CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Traditional Complications MAESTOSO Limited Edition

CHRISTOPHE CLARET – Traditional Complications MAESTOSO  Limited Edition

Maestoso by Christophe Claret, available soon at a boutique near you. 

As promised at Baselworld 2014, the first Maestoso pieces will be available at boutiques in Asia and Europe as of September this year. Good things indeed come to those who wait: Christophe Claret and his team have worked for seven years on developing Maestoso, with the aim of equipping a wristwatch with a traditional high-precision detent escapement – a mechanism generally found only in stabilized clocks. Rare are the watchmakers who can pull off this technical coup, but Mr Claret and his Manufacture have risen to the challenge with aplomb.

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The escapement is the heart of all mechanical watches. It is a key element of the regulating system, the mechanism controlling timing precision by governing power released from the mainspring. Invented in the mid-18th century at the time of the great horological pioneers, the detent escapement is unrivalled in terms of performance and accuracy. It was originally designed for marine chronometers, which are usually mounted on gimbals offering a stable position. However, the system has rarely featured in a wristwatch, primarily due to its sensitivity to shocks. But Christophe Claret has found the solution to overcome two major problems: Over-banking and turning-over (tripping).

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 The slightest shock to a detent escapement can cause it to stop or even release the escape wheel and break. Another danger is over-banking, in which an external shock, or even setting the time, can cause the balance wheel to oscillate with excess amplitude, i.e. more than 360°, causing a second impulse. This can speed up the escapement wheel and disrupt timing. With Maestoso, Christophe Claret offers a new lease of life to the traditional pivoted detent escapement.

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To ensure that the escapement functions with minimal risk of wear and damage, Christophe Claret has incorporated additional protective and shock-absorbing systems into Maestoso, a watch that has been awarded no fewer than three patents. Other important features of the manual-winding movement include dual mainspring barrels, a constant force mechanism, stop seconds, and a micrometric worm screw on the regulator to regulate the timing rate.

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 Maestoso belongs to Christophe Claret’s Traditional Complication Watches collection and features materials and finishing in keeping with the very best in high-end watchmaking, as well as the beautiful aesthetic codes that Mr Claret holds dear. Three different versions are available, each one in a limited series of 20 pieces: White gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium case – red ruby and black PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova; 5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium case – black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova; and 5N red gold case – black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova.

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Christophe Claret is a haute horlogerie brand whose exclusive timepieces are available in four collections: Traditional Complications, Extreme Watches, Casino Game Watches and Ladies’ Complications. In its own special way, each timepiece is an expression of the values that define and distinguish the master watchmaker himself: innovation, perfection, passion, uniqueness and exclusivity.

Maestoso
Traditional pivoted detent escapement with constant force
Art in the service of time

It possesses the majesty of masterpieces over which time holds no sway. It is the new creation by Christophe Claret; A vibrant tribute to watchmaking heritage, an ode to research and innovation. This timepiece boasts no fewer than three patents, the fruits of development conducted entirely in-house by Manufacture Claret, offering a new lease of life to the traditional pivoted detent escapement.

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Maestoso. Its name speaks for itself. Majestic and imposing, through its personality as well as its technicality. Derived from a team spirit that revels in taking on the finest challenges, no matter how much time it takes. Maestoso has written a new chapter in the history of Haute Horlogerie. And the challenge? To equip a wristwatch with a traditional detent escapement, a mechanism usually designed to run in a perfectly stabilized position.

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It is worth reiterating that the whole watch – case, hands and all the parts of the movement, down to the balance spring – was designed, manufactured and assembled in Manufacture Claret's workshops. Maestoso is one of the few watchmaking creations today to be equipped with a cylindrical balancespring; extremely difficult to make, but the beauty in Christophe Claret’s eyes is worthy of the challenge that it entailed. True to the fine craftsmanship that the brand has always advocated, the timepiece is hand-finished in the purest Haute Horlogerie tradition. Perfection can be read in the detailsand in the technical and aesthetic challenges constantly taken on by the watchmakers in the Manufacture’s Soleil d’Or ateliers.

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This type of detent escapementfirst appeared in the 18th century, at a time when watchmakers were competing to create a time-measuring instrument of maximum precision, to be used to determine a ship’s exact geographical position at sea. Regarded as the quintessence of chronometric precision, even ahead of the tourbillon, this historic escapement is traditionally equipped with a laminated gold blade spring. Christophe Claret has made sure to adhere to these specifications to the finest detail. At the time, it was found primarily in marine chronometers, mounted on gimbals to ensure an invariable position. Though it demonstrated exemplary reliability, it actually had the weakness of being particularly sensitive to lateral impacts.

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There is a considerable challenge: the slightest shock to a detent escapement can cause it to stop or even release the escape wheel and break. Another danger is overbanking, in which an external shock, or even setting the time, can cause the balance wheel to oscillate with excess amplitude, i.e. more than 360°, causing a second impulse. This can speed up the escapement wheel and disrupt timing. Enabling the mechanism to operate in all the positions that wearing a wristwatch entails – without resorting to the convenience of a modern, shorter detent – is a genuine gamble, pulled off via the three patents and a series of additional innovative systems.

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To prevent the detent from turning over, an anti-pivot cam, integral to the spring balance, works in conjunction with the safety finger. The ensemble is fitted between a mainplate and two sapphire bridges, and pivots on a ball bearing – a patented mechanism – that distributes the load on the escapement. So it de facto absorbs the impacts by means of a spring that provides the requisite flexibility. The upper bridge, crafted from sapphire crystal, allows the intrinsic beauty of the mechanism to be fully appreciated.

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To cope with the risks of over-banking, a flexible thrust bearing fitted on the wheel and connected to the balance absorbs any excess energy.Christophe Claret has also endowed the watch with a constant force, guaranteeing stable energy and amplitude throughout the power reserve. Thus the constant force spring, wound up by the barrel, always releases the same energy at regular intervals, making the torque to the escapement more constant. Finally, a stop seconds, another patented device, also plays an essential role by stopping the balance when setting the time.,

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Besides these ingenious additional systems, a micrometric worm screw on the regulator, also patented, is used to regulate the timing rate. Visible at 8 o'clock, the mechanism combines performance with design. Last and not least, Maestoso is equipped with two mainspring barrels, each with two superimposed springs transmitting force to the regulatorand providing an optimal power reserve of more than 80 hours.

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And you cannot help but notice that, in addition to its precision, the mechanism blossoms, occupying all the spaceoffered inside the 44mm diameter case. In perfect harmony, Maestoso makes depth of field its best asset.Opening up the perspective, the graduated flange bears applique indexes, with the logo of the brand subtly appearing as the 12 o'clock mark. The transparency of the bridges turns the spotlight on the detent escapement and constant force mechanism.

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 The pillars sculpted in the form of ruffs, inspired by watches from the time of Louis XIV, open up a lateral view of the mechanism. The bridges are inspired by Charles X. The aesthetic coherence with Christophe Claret’s Soprano is striking. All the functional elements of the decoration, such as the gold chatons cradling the jewels, play in concert for a captivating show, masterfully orchestrated by the DTC07 caliber. The hour and minute hands, emblematic of the brand, are enhanced by a luminescent coating and fly majestically over the movement. Made from titanium and rubies, the hands echo the set jewels.

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The horological mastery of the watchmakers in the Manufacture’s Soleil d’Or ateliers brilliantly combines the traditionalknowledge and skill of Christophe Claret in the constant quest for innovation. Available in 5N red gold, anthracite PVD titanium with white gold, or anthracite PVD titanium with red gold, the watch intimately connects the past to the present through art. An art dedicated entirely to time, which speaks for itself: Art for art's sake.

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Technical Specifications

Movement

Caliber : DTC07, mechanical hand-wound
Dimensions : 
Diameter: 31 mm / Height: 8.60 mm (without hands)
Number of components: 301
Number of jewels: 44
Power reserve: 80+ hours / Two barrels fitted in parallel with four springs
Distinctive features: Charles X style skeletonized stepped bridges

Functions

Hour and minute display
Constant force at 4 o'clock

Case

44 mm x 52.11 x 13.59 mm

•  Reference: MTR.DTC07.030-050  

5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium (polished / satin-finished)
Black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova

• Reference: MTR.DTC07.000-020 

White gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium (polished / satin-finished)
Red ruby and black PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova

• Reference: MTR.DTC07.060-080 

5N Red gold
Black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hand with Super-LumiNova

Crown
5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium with black PVD-treated titanium cabochon

Water-resistant

30 metres (3 bar / 100 ft)

Dial

Constant force at 4 o'clock

Bracelet/strap

Black alligator

Clasp
ADLC-treated stainless steel, 

Anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium caps, 

5N red gold Christophe Claret logo

Limited edition: 20 pieces
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