HUBLOT – BIG BANG Unico "Magic Gold" Chronograph Limited Edition

HUBLOT – BIG BANG Unico "Magic Gold" Chronograph Limited Edition NEW

This watch features probably the most scratch-resistant gold bezel ever designed: it can only be machined using diamond.

It is the perfect fusion of respect for tradition and 20th century creativity.
Pure Hublot DNA. The fusion of a revolutionary material –the famous Magic Gold, which is the world's only scratch-resistant gold, certified as 18K and developed by Hublot – and the iconic design of the BIG BANG, with its Manufacture Chrono: the UNICO.

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

Three years after Hublot unveiled its celebrated Magic Gold - still the only scratch-resistant gold - a noble material protected by patents, certified as 18 carats by the Central Office for Precious Metals Control, and developed by Hublot in Switzerland alongside the prestigious EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), several months of fine-tuning took place in the manufacture to machine the famous alloy.

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

Hublot's gold - Magic Gold - is the hardest in the world, and by some margin: it can only be successfully machined using diamond. Its hardness of almost 1000 Vickers eliminates the traditional weak point of gold and its alloys, which are very easily scratched. It is worth noting that "standard" well-designed 18 carat gold is only rated at 400 Vickers, with most hardened steels at around 600 Vickers.

Movement  HUB  1242  UNICO

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

Since November 2011, when Magic Gold was unveiled to the world's press, Hublot has equipped itself with the means to produce this material in-house from start to finish thanks to its high-tech foundry at the Nyon Manufacture, which is home to the ceramic sintering and high-pressure metal casting processes.

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

As you are probably already aware, this revolutionary material is a fusion of 24 carat gold (nature's ultimate noble material) and the latest high-tech materials expertise. Components made from this material are produced using a complex process: A boron carbide powder is pre-formed in moulds very similar in shape to that of the finished parts, in this case the watch's bezel.

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

The pre-formed powder is then hardened at a very high temperature, creating a rigid, porous structure. After this operation, 24K gold alloyed with 3% molten liquid gold is injected under very high pressure with inert gas at a high temperature, allowing the metal to fill the ceramic pores and creating a "fusion" of the two to produce Magic Gold.

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

Almost three years of collaboration and research have gone into achieving this impressive result: a completely new type of gold, an almost inalterable precious metal which retains its own characteristics. The first watches made from Magic Gold were presented at BaselWorld2012 in a very limited Big Bang Ferrari edition which reflected the shared DNA of the 2 brands: Exclusivity, innovation and technology.

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

Hublot has now decided to produce the Big Bang Unico with a bezel in Magic Gold...naturally. The bezel is indeed one of the components most susceptible to scratches. Its unique, instantly recognisable colour and mechanical properties will be of particular interest to enthusiasts.

---------------------------------------------
Technical specifications

Reference 411.CM.1138.RX
Case
Diameter: 45.5 mm,
Made from micro-blasted black ceramic with polished sides
Bezel
Polished Magic Gold
6 H-shaped black PVD treated titanium screws, countersunk, polished & locked
Crystal
Sapphire with interior/exterior anti-reflective coating and gilt Hublot logo
Bezel Lugs:   Black composite      
Lateral inserts: Black composite      
Crown    
Black PVD titanium with Hublot logo and black overmoulded rubber      
Push-pieces:  Black PVD  titanium      
Case-back
Sapphire crystal with interior/exterior anti-reflective treatment    
Dial
    Matt black varnished skeleton     
    Red varnished minute track     
    Satin-finished gilt counter ring at 9 o'clock (small second)     
    Satin-finished gilt counter ring at 3 o'clock (chronograph minute)     
    Gilt  plated  indices  with  black  Superluminova™    
Hands    
Satin-finished  gilt  plated  with  black  Superluminova™   
Gilt plated and red varnished chronograph hand    
Movement
 HUB  1242  UNICO  movement  with  black  PVD  treatment,
Developed  and manufactured in-house by Hublot Automatic flyback chronograph with column     
 wheel and double clutch visible on the dial side  
Date: Dark grey window at 3 o'clock      
Oscillating weight: Black PVD coating      
Power reserve: Approximately 72 hours    
Strap material
Structured, ribbed black rubber.
Interchangeable system.
Clasp: Black PVD titanium deployant buckle with black ceramic inserts

------------------------------------
www.hublot.com - PDF
-------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Hublot
-----------------------------------------------------
www.Hublot.com

AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Reseach – Episode 1

AUDEMARS PIGUET – Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Reseach – Episode 1 NEW


Pre-SIHH 2015

Acoustic Research – Episode 1
The sound awakens

Exceptional engineering and the power of sound merge in one of the most innovative concept watches created by a Swiss haute horlogerie watchmaking house. The result of an in-depth eight-year sound research programme with three patents pending, this new Royal Oak Concept watch, a unique prototype, will be unveiled by Audemars Piguet at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2015 (SIHH) in Geneva 

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

 A HIGH-DEFINITION ACOUSTIC MASTERPIECE

Engineered within Audemars Piguet’s acoustic research lab, this new Royal Oak Concept is the first chiming watch so acoustically considered as to become a sound concept in its own right. It has been sonically developed through an ongoing acoustic study programme in collaboration with the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and it took three years to transfer that technological study into a watch concept. The result is scientifically defined sonic targets for watchmakers to measure and attain the ‘perfect’ minute repeater sound at a volume level never achieved before.

By applying the principles of stringed instrument making, Audemars Piguet has made a breakthrough in the acoustic quality of chiming watch technology and significantly enhanced sound transmission. In parallel, the Manufacture has innovated to overcome the necessary restrictions of water-resistance, which naturally dampens volume, with creative solutions increasing sound intensity. Finally, to further improve sound perception, Audemars Piguet developed a new – almost silent – striking mechanism regulator. The result? The volume, pitch, tones and harmony of sound in a modern water-resistant minute repeater watch are all scientifically enhanced.

For the first time in the history of chiming wristwatches, this timepiece isn’t a minute repeater simply meant for the confidential use of its wearer. Instead, its unique sound becomes a powerful experience to be shared.

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

The family-owned watchmaker took a passionate as well as a technological approach to the study programme, engaging a carefully chosen community of researchers, including watchmakers, artisans, technicians and academics. The inner working of musical instruments was explored by a stringed instrument maker, an esteemed academic of the Geneva conservatory contributed on the subject of perceived sound, and an engineer from EPFL worked to improve sonic quality. Each added to the texture of the research programme, preventing it from becoming a simple academic exercise and highlighting sound as an expressive tool.

This new piece is a milestone in Audemars Piguet’s rich history of creating inventive, masterful and unique concepts: it breaks the rules of chiming watches by mastering sound.


--------------------------------------------------------

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 

MOVEMENT 

Hand-wound Manufacture movement with minute repeater, 

Tourbillon and columnwheel chronograph 

Total diameter 29.90 mm (13 ¼ lignes) 

Minimal guaranteed power reserve > 48 h 

Frequency of balance wheel 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations / hour) 

CASE 

Titanium case, 

Titanium bezel, titanium push piece guards. 

Diameter: 44 mm 

Water Resistance: 20 m 

DIAL 

Black dial, black counters, 

Royal Oak concept hands with luminescent coating. 

STRAP 

Black rubber with titanium folding buckle 

FUNCTIONS 

Hours and minutes 

Chronograph with central sweep-seconds hand, 

30-minute counter (at 3 o’clock) 

Minute Repeater

--------------------------------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com - Audemars Piguet
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
www.AudemarsPiguet.com