The GEOMETRY CHERRY

From Schwarz Etienne -

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

This is the latest entry into the Geometry family.

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

The asking price is just south of 22,000 Swiss Francs.

Here are the pertinents -

Material	Stainless steel
Height	11 mm
Glace	Domed sapphire with anti-reflective treatment
Calibre	ASE 200.02
Diameter	30.40 mm
Height	5.35 mm
Dial	Azure Zone, Clos de Paris area, Grooved area, Hand guilloché in four destructured dial motifs, Timer area
Hands	silver brass
Strap	Black leather and brown leather lining
Buckle	Stainless steel folding buckle with Schwarz Etienne logo

The Transfer Window is WIDE OPEN

At Richemont -

Now, it is safe to say that this is not exactly "stop the press" news at this point as it dropped over a week ago. But I found it curious with the flurry of comings and goings of all of the changes happening with both independents and the shuffling at Richemont. Two of the independent changes are not huge news because, at the risk of sounding uncharitable, who is running Scwharz Etienne or Favre Leuba is not really going to be as seismic industry wide as who the shot callers are at Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre. And despite the crowing of a certain subscription based newsletter author, the word around the campfire in Watch Town was that the eminent departure (whether by separation or reassignment) of the CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre has been in the offing for quite some time. 

In fairness to Richemont, they tend to shuffle the deck pretty regularly, and unlike a certain French based luxury group that rhymes with LVMH, leadership decisions are not based on the participation trophy awarded in the familial Olympics that ensure the Arnault offspring will be occupying the C-Suite regardless of experience or ability. 

So, we will wish all of the participants bon chance in this latest game of Richemont Musical Chairs! Who will fill in the rest of the slots? We will wait, and we will see. Just listen carefully to the pace of the tune, you don't want to be caught out when it suddenly stops.

The Transfer Window has Opened

At Schwarz Etienne -

News reached the North Shore HQ of Henki Time earlier this AM that Schwarz Etienne not only had a swanky new (used) HQ, but also had appointed a new Managing Director - Florian Brossard. While I am not familiar with Mr. Brossard myself, I fired up the "Google Machine" and discovered that he had worked at Montblanc back in the earlier part of this century, but am not sure what he has been up to lately. 

I would assume that after a year without Mauro Ergemini at the helm (at least if his LinkedIn is to be believed) Mr. Brossard will fill that gap. I have met Mr. Egermini in BaselWorld at the "new and improved" Schwarz Etienne launch (back when Hall 2 was still a thing). Mr. Egermini was also involved in the white label program which seemed to have traveled under a few different flags - e2o innovations, TMH (Tradition Mécanique Horlogère), and La Division du Temps.

Now swimming somewhere in all of this holding company soup is Ming (the less said about their approach to after sales customer service, the better) which is where Mr. Egermini now finds himself as the head of their Swiss operations. 

For those of you old enough to remember, it's not unlike the 70s American sitcom - SOAP.

Now back to the new facility. I have actually walked past it twice on my way to visit Graham's former shared facilities (Le Joux Perret & Arnold & Sons). A little travel tip from your old pal Henki - it is also next to a fairly large home improvement center, department store and a hypermarket that does sell quite tasty ready to eat hot sandwiches. If it is the same building that I think it is, I applaud the money folks at Schwarz Etienne for rehabbing the building. On a personal note, and it might just have been my impression walking past it on a rainy October afternoon, it looked very out of place amongst the suburban sprawl, so maybe this second life will be a positive thing.

At any rate, we wish Mr. Brossard bon chance in his new role.

Something Interesting Is Coming...

From Chicago -

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

This one might be just under the radar, but I suspect that is about to change in the new year.

May I introduce you to the 1870 CE, from the Cornell Watch Company.

The Cornell Watch Company does not have a ton of information on its website, but just enough to whet the appetite for what is meant to be coming in 2024! And while there is more to the (hi)story of the brand, we're going to save that for another time. This new offering is plenty to keep us occupied for the time being.

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

The dial is enamel (Grand Feu), and the hands are blued.

The case measures 39 mm, and is of stainless steel -

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

The movement hails from La Chaux-de-Fonds (or nearby, anyway) produced by Schwarz Etienne.

The strap is from the Twin City atelier of Velle Alexander.

Courtesy of Cornell Watch Company

Now although based in Chicago, the Cornell Watch Company has turned to perhaps the most important man in US watch making - Roland Murphy of RGM in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

I will be reaching out to the folks at Cornell to see if they can share more details with us.

Stay tuned!

The Norrsken

 From GoS -

Courtesy of GoS

Not since peanut butter and jelly first got together has the world been treated to such a dynamic result!

Courtesy of GoS

At first glance, you see a beautifully engraved case the likes of which GoS watches are famous for, and a stunning guilloche dial which, if I have read correctly was aided by the skills of Jochen Benzinger. But when you turn out the lights...

Courtesy of GoS Watches

you see the handiwork of the Black Badger, the nom de lume of James Thompson.  But wait!  There's still more!  Notice that chapter ring?

Courtesy of GoS Watches 

That isn't just any chapter ring. It is the handiwork of Mikael Kenlind, a master artisan working with glass, or more specifically - hand blown Swedish crystal. And this chapter ring is the result of his efforts.

Courtesy of GoS Watches

So what? What's the big deal?  Well, gentle reader, allow me to make it plain -

Patrik Sjögren and Johan Gustafsson have been grinding it out for as long as I've been writing about watches. Several stops along the way they probably could have cashed in on easy opportunities, dumbed down their offerings, gone for the easy money. But in a watch world full of gimmicky, me-too offerings, GoS has been a true North Star reminding watch brands big and small what it means to stand firm on what you believe in.

And then add the calculated whimsey of the master of all things lume, the Black Badger, and it's as if a new watch making super hero group has been formed to battle the forces of a boring hegemony.  I mean, don't get me wrong - the big dogs make some perfectly nice watches. But if you really and truly want something different, something special, this "Fantastic Five Mashup" is the Shit That Killed Elvis!

Here are the pertinents -

Functions
Hours, Minutes Seconds
Small second at 6h:00 in the shape of the GoS triskele

Movement
Manufacture movement by Schwarz Etienne with GoS-specific modifications and finishing
Automatic winding with a micro-rotor and damascus steel counterweight
GoS triskele engraved on click wheel
Handpolished bevels on all bridges
Separate bridge for escape wheel
21,600 vibrations/hour
86h power reserve
Stop-seconds mechanism
33 jewels – 199 parts
30.40mm x 5.25mm

Case
41.5mm x 12.1mm (8mm at edge)
Stainless steel with optional Black Damascus case ring and/or Damascus steel bezel
Sapphire crystals front and caseback – Front crystal domed with double sided anti-reflective coating
Transparent crystal gaskets in new Swiss developed material
5ATM water resistance (50m)
Crown with double gaskets and GoS internal impact protection

Dial
Damascus steel:
Handforged Swedish tool steel by Johan Gustafsson - machined and finished by Patrik Sjögren
Guilloche:
Silver dial handturned by master Jochen Benzinger - machined and finished by Patrik Sjögren
Hour index recesses filled with emerald green Badgerite, developed by James Thompson together with Swiss SuperLuminova
Transparent index ring in Swedish Crystal - individually handmade by master glass artisan Mikael Kenlind
Solid ring of Badgerite applied round the Crystal index ring

Hands
GoS viking spearhead – Rhodium plated
GoS triskele small seconds hand

Strap
Polished Salmon leather – black – Made in Stockholm
Tapered 21mm to 20mm with rounded padding
Pin buckle in stainless damascus steel with GoS triskele logo

Presentation box
Individually handcrafted presentation box in Swedish crystal, handmade by glass artisan Mikael Kenlind

The 19.02 Worldtimer

From Ming -

Courtesy of Ming

This is the latest offering from the collaborative at Ming, the 19.03 Worldtimer.  It has been created in partnership with Manufacture Schwarz Etienne.

Courtesy of Ming

And as befits a watch with it's inspiration in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur holds pride of place on the dial's location chapter ring.  

A gradient sapphire dial sets off a truly stunning effect.  But this world-time machine is just as beautiful under the hood -

Courtesy of Ming

A wonderful confection of precision, a micro rotor automatic.

Courtesy of Ming

This is the latest offering from the collaborative at Ming, the 19.03 Worldtimer.  It has been created in partnership with Manufacture Schwarz Etienne.

Courtesy of Ming

And as befits a watch with it's inspiration in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 

• Functions: hours and minutes, 24 hour world time, microrotor automatic winding
• Case, dial & hands:
• 39mm diameter, 11.2mm thickness, grade 5 titanium
• Double box sapphire crystal with double-sided antireflective coating
• Sapphire dial, radial gradient from opaque black to transparent
• Chapter ring, logo and rear markings laser-etched into the sapphire crystals
• Polished bezel and lugs; finely brushed caseband
• Hands and dial ring with Superluminova X1
• Rigid case without spacer rings
• 50m water resistance
• 20mm lug width
• Movement:
• Schwarz-Etienne for MING Cal. ASE220.1
• Partial skeletonization with 5N rose gold coating and bead blasted bridges
• Hand polished anglage
• Hacking function
• ~70 hour power reserve at full wind
• Bidirectional automatic winding with high-mass tungsten microrotor
• Movement adjusted to five positions
• Straps:
• Includes 2x calf leather straps by Jean Rousseau Paris
• 20mm width, curved bars with quick release
• All straps come fitted with signed stainless steel buckles
• Will fit 160-210mm wrist circumference
• Travel pouch:
• Handmade in Kuala Lumpur from vegetable tanned natural leather
• 1-year warranty against defects
• Made in Switzerland
• MING continually aims to improve aesthetics and functionality of products where possible; to this end we reserve the right to make changes prior to final delivery.

Now in fairness sports fans, this is not an inexpensive item.  Ming are offering an "early bird" incentive for pre-orders, and it is my understanding that in order for the project to be fully realized, enough pre-orders will need to be realized as well.  Should it be of interest to you, the purchase information can be found here:

MING 19.02 Worldtimer

 

Ode au Printemps

From Schwarz Etienne -

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

Sometimes you need a little buzz in the morning ; )  

This is one of the special novelties from Schwarz Etienne this year.  And yes, I sorta' dig it.

With so many brands doing somber, serious things, it is pretty swell to see something that is technically impressive, yet still fun to look at (and wear)!

So for you super serious folks out there, here are the "serious" watch facts:
 
Case

Case Material

Rose gold 5N 18 ct

Case Diameter

44 mm

Case Height

13.70 mm

Glass

Sapphire with double-sided anti-reflective treatment

Sealing

5 ATM (50 m)

Movement

Caliber

TSE 122.00

Type

Manufactured tourbillon automatic "Irreversible" TSE 122.00 with micro rotor

Diameter

30.40 mm (13 ¼’’’)

Height

7.05 mm

Frequency

3 Hz (21'600 Alt/h)

Power reserve

72 hours

Functions

Off-centered hours and minutes indication at 5 o'clock
Small second retrograde at 11 o'clock
Tourbillon at 1 o'clock

But then, there is a fun element -

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

The wonderful dial, and the particularly playful hand-painted bee on the micro rotor.

Dial

Gilded brass in the form of honeycomb and sub-dial in tiger's eye Poppy-shaped micro-rotor mass wheel in fine strips of coral Hand-engraved, hand-painted aluminum bee. Hour turning and petit seconde (small second) rétrograde in tiger's eye

Now to be very clear, I am a social worker.  Barring a true Lotto windfall, I will never be able to afford this watch.  Having said that, this is one of those rare pieces that I want regardless of the price point!  It is beautiful, clever and it makes me smile!

As I understand it, the bee is in no small reference to La Chaux-de-Fonds (a bee figures prominently in the coat of arms of the city).

So for the lucky few, this is a truly wonderful piece.  I have seen it and held it at the Schwarz Etienne BaselWorld booth and it is truly impressive!

When Schwarz Etienne went through their "re-branding" a few years back, many of us who write about these things were not certain how it was all going to work out, but it seems to be on track, and humming along ; )

Schwarz Etienne Reminds Us That The Truth Is Out There -

I want to thank the folks at Schwarz Etienne for doing something that rarely happens during a big fair/show week - they did something FUN!


Ladies and gentlemen, the Roswell 08 -

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

It goes without saying, SIHH and BaselWorld are where you put out the pieces that show you're a serious brand with serious stuff, and by golly... you better take us seriously!  But in all fairness, this seriousness can be conveyed in a manner that is also fun, engaging and enjoyable!  

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

The shape of the 45 mm stainless steel case is inspired  by the flying saucers that may (or may not) call Roswell, New Mexico their home away from home.  

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

Hours, minutes and a very subtle (and very cool) small second indicator at 11 o'clock, and a super-dope date display between the 1 and 2 o'clock indices.  And that date function has a special twist.

Courtesy of Schwarz Etienne

The lower portion of the crown guard acts a rapid date change corrector.

Here are the pertinents -


Reference - 

WRW11TJ33SS21AA-A

Movement:
Schwarz Etienne manufactured automatic movement
“Irreversible” with micro-rotor ISE-100.11
Power reserve of 4 days

Functions:
Hours, minutes, small second at 11 o’clock
and date at 2 o’clock. Micro-rotor at 9 o’clock
Case:
Stainless steel 45 mm diameter

Dial:
Brown tobacco

Glass:
Sapphire crystal

Hands:
Rhodium treatment and superluminova

Strap:
Structured leather tobacco brown color
with bright orange or pistachio green lining

Buckle:
Steel folding buckle engraved with the Schwarz Etienne logo

Water Resistance:
5 atmospheres (50 meters)

The Spring is the Thing

So some interesting news from the folks at Schwarz Etienne.  Their sister company, E20 Innovations has emerged as one of the very few companies capable of manufacturing and supplying hair springs and balance wheels.  Now while certain people working at marketing their movements will assert that the hair springs and the balance wheels are somehow, minor considerations to the overall construction of a watch movement, I think the majority of people out there who actually work on these things, I don't know... professionally, will beg to differ.  Simply put, you actually need this stuff to make the movement actually work.

So it is welcome news that there is a new option out there from E20 Innovations -

Courtesy of E20

A bit about E20 -

E2O INNOVATIONS
E2O Innovations is a company specialized in the manufacture of watch assortments and specifically of hairsprings, balances, pallets and moving parts of the escapement. Following the launch of its activity in early 2014 and after three and a half years of R&D and fine-tuning, its cutting-edge machinery, savoir-faire and innovative concepts now enable the company to develop and produce customized balances, adapted and optimized according to the specific needs of its customers whether large or small scale.