Monday, February 23, 2015

A. Lange & Söhne – DATOGRAPH Up/Down in Pink Gold


A. Lange & SöhneDATOGRAPH Up/Down in Pink Gold NEW

A chronograph classic restyled

Three years after it was first presented, the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN is now available in a second version as well: in a pink-gold case with a black solid-silver dial.

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Launched in 2012, the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN is endowed with milestone technical features: A classic column-wheel control mechanism, a precisely jumping minute counter and a flyback function come together in a movement that showcases true engineering finesse.

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The aesthetic quality of the calibre is reflected by the balanced dial layout with the characteristic Lange outsize date and the two argenté subsidiary dials for the seconds and the minute counter forming an equilateral triangle.

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The UP/DOWN attribute is standard Lange terminology for the power-reserve indicator. UP stands for the maximum power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound, while DOWN means that the energy of the mainspring has been depleted and the pink-gold arrow enters the red zone of the indicator.

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The black dial made of solid silver is embedded in an 18-carat pink-gold case with a diameter of 41.0 millimetres. Luminous hands and pink-gold baton hour markers accentuate the systematic design concept.

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The sapphire-crystal caseback allows many components to be observed in action, for instance those of the precisely jumping minute counter, which assures precise time measurement, or the column wheel that controls the chronograph functions.

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Composed of 451 parts, the L951.6 manufacture calibre unites all typical Lange quality hallmarks, such as the sturdy three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, lavishly finished movement parts, a hand-engraved balance cock and four gold chatons secured with screws.

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These assets make this calibre one of the most seductive manifestations of A. Lange & Söhne’s competence in chronograph design.

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Technical Specifications

Model: DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN
Ref: 405.031

Movement 
Lange manufacture calibre L951.6;
Manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved by hand
Diameter: 30.6 millimetres; height: 7.9 millimetres
Movement parts: 451
Jewels: 46
Screwed gold chatons: 4
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillator: Shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights; balance spring manufactured in-house with a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
Power reserve: 60 hours when fully wound
Functions 
Time indicated in hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds;
Flyback chronograph with precisely jumping minute counter; power-reserve indicator; outsize date
Operating elements 
Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two pushers for operating the chronograph, one rapid correction pusher for the outsize date
Case 
Pink gold
Diameter: 41.0 millimetres;
height: 13.1 millimetres
Dial 
Solid silver, black; subsidiary dials argenté
Hands: Pink-gold hour and minute hands, luminous;
Chronograph hand in gold-plated steel; seconds and minute-counter hands in blued steel
Crystal and back: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Strap 
Hand-stitched alligator leather strap, red brown
Buckle: Lange prong buckle in pink gold

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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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Saturday, February 21, 2015

CHOPARD – L.U.C Qualité Fleurier















CHOPARDL.U.C Qualite Fleurier Chronometer NEW


The Fleurier Quality Foundation is one of the most demanding watch certifications. It combines the COSC, Chronofiable and Fleuritest trials. Chopard presents a new timepiece bearing the prestigious label. Entirely developed, crafted and assembled in Fleurier, the brand-new L.U.C Qualité Fleurier chronometer perfectly embodies the Chopard vision of Haute Horlogerie perfection.

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The brand is indeed the one that has had the most watches certified by the Fleurier Quality Foundation since the creation of the much-coveted label, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2014. Completely independent and open to all watch brands, not only does it certify the precision, reliability, durability and perfection of the aesthetic finishes on the movement, but also the excellence of the watch as a whole. It also testifies that the entire timepiece, including all movement and exterior components, was indeed manufactured in Switzerland.

Fleurier Quality

In the fi eld of certifi cation, one rule overrides all others: a quality label placed on a product, whatever it may be, is valuable only if the label is granted by an independent body. For obvious reasons of objectivity, nobody should be a judge in his own cause. In order to guarantee the quality of some of its models, Chopard Manufacture has therefore chosen to call upon the Fleurier Quality Foundation, an offi cial certifi cation body created in 2001 and operating under the supervision of a Technical Committee and a Foundation Board. The independence of these two bodies is ensured by the support of Swiss public authorities, including the Swiss Federal Government itself. The certifi cation process they implement consists of a succession of stages aiming to guarantee not only the watch movement’s precision, but also its reliability, its durability
and the quality of its aesthetic fi nish.
The precision is fi rst of all tested by a benchmark in this fi eld, the Swiss Offi cial Chronometer Testing Institute – the COSC – the only offi cial body in Switzerland entitled to issue chronometer certifi cates. Durability and reliability are then verifi ed by means of the “Chronofi able” test procedure: a representative sample of models are subjected to tests covering ageing and exposure to heat, cold and humidity, as well as to repeated pulling and pushing on the winding-stem, to magnetic fi elds and to violent impacts. These various operations endured over a full three weeks are designed to reproduce real-life wearing conditions.

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And fi nally, the precision of these watches is once again tested on the “Fleuritest” machine which verifi es their smooth operation over a 24-hour period. It is thus clearly the global quality of the watch that is tested and guaranteed by the Fleurier Quality Foundation label. The L.U.C Qualité Fleurier models house L.U.C Calibre 96.09-L (L.U.C 9.96), designed, developed and assembled by Chopard Manufacture. Submitted to the stringent battery of tests performed under the Fleurier Quality Foundation certifi cation process, they both bear the prestigious label of quality acknowledged as one of the most demanding in the world.

 L.U.C Calibre 9.96

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Design workshop: the designer

Deliberately running counter to one of the principles of Haute Horlogerie which holds that a movement is usually created in accordance with the watch that will house it, Chopard Manufacture focuses primarily on inventing calibres for which its designers then take charge of creating the external features – case, glass, strap, hands and dial – serving to highlight their technical and aesthetic characteristics.
Most models are fitted with transparent case-backs providing views of the movement’s technical structure but also and above all of the exceptional finishing details: circular graining, Côtes de Genève, diamond-polished sinks, specular polished screw heads and hand-bevelled bridges. In the case of the “Tech” models, the choice of using dials with broad openings is also intended to showcase not only the functions, but also the beauty of the movement.

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Generally speaking, the dials of the L.U.C collection all share a distinctive aesthetic personality based on a range of features that owe nothing to chance. Whether satin-brushed or finely guilloché-worked, most are adorned with a sunburst motif centred on the Chopard logo. The typeface of the Arabic numerals they carry is equally specific and inspired by the men’s watches typical of the 1940s and 1950s. When it comes to the Roman numerals, their distinctive yet elegant style reflects that of the ultra-thin watches created by Chopard in the 1950s. The long and slender Dauphine appliques are teamed with Dauphine hands, all specially designed for the L.U.C collection. The refinement of the case also stems from the sophisticated shapes that appear to evolve according to the angle from which they are admired, and feature finishes combining vertical satin brushing of the case-middle sides, sunburst satin-brushed finishing on the top and mirror polishing of the sides of the bezel and the back, as well as polishing on the upper and lower surfaces of the lugs… A wealth of details designed to ensure a perfect appearance.

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MOVEMENT
Bearing the Fleurier Quality Foundation hallmark and chronometer-certified by the COSC, the mechanical self-winding L.U.C Calibre 96.09-L beating at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), boasts a 65-hour power reserve thanks to the Twin® technology, a Chopard-patented system combining two coaxial barrels and representing a truly remarkable technical feat in light of the extreme slenderness of the 3.3 mm-thick movement.

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Specifications

L.U.C Calibre 96.09-L
(L.U.C 9.96)


Indications Hours, minutes, small seconds
Certifi cations COSC certifi cate,
Fleurier Quality Foundation certifi cate
Type of winding Bidirectional self-winding
Diameter 27.40 mm (12’’’)
Thickness 3.30 mm
Power reserve Approx. 65 hours, L.U.C Twin technology
(two stacked barrels)
Oscillating weight 22-carat gold
Frequency 4Hz, 28,800 vph (vibrations per hour)
Balance wheel With three spokes
Balance spring Flat
Decorations Bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève,
circular-grained mainplate
Jewels 29
Number of parts 172
Models L.U.C Tech Qualité Fleurier

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Technical Specifications

Ref: 161896-5003 L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 18-carat Rose Gold

INDICATION(S): hours and minutes, small seconds
CERTIFICATION(S): Fleurier Quality Foundation certificate,
Chronometer certificate issued by the COSC
MOVEMENT: L.U.C 96.09-L
TYPE OF WINDING: self-winding mechanical movement
MOVEMENT DIMENSIONS: Ø 27.40 mm
MOVEMENT THICKNESS: 3.30 mm
POWER RESERVE: 65 hours, L.U.C Twin Technology (two stacked barrels)
FREQUENCY: 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour)
OSCILLATING WEIGHT: 22-carat gold
BALANCE WHEEL: with three spokes
BALANCE SPRING: flat
DECORATIONS ON MOVEMENT: bridges adorned with Côtes de Genève,
circular-grained mainplate
JEWELS: 29
NUMBER OF MOVEMENT PARTS: 172
MATERIAL: 18-carat rose gold
CASE DIMENSION(S): Ø 39.00 mm
CASE THICKNESS: 8.92 mm
DIAL: sunray satin-brushed ruthenium dial with luminescent hands and hour-markers
FRONT GLASS: glareproofed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal
CASE-BACK: see-through sapphire crystal
CROWN MATERIAL: 18-carat rose gold
WATER-RESISTANCE: 30 metres
STRAP:
Black alligator leather strap (matt square plate) with hand sewn matching tones , lining: alligator brown
BUCKLE MATERIAL: 18-carat rose gold
BUCKLE TYPE: pin buckle

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