The Shellman Grand Complication Classic

And I said to myself:

おめでとうございます (congratulations), Henki!  I am now officially obsessed!

Courtesy of Shellman

So, I have known about Shellman since the jump, and in truth I didn't really pay it as much attention as it deserved. And that is solely down to the fact that it is a quartz watch. And it took a recent encounter with my mechanical moon phase, day, date chronograph to remind me of what a monumental pain in the ass it is to re-set ; )

So ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages, allow me to reintroduce the Shellman Grand Complication Classic.

Courtesy of Shellman

The Grand Complication Classic is, well, complicated ; )

But that's the point. But what it also underscores is that quartz isn't dumb. As has been said many times before, had quartz been available to Abraham Louis Breguet? He probably would have used it ; )

What is wonderful about this time machine, is that to some extent, you can pretty much "set it and forget it".

Now my Japanese isn't what it once was, Kasukabe was nearly 35 years ago now, but my understanding is that you can still purchase a Shellman Grand Complication from Shellman. But getting it shipped outside of Japan seems to be the tricky bit.

Per the website, the price is: ￥141,900

In the lower 48, that means you are looking at:

$890 US.

And I ask you - a watch that will be pretty much bang on time as it is quartz, has a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, moon phase, and a split-second chronograph for less than $1,000 yankee greenbacks?!? 

If you are now (like me) obsessed, here are the pertinents:

GRAND COMPLICATION CLASSIC

Product name	Shellman Grand Complication Classic
price	Classical: ¥141,900 (tax included)
size	Diameter 40mm, Thickness 13mm
weight	Approximately 70g (including belt and buckle)
Material	Body: Stainless steel; Crystal: Curved sapphire crystal
movement	Quartz movement Cal.6771 (accuracy ±20 seconds per month)
waterproof	Daily life waterproof
accessories	French Camille Fournet alligator strap (color: Marine) with Japanese-made stainless steel D-buckle.
Country of origin	The case, movement, and buckle are made in Japan, while the included strap is made in France.
battery life	Approximately 2 years (assuming the minute repeater is used for an average of 17 seconds per day and the chronograph is used for an average of 1 hour per day)
Warranty period	2-year warranty

Frederique Constant for ONLY WATCH

This edition of ONLY WATCH is fast approaching, and the folks at Frederique Constant have gone a little deeper and are offering something pretty special for this year's auction -

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

For this year's offering is a one of a kind version of their Manufacture Perpetual Calendar.   Ladies and Gentlemen, the ONLY WATCH 2017 Unique Piece - Manufacture Perpetual Calendar.

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

The case is 18k polished rose gold, and measures 42 mm in diameter.  The transparent display back displays the movement, highlighting the Côtes de Genève decoration.

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

But what truly sets this wrist bound bijoux apart is the dial.  It is of meteorite.  Perhaps the most challenging material around for dial makers to contend with, this meteorite dial is truly spectacular and fitting for such a special time keeper.

Courtesy of Frederique Constant

Here are the pertinents -

Reference: 
FC-775MT4S9

Case: 
18K rose gold polished 3-parts case
Diameter of 42 mm
Convex sapphire crystal
See-through case back
Water-resistant to 3 ATM

Movement:  
FC-775 Manufacture caliber, automatic perpetual calendar
Perlage & Circular Côtes de Genève decoration on movement
26 jewels, 38 hours power reserve, 28’800 alt/h
Dial: Meteorite dial, with applied rose gold-plated indexes
Hand-polished rose gold-plated hours & minutes hands
White hands on counters and red hand on leap year counter

Bracelet: 
Dark grey alligator strap, 18k folding buckle

Functions: 
Hours, minutes, moonphase, date, day, month, leap year

Limited edition: 
Unique piece for ONLY WATCH 2017

The Traditionnelle Chronograph Perpetual Calendar

From Vacheron Constantin -

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

43 mm of platinum goodness, here are the pertinents -

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

Reference

5000T/000P-B048
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Caliber

1142 QP

Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin Mechanical, manual-winding
27.5 mm (12’’’) diameter, 7.37 mm thick Approximately 48 hours of power reserve
3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)
324 components
21 jewels

Indications

Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock
Perpetual calendar (day of the week, date, month, leap year indication
Moon phase
Column-wheel chronograph (30-minute counter) at 3 o’clock

Case

950 platinum
43 mm diameter, 12.94 mm thick
Transparent sapphire crystal caseback

Water-resistance tested at a pressure of 3 bar (approx. 30 meters)

Dial

Slate-coloured, opaline, 22K white gold moon disc White painted tachymeter scale

18K white gold hour-markers

Strap

Black Mississippiensis alligator leather with alligator inner shell, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales

Clasp

950 platinum folding clasp Polished half Maltese cross-shaped

Presentation box

With watch winder 

Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue

From H.Moser & Cie.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

Now a big part of this press release was that a former professional footballer either purchased or was gifted the first 1 of 10 pieces of this limited edition.  Personally, I am a huge fan of Paolo Rossi -

shamelessly borrowed from the info web

But I neither know, nor do I care what watch he wears. And I'm sure that Karl-Heinz Riedle is a perfectly nice guy, but I could care even less what watch he wears, so I'll just stick to the watch itself.

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie.

TECHNICAL FEATURES – ENDEAVOUR PERPETUAL CALENDAR FUNKY BLUE
Reference 1341-0505, titanium model with DLC treatment, sky-blue fumé dial, alligator strap with carbon- effect matte finish, limited edition of 10 pieces

Case
Titanium with DLC treatment, three-part
Diameter: 40.8 mm
Height: 11.1 mm
Curved sapphire crystal
See-through curved sapphire crystal case-back
Crown adorned with an "M"
Engraved on the movement side with the inscription "1/10" on the case

Dial
Sky-blue fumé with sunburst pattern
Appliqué indices and leaf-shaped hands
Month indicated with a small arrow-shaped centre hand Sub-dial for seconds
Big date display

Movement
Mechanical hand-wound in-house calibre HMC 341
Diameter: 34.0 mm or 15 lignes
Height: 5.8 mm
Frequency: 18,000 Vib/h
28 jewels
Power reserve: minimum 7 days
Stop seconds
Double barrel
Interchangeable Moser escapement, Original Straumann Hairspring® with stabilised Breguet overcoil Pallet fork and escapement wheel made from gold
Movement and components hand-finished and decorated

Functions
Perpetual calendar
Big date display
Month indicator via central hand
Hours and minutes
Off-centre seconds dial
Power reserve indicator on dial
Leap year cycle indicator on movement side

Strap
Hand-stitched black alligator strap with carbon-effect matte finish Solid titanium DLC-treated pin buckle, engraved with the Moser logo. 

Practical, Useful, and the SHIT THAT KILLED ELVIS!

This is an overdue review of the Gavox Aurora.

To give you some background on how this review spooled out, it was Monday night at BaselWorld and Michael Happe, fellow writer Martin Green and I were hanging out at the bar at the Ramada looking at Michael's newest dive watch.  We then got to speaking about the Aurora.  
But this was not my first face to face encounter with the Aurora.  Wendy and I had seen it up close and personal in Brussels back in November of 2014.  It was still in the development / not quite yet ready for prime time phase.

Flash forward a year and a few months and here we were looking at the Aurora in real time!  Michael asked me to check it out and give some feedback, and I started out with good intentions to simply check it out and lend some feedback.  But that was before I started wearing it.

The Aurora was not what you would call a "straight forward" proposition, although the idea/s behind it were.  At the time we sat down to lunch on the day after Thanksgiving in Brussels back in 2014, Michael explained to me all that he had gone through in getting the movement and the functions just the way he wanted with Soprod.  Because this movement, as such, did not really exist anywhere other than the imagination of Michael Happe.  It is quartz, but the number of refinements required made this well beyond your every day quartz movement.

Essentially, we are talking about a watch that provides time, day, date, UTC/second time zone, timer, chronograph, perpetual calendar and because, well it made it extra cool - a moon phase indication.

The Aurora can be had in three different finishes - Gold PVD -

Courtesy of Gavox

Black PVD -

Courtesy of Gavox

And in stainless steel -

Courtesy of Gavox

And it is a very, very good looking watch!  The case measures 43 mm wide,  50.5 mm lug to lug and 12 mm thick.  The watch has been unbelievably comfortable and it has truly been a pleasure to wear these past weeks.

The watch is substantial, but rational.  The lugs just reaching the edge of my wrist.   Like all of the Gavox watches I have seen, the quality of the finish is beyond reproach.  Every edge smooth and neat and incredibly pleasant to the touch.

I was lent the gold version.  This was an interesting style choice for Gavox, as the codes are often of a military inspired nature.  It was, in hindsight, a great decision as the gold tone provides a fantastic frame to the dial and hands.

The case back is solid stainless steel, no PVD treatment which makes sense as that portion of the watch is what sits on your wrist.

The strap is black, stitched and padded and finished off with a Gavox buckle.

And the Gavox logo also graces the crown.

Okay, so that takes care of the look and feel - but really what this watch screamed to me was how functional, useful and (although it took me a wee bit of time to get my small brain wrapped around the set-up) it is incredibly simple and FUN to wear and use!

But what Michael Happe went through to get all of the functionality of the Aurora into one watch was in the end, time very well spent.

Hours, and minutes are pretty straight forward and easily understood.  But if you notice the register and hand down at 6 o'clock, you will soon realize that this is not a retrograde second hand ; )  This is, in fact, the nerve center of the watch itself.  By pushing the crown in, you move from function to function.  So with Home selected, you will see the time in the normal way - small hand for the hour, big hand for the minutes.

Push the crown in and it then moves you to a moving seconds counter at 9 o'clock -

When you move again to UTC that is then your second time zone -

Timer provides a measured (once you set it up) time period -

And the minute hand will actually run counter-clockwise. Once the timer has completed its countdown all of the hands will return to 12 o'clock. In the chronograph mode the Aurora works pretty much whatever every other chronograph does. But this also offers a split and fly back feature.

For the perpetual calendar aspect - i.e. day, date, month? Simply push the crown again to get to the date function -

It is a wee bit hard to make out owing to the light in this picture, but the outer most chapter ring indicates the month (as you can see January printed in a lighter color. The minute hand now points to April.

The hour hand points to the day of the week - Thursday

And the actual day of the month is indicated in the scale at 9 o'clock.  You will also notice a bright white dot just north of the number 15 on the same scale. This is where the moon phase indication lives.  You can notice the subtle shades of the various stages of the moon's progress across the night sky -

And one other interesting feature is the "return to Home" function.  Whatever function you are in, simply press the crown down for 3 to 4 seconds and the function returns to Home.

And that is that ; )

So how do I sum up a watch that overwhelmed me in so many ways?  Not easy, to be sure.  I think in order for you, the reader, to have some perspective on why I am so emphatically impressed by the Aurora is to understand that I am perhaps the last person in the world who would be too interested in a technical watch.  During interviews and BaselWorld appointments my eyes tend to glaze over as soon as the conversation turns "techie".  Moreover, you could certainly get just about all of this functionality out of a G Shock or a connected or smart watch.  But this is special.  This movement was painfully fretted over by Soprod, and Micheal Happe was not willing to accept merely "good enough".  And this wonderful watch is the result.

So truthfully, if you have the funds and the inclination, you will be very, very happy with this purchase.

Here are the pertinents -

Gavox Aurora 446.3 rose gold

Technical specifications:

• Measurements  Ø 43 x 50.5 x 12 mm
• Measure between lugs 22mm
• Autonomy between 4 to 7 years depending on mode usage
• Analog watch with 4 hands (1 for the mode, 3 for the information).
• Day and night visibility thanks to luminous hands and markings. Swiss Superluminova DGW9.
• UTC time reference, and local time by increments of 15 minutes.
• Countdown from up to 31 hours, with visual alarm.
• Mission chronograph to 31 hours, with split and flyback features.
• Perpetual calendar with simultaneous indication of date, day, month and leap year.
• Moon phase.
• Surgical 316L stainless steel, highly impervious to salt and sweat.
• Scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflection coating.
• Water-resistance to pressure of 10 ATM (333 ft).
• Serial number.

Slim d’Hermès - BaselWorld Preview

This is one of the watches we will be seeing from Hermès in a few months' time at BaselWorld -

This is from the Slim d’hermes collection, the Perpetual Calendar - 

Courtesy of Hermès

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS 

MAÎTRE CABINOTIER ASTRONOMICA

From Vacheron Constantin -

Courtesy of Vacheron Constantine

Now in fairness, this one goes in the "show-pony" category.  But then again, if you're gonna' dream, dream big!

I am not even going to attempt to describe the myriad functions, bells and whistles - all of which are pretty cool ; )

Instead, here's the spec sheet, trust me, it is more than enough to keep you busy!

MAITRE CABINOTIER ASTRONOMICA 

Reference 
80174/000G-9995
Hallmark of Geneva certified timepiece

Caliber 
2755-B1
Developed and manufactured by Vacheron Constantin
Mechanical, manual-winding
33.9 mm (14’’’ 3⁄4) diameter
12.15 mm thick
Approximately 58 hours of power reserve 2.5Hz (18,000 vibrations/hour)
839 components 42 jewels

Indications 
Hours, minutes
Small second at 6 o’clock on tourbillon carriage
15 complications:

1. Minute repeater
   
2. Tourbillon
   3-7. Perpetual calendar (date, day of the week, month, leap year)

8. Power reserve
   
9. Equation of time
   
10. Sunrise time
    
11. Sunset time
    
12. Sky chart
    
13. Age and phases of the moon
    
14. Sidereal hours and minutes
    
15. Seasons, zodiac signs
    

Setting 
Hours and minutes adjustment: winding crown (2 positions) 
Moon phase adjustment: correction push-piece on the case
Perpetual calendar adjustment: two correction push-pieces on the case Sky chart adjustment: with crown and screwed-down push-piece

Case 
18K white gold
47 mm diameter, 19.1 mm thick

Dials 
18K white gold, slate-colored opaline 
18K white gold applied hour-markers
18K white gold hands


Strap 
Black Mississippiensis alligator leather, hand-stitched, saddle-finish, large square scales

Clasp 
18K white gold triple-blade folding clasp Polished half Maltese cross-shaped

Box 
Prestige winder box made of Makassar wood

Accessories 
Delivered with a corrector pen, a magnifying glass and a resonator of sound « La Musique du Temps » enhancing the sound and the harmony notes of Vacheron Constantin minute

repeater 

« Pièce unique » engraved on caseback 

Reynold - a Beautiful Anniversary Present

This just in from Pierre DeRoche -

Courtesy of  Pierre DeRoche

This is the Reynold.

H. Moser & Cie. Perpetual Calendar Black Edition

This is just in from H. Moser & Cie. -

Courtesy of H.Moser & Cie.

The H. Moser & Cie. in-house perpetual calendar is one of the most innovative yet user-friendly complications ever produced. 

Something for… your pocket!

Yes, I know that it is 2014, NOT 1814, or even 1914….

Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

But there is something to be said about a beautifully, wonderfully complicated watch for your pocket!

Perpetual Calendar from H. Moser & Cie

Courtesy of H. Moser & Cie

Not 40, not 41, but a cunning 40.8 mm - I love the refusal to round the case size the nearest millimeter!

Franck Muller's Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

An easy start to your Thursday morning - no reading required!

Franck Muller's Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in "moving pictures".

So a Repeater, an Annual Calendar and an Equation of Time Walk into a Bar...

This just in from Girard-Perregaux -



Courtesy of Girard-Perregaux

 Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar & Equation of Time watch The Mechanics of Time Captured in Three Complications


Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar and Equation of Time: in its 42 mm diameter, the Girard-Perregaux 1966 houses three illustrious watchmaking complications. They are displayed on the dial in perfect harmony, orchestrated by a mechanical caliber with over 400 component parts.

A model of technical ingenuity, the new Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar & Equation of Time watch has all the attributes to earn its place in the firmament of the most outstanding watchmaking achievements. A worthy heir to the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Collection, it displays its various functions with a remarkable sense of aesthetic balance, despite its hidden complexities.

For the elegantly proportioned dial, a silvered sunburst decor has been chosen as a background to the various time indications. Surrounded by solid gold applique hour-markers with sharply defined profiles, the various indications perform their functions as the hours and minutes hands pursue their paths above them. The eye is immediately caught by the imposing date located at 1:30 on the dial. The month is displayed in a window opposite to complete the Annual Calendar function. This ingenious construction only requires a single adjustment of the date per year, in February, which is easily carried out through the watch’s crown.

Indicated by a cam appearing in relief on a wheel that completes one revolution per year, the Equation of Time is displayed at 4:30 on the dial. It shows the difference between civil time and solar time. For, in reality, the solar day varies in duration from day to day. While the two reference times in question coincide exactly four times per year, the accumulated difference between them can be as much as, for example, 16 minutes in November.

To complete this watchmaking masterpiece, a Minute Repeater enables the user to hear the striking of the hours, quarter-hours and minutes. Conceived in an age before the advent of electricity, when people needed to be able to hear an indication of the time during the night, today this has become one of the complications that is most appreciated by connoisseurs of fine watchmaking. In order to create the vibration that will produce a crystalline sound, the adjustment of the striking mechanism is one of the most delicate operations for a watchmaker, requiring nimble fingers and a particularly acute ear. The fruit of exhaustive acoustic research, the Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater mechanism benefits from three specially designed aspects of the construction of the watch-case: an optimal fit between the internal diameter of the case and that of the caliber, so as to achieve maximum resonance; a curved case back that increases the volume of air between the movement and the case, and enhances the sound production; and the diamond-polished bottom of the case back, which reduces acoustic interference.

Visible through the sapphire crystal case back, the manually wound mechanical caliber perpetuates the great Girard-Perregaux watchmaking tradition. With its constant concern for aesthetic standards, Girard-Perregaux has designed the balance-cock in a semi-arrow shape that recalls the Golden Bridges, the brand's emblematic signature.




Girard-Perregaux 1966 Minute Repeater, Annual Calendar & Equation of Time watch TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Case in polished pink gold with anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Bezel: circular, satin-finish interior
Dimensions: 42 mm
Crystal: Domed anti-reflective sapphire
Dial: brass, appliques in 5N18 pink gold
Hands: "Leaf", "Baton" and "Arrow" styles in 5N18 pink gold and coated in diamond powder piece by piece Crown: 5N18 pink gold with GP logo engraved Case-back: sapphire crystal, closed with 6 screws, all inscriptions hand-engraved
Water resistance: 30 meters

Girard-Perregaux E09-0003 Movement Handwound mechanical movement
Caliber: 14¼'''
Frequency: 21,600 vib/h – (3 Hz)
Power reserve: min.100 hours (4 days)
Jeweling: 48 jewels
Number of components: 419
Plate: rhodium-plated and circular-grained
Bridges: côtes de Genève, polished beveled angles
Balance-cock: gold semi-arrow shaped, "rounded-off"
Balance: with variable inertia
Striking mechanism: repeating with two facing hammers, hours, quarter-hours, minutes.
Regulation of the speed of the striking-mechanism by inertia-driven governor, countersprings accessible on the bridge side, inverted minute rack; conventional gong pitches.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, minute repeater, annual calendar, equation of time

Brown alligator strap Ardillon buckle in pink gold
Reference: 99651-52-131-BKBA
Limited edition of 15 pieces


www.girard-perregaux.com

Breguet Acquires Two Antique Watches for a Record Price of Nearly 7 Million Swiss Francs



2667 Courtesy of Breguet

The Breguet Museum and its President, Marc A. Hayek, have acquired two exceptional Breguet watches that made their mark on Fine Watchmaking history, for a record price of nearly 7 million Swiss francs. Bought at a Christie's auction in Geneva on Monday, May 14th, these masterpieces are the most expensive ever purchased in Breguet's history, and the costliest Breguet antique watches ever sold at auction to date. The first watch, no. 2667 dating from 1814, went for the unequalled price of over 4 million Swiss francs. This thin pocket watch with two movements is based on the chronometer principle (resonance).  It is an extremely rare piece made in 18-carat yellow gold, of unsurpassed delicacy and elegance. A.-L. Breguet designed it to confirm his theory that two oscillating bodies in close proximity will influence each other.  This objet d'art has two separate dials, the first numbered with Arabic numerals, the second with Roman numerals.  It is an extraordinary timepiece that reflects both Breguet's refined aesthetic sense and his innovative inventive genius.

4111 Courtesy of Breguet

The second antique piece, no. 4111, is a thin flat equation-of-time and repeater watch, built on the chronometer principle. It repeats hours, half-hours, quarter-hours, and half-quarters. This "Grande Complication" watch dates from 1827 and was purchased for more than 2.5 million Swiss francs. It has an annual calendar as well as a manual perpetual calendar, and also displays mean and apparent solar time. In pursuit of aesthetic and functional perfection, the balance wheel was especially worked so that the watch would be extremely thin, fascinating technical feats in a "Grande Complication" watch. Montres Breguet is proud to announce the arrival of these treasures for its museums. This unique event confirms Breguet President and CEO Marc A. Hayek's commitment to preserving the Manufacture's historic and cultural legacy.

Beauty Is A Rare Thing

Or so the classic jazz album would tell us.  My summer reading at the moment is somewhat

eclectic, but the Girard-Perregaux book is still on the top of the heap.  So for those of you who have not had a chance to see it, here is a little bijou for you.