meeting with the founders of Valbray.
Sharing the same passion for the ultimate mechanical perfection and individually handcrafted products, they decided to start the co-creation of a unique timepiece to celebrate the centennial of Leica Camera.

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THE TIMEPIECE
Chronograph based on black and white colors, the EL1 is made of titanium grade 5 with sanded finishes. The initials of its name are chosen as a tribute to Ernst Leitz, one of the founders of Leica brand, Leica is the contraction of Leitz and camera.
The bezel integrates the “Oculus” diaphragm system of Valbray and becomes the undeniable link between the two partner’s houses. This mechanism recalls the pleasure of handling the objective of a traditional camera, and more specifically the “firing” of the shutter.
The manual revolution of the rotating bezel acts on the16 thin blades that gradually reveal the dial in a circular way, being a magic recall of a Leica diaphragm.

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In its closed version the EL1 Chrono provides the essential reading of time given by the main hands: hours and minutes. Essential, as the click of the photographer who captures the moment. In its open appearance, the EL1 reveals the chronograph, the ultimate instrument for measuring time.

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The highlight of the bezel is adorned with four parts of white engravings. Theirs pace, reminiscent of the four quarters of time, is relayed by fine lateral veins of the crown, who presents the Leica Camera logo.

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Red color subtly lying down the dial, the type of the font used and others details of the dial are all stylistic recalls of Leica cameras.
The indication of the date (at 3h), the cursor minutes (at noon) and the hours (at 6h) recall the layout settings. The seconds (at 9h) reproduce the design of the isometry button. Finally, the metallic 4.5 applied at 4 hours and half, evokes the aperture of the first Leica.
On the back of the watch, the automatic Valjoux movement with an open worked rotor is visible through a sapphire glass, darkened in a nod to the black room.

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Manufactured in two references, 50 titanium and 50 with a black DLC treatment, for a total edition of 100 numbered watches, each one is equipped with two different straps, evoking the cameras bands: a black in calf negonda and another in calfskin mat brown and raw stitching. They are easily changeable with a specific screwdriver provided with the watch.
Collector timepiece, the EL1 Chrono signs the meeting between watchmaking and photography, around common values ​​such as connection with time, the essentiality of the moment, aesthetics and, of course, the passion.

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This Limited Edition Valbray EL1 Chronograph will be available only from selected Leica Stores and selected Valbray boutiques from June 25th 2014 at a price of 17,990 euros.

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Technical Specifications

Product Name               Valbray EL1 – Chrono (The initials of its name are chosen as a tribute to Ernst Leitz, one of the founders of Leica brand, Leica I the contraction of Leitz and camera.)
Material Titanium grade 5
Diameter 46 mm
Patent 16-blade diaphragm integrated on a rotating bezel
Movement Mechanical auto-winding Swiss chronograph movement
  Frequency: 28’800 alt/h (4 Hz)
  25 functional jewels
  44 hours of power reserve
Water resistance to 5 ATM
Sapphire glass cover and case back
Limited edition 100 numbered pieces (50 for the Titanium reference and 50 for the Black one)

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