SPEAKE-MARIN – Diamond MAGISTER Dong Son Tourbillon

SPEAKE-MARIN –  J Class Diamond MAGISTER Dong Son Tourbillon Red Gold NEW

The Grand Diamond Magister Dong Son Tourbillon features an 18K red gold dial intricately etched with a motif inspired by ancient Dong Son bronze drums inspired by the prehistoric bronze drums of the ancient Dong Son people of Vietnam. Polished bevels lead the eye towards the animated 60-second tourbillon. The Diamond Magister Dong Son is a unique piece in series of 8 tourbillon watches with this design. The meticulously detailed dial is complemented by the drum-like Speake-Marin Piccadilly case in 18k red gold.

In addition to the signature Piccadilly case, the Dong Son Tourbillon possesses other quintessential Speake-Marin qualities including sculpted heat-blued hands, finely finished movement and fluted crown, here set with a scintillating diamond.

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Dong Son drums are bronze drums crafted by the Dong Son culture in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam between 600 BC and the 300 AD. The Dong Son people were highly- skilled bronze casters and their drums – of which the sides and top surface were usually decorated with geometric patterns and scenes depicting daily life – are considered to represent an artistic level that very few cultures of the time could match.

The beautiful hand-finished tourbillon rotating at 6 o’clock is framed superbly by its steel guard. The eye-catching, highly polished tourbillon bridge is made from Durnico steel, chosen for its superior strength.

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The tourbillon has played an important role in the story of Speake-Marin. The first timepiece to bear the Speake-Marin name was the Foundation Watch, a hand-made pocket watch. The watchmaker’s topping tool wheel motif in the Speake-Marin logo, which first appeared in the tourbillon cage of the Foundation Watch, can also be seen in the tourbillon cage of the Dong Son Tourbillon.

Peter Speake-Marin says: “The tourbillon is one of the elements that I love most about watchmaking because of the animation it brings to the dial. It shows time moving in a way that a minute-repeater or grande sonnerie can’t offer.”

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The Dong Son Tourbillon’s visually-arresting blued steel hands are also designed in the same style as the hands of the Foundation Watch, the Rosetta Stone of Speake-Marin. Around the circular-grained periphery of the 18k red gold dial, Roman numerals are first engraved, then lacquered, then circular-grained. The polished gold diamond set bezel frames the dial, just as the circular grained guard ring around the escapement frames the tourbillon.

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Turning the Dong Son Tourbillon over, the movement featuring hand-finishing can be fully appreciated through the display back. On top of the offset mainspring barrel is the noble platinum micro-rotor, its strong and sober aesthetic counter-balanced by the intricate complexity of the tourbillon.

The lower tourbillon cage is supported by a striking paddle-shaped bridge offering clear visual access to the surrounding gears below. The rhodium-finished German silver bridges and movement plates are circular-grained with polished screw heads and countersinks. Technical details are engraved and gilded on the bridges either side of the platinum rotor.

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The Dong Son bronze drum culture

Dong Son drums are bronze drums crafted by the Dong Son culture in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam between about 600 BC and the third century AD. Weighing up to 100 kilograms, some drums would have required the smelting of between one and seven tons of copper ore. Since the late 17th century, more than 200 such drums have been discovered from eastern Indonesia to Vietnam and parts of southern China.

It is thought that the Dong Son drums were used as musical instruments in festivals, in prayers for rain and for good harvest, in rituals such as weddings and funerals, and for rallying men for war. The sides and top surface of the drums were usually decorated with geometric patterns and realistically inscribed scenes depicting daily life – for example war, animals and boats.

The unique dial of the Dong Son Tourbillon

These traditional patterns and iconography provide the inspiration for the highly-intricate dial motif of the Speake-Marin Dong Son. The Diamond Magister Dong Son dial motif takes its cues from some of the most revered Dong Son drum creations, including the Hoàng Ha drum, Co Loa drum and the most important of all due to its well-preserved nature and intricate decoration, the famous Ngoc Lu drum.

The top surfaces of these drums are adorned with a central starburst and concentric circles within which are repetitive images of armed warriors and flying egrets as well as geometric hatching.

The dial centre motif of the Dong Son Tourbillon follows a similar pattern to these historical masterpieces, with an outer ring of graceful egrets complemented by an inner ring featuring plumed warriors holding their weapons between the 12 points of the eye-catching starburst. These 12 points also form a neat horological reference for the central hands indicating the hours.
Intricate etching

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It is not only the iconography of the Dong Son drum motif that gives the Dong Son dial its vitality, but also the spectacular precision of the etching in the 1.0mm thick 18k gold dial.

“The precision of the etching to create the Dong Son dial motif was only made possible thanks to an extremely innovative chemical etching process,” says Peter Speake-Marin. “Such an astonishing level of detail couldn’t have been achieved by human hand.”

The precision-etched areas of the red gold dial are 0.3 mm deep, matte finishing emphasises the ‘all red’ dial treatment and provides a stunning image with the circular-grained, red gold motif.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Speake-Marin J Class Diamond Magister Dong Son Tourbillon 18K Red Gold
Features and indications
• Central hours and minutes
• Hand-finished 60-second tourbillon   
• White-lacquered, multi-level dial
• Automatic-winding movement with 950 platinum micro-rotor
• Power reserve 72+ hours
• 42mm Piccadilly case
• Display back
Dial and hands
• 18k Red gold chemically etched and hand finished "Dong Son" drum motif dial.
• Diamond markers at 3, 9 and 12h.
• Central Speake-Marin signature Foundation hour and minute hands in heat-blued steel
Movement and finishing
• Calibre SM3
• Rhodium-finished German silver bridges
• Glucydur balance
• Automatic-winding movement
• 950 Platinum micro-rotor
• Diameter of rotor: 16.40mm
• Single barrel
• Frequency: 21,600vph / 3Hz
• Power reserve: over 72 hours
• Dimensions: 30.40mm x 5.40mm
• Jewels: 25
• 4N gold-plated bridge engravings:
Twenty Five (25)
Jewels; 60 Second Tourbillon;
Platinum Rotor Mass;
Swiss Made; Speake-Marin Switzerland;
Frequency 3Hz;
72 hour power reserve;
Case and strap
• 42mm
• Iconic Piccadilly case in polished 18K red gold

• Bezel set with 36 baguette diamonds (2.16 cts).
• Diamond set crown, round cut diamond (0.2 cts)

• Case comprising 27 components
• Thickness 12mm
• Front and display-back sapphire crystals treated with anti-reflective coating
• Case-back circumference engraving: “Speake-Marin – The Piccadilly”   
• Water resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
• Hand-made, natural alligator strap
Buckle: 
• Pin buckle in 18K red gold

Grand Diamond Magister Dong Son is unique piece in series of 8 watches with this design.

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 Should you need additional information,
feel free to contact our Communications Department by email:
veronique@speake-marin.com or by phone at:+41 21 695 26 56.
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LOUIS MOINET – MEMORIS 200 Aniversari

LOUIS MOINET – MEMORIS Chronograph White Gold 200 Aniversari Limited Edition NEW

Bicentenary of the Chronograph
Louis Moinet lights up the night

Paris, 1816

Louis Moinet invents the chronograph – an artistic and technological masterpiece beating at a
rhythm of 216,000 vibrations per hour, designed to observe the orbits of the planets in the heavens

Geneva, 2016

Louis Moinet lights up the stars by presenting Memoris, the first chronograph-watch, clothed with
light. The first limited edition marks the start of a series of commemorative pieces dedicated to the
bicentenary of the invention of the chronograph

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The “Memoris 200 th Anniversary” uses a fixed graver engraving technique that is unprecedented in the
history of watchmaking. Each star is worked on individually; never before has there been a starry sky
with such a natural sparkle

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Watchmaking art that repurposes guillochage

The “Memoris 200 th Anniversary” can be summed up in three points:

• A new hour dial – made in enamel for the first time in history of the piece
• A new mainplate, painted and decorated with star constellations
• A new translucent flange and counter bridge

The starry back consists of a brass plate coated in a translucent blue. The stars have been created using
an entirely new fixed graver process. Devised by one of Louis Moinet’s craftsmen, this involves
attaching a specially-made lathe to a traditional rose engine (also known as a guillocheuse).
The idea is to combine the power of the rose engine with the precision of a handheld graver. The result
differs from that produced by milling or stamping: while it resembles the effect traditionally associated
with a guillocheuse inasmuch as material is removed, here this is focused on a tiny area with varying
levels of depth – two characteristics that traditional engine turning seeks to avoid at all costs.
What is more, individual stars are all fashioned to feature different angles and depths, so that each
and every one captures as much light as possible. Several fixed graver sessions are required per star.
The process used is unprecedented in watchmaking – and the outstanding result gives the novel
impression that certain stars really are shining.

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New, crystalline transparency

For the flange and counter bridge, Ateliers Louis Moinet have used a revolutionary translucent
material. Its precise makeup, produced by combining a number of composite materials and high-
temperature vacuum moulding, is a closely-guarded secret. It offers a unique advantage that has won
over Ateliers Louis Moinet: it is through-coloured – and yet the same time maintains a certain degree
of transparency.

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Using it in translucent dark blue on the flange of the new Memoris adds an exclusive sense of depth,
whereas an opaque flange would have ‘locked down’ the timepiece.
In its natural state, this material is as just as pure and translucent as crystal, but nowhere near as
fragile, allowing it to be used for the counter bridge, too; and the latter’s ensuing transparency ensures
the wearer can admire the night blue sky – without missing a single star.

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Technical specifications:

Model: MEMORIS 

Collection:  Limited Edition to 20 exemplaires 

Reference:  LM-54.70.20

Movement and finish
Automatic click movement with chronograph function on dial;
hours and minutes off-centre at 6 o’clock.
302-component LM54 caliber, designed and manufactured by Louis Moinet
Winding: Automatic, bi-directional
Oscillations: 28,800 vibrations per hour
Frequency: 4Hz
Balance wheel: Glucydur, chronometer quality
5 position settings
Lines: 13 ¼
Power reserve: 48 hours
Jewels: 34
Diameter: 30.40 mm
Height: 8.90 mm
Decoration: Côtes de Genève, diamond-polished facets,
diamond-cut chamfers and circular gears with 5N colour finish and straight-line steel.
Features and functions
Monopusher chronograph with column wheel
Chronograph mechanism visible on dial
Hours and Minutes (at 6 o’clock)
Seconds (at 9 o’clock)
60-second chronograph (central hand)
30-minute chronograph counter (at 3 o’clock)
Dial and hands
Chronograph hand, “Monogram” design
Hour & Minute “Gouttes de Rosée”® dew-drop hands, blue-tinted with luminous coating
Rounded enamel dial, diamond cut bead
Hand-painted mainplate, engraved with fixed graver technique
Translucent flange and counter bridge
“Energie Plus” system
Pawl winding mechanism
Pawl winding system: comprises a baseplate and two jewelled pawls
‘Crab claw’ spring mechanism
Gearing: automatic wolf-teeth gear
Ball bearing: 7 Myrox balls (ceramic), diameter: 0.397 mm
Oscillating weight: Dual material, with concentric “Clous de Paris” and “Fleur-de-lis” pattern
Case and strap
Case: Original Louis Moinet®, composed of 52 pieces,
design with two-part bezel and 6 screws, assembled at a 17° angle
Monopusher: “Clous de Paris” pattern
Material: 18K gold
Diameter: 46 mm
Thickness: 15.75 mm
Water resistance: 50 meters
Case back: Fitted with 7 screws, engraved with individual number and Louis Moinet symbols
Lugs: Screwed settings (1 black zircon jewel and 3 screws per lug)
Crystals: Two convex sapphire crystals with non-reflective coating on both faces
Crown protection: Patent pending
Distance between lugs: 24 mm
Strap: Hand-sewn Louisiana alligator leather with alligator lining
Buckle: 18K gold folding clasp with “Fleur-de-lis” motif, two-strand, black DLC-treated steel
Presentation box
Louis Moinet book

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A. Lange & Sohne – DATOGRAPH Perpetual Tourbillon

A. Lange & Söhne – SAXONIA DATOGRAPH Perpetual Tourbillon Limited Edition NEW

Chronograph with perpetual calendar and tourbillon

The latest masterpiece from Saxony pairs three complications with five supplementary functions. This unique timepiece by A. Lange & Söhne is not only technically impressive, but also stands out with a superbly organised face despite the density of information it displays.

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During the development of a multiple-complication timepiece, the most formidable challenge is to achieve the perfect interaction between different highly complex mechanisms and embedding them in a smoothly functioning ensemble. A. Lange & Söhne's DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON is such a horological work of art.

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The black solid-silver dial of the new model contrasts beautifully against the 41.5-millimetre platinum case as well as the hands and hour markers in rhodiumed gold. It is limited to 100 watches. The name of the complicated watch subsumes its abundant timekeeping capabilities:

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DATOGRAPH

DATOGRAPH designates a column-wheel chronograph with a precisely jumping minute counter, a flyback function and the typical Lange outsize date. To master the challenge of precise short time measurements, the product developers relied on an ingenious feature that had already proven itself in the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN. It distils three major technical advances in chronograph design into one: the column-wheel mechanism assures that all chronograph functions are reliably controlled. The jumping minute counter crisply displays the stopped times. And the flyback function allows the duration of consecutive events to be measured with extremely short reaction times.

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PERPETUAL

PERPETUAL, the middle element of the name, refers to a instantaneously jumping perpetual calendar with a moon-phase display. All indications of the perpetual calendar – including the outsize date as well as the day-of-week, month and leap-year displays in subsidiary dials – switch instantaneously and thus provide unambiguous readings at all times. A first correction of the mechanism by one day can wait until the first day of March in the secular year 2100.

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And because of its stunning mechanical precision, the moon-phase display will only deviate from the true lunation by a single day after 122.6 years. Three correctors allow the separate adjustment of the moon-phase display, the day of the week and the combined advance of the month and leap-year indications. After a standstill of merely a few days, the rapid-correction pusher at ten o'clock can be used to conveniently update all displays at the same time.

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TOURBILLON

The fascinating tourbillon mechanism is exposed by the sapphire-crystal caseback and the open tourbillon bridge. There, the escapement rotates about its own axis once a minute inside the filigreed cage. This rotary motion offsets the influence of gravity on the balance wheel with eccentric poising weights. In conjunction with the free-sprung balance spring crafted in-house, it assures excellent rate accuracy across the entire 50-hour power reserve.

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The power-reserve indicator integrated at the end of the tachymeter scale reminds the owner when it is time to rewind the watch. For the first time in a Lange tourbillon with chronograph, the balance beats at a rate of 18,000 instead of the conventional 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. This corresponds to a frequency of 2.5 hertz. Consequently, stopped times can be displayed with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The patented stop-seconds mechanism instantaneously brings the balance wheel inside the tourbillon cage to a standstill when the crown is pulled. This allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy.

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Never stand still

In addition to the development of the 729-part calibre L952.2 movement, the finissage and assembly processes challenged the expertise of the manufactory. Only the most talented watchmakers can overcome the numerous obstacles encountered en route to the flawless interaction of the individual modules. The path to success requires extensive experience, dexterity, concentration and patience. Thus, the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON is yet another manifestation of A. Lange & Söhne's determination to never stand still and to test the limits of mechanical horology.

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Technical Specifications

Model: Saxonia DATOGRAPH Perpetual Tourbillon Platinum

Reference №: 740.036

Limited edition:  100 watches.

Movement 
Lange manufacture calibre L952.2;
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
Movement measures
Diameter: 32.6 millimetres; height: 9.0 millimetres
Movement parts: 729
Bearing jewels: 59
Screwed gold chatons : 5, including one diamond endstone
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillator: 
Shock-resistant balance with eccentric poising weights, balance spring
manufactured in-house with a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour
Power reserve: 50 hours when fully wound
Functions
Hours and minutes; subsidiary seconds dial;
Tourbillon with patented stop-seconds;
Chronograph with flyback and precisely jumping minute counter;
Perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month and leap-year display;
Moon-phase display; day/night indicator;
Power-reserve indicator; 50 hours power reserve
Operating elements 
Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two pushers for operating the chronograph, rapid-correction pusher for collectively advancing all calendar displays, one recessed corrector each for adjusting the day of the week, the month and the moon phases
Case 
Platinum
Diameter: 41.5 millimetres; height: 14.6 millimetres
Crystal and back: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Dial 
Black 
Hands: 
Hour and minute hands in rhodiumed gold, luminous; day, month and four-year hands in rhodiumed gold; chronograph sweep seconds hand, subsidiary seconds hand and minute counter hand in  rhodiumed gold
Strap 
Hand-stitched alligator leather strap, black
Buckle: 
Lange prong buckle

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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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F.P.Journe – OCTA Divine

F.P.Journe – OCTA Divine NEW

OCTA DIVINE 
NEW INTERPRETATION OF THE EMBLEMATIC 

OCTA COLLECTION

After the Chronomètre Optimum, the Quantième Perpétuel and the Octa Lune, it is the turn of the Octa Divine to move onto size 42 mm.

Completely redesigned in 42mm, F.P. Journe’s Octa Divine model now features a new look: elegant, uncluttered, and perfectly legible.

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The instantaneous large date is displayed in enlarged windows that stand out against the Gold dial where the seconds disk display and the power reserve indicator are subtly delineated.

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The elegant sapphire moon phase disk, the delicate blued steel hands, and the streamlined polished steel circle screwed to the dial are all exclusive characteristics of F.P. Journe.

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A spark of whimsy is added by the different sized numerals of the hours ring, while red dots enliven the resolutely contemporary aesthetics of the dial.

The movement of the Octa Divine (calibre 1300.3), manufactured in 18K rose Gold, is automatically wound and has a power reserve of over 5 days.

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The unidirectional winding of the exclusive off-centre F.P. Journe rotor in 22K red Gold is achieved by a self-locking ball bearing system. Thus each movement, no matter how slight, is utilised for the optimal winding of the watch.

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The Octa Divine, available in the F.P. Journe Boutiques, also exists with a 40 mm case, in Platinum or in 18K red Gold.

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Technical Specifications

Model: Octa collection - OCTA Divine

Movement:
Exclusive FPJ calibre 1300.3 in 18K rose Gold.
Mechanism with unidirectional automatic winding
Rotor in 22K red Gold, off centre and guilloche

 

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Dimensions of the movement:
Overall diameter: 30.80mm
Casing-up diameter: 30.40 mm
Overall height: 5.70 mm
Height of winding system: 3.00 mm
Diameter of stem thread: S0.90 mm
Balance:
Chronometric, with 4 inertia weights
Flat Anachron microflamed spring
Mobile stud holder
Free sprung balance
Nivatronic laser-welded to collet
Pinned GE stud
Frequency: 21,600v/h (3Hz)
Inertia: 10.10 mg*cm 2
Angle of lift: 52°
Amplitude: 12h dial up: >280° - 90h dial up: >220°
Main Characteristics:
Three position crown
Winding of the watch, position 0, clock wise
Correction of the date, position 1, anti clock wise,
Correction of the moon, position 1, clock wise,
Correction of the time, position 2
Instantaneous date change
Barell with slipping spring
In line lever escapement, 15 tooth wheel
Indications:
Central hours and minutes, small second in window at 4h30
Large date in window at 11h30
Power reserve at 10h00
Phases of the moon 7h30
Finishing:
Circular Côtes de Genève on bridges
Partial circular graining on base plate
Polished screw heads with chamfered slots
Pegs with polished rounded ends
Steel components hand polished and chamfered
Case:
Platinum PT 950 or 18K Red Gold
Diameter: 40 or 42 mm
Total height: 10.6 mm
Number of parts:
Jewels: 37
Movement without dial: 281
Cased up on leather strap: 321
Strap
Alligator straps

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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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URWERK – EMC Time Hunter Edition

URWERK – EMC Time Hunter Limited Editions NEW

SIHH 2016: URWERK presents the EMC “Time Hunter”

Time: it's by far the most valuable resource we have, so it's worth measuring accurately. But no matter how well made or how well-regulated a wristwatch is, the unique activities and environments of individual owners can detrimentally affect chronometric performance. The new EMC enables its wearer to both monitor the health (amplitude) of the watch and its precision as worn on the wrist. Accuracy can then be easily adjusted for each owner's lifestyle. Interactivity is at the heart of the EMC concept and is the real added value of the precision watch.

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EMC “Time Hunter” is a fully 100% mechanical watch with electronically enhanced indications. It launches in two limited editions of 15 pieces each: one in natural titanium/steel and one with a military green ceramic-coated titanium/steel case.

EMC “Time Hunter” features a highly legible time display with central hours and minutes indicated with high-contrast black hands enhanced with bright white Super-LumiNova. A rotating disk displaying seconds at 1 o'clock is visually balanced by the power reserve indicator at its antipode at 7 o'clock. The Super-LumiNova also ensures high legibility at night as it glows in blue and white.

The dial in the top left corner at 10 o'clock displays the two EMC electronic indications: timekeeping precision to +/- 15 seconds per day and the amplitude of the balance. Turning EMC over reveals the fully in-house movement with integrated circuit board (the EMC 'brain'), the top of one of the two mainspring barrels near the crown, and the top of the balance wheel and optical sensor on the winding handle side.

What benefit does EMC “Time Hunter” offer to its wearer?

When a watch is regulated (its precision tested and adjusted) by the watchmaker before it is sold, it is usually placed on a continually rotating arm in a fairly temperature-stable room. The rotating arm ensures that the watch spends fairly equal time all positions. But the timing of a mechanical watch changes slightly in each position as well as with changes in temperature. So in the real world of a watch on the wrist, how long it spends in each position (on average) will depend on the wearer's activities: work, leisure, and how long each day it is actually worn. Two different people wearing the same watch for a week will find that its accuracy differs because the watch will have experienced different positions in different activities over the week.

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EMC enables the wearer to note how many seconds the watch gains or loses in a week (or month), to adjust the precision, and then test that precision using the EMC function to confirm that the adjustment is correct. This concept of interactivity allows EMC  to be as precise as possible for a specific wearer's lifestyle and even to evolve with any changes.

How it works

The fold-out crank handle is first wound to generate power for the EMC indications,– there are no batteries – which is then stored in a super capacitor. After winding, a hand indicates either

δ (processing underway) or P (not enough power). The EMC hand will then first indicate the movement's precision to +/- 15 seconds per day for a few seconds, followed by the amplitude of the balance, the latter being a good indicator of the health of a movement and if it requires servicing. As well as these two indications, a LED on the precision display between -5 and -15 seconds will shine either green for “all okay,” or red if one or both of the EMC indications fall outside acceptable parameters.

The precision of the movement can then be simply adjusted faster or slower by turning the screw on the back of the watch. This allows the user to adjust the time to suit their own lifestyle.

What is amplitude and why does EMC measure amplitude?

While the concept of precision (as in how many seconds a day a watch is running fast or slow) is fairly easy to understand, amplitude of the balance is less obvious. The precision of a grandfather clock is regulated by a pendulum swinging back and forth, and the precision of a wristwatch is regulated by a balance wheel with a hairspring inside oscillating back and forth. "Amplitude" is how far in degrees the pendulum or the balance wheel moves through each oscillation.

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While in theory both pendulums and balance wheels should be isochronous at all amplitudes, i.e. each oscillation should take exactly the same time whether swinging through a small or large distance, in practice the balance in most wristwatch movements should oscillate with an amplitude between 220° and 280° for maximum efficiency. Because the tiny balance wheel has relatively low mass and oscillates so quickly (back and forth four times each second), the slightest degradation in the lubricating oil of the balance staff (axel) manifests in lower amplitude. So balance amplitude is a good indicator for a movement being "healthy" or needing service.

The balance is the very "heart" of nearly every mechanical watch movement. And as with our own heart, the strength of its beat (amplitude) and the regularity of its beat (precision) are good indicators of health.

"As a watchmaker, I am quite proud of URWERK developing, manufacturing, and regulating our own balance wheel for EMC as very few brands actually make and regulate their own balances and they really are the heart of mechanical movements," explains URWERK’s co-founding master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner.
What's on the back?

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Two things to note on the back of EMC before we delve into the nicely finished movement are the timing precision adjustment screw at the top for fine tuning the precision of the movement and the neat pusher at the bottom between the lugs that cleverly pops the crown out. Looking through the display back into the movement we see the cover over the balance housing the optics that measure the precise rate of oscillation of the balance, with a tiny cable leading to the electronics visible through a grill on the right. The vertically stacked double mainspring barrels are also prominently visible beside the electronic circuit board.

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The audacious idea of incorporating a Witschi-like measuring instrument in a mechanical watch became a veritable quest for URWERK. “The new EMC allows you to obtain a reliable and accurate piece of data on your timepiece at the touch of a button – information that until now has been the preserve of professional watchmakers,” says Baumgartner. “Using this information, you can fine tune one of the most exciting, most jubilant mechanisms invented – the mechanical watch – all by yourself.”

At its heart, EMC has a triple objective: to show how external parameters (positional changes, temperature, and pressure) influence the timing of the movement; to enable the wearer to adjust the timing; and to facilitate interactivity between the timepiece and its owner.

EMC is inherently a precision mechanical watch with an in-house movement conceived, developed, and crafted in the URWERK ateliers in Zurich and calibrated by URWERK in Geneva. The movement meets the most stringent quality control, with its chronometric performance tested in five positions during a 30-day cycle to ensure that it meets the highest standards for a precision watch.


EMC’s movement is equipped with the following features:

• - A bespoke balance wheel made of ARCAP, an alloy long admired by URWERK for its non-magnetic and anti-corrosion properties. From the very first glance, the originality of this specially developed balance is striking. Its perfectly linear morphology is the result of careful calculations to optimize data from the optical sensor, maximize aerodynamic efficiency, and minimize loss of amplitude.

• - Power is provided by two large mainspring barrels in series mounted vertically on a single shaft. These provide a long 80-hour power reserve, which is conducive to stable linear timing performance.

• - The timing adjustment screw is accessible on the back of the watch and allows the owner to make very fine adjustments to the balance rate regulator by changing the active length of the balance spring by turning a simple screw.

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

To monitor and evaluate the mechanical movement, an” electronic brain” was then needed. Olivier Evalet, a software developer who is passionate about software and computer engineering, was instrumental in helping this bold project succeed: "The idea was to use precision optics, i.e. light, to measure the precision of a mechanical movement. The accuracy we managed to achieve is better than 10 microseconds. And we have created a reliable system that is designed to work over the long term. The power for EMC's electronic ‘brain’ derives not from a simple battery but a super capacitor that even after 100,000 to 200,000 charge/discharge cycles loses very little performance. We also chose a high-frequency oscillator with an extremely long life – its instability is only 3 parts per million over a full year."

The innovative EMC timing rate monitoring unit has been developed to include the following:

• - An optical sensor on the balance wheel capturing the precise rate of oscillation of the 4 hertz / 28,800 vph regulator, over a period of 3 seconds. This sensor consists of a transmitter and a receiver positioned either side of the balance, and is triggered manually by pressing a button on the left side of the case.

• - A 16,000,000 hertz electronic oscillator provides EMC’s reference timing rate. The performance of the balance of EMC (4 Hz) is compared against this lightning-fast oscillator to obtain the most accurate measurement possible.

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

• - Artificial intelligence (the computer) determines the difference between the timing rate of the movement and that of the reference oscillator. Each microsecond difference between the two values is expressed as a gain or loss of a second per day of the timing rate. A variation of just 0.0000014 of a second per half-vibration translates as a variation of a second per day.

• - Manual-winding generator (the generator). EMC’s monitoring unit (the optical sensor and the computer) is powered by a micro-generator made by the Swiss company Maxon, which is well known for developing motors for NASA’s Mars rovers.

Martin Frei, designer and co-founder of URWERK, had the considerable task of bringing all of EMC’s technical elements together in a visually appealing and comfortably wearing wristwatch. "At URWERK, the starting point of our creations is usually a sketch of the completed watch that embodies my and Felix’s ideas before the micro-mechanics are fully developed. But with EMC, the technical features of the timepiece were already established and this made my task that little bit trickier. We miniaturized the EMC components to the extreme, and this allowed me some leeway in terms of design. My approach was one of pragmatism – from incorporating the folding crank into the case band to making the electrical energy storing capacitor part of the case. In terms of design, you can spot the influence of objects that are dear to me: the crank echoes that of old SLR cameras; and the design of the balance wheel is reminiscent of a vintage 1/4-inch tape reel."

EMC “Time Hunter” marks the dawn of a new era; that of a fully mechanical watch enhanced by electronics allowing the owner to gauge both the state of the movement and its chronometric performance. EMC also enables the user to fine-tune the timing of the watch to better suit individual daily rhythm and pace of life.

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Technical Specifications

Limited Editions of 15 pieces

Case

• Case material: Titanium and steel
• Case material: Military Green Ceramic-coated Titanium/steel

Dimensions: 43mm width x 51mm length x 15.8mm height
Glasses: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: Pressure tested to 3 ATM
Finishing: Satin finish; bead-blasting
Movement
Calibre: UR-EMC2 calibre conceived, developed and manufactured by URWERK
Escapement: Swiss lever escapement
Balance wheel: ARCAP P40, linear balance coupled to the optical sensor
Frequency: 28,800 vph - 4Hz
Balance spring: Flat
Power source: Vertically mounted double mainspring barrels, connected in series
Power reserve: 80 hours
Winding: Manual winding
Surface finishes: Côtes de Genève, snailing, micro-bead blasting, polished bevels on screw heads
Artificial intelligence Generator: Maxon® generator with manual winding charging super capacitor
EMC system: Optical sensor controlled by an integrated circuit board; 16'000'000hz reference oscillator
Indications
Hours, minutes, seconds; precision delta, amplitude, power reserve.
Super-LumiNova® treatment on markers
Controls
Two-position crown
Winding handle to generate electricity to power the δ precision indicator
Button to activate the δ precision and amplitude indicators
On the back: Crown release button and Fine-tuning screw to adjust the rate

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Press Release
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Media contact:
Ms Yacine Sar
Telephone: +41 22 900 2027
Mobile : +41 79 834 46 65
press@urwerk.com
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