The Return of Peter Speake

Peter Speake is back, and thankfully for those who remember the earlier triumphs of Peter Speake Marin, he has come back with a flourish!

A longer post with more factoids to follow, this will be quick and dirty as some of us have jobs to get to ; )

Courtesy of PS Horology

This is the Tsuba. It is one of a two-part release from Mr. Speake's new venture, PS Horology.

The case is of stainless steel and hails from Le Locle. It measures 38.3mm and is 8.91mm thick.

The movement is from Vaucher, the caliber 5401 which features a micro rotor.

Per PS Horology:

The Price is CHF 19,500.- (excluding tax and shipping), 30% reservation deposit.

For 2025 there will be 100 pieces made, of which 99 will be available for purchase.
There will be 100 pieces made in 2025, 99 for purchase by collectors.

What if...it was just a Christmas goose that came a little early?

Watch Town is abuzz with another potential scoop from Miss Tweed. Per the small teaser of her article (you have to be a subscriber to read the whole thing, and I'm saving my lunch money for a new blazer), you can glean that the Sandoz Foundation perhaps has plans to sell their watch making assets. This would be no small move on their part as they have assembled quite a tidy little arsenal with dial makers, a very upscale movement manufacturer, and a soon to be iconic brand in Parmigiani Fleurier.

I have one or two inside friends in Watch Town myself, and they have come back with an alternate theory. That being that perhaps someone within the Sandoz Foundation was giving a bit of a pinch on the market's bottom to see how it reacts. While in watch making terms the Sandoz Foundation is not exactly Rolex, in "We have a shit-ton of money in the bank" terms, there is really no need for them to even consider selling at this time.

Now, again, this is (all of it) conjecture at this point, and it would certainly be big news if the Sandoz Foundation does decide to divest itself of its watchmaking assets. But it's not enough just to want to sell, you actually need to have some buyers who are willing to part with a not insubstantial amount of money ; )

So grab some popcorn and a comfy seat, and let's see how this plays out. 

The Nasir Collection

From Bereve -

Courtesy of Bereve

Available in the three color options above, and also this one (below) -

Courtesy of Bereve

Here are the pertinents, straight from Bereve -

Nasir is the newly Bereve Timepieces homage to the Arab culture, and its fascinating writing forms.

A truly 100% Swiss Made project in the conception, development, manufacturing and used components.
A dial base either in 999 silver or pure white gold available in white, black or green combines two ancient techniques. The one given by the Arabic calligraphy and the other used for the enamel Champlevé.

Through a very ancient method the enamel has been mixed with the finest white gold powder. This technique makes the background recalling universe and infinity.

The timepiece is equipped with the reliable Swiss Made Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier movement.
Eight references available in 316LM steel and white gold case, in a limited numbered series: 100 units in Stainless steel 316LM and 25 pieces in white gold.
Here is Bereve Timepieces latest inspiration.
Bereve where independent watchmaking meets art.

The Outlaw Drift

From Gorilla Watches -

Courtesy of Gorilla Watches

This one is a bit of a departure for Gorilla. Those of us who have been following them for awhile have gotten used to what has become the standard grammar used in the design. A rounder, oval shaped case has stepped into the spotlight.

This is also (and the guys at Gorilla can please correct me if I have this wrong) the first Gorilla watch case not to feature multiple materials (i.e. carbon fiber, aluminum, etc.), but rather it is crafted entirely of titanium.

Courtesy of Gorilla Watches

The movement and it's display effect is something of a departure from the more "standard" Gorilla models (which again sounds like a misnomer as there is really nothing "standard" about Gorilla).
The "base" is ETA's 2824-2, but the secret sauce is what Gorilla describes as a:
Proprietary G-5238, Swiss Made,
wandering hours complication
Engineered & manufactured by VAUCHER Manufacture

Now owing to the world we are currently living in, I have not seen, held, etc. this one.  But I wanted to take a moment to congratulate the team at Gorilla for their willingness to evolve and grow. It's easy to continue to play your greatest hits again and again, but evolution, growth and development? Those are the things that you see in dynamic brands.

Here are the pertinents -

MODULE
Proprietary G-5238, Swiss Made,
wandering hours complication

BASE CALIBER
ETA 2824-2, Self-winding
4 Hz / 28.800 vph, stop seconds
38 hours power reserve

FUNCTIONS
Hour, minute, sweeping seconds

CASE MATERIAL
Grade 5 titanium

CASEBACK
Titanium grade 5, engraved, sapphire crystal

DIALAnodized aluminum flange & discs, Super-Luminova™ coated numerals on flange & satellite discs

CRYSTAL
Domed, scratch resistant sapphire,
anti-reflective coating on both sides

STRAP
FKM rubber & Cordura™ hybrid

BUCKLE
Titanium grade 5 pin buckle

CASE DIMENSIONS
42 mm case diameter
13.8 mm case thickness
52 mm lug-to-lug

WATER RESISTANCE
100M/330FT/10ATM

What was Cool at BaselWorld - Bereve

This is the Numbers from Bereve.  It was one of the most talked about watches at the fair and drew a great of traffic to the star-crossed incubator pavilion.  

The Numbers is apparently available in either a silver or gold dial, but to be very honest with you, gentle reader, I couldn't really spot the difference, they are both stunners.

Courtesy of Bereve

The case measures 42 mm in diameter and is of stainless steel with a display back.  The movement is from Vaucher, based on the 3002.

Here are the pertinents, in their entirety courtesy of Bereve -

NUMBERS

DIAL: Enamel Grand Feu – Champlevé, twenty colors with Ugo Nespolo’s opera “Numbers”.

CASE: Stainless steel 316 LM, height 14.41 mm, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.

DIAMETER: 42 (without crown).

WATER RESISTANCE: 5 ATM (50 meters).

MOVEMENT: Bereve BV02, Vaucher Manufacture 3002 based, self-winding mechanical movement, Adjusted in five positions, double barrel rapid rotation in series, two hands, Fitting of 11 ½”, Thickness of 3.7 mm, 189 components, Flat balance-spring, Tungsten oscillating weight, Ceramic ball-bearing, Incabloc Anti-shock.

JEWELLING: 28 jewels.

POWER RESERVE: 56h.

FREQUENCY: 4 Hz (28’800 A/h).

HAND: Feuille.

INDICATION: Hours and minute.

STRAPS: Handmade blue Louisiana alligator leather.

BUCKLE: Stainless steel 316 LM, custom buckle deployante 
three parts with buttons.


 

Numbers

From Bereve -

Courtesy of Bereve

And just who is Bereve?  Well a fairly new effort coming out of Chiasso, and focused on offering something fairly different.  

Courtesy of Bereve

The dial is a pretty wild concoction, per Bereve -
Fine silver 999, Enamel Grand Feu – Champlevé, twenty colors with Ugo Nespolo’s opera “Numbers”.

So for those of you out there not fully dialed-in to the art world, Ugo Nespolo is, per Wikipedia -

Ugo Nespolo (born 29 August 1941 in Mosso, Biella) is an Italian painter and sculptor, particularly known for his experimental films, his applied arts works and his artistic collaborations in advertising, theatre and literature.

But this is more than just a nice looking dial.  Under the hood, the Vaucher 3002 keeps things moving on time, with a minimalist display of hours and minutes.  And I have to say, I dig it!

Here are the pertinents -

REFERENCE: A1.BV02.01.X.W1

DIAL: Fine silver 999, Enamel Grand Feu – Champlevé, twenty colors with Ugo Nespolo’s opera “Numbers”.

CASE: Stainless steel 316 LM, height 14.41 mm, sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.

DIAMETER: 42 (without crown).

WATER RESISTANCE: 5 ATM (50 meters).

MOVEMENT: Bereve BV02, Vaucher Manufacture 3002 based, self-winding mechanical movement, Adjusted in five positions, double barrel rapid rotation in series, two hands, Fitting of 11 ½”, Thickness of 3.7 mm, 189 components, Flat balance-spring, Tungsten oscillating weight, Ceramic ball-bearing, Incabloc Anti-shock.

JEWELLING: 28 jewels.

POWER RESERVE: 56h.

FREQUENCY: 4 Hz (28’800 A/h).

HAND: Feuille.

INDICATION: Hours and minute.

STRAPS: Handmade blue Louisiana alligator leather.

BUCKLE: Stainless steel 316 LM, custom buckle deployante three parts with buttons.

Someting New from France

Audaceone -

Courtesy of Audaceone

A new brand based in France, harnessing the best of both French and Swiss watch making skills.  This is Audaceone, and their first model - the Square.

Available in a Titanium Carbon version (above), and a Titanium DLC Carbon version (below).

Courtesy of Audaceone

Each titanium version is limited to 60 pieces, and also available in 2 different rose gold versions -

Courtesy of Audaceone

Courtesy of Audaceone

The gold versions are limited to 15 versions in each gold execution.


But back to the titanium versions -

Courtesy of Audaceone

Here are the pertinents for the Square Titanium Carbon -




Size:
Diameter : 42 mm (without crown)
Thickness : 9 mm

Case:
Carbon
Water Resistant
5 ATM
 
Bezel and case back:
Titanium TA6V (Grade 5)
Micro blasted and polished
Bezel engraved with logo at 3

Winding crown:
Titanium TA6V (Grade 5)
Rubber collar

Crystal:
Sapphire anti-glare treatment 


Dial:
Matte black
Blue index
Indications
Hours, minutes, seconds
Date at 6
Blue seconds hand


Bracelet:
Bi-material - rubber and leather
Buckle:
Titanium TA6V (Grade 5)

Movement:
Vaucher Manufacture
VMF 3002
Self-winding 50H power reserve
Movement details
189 components
Double barrel rapid rotation in series
Frequency : 4hz (28’800 Ah)
Anti-shock : Incabloc
Tungsten oscillating weight
Ceramic Ball Bearing
Balance with variable inertia
Gold inertia blocks

The Velsheda Deco

From Speake-Marin -

Courtesy of Speake-Marin

This was one of the pieces from Speake-Marin making its debut at this year's BaselWorld.  And to be honest, I was more than a little curious as to just what the name Velsheda was based on.  As it happens, it is named for a British "J Class" yacht constructed in the 1930s that is still being raced these many years later.