BASELWORLD 2011 - SEIKO - ANANTA AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH DIVER'S WATCH

BASELWORLD 2011 - SEIKO - ANANTA AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH DIVER'S WATCH

Limited to just 700 pieces and representing the Japanese art forms of Katana and hand-painted lacquer, this new Ananta is a winner!

High legibility is a vital attribute in a diving watch, and to ensure that the dive time is as readable as possible even in dark waters, SEIKO commissioned Isshu Tamura, a world-renowned lacquer artist, to create a dial that is truly jet black. Each dial is painted, layer by layer, and then polished by hand by Mr. Tamura in his studio in Kanazawa on the western shores of the Japanese mainland. Isshu Tamura was born in Kanazawa in 1957, and is a master of “Kaga Makie” which is a traditional style of lacquer. The legibility is further enhanced by the use of a non-reflective coating on the sapphire glass.

The design of Ananta is inspired by Katana, the ancient Japanese art of sword making. The katana sword was first developed more than 800 years ago and symbolizes the high value that Japanese culture puts upon traditional skills and innovative manufacture, and is therefore the perfect inspiration for Ananta.

“Limited Edition” and the serial numbers will be engraved on each case back. The watch is presented in an exclusive gift box with the “SEIKO 130th Anniversary” emblem.

BASELWORLD 2011 - BREGUET - CLASSIQUE 5717 HORA MUNDI

BASELWORLD 2011 - BREGUET - CLASSIQUE 5717 HORA MUNDI

Three versions of the dial are available, each representing one part of the world: the Americas, the European and African continents, or Asia and Oceania – six references in all. Breguet’s teams needed three years to design, develop and perfect this complication watch. It is the first example of a mechanical timepiece with an instant-jump time-zone display. This function allows the traveller to easily display the time in two pre-selected time zones, changing instantly from one to the other simply by pressing a button, without disturbing the operation of the watch. Accurate operation during setting is ensured by a stop second system. Changing the time zone affects not only the time, but also the date synchronised through a “tracking” calendar system – and the day/night indicator.

In addition to the hour, minute and second in the centre, it has a completely original date display that makes use of a dragging disc. The disc appears in a window on the dial at 12 o’clock. The window is large enough to show three consecutive dates at once. For example, on the 25th of the month, the number 25 will cross the window from left to right over a period of 24 hours. Gradually, the 23 disappears, then the 24, and the 26 appears, followed by the 27. However, to avoid any confusion in reading the date, Breguet’s watchmakers have made an improvement. To the dragging calendar system they have added a tiny retrograde hand, hidden beneath the dial and ending in a small circle. The circle surrounds the day’s date as soon as it appears at the left side of the date window, and follows it through the day until it disappears at the right side of the window. At midnight, the hand with the circle jumps back to the left side of the window to indicate the date of the day just beginning. This entirely unique system is designed to make reading the date easier in a dragging calendar configuration.



This watch’s most iconic complication, however, is its instant-jump time-zone display system with synchronized date, day/night and city indications, a world first for a mechanical watch. This function lets the wearer preselect, from among the cities listed for the 24 time zones, two cities for which he wishes to display local time. He can then change from one to the other by pressing on the combined crown/pushpiece at 8 o’clock, which triggers an instant jump. For example, assume it is 4 pm in Paris on the 25th of the month. Rotating the combined crown/pushpiece reveals “Paris” in the window at 6 o’clock, then the crown at 3 o’clock is used to set the hands to 4 o’clock and the date to 25, taking care that the day/night indicator shows the sun. For quick display of the local time in Sydney, the crown/pushpiece is first rotated to bring up the name of the Australian city in the window at 6 o’clock; the watch then automatically sets itself to Sydney time. Since the difference in time is nine hours, the hour hand will move forward by nine hours. At the same time, the date will change to the 26th and the day/night indicator will turn to show the moon.

When it is 4 pm in Paris, it is in fact 1 am the next day in Sydney. Once the watch has been preset, the double instant-jump time-zone display system will simultaneously change all the indications – hour, date and day/night – in a coordinated way from Paris time to Sydney time when the wearer simply presses on the crown/pushpiece. This complication will thus prove extremely useful for frequent travelers, or persons in contact with others living in distant countries; it allows them to get in touch with such people while being certain that they are not waking them up in the middle of the night.

Reference: 5717BR/US/9ZU
44mm case diameter
13.5mm thickness

18k Gold or 950 Platinum

The dial’s periphery, sporting a chapter ring with Roman numeral transfers, has a silvered and circular satin-brushed finish, a border that is hand-engraved on a rose engine, and red-gold hour markers – or platinum depending on the version of the case. The dial’s centre, depicting a view of the globe, is stamped and hand-engraved on a rose engine to create a “wave” motif on the oceans. The oceans are then given multiple coats of lacquer and the continents are polished. On the day/night indicator, the sky is made of lapis lazuli containing numerous pyrite inclusions that look like tiny specks of gold and represent the stars. The sun and moon are made of solid gold: yellow gold for the sun, rhodium-plated yellow gold for the moon. The cover for this disc, representing a cloud and bearing the Breguet name and the watch’s serial number, is also made of silvered 18-carat gold and engraved entirely by hand.

BASELWORLD 2011 - PATEK PHILIPPE - Triple Complication Ref. 5208

What is the 5208? It's a self-winding Grand Complication wristwatch with minute repeater, monopusher chronograph, instantaneous perpetual calendar with apertures, and moon phases.

It's a follow-up to 2008's ref. 5207. The 5208 is the Manufacture's first triple-complication with chronograph.

In the current collection of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complication wristwatches, the Ref. 5208P ranks second, directly behind the Sky Moon Tourbillon, and before the Ref. 5207 (minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar with aperture displays) and the Ref. 5216 (minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar with retrograde date).

Simply magnificent! I love the hollowed-out lugs and overall look of the piece. Wonderful!

BASELWORLD 2011 - HUBLOT - BIG BANG ALL BLACK CARBON

BASELWORLD 2011 - HUBLOT - BIG BANG ALL BLACK CARBON

Reference 301.QX.1710.GR
Completely black, completely matte, this is the first time that a Big Bang has been made entirely from carbon fiber.

BASELWORLD 2011 - RICHARD MILLE - RM 035 Rafael Nadal Chronofiable Certified

Chronofiable? The Chronofiable® test, developed at the beginning of the 80’s by the CCF SA (centre de contrôle de la fiabilité de l’horlogerie Suisse, taken over in 1985 by the Laboratoire Dubois SA), was devised to expose timepieces to an accelerated ageing test simulating over 21 days, the equivalent of 6 months effective wear. This is achieved by the execution of a long series of tests such as the initial monitoring of the movement functions, an additional rate, the amplitude test taken at two temperature levels (0°C and 50°C), the monitoring of the power reserve and the winding velocity. Included in this artificial ageing cycle test are extensive linear and angular accelerations as well as some 20,000 shocks ranging from 250 to 5500 m/s2 (9.81 m/s2 = 1g). The last step is a final monitoring phase applying the same elements than during the initial monitoring.

The RM035 is made of a very light  magnesium-aluminum alloy.

Baselworld 2011 - Tudor - Grantour Chrono Fly-Back

 

Baselworld 2011 - Tudor - Grantour Chrono Fly-Back

With the same 42 mm case as the Grantour Date and Grantour Chrono models,
this new model is equipped with a Fly-Back pusher that has a red marking. The
small seconds hand counter at 9 o’clock is set in a background motif reminiscent of
automobile transmission belts. The Grantour Chrono Fly-Back model is available in
steel and in a combination of steel and 18 ct pink gold, a first for the TUDOR brand.

References 20550N and 20551N
42 mm steel case with polished and satin finish
Black-lacquered fixed graduated bezel made of steel or 18 ct pink gold
Self-winding mechanical chronograph movement
Power reserve of approximately 42 hours
Steel or 18 ct pink gold bistable lockable chronograph pushers with red and black markings
60-minute totalizer at 9 o’clock
Small seconds hand at 3 o’clock
Date at 6 o’clock
Sapphire crystal
Steel or 18 ct pink gold screw-down winding crown
Waterproof to a depth of 150 m (500 ft)
Steel or steel and 18 ct pink gold bracelet, or leather strap with large or micro-perforations, folding clasp and safety catch

Baselworld 2011 - Harry Winston - Opus 11

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Baselworld 2011 - Harry Winston - Opus 11

Technical details

Name: Opus Eleven

Reference: 500/MMDGWL

Movement
Mechanical with manual winding
24 conical pinions
155 jewels
566 components

Functions
Hour display by means of an original system made up of 24 placards, with a rotation speed regulation and management system
Digital display of minutes by 2 disks, a jumping disk for the tens and a running disk for the units
Traditional fine watchmaking finishes

Case
Composed of three overlapping cylinders with a sapphire crystal in between :
Main cylinder for the hours
One pavilion for the minutes
One pavilion for balance-wheel
Material: 18-carat white gold

Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective treatment

Strap: black alligator

Buckle: triple-blade folding clasp with integrated push-buttons

Power reserve: 48 hours

Water resistance: 30 meters

Limited series: 111 pieces