Monday, October 26, 2020

F.P.Journe – Young Talent Competition 2020

 F.P.JourneYoung Talent Competition 2020

 Supporting the most talented young watchmakers in the world
Norifumi Seki wins F.P.Journe Young Talent Competition 2020

Norifumi Seki, a Graduate from Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Tokyo, has won the F.P.Journe Young Talent Competition 2020 for his Spherical moon and drum calendar pocket watch. 

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 Norifumi Seki, the winner of F.P.Journe Young Talent Competition 2020

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Since 2015, the Young Talent Competition allows discovering the next generation of most talented young watchmaking apprentices in the world, supports them in their route to independence by identifying their achievements and putting them under the spotlight.

F.P.Journe organizes the Young Talent Competition with the support of The Hour Glass, luxury watch retailer in the Asia Pacific region. Both Maisons aim to perpetuate and support the art of haute horology and cultivate the appreciation of extensive horological craftsmanship.

The selection criteria are based on technical achievement, the search for complexity in their realization, the quality of craftsmanship as well as their sense of design and aesthetics. Applicants must have independently designed and created a timepiece and/or technical construction. The 2020 Young Talent Competition winner receives a diploma and a CHF 20,000.- grant from The Hour Glass and F.P.Journe, which will allow him to purchase watchmaking tools or finance an horological project.

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The jury of the Young Talent Competition 2020 is composed of key personalities from the international horological scene: Philippe Dufour, Andreas Strehler, Giulio Papi, Marc Jenni, Michael Tay, Elizabeth Doerr and François-Paul Journe.

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The Spherical moon and drum calendar pocket watch created by Norifumi Seki features a multiple complications. First one is the large spherical moon-phase display. Made entirely of titanium, the moon phase is 20 mm in diameter and set via a recessed pusher in the case band. A third of the sphere is blue heated, while the other two thirds are coated in gold.

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Second complication is the vertical calendar display. Shown in two large windows, each containing two drums for the digits, the calendar is a simple one, with the month in the left window and date on the right; both can be set via the crown. Because the calendar display relies on drums, rather than discs, it is driven by gears perpendicular to the plane of the movement.

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The movement is a mix of parts made from scratch as well as components from tried-and-test calibres. The base plate, bridges, and mechanisms for the calendar and moon phase are made by Norifumi Seki. Most parts of going train, from mainspring to fourth wheel, are taken from the Valjoux 7750, long a favourite base movement for complications because of its robustness and reliable energy delivery. However, the escapement is from the Peseux 7040 because, the young watchmaker wanted to run the movement at 3Hz instead of 4Hz to make the balance wheel larger.

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He then produced the four-armed balance wheel and paired it with a hairspring from the 7750. As a result, the balance bridge still retains the Etachron regulator index of the 7750. The movement is coated in 18K yellow gold, and finished with perlage and Côtes de Genève. Both the balance bridge and escape wheel cock are hand engraved.

Norifumi also produced all of the external components of the watch. Though it appears to be engine turned, the dial was actually engraved on a lathe due to non-availability of a rose engine. But the dial colour was achieved the traditional way, having been silver plated using diluted sulphuric acid. The hands were also made from scratch with a combination of heat-blued steel and golden brass.

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TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Collection: CLASSIQUE

Case
18K yellow golden brass
Width: 4.7 cm
Height:
2.3 cm
Length:
6.3 cm
Total weight: 140 grams
Crown and bow also in 18K yellow golden brass

Movement
Coated in 18K yellow gold, with perlage and Côtes de Genève decorations, balance bridge and escape wheel cock hand engraved

Dial
Engraved guilloche silver plated
Moon: 20 mm diameter in titanium partly golden
Hands: heated blued steel and golden brass.

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Press release - 2020
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MONTRES JOURNE SA
Brigitte Bocquet-Makhzani - Communication
International PR & Events Manager
17, rue de l’Arquebuse – 1204 Geneva – Switzerland
Tel : +41 (0)22 322 09 09
Fax : +41 (0)22 322 09 19
e-mail: bmakhzani@fpjourne.com
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Friday, October 23, 2020

ZENITH – PILOT Type 20 “Blueprint” Edition

ZENITHPILOT Type 20 BLUEPRINTEdition 2020

 Zenith reveals the unseen schematics of its dials in a special rendition of the Pilot Type 20, aptly named the “Blueprint”.

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When the team at the Zenith Manufacture came across a blueprint of its historical building, it immediately reminded them of the blueprints they had seen of earliest Aeronefs, the earliest aircrafts conceived by the pioneers of flight, most notably Louis Blériot and his Type XI aircraft that he flew across the English Channel. As the preeminent watchmaker that accompanied the earliest aviators, Zenith sought to highlight their ingenuity in a surprising way with the Pilot Type 20 Blueprint.

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There’s something about blueprints that sparks intrigue and curiosity. It’s what translates the wildest dreams into feasible, tangible objects. Typical of production and engineering plans in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries, each element was carefully calculated and precisely drawn as the basis of a project. Now a relic from a bygone era, the blueprint continues to fascinate, and is synonymous with thorough planning and ingenious vision.

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When looking at a watch’s dial, one tends to pay attention to the colors, the finish, the shape of the hands and markers, the typography of the numerals, without giving much thought the precise calculations and design considerations that go into making it. And yet, each Zenith dial is meticulously thought out and developed, where no detail is left to chance. 

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The designers at the Manufacture sought to highlight this “unseen” aspect of the dial, by incorporating its production plans directly onto it. Unexpected and captivating, the dial is created in two parts: a matte blue base with all technical plans and notes used by the dial-maker, and above it a sapphire crystal and a sapphire crystal layer with the usual markers and logo. This creates a captivatingly deep visual effect, where the various markings cast a slight shadow on the blue base and give the impression that they’re hovering above the blueprint dial.

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Limited to 250 pieces, the Pilot Type 20 Blueprint remains true to the legacy of Zenith’s ubiquitous Pilot watch. The oversized steel case, finished with a mix of polished and satin-brushed surfaces, features the signature oversized “onion” shaped crown that allows the time to be adjusted even while wearing flight gloves.

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The side of the case features a screwed plaque bearing the unique limited edition number of the watch. Powering this wearable flight instrument is the Elite manufacture automatic movement, providing a minimum autonomy of 50 hours. In a nod to the earliest years of aviation, the blue calfskin leather strap recalls the classic shearling leather flight jacket, with rivets and a titanium pin buckle as well as a distinctive tab one would find on a vintage pilot’s helmet.

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TECHNICAL DETAILS

Collection: PILOT

Model: TYPE 20 BlueprintEdition
Reference:   03.2435.679/51.I012

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Case  
Key points: New 45-MM  Brushed steel case
Unique Double layered dial
Case-back engraved with Zenith flying instruments logo
Inspired by the legendary Zenith aviation watches
Limited edition 250 pieces

Material: Stainless steel 45 mm
Case-back engraved with Zenith flying instruments logo.
Inspired by the legendary Zenith aviation watches.
Arabic numerals entirely made of SuperLuminova
Case-back: Stainless steel case-back engraved with the Zenith flying instruments logo
Water-resistance: 10 ATM
Movement
Calibre Elite 679 automatic
Frequency: 28,800 VpH (4Hz)
Power-reserve: min. 50
hours
Functions 
Hours and minutes in the centre.
Central second hand
Dial
Double layered dial : 1 Blue dial + 1 Sapphire dial
Hour-markers: Arabic numerals in white varnish
Hands:  Rhodium-plated, faceted coated with SuperLuminova SLN C1
Bracelet & Buckle
Blue calfskin leather strap with rivets.
Titanium pin buckle.
 

Limited Edition to 250 pieces
 

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Press Release - 2020
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ZENITH | Swiss Watch Manufacture Since 1865
Rue des Billodes 34-36 | CH-2400 Le Locle
Minh-Tan-Bui
Tel. +41 32 930 65 59
Mobile +41 79 515 47 54
Email: minh-tan.bui@zenith-watches.com

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