Archive for November, 2009
Breitling Chrono-Matic QP and 1461 limited edition watches
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 27, 2009
Breitling is launching two new limited edition watches, the Chrono-Matic QP and 1461, to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the birth of Breitling’s breakthough invention – the selfwinding chronograph movement.
1969 was a landmark year for both avitation and the watchmaking industry. This year, the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet and the supersonic Concorde had their maiden voyage and Breitling created the pioneering selfwinding chronograph movement – an invention that led to the development of a whole range of aptly named Chrono-Matic chronographs.
Composed of almost 500 parts, the Breitling Chrono-Matic QP is a complicated chronograph limited to only 125 models, with date, day, week, month, season, and moon phase display.
The Breitling Chrono-Matic 1461 chronograph is limited to 2,000 pieces. It features a 4-year calendar, which enable the wearer to adjust the calendar only once every leap year, or 1461 days – hence its name, “1461”.
Both of these limited editions are refined horological complications equipped with chronometer-certified movements and measures 49 mm wide to pay homage to their forerunner of ultra-large watches. Breitling’s motto – ”instruments for professionals”- is fully demonstrated in these two watches.
Omega Seamaster Diver Vancouver 2010: Perfect Gift for him and for her
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 25, 2009
Omega has long been known as an enthusiastic sponsor for Olympic games. This year, they have released the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m “Vancouver 2010” Limited Edition watch for the the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games to commemorate this huge sports event.
The Omega Vancouver 2010 comes in two size: 41mm and 36.25 mm in diameter, respectively. Each version is limited to 2010 pieces, each bearing a unique Limited Edition number in the 0000-2010 range on the back.
As with the function of the watch, there is nothing special to say. Both versions are water-resistant to 300 meters and powered by Omega’s chronometer-certified movement, the co-Axial caliber 2500. But they do have some features that make them special and lovable.
First of all, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300m “Vancouver 2010” has a delightful and arresting face. The red-anodized aluminum bezel and the white lacquered dial contrast beautifully and make the watch looks warm, which is perfect for the white and cold winter. Actually, such color scheme is even reminiscent of the Canadian flag, which is composed of a red maple leaf and a a stark white background. The dial of every item is equipped with hands and indexes provided with white Super-LumiNova coating for a high level of visibility in darkness.
To add more uniqueness to this Olympic-themed watch, the five interlocking rings representing the Olympic Games is used as one end of the second hand. Besides, the case-back of the watch is marked with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games logo, the “Ilanaak”, which is a stone-piled human figure uesd by the Canadian First Nations people to greet foreigners with. The name “Ilanaak” origins from the Iniktitut language, meaning “friend”.
Although the Omega Seamaster Diver Vancouver 2010 is designed for pro-divers, I think it is more suitable as a Christmas gift or presents for Valentine’s Day. What do you think?
Lure of Black: Audemars Piguet Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 12, 2009
Audemars Piguet introduced a new limited wristwatch called Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph. Now let’s take a closer look at the watch!
Millenery Carbon One is striking with its glossy black finish, which is reminiscent of an exclusive black racing car. According to Audemars Piguet, this watch is actually inspired by motor sports and their exceptional high-performance mechanical parts.
The dark palette of Millenery Carbon One is actually composed of at least 5 different black materials. The bezel, crown, and pushers are made of silky black ceramic. The case is made of Audemars Piguet’s state-of-the-art proprietary material – the forged carbon, an ultra-light and resistant material in matt black/ grey. And the bridges on the dial side are made of blackened steel. And finally, the starp is made of crocodile leather with blackened folding clasp made of titanium.
One fascination of this watch is that its openworked dial design, which enables you to see how its part are layered on different levels. Moreover, the back of the watch is fitted with a sapphire crystal window, so connoisseurs can indulge in the mechanical movement of the column wheel, which is part of the heart of Millenery Carbon One, the AP Calibre 2884 hand wound chronograph tourbillon used to enhance timekeeping accuracy.
Only 120 pieces of Millenery Carbon One will be produced. See available Audemars Piguet replica watches.
Vacheron Constantin Refreshing the Record for the Thinnest Watches
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 11, 2009
It is said people will only remember the champions, so companies often strive to produce products with the superlative “-est” tag, regardless of its practicability. This phenomenon can be observed in the watchmaking industry too. Recently, Vacheron Constantin refreshed the world’s record for the thinest watch by introducing two new ultra-thin wristwatches in the Historiques collection.
The two watches features different shapes. The round one, measuring only 4.1mm thick, is called the Historique Ultra-fine 1955, which is the one that actually got the title of the world’s thinnest mechanical hand-wound watch. The square one is called the Historique Ultra-fine 1968, measuring 5.5mm thick.
Both watches are crafted in 18 carat 4N rose gold and water-resistant to 30 meters. But they are a bit small and their movements are different. While the 36mm Ultra-fine 1955 uses with caliber 1003, which is the world’s thinnest movement, the 35.2mm Ultra-fine 1968 houses automatic caliber 1120.
But what is the point of making the thinest watches in the world? Look at these two watches, you’ll find that they sacrifice many timepiece functions: no chronograph, no date or day window, and even no sweep hand. They just look pale compared to most of the luxury watches available in the market in terms of functions and appearance.
Anyway, it may make a little sense comparing to those biggest, or smallest or thickest watches, if they exist. And it may appeal to those extreme minimalists and watch collectors.
In conclusion, I think these two watches demonstrate nothing but Vacheron Constantin’s expertise in making the world’s thinest watches, which sounds not appealing. In my opinion, watchmakers should focus their expertise to improve their watches qualitatively instead of quantitatively.
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Rado r5.5 – Designer Watches in Minimalist Style
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 3, 2009
Nice design often simplifies our everyday life in an aesthetic way. Designer products are often more preferable because they have souls and stand for some kind of life philosophy. This is why the new Rado r5.5 watch should be noticed – it is designed by English designer Jasper Morrison.
Many posts indicate that the name ‘r5.5’ comes from the radius of the watch. But I wonder what is the unit of the radius. If it is 5.5cm in radius, then the watch should be more than 100 mm wide. Judging from the pictures of the watch, I don’t believe the watches are such oversized. 55 mm wide is more reasonable. But then, what is ‘r’ stands for? Rado? Interesting. I don’t have answer now. Anyway, the watch is called r5.5.
(Jasper Morrison)
The r5.5 collection was first launched in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Being a designer watch, the launch ceremony of Rado r5.5 also connects with the artistic circle. In Austria, the r5.5 made its debut in the Rado flagship store in Vienna, which was carefully designed to create a unique atmosphere as an integrated part of the Vienna Design Week 2009.
More recently, r5.5 was introduced in China at the design-oriented Shanghai Sculpture Space.
Available in several versions, the Rado r5.5 reflects the consistent minimalist style of Jasper Morrison. Simple lines, two-tone watch face and very basic functions outline the stylish designer watch. It again prove to people that simplicity is beauty per se.
The virtue of the watch lies invisible. When you look at the watch, you might not know that the material used to make the watch is in fact also applied the exact material used to make the heat shield on space shuttles for their re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere. The material is called high-tech ceramics. It is extremely resistant that it also applied in other field such as formula-1 motor racing.
Interested in Rado watches? See our Rado replica watches.
Zenith Class EP Open MultiCity Alarm – Enjoy a Grand Time In Every Corner of the World
Posted by Matthew in Watch News on November 2, 2009
Think about those who frequently travel from countries to countries: Jetlags, little rest, and compact schdule… It must be boring to see a gloomy and complicated watch faces to figure out what time is now in the countries of their clients, colleagues or families every time when they want to make phone calls. With the advent of Zenith EP Open MultiCity Alarm, they can now enjoy a grand time in every corner of the world they travel.
(Zenith Class EP Open MultiCity Alarm)
The new Zenith Class EP Open MultiCity Alarm is a perfect quintessence of well-organized GMT watches. The spiral design of the cities and rotating disk indexed on the hour hand can simultaneously tell the time in 24 world cities at a glance. The compact and elegant design actually makes reading the world time an enjoyable experience.
In fact, the is an updated version of its predecessor, the Grande Class Traveller Open Multicity, which was released two years ago. The major updates include:
The spiral city names are displayed in sharp contrast colors, making the city names more clear and the whole watch sharp and gorgeous.
A 12-hour alarm and a watch crown at the 8-o’clock.
Some parts of the watch dail are painting in dark blue, and the stitches on the alligator leather strap are blue accordingly. This little color scheme really inject life into the watch and make it vibrant with calculated modernity and more beautiful accroding to the latest aesthetic point of view.
(Zenith Grande Class Traveller Open Multicity)
Overall, I like the design of this new Zenith Class EP Open MultiCity Alarm. Time will be so enjoyable wearing it to travel around the world.
See our Zenith replica watches.