Friday, March 27, 2015

Ulysse Nardin – Hourstriker Oil Pump















Ulysse NardinExceptional Hourstriker Oil Pump Limited Edition NEW

The Hourstriker Oil Pump

The latest edition to the Exceptional Collection, the Ulysse Nardin Hourstriker Oil Pump is a timepiece that honors industry. Adorned and delicately hand-engraved in gold, and enameled in black, the dial is one of significance, depicting the magnitude of oil fields and the harmonic rhythm of their oil pumps at work, unearthing fuel to power the world.

A limited edition of 18 pieces in rose gold and 18 pieces in platinum, the Hourstriker Oil Pump is a force all its own. The realism of the dial imagery and its influence give it a potent allure, its detail so precise that you feel as if you could step inside and be engulfed by the scene.

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The timekeepers appear even more lifelike, for the arms of the oil pumps are Jaquemarts. These animated figures move up and down in concert with the sound of a gong striking the hours – on the hour and on request. The oil pumps move in sync with the hammer hitting the gong. Although a very complex mechanism, the Hourstriker is simple for its wearers to function.

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The striking mechanism can be activated or deactivated by simply pressing pusher one. When the striking indicator is pointing towards the hour glass (on the left), the striking is deactivated; if aimed towards the point, the striking mechanism is activated. One of the earliest manufacturers to lead the rebirth of the striking mechanism, Ulysse Nardin also remains among the rare watchmakers to use Jaquemarts.

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Equally exclusive is Ulysse Nardin’s masterful hand in the art of enameling, a discipline deeply valued by the manufacturer and its collectors. For this piece, Ulysse Nardin went even further, adding the challenging technique of hand engraving.

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As a first step, the highly specialized engraver handcrafts the form of the gold plate, defining the thickness of the cells and shaping the lifelike pictures. Then, the master enameler fulfills the enameling process using genuine black enamel. In this method, cavities in a thick metal surface are formed, filled with moist powdered enamel and fired until it melts. When the surface cools, it is sanded by hand to remove excess enamel and polished to allow its true brilliance to break through. The plate is then returned to the engraver for their expert finishing touch. At the end of this laborious practice, oil pumps, pipes, buildings and landscapes appear to come to life.

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Technical specifications

Model: Exceptional Hourstriker Oil Pump

Reference: 6109-131/E2-OIL  Platinum
Reference: 6106-131/E2-OIL 18ct Rose Gold
Limited Edition: to 18 pieces

Movement:
Caliber  UN-610, Chronometer Certificate
Power reserve: Approximately 42 hours
Winding: Self-winding
41 jewels
Functions:
Hours, minutes
Hourstriker
Striking of hours and half hours
Automatic chime activation system
Animated Jaquemart in 18ct gold
Case:
18ct White Gold and Rose Gold.
Dial: Black enamel, «Hourstriker Oil Pump » motif
Diameter: 42 mm
Crown: Water-resistant. Screw-down security crown.
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Case-back: Open case back with sapphire crystal fixed with screws
Water-resistance: 30 m
Strap:
Exclusive Alligator Black strap, with folding buckle.

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

CORUM – Heritage Bubble Edition


CORUM Heritage Bubble Limited Edition NEW

In the year 2000 Corum introduced the Bubble, an oversized watch with an even larger crystal. It was so radical it became the must-have timepiece of the new millennium. Now, exactly 15 years later, the Bubble makes a triumphal return, sealing its place as a pillar of Corum’s watchmaking heritage.

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At the turn of the century watchmaking was a universe away from what it is today. Big watches were scarce, unconventionally shaped watches almost unheard of. The tectonic shift began as the 21st century dawned, with Corum riding on the top of the wave that would soon sweep watchmaking.

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At Baselworld 2000 the Bubble was unveiled, an unparalleled 44 mm in diameter with a towering sapphire crystal so tall it distorted the dial. With a size and shape totally unprecedented in watchmaking, the Bubble was an instant hit.

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The Bubble was the brainchild of the late Severin Wunderman, a relentlessly creative entrepreneur who acquired Corum that very same year. Wunderman, who survived both the Holocaust and cancer, had a roving, creative mind. In one instance, he was inspired by an experimental deep-sea dive watch from the 1960s, which was fitted with an enormous domed crystal to withstand the pressure of the ocean. That formed the genesis of the Bubble, one of the most recognizable wristwatches of its time.

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While the Bubble was unquestionably unique, its unorthodox design was merely an extension of Corum’s long-established philosophy. Since its founding in 1955, Corum consistently excelled at designing totally original timepieces, ranging from the Rolls-Royce, shaped like the luxury automobile’s front grille, to the Golden Bridge, distinguished by its remarkably tiny, baguette-shaped movement.

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Despite being a mere 15 years old, the Bubble is major part of the brand’s heritage, deserving of elevation into a hall of fame. The Bubble has now been revived as part of the Corum Heritage collection, putting it alongside other landmark timepieces like the extra-thin Coin Watch.

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While retaining all the design codes of the original, the 2015 Bubble is not a mere replica of its predecessor. Fitted with a rubber-ringed, spherical crown, the case is a collection of smooth, rounded lines, just like the original.

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But it has been enlarged to 47 mm, lending it impressively striking proportions, especially as it stands some 18.8 mm high, crystal included. But, as always, practicality was high on the mind of the development team, which paired the oversized case with short, curved lugs, allowing it to hug the wrist snugly.

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A remarkable 8 mm high, this sapphire crystal is one of the largest of any watch. Sapphire is a material so extraordinarily hard it has to be cut with a diamond-tipped tool. This in itself is challenging enough that even when machining ordinary, flat watch crystals the job can take hours.

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Crafting the mountainous crystal of the Bubble requires exponentially more work. The task starts with cutting a block of crystal, then grinding it into a bubble-like shape, and finally polishing the crystal to flawless clarity with absolutely no optical imperfections.

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Because the sapphire crystal is so tall, it acts as a lens, both magnifying and distorting the dial. Corum’s designers took advantage of this by designing a dial with a clever, op art (short for “optical art”) motif. 

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Taking inspiration from Hungarian-born French artist Victor Vasarely, founder of the op art movement, the dial is decorated with squares in graduated sizes that grow larger toward the center of the dial.

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Op art desired to create static patterns that gave the impression of movement or surprising, contradictory perspectives. Likewise, the dial of the Bubble is perfectly flat, formed from a lacquered, brass disc stamped with the cube motif, but appears sharply domed. In fact, it looks so rounded it might pass for the top of a sphere.

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This arresting op art dial will be fitted only to a pair of limited edition, PVD-coated versions of the Bubble, each made in an exclusive run of just 350 pieces. The first is the Bubble Vintage, housed in a bronze-tone, PVD-coated case paired with Super-LumiNova treated for a vintage effect. 

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A modern watch made to look like an antique from an indistinct era, the Bubble Vintage is a nod to the original Bubble now 15 years old.

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Taking another perspective is the Bubble All Black, clad entirely in a glossy black PVD coating, matched by a matte black dial, along with charcoal-colored indices and hands. The Bubble All Black removes all distraction, making a monochromatic statement that emphasizes the iconic shape of the Bubble.

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Part of the regular collection of timepieces, the third model in the Bubble collection does away with the dial entirely. A skeletonized movement takes its place, with the domed sapphire crystal providing a magnified view of the exposed wheels of the CO0082 self-winding movement.

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All of the Bubble timepieces are fitted with rubber straps topped with leather: calfskin for the op art editions and alligator skin in the case of the skeleton. And each is fitted with a buckle matching the case finish.

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Technical Specifications

Reference:  L082/02587 - 082.300.98/0061 FN30  Stainless steel All Black PVD Limited Edition: 350 piece(s)
Reference:  L082/02595  - 082.400.20/0019 SQ19  Stainless steel SQUELETTE
Reference:  L082/02424 Stainless steel Vintage PVD Bronze

Watch Name: 47 Heritage Bubble

MOVEMENT
Movement number: CO 082
Winding system: Automatic
Functions: 
Hour & Minute • Second • Date
Power reserve: 42 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz, 28'800 vph
Dimension: 11 1/2'''
Rubies: 21
Movement finishes:
Rotor with CORUM dedicated
decoration
DIAL
  • Black
  • Skeletonized
  • Brown
Distinctive features: 
CORUM logo applied on the dial • Op-art pattern 
CASE
Shape: Round
Case material: Stainless steel with black PVD treatment
Dimension: 47 mm
Thickness: 18.80  mm
Crystal: Domed sapphire crystal with anti reflective treatment
Back type: Screwed in open back cover in stainless steel with glare proof sapphire crystal
Back finishes: Black PVD treatment
Water-resistance: 100 meters / 10 ATM
HANDS
Hour and minute: 
Leaf • Skeleton • Black-coloured •
Black superluminova
Second: Baton • Black-coloured • Black superluminova 
BRACELET
Material: Leather and rubber
Colours: • Black /• Grey/• Bronze
Interhorn/Buckle: 24/20 mm
Buckle type: Tongue buckle
Buckle material: Stainless steel
Buckle distinctive features: Black PVD treatment

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Press release
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Rue du Pet i t -Château 1
Case postale 374 - CH-2301 La Chaux-de-Fonds
Switzerland
Tél. +41 (0) 32 967 06 70 
Fax +41 (0) 32 967 06 00  press@corum.ch
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