The Tour des Chavannes

From Elka -

Courtesy of Elka

I had a chance to check out Elka's new offering at The HYPE this past weekend, and I have to say I'm kinda' crushing on it. Now point of full disclosure, I am the proud owner of two of Elka's time machines, and I am a fan. With that said, the Tour des Chavannes builds upon a now well established design grammar.

These two pieces are also known as the R Series. The inspiration comes from Elka's current base of operations, Neuchatel. In their own words:

"...deeply rooted in the history of the eponymous tower, an iconic landmark of Neuchâtel located right next to our Elka Watch Co. boutique at 16, rue des Chavannes. Demolished in 1867, this tower shaped the city's heritage—housing the "javiole" (disciplinary cell) from 1531 onwards and serving as an essential time marker with its historic 1736 dial painted by Samuel Müller. To preserve this memory, our two new timepieces proudly feature the inscription "TOUR DES CHAVANNES" at 6 o'clock, replicating the handwritten lettering by engineer Henri Ladame from his original plans dated July 29, 1867"

Courtesy of Elka

First up is the ELKA R Series — R02wo-0814 "Tour des Chavannes: Pierre d'Hauterive". The color code pays homage to the limestone that was used to build the old town of Neuchatel. 

The case is of stainless steel and measures 40.8 mm across and is 10.80 thick. Under the hood is La Joux Perret's G101 self-winding/ automatic movement.

It is priced at CHF1716 which currently comes to $2,087 here in the lower 48.

Here are the pertinents:

CALIBER
La Joux Perret G101 automatic 4 Hz / 28'800 A/h, stop second 68-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes
CASE MATERIALS
1.4404 steel
CASE DIMENSIONS
40.8 mm in diameter 10.80 thick 46.50 mm Lug to Lug
SCREWED CASE BACK
Steel 1.4404
OPEN CASE BACK
SS and Sapphire Crystal
DIAL
Beige Dial, Black Roman Numbers
HANDS
Brushed Black colored
GLASS
Chevé type sapphire - box - anti-scratch anti-reflective treatment on one side
BRACELET
Suede cognac color -Rembordé Width 20/18 mm
BUCKLE
Pin buckle Steel 1.4404
WATERPROOF
50 meters / 5 bar
WARRANTY
2 years

The second member of this dynamic duo is the 

ELKA R Series — R01wo-0817 "Tour des Chavannes: 1736 Edition"

Courtesy of Elka

This version draws its inspiration from another piece of Neuchatel's history, again per Elka:

"A striking tribute to the monumental clock that once set the rhythm of life for the people of Neuchâtel from the top of the historic tower. The R01wo-0817 edition draws its direct inspiration from the historical dial painted by heraldist and sign painter Samuel Müller in 1736."

Priced the same as its partner at CHF1716 (approximately) $2,087 US, here are all the pertinents -

CALIBER
La Joux Perret G101 automatic 4 Hz / 28'800 A/h, stop second 68-hour power reserve
FUNCTIONS
Hours, minutes
CASE MATERIALS
1.4404 steel
CASE DIMENSIONS
40.8 mm in diameter 10.80 thick 46.50 mm Lug to Lug
SCREWED CASE BACK
Steel 1.4404
OPEN CASE BACK
SS and Sapphire Crystal
DIAL
Black Dial, Rose Gold Roman Numbers
HANDS
Polished Rose Gold colored
GLASS
Chevé type sapphire - box - anti-scratch anti-reflective treatment on one side
BRACELET
Black color "Veau Glacé" -Semi Rembordé Width 20/18 mm
BUCKLE
Pin buckle Steel 1.4404
WATERPROOF
50 meters / 5 bar
WARRANTY
2 years