SPEAKE-MARIN – SPIRIT Seafire Chronograph NEW
The Spirit Seafire is Speake-Marin’s first ever chronograph. High-contrast Super-LumiNova
on all indications, including the date, makes for superb legibility
both day and night, while the titanium case ensures comfortable
wearing.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size .... BIG FOTO
First solo flight. First carrier landing. First mission. While most
‘firsts’ happen in our formative years, luckily there are still a few
personal milestones left for us to enjoy as fully-fledged grown-ups.
English
watchmaker
Peter Speake-Marin has been creating mechanically
superlative, aesthetically distinctive high-end timepieces out of his
atelier in Switzerland for over a decade. In this time, the
Speake-Marin
collection has grown to include complications such as jumping hours,
perpetual calendars, tourbillons and minute repeaters. But no
chronograph – until now.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ...
The
Spirit Seafire is
Speake-Marin’s first ever chronograph.
In addition to its chronograph counters (central elapsed seconds;
elapsed minutes subdial at 12 o’clock; elapsed hours subdial at 6
o’clock), it features central hours and minutes; date at 3 o’clock;
seconds wheel at 9 o’clock in the form of the
Speake-Marin ‘topping
tool’ logo; and signature Piccadilly case in polished grade
5 titanium
with straight-grained sides.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ... BIG FOTO
The
Seafire’s
three-dimensional hour markers, minute chapter ring, chronograph
subdials, date and tips of the hands are all in a bright white
Super-LumiNova that contrasts superbly against the matte black dial. The
white Super-LumiNova glows an atmospheric green in the dark, creating
an exceptionally legible display, both day and night.
“I have always wanted a chronograph to bear the Speake-Marin
name,” says Peter Speake-Marin. “It was just a matter of finding the
right platform. The Speake-Marin Spirit collection struck me as the
perfect environment.
“I felt I could harness
the Spirit’s casual style and clean aesthetics to create a highly
original chronograph design. A chronograph is also in keeping with the
Spirit’s military inspiration – and that’s why I have christened it the
Seafire, after the iconic plane formerly deployed by the British navy to
protect its fleet.”
The Seafire: A first for Speake-Marin, a first for the Royal Navy
The
Spirit Seafire is the first
Speake-Marin chronograph and its name is
fitting since it is inspired by another ‘first’ – one from the sphere of
aviation – the Supermarine
Seafire. The Seafire was the first modern
carrier-based airplane fielded by the British Royal Navy to protect its
fleet when it debuted in
1942. The
Seafire was, in essence, a seaborne
version of Supermarine’s Spitfire –
Seafire was a contraction of ‘Sea
Spitfire’ – and the two aircraft shared many design features including
an elliptical wing shape.
A casual aura, high legibility and refined display make the Seafire an unmistakable Spirit
The
Speake-Marin Spirit inhabits a masculine world inspired by the British
military where you can practically smell the heady blend of high-octane
aviation fuel and the sweat of nervous anticipation. While dress code
can be casual – the
Spirit looks just as good with a flight suit as with
formal attire – courage is essential…
The
Spirit
Seafire is a chronograph for conducting your missions with military
precision, down to the second. The white-on-black indications are highly
legible during the day; their green glow in the dark gives perfect
visibility during a night flight.
Peter
Speake-Marin
has put considerable thought into optimising the
Seafire’s legibility.
Not only has he skeletonised the central
Speake-Marin signature
‘Foundation’ hour and minute hands, but he has also designed the
counterweight of the central chronograph elapsed seconds hand as an open
circle. Such design features ensure clear, unobstructed views of the
chronograph counters.
It is rare to see Roman numerals feature on chronograph counters, but
here Peter has used them for the subdial at 6 o’clock. This touch of
refinement echoes the other models in the collection and helps to
distinguish elapsed hours from the elapsed minutes in Arabic numerals at
12 o’clock.
And the
Seafire would not be a
Spirit
without
Peter Speake-Marin’s rousing call-to-action “Fight, Love &
Persevere” engraved on the solid caseback. It isn't just the
Spirit
motto – it’s a way of life.
Sophisticated dial composition
Seconds
can be monitored via the circular cut-out in the white-lacquered
‘topping tool’ wheel at 9 o’clock – set flush with the dial – as it
passes by a vertical Super-LumiNova white line. This line is set into
the surface, as are the
Speake-Marin name and chapter ring
railroad-tracks, while the Roman and Arabic numerals as well as the hour
and minute indicators are in three-dimensional Super-LumiNova, creating
a multi-level dial profile.
To create the
Seafire’s
dial, a three-dimensional mould of the multi-level dial elements was
produced to make a negative mould in which lacquer and Super-LumiNova
masks were successively applied by hand, ensuring the correct materials
and colours were in the right places. When set, the one-piece dial face
was removed from the mould and bonded to the dial plate.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ... BIG FOTO
The Seafire: Robust, reliable and ready for battle
When
the heat is on and the chips are down, the
Spirit Seafire comes up
trumps in both performance and attitude, thanks to its workhorse
integrated chronograph movement. Automatic winding and a 48-hour power
reserve ensure there’s always enough energy on tap for even the most
testing conditions.
As the first
Speake-Marin
chronograph, the
Spirit Seafire required a new Piccadilly case. Polished
pushers gleaming at 2 o’clock (start/stop) and 4 o’clock (reset), bear
testament to the complication within, while the bezel has been raised to
accommodate the additional hands. The three-position fluted crown
enables manual winding, rapid date change and hacking seconds. And for
added protection,
Peter Speake-Marin has set the crown slightly into the
caseband.
The
Speake-Marin Spirit Seafire is available with a grade
5 titanium case.
Click on the mouse wheel to see the large size ... BIG FOTO
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The Speake-Marin Spirit Seafire is available in a 42mm grade 5 titanium case.
Features and indications
• Central hours and minutes
• Chronograph: Elapsed central seconds; elapsed minutes; elapsed hours
• Date window at 3 o’clock
• Highly legible, three-dimensional dial
• ‘Topping tool’ seconds wheel flush with dial
• 42mm titanium Piccadilly case
• Spirit motto “Fight, Love & Persevere” engraved on caseback
Dial and hands
• Skeletonised ‘Foundation’ hour and minute hands in polished German silver, black PVD-treated
• Central chronograph elapsed seconds hand, black PVD-treated
• Chronograph elapsed minutes subdial at 12 o’clock featuring ‘Spirit’ Arabic numerals
• Chronograph elapsed hours subdial at 6 o’clock featuring ‘Spirit’ Roman numerals
• All hands featuring hand-filled white Super-LumiNova tips
• ‘Topping tool’ seconds wheel, hand-lacquered white at 9 o’clock
• Matte black resin base dial
• White dial elements in Super-LumiNova, in 3D relief and inset into dial
Movement
•
Calibre C99001-D
• Automatic-winding mechanical movement featuring two-pusher chronograph and date
• Single barrel
• Frequency: 28,800vph / 4Hz
• Power reserve: 48 hours
• Number of jewels: 25
• Height: 7.9mm
Case and strap
• Piccadilly case in polished, grade
5 titanium with straight-grained caseband
• Polished grade
5 titanium chronograph pushers at 2 o’clock (start/stop) and 4 o’clock (reset)
• Dimensions: 42mm x 15mm
• Screwed lugs
• 3-position crown: manual winding, rapid date change and hacking seconds
• Spirit motto “Fight, Love and Persevere” engraved on caseback
• Front sapphire crystal treated with anti-reflective coating
• Water resistance: 3atm/30m/100ft
• Hand-made brown leather strap
• Hand-waxed cotton NATO strap by Suigeneric available (sold separately)
• Pin buckle in titanium; folding buckle available (sold separately)
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Information & media contact:
press@speake-marin.com
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