Watch Time

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BR-X1
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THE HYPERSONIC CHRONOGRAPH

The BR-X1 is the perfect synthesis of Bell & Rosss expertise in the world of aviation watches and master watchmaking: an instrument with an innovative design, produced in a limited edition of
only 250 pieces. Lightweight and resistant, the grade 5 titanium case of the BR-X1 is protected by a high-tech ceramic bezel with a rubber strap. Ergonomic and innovative, the push buttons allow the chronograph
functions to be used easily and efficiently. Sophisticated and reliable, the skeleton chronograph movement of the BR-X1 is truly exceptional and combines haute horlogerie finishes with extreme lightness.
Bell & Ross Inc. +1.888.307.7887 | e-Boutique: www.bellross.com | Download the BR SCAN app to reveal exclusive content
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PUBLISHERS
Letter
WatchTime Goes
Mobile-First and Starts
A Social Media Newsdesk
ave you ever visited WatchTime.com on your
In addition, we have recently redesigned our
cellphone? Chances are you have. Because mobile website based on cutting edge technology with
more than 500,000 watch collectors do adhesive advertising units, social media features,
exactly that, every month. And 90 percent of our blended content formats and a luxurious layout. We
100,000 newsletter subscribers read our news mail- will now continuously update our mobile platform;
ings on their cellphones, too. Surprising? Not really, at there will be more new features and exciting enhanceleast for us. It is the result of what we call our ments soon. A revamped video strategy is currently
mobile-first strategy.
being developed by our content team, and we will
Ever since we launched our mobile website in share all the secrets of this strategy with you in the
2012, the traffic has increased: by 10 percent in the coming months.
first week, by 100 percent in the first year and by 300
Why do we do all that? Because we believe in
percent in the second year. And now, three years later, watches, and we are passionate when it comes to proour mobile traffic is up more than
1,000 percent versus 2012, according to the latest Google research
WHEREVER WATCH FANS ARE,
data. Along the way, WatchTime
has won a record-breaking array of
WE WILL FIND THEM, THANKS TO
global awards and prestigious
nominations for this rapid growth.
OUR MOBILE-FIRST STRATEGY AND
Hardly any other watch magazine,
EXTENSIVE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
blog or forum will be able to match
this success. Just ask them.
Yet our mobile-first strategy
has only just begun. Theres more to come, and here is ducing the best possible watch content for you, no
what will happen next. Today WatchTime.com is one matter what device you use to read WatchTime. Furof the worlds largest and fastest-growing mobile lux- thermore, the unified approach of mobile-first and
ury watch platforms. Soon it will be one of the most social media-centric strategies addresses one of the
social media enhanced websites for young collectors most pressing and complex sets of problems that luxand experienced aficionados. Thats because social ury watch brands face today: where do young collecmedia is where the news gets shared first, and social tors go to learn about timepieces? What content do
media is where collectors send each other the latest they read? With the decline of print and the stagnation
watch updates, photos and tech specs. It will thus not of tablet magazines, what platforms will cater to the
surprise you that right when the SIHH fair in Geneva more mature collector audiences? What advertising
began in mid-January, we launched the worlds first units perform best across all platforms? What marketsocial media newsdesk for luxury watches. This news- ing mix is the most efficient to reach a digital collector
desk allows us to offer a 24-hour social media user audience?
engagement, every day, around the world, on every
WatchTime has an answer for every single quessocial channel that we target.
tion. Just send me an e-mail: dgrau@watchtime.com.
Wherever watch fans are, we will find them.
Dominik Grau
Theres no escape from WatchTimes collector outPublisher
reach strategy.
WatchTime April 2015
WT_0215_EditorsLetter_03.qxp 06.02.15 17:38 Seite 10
EDITORS
Letter
More Power
To You
age through this issue and you might be
struck, as I was, by the strong but unintentional power theme that runs through it.
The most striking thing is the number of articles
devoted to so-called power brands watch
brands that have high volumes, high revenues and
high consumer recognition. Brands like Rolex,
Breitling, Panerai and IWC. It so happens that we
have tests (in one case, a review) of a watch from
each of those brands in this issue.
In our cover story, our Germany-based watch
tester Jens Koch spends quality time with the Rolex
Sea-Dweller 4000. His article is more than a test of
that watch; he also compares it to its two sisters in
Rolexs dive-watch family, the Submariner and the
Deepsea. Check out the rare family photo of the
three sisters together on page 74; there is no mistaking the resemblance.
To test the IWC Aquatimer Automatic and the
Tudor Pelagos dive watches, Koch and colleague
Jens Kppe went the extra mile. Miles actually.
They flew to Tenerife in the Canary Islands to
dive with the watches (and the barracudas and
the sea turtles). You cant read the diving duos
article Diving Duo the title refers to the
watches, not the Jenses and not envy them the
plum assignment. Find out on page 86 how the
divers and divers watches performed in the
mighty Atlantic.
In Everyday Eight-Day (page 78), Alexander
Krupp, our other Germany-based watch tester, tests
the Panerai Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio. Krupp
likes what he calls the bare-bones character of
the watch: just two hands, manual-wind movement, no minute indicators. (Pop quiz: acciaio is the
Italian word for what? If you dont know, the
answer is in the article.)
Martina Richter reviews the sole mechanical
model in the Breitling Colt collection, which the
company revamped last year. Its got an entry-level
price for a Breitling ($3,525), but also a COSCcertified movement. Get Richters take on it in
Basic Breitling on page 126.
For those of you whose horological tastes (and
disposable income) are a bit more upmarket, we
have a test for you, too. Kochs test of the $292,700
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle 14
Panerai Luminor Base 8 Days

Acciaio
Jean-Claude Biver
IWC Aquatimer vs. Tudor Pelagos
10
Days (thats right, this tourbi watch has four barrels

and runs for two weeks!) begins on page 98.
Its not just power watch tests in this issue,
though. We also have feature articles on two other
power brands. One is Cartier, (which vies with
Omega for the title of worlds second best-selling
Swiss luxury watch, after Rolex). We take you into
Cartiers new Swiss facility for making exotic, artistic watch dials (page 144). The other brand is the
Japanese watch powerhouse, Seiko. Our Gisbert
Brunner picks the 24 most important Seiko watches
of all time (page 104).
Nor is it just power brands: its also power people
who are running power brands. Long-time Swiss
watch power player Jean-Claude Biver has been
making news, noise and waves lately in his new position as head of the watch division of the worlds
largest luxury group, LVMH. Biver is a watch-world
legend, having been a rainmaker for Blancpain in the
1980s, Omega in the 1990s, and Hublot in the
2000s. Last year, LVMH Chairman Bernard Arnault
tapped Biver to oversee the groups watch division
brands, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith. (LVMHs
Bulgari, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton brands
also make watches, but are not in its watch division.)
Biver has paid particular attention to TAG Heuer
lately. In December, he removed Stphane Linder as
CEO and took the job himself. Shortly after,
WatchTime Executive Editor Norma Buchanan met
one-on-one with Biver in Switzerland to learn what
his plans are for TAG. Her report, Biver Talks
TAG, is on page 62.
Power is also the theme of our first coverage
from the years first watch show, SIHH in Geneva.
(There will be a big special section on the new
watches in the next issue.) The show was overshadowed by the shock of the Swiss francs unexpected overnight surge just before the show doors
opened in January. We analyze how the superstrong franc will impact the Swiss watch industry
this year in The Return of Francenstein, beginning on page 54.
With this issue, youre on a power trip. We hope
you enjoy it.
Joe Thompson
Editor-in-Chief
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CONTENTS
WatchTime, March-April, 2015
54
68
78
COVER STORY
68
DEEP DIVE REDUX

By Jens Koch | After a six-year hiatus, Rolex
resurrected the Sea-Dweller last year in a new,
improved version.
86
DIVING DUO
By Jens Koch and Jens Kppe | We dove into the
Atlantic off Tenerife with the new IWC Aquatimer and
the Tudor Pelagos. How well did they perform during
the rigors of several dives?
98
A TWO-WEEK TOURBILLON
By Jens Koch | We test an ultra-luxe Vacheron
Constantin with two special features, a tourbillon and
a 14-day power reserve.
122
THOSE CRAZY 70S

By Alexander Krupp | Hamiltons Pan-Europ Day-Date
brings back the most colorful decade in watch history.
126
BASIC BREITLING
By Martina Richter | Breitlings new take on the
decades-old Colt is true to the original, with features
that have become hallmarks of the brand.
TESTS & REVIEWS

78
16
EVERYDAY EIGHT-DAY
By Alexander Krupp | The Luminor Base 8 Days
Acciaio is an entry-level Panerai with solid mechanical
reliability and that distinctive Panerai look.
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CONTENTS
April 2015
104
62
86
116
FEATURES
54
THE RETURN OF FRANCENSTEIN

By Joe Thompson | Much of the talk at the SIHH watch
show in January in Geneva was about the sudden surge
in strength of the Swiss franc. Its likely to squeeze
profits and push up prices, show attendees said.
132
BULOVAS MIDAS MAN

By Jay Deshpande | Last year, Bulova produced what it
says is the worlds first watch with a case made out of
24k gold. Gregory Thumm, who was appointed Bulova
CEO in January 2013, explains how, and why, he did it.
62
BIVER TALKS TAG

By Norma Buchanan | Watch industry bigwig
Jean-Claude Biver became TAG Heuers interim CEO in
December. What will that mean? Biver explains it all.
144
THE ART OF THE DIAL

By Joe Thompson | In its new Maison des Mtiers dArt
in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, Cartier creates
artisanal dials for manufacture watches. This photo
essay takes you inside the workshops.
104
SEIKO MILESTONES
By Gisbert L. Brunner | A survey of Seikos 24 most
important timepieces, starting with its first pocketwatch, from 1895, and ending with its high-tech
Astron GPS Solar, which sets itself automatically to
the time zone its in.
156
PLAYING THE ODDS

By Alexander Krupp | Christophe Claret has built a
collection of watches under his own name that
showcases his penchant for the playful and the
stridently unconventional. Among them: watches that
let you play poker, baccarat and dice.
116
18
JAZZ MAN
By Joe Thompson | American watch distributor Mark
Wasserman loves jazz and jazz watches. Over the past two
decades hes launched 10 of them with three different
Swiss brands: Oris, Vulcain and now Claude Bernard.
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CONTENTS
April 2015
144
156
132
DEPARTMENTS
& COLUMNS
8
PUBLISHERS LETTER
An update on our digital-media efforts
10
EDITORS LETTER
You could call this our power issue.
22
ON WATCHTIME.COM
A glimpse at whats on our site to keep you up to date
on the latest watch news
28
30
32
WATCHTALK
Montblanc gets into smart devices; a test for measuring
watch knowledge; new watches from Bulgari and
RGM; Omegas new certification system; and more
44
WATCH QUIZ
Metals and other watch-case materials
46
BRAND NEW
A portfolio of 12 new models from a range of brands
WORLD OF WATCHTIME
See the global reach of WatchTime and its partners.
164
FACETIME
A photo mlange of readers and their watches
READERS FORUM
Two readers raise objections to our February issue.
166
LAST MINUTE
Last years Swiss watch export figures are strictly ho-hum.
ON THE COVER: The Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000
20
Slim dHerms
watch in
rose gold,
Manufacture
H1950
ultra-thin
movement.
SLIM DHERMS, PURITY IN MOTION.
1-800-441-4488
Hermes.com
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ON WATCHTIME.COM
Visit our website for more information about the
world of fine watches. To read the stories shown
here, go to watchtime.com/on-watchtime.
ULYSSE NARDIN CELEBRATES

THE YEAR OF THE GOAT
According to the Chinese zodiac, 2015 is the
year of the goat. Ulysse Nardin has created a
new watch bearing an enamel picture of
a mother goat with her two kids, and limited
to 88 pieces to commemorate the year.
Its the latest in UNs series of Chinese New
Year watches.
FIVE STANDOUT SKELETON

WATCHES FROM SIHH 2015
Skeleton watches were big
at last years SIHH watch
fair in Geneva and the
trend continued at this
years show. Here are five
new skeletons that are
worth a closer look.
SEVEN MUST-VISIT
SWISS WATCH MUSEUMS
There are many great
reasons for watch lovers to
visit Switzerland. Among
them are several worldfamous watch museums.
Here are the top seven, all
open to the public.
VINTAGE STYLE:
THE BREITLING TRANSOCEAN
CHRONOGRAPH 1915
The limited-edition Breitling
Transocean Chronograph
1915 marks the 100th
anniversary of a major design
innovation that we now take
for granted: the independent
push-piece.
22
Scan this code

with your smartphone to visit
watchtime.com.
HUBLOTS TRIBUTE TO
FINE CIGARS
With the recent restoration of
diplomatic ties between the
U.S. and Cuba, American cigar
smokers may soon be able to
puff on Cuban cigars legally.
Now they can count down
to that historic moment on
the Hublot Classic Fusion
ForbiddenX, a watch that has
real tobacco leaves on its dial.
LOOKING TIME IN THE EYE:

NEW HYT SKULL WATCHES
HYT, one of the most unconventional
watchmakers out there, keeps its
weird-and-wild streak alive with
its new HYT Skull. The watch
incorporates the brands
hydromechanical horology, in
which colored liquid tells the time
(the watch is available with either
red or green liquid).
2/3/15
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THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WATCHES
Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
Joe Thompson
Executive Editor
Norma Buchanan
Managing Editor
Dara Hinshaw
Associate Editor
Jay Deshpande
Digital Media Editor
Mark Bernardo
Art Direction/Design
trurnit Publishers, Munich
Contributing Writers
Gwendolyn Benda
Gisbert L. Brunner
Rdiger Bucher
Maria-Bettina Eich
Jens Koch
Alexander Krupp
Martina Richter
Thomas Wanka
Neha S. Bajpai
Aishwarya Sati
Nitin Nair
Contributing Editor
Carol Besler
Translations
Howard Fine
Magdalena Grau
Joanne Weinzierl
Photographers
Nina Bauer
Marcus Krger
OK-Photography
Eveline Perroud
Nik Schlzel
Zuckerfabrik Fotodesign
WatchTime (ISSN 1531-5290) is published bimonthly for $49.97 per year by Ebner Publishing International, Inc., 274 Madison Avenue, Suite 804, New York, NY 10016.
Copyright Ebner Publishing International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. March/April 2015 issue, Volume 17, Number 2. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to WatchTime,
WatchTime Subscription Service, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834-3000, Tel. 1-888-289-0038. Publications mail agreement no. 40676078: Return undeliverable
Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 4R6.
www.watchtime.com
WT_0215_Masthead 06.02.15 16:10 Seite 26
THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WATCHES
EBNER PUBLISHING INC.

274 Madison Ave
Suite 804
New York, NY 10016
USA
Management & Administration

Managing Director & Publisher
Advertising & Event Sales Director
Digital Sales Executive
Dominik Grau
Sara M. Orlando
Christopher Robinson
Event Manager
Minda Larsen
Office Manager
Steve Brown
Controlling & Accounting

Accountant
IT Infrastructure
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Terry King
Subscriptions
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Newsstands (MCC)
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Newsstands (CMG)
Sherry Kurth
EBNER PUBLISHING GROUP

Ulm, Germany
Executive Board
Gerrit Klein
Martin Metzger (Deputy)
Florian Ebner
International Editorial Director/Watch Division
Rdiger Bucher
Production Director
Michael Kessler
Head of Digital Development

Head of IT
Digital & Mobile
Paul-Henry Schmidt
Jordan Hellstern
Jens Koeppe
WatchTime, watchtime.com, Inside Basel.Geneva and IBG are protected through trademark registration
in the United States and in the foreign countries where WatchTime magazine circulates.
WT_Media_Worldwide_09 05.12.14 14:39 Seite 26
THE WORLD OF
Magazines
Website
Apps
USA
India
Brazil
Middle East
Middle East
Germany
China
Korea
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Poland
WatchTime is a subsidiary of Ebner Publishing of Germany, whose flagship watch magazines are WatchTime
(USA, India, Middle East) and Chronos (Europe, Asia). Ebner also owns the 'Inside Basel.Geneva' event brand.
Events
1/30/15
8:40 AM
Page 1
ACCURACY TAKEN TO NEW DEPTHS
PATRAVI SCUBATEC
Discover the world 500 meters below
its surface. The Patravi ScubaTec divers
watch offers a multi adjustable clasp
and an automatic helium release valve
to ensure ultimate comfort and worry
free equalization of pressure. Created
with the highest grade of stainless
steel, its rugged ceramic bezel and blue
illuminated hands and dial markers
ensure perfect readability, even at the
deepest depths.
BOUND TO TRADITION DRIVEN BY INNOVATION
WWW.CARL-F-BUCHERER.COM
800.395.4306
WT_0215_Readers_Forum_04.qxp 09.02.15 09:19 Seite 30
WATCHtalk
READERS
Forum
W
05.12.14 14:35 Seite 1
PATEKS 175TH ANNIVERSARY PIECES
AMERICAS #1 WATCH MAGAZINE
YOUR REVIEW OF THE BELL & ROSS BR-X1 IS

CONFUSING AND ALL OVER THE WATCH-O-SPHERE.
TESTS &
REVIEWS
OMEGA
GIRARDPERREGAUX
H. MOSER & CIE.
4 DIVE WATCHES
SQUARE OFF:
TUDOR, SEIKO,
WEMPE & MHLE
BELL & ROSS

PUMPS UP
WHO WAS
PIERRE
JAQUET-DROZ?
www.watchtime.com
Februar y 2015
$8.95
74470 94830
02
Display until March 17, 2015
BLANCPAIN
TESTING THE 50 FATHOMS
BATHYSCAPHE CHRONO
A manufacture movement? No way.
Its an X-1BEE, stupid.
WatchTime welcomes correspondence from readers.

Send comments to editorin-chief Joe Thompson at
274 Madison Avenue,
Suite 804, New York, NY
10016 or via e-mail to
jthompson@watchtime.
com. Please include your
full name, city and state,
and country (if outside the
United States). Letters may
be edited for length or
clarity.
30
AND ANOTHER THING

In your February edition you have the best
review of Patek Philippes Grandmaster Chime
of all the watch magazines I read (I read all that
are available in the U.S.). I appreciate how you
break down the Grandmasters functions and
how they are controlled.
However, your review [in the same issue] of
the Bell & Ross BR-X1 [Bell & Ross Pumps
Up] is confusing and all over the watch-osphere. Your article makes it sound like B&R is
using a manufacture movement but then you go
on to explain how B&R worked with Dubois
Dpraz to create the movement. Furthermore,
you state on page 79, The dial is made of a
gray-tinted mineral glass affording a view of the
skeleton movement. It is difficult to understand if you are referring to the dial or the sapphire crystal protecting the dial. A clarification
would be helpful particularly for a $20,000
MSRP chronograph date watch with a movement from a third-party movement maker (and
so glad to know B&R earned a cool $1 million
in LA recently).
Furthermore, your review of the GirardPerregaux 1966 [also in the February issue]
seems rather unfair. WT would have more credibility if you would compare two similar watches
rather than reviewing one watch at a time. The
GP 1966 appears awfully similar to the Patek
Philippe chronograph 5070 (although the Patek
has no date). In my many years of WT subscription I remember only one review of a
Patek, which was one of their regulator models
(with the stop seconds function). Why not more
Patek Philippe watch reviews? The GP receives
a somewhat low grade but compared to
what? The Patek 5070 looks quite similar to the
GP any comments from WT or its sister magazine on the comparison? Looking at both
watches, I see somewhat of the same DNA
including the difficult reading of the time that is
commented on in the GP article. So how does
WT rate the Patek 5070?
Dont get me wrong: I appreciate WT and
all of the watch information it provides. For
many years subscribers have asked for greater
balance. How about it?
Eric Stein
Via e-mail
Joe Thompson replies:

You are correct that calling the Bell & Ross BRX1s movement a manufacture movement was
wrong. It was actually Bell & Ross co-owner
Carlos Rosillo who described it that way, but
we quoted him without casting any doubt on his
use of that term. In truth, a manufacture movement must be designed and made in-house.
Because Dubois Dpraz makes the BR-X1s
movement, it should instead be referred to as a
proprietary movement.
To answer your dial/crystal question: it is the
dial (as the article states), not the crystal, that is
tinted gray.
As for the Patek Philippe 5070, it is, like the
GP 1966 watch, a bi-compax chronograph. But
we see no particular reason to compare them:
the Patek costs tens of thousands of dollars
more than the Girard-Perregaux 1966 chrono.
We would argue that putting the two watches
head to head in a comparative test would take
us farther away from, not closer to, the greater
balance you are requesting. You are right that
we very seldom test Patek Philippe watches. We
lament that fact as much as you do, but in the
case of Patek, as with all of our tests, were limited by what watches are made available to us.
PLANE WRONG
I just wanted to let you know that your article
Bell and Ross Pumps Up in the February
2015 issue contains some misleading information. The article is about the BR-X1 watch. In
the article you mention that the inspiration for
the watch was the Bell X-1(Glamorous Glennis) aircraft that General [Chuck] Yeager flew
past Mach 1 for the first time on 14 Oct 1947.
However, the picture you use in your article is
of the Bell X-1B. The X-1B craft was not flown
for the first time until seven years later on 8
Oct 1954. The X-1Bs specific mission was
flight research pertaining to aerodynamic heating and control systems development during
supersonic flight. There is no record of General
Yeager ever flying the X-1B, although Neil
Armstrong was one of the X-1B test pilots.
Bill Schrank
Via e-mail
Youre right. Thank you for pointing this out. JT
WT_0215_Watchtalk_04_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 13:55 Seite 32
WATCHtalk
Montblanc Gets Smart

A new smart device
turns a mechanical watch
into a connected one.
f 2015 is the year that smartwatch
technology comes to Switzerland, then
Montblanc has gotten a head start.
Just hours into Jan. 1, CEO Jrme Lambert announced a new piece of wearable
technology. The TimeWalker Urban Speed
e-Strap takes advantage of that forgotten
piece of watch real estate: the inside of the
wrist. The strap provides a have your
cake and eat it, too solution to watch
wearers who like mechanical timepieces
but want the high-tech functions of a
smartwatch.
The e-Strap was developed at Montblanc headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, by a team of engineers charged with
developing advanced technology for the
brand. It is manufactured in Hong Kong.
The emphasis on technology is a part of
the CEOs new strategy for the brand;
Lambert joined Montblanc in 2013.
The e-Strap connects to the wearers
smartphone via Bluetooth. It vibrates to
notify the wearer of incoming e-mails,
texts and calls, as well as alerts from
social media and calendars. The built-in
touch-screen LED display shows texts or
previews the subject line and sender of an
e-mail. The display also can be used to
navigate the devices various functions.
Thanks to an accelerometer, the
e-Straps activity tracker can log calories
burnt, steps taken and distance traveled.
The devices associated smartphone app
tracks fitness progress over weeks and
months. It also uses vibration alerts to
remind the wearer to stay active and to
keep him or her updated on daily progress.
In addition, the e-Strap can be used as
a remote control for different smartphone
capabilities. It can play, pause or skip
through songs playing off the phone.
Especially useful is a camera remote: it can
trigger the shutter of a smartphone camera
with a tap of the strap.
The TimeWalker
Urban Speed
Chronograph with
its e-Strap
32
WATCHtalk
The e-Straps smartphone app includes an activity

tracker.
The device, which can be removed

from the strap, comes with a Find-Me
function, letting the wearer search for the
watch via the phone, or the phone via the
watch, within a range of 30 meters.
The e-Strap has a stainless-steel case,
rubberized for shock protection. It is 40
mm long, 14.2 mm wide and 9 mm thick.
In normal use, it will require charging via
USB once every five days. It is compatible
with the iPhone 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6 and 6
Plus; with Android devices running
Android 4.3 or higher; and with the Samsung Galaxy S4, S5, Note 3 and Note 4.
The strap, made out of Montblancs
original Extreme leather, was constructed by Montblancs leather-goods factory
in Florence. Its upper surface has a carbon-like appearance. A special treatment
is used to improve the structural integrity
of the leather. Montblanc says that it is resistant to water, fire and abrasion. It can
be adjusted to strap sizes from 20 to 22 mm.
The strap is available with the TimeWalker Urban Speed Chronograph, the
TimeWalker Urban Speed UTC and the
TimeWalker Urban Speed Date Automatic. Right now the company is not selling the e-Strap by itself, but it may do so
in the future. The Urban Speed chrono
equipped with the e-Strap costs $5,400.
With the attached device, the UTC costs
$4,600 and the Date Automatic costs
$3,465.
JAY DESHPANDE
34
The front and back of

RGMs baseball watch
and the Waltham
watch that inspired it
National Pastime
he baseball season starts April 5. If
youre a fan, Roland Murphy,
founder of the RGM Watch Co. in
Mount Joy, Pa., has a watch for you: the
Pennsylvania Series Caliber 801 Baseball
watch, a limited-edition wristwatch
inspired by a 19th-century pocketwatch.
Several years ago, Murphy came
across the pocketwatch during a visit to
the National Watch and Clock Museum
in nearby Columbia. It was made by
Waltham in 1892 and decorated with
scenes of baseball players in action all
around its dial. Each player marked an
hour, except at 6 oclock, where there
was a small seconds display. The baseball scenes were painted on the dial with
grand feu enameling.
Murphy decided to pay tribute to
this Waltham design with a wristwatch
powered by RGMs Caliber 801, an
American-made movement that Murphy, a watchmaker, introduced in 2008.
The movement is hand-wound and has a

frequency of 18,000 vph (classic pocketwatch frequency). It has a power reserve
of 40 to 44 hours.
The dial shows players batting,
catching and fielding. He contracted
with an outside supplier to do the
enameling, using the grand feu technique. In that process, powdered glass of
different colors is heated to more than
800 degrees C until it melts and solidifies
onto a metal plate; this process is repeated
many times. The heating process must
be performed with great care to avoid
any cracking or burning.
The watch has a 43.3-mm stainlesssteel case. Sapphire crystals cover both
the front and back. The hours and minutes hands are in blued steel and have
RGMs trademark keystone shape. The
watch comes on a brown alligator strap
with contrast stitching. It is a limited edition of 10 pieces. Price: $13,900.
WATCHtalk
Taking Strict Measures

n December, Omega and the Swiss
Federal Institute of Metrology
(METAS) held a joint press conference in
Geneva to announce a new collaboration.
Starting the middle of this year, Omega
watches that are labeled Master Co-Axial
will be officially certified by METAS using
a new testing system.
At the press conference, Swatch
Group CEO Nick Hayek was joined
by Omega President Stephen
Urquhart and Christian Bock, the
director of METAS, to discuss the
new system.
Omega watches will now be
certified for not just consistent
timekeeping but also for antimagnetism and water resistance. METAS, which
describes itself as the federal center of competence for
all issues related to measurement
and for measuring equipment and
measuring procedures, will become
the impartial regulating body that will
certify that Omegas watches meet the
brands promises.
Going forward, all Omega Master CoAxial calibers will be tested to meet certain
standards. Each movement must continue
to function when exposed to magnetic
fields greater than 15,000 Gauss. Each finished watch must also continue to function when exposed to magnetic fields greater
than 15,000 Gauss. The watch must keep
consistent time, between 0 and +5
seconds/day, when tested at different temperatures and in different positions.
Finally, each watch must be tested to ensure
it achieves its stated power reserve and
water resistance.
Omega began promoting the antimagnetic properties of its watches in 2013
with the launch of Caliber 8508, which
has components made of materials that
are unaffected by magnetic fields. The
METAS certification gives an official
stamp of approval to the movements antimagnetic properties.
36
The new certification represents a

higher standard of accuracy than COSC,
which requires a mean daily rate of -4 to
+6 seconds. And, unlike COSC, METAS
certifies the precision of the finished
watch, not just the movement. A movements timekeeping can be affected during
COSC figures are available, Omega

received 447,477 certificates, and Rolex
804,896.) It will continue to certify chronometers with COSC in the coming years,
but the number of watches it sends to
COSC will decrease as more Master CoAxial calibers receive the new METAS
certification.
While testing will initially occur in Omegas current facilities, the brand has plans for
a new factory with a dedicated testing site.
Starting later this year, all Omega Master

Co-Axial watches will be certified by METAS.
the casing-up process or when the rotor is

affixed on an automatic, and all of this
occurs after the COSC test has been completed. Since the new Omega testing will
be performed on both the movement and
on the finished watch and since it has a
narrower tolerance, not permitting the
watch to lose seconds, only to gain it
provides a tougher standard.
Omega has long been the secondlargest recipient of COSC certificates after
Rolex. (In 2013, the last year for which
Testing will be performed and checked onsite according to METAS specifications.

The owner of a certified Master CoAxial Omega will be able to log onto a
website using the watchs warranty card.
There, the specific results of the individual
watch, as well as the testing parameters,
will be readily available.
At the press conference, Bock pointed
out that other brands can develop their
own certification systems with METAS,
using their own testing criteria.
WATCHtalk
What Do
You Know?
Antonio Calce
Tristan Boyer de Bouillane
Jo An Lawson
Comings & Goings

SOWIND GROUP
In January, Kering (formerly PPR), the
Paris-based luxury group, announced
that Antonio Calce had been named
CEO of the companys Sowind Group
subsidiary. Most recently, Calce had
been CEO of Corum. Before joining
Corum in 2005 Calce held positions at
Piaget and Panerai.
The Sowind Group is based in La
Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It owns
two watch brands, Girard-Perregaux
and JeanRichard. It also makes movements for these brands and for third
parties. Kering acquired Sowind in
2012. Calce reports to Albert Bensoussan, who last year was named CEO of
the Kering Luxury Watches & Jewelry
division.
Calce succeeds Michele Sofisti, who
resigned as Sowind CEO last year.
When in that post, and for a few
months afterward, Sofisti also served as
the CEO of watches and jewelry for
Gucci, Kerings flagship brand. In
November, Sofisti stepped down from
that job as well. He had held the post
since 2010. His successor at Gucci has
not been announced. Before moving to
Gucci, Sofisti had held executive positions at the Swatch Groups Omega and
Swatch brands as well as at Fred Jewelers, Christian Dior and Ferrari.
PERRELET
Tristan Boyer de Bouillane was named
general manager of Perrelet in Decem38
ber. Boyer de Bouillane spent eight

years with the Swiss watch and jewelry
company Charriol. In 2000 he became
head of sales for the Daniel Roth and
Grald Genta brands. He also worked
in sales and marketing for several other
brands, including Breitling, where he
was sales director for the Asia Pacific
region.
Perrelet is owned by the privately
held Festina Group. Boyer de Bouillane
succeeds group CEO Gerald Roden,
who had been running Perrelet. The
company says the appointment of Boyer
de Bouillane will allow Roden to focus
exclusively on his group CEO duties.
MOVADO
Movado Group, Inc. has hired Jo An
Lawson to fill a new position at the
company: general manager of wearable
devices. Lawsons background is in
technology. She comes from West Studios, a strategic and creative agency,
where she was vice president of marketing. Before that, she spent nine years at
Apple, serving most recently as director
of global retail marketing and brand
experience. Before coming to Apple in
2003, Lawson worked for Deloitte
Consulting.
Lawsons job will be to develop
partnerships with technology companies in order to design wearable products for Movado. She reports to
Movado Chief Operating Officer Rick
Cot.
n January, the Fondation de la Haute

Horlogerie (FHH) announced a new
certification system to test individuals
knowledge of watchmaking and the watch
industry. The HH Certification program
provides a standard of competence for
those involved in the watch business, especially retailers. The test will be administered for the first time this spring.
HH Certification is intended to establish an industry-wide standard for training. As the watch industry has boomed,
education for retail salespeople has been
uneven. According to a statement from the
FHH, the test is aimed at the large numbers of inexperienced retail staff who lack
adequate watchmaking expertise and
often know less than the watch customer.
Although the test was designed for people
working in sales, it can also be taken by
others who want to evaluate and improve
their watch-world literacy.
Lasting two hours, the exam draws
from a database of 2,500 questions. All
questions were developed and validated in
a five-step process by a team of watch
experts. Scoring depends on both correct
answers and the test-takers professed
level of confidence in his or her responses.
The test involves four sections: techniques in watchmaking, market players,
materials used in watchmaking, and
watchmaking history and culture. It
includes visual and written questions
involving brand logos, specific models,
components, complications and functions,
manufacturing techniques and more. The
FHHs app, Watch@Tablet, works as a
study guide for the HH exam.
Those who pass the test will receive
one of three commendations based on
their scores: Advisor, Specialist or Expert
in Fine Watchmaking.
Testing sessions in six U.S. cities start
in April. The test costs $385, including
preparatory materials. For more information, visit hhcertification.org.
WATCHtalk
The Bulgari Octo Maserati uses an

El Primero movement.
A High-Beat Bulgari
W
hat do you get when you combine haut-de-gamme watchmaking, Italian automotive history
and a high-beat escapement? Bulgari has
an answer. In late 2014, the brand brought
out a new chronograph in its partnership
with Maserati, the Bulgari Octo Maserati.
Underneath its dial lies the BVL 328
Velocissimo caliber, which is Bulgaris
name for the Zenith El Primero chronograph movement. First used by Bulgari in
2013, it vibrates at 36,000 oscillations per
hour. It has a silicon escapement and a 50hour power reserve. The skeletonized
rotor, with Geneva waves and the Bulgari
name, can be seen through a semi-transparent blue caseback that bears the
Maserati logo.
The case is made of stainless steel. It is
41.5 mm in diameter and 13 mm thick.
The watch is characteristically Bulgari in
its design, with an octagonal dial and an
angular case. (The case has 110 facets.)
Pushers are integrated into the case design,
as are the lugs. A tachymeter scale is
engraved on the bezel.
The blue dial in champlev enamel is
lacquered and polished. It has a tricompax
layout. Chronograph minutes are displayed
at 3 oclock and chronograph hours at
40
6. The running seconds are in a subdial at

9 oclock. A date window sits between 4
and 5. The hour and minutes hands are
skeletonized. The center-mounted chronograph seconds hand has the Maserati
trident logo on its counterweight. (Before
now the Maserati logo has not been used
on the dials of Bulgari/Maserati watches.)
The Octo Maserati is a new specialedition version of the Octo Velocissimo
chronograph, which Bulgari introduced
at Baselworld 2014. The watch commemorates Maseratis 100th anniversary:
appropriately, it is being produced in a

limited edition of 1,914 pieces. The year
2014 was also the 130th anniversary of
Bulgaris founding in Rome. The two Italian brands have been in partnership since
2012, when Bulgari released the Octo
Quadri-Retro Maserati Special Edition.
The Octo Maserati comes on a blue
alligator strap with a double folding clasp
in steel. Its crown, with ceramic inlay,
screws down; the watch is water resistant
to 100 meters. It costs $11,700.
J.D.
Maseratis trident logo (seen here on the Alfieri concept car) can be found on the new watchs seconds
hand counterweight.
WATCHtalk
Francly Speaking
he announcement on Jan. 15 by the

Swiss National Bank that the Swiss
franc would no longer be pegged to
the euro sent a shockwave through the
Swiss watch industry. The value of the
Swiss franc against the euro would certainly rise significantly because of the
banks action. That, Swiss watch executives believed, would wreak havoc with
their sales and profits.
Many were scared and some outraged.
Among the latter was Edouard Meylan,
CEO of H. Moser & Cie., a small, independent brand based in Neuhausen in the
canton of Schaffhausen. The day of the
announcement he wrote an open letter to
the head of the National Bank, Thomas
Jordan, reprinted below. (For more on the
Swiss franc question, see The Return of
Francenstein on page 54.)
Dear Mr. President,
I wanted to personally and publicly thank
you, regarding your dramatic move releasing the minimum Swiss Franc exchange
rate of 1.20 to the Euro.
When I woke up this morning I had a
strange feeling. As I checked the news, I
wondered, What am I going to do
today? aside from our usual business in
January. There was no new conflict, no big
news about emerging markets slowing
down, and thank goodness, no new terror
attack.
I am an entrepreneur, and I own a
small watch manufacture called H. Moser
& Cie., based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Very Rare is our tagline at H. Moser
& Cie. Very Rare, because we produce
1,000 watches, we are entrepreneurs in an
independent, family-owned business that
employs 55 people, and because we are a
manufacture in the true sense of the word,
developing and producing our own ingenious watches.
As an entrepreneur in a small Swiss
company, I like a challenge; whether its
the pressure from the big luxury groups in
supply or distribution. Or, a fight to do
more with small budgets against the
42
avalanche of big advertising and marketing. Well, today, Mr. President, your
dramatic move helped step it up a notch:
over 95 percent of our watches are sold to
people outside of Switzerland, and the first
retailers called the same day to cancel
orders.
So this morning at 10:38 when my
CFO sent me an e-mail titled Breaking
Edouard Meylan
Mosers headquarters in Neuhausen
News, I thought, Aha, finally something to do. Something that forces me to

find smart solutions to continue our
growth and improving profitability and to
ensure continuity for H. Moser & Cie.
and the jobs for 55 people working for me.
In fact, one thought crossed my mind:
why not just move 2 kilometers into Germany and continue business as usual in
the EU? Ill even beat that other restriction
on permits for workers from the EU that
came up in February 2014 around 20

percent of my employees are German.
Let me make my appeal clear to you,
on behalf of the many small and mid-size
businesses that employ so many Swiss
people: I trust you have a strong plan that
will help all of us make it through with
you over the long term. Because otherwise, along with many other wonderful
Swiss creations, H. Moser watches may
just have become very, very, very rare.
Correction
The price of the Bulova Manchester United Titanium Squad Watch on page 48 of
the February issue is incorrect. The correct price is $2,595. (WatchTime was
given the wrong price by Bulovas public relations agency.) The watch is shown
on page 140 of this issue in the feature Bulovas Midas Man.
10/8/14
1:15 PM
Page 1
WT_0215_Quiz_02.qxp 06.02.15 16:24 Seite 44
WATCHquiz
quizs
How much lighter is
titanium than steel?
Material
Facts
A test of metal (and silicon,
carbon and ceramic)
2. One benefit of titanium watches is that

theyre lighter than steel ones. How much
lighter is titanium than steel?
A. 23%
B. Nearly 35%
C. Nearly 50%
D. 70%
3. What watch-case metal is usually
coated with rhodium to improve its
appearance?
A. Rose gold
B. Yellow gold
C. White gold
D. Steel
4. What makes stainless steel more
resistant to stains than other steel?
A. Chromium in the steel alloy
B. Carbon in the steel alloy
C. A coating of niobium ferrous oxide
D. Nothing. All steel is actually
stainless steel.
5. Rose gold gets its reddish color from
copper in the gold alloy. What percentage
of 5N rose gold is copper?
A. About 10%
B. About 20%
C. About 30%
D. About 40%
44
6. What brand makes watches

incorporating cermet (a combination
of ceramic and metal)?
A. Seiko
B. Hublot
C. Vacheron Constantin
D. Omega
7. What brand claims to be the first to
make a watch with a 24k-gold case?
A. Bulova
B. Patek Philippe
C. Jaeger-LeCoultre
D. Audemars Piguet
8. What watch component is made from
the alloy called Nivarox?
A. Pallet lever
B. Escape wheel
C. Balance bridge
D. Balance spring
9. What color is Parachrom, used by
Rolex to make balance springs?
A. Blue
B. Black
C. Red
D. Yellow
10. Ceramos, made of ceramic and a
metal composite, is used for watch cases
made by
A. Arnold & Son
B. Rado
C. Cartier
D. Breitling
11. Which two brands have introduced

watches having bronze cases?
A. Panerai and IWC
B. Ralph Lauren and Breguet
C. TAG Heuer and Blancpain
D. Omega and Tudor
12. Which watch component is Glucydur
used for?
A. Mainplate
B. Crystal
C. Rotor bearing
D. Balance wheel
13. What percentage of 18k gold is
pure gold?
A. 35%
B. 54%
C. 75%
D. 90%
14. Which brand does NOT make
watches incorporating silicon
components?
A. Breguet
B. Frdrique Constant
C. Ulysse Nardin
D. A. Lange & Shne
15. What brand makes a watch made
from unidirectional carbon fiber?
A. Movado
B. Bell & Ross
C. Audemars Piguet
D. Casio
Answers: 1B; 2C; 3C; 4A; 5B; 6B; 7A;
8D; 9A; 10B; 11A; 12D; 13C; 14D; 15A
1. Which brand makes a selling point of

the 904L steel it uses for its cases?
A. IWC
B. Rolex
C. TAG Heuer
D. Breitling
2/18/15
4:38 PM
Page 1
A HISTORY OF MODERN
, Bulova and Sea King are registered trademarks. UHF is a proprietary technology of Bulova Corporation. 2015 Bulova Corporation. 98B243
UHF Ultra High Frequency

The exclusive technology inside each Bulova UHF
timepiece vibrates at a frequency of 262 kHz for
unparalleled accuracy and features a signature

sweeping second hand.
BULOVA.COM
HALL 1.1 BOOTH B83
WT_0215_NEW_Watches_02_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 14:39 Seite 46
BRAND NEW
ARTYA
The new custom-made
Tobacco uses genuine tobacco
leaves on the dial. The cigar
lover can choose the origin and
brand of cigar leaves to be used
for his watch.
Classique design case
available in 42-, 43- or 44-mm
diameters; gold- and bronzecolored inserts made of Artyor,
an exclusive alloy
hours, minutes, seconds; openwork hands for hours and
minutes
brown leather strap with
overstitching
Swiss-made automatic
movement with 42-hour power
reserve
available from boutiques or on
Artya website
$6,800
RICHARD MILLE
The RM 011 Yellow Storm is
an automatic flyback chronograph with a three-part case
made out of NTPT carbon,
which is composed of more
than 600 layers of parallel
carbon filaments.
yellow rubber strap, titanium
DLC buckle
60-minute countdown timer,
12-hour totalizer
annual calendar, oversize
date and month displays
50 mm by 40 mm by 16.15
mm
water resistant to 50 meters
50-piece limited edition,
exclusive to Richard Mille
boutiques in North America
$170,000
46
LINDE WERDELIN
The sixth watch in the Oktopus
Moon collection, the Oktopus
Moon Carbon uses 3-Dimensional
Thin Ply technology to create an
outer case of sculpted carbon
fiber.
28,800-vph movement with
44-hour power reserve
44 mm by 46 mm by 15 mm
ceramic bezel, titanium
caseback
rose-gold crown with
engraved octopus motif
five-layer dial is skeletonized to
reveal turning moon-phase disk
limited edition of 59 pieces
19,000 Swiss francs
BRAND NEW
Recent Launches
CORUM
The Admirals Cup Legend 42 Flying Tourbillon
combines a cantilevered tourbillon with the
12-sided Admirals Cup case in rose gold. Its
movement, the automatic CO 016 caliber, has a
baseplate made of stainless steel instead of the
typical brass.
42 mm in diameter, 13 mm thick
retrograde date display at 12 oclock
smoked translucent sapphire dial; see-through
caseback
17-mm microrotor for 72-hour power reserve
50-meter water
resistance; black or
brown crocodile strap
$58,500
JAQUET DROZ
EBEL
Ebel updated the design
of its classic Wave watch
several years ago and
now has introduced a
new two-tone version in
stainless steel and rose gold.
automatic ETA 2824-2 movement with date
40 mm in diameter, 10.4 mm thick
silver-colored galvanic dial
sapphire crystal on back and front
wave-shaped bracelet links in brushed
stainless steel and polished rose-gold PVD
treatment
$2,600
48
In honor of the Chinese New Year,

Jaquet Droz added the Petite
Heure Minute Relief Goats to its
Ateliers dArt collection. The
watch features three handengraved goats in rose gold at the
base of the dial.
automatic Caliber 2653 with
two barrels (68-hour power
reserve) and rose-gold rotor
plum blossom dial design
in champlev enamel
41 mm in diameter,
13.77 mm thick
limited edition of
28 pieces,
numbered on
caseback
black alligator strap,
rose-gold ardillon
buckle
$68,300
2/2/15
10:22 AM
Page 1
NOMOS is among the best

luxury watches out there.
N E W YO R K TI M E S
GOOD
DESIGN
Find out more about Metro and other models

at nomos-watches.com and nomos-store.com
Visit us at Baselworld in hall 1.1, stand E79.
BRAND NEW
Recent Launches
HYT
Named after the Caribbean
island of St. Barths, the H1 Sand
Barth brings a tropical beach
into the watch, literally: its case
is made from a resin compound
that includes grains of sand from
the Anse du Gouverneur beach.
48.8 mm in diameter, 17.9 mm
thick
manual wound movement with
blue fluid used for retrograde
hour display
small seconds above 9 oclock,
power-reserve indicator under 2
oclock
white rubber or black alligator
strap
limited edition of 25 pieces
$70,000
TISSOT
The new Carson collection showcases
Tissots elegant chronograph designs.
The watches come in stainless steel,
some versions with gold-colored
PVD treatment.
automatic Tissot C01.211
movement, 45-hour power
reserve
6-hour counter at 6 oclock,
30-minute counter at 12,
running seconds at 9, date
window at 3
Roman numeral hour indexes
and railroad minutes track
42.3 mm in diameter
sapphire crystal, see-through
caseback
stainless-steel bracelet with butterfly
clasp (or leather strap with buckle)
$950 (collection prices range from $795
to $975)
50
BOZEMAN WATCH CO.

Named for the trout native to the
American West, the special
editions of the Cutthroat GMT
have accents in the spawning
colors of different cutthroat
subspecies. (Shown here: the
Greenback Edition.)
COSC-certified Swiss automatic
movement with GMT module,
28,800 vph
42-mm stainless-steel case, 10.6
mm thick
24-hour GMT hand, sweep
seconds, date window at 3
oclock
comes with stainless-steel
bracelet and overstitched leather
strap
$8,200
2/2/15
9:46 AM
Page 1
D E VO N W O R K S. C O M
Made
i n
Los
Ang el es
BRAND NEW
Recent Launches
GUCCI
Following on the 2013
launch of the Gucci
Dive collection, the
brand has brought out
new quartz versions to
complement its automatic
models.
Swiss-made ETA quartz
movement with seconds and
date
45-mm case in brushed and polished
stainless steel
unidirectional rotating bezel
matte blue dial, luminous coating on
indexes and hours/minutes hands
sapphire crystal with internal
nonreflective coating
stamped caseback affixed with screws
200-meter water resistance
$990
ALPINA
The Startimer Pilot Big
Date is one of two new
quartz additions to the
Startimer Pilot collection.
AL-280 Swiss quartz
movement
two-part stainless-steel case, 44 mm in diameter
sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating
screw-in tapered pilots crown
navy blue dial with sunray finish, silvered seconds counter
two-window date display at 6 oclock
blue leather strap
$995
GRAHAM
The Chronofighter Oversize Superlight Carbon has a carbon nanotube
composite case, along with carbon on the bezel, dial, and the signature
Graham chronograph trigger.
automatic Caliber G1747, 28,800 vph, 48-hour power reserve
47 mm in diameter
tachymeter scale, reversed 30-minute counter at 6 oclock, date window
at 8, running seconds at 3
yellow rubber strap with clous de Paris design, black carbon pin buckle
$11,550
A DATAB
ASE
WITH OV
ER
VISIT
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eS!
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WT_0215_SIHH_Letter_03_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 14:55 Seite 54
Just days before the SIHH show,

the Swiss National Bank sent the
Swiss franc soaring, stunning the
watch world. Now what?
BY JOE THOMPSON
54
H
es back.
Four years ago, a monster terrorized
the Swiss watch industry. It slashed sales,
ripped into profits, destroyed millions in
foreign currency exchange and squeezed
margins of watch producers and retailers.
The monster was the overvalued Swiss
franc. Debt crises in Europe and the U.S.
in 2010 drove the Swiss currency to
record highs against the euro and the U.S.
dollar as investors sought the safe haven
of the Swissie. Between the summer of
2010 and the summer of 2011, the franc
rose 20 percent against the euro and 30
percent against the dollar. The Swiss
National Bank ended the carnage when it
slammed a stake into the heart of Francenstein that September by pegging the
franc at SF1.20 to the euro. The peg
worked; stability and increased prosperity
returned to Swiss watch land. (For more,
see The Curse of the Swiss Francenstein, in the February 2012 issue of
WatchTime.)
This Jan. 15, four days before the
opening of the annual SIHH luxurywatch salon in Geneva, however, Franc-
enstein unexpectedly came roaring out of

his grave. After three years of buying
euros at an artificially high price, the
Swiss National Bank suddenly pulled the
peg. Overnight the Swiss franc appreciated
15 percent against the euro and the U.S.
dollar, sending global stock markets into
turmoil. Between Jan. 14 and 16, the
stock price of the Swatch Group dropped
22.3 percent; the Richemont Groups
dropped 21.5 percent.
The return of Francenstein cast a pall
over SIHH. Conversations in Geneva
sounded more appropriate for the World
Economic Forum going on in nearby
Davos. Its not the first time weve had
to deal with a strong Swiss franc, Emmanuel Perrin, the head of global sales at
Cartier, told a reporter at a reception the
night before SIHH opened. He went on
to talk about European Central Bank
quantitative easing, currency turmoil and
the impact of the Greek election seven
days hence on the European Union.
Well have to see what the ECB does on
Thursday and what Greece does next
Sunday, he said. Would I have preferred that they [the SNB] waited 10 days
to do this? Yes! he said with a wry smile.
It was like that all week at SIHH. The
question in the corridors was how much
damage the uber-franc tsunami, as
Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek
described the SNB move, would do to the
Geneva scenes: the SIHH

show and the show logo
fluttering on a boat on
Lake Geneva
April 2015 WatchTime 55
ON THE SCENE
The Talk at SIHH
TEARS AND BLOOD

IS PROBABLY WHAT
IT MEANS.
MONTBLANC CEO JRME LAMBERT
ON THE IMPACT OF THE STRONGER
SWISS FRANC ON SWISS EXPORTERS
Swiss watch industry. In truth, no one

was sure. Everybody is still in shock,
said Jean-Philippe Arm, a respected Swiss
journalist, on the first day of the show.
WATCH EXECUTIVES had an idea,
though. As Perrin noted, the industry had
dealt with a strong franc before; memories of 2010-2011 are still fresh. Executives at SIHH braced for what is coming.
Montblanc CEO Jrme Lambert told
WatchTime the immediate impact of the
SNB decision is very painful and dangerous. Particularly for the Swiss economy, which forecasters said could slip
into recession. I wont say tears and
blood, as Winston Churchill would have
RUNNING OUT OF STEAM
Percentage growth in Swiss watch

export value 2010-2014
25
20
15
10
5
0
10
11
12
13
Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry
56
14
said it, but, yeah, tears and blood is probably what it means.
The first price increases came on day
two of the five-day show (Jan. 19-23).
The Richemont Group, which accounts
for 12 of the 16 brands at SIHH, said that
it would raise prices by 5 to 8 percent in
the eurozone, the 19 members of the European Union that have adopted the euro as
their official currency. Cartier said its
hike would be 5 percent; Piagets is 8.
Watch executives hope that the major
damage will be confined to the eurozone.
The Swiss franc is an issue, but its more
a European problem, said JaegerLeCoultres Stphane Belmont.
The return of Francenstein brought
value pricing back into the Swiss
watch conversation for the first time
since the global financial crisis of 2009.
SIHH brands Baume & Mercier and
Montblanc have stressed the value-formoney proposition in recent years. With
the new pressure on prices, Lambert and
Baume & Mercier CEO Alain Zimmermann said they expect to benefit from
that advantage in 2015.
Ironically, there was one huge beneficiary of all the Swiss franc turmoil at
SIHH. A. Lange & Shne makes its
watches in Glashtte, Germany, sells
them in euros, and pays its employees in
euros. Overnight, Lange watches became
15 percent cheaper versus the Swiss competition. Lange executives were discreet
about it at the show. One told
WatchTime the company was monitoring
the situation. But we are glad were
priced in euros and not Swiss francs, he

added.
Most of the SIHH brands took a waitand-see attitude toward prices in the U.S.
When the franc soared against the dollar
five years ago, Swiss watch prices here
soared, too. Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet raised prices three times in
2011. Overall, U.S. price hikes ranged
from 10 to 30 percent for the year. Watch
executives hope to avoid that this time.
Brands have to be careful not to price
themselves out of the market, says
Piaget CEO Philippe Lopold-Metzger.
Despite the wicked drop in the dollars
value against the franc on Jan. 15, SIHH
brands maintained their pre-francturmoil prices on new goods for the U.S.
for the time being.
For two reasons. First, they hope the
dollar will strengthen against the franc in
the aftermath of the SNB shock.
The dollar rose significantly against
global currencies in 2014, including the
franc, achieving parity with it on Jan. 2
for the first time in more than four years.
The day before the SNB delinked the
franc and the euro, the dollar traded at
SF1.02. The next day it plunged to 0.73,
closing at 0.84. One week after SIHH,
the dollar had recovered to 0.92. (What
the rate will be when you read this is anyones guess, but the Swiss have their fingers crossed.)
More importantly, the U.S. is a rare
bright spot on todays global watch market. Recent hot spots like China, Hong
Kong, Singapore and Russia were soft in
2/19/15
8:52 AM
Page 1
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ON THE SCENE
The Talk at SIHH
AMERICA DEFINITELY IS
IMPORTANT. WE HAVE TO
MOVE MORE AGGRESSIVELY
IN AMERICA.
PIAGET CEO PHILIPPE LOPOLD-METZGER
2014. Luxury-watch inventories in China

were sky high at the start of this year.
After two years of modest growth in
watch exports (+2 percent in 2013 and
2014), the Swiss are counting on the U.S.
to bounce back and boost demand. The
Swiss franc turmoil has not diminished
their high expectations. America is
back, Lambert told WatchTime at
SIHH; he then immediately amended it:
OK, America is coming back.
Piaget is a good example of how Swiss
brands are refocusing on the U.S. America definitely is important, especially for
Piaget, in watches and jewelry, LopoldMetzger says. After years of focusing on
Asia, Piaget is presenting products
designed and priced for the U.S., he says,
citing its new Altiplano Gold Bracelet
collection for women. We had a gold
bracelet watch, the Polo, which was great
but it became very expensive and there
was a need to come to the American market with a very good product at a very
good price. Hence the new Altiplano.
We have to move more aggressively
in America, Lopold-Metzger says. Its
why we redid the boutique in New York,
opened a boutique in the Miami Design
District, just opened a big boutique on
Rodeo Drive, and just appointed [American actress] Jessica Chastain as a brand
ambassador. We didnt take her to be
Japanese-oriented, he says, smiling. We
will allocate more money to the communication strategy in America. She has to be
an important part of the U.S. strategy.
58
ITS CLEAR THAT 2015, which was not

shaping up as a banner watch year, will
get much tougher as a result of the SNB
decision. Watch executives took some
consolation in the fact that the Swiss
watch industry, which holds a virtual
monopoly on luxury-watch sales over
$1,000, would not be hurt as badly as
other Swiss exporters, like machinery
producers, who face stiff competition
from other countries. At least everybody
is in the same boat, Lambert says of
Swiss luxury-watch producers. We pay
our employees in Switzerland. Our suppliers are in Switzerland. So good luck,
and may the best one win.
Swiss watch companies will suffer
from the stronger franc via lower sales,
margins, and profits and higher currency

losses. In 2011, the Swatch Group said
that every drop in the value of the dollar
against the Swiss franc cost it SF34 million in revenue. The question now is less
who will win than who will lose the most.
The consensus is that independent
brands with what Lambert calls short
value chains will have a harder time
managing the effects of the tsunami, or
earthquake (Lamberts preferred image),
than the big groups.
Says Lambert, The agility that a maison will have [maison is the Richemont
term for brand], the capability to react,
will be different according to their value
chain. If you have a long value chain
with a subsidiary abroad and some retail
THE DOLLAR TAKES A DIVE

US $ vs. SF, January 2015
1.05
1.0
0.95
0.9
0.85
0.8
0.75
JAN
Source: Bloomberg Business
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
26
28
30
ON THE SCENE
The Talk at SIHH
shops you can dilute the impact a little

bit, and absorb the impact better. He
points out that independent watch firms,
who sell through foreign distributors and
do not have subsidiaries and boutiques
generating revenue in other currencies,
have it much tougher. Their value chain is
very close to the shock of the earthquake, he says.
In short, look for the strong to get
stronger.
Some watch executives think the
Swiss industry will consolidate as a result
of the franc turbulence. The shakeout
that was expected during the global
financial crisis of 2009, when exports
dropped 22.3 percent, may come now,
they say. It didnt happen then because
luxury-watch demand in China exploded
in 2010 and ended the crisis. (Swiss
watch exports rebounded 22.7 percent in
2010.) One watch industry insider, who
asked to remain anonymous, says that in
THE RETURN OF FRANCENSTEIN

BROUGHT VALUE PRICING BACK
INTO THE SWISS WATCH CONVERSATION.
his conversations at SIHH, executives

acknowledged that there are still too
many brands, too many models, and
prices are too high. Now, though, there
is no China to ride to the rescue, so a
shakeout could be looming.
Opinions differ, though. Asked about
it, Lambert cites an expression of
Richemont Chairman Johann Rupert:
Its never as good as it seems; never as
bad as it seems. Lambert doesnt foresee
a shakeout. If you compare 2009 to now,
2009 was a demand crisis. It had an
impact on the demand. Our consumer had
a problem. This time we have a problem.
There is a major change impacting our

[product] offer. Thats a major difference.
But Lambert doesnt minimize the
impact of Francensteins return. For
everybody, even for brands in big groups,
he says, its still very difficult.

The next issue of WatchTime

will include a special section
on the new watches
introduced at SIHH.
2/3/15
9:45 AM
Page 1
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2015 CASIO AMERICA, INC.
WT_0215_Biver_05_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 16:26 Seite 62
BIVER
TALKS
TAG
Watch industry bigwig Jean-Claude

Biver became TAG Heuers interim
CEO in December. What will that
mean? Here, Biver explains it all.
BY NORMA BUCHANAN
A
year ago an announcement by LVMH
sparked a lively buzz-fest in the watch
industry. The news was that LVMH had
put Jean-Claude Biver, chairman of
LVMHs Hublot brand, in charge of the
entire LVMH watch division. In that position he would oversee Hublot, as before,
but also powerhouse TAG Heuer and the
smaller Zenith high-mech brand.
The position was not new: LVMH had
long had an executive overseeing the
groups watch brands. That executive,
however, had never been Jean-Claude Biver.
Thats what was causing the stir.
Biver is famous in the watch world for
reviving Blancpain and Hublot and, in his
stint at the Swatch Group in the 1990s,
restoring Omegas luster. Hes just as well
known for his outsize personality. Biver is
a born showman with a booming voice
and a penchant for colorful metaphor.
When he talks, people listen.
Naturally, watch fans wondered what
the Biver move meant, especially for TAG
Heuer, one of Switzerlands biggest watch
brands. (It ranks fifth, sixth or seventh
among top Swiss brands; brand rankings
can only be estimated because few watch
brands disclose their sales figures.) TAG
Heuer had been making watch-world

news for years under its former CEO,
Jean-Christophe Babin, who had pushed
the brand into higher-priced watches and
brought out a series of high-profile, very
expensive, technically advanced watches.
In December, the picture became clearer.
TAG Heuers CEO, Stphane Linder,
resigned after 18 months on the job. He
had succeeded Babin (now head of the
LVMH brand Bulgari). Biver took over as
the brands interim CEO and named Guy
Smon, formerly vice president in charge
of TAGs science and engineering department, to the new post of TAG general
manager. Smons chief responsibility is to
handle product development; he reports to
Biver.
Tongues wagged once more. What did
Bivers move mean? In January in Genevas
Hotel Kempinski, where Hublot exhibits
its watches while SIHH is taking place a
few miles away, WatchTime met with
Biver to find out.
FIRST, WE WONDERED, how long will

his interim stint as TAG CEO last?
Maybe it will be five years, maybe three
years, maybe 10 years. I dont know, Biver
says. He hopes it will not be longer than
three because, given his age, 66, he thinks
younger people must soon take over. The
time has come for me to promote other
people. So I wish that this temporary
[position] will last until 2018. And I hope
that by 18 the [brands] direction is very
clearly visible and that people can then run
it in their own way with their own ideas
but with the right strategy.
That strategy, he says, is to focus TAG
Heuers product mix squarely on the
$1,000 to $4,000 price category and to
make it more attractive to young people,
whom he sees as TAGs primary
customers.
There is nothing wrong with the
brand, he says. There is nothing wrong
with the profit. There is nothing wrong
with the product. There is nothing wrong
with the turnover.
TAG Heuers product

guru Guy Smon is
now the companys
general manager.
INTERVIEW
Jean-Claude Biver
What is wrong, he says, is that in

recent years TAG strayed from its core
competence and, by bringing out higherpriced watches, diluted its efforts in the
area it dominates.
This occurred at two levels. At one,
TAG sought to push prices for some of its
core collections upward, to between
$5,000 and $10,000. On the other, much
higher level, it brought out a series of
exotic, technically innovative watches
meant to appeal to wealthy collectors and
to garner publicity for the brand. These
watches included the Carrera Mikrograph, the Mikrotimer Flying 1000, the
Carrera Mikrogirder and the Mikropendulum Tourbillon. All can do amazing things, such as time to the 1/1,000 or
even 1/2,000 of a second, and all have
prices in the tens of thousands of dollars
or more. (The Mikropendulum Tourbillon is $400,000.)
The strength of TAG is the price range
$1,000 to $4,000, Biver says. TAG has
always been the market leader in this price
category. And probably because they were
the leader, they could afford to spend for
creativity and innovation in a higher price
level. Because they were strong in the
$1,000 to $4,000 range, they said lets
make a lot of effort to increase the price of
our watches to the $5,000, $6,000, $7,000
range. And by doing this, they put in less
effort in their original price range.
He believes that focusing on a single
message or theme is the key to success for
almost any company. It worked for him at
Blancpain, he says, where his theme was
complicated mechanical watches. (Biver
bought the defunct brand with Jacques
Piguet, then owner of Frdric Piguet, in
1983 and later sold it to the Swatch
Group.) And now it is working for him at
Hublot, where the theme is fusion, i.e.,
the combination of different materials in
the same watch. I am the enemy of dilution, he says. I like to concentrate.
He will not eliminate higher-priced
watches altogether, but merely reallocate
the brands resources. If he introduces, say,
15 new references, three will be in the
upper segment and 12 in the $1,000 to
$4,000 category.
This is a switch, a transfer of innovation, creativity, promotion, marketing,
64
TAG Heuer will stop

developing ultra-hightech Carrera watches
like the Mikrotimer
Flying 1000.
from the top of the market to where the

brand really is. TAG Heuer under my
management will not change from what it
was. It might change from what [former
management] dreamt it would become.
Thats not the same change. I bring you
back to where you belong. And I make
you stop believing you can be something
else.
As for the ultra high-end, haute horlogerie Mikropendulum et al, they are
already in production and will not be discontinued. But no more R&D resources
will be spent on them.
With one exception: the Monaco V4.
That watch has a future, Biver believes.
The V4 incorporates drive belts that take
the place of gears. It generated enormous
publicity in 2004 when TAG unveiled a
prototype of it. What Biver likes about it
most is that it looks like a TAG Heuer; the
other haute horlogerie watches dont, he
says. For me it is more TAG Heuer than

the Mikropendulum, which you cannot
recognize at a distance. I will put more
resources into what is immediately recognizable. Furthermore, he says, vast
amounts of work went into the V4, and he
doesnt want it to have been in vain.
I said to [the product development
department] I will not pursue the crazy
developments in haute horlogerie that are
retailing for $100,000 or $150,000. I
want to concentrate my haute horlogerie
on the V4. Because the V4 is in the traditional Monaco case and really belongs to
TAG Heuer, and everyone can immediately connect it to TAG Heuer. I say,
make me developments of the V4. Make
me a V4 chronograph, for instance. If one
day you want to make a 1/100-second
chronograph, do it. But on the V4, please.
With this we have a very clear vision of
what the brand is.
TAG HEUER UNDER MY MANAGEMENT

WILL NOT CHANGE FROM WHAT IT
WAS. IT MIGHT CHANGE FROM WHAT
[FORMER MANAGEMENT] DREAMT IT
WOULD BECOME.
I WANT TO CONCENTRATE MY HAUTE

HORLOGERIE ON THE V4. BECAUSE
THE V4 IS IN THE TRADITIONAL
MONACO CASE AND REALLY
BELONGS TO TAG HEUER.
He has also put the kibosh on Caliber

CH80, unveiled in 2013. Caliber CH80
was to be TAGs second in-house chronograph movement. The first, the 1887, was
introduced in 2010. (Some would dispute
the use of the term in-house to describe
the 1887: the movement was actually
based on a design that TAG bought from
Seiko.) I will concentrate on the 1887.
Why should we have two in-house

chronograph movements and not one?
Both are the same diameter, 13 lignes. Its
crazy. They fit in the same case. Bivers
goal is to bring production of the 1887 up
to 100,000 or even 150,000 per year.
Were he to go ahead with production of
the CH80, he explains, he would have to
split his manufacturing capacity. Bring
The Monaco V4 gets a thumbs up from Biver because it has a distinctive TAG Heuer look.
one up to 100,000. You get better productivity and a better price, rather than
to do two, where you make 40,000 of
one and 60,000 of the other. He does not
rule out developing another in-house
movement, as long as it serves a different
purpose than the 1887; he could see introducing a three-hand automatic, for
instance.
Biver has made well-publicized cuts in
TAGs workforce, but says that LVMH
has transferred many of the ex-TAG
employees to other LVMH brands. I said
to Guy Smon, if you have 26 people in
R&D doing haute horlogerie, I want 13.
Cut them in half. The remaining employees were let go or transferred to Hublot or
Zenith. We dont need 26 people just to
make a triple tourbillon, a quadruple tourbillon, like everybody else. That is not our
message.
Some people have made a tragedy out
of this. Hes stopping haute horlogerie!
they say. No. Im not stopping it. I am just
reducing it because I need not to lose
ground where I am strong. And just
because I am strong now does not mean I
will be strong in five years.
Returning TAG to its core competence
also means making sure it appeals to
young customers, Biver says. TAG has
always been the brand of 15- to 35-yearolds. Fifteen-year-olds cant buy a TAG
Heuer, but if they start to dream about a
TAG, when they are 25 or 30 they will buy
one because they will buy their dream.
For Biver, that means taking a younger,
hipper tack with its marketing efforts. It
cannot mean the same ads, the same
ambassadors, the same events, the same
sponsorships, he says.
INTERVIEW
Jean-Claude Biver
What it does mean, Biver says, is a

TAG smartwatch, plans for which Biver
discussed at a press conference in December. The watch will be launched at the end
of this year or later.
A smartwatch is a must! Biver proclaims with characteristic verve. If we
had an average price like, say, Zenith, of
$8,000 or $9,000, I would not even think
about a connected watch. But as TAG
Heuer has an entry price of $900, how can
A SMARTWATCH IS A MUST! ... IF YOU

JUST OBSERVE THESE YOUNGSTERS,
ANY IDIOT COULD TELL YOU THAT
THEY PREFER THAT TYPE OF WATCH.
I ignore the connected watch? Because

watches up to $1,000 or $1,200 will be
competing with the connected watches,
which cost maybe $400 or $500. They are
too close. Some youngster will probably
say, Instead of buying a Formula 1 at
$890 that shows me the date, hours, minutes and seconds, I prefer to buy a connected watch that tells me everything
about my lifestyle, my health. If you just
observe these youngsters, any idiot could
tell you that they prefer that type of watch.
Not me, Im too old. I dont want all this
on my wrist. But Im not the customer. I
dont say it will be the biggest success of all
The CH80
chronograph
movement (left) is
no more. Instead,
TAG will focus on
the 1887 chrono
caliber, below.
time. I just say we cannot ignore it. And

the sooner we get on the train, the better
able we will be to see where the train is
going. Because if I stay on the platform
and the train leaves, I will never know
where it goes.
He also plans changes in TAGs existing watch collections, including Formula 1
and Carrera. Its too early to discuss them,
except in general terms, Biver says. You
will see activity in the $1,000 to $3,000
range. You will see 15 new references. But
they wont be revolutionary. It will be
interesting because it will bring fuel to a
price segment where we were starting not
to be strong enough anymore. We will be
feeding this price segment more. Guy
Smon said to me this morning, You
know you wont see your implementation
before 2016. I said, Yes, I know. So what
can I tell you about the products? Nothing. I mean, not much.
Biver believes he has been criticized
unjustly for the changes he has made or
plans to make at TAG. Some think he
wants to rip the company apart and start
over, and that is not the case, he insists.
His strategy, he says, can bring the brands
sales to $2 billion by 2020. The company
does not disclose its sales, but according to
industry estimates they are now approaching $1 billion.
Its because people dont understand
what Im doing that they believe I am
making a revolution. I kill! I destroy! No,
I build! I rebuild the brand as it is! But I
prepare it for the next 10 years. And every
brand has to do that from time to time.
Because if you dont, the brand becomes
old.
Scan here for an audio

excerpt of Bivers
interview with
WatchTime.
http://www.watchtime.
com/?p=56028
66
2/4/15
10:29 AM
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WT_0215_Rolex_Sea-Dweller4000_05_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 16:33 Seite 68
DEEP
DIVE
REDUX
After a six-year hiatus,
Rolex resurrected the
Sea-Dweller last year
in a new, improved
version.
BY JENS KOCH
PHOTOS BY MARCUS KRGER
TEST
Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000
SPECS
ROLEX SEA-DWELLER 4000
Manufacturer: Montres Rolex SA, rue
Franois-Dussaud 3-7, CH-1211 Geneva,
Switzerland
Reference number: 116600
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date
Movement: Automatic manufacture
Caliber 3135, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels,
stop-seconds function, rapid-reset
function for the date display, Kif shock
absorption, Glucydur balance with
Microstella nuts for fine adjustment, blue
Parachrom hairspring with Breguet
terminal curve, 48-hour power reserve,
diameter = 28.5 mm, height = 5.37 mm
Case: Stainless steel, flat sapphire crystal
without nonreflective coating, screwed
crown, fully threaded screw-in stainlesssteel caseback, water resistant to 1,220 m
Bracelet and clasp: Oyster stainless-steel
bracelet, Glidelock secured folding clasp
with lengthening in small steps and
Fliplock extension mechanism for divers
he Sea-Dweller debuted in 1967 as the

Sea-Dweller Submariner 2000. It was
styled after the Submariner, which had
been introduced in 1953, but the SeaDweller had a thicker case and a heliumescape valve. At the time, it was notable
for its 2,000-foot (600-meter) water resistance. The Sea-Dweller ultimately reached
a 4,000-foot (1,220-meter) depth rating
before it was replaced in 2008 with the
Deepsea, which is rated to 3,900 meters.
Last year, due to popular request,
Rolex brought the Sea-Dweller 4000
back, adding a few new features. At 15.1
mm thick, it occupies a middle ground
between the 18-mm-thick Deepsea and
the more streamlined, 12.5-mm-thick
Submariner, which is water resistant to
300 meters.
Even though its basic design is more
than 60 years old, the watch still looks
modern. One reason is its new bezel. It
has a high-tech ceramic insert which is
scratch resistant, an improvement over
the easily marred aluminum bezel insert
used on its predecessor. The bezel turns
smoothly, passing through the notches in
half-minute increments, making a pleas70
ant clicking sound like the combination

lock on a safe. It is easy to grasp, thanks
to its serrated outer edge. Its indexes and
numerals are filled with platinum dust, a
luxurious detail that complements the
dials costly white-gold hands and markers.
The watchs Glidelock clasp is another
upgrade. Sturdy and easy to operate, it
enables the wearer to lengthen the
bracelet in 2-mm increments, up to a total
of 20 mm. Its useful on hot days when
you welcome a little more air between the
bracelet and your wrist, or when youre
playing sports and your wrist swells. A
safety bail with an easily lifted opening
rocker prevents the clasp from opening
when you dont want it to. A Fliplock
Rate results:
Deviations in seconds per 24 hours
Dial up
+4
Dial down
+3
Crown up
-1
Crown down
Crown left
Crown right
0
+6
-6
Greatest deviation of rate
12
Average deviation
+1
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
293
Hanging positions
259
Dimensions: Diameter = 40 mm,

height = 15.1 mm, weight = 163 g
Price: $10,400
THE SEA-DWELLER, LIKE THE DEEPSEA,

IS EQUIPPED WITH A TRIPLOCK
CROWN WITH FIVE INSULATORS TO
KEEP MOISTURE OUT OF THE CASE.
The Sea-Dweller
has a helium valve
on the side and
single-minute
calibrations on
the bezel.
extension mechanism lets the wearer add

another 26 mm to the bracelets length,
so it can fit easily over the sleeve of a diving suit. The Sea-Dweller shares this feature with the Deepsea, but not with the
Submariner. The bracelet is supple and
comfortable on the wrist. The sides of the
bracelet and clasp are polished, while the
upper surfaces are satin finished. The
same combination of polished and satin
finishes is used on the watchs case.
The Sea-Dweller, like the Deepsea, is
equipped with a screw-in, Triplock
crown with five insulators to keep moisture out of the case. It is easy to grasp.
The case is made of 904L steel, which is
72
resistant to saltwater corrosion. The caseback is smooth, as is the inner surface of

the clasp, contributing to the watchs
wearing comfort.
Chromalight, Rolexs cool blue luminous substance, is applied at 12, 6 and 9
oclock on the dial, and at the zero index
marker on the bezel. It is also applied to
the dot on the seconds hand so its continuous motion can be used to verify that
the watch is still running. The Chromalight glows very brightly and is visible
even in twilight. The crystal, which is
made of sapphire, is flat. It does not have
the signature Rolex Cyclops magnifying
lens over the date display.
Caliber 3135s
embellishments are
only visible when
the solid caseback
is removed.
PPCO Placed_1754
4/9/14
8:45 AM
Page 1
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T H E W O R L D O F F I N E W AT C H E S
TEST
The Sea-Dweller 4000 contains the

automatic manufacture Caliber 3135. It
is regarded as one of the best automatic
movements on the market, due to its
robust construction, including a sturdy
balance bridge instead of the more common balance cock, and a balance spring
made of Parachrom, an antimagnetic
niobium-zirconium alloy. A Breguet terminal curve contributes to the regular
breathing of the hairspring. The balance
is finely adjusted by means of Microstella
nuts on its inner surface. Two knurled
screws are used to adjust vertical play.
The movement is decorated with a
cloud pattern on the bridges, brushed
THE WATCH HAD A MEAN DEVIATION

OF JUST 1 SECOND, BUT THE
GREATEST DEVIATION WAS A FAR
LESS PRAISEWORTHY 12 SECONDS.
matte surfaces on all steel components

and a sunburst pattern on the partly
pierced rotor. The edges are beveled and
screw heads are polished. The red of the
anodized aluminum winding wheel and
the blue of the Parachrom balance spring
From left to right, the Submariner, Sea-Dweller 4000 and Deepsea
74
add dashes of color. Only watchmakers

will be able to admire these embellishments, as the caseback has no window.
In our tests, the Sea-Dweller showed a
record-worthy gain of just 2 seconds per
week on the wrist. Its performance wasnt
TEST
A stepwise
lengthening
mechanism is
incorporated into
the clasp. There is
also a divers
extension.
SCORES
ROLEX SEA-DWELLER 4000
Bracelet and clasp (max. 10 points):
Well-crafted steel bracelet and practical,
secure, folding clasp with two
lengthening mechanisms
9
Operation (5): The rotatable bezel clicks
authoritatively into each notch and is as
convenient to operate as the screw-in
crown. Rapid-reset mechanism for the
date and a stop-seconds function make it
easy to set this watch with precision. 5
Case (10): High-quality craftsmanship is
evident in the neatly polished and satinfinished surfaces; the ceramic bezel
assures scratch resistance.
9
Design (15): The Sea-Dweller inherited
its successful design; only the date
display isnt perfect because its too close
to the dials center.
14
Legibility (5): The hands contrast well
with the dial and the blue luminous
material glows clearly in the dark.
5
Wearing comfort (10): The multistep
lengthening mechanism ensures that you
can always find exactly the right length;
smooth surfaces on the clasp, bracelet
and case further enhance the wearing
comfort.
10
Movement (20): This time-honored
manufacture caliber is engineered for
robustness, longevity and an accurate
rate.
18
Rate results (10): The greatest deviation
among the several positions is too high,
but the daily gain is extremely small; the
watch runs very precisely on the wrist. 7
Overall value (15): The price seems high,
but its justified by the high quality of
all details and by the near certainty
that this watch will preserve its value
over time.
13
TOTAL:
76
90 POINTS
quite so perfect on the Witschi Chronoscope X1 timing machine, where it

showed a maximum deviation of 12 seconds. However, the mean deviation
among all the positions was just 1 second
per day.
At $10,400, the Sea-Dweller is priced
halfway between the Submariner Date
($8,550) and the Deepsea ($12,050). All
three watches contain the same movement, boast equally fine craftsmanship
on their cases, bracelets, dials and hands,
and have scratch-resistant ceramic bezels.
Although all three are likely to retain
much of their value, the Submariner

offers the best cost-benefit ratio for anyone basing his decision on design rather
than functionality. However, if you really
intend to go diving with one of these
watches on your wrist, you should consider the Sea-Dweller or the Deepsea
because of their greater water resistance
and the extension mechanisms on their
bracelets. (The Deepsea, like the SeaDweller, has a helium escape valve.) The
Deepsea has an imposing 44-mm case; if
you prefer a smaller model, the SeaDweller is for you.
WT_0215_Panerai_04_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 16:44 Seite 78
EVERYDAY
EIGHT-DAY
The Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio
is an entry-level Panerai with solid
mechanical reliability and that
distinctive Panerai look.
BY ALEXANDER KRUPP
n eight-day power reserve is a fine quality in a watch. It means

you can go away for a weeks vacation and put the watch on
when you return without having to reset it provided you have
remembered to wind it before you leave. Or you can wear it daily
and wind it on the same day each week.
The eight-day power reserve has a long history at Panerai.
The first Luminor models, which debuted in the early 1950s,
contained the Angelus Caliber 240, an eight-day hand-wound
movement.
The Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio (the last word means
steel in Italian) was designed as a basic model at the entry level,
a bare-bones watch that offers nothing but time. It has neither a
self-winding movement nor a power-reserve display. On the
positive side, the watch can be reset in mere seconds if not to
the second since there is no seconds hand to track or date display to reset. If you are a stickler for accuracy, you could position the minutes hand at the nearest 5-minute index (there are
no minutes indexes) and wait until a radio-controlled timepiece
has caught up to your mark and then reset the watch. But there
is no stop-seconds function to ensure absolute accuracy. The
TEST
Panerai Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio
watch we tested is also available with a seconds subdial, but

domed sapphire crystal. The original case is still used in the
that makes the lack of precision clearly noticeable when youre
Luminor 1950 collection.
setting the time.
These differences are most notable from the side view. From
These are minor drawbacks when you consider that the
the front, the main visible difference is that the bail protecting
Luminor Base 8 Days offers high-quality construction, excellent
the crown bears no inscription: on the Luminor 1950 it is
craftsmanship, clear legibility, easy operation and wearing comengraved with REG. T.M. (Registered Trademark).
fort. It is also appropriately priced at $7,500.
Caliber P.5000 was developed by Panerai and the movement
The signature Panerai look is present here in its most dismaker ValFleurier (both are owned by the Richemont Group)
tilled form. The sleek simplicity of the dial is very attractive,
and introduced in 2013. It has a Glucydur balance wheel that is
although dedicated Panerai fans might find the contemporary
unaffected by temperature fluctuations, oscillates freely, and
case shape too refined. The
can be adjusted via four
case used for the current
weight screws along its rim.
Luminor collection dates
THE MOVEMENT HAS A SINGLE, The movement has only 127
from 1993. It is a modern,
components, including 21
ONE-PIECE PLATE RATHER
simplified adaptation of the
bearing jewels, and is 4.5 mm
original Luminor case from
thick. The balance wheel is
THAN THE MORE COMMON
the 1950s, which has a more
installed beneath a heightpronounced pillow-like shape,
adjustable bridge rather than
BRIDGES PLACED NEXT
convex rather than vertical
under a conventional cock
sides, a more markedly
affixed only on one side. A
TO EACH OTHER.
stepped bezel and a highly
pair of threaded rings can be
This is a typically
bare-bones Panerai,
with two hands and
a sandwich dial.
The movement has

two barrels, a
balance bridge and
a freely swinging
screw balance.
SPECS
LUMINOR BASE 8 DAYS ACCIAIO
Manufacturer: Officine Panerai
Manufacture, Route de Pierre--Bot 87,
CH-2000 Neuchtel, Switzerland
Reference number: PAM00560
Functions: Hours, minutes
Movement: Hand-wound manufacture
Caliber P.5000, 21,600 vph, 21 jewels,
Kif-Parechoc shock absorption, fine
adjustment via four weight screws along
the rim of the freely swinging Glucydur
balance, eight-day power reserve,
Case: Stainless-steel case with domed
nonreflective sapphire crystal, fully
threaded caseback with sapphire crystal,
water resistant to 300 m
Strap and clasp: Artificially aged calfskin
strap with stainless-steel pronged buckle;
watch comes with an additional modern
calfskin strap and a special tool to switch
straps.
rotated to finely adjust the position of the balance staff in its

ruby bearings, leaving the escapement mostly unaffected by
shocks. The movement has a single, one-piece plate rather than
the usual bridges positioned closely beside one another. Both the
escapement and the minutes wheel were left in view (the watch
has a sapphire caseback). Caliber P.5000 is unquestionably sturdy
and therefore typically Panerai. It is a good choice for the large,
robust Luminor Base 8 Days, a watch designed for daily wear.
The movement is decorated with signature Panerai embellishments, including blue inlays in the engraved lettering, a
brushed pattern on the plate and bridges, polished screw heads,
and beveled edges along the borders of bearing components and
the rims of screw borings and ruby bearings. The chamfers
appear to be polished, but when viewed through a loupe, reveal
tiny traces left by the milling process. These telltale marks prove
the bevels were cut by a machine. The industrial-looking finish
is typical of contemporary Panerai calibers and underscores the
fact that they were designed to be practical, sturdy timekeepers
rather than showpieces. There is, however, one small blemish:
the balance is too small for the large movement, which is 35.7
mm in diameter.
Rate results:
(After 12 hours / 3 days / 5 days / 7 days)
Dial up
+5 / +4 / +5 / +7
Dial down
+2 / +2 / +6 / +7
Crown up
+3 / +3 / +5 / +6
Crown down
-3 / -3 / -4 / +1
Crown left
-1 / -1 / +2 / +3
Crown right
0 / 0 / +3 / +3
8 / 7 / 10 / 6
Average deviation +1 / +0.8 / +2.8 / +4.5

Average amplitude:
Flat positions 290 / 286 / 263 / 235
Hanging
positions
257 / 247 / 228 / 205

Variations: PAM00561 with white dial;
PAM00562 in titanium ($8,000)
Price: $7,500
TEST
The Caliber P.5000 has two serially switched barrels, which

provide long-lasting and highly regular running performance.
As the power declines in the barrel that is connected to the gear
train, its mainspring is continually tightened by the barrel
behind it so the energy flowing to the gear train remains relatively constant for a long time.
During our test, we noted a decline in amplitude and an
increase in daily deviation only after the midpoint of the power
reserve had been reached. Halftime, incidentally, is not at four
days, but at five, because this caliber will continue to run for 10
days, rather than the eight days specified by its manufacturer.
We tested the power reserve three times: in two of these tests,
our watch stopped running after nine days and about 17 hours;
in the third test, it stopped after 10 days and 11 hours.
The watch keeps time with commendable regularity. Our
electronic measurements calculated a perfect average gain of
only 1 second after 12 hours. The same individual values in the
The clasp has a screwed

crosspiece and a milled prong.
AFTER 12 HOURS,
THE WATCH SHOWED
A PERFECT AVERAGE
GAIN OF 1 SECOND.
82
The 35.7-mm-diameter
movement fills the 44-mm
case completely.
TEST
SCORES
LUMINOR BASE 8 DAYS ACCIAIO
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): The
watch comes with two calfskin straps:
one vintage-looking and one modern.
Both are simple and robust; the
crosspiece on the clasp is screwed and
the milled prong is cleverly shaped so it
doesnt crease the strap.
8
Operation (5): The bail that protects
the crown can only be opened with a
fingernail, but everything proceeds
smoothly afterwards.
Case (10): Water resistant to 300 m,

2.5-mm-thick sapphire crystal above
the dial, patented bail to protect the
crown, screwed crosspieces for the
strap, a fully threaded back with large
sapphire crystal
Design (15): Nothing distracts from

Panerais signature design on this
uncompromisingly bare-bones twohanded watch. The beauty of the
modern Luminor case is rivaled only by
the appeal of the case on the historic
Luminor 1950.
14
Legibility (5): Except for the absence of
a minutes track on the dial, the legibility
is good both day and night.
4
In addition to our
tested watch (top),
the model is available
with a white dial or
a titanium case.
Wearing comfort (10): Despite being

big and heavy, Panerai watches are
always surprisingly comfortable on
the wrist.
8
Movement (20): The new manufacture
caliber has plenty to offer, including a
height-adjustable balance bridge, freely
swinging Glucydur screw balance, two
barrels and attractive finishing, but this
model offers neither a power-reserve
display nor a stop-seconds function. 16
Rate results (10): Measurement after 12
hours showed a perfect daily gain of just
1 second but a less impressive difference
of 8 seconds among the various
positions. The rate behavior is surprisingly
regular over the long run.
7
Overall value (15): $7,500 is an
appropriate sum to pay for this watch
and is low compared to prices for other
Panerai models.
12
TOTAL:
84
82 POINTS
various positions recurred with surprising accuracy after two,

three and four days. The watch was given a grade of 7 rather
than a perfect 10 in this category only because the maximum
difference among the several positions during our first measurement showed a somewhat high value of 8 seconds.
In our test, the amplitude did not begin to decline until after
five days. It caused a slightly accelerated rate and a gain of 3.4
seconds. The daily deviation was still a minor +4.5 seconds
after seven days. Even after eight days, the watch kept reasonably good time.
Tested on the wrist, the watch gained approximately 1
minute after eight days: because the minutes scale shows only 5minute intervals, we couldnt measure the gain precisely. The
rather high daily-gain average of about 8 seconds is due to the
fact that the watch spent each night in the dial up position
an orientation which, according to electronic measurement,
leads to the greatest gain.
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WT_0215_IWC_vs_Tudor_06_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 16:53 Seite 86
DUO
We dove into the Atlantic off Tenerife with the new

IWC Aquatimer and the Tudor Pelagos. How well
did they perform during the rigors of several dives?
BY JENS KOCH AND JENS KPPE
PHOTOS BY FREDERIK FRANKE AND OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
COMPARATIVE TEST
IWC Aquatimer Automatic vs. Tudor Pelagos
wimming with sea turtles, eagle rays

and barracudas can be so fascinating that a diver might forget
about time, so its a good idea to take a watch with you as well as
a dive computer. We took two divers watches with us when we
went diving off Tenerife, in the Canary Islands: the new Aquatimer Automatic, the basic model in the Aquatimer family that
IWC updated in 2014, and the Tudor Pelagos, the professional
divers watch introduced in 2012 by Rolexs sister brand. We tested
the watches on several dives and also examined them on land.
Our first dive wasnt very deep: we simply wanted to do a little fish watching. We checked and donned our equipment,
rechecked the pressure in our air tanks, and fell backwards into
the water. To monitor our dive time, we turned the index on each
watchs dive-time scale until it was tangent to the tip of the minutes hand.
The Aquatimer has a newly developed SafeDive bezel system
that we found very user-friendly. The outer rotatable bezel turns
another ring, safely positioned under the crystal and surrounding
the dial, on which the dive time is shown. The bezel can be rotated
88
Getting ready to descend: tanks of pressurized air, a dive

computer and a watch on each wrist
in both directions, but for safety, the inner scale moves only when
the bezel is turned counterclockwise. The scale remains motionless
when the bezel is turned the other way. This ensures that a diver
wont shorten the indicated dive time if he happens to snag his
wrist on a submerged rock, which could cause him to skip a crucial decompression stop. The system also has another advantage:
the crystal protects the scale and its luminous coating against
scratches and saltwater. And we found this system easier to use
than a watch with an inner scale thats operated with a second
crown.
Tudors unidirectional rotating diving bezel also works impeccably. Narrow fluting makes this component even easier to grasp
than IWCs. As on the Aquatimer, the Tudors rotatable bezel
clicks into place in single-minute increments. The matte scale is
crafted from a ceramic material that doesnt give scratches a
chance. But the luminous coating on the scale is rather soft and
could become scratched over the long term.
We began our descent and encountered our first school of gilthead seabream. We continued down to the seafloor and found two
The Tudor watch comes with a

rubber strap and a titanium
bracelet designed to shrink and
expand automatically as the
diver descends and ascends.
SPECS
IWC AQUATIMER AUTOMATIC
Manufacturer: IWC Schaffhausen,
Baumgartenstrasse 15, CH-8200
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
SPECS
TUDOR PELAGOS
Reference number: IW329001
Manufacturer: Rolex SA, rue FranoisDussaud 37, CH-1211 Geneva 26,

Switzerland
Reference number: 25500TN

Movement: ETA 2824 Top, automatic,
28,800 vph, 25 jewels, stop-seconds
function, rapid reset for the date, Kif
shock absorption, Glucydur balance,
Triovis fine adjustment via screw, 38-hour
power reserve, diameter = 26 mm,
height = 4.6 mm
The IWC has a rubber strap that is textured

on the inside and outside.
Case: Titanium, flat sapphire crystal

is nonreflective on both sides, ceramic
bezel, helium valve, screwed crown,
fully threaded titanium back, water
resistant to 500 m
Rate results:
Strap and clasp: Rubber strap with

titanium pin buckle and titanium bracelet
with stainless-steel folding clasp and
integrated extension
Rate results:
Dial up
+6
Dial down
+3
Crown up
Crown down
+7
Crown left
+5
Crown right
+3

Average deviation
Movement: ETA 2892 Top, automatic,

28,800 vph, 21 jewels, stop-seconds
function, rapid reset for the date,
Incabloc shock absorption, Glucydur
balance, fine adjustment via regulator
and screw, 42-hour power reserve,
diameter = 26 mm, height = 3.6 mm
Case: Stainless steel, domed sapphire
crystal is nonreflective on both sides,
dive-time ring can be reset via the bezel,
screwed crown, fully threaded stainlesssteel caseback, water resistant to 300 m
Strap and clasp: Rubber strap with
stainless-steel pin buckle
7
+4
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
314
Hanging positions
288
Dial up
+1
Dial down
+1
Crown up
+1
Crown down
+4
Crown left
+2
Crown right
+2

Average deviation
3
+1.8
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
295
Hanging positions
253

height = 14 mm, weight = 149 g
Variations: With silver-plated dial; with
stainless-steel bracelet ($6,750)
Price: $5,750
Dimensions: Diameter = 42 mm, height

= 13.5 mm, weight = 104 g
Price: $4,125
COMPARATIVE TEST
Our boat takes us to our first diving spot.
THE AQUATIMER
HAS A NEWLY
DEVELOPED SAFEDIVE
BEZEL SYSTEM.
rays, moray eels and a seahorse. It would be easy to lose track of

time, but our underwater regimen includes regularly glancing at
our pressure gauge, which shows how much pressurized air
remains in our tanks, and at our watch, where we can check the
dive time. After 40 minutes, the pressure gauge reminded us to
begin our ascent to the surface.
A problem cropped up during our first dive: both watches
straps were too short to fit comfortably over the sleeves of our
7-mm-thick diving suits. The Tudors rubber strap has a divers
extension built into the clasp that looks like a little belt, but this
didnt work for us: the extended strap fit too loosely, even on its
smallest setting. We had no choice but to partially unzip the zippers on the sleeves of our diving suits and wear both watches
around our bare wrists.
In all other aspects, the rubber straps and pin buckles worked
well on both watches. They have different decorative patterns but
are equally well crafted. Both manufacturers have added some
texture to the inner surface of each strap to reduce perspiration in
hot weather. Both clasps are neatly crafted and each has a milled
pin, although IWCs polished edges show a bit more time spent on
fabrication.
90
The Aquatimer has a strap-changing system, but it doesnt

come with an extra bracelet or extension. A steel bracelet can be
purchased separately.
The Pelagos comes with an additional titanium bracelet, which
can be lengthened in three steps. The third step even contains a
spring-loaded self-adjusting mechanism that lets the bracelet
adjust during a dive, contracting in deep water when the divers
suit is compressed and expanding as the pressure eases during his
ascent. But a special tool must be used to change the strap, so we
only had the rubber strap to wear on our dive.
Both watches were comfortable to wear on land. The steel
Aquatimer is noticeably heavier than the Pelagos with its titanium
At a depth of 30 to 40
meters, we found
anchors dating from the
era of Christopher
Columbus.
Both watches could be read easily under water.
COMPARATIVE TEST
We used a diving scooter

on one dive, subjecting the
watches to a grueling
workout.
In the dark, both watches

glow brightly thanks to
luminous material applied
amply to the hands
and markers.
case. But IWCs sturdy strap lugs ensure that the strap curves
downward enough to keep the watch from slipping and sliding on
its wearers wrist, even if he perspires.
ON OUR SECOND DAY, our diving route took us past impressive fissured cliffs and gigantic canyons of petrified lava. At a
depth of 30 to 40 meters, we found anchors dating from Columbuss era that had come to rest on the ocean floor. This diving
area gave us a good opportunity to test how well our watches
can be read under water.
Both watches play in the major leagues. IWC accentuates the
dive-relevant functions on its dial with green luminous material:
the orientation triangle, the first two 5-minute indexes and the
92
number 15 on the diving scale all glow in the same green color as
the minutes hand, while the hour hand and the hour indexes shimmer with a bluish tone.
Tudors indicators are monochromatic but glow extremely
brightly in the dark. Blues the hue for the hour indexes and the
hands on the dial, as well as for the triangle, the first 15-minute
indexes and the following 5-minute markers on the bezel. A typical divers watch includes only a luminous dot on its rotatable
bezel, but the Pelagos and the Aquatimer offer considerably more.
Both seconds hands glow in the dark and thus provide instant
assurance that the watches are still running.
Half an hour into our dive, the pressure gauge showed that we
should begin our return to the surface. We ascended freely for the
When the Tudors strap was extended, it fit over our divers wetsuit,
but it was too loose to wear for long.
DURING OUR STAY ON

TENERIFE, THE TUDOR
GAINED 6 SECONDS
PER DAY AND
THE IWC 3 SECONDS.
first 20 meters and gradually worked our way up toward the sunlight. After pausing for 3 minutes of decompression and for an
additional safety stop, we finally broke through the waters surface after a total of 50 minutes.
Aboard our boat, we examined the dials and hands of these
watches in broad daylight. Both watches are handsome and have
a tool-watch look. The dial of the Aquatimer looks more threedimensional thanks to its applied indexes and the inward slope of
its diving scale. Together with the silver-colored hands and indexes,
this creates a more elegant appearance, which goes well with the
case and its polished edges.
One of the first features one notices on the Tudors dial is the
famous snowflake hands. Like the IWC, the Tudor has applied
94
indexes and a sloping flange with recessed markers. But the white
outlines of the hands and indexes make this watch look more twodimensional than the IWC. The styling goes well with the matte
case, which also seems more technical due to the gray color of the
titanium.
THE NEXT MORNING we again headed for the ocean. We took
underwater scooters with us on this dive: the electric-powered
scooters accelerated swiftly and pulled us quickly through the
water, creating an especially grueling ordeal for our watches.
Resistance to water pressure is a theoretical value: no one
actually dives to such great depths, but the number indicates the
sturdiness and security the case can provide during momentary
peaks of extraordinarily high pressure, for instance, when leaping
off a diving board or being pulled along by a dive scooter. The
practical value of a helium valve is limited to pressurized chambers, which an amateur who dives only as a hobby never enters.
Such valves are not necessary in the water.
The Pelagos offers pressure resistance to spare: its titanium
case can withstand pressure to 500 meters and also has a heliumrelease valve. Titanium is well suited for a divers watch because,
unlike stainless steel, it is totally unaffected by saltwater. Steel
watches should be rinsed in tap water after theyve been in contact
with saltwater because brine, together with heat or warmth, can
cause pitting corrosion over the long term.
The component that looks like a helium valve on the left side
of the Aquatimers case in fact serves to transfer rotary motion
from the bezel to the inside of the case. The bezel is toothed on its
underside to engage with the drive wheel. The drive wheels staff
then transfers the motion into the case. The so-called driving pin-
COMPARATIVE TEST
SCORES
IWC AQUATIMER AUTOMATIC
Strap and clasp (max. 10 points):
The rubber strap and its pin buckle are
well crafted; a system for changing
straps is included.
8
Operation (5): The protected diving
scale is easy to operate; the screwed
crown offers a sure grip.
Case (10): The case scores points with its

innovative bezel system and its highquality craftsmanship, which includes
satin-finished surfaces and polished
edges.
9
Design (15): IWC has somewhat
modernized and elevated the
Aquatimers design so this watch also
looks good with a blazer.
14
Legibility (5): The Aquatimer is easy to
read under all lighting conditions. Ditto for
the dive time, where the legibility is
enhanced by plenty of luminous coating. 5
Wearing comfort (10): The straps ends
curve at the case to assure a firm and
comfortable fit on the wrist.
9
Movement (20): The Top version of
ETAs standard Caliber 2892 guarantees
reliability and easy servicing.
12
The Aquatimer contains ETA Caliber 2892, which IWC designates Caliber 30120.
ion engages with the scale, which is also toothed on its underside.
This arrangement enables the user to turn the inner ring by turning the outer bezel. To permit only counterclockwise rotation, the
driving pinions staff has sawtooth-shaped teeth and is carried
along in only this one direction by the driving disk, which is also
cut with sawtooth-shaped teeth and motionlessly affixed to the
staff. In the other direction, a locking piece firmly holds the driving pinion so it cannot move and also assures that the scale always
moves in single-minute increments. Two insulators prevent water
from penetrating through the additional opening in the case.
The Aquatimers bezel mechanism is one of the reasons the
IWC watch costs significantly more than the Tudor. The IWCs
case, with domed crystal and polished edges, also shows that this
manufacturer invested more labor in its construction and production. Its water resistance of 300 meters is more than adequate for
a dive watch.
RETURNING TO LAND, we found a few seats at an outdoor
caf on a shady street and took a closer look at our watches. The
dives had left their mark on both cases. The Tudors titanium
housing showed several scratches. The blemishes werent quite
so obvious on IWCs case.
96
Rate results (10): IWC impressed our

testers with low deviations among the
various positions and an only minimal
gain.
10
Overall value (15): Despite the newly
developed dive-time system and the good
craftsmanship, we found the price too
high. On the other hand, the IWC name
makes a good resale value likely.
12
TOTAL:
84 POINTS
Operating the screwed crowns is smooth sailing: IWCs is

somewhat easier to grasp because it has no protectors alongside it,
but Tudors crown is also quite user-friendly. Both watches offer
the convenience of rapid resetting for the date displays and stopseconds mechanisms for precise time setting.
If you unscrew the fully threaded casebacks, old friends come
to light. IWC designates its ETA 2892 as Caliber 30120, while
Tudor calls the ETA 2824 in its watch simply 2824. Millions of
these calibers have been produced and proven themselves to be
robust and reliable workhorses. Tudor uses the Top (the best)
version and replaces the fine adjustment mechanism: instead of a
regulator and an eccentric, the brand opts for Triovis fine adjust-
SCORES
TUDOR PELAGOS
Tidy craftsmanship characterizes the
rubber strap and its additional extension.
Tudors package also includes a titanium
bracelet with an extension and a
pressure-compensating clasp.
8
Operation (5): The diving bezel clicks
precisely into place and the crown is easy
to grasp despite the crown protectors. 5
Case (10): The titanium cases virtues
include tidy craftsmanship, a helium valve,
resistance to the corrosive effects of saltwater and high resistance to pressure. The
ceramic bezel is scratch resistant, but the
luminous coating on it is vulnerable to
abrasion and could get rubbed off.
8
Design (15): Boldly styled luminous
hands and a satin-finished titanium case
underscore the tool-watch look.
14
Legibility (5): Tudor offers an especially
bright blue luminous substance, which is
also used on the diving scale.
5
Wearing comfort (10): This watch is
very comfortable to wear thanks to its
light weight and its soft rubber strap. 9
Movement (20): Top-quality version of
the robust ETA Caliber 2824, which has
been rebuilt to include Triovis fine
adjustment
12
Rate results (10): The deviations among
the several positions are sufficiently
small, as is the gain.
7
Overall value (15): Tudor offers plenty
for a moderate price with the titanium
case, two straps and a ceramic bezel.
And this brands image is growing
stronger, too.
14
TOTAL:
82 POINTS
ment. IWC makes no constructive changes to the 2892, but the

movement is enhanced with decorative patterns.
During our stay on Tenerife, the Tudor gained 6 seconds per
day and the IWC just 3 seconds per day. Similar results were
shown on the timing machine, where Tudors watch posted an
average deviation of +4 seconds per 24 hours in all positions. Its
greatest deviation among the various positions was an acceptable
7 seconds. IWCs timepiece performed even better: its average
deviation was just +1.8 seconds, and with 3 seconds for the greatest deviation of rate, all values remained close together.
The Tudor Pelagos is powered by the ETA 2824, altered to include Triovis
fine adjustment.
A SIGNIFICANT PRICE DIFFERENCE separates these two

watches: IWCs model sells for $5,750 while Tudors costs
$4,125. The Aquatimer earns praise for visibly finer craftsmanship, a practical bezel system with protected luminous coating
and a well-engineered method for switching straps. The Pelagos
scores extra points for its titanium case, high resistance to pressure, helium-release valve, two straps and its additional extension piece.
Whether one wants to take a costly watch along on a dive is
a question that each diver must answer for himself. The danger
of completely losing the watch is very high. But our test showed
that both watches are well suited to diving. IWCs innovative
rotatable system markedly improves the diving bezel. Its presence, along with the high-quality appearance of the entire
watch, might persuade a potential buyer to pay the extra price.
Tudor also builds a good-looking classic dive watch and further
tempts customers by providing a strap and a bracelet as standard equipment. Ultimately, however, IWCs excellent rate
results earned the Aquatimer more points than we gave to the
more favorably priced Pelagos.
WT_0215_Vacheron_03_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 16:58 Seite 98
A Two-Week
Tourbillon
We test an ultra-luxe Vacheron Constantin with two special
features, a tourbillon and a 14-day power reserve.
BY JENS KOCH
PHOTOS BY OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
TEST
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon 14 Days
he movement of the Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon 14 Days, from Vacheron

Constantin, is a beauty: a rich mlange of
elegant sunburst, perlage and Geneva
stripes; hand-beveled edges; immaculately
polished screws; a tourbillon cage
adorned with a Maltese cross; and
engravings decorated with gold.
Given the watchs eye-popping price
of $292,700 youd expect all this and
more. Youd expect it, with its fancifully
adorned tourbillon, to keep almost perfect time. Does it?
The tourbillon was invented more
than two centuries ago to improve rate
results by equalizing the influence of
The movement is
adorned with a
mix of perlage,
Geneva stripes
and sunburst
finishing.
100 WatchTime April 2015
gravity on the balance. The escapement

and balance wheel rotate within a cage
in most tourbillons, including this one, at
a rate of once per minute to ensure that
the force of gravity is distributed evenly
onto the balance and escapement.
The mechanism was invented for use
in pocketwatches, and does indeed improve
precision when a watch is in a vertical
position, as most pocketwatches are (or
were) when being worn. In horizontal
positions, though, where wristwatches
spend most or at least much of their time,
the tourbillon provides no benefit.
Hence we were very anxious to see
how well this tourbillon movement, Cal.
2260, fared in all six positions on a timing machine. The extremely high power
reserve, made possible by four paired barrels (the springs have a total length of 2.2
meters) presents a special challenge, since
its virtually impossible to provide constant power over such a long period.
SPECS
VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY
TRADITIONNELLE TOURBILLON 14 DAYS
Manufacturer: Vacheron Constantin,
Chemin du Tourbillon 10, CH-1228 Planles-Ouates/Geneva, Switzerland
Reference number: 89000/000R-9655
Functions: Hour, minutes, seconds,
power-reserve display, tourbillon
Movement: Vacheron Caliber 2260,
manual wind, 18,000 vph, 31 jewels, fine
regulator with screw adjustment, four
barrels, 14-day power reserve; diameter
= 29.10 mm, height = 6.8 mm
Case: Rose gold, curved sapphire crystal,
fully threaded caseback, sapphire
window, water resistant to 30 m
Strap and clasp: Alligator leather strap
with rose-gold double folding clasp
When testing a watch with a minute

tourbillon on a timing machine, its
important that each position be tested
for at least one minute so the tourbillon
can demonstrate its equalizing effect on
the gravitational forces. We tested each
position for 5 minutes, our usual testing
period, to be sure the tourbillon had
plenty of time to prove itself.
As we expected, the vertical positions
were close together. A bit too much power
is supplied to the balance in the horizontal
positions, as shown by the high amplitudes. For 12 hours after winding, the
most important interval for a manualwind watch, the rate results were generally
good. The greatest deviation between all
the positions was 5 seconds per day and
the average deviation was +2 seconds.

Even after seven days, the Patrimony was
still running accurately, with no more
than a 1-second difference between any of
the vertical positions.
Only after 13 days did the power begin
to decline and the difference between the
positions begin to increase. The average
gain was still only around 2 seconds per
day, but it became apparent that the tourbillon mechanism requires a substantial
amount of power. Throughout the 14
days, the difference in amplitude between
the horizontal and vertical positions,
about 60 degrees, was roughly twice that
of a conventional watch. The Vacheron
Constantin nonetheless achieved good
rate results for most of the running period.
Rate results:
(Fully wound / after 12 hours / 7 days / 13 days)
Dial up
+3 / +5 / +6 / +14
Dial down
-1 / 0 / +2 / +11
Crown up
+1 / +2 / +2 / -5
Crown down
0 / +2 / +1 / -1
Crown left
0 / +1 / +1 / -3
Crown right
0 / +2 / +2 / -4

Average deviation
4 / 5 / 5 / 19
+0.5 / +2 / +2.3 / +2
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 339 / 336 / 327 / 245
Hanging
positions
280 / 272 / 267 / 182

Variations: Platinum ($339,100),
platinum with skeletonized movement
($380,000)
Price: $292,700
The manual-wind movement, Cal. 2260, can be seen through the sapphire caseback.
TEST
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon 14 Days
The watch meets the new standards

for the Geneva Seal established in 2012.
The old criteria addressed the quality of
the movements finishing and materials
and nothing more. Now the entire watch
is included in the inspection. Rate
results, the function of the operating elements, water resistance and whether the
watch runs for its stated power reserve
are all part of the examination.
Now, about the price. Nearly
$300,000 is a big pile of money, even in
the world of ultra-high-end watches this
Vacheron inhabits. A long-power-reserve
tourbillon can be had for less. But if
youre even contemplating buying this
watch, youre probably not bargain
hunting.
SCORES
VACHERON CONSTANTIN PATRIMONY
TRADITIONNELLE TOURBILLON 14 DAYS
The strap has a beautiful texture and
is neatly hand sewn. Its edges are
varnished.
Operation (5): Smoothly operating

crown. As with most tourbillons, there is
no hack mechanism.
4
Case (10): Superbly finished rose-gold
case with sapphire caseback.
Design (15): The slightly asymmetrical

dial with offset center and the polished
case are elegant, unpretentious and
timelessly beautiful.
14
Legibility (5): The hands contrast well
with the dial and the power-reserve
display is also easy to read. No luminous
material was used.
4
Wearing comfort (10): Despite its size,
the watch lies comfortably on the wrist. 9
Movement (20): Vacheron Constantin
has refined the tourbillon with an extended
power reserve and provided it with handapplied decorative finishes.
19
The time and

power reserve
are easy to read
thanks to the
high contrast
between hands
and dial.
Rate results (10): Low average deviation

and little difference between the various
positions. The tourbillon ensures a
balance in the vertical positions.
8
Overall value (15): This watch has a very
high price. Even in comparison with
other tourbillons with long power
reserves, the Vacheron Constantin
remains at the upper end.
10
TOTAL:
86 POINTS
WT_0215_Seiko_Milestones_04_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 17:01 Seite 104
SEIKO
MILESTONES
A survey of Seikos 24 most important

timepieces, including the worlds first quartz watch
BY GISBERT L. BRUNNER
1895
FIRST POCKETWATCH
In December 1881, 22-year-old Kintaro

Hattori opened a shop in Tokyo where
he sold and repaired timepieces. Most
of them came from importers in the harbor city of Yokohama. Hattori recognized the importance of being able to
manufacture ones own watches long
before his competitors did. He established a watchmaking factory at Ishiwara-cho, Honjoku, in 1892, and was
able to sell watches that he had fabricated himself at much lower prices than
his competitors charged for those they
bought from watch companies. Hattori
planned to focus on the production of
highly precise timepieces so he named
his new factory Seikosha: seiko
1913
means exquisite or exact in Japanese and sha means house.

Seikoshas first pocketwatch was
the Time Keeper: it debuted in 1895
and measured nearly 55 mm in diameter and 16.2 mm in height. It had an
enamel dial and silver case. Inside it
was a 22-ligne manually wound movement with a cylinder escapement and
six jewels. The case was made in
Japan, but the essential components
were imported from Switzerland. The
choice of an English name for this
model was by no means accidental
because Hattori was already planning
to export his watches to the Western
world.
FIRST WRISTWATCH
Kintaro Hattori had grand goals. He wanted Seikosha to
become a genuine mass-producer that would be able to compete with Western, and especially American, companies. His
plans came to fruition sooner than he had expected. By 1910,
Seikosha had become a great success in Japan, where it was
the only factory that made three types of timepieces: wall
clocks, table clocks and pocketwatches. Hattori had laid the
cornerstone for a globe-girdling watch empire. In 1906, he
made a trip to America and Europe, his second, bringing with
him his head engineer, Tsuruhiko Yoshikawa. On it they purchased modern production machinery. They had their first
automated machines to fabricate arbors and pivots up and
running by 1908, and Seikosha began making its own balance springs and mainsprings in 1910.
This led in 1913 to the first wristwatch made entirely in
Japan. Called the Laurel, it had a silver case measuring 29.6
mm wide and 11 mm high. Its 12-ligne hand-wound movement contained seven jewels. Hattori was able to produce
between 30 and 50 Laurel watches per day, and he equipped
each one with an enamel dial made by Seikosha.
MILESTONES
Seiko
1924
FIRST SEIKO
BRAND WATCH
The companys designers and technicians devoted the

ensuing years to developing watches, especially wristwatches. Watches accounted for only 12 percent of
Seikoshas volume in 1916, but by 1922 their share had
increased to 60 percent.
But there was a problem: sales were sometimes sluggish because Seikoshas watches were bulkier and of
poorer quality than comparable imported products. A
growing stock of unsold merchandise prompted Hattori
to drastically lower his prices. The situation got worse
in 1923 when a fire caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed Seikoshas warehouse and factory.
Though production was abruptly stopped, Hattori was
undefeated.
The next year, despite all warnings, he debuted the
first watches with the name Seiko on their dials. They
were wristwatches: 24.2 mm in diameter and 9.3 mm
thick. Their movements were 9 lignes in diameter and
had seven jewels. In addition to Laurel, Hattori gave
other English names to his watch models, such as
Excellent, Right and Empire. He chose English
names because his fellow Japanese, who doubted the
reliability and precision of their domestic products, preferred Western ones. Hattori wanted to prove to his
countrymen that Japan could indeed produce timepieces with a quality that was at least equal to that of
foreign watches.
1929
THE RAILWAY
Between 1928 and 1933, after the Great Kanto

Earthquake, Hattori had all of his manufacturing
sites rebuilt and equipped with the most modern
machinery. Japanese authorities were deeply
impressed by his gigantic investments: as a result,
the railway administration and the ministry for
postal and telegraphic services became Seikosha
customers.
Seikoshas Railway model gradually supplanted American and Swiss products. It was
designed to be as easy to read and as reliable as
possible. Its large Arabic numerals contrasted
boldly with its enamel dial, which was also manufactured by Seikosha. The movement was 19
lignes in diameter and had seven jewels. The case
was made of nickel and was 50.7 mm in diameter
and 13.6 mm thick.
1956
THE MARVEL
Seiko launched the Marvel, which the company says

was in its day the most popular wristwatch in Japan,
to prove that it could make watches that were as precise or even more precise than Swiss ones. The watch
contained a highly accurate, 11-ligne hand-wound
caliber with a screw balance and center seconds hand.
This caliber was so good that it had nothing to fear
from Swiss competitors like the Omega 30 T2, the
Peseux 260 or the Zenith 135. Seiko manufactured it
with 17, 19 or 21 jewels, but about 85 percent of Marvel watches had 17.
The caliber proved itself at Japanese accuracy
competitions in 1956. One year later, it became the
first Japanese wristwatch to win the contest organized
by the Far Eastern branch of the American Horological Society: Hattoris Swiss competitors had no choice
but to acknowledge defeat. The next year, the Marvel
captured the first nine places in a contest conducted by
the Central Inspection Institute of Weights and Measures in Tokyo.
1959
GYRO MARVEL
The Marvel had already made a name for itself when

an automatic version of the watch was released in
1959. The Gyro Marvel contained the 12-ligne,
5.5 mm-thick Caliber 290, Seikos first caliber with
both a directly propelled sweep seconds hand and
the brands own subassembly for automatic winding. The base movement was either made by ETA or
was a copy of an ETA movement: its no longer possible to determine which.
Caliber 290s best-known feature was its Magic
Lever. The sorcery in this component (see photo)
consisted of a highly efficient eccentric-reverser to
harness kinetic energy from the rotors motion.
Regardless of which direction the rotor turns, one
pulling or one pushing arm of the Magic Lever
always engages with the ratchet wheel, thus conveying energy to the barrel. But the fundamental idea
for the Magic Lever wasnt Seikos: in 1954, the
West German company Otero had unveiled a similar
mechanism known as the Eppo system. Nonetheless, Seiko perfected the concept, achieving unbeatable winding efficiency. Most of Seikos automatic
calibers still use the Magic Lever today.
1964
1960
GRAND SEIKO
The first Grand Seiko model came out in 1960. It contained Caliber 3180, which was an improved version
of the Marvels caliber (see 1956 milestone). Like the
Marvel, the Grand Seiko had a sweep seconds hand. It
was extremely precise: its designers had set out to
make the best wristwatch ever made in Japan.
Caliber 3180 was manually wound. It had a 12ligne diameter, 25 jewels, and a frequency of 18,000
vph. Each watch was subjected to rigorous tests before
it left the factory to ensure that it was even more precise than COSC would have required for certification.
The watch was 35 mm in diameter and plated with
14-karat gold. It sold for about 25,000 yen, about
equal to two months salary for a college educated
professional (Seiko did not export the watch). This
particular model was produced until 1965. It engendered an entire range of Grand Seiko watches. Seiko
stopped making them in 1975, but resurrected Grand
Seiko in 1988, first as an all-quartz collection. Ten
years later it began adding mechanical models.
1963
FIRST
CHRONOGRAPH
Seiko timed its first Olympics in 1964. That year

also brought the debut of Seikos, and Japans, first
chronograph wristwatch. It was equipped with
hand-wound, 12-ligne Caliber 5719. The watch had
a chronograph seconds hand but no counters for the
minutes or hours. A geared coupling established and
severed the connection between the watchs ordinary
train and its stopwatch mechanism. A single button
and column wheel started the seconds
hand, stopped it, and returned it to
zero. The balance was paced at
18,000 vph so the chronograph
could measure elapsed intervals
to the nearest 1/5 of a second.
A rotatable bezel with
calibrations for 60 minutes was affixed to the
steel case, which measured 38.2 mm in diameter and 11.2 mm in
height. Bakelite, one of
the first plastics, was initially used for the bezel,
but was somewhat prone
to breakage so Seiko later
replaced it with steel. As a
further improvement, Seiko
launched Caliber 5717, which
had a date display but was
otherwise essentially identical
to Caliber 5719.
SEIKOMATIC LADY
Seiko introduced Japans first womens

automatic watch, the Seikomatic Lady, in
1963. The watchs designers equipped it
with the 6-ligne Caliber 270, which was 5.7
mm thick and had a frequency of 19,800
vph. The products designers gave a rather

conservative look to the watch, perhaps
because they wanted to play it safe and
assumed that they couldnt go wrong with a
simple round case.
1966
1965
CHRONOMETER
FOR COMPETITION
FIRST DIVERS
WATCH
Seiko began development of Japans first professional divers watch early in 1964, the year that
Japan hosted the summer Olympics and Seiko was
the games official timer. Once again, Seiko sought
to prove Japans mettle to the Swiss, whose watches,
until then, were more water resistant than their
Japanese counterparts. Seiko also sought to make
its watch easy to read, even in dim light, and highly
shock resistant.
The watch it came up with, Model 6217-8001,
was 38 mm in diameter, 13.4 mm thick, water
resistant to 150 meters and equipped with a rotatable bezel. It contained the 12-ligne automatic
Caliber 6217A, which had a balance that oscillated
at 18,000 vph. This watch was put to a severe durability test in 1966 when it was worn by a team of
scientists that spent the winter in the Antarctic performing research. One year later, Seiko unveiled
Model 6215-010, also an automatic, which was
water resistant to 300 meters.
Since the early 1950s, Seiko had given top priority to

developing accurate timepieces, entering and dominating the domestic accuracy competitions. In 1958,
the Marvel took every place from first to ninth in the
competitions held by the Central Inspection Institute
of Weights and Measures of Japan. The Japanese
competitions were discontinued in 1960, however,
and Seiko ventured to see how it would fare in the
Swiss chronometry competitions.
In 1964, Seiko entered watches in the Neuchtel
Observatory chronometer competition for the first
time. Fourteen of them passed the chronometer tests,
but none won a prize. According to Seiko, it was later
discovered that the balance springs on some of the
watches shipped to the competition had become
magnetized en route, perhaps affecting the results.
Precautions were taken on further shipments. Seiko
fared better the following year, winning three individual prizes, one series prize and 24 rate certificates.
The number of individual prizes increased to 31 in
1966, when Seiko watches also won two series prizes
and the prize for rgleurs. In 1967, Seiko won second- and third-place series prizes (the former for its
high-frequency Caliber 052). The Neuchtel Observatory discontinued the competitions early the next
year.
MILESTONES
Seiko
1967
LORD MARVEL 36,000
In the 1960s, Seiko was breaking new ground in highfrequency movements, testing calibers of 5 Hz and 7 Hz in
its endeavor to win chronometry competitions. The success
of Caliber 052 prompted Seiko to produce the movement
serially beginning in 1967, two years after the introduction
of Girard-Perregauxs groundbreaking Caliber 32.7 HF.
The classically designed hand-wound Caliber 052 had a
12-ligne diameter and a frequency of 5 Hz, or 36,000 vph.
It could be finely adjusted using a toothed screw on the balance cock that moved the toothed segment of the regulator
arm. The 34-mm case was stainless steel. The watch was
christened Lord Marvel, with 36,000 printed on the
dial to commemorate the first serially manufactured highfrequency wristwatch of Japanese provenance.
1967
BELL-MATIC ALARM WRISTWATCH

The Bell-Matic, with automatic
Calibers 4005 A and 4006 A, went
into serial production in 1967.
Both were 13-ligne calibers, with
a thickness of 6.6 mm and 7.17
mm and a frequency of 2.5 Hz or
18,000 vph. One had a day-of-theweek indicator next to the date display. A ball-borne rotor automatically wound the mainspring in
both directions using the Magic
Lever winding system. The spring
that powered the alarm had to be
manually wound. In this respect,
the Bell-Matic was no different
from Jaeger-LeCoultres Memo-
vox, introduced in 1950. The BellMatics gong was flat and stamped.
It was wound around the movement and screwed to the plate. To
set the alarm you turned the
crown, which caused a ring around
the circumference of the dial to
rotate. The alarm time was shown
by a triangular pointer on the ring.
A button at 2 oclock turned the
alarm on and off. Seiko continued
to produce the Bell-Matic in various versions and in large numbers
until 1985. The cases had a diameter of approximately 38 mm and a
thickness of 15 mm.
WATCH_p111.1:Layout 1 2/13/15 12:54 PM Page 1
1969
1
969
A
UTOMATIC
AUTOMATIC
C
HRONOGRAPH
CHRONOGRAPH
In 1969,
In
1969, after
after just
just two
two years
years o
off development,
development, Seiko introduced
d
uced aan
n automatic
automatic chronograph:
chronograph: the
the first
firs in the
world
bee offered
w
orld to
to b
offered for
for sale
sale to
to tthe
he public.
public. The 5
Caliber
SSpeed
peed Timer
Timer contained
contained C
aliber 6139,
6139, with
wit a
diameter
height
off 6.65
d
iameter of
of 27
27 mm
mm and
and a h
eight o
6.65 mm,
mm a
Magic
M
agic Lever
Lever automatic-winding
automatic-winding system
system and
and a
30-minute
3
0-minute counter.
counter. The
The chronograph
chronograph was
was cconon
but
ttrolled
rolled by
by a traditional
traditional column
column wheel,
wheel, b
ut it
had
with
no
h
ad aan
n innovative
innovative coupling
coupling system
system w
ith n
ggears
ears or
or rocking
rocking pinion.
pinion. Seiko
Seiko had
had long
long b
ee
been
w
orking with
with movements
movements that
that relied
relied on
on fricfri
working
ttion
ion for
for ccoupling,
oupling, a system
system with
with vvery
ery low
low energy
ener
cconsumption.
onsumption. The
The balance
balance oscillated
oscillated at
at a pace
pace of
21,600
was
display
2
1,600 vph.
vph. There
There w
as a ffast
ast switching
switching d
ispla for
be
tthe
he date
date and
and day
day of
of the
the week,
week, and
and tthe
he day
day could
co
displayed
d
isplayed in
in either
either Japanese
Japanese or
or English.
English.
The
The first
first 5 Speed
Speed Timer
Timer models
models went
went on
on
ssale
ale in
in June
June 1969.
1969. SSeiko
eiko had
had been
been engaged
engaged in
in
a rrace
ace with
with two
two Swiss
Swiss competitors
competitors to
to introintroduce
d
uce tthe
he worlds
worlds ffirst
irst automatic
automatic chrono.
chrono.
One
Zenith;
other
One was
was Z
enith; tthe
he o
ther was
was a cconsortium
onsortium
off companies
o
companies that
that included
included Breitling,
Breitling, Heuer,
Heuer,
Dubois
Bren.
D
ubois Dpraz
Dpraz aand
nd B
ren. As
As of
of JJune,
une, both
both
had
unveiled
neih
ad u
nveiled automatic
automatic chronographs
chronographs but
but n
eitther
her had
had brought
brought one
one to
to market.
market.
The
with
The next
next year,
year, SSeiko
eiko iintroduced
ntroduced Caliber
Caliber 6138,
6138, w
ith an
an added
added hour
hour
counter.
William
Reid
on
counter. This
This watch
watch accompanied
accompanied the
the astronaut
astronaut W
illiam R
eid Pogue
Pogue o
n the
the
Skylab
mission
distinction
off b
being
Skylab 4 m
ission 1973,
1973, earning
earning Seiko
Seiko the
the added
added d
istinction o
eing the
the
manufacturer
off the
outer
manufacturer o
the first
first automatic
automatic chronograph
chronograph iin
no
uter sspace.
pace.
1969
1
969
THE
NEW
SHOP
Americas No. 1 watch magazine
has a new shop find issues,
specials, videos, reviews and
subscription information:
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MILESTONES
Seiko
1988
1975
PROFESSIONAL
600
The Professional 600 divers watch, containing

Caliber 6159, debuted in 1975. It was water resistant to 600 meters and had a titanium case Seiko
says it was the first titanium case used for a divers
watch and a pressure-venting strap that shrank
or expanded as the diver descended and ascended.
The watch also had shock resistance and antimagnetic properties. There was no helium valve, but
the case was practically impermeable to helium gas
so that it could withstand saturation diving. The
first Professional 600 model had a mechanical
movement; quartz versions were introduced later.
1999
AUTOMATIC
GENERATING SYSTEM
Quartz movements, of course, require electricity. Nearly all

quartz watches get it from batteries that need to be replaced
at regular intervals. In 1988, however, Seiko launched a
quartz watch whose battery never needed to be changed.
Instead, the movement created its own electricity by
means of a rotor, which turned in response to the
motions of the wearers arm. The energy was then
stored in a capacitor.
The movement was called the Automatic
Generating System (A.G.S.). It was first
introduced in the 7M series. Set into
motion by the rotor via intermediate
gears, the A.G.S. generator could attain
a maximum speed of 100,000 rpm.
Seiko developed a step-up transformer
that could raise voltages from as low as a
few millivolts up to the strength required
to run the watchs stepping motor. An electronic control circuit conveyed excess energy
to the capacitor. After the capacitor was fully
charged, a protective circuit automatically
prevented additional current from reaching
it. Just 800 rotations of the rotor could store
enough energy for at least three days of
operation.
SPRING DRIVE
The goal in developing the Spring Drive was to create a spring-driven movement that would combine
the best of mechanical and quartz technology,
while dispensing with the weaknesses of both.
Seiko eliminated the conventional escapement and
oscillating system, the most problematic part of a
mechanical movement, along with the battery,
which needs to be replaced.
Instead, it relied on a kind of eddy-current
brake that was quartz driven. It used energy stored
in the barrel to propel a sliding wheel (see illus-
tration). A magnet was affixed to the lower end of

the sliding wheels staff so that when it turned, the
magnet would rotate inside a coil core (shown at
the lower right of the illustration), thus generating
electrical energy. This power flowed through an
integrated circuit (shown at the lower center) to a
quartz crystal (lower left), which responded by oscillating at a frequency of 32,768 Hz. The electrical
current simultaneously decelerated the rotation of
the sliding wheel to eight rotations per second.
The accuracy of the rate was remarkable, with
a maximum of 15 seconds deviation per month.
Unlike the seconds hand on a conventional quartz
watch, which makes one tiny jump each second,
the one on the Spring Drive glides smoothly. The
Spring Drives introduced in 1999 contained Caliber 7R68, with a 48-hour power reserve made
possible by an innovative microchip with a low
voltage and an extremely low energy consumption
of just 25 nanowatts.
2004
GRAND SEIKO SPRING DRIVE AUTOMATIC
Five years after the launch of the Spring

Drive (see preceding milestone), Seiko
introduced a self-winding version of the
watch, the Grand Seiko Spring Drive
Automatic. The first prototype was
completed in 1999, followed by two
more prototypes before the serially produced model, containing Caliber 5R65
A, was finally ready in 2004.
The movement had 276 components, only 10 of which performed electronic functions. The watch had date
and power-reserve displays. A highly
elastic mainspring crafted from the
brands own Spron 510 (Spring Micron
510) alloy stored enough energy to keep
the watch running for 72 hours. The
2006
rotors kinetic energy was transferred by

the Magic Lever, which Seiko had introduced in 1959 and had never altered.
The artisans in Seikos Mastery Studio
used rotating boxwood disks to manually put a high-gloss polish on the sides
of the teeth on all the wheels.
CREDOR SPRING DRIVE SONNERIE

Caliber 7R, equipped with the quartz-regulated Spring
Drive system (see 1999 milestone}, had a mechanical striking mechanism that chimed the hours in passing. The caliber had 617 components and a 48-hour power reserve.
The sonnerie could be preset to automatically ring either
every hour or every third hour. The gongs, designed in the
manner of handmade Japanese bronze bells, produced a
distinctive chime. A button at 8 oclock on the side of the
case triggered the hour-strike function, which could also be
set to silent. A hand at the 6 oclock position showed the
current status of the striking mechanism. If kept in its most
active mode, the mechanism would continue to chime each
full hour for about 40 consecutive hours. There were two
power-reserve displays one for the going train and
another for the striking mechanism. The watch had a rosegold case that measured 43.2 mm in diameter. The price at
the time of the launch: an eye-popping $150,000.
2010
SPRING DRIVE
SPACEWALK
By the time Seiko presented the Spring Drive Spacewalk

at Baselworld in 2010, the multimillionaire Richard
Garriott had already tested it in space. Garriott, a
designer of video games, was the sixth private individual
to venture beyond the Earths atmosphere as a space
tourist. The futuristic-looking timepiece he wore for the
occasion had a titanium case and was made to cope with
temperatures from -20 degrees to +70 degrees C. The
automatic Caliber 5R86 featured a 72-hour power
reserve and consisted of 416 components, only 10 of
which performed electronic functions. It had a classic
column wheel and vertical friction coupling. Functions
included a GMT hand and elapsed-time counters. The
case measured 53 mm along its vertical axis, and the
watch was available with bezels in black or bronze coating. Only 100 pieces were made.
2009
ANANTA AUTOMATIC
CHRONOGRAPH
In 2009, Seiko celebrated the 40th anniversary of its first automatic chronograph with a
new caliber, encased in the 46-mm Ananta.
Like its predecessor, Caliber 8R28 was
equipped with vertical friction coupling and a
classic column wheel to control the chronograph functions. An automatic winding system with the Magic Lever was used, along
with the brands own mainspring. The movement was equipped with a 28,800-vph balance, which enabled the user to time elapsed
intervals to the nearest eighth of a second. It
also had a chronograph hour totalizer and a
date display.
Caliber 8R28, with 292 components and 34
jewels, had a diameter of 28 mm and a thickness of 7.2 mm. It had a 45-hour power
reserve and featured a three-point zero return
for the heart lever.
2011
CREDOR SPRING DRIVE

MINUTE REPEATER
For this watch, Seikos Micro Artist Studio strove to achieve an

extremely pure sound, unadulterated by background noises
such as the ticking of a lever escapement or of a stepping
motor. For that reason, Seiko chose to power the watch with
the Spring Drive system (see 1999 milestone), which does
not tick (at the time of the Spring Drives introduction, Seiko
heralded it as a quiet revolution).
The watchs steel gongs were fabricated by a Japanese
family business that has been working with steel for more
than 850 years. Instead of chiming the hours, quarter hours
and minutes, the Credor operates according to a decimal system. If the watch is triggered at 1:59, for example, it will chime
one hour tone, five 10-minute tones and nine single-minute tones.
An all-or-nothing safety feature prevents the watch from ringing
incorrectly if the slider is shifted only partially. The movement, which
contains 112 jewels, is 36.6 mm in diameter and 7.8 mm thick. The
rose-gold case is 42.8 mm in diameter.
2012
SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR
The Astron GPS Solar covers all

39 time zones rather than the conventional 24 tracked by most
world time watches. A 37-city
world timer accounts for the 13
half-hour or quarter-hour offsets,
but the number of time zones actually totals 39 due to the zig-zagging of the international date line
(see the Editors Letter in the February 2013 issue of WatchTime).
Seikos technicians took six years
to develop this watch. It includes a
GPS module with an antenna that
wraps around the movement and
a programmed chip that supports
to-the-second indication of the

time in each zone. It also controls
a perpetual calendar function. A
solar cell that generates electrical
energy for the lithium-ion battery
is integrated into the dial. Time
zones and the change between
summer and winter times can be
adjusted using a button at 2
oclock on the side of the case.
Otherwise, the watch will automatically set the correct time in its
current zone. A subdial at 6
oclock displays home time. The
model shown here has a steel case,
ceramic bezel and silicon strap.
MICHAEL KATCHEN
WT_0215_Wasserman_04_Print.qxp 06.02.15 17:14 Seite 116
The back of the Claude

Bernard Birdland watch
has a silhouette of
Charlie Bird Parker,
from whom the jazz
club gets its name.
JAZZ MAN
American watch distributor Mark Wasserman loves jazz
and jazz watches. Over the past two decades hes launched
10 of them with three different Swiss brands.
BY JOE THOMPSON
L
ast year at Baselworld, Switzerlands
Claude Bernard brand unveiled a watch
with a clear connection to the U.S., a
market it entered for the first time in
2013. It was a jazz watch: the Birdland
Limited Edition Automatic (650 pieces),
launched to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the legendary New York City jazz
club, Birdland.
Victor Strambini, CEO of Claude
Bernard, based in Les Genevez, Switzerland, above Neuchtel, noted in a press
release that it was the first partnership of
its kind for Claude Bernard. Watch
companies historically sponsor classical
music, he said. We felt that the Claude
Bernard brand identified more closely
with jazz: classy and timeless, simple yet
complex, very much like our watches.
For long-time watch-market watchers, the conclusion was inescapable:
Mark Wasserman had struck again.
Wasserman is the U.S. distributor for
Claude Bernard, which makes Swissmade mechanical watches priced from
$595 to $1,775 and Swiss-made quartz
watches starting at around $200. Wasserman has distributed Swiss watches in the
U.S. for 20 years and has masterfully
mined an unusual niche: jazz watches. In
that time, he has developed and launched
10 jazz-themed watches with three different Swiss brands. Eight of those were
Oris watches, which he distributed here
from 1994 until 2010, when Oris set up
its own subsidiary.
Recently WatchTime caught up with
Wasserman to find out how he became
the jazz-watch king.
It all started with Oris, Wasserman
says. In 1996, Oris launched its first jazz
watch in Switzerland, a tribute to saxo-
phonist Andy Sheppard. A McCoy Tyner

watch and a John McLaughlin watch followed in 1997 and 1998. Those deals were
handled by Oriss Swiss headquarters with
no input from Wasserman. I felt we needed
more of an international presence with
some really big stars, Wasserman says.
So I called Oris CEO Ulrich Herzog and
told him what I wanted to do with jazz people, and he said, Go to it.
Wasserman knew a thing or two
about jazz. He fell in love with it as a kid
growing up in Oceanside on Long Island,
New York. I was in the third grade and
my father said to me, We have plans for
you this summer. The house needs painting. We had an old hi-fi and, while I was
painting, I listened to Peggy Lee, Frank
Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. That got me into jazz. Then it
evolved. When I was in my 20s, I went to
jazz clubs in New York City. In the
1960s, 52nd Street between Fifth and
Sixth was the jazz hub of the universe.
You could buy a drink for $2.50 in the
middle of the afternoon and sit there and
listen to jazz for hours. All the big names
played there.
Once Oriss Herzog gave him the
green light, Wassermans first call was to
Phil Leshin, the agent for jazz legend
Lionel Hampton. Leshin agreed to have
lunch with Wasserman, who explained
what Oris was and what it wanted to do.
Two hours after the lunch, Wasserman
got a call from Leshin. I spoke to Lionel.
Were in, Leshin said.
Oriss 1999 jazz watch was the Lionel
Hampton watch, a limited edition of 420
pieces. We made a fantastic rectangular
watch for Lionel Hampton, Wasserman
says. Lionel called me one day, Wasserman remembers. He said, Mark, all I
want from you is some watches I can give
to my friends. Which is how former
President George H.W. Bush got one.
Wasserman learned from Leshin that
Hampton and Bush were buddies.
When George comes to New York, he
always calls Lionel and they spend time
together, Leshin told him. This is who
he hangs out with.
That summer Wasserman launched
phase two of his jazz-watch plan: the
Oris Spirit of Jazz Festival. Wasserman
recruited Tourneau, the famed New

York-based watch retailer, and WBGO
Jazz Radio as co-sponsors. Every Tuesday
in June, from noon till 2, Oris held a jazz
concert in the atrium adjacent to
Tourneaus Time Machine store on 57th
Street in New York. The concerts featured top jazz artists. In the exhibition
space in the Tourneau store, Oris displayed memorabilia devoted to jazz and
the various artists Oris celebrated. On the
last Tuesday of the concert series, a
Oris introduced the

Louis Armstrong
chronometer watch
in 2000, the
centennial of
Satchmos birth.
WATCH GUYS
Mark Wasserman
celebrity guest gave away an Oris watch.

The first celebrity was Lionel Hampton
himself, then 90 years old. We had a big
crowd that day, Wasserman says,
because people loved Lionel Hampton.
Herbie Hancock
PHIL LESHIN HAPPENED to be on the

board of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, which raises money
to support young, aspiring jazz musicians. That connection gave Wasserman
the idea for his second jazz watch.
Through Leshin, Wasserman met Phoebe
Jacobs, who co-founded the foundation
with Louis and Lucille Armstrong, his
wife. He explained that Oris would like
to make a Louis Armstrong watch.
Jacobs agreed. Says Wasserman, I
remember when I called Oris in Switzerland and told them weve got Louis Armstrong, they went crazy. Because Louis
Armstrong and Miles Davis are the two
most famous jazz musicians.
In 2000, on the 100th anniversary of
Satchmos birth, Oris introduced the Oris
Louis Armstrong jazz watch, a COSCcertified chronometer. There were 250
pieces in gold and 500 in steel. The Oris
Miles Davis jazz watch came the following year, also in a limited edition of 750
pieces. Wasserman was on a roll.
Lionel led to Louis. And once we
had Louis Armstrong, everybody else
was easy, Wasserman says. The floodgates opened. I spoke to the Miles Davis
The Vulcain Cricket

Herbie Hancock watch
has the artists signature
on the dial.
people and we did the Miles Davis

watch. Jacobs introduced Wasserman to
Mercedes Ellington, Duke Ellingtons
granddaughter. That resulted in the Oris
Duke Ellington Limited Edition watch,
999 pieces in a tonneau case, in 2002. A
Charlie Parker watch came the following
year, 1,355 pieces. Oris explained the
number this way: One because Charlie
was number one in modern jazz, 35 for
the birthday he never reached, 55 for the
year of his death.
Oris brought out a Frank Sinatra collection of watches in 2005. In 2007, it
was a Dizzy Gillespie watch, with a rectangular case modeled on the Oris Junior
watch of 1970. Like all the others, it was
a limited edition 1,917 pieces, signifying the year of his birth.
Each jazz watch had a different
design. The watch was designed by Oris
Switzerland, Wasserman says, with
input from the estate and from me. Every
design and every dial was different. We
decided what the shape would be, how
big it would be and we tried to put something in there for the artist. What we didnt
do was take a watch and put Louis Armstrongs name on it. We designed a watch
for Louis Armstrong. We looked at the
artist, at old photos, and asked, What
would he like, what would he have worn?
The Armstrong watch, for example,
had a trumpet on the caseback. The back
of the Miles Davis featured a silhouette of
him playing the trumpet. Ditto the Duke
Ellington watch: the back showed a silhouette of Ellington at the piano. For the
hour markers on the Charlie Parker
watch, Oris used Arabic numerals and
line strokes except at 4 oclock where the
word bird, Parkers nickname, was
spelled out.
NO OFFENSE, DYLANS AGENT TOLD

WASSERMAN, BUT I DONT THINK BOB
IS GOING TO HAVE DINNER WITH YOU.
And every summer, Oris, Tourneau and

WBGO held the jazz concerts in the
Tourneau atrium. We ran that jazz festival
with Tourneau for 13 years in a row,
Wasserman says, more than 50 jazz concerts. Among the celebs who gave away
Oris watches at the last concert each summer were Roberta Flack, Frank Sinatra Jr.,
Joe Pantoliano of Sopranos fame, and
New York City Congressman Charlie
Rangel, who, Wasserman remembers,
danced with people in the audience. Charlie Rangel could dance! Wasserman says.
To create the exhibits in Tourneau,
Wasserman worked with the Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies in New Jersey, which has the largest collection of jazz
memorabilia and photographs in the
world. I used to go over in a car or a van
and pick up the photos and memorabilia. I
used to get them on a handshake from a
guy named Bert. Have fun, hed say. Get
it back to me after the exhibit.
Wassermans final watch with Oris was
the Bob Dylan Limited Edition. We did a
Bob Dylan, but he wasnt a jazz guy,
Wasserman says. He was kind of a bluesy
guy and a cool guy. Dylan was Oris
Switzerlands idea and they had attempted
to negotiate the deal with the Dylan people
The Oris Charlie

Parker watch
with his nickname
at 4 oclock
Oriss Bob Dylan

Limited Edition
watch
themselves. When headquarters got

nowhere with Dylans agent, Wasserman
says, Herzog called Wasserman. He said,
Do you think you can get it done for us? I
said, Let me try.
Wasserman contacted Jeff Rosen,
Dylans New York-based manager, who
agreed to meet with him. Wasserman
brought the Armstrong, Davis and
Ellington watches to the meeting.
According to Wasserman, Rosen said,
Mark, Im interested. Lets try to make
this deal. Let me get Bob on the phone.
Because Bob is very hands on. I speak to
Bob five times a day. Bob wants to know
whats going on. Hes very involved.
Wasserman saw a chance to maybe
meet Dylan and seized it. He laughs
recounting what happened next. I said,
Thats great. Lets do it. But tell Bob, I
am not going to do a Bob Dylan watch
unless he has dinner with me. Thats one
of the main things.
Rosen broke the news gently. Hes
not going to have dinner with you, he
told Wasserman. When he was in
France, the prime minister of France
wanted to have dinner with him. He
wouldnt even have dinner with the prime
minister of France. No offense, but I
dont think Bob Dylan is going to have
dinner with you. And he didnt. Anyway, we made the deal, Wasserman
says. The Oris Bob Dylan watch
appeared in 2009, a limited edition of

3,000 pieces, with Dylans signature on
the dial and his portrait on the caseback.
THE NEXT YEAR, Oris and Wasserman
parted ways. Oris continued its jazzwatch series with watches devoted to
Oscar Peterson (2010), Chet Baker
(2012) and John Coltrane (2013).
So did Wasserman. Switzerlands
Vulcain, maker of the famed Cricket
mechanical alarm watch, hired Wasser-
Oriss Lionel Hampton (top) and Miles Davis jazz

watches
WATCH GUYS
Mark Wasserman
The Oris Frank

Sinatra Date Duet
Left: the Oris Frank

Sinatra Complication
watch
man as its U.S. distributor. Vulcain

didnt have a handle, Wasserman says.
They made a wonderful mechanical
watch, the Cricket, with a beautiful
musical sound. We needed a handle and
I felt that Herbie Hancock would work
for Vulcain. Herbie Hancock is a very,
The rectangular Oris Dizzy Gillespie watch
very classy guy, a very innovative musician, a fantastic piano player and I felt
that he would work with Vulcain. So I
flew to Los Angeles and met with the
Herbie Hancock people. I said, Hello,
my name is Mark Wasserman and Ive
done beautiful Swiss-made jazz watches,
and weve honored Frank Sinatra,
Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis and
Im interested in Herbie Hancock. Bingo,
deal. I met Herbie but I didnt deal with
Herbie.
The Vulcain Herbie Hancock watch,
a 50s Presidents model with a handwound Cricket V-16 movement, debuted
in 2012. It was a limited edition of 300
pieces, 50 in rose gold ($14,100) and
250 in steel ($7,550). The watch had
Hancocks signature on the dial and his
name engraved on the perimeter of the
see-through caseback.
A change in Vulcain management in
Switzerland in 2013 led to the brands
withdrawal from the U.S. market. Which
brought Claude Bernard to Wasserman.
Wasserman and Claude Bernards global
sales director, Christian Hotz, had
worked together at Oris for five years.
Claude Bernards specialty is affordable

Swiss-made watches, and it also had a
jazz connection. Eric Reed, whom
Wasserman describes as one of the best
piano players in the world, is a Claude
Bernard ambassador. When Wasserman
agreed to distribute the brand here, Hotz
told Wasserman, I would like to get
involved with jazz [in the U.S.], but I
want to try something different. Id like
to honor a famous New York jazz club.
Hotz and Wasserman discussed the New
York clubs, the three most famous of
which, Wasserman says, are Birdland,
the Blue Note and the Village Vanguard.
Wasserman contacted Birdlands owner,
John Valenti, and did the deal.
The Claude Bernard Birdland Limited
Edition features a saxophone at 6
oclock with the Birdland logo above it.
On the sapphire glass on the back is a silhouette of Charlie Parker playing his
alto sax. (Birdland is named after Parker,
who was the long-time headliner there.)
An inscription on the caseback states
Birdland the Jazz Corner of the World
Since 1949 Limited Edition x/650.
Claude Bernard will produce 650 pieces
in stainless steel, with the Claude
Bernard 80 automatic caliber, priced at
$975.
When Wasserman is not selling watches
and doing jazz-watch deals (you can bet
others are on the way), he relaxes at
home listening to jazz. I end up listening
to Bill Evans more than anybody else, he
says. To me, hes the best jazz pianist
there ever was. Thats my guy. I listen to
Bill Evans almost every day.
WT_0215_Hamilton_05_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 17:17 Seite 122
SPECS
HAMILTON PAN-EUROP DAY-DATE
Manufacturer: Hamilton International
Ltd., Mattenstrasse 149, CH-2503 Bienne,
Switzerland
Reference number: H35405741
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds,
date, day of the week
Movement: H-30, based on the ETA
2836, automatic, 21,600 vph, 25 jewels,
stop-seconds function, rapid reset for the
date and day displays, Nivachoc shock
absorption, fine adjustment via two
eccentric weights on the Glucydur
balance, 80-hour power reserve,
Hamiltons Pan-Europ Day-Date

brings back the most colorful decade
in watch history.
BY ALEXANDER KRUPP
PHOTOS BY NIK SCHLZEL
hen we think back to the watches

of the 70s, we think of bold colors, rich contrasts and unusual
shapes. Bright blue and red played big
roles in the decades color schemes. Contrasting colors for indexes and subdials
ensured good legibility. And many cases
were oval.
These traits unite in the new Hamilton Pan-Europ Day-Date, our test watch,
as they did in the original model from
1971. Although the original Pan-Europ
was a chronograph, which was updated
in 2011, the 2014 version of the PanEurop has a date display and a day-ofthe-week indicator. Its priced at $1,195,
which we found impressive, not only due
to the watchs elaborately crafted and
multifaceted case, but also because of its
movement: automatic Caliber H-30. ETA
introduced the caliber as a further
improvement of its day-date Caliber
2836. The goal was to extend the movements running time from 38 hours to 80
hours, long enough so the watch could be
set aside over a weekend and still be running Monday morning. ETA achieved
this for Hamilton (and for the other
brands in the Swatch Group) by slimming
the barrels arbor so a lengthier main-
spring could be wound around it and by

reducing the balances frequency by 25
percent: from 28,800 to 21,600 vph.
The latter modification required a
new oscillating system (i.e., the balance
and its hairspring), as well as new gears
to alter the transmission ratio in the gear
train. ETA used this opportunity to
install a technically more elegant fineadjustment mechanism. Instead of giving
the new caliber a conventional pincershaped regulator and an eccentric screw,
ETA opted for a freely swinging Glucydur balance with eccentric weights on
two diametrically opposite spokes. These
two weights can be turned with a watchmakers screwdriver, thus altering their
center of gravity and modifying the balances oscillating behavior.
While these modifications required
adding a bit of thickness to the movement, from 5.05 mm to 5.22 mm, its
hardly noticeable on such a big, sporty
watch. A unidirectional rotating aluminum bezel has been added as well. But
the watch cant be used for diving
because its water-resistance rating is just
50 meters. Yet the rotating bezel is a plus
since it allows the wearer to measure
short intervals.
Case: Stainless-steel case, slightly domed

sapphire crystal with nonreflective
treatment on the inside, unidirectional
rotating aluminum bezel, four screws
hold the caseback in place, mineral glass
window in caseback, water resistant to
50 m
Strap and clasp: Textile strap with
stainless-steel pronged buckle and
additional pierced leather strap with
secured folding clasp
Rate results:
Dial up
+5
Dial down
+4
Crown up
-2
Crown down
+2
Crown left
+2
Crown right
-4

Average deviation
9
+1.2
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
261
Hanging positions
235

height = 12 mm, weight = 100 g
Variations: Gray dial and gray textile strap
Price: $1,195
The case is built to keep out sprayed

water and the textile NATO strap suffers
no ill effects from contact with liquids. The
strap runs through three faceted metal
keepers, its holes are reinforced with
leather, and the shaped metal strip at its end
is more elaborately styled than on most
NATO straps. However, the usual problem
remains: the strap runs under the caseback,
thus blocking the view of the movement.
Another drawback: the protruding metal
keepers tend to snag the wearers shirt cuff.
And we saved the worst news for last: a
pivot broke off the crosspiece on the clasp
TEST
SCORES
Hamilton Pan-Europ Day-Date
HAMILTON PAN-EUROP DAY-DATE

Strap and clasp (max. 10 points): The
textile strap is elaborately designed, but it
can snag on your sleeve and it blocks the
view of the movement. The crosspiece on
the clasp broke on our test watch. The
additional leather strap that comes with
the watch prompted us to add a few
points in this category, thus preventing an
embarrassingly low score.
6
Operation (5): The large crown cannot
be screwed shut, but its operation is
impeccable. The rotating bezel is
somewhat hard to hold on to.
4
Case (10): The case boasts richly detailed
styling and tidy craftsmanship.
8
Design (15): An attractive retro-style
watch with historically authentic
elements in its design
13
The Pan-Europ
comes in blue or
gray, each with two
straps.
Legibility (5): Nothing but glare on

the crystal, which is treated with
nonreflective coating only on the inside,
detracts from the good legibility.
4
Wearing comfort (10): With its
somewhat awkward textile strap, this
watch fits only moderately well around
the wrist. Here, too, the comfortable
leather strap persuaded us to add a few
points.
8
Movement (20): The longer power
reserve enhances the watchs usefulness
and the freely swinging balance further
improves the attractively decorated
movement.
14
Rate results (10): Electronic testing
confirmed that the average rate is perfect,
but the maximum difference among the
several positions could be smaller.
7
Overall value (15): Lots of technology
for only a little money. The new
movement is terrific.
13
TOTAL:
soon after wed begun testing the watch, so

the pronged buckle fell off and could no
longer be secured.
Fortunately, the watch also comes
with a leather strap. It has a folding clasp
that opens on one side and is much more
convenient, sturdier and easier to operate. The downside is its color: black,
which doesnt go well with the watchs
blue dial. The textile strap is a better
match. Our recommendation for Hamilton: offer this model with a blue leather
strap in the future.
CAN THE PAN-EUROP keep its promise of continuing to run for 80 hours
after it has been fully wound? Yes, but
just barely. Left lying motionless after
being fully wound, our test watch
stopped running 80 hours and 15 minutes later. Its timekeeping precision
throughout this interval was quite
impressive: locked inside a safe with its
dial up from 5 p.m. Friday until 9 a.m.
Monday, the timepiece deviated from
perfection by only -2 seconds during the
entire 64-hour interval.
77 POINTS
The corresponding value when tested

on the wrist was higher: -2 seconds per
day, regardless of whether the watch
remained on the wrist throughout the
night or was left lying atop a night table.
A number in the minus column during
daily wear (i.e., when its mainspring is
usually fully wound) must be judged as a
shortcoming. But were inclined to be
lenient with the Pan-Europ: after all,
what difference do 2 brief seconds make
for a watch that so attractively points our
gaze 44 years back in time?
WT_0215_Breitling_03_Proof.qxp 06.02.15 17:21 Seite 126
Basic
Breitling
Breitlings new take on the decades-old Colt is
true to the original, with features that have become hallmarks of the brand.
PHOTO: PESHKOVA-FOTOLIA.COM
BY MARTINA RICHTER
CLOSE-UP
Breitling Colt Automatic
The scale along the

dials flange is
calibrated in
1/100s of an hour.
THE WATCHS
AVERAGE RATE
AS TESTED ON THE
TIMING MACHINE
WAS ALMOST
PERFECT.
The new Colt Automatic resembles the

Colt Superocean, which debuted in the
mid-1990s and remained in the collection
for several years. The new Colt replicates
the old models screwable crown with protectors on both sides, pilot-style Arabic
numerals and a broad, unidirectional
bezel with engraved notches and raised
cursors at the quarter hours. These cursors
improve the grip on the bezel, making it
easy to rotate even when youre wearing
gloves. They have become a characteristic
feature of Breitling watches.
On the new Colt, the markings are
precisely engraved into the satin-finished
bezel, which slopes gently downward
toward its outer rim. The bezel clicks
through 120 steps compared to the 60
notches on the bezel of the Colt Superocean, even though the additional steps
arent necessary for to-the-minute setting
of a dives start time. The new Colt
Automatic also repeats the Superoceans
24-hour scale and rare 1/100s-hour
scale, described as an aeronautic hundredths scale.
The Colt Automatics 200-meter
water resistance falls short of the earlier
models 1,000-meter depth rating, but still
offers plenty of water resistance for a
OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
reitling revamped its entry-level Colt collection last year with a firm nod to the
original series, introduced in the 1980s.
Like the Chronomat and the Navitimer,
the Colt was conceived as a military
watch, with an emphasis on reliability
and readability. Its 24-hour scale, aviator-style dial and broad, unidirectional
bezel have come to define the unmistakable look of Breitling watches. The new
collection is true to the original right
down to the movements. Most of the
new models contain quartz calibers,
which dominated the watch world at the
time of the Colts debut. We tested the
sole mechanical version, with an automatic ETA caliber. An ETA movement
was also used in the original series.
OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
The movement is a chronometer-certified ETA 2824-2.
timing machine with the mainspring fully

wound and after running for 24 hours.
On the wrist, the watch ran 1 second
slow. This slight sluggishness persisted
day after day, but the 1-second deviation
falls within the chronometric tolerance
range. Notably, there was a large difference between the rates with dial up and
crown down after the watch had run for
24 hours. We also noted a difference in
the amplitudes, which in the hanging positions declined by nearly 60 degrees within
the span of one day. That is a large dip,
but the average rate remained unaffected by
the decrease and is commendable overall.
The dial shows everything the ETA
Caliber 2824-2 has to offer, including
hour, minute, sweep seconds hand and
date, but the Colt can perform additional
functions. Just inside the hour ring is
another scale, calibrated from 13 to 24,
recalling Breitlings heritage as a maker of
aviator watches and their standard 24hour scales. On the flange at the perime-
The indexes and hands are generously

coated with Super-LumiNova.
OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
divers watch. A sturdy, stainless-steel

case with a doubly insulated back helps
keep the watch intact in deep dives. The
Professional III stainless-steel bracelet is
equipped with a safety catch and a folding
clasp that hinges open on one side. The
bracelet, the Professional III, can be
adjusted at the clasp or by removing
screwed links at either end of the clasp.
The watch can also be worn on a leather
strap or on either an Ocean Racer or Diver
Pro rubber strap. Any of these would
make the watch lighter than the 194
grams it weighs on a stainless-steel
bracelet. (Despite being relatively heavy,
the watch is quite comfortable to wear.)
The leather strap is pleasantly supple, but
its buckle seems a bit rickety.
In its guise as Breitling Caliber 17, the
ETA 2824-2 in the new Colt is only
moderately adorned, but has earned
chronometer certification. The Colts
average rate was almost entirely free of
deviations when tested on our electronic
CLOSE-UP
SPECS
Breitling Colt Automatic
BREITLING
COLT AUTOMATIC
OK-PHOTOGRAPHY
Manufacturer: Breitling AG,

Schlachthausstrasse 2, CH-2540,
Grenchen, Switzerland
Reference number:
A1738811/C906/173A
Functions: Hours, minutes, central
seconds, date, 24-hour and 1/100s-hour
scale, rotating bezel
Movement: Automatic, Breitling Caliber
17 based on the ETA 2824-2, COSCcertified, 49-hour power reserve,
Glucydur balance, frequency of 28,800
vph, Etachron fine adjustment, Incabloc
shock absorption, 25 rubies, diameter =
25.6 mm, height = 4.6 mm
Case: Stainless steel, sapphire crystal with
nonreflective coating on both sides, solid
caseback, water resistant to 200 m
Bracelet and clasp: Stainless-steel
Professional III bracelet, folding clasp
with safety catch
Rate results:
(Fully wound / after 24 hours)
Dial up
Dial down
Crown up
Crown down
ter of the dial there is a scale that divides

an hour into 100 units. Each unit, 36 seconds long, is known as an industrial
minute. This type of time measurement
has various industrial applications,
including denoting working hours. Three
hours and 15 minutes, for example,
would be expressed as 3.25 hours rather
than as 3:15.
Minutes and seconds are indicated on
a railroad-style track. The slim seconds
hand, with an arrowhead tip, is the same
length as the straight, faceted minutes
hand. The tip of the hour hand extends
just far enough to reach the inner edges of
the hour indexes at 6 and 9 oclock,
which are larger than the rest. The hour
and minutes hands, indexes and orientation point on the bezel all glow brightly
green in the dark. The arrowhead tip on
the seconds hand is skeletonized to allow
this green glow to shine through when it
sweeps over the luminous hour indexes.
The watch is equipped

with Breitlings
Professional III
bracelet, with folding
clasp and safety catch.
-2.3 / -3.8
+3.3 / -0.4
-1.2 / -1.9
+1.4 / +8.5
Crown left
-1.1 / -1.4
5.6 / 12.3
Average deviation
0.0 / +0.2
Average amplitude:
Flat positions
316 / 357
Hanging positions
288 / 230
Dimensions: Diameter = 44.3 mm,

Variations: Gray or silver-colored dial,
rubber Ocean Racer or Diver Pro straps
Price: $3,525
The time is clearly legible thanks to

the watchs clear, minimalist styling and
the nonreflective coating on both sides
of the crystal. The pale hour markers
and hands contrast boldly against the
background of the dial, which on our
tested model was blue (the watch is also
available with a black or silver dial).
The dial is decorated with the brand
logo, model name and information
about water resistance. The date is
shown in a window at 3 oclock. To
accommodate this window and its
frame, the numeral 15 on the 24-hour

scale is shifted toward the center, and
there is no hour index at the 3 oclock
position. Neither of these adjustments
affects daytime or nighttime legibility.
A similar format was used on the Colt
Superocean from the 1990s.
The Colt has appealed to a wide audience for the past two decades with its
robustness, functionality and excellent
legibility. By replicating these features on
the new Colt Automatic, Breitling will no
doubt perpetuate its popularity.
WT_0215_Bulova_04_Proof.qxp 11.02.15 17:10 Seite 132
MICHAEL KATCHEN
hen Gregory Thumm became CEO of

Bulova Watch Co. in January 2013, his
first big move was the stuff of tall tales.
He decided to make a pure gold watch.
The new limited-edition piece, part of
the Joseph Bulova Collection, is an automatic three-hand watch with date display. Its case is made of 4.5 ounces of 24karat gold something Bulova says no
watch company has ever done before.
The Bulova 24-Karat Gold Special Edition watch costs $42,000. Bulova, an
American company owned by Japans
Citizen Group, specializes in quartz and
mechanical watches priced primarily in
the $300-to-$800 range. Why, you might
ask, would Thumm want to do something so extreme?
For one thing, Greg Thumm isnt like
most watch CEOs. Rather than coming
from a marketing or finance background,
Thumm is a dyed-in-the-wool watchmaker, trained on American soil. He has
decades of experience with key watch
industry suppliers in Switzerland, the
U.S., Japan and China. Rather than viewing Bulova as a mass-market watch company, he sees it as a brand with a unique
history of technological innovation a
heritage he wants to bring back. This
winter, WatchTime visited Thumm at
Bulovas headquarters in Queens, New
York, to hear his story and to see his 24karat brainchild.
PROFILE
Bulovas Gregory Thumm
The new Bulova

24-Karat Gold
Special Edition
CITIZENS CHOICE of Thumm as Bulova

CEO is an interesting one. Conventional
wisdom states that watchmakers dont
become CEOs. I broke into the industry
with a watchmaking degree. I could make
parts and all that kind of stuff, he says.
I was more of an engineer than a product manager.
Thumm hails from Warren, Ohio. In
the early 1980s he enrolled at Bowman
Technical School, a now-defunct professional school in Lancaster, Pa. For generations, Bowman trained young people in
watchmaking and jewelry making.
Thumm mastered his trade and graduated
at the top of his class. But he got his first
real, hands-on training in a very unusual
way.
One of his neighbors in Warren had
been keeping track of his education. As a
boy, Thumm had been friends with members of the Summers family, and hed frequently visited their home. When you
get out of school and you have a degree,
come see me, Mrs. Summers told him,
promising a little work. Thumm happily
obliged: with his degree in hand, he
returned to Warren and contacted her.
She wanted him to fix several family heirlooms. But these were no ordinary clocks.
Summers was the grandniece of James
Ward Packard, the founder of the
Packard Motor Car Co. In addition to his
fame as an American industrialist,
Packard is remembered in horological circles as one of the great patrons of Patek
Philippe. Over the course of decades, he
commissioned and purchased a large
number of exceptional Patek watches,
including a renowned piece called The
Packard. It had 10 complications and
more than 500 stars enameled in gold to
represent the night sky over Warren.
Packard engaged in a legendary rivalry
with the banker Henry Graves Jr. to
acquire the most complicated watch in
the world, establishing his legacy in the
world of watchmaking.
In the 1980s, the family still had some
watches from Packards collection. Fresh
out of school, Thumm was charged with
restoring three Pateks from one of the
most storied collections in watch history.
One was designed to be worn as a lapel
pin. Another was a ring watch, with a
Bulovas legendary Accutron of 1960 broke accuracy records and was a commercial smash.
beautiful little baguette movement,

Thumm says. It was made for Packard in
1917 and is the only timepiece of its kind
from that era. The third was a polished
ebony walking stick with a watch movement in its handle. It was wound by turning the bezel and is the only piece of its
kind that Patek ever made. Still just a
beginner, Thumm got to work on the sort
of rare mechanisms that most watchmakers can only dream about. Few watchmakers can boast experience on both
one-of-a-kind Patek Philippes and massmarket Japanese movements, but
Thumm is one of them.
He soon opened his own jewelry store
in Warren, assuming that retailing would
be his career. Business was decent, but
BULOVAS 24-KARAT GOLD

SPECIAL EDITION CONTAINS
4.5 OUNCES OF GOLD AND
COSTS $42,000.
PROFILE
MICHAEL KATCHEN
BULOVAS CORNERSTONE
IS ENGINEERING. WE ARE
GOING BACK TO WHERE
WE ONCE WERE: A
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN
LINE.
BULOVA CEO GREGORY THUMM
before long, fate would push Thumm

into the world of watch manufacturing.
One day early in 1986, a suspiciouslooking man walked into the shop. By
the time I stood up to see who was coming, hed already gotten clear to the back
of the store, making a turn behind my
counters, Thumm says. He could see the
shape of a rifle hidden under the mans
coat. But just by a stroke of luck,
Thumm had made a recent impulse purchase of a Walther PPK handgun. I
bought it off of a guy just because I
thought it was a cool gun, he says. I
never even had thought about having a
firearm in my building. The Walther
happened to be in the store that day, and
within arms reach. Before the intruder
could do anything, Thumm grabbed
this little tiny James Bond gun and
chambered a bullet in it. With the sound
of the gun cocking, the robber stopped
dead in his tracks.
What do you want? Thumm asked him.
I have something I want to show you.
Whatever you got, I dont want to see
it. Please go.
And just like that, the would-be robber turned around and left. It was only
two hours later that Thumm heard from
Warrens local Rolex dealer. He called
me and said, Greg, youre not gonna
believe what happened to me. I said, A
guy with a rifle tried to rob you? Tried
to rob me? he says. He did rob me!
Thumm had been lucky, but it felt like
a sign that he wasnt meant to be a retail
jeweler. I just thought to myself that if I
stay in this business, Im not gonna make
it! he says. That fall, he joined Gruen
Marketing Corp., a New Jersey-based
company specializing in watch distribution and marketing, as technical
director.
During the next two decades,
Thumm supplemented his training as a
watchmaker with in-depth knowledge of
the international watch business. He
came to understand the ins and outs of
the supply-chain system, learning about
the various producers in East Asia that
manufacture components for massmarket and fashion watches. After Gruen,
he moved to Hong Kong to work for
Chung Nam Watch Co., a major producer

of Chinese watches, and later to New
York, where he ran product development
for Fada Industries (now Geneva Watch
Co.), a licensed-brand watch producer.
Thumm developed a wide network of
contacts in all aspects of watch design
and manufacturing. He designed watches
for major fashion brands like Oscar de la
Renta, Pierre Cardin and Kenneth Cole.
In 2004, he became senior vice president
of product development for Fossil
Group, where his job involved tearing
down and rebuilding the system Fossil
used for designing and manufacturing
new watches.
In 2012, Thumm left Fossil to begin a
private consultancy for Citizen. They
employed me to give them a snapshot,
from my perspective, of issues we are all
facing in the watch industry, he says.
Thumms main concern was how to
improve the sales of Citizens brands. As
his conversations with Tokyo developed,
they began to focus more and more on
Bulova, which Citizen had acquired in
2008. By the end of 2012, Citizen Hold-
An exploded view of
the 24-karat gold
watchs case and
bracelet
PROFILE
ings CEO, Toshio Tokura, had decided

that Thumm was the man to run Bulova.
IN THUMMS VIEW, Bulova is primarily
a technology company. Bulovas cornerstone is engineering, he says. He traces
this identity back to a major technological innovation that the company introduced in 1960: the Bulova Accutron.
The Accutron 214 movement was an
indisputable revolution. Its regulating
mechanism was a tiny, fork-shaped piece
of metal that vibrated at a frequency of
360 Hz. Thanks to this regulator, which
Bulova dubbed a tuning fork because it
hummed as it vibrated, the Accutron was
the most precise watch made to date. Furthermore, it was powered by a battery
and thus did not need to be wound. (The
electric watch, introduced in 1957 by
Hamilton, was also battery powered but

was prone to failure, chiefly because of
problems with its electrical contacts.)
The Accutron changed the landscape of
the watch world. It represented a total
paradigm shift and was a great commercial success.
Accutrons tuning-fork technology
was ultimately eclipsed by quartz, following Seikos introduction in 1969 of
the worlds first quartz watch. Nevertheless, the Accutron marked a turning
point in watch technology and was
Bulovas finest hour.
The Accutron places Bulova in the
pantheon of watch innovators, Thumm
says. The Accutron is very much [on a
par with] the Omega co-axial escapement, the Gyromax balance, the Seiko
Kinetic, the Citizen Eco-Drive. (Bulova
still uses the Accutron name, although

the companys ultra-high-frequency
watches are now part of the Precisionist
line of 262-kHz quartz timepieces.)
Through the Accutron, Bulova earned
its way to icon status, he says.
THUMM SKETCHED
THE DESIGN OF THE
CASE ON HOTEL
STATIONERY LATE
ONE NIGHT WHEN
INSPIRATION STRUCK.
MICHAEL KATCHEN
The 24-Karat Gold Special Edition has a Sellita SW200 movement.
MICHAEL KATCHEN
Bulova developed a proprietary process for hardening gold with a single stamp.
For many people, the tuning-fork

movement also held immense personal
meaning. Thumm has heard many stories
over the years of Accutron owners and
their attachment to the watchs unusual
technology. One memorable tale came
from a businessman in North Carolina
who received an Accutron as a teenager.
When he was drafted and sent to the
front lines of the Vietnam War, he took
the watch with him. The veteran told
Thumm that amidst all the horrors of the
war, the one thing that kept him from losing his mind was the hum of his Bulova
Accutron. I lay there with the watch
next to my ear every night, thinking
about how this is the same thing I heard
when I was home, the man told him.
Thumm wants to return Bulova to its
heritage as a technology-focused watch
company. We are going back to where
we once were: a very branded, technology-driven line, he says. And the
poster child for that vision is the 24Karat Gold Special Edition.
IF YOURE WONDERING why no one

has ever made a 24-karat gold watch
before, the answer is simple: its very, very
hard to do. The gold used for watch cases
is usually 18-karat gold, which is 75 percent pure; the remaining 25 percent is
composed of other metals to make it
more durable. Most people think of pure,
24-karat gold as being too soft and malleable for a watch: they envision pliable,
hand-crafted jewelry that cant withstand
wear and tear. But gold isnt inherently a
soft metal. It depends on how its
processed. And Thumm had an idea how
to make pure gold hard enough to work
as a watch case.
It just got my wheels turning, that the

reason why 18 karat has been the institutional best-level gold substrate is because
it can be mass produced very easily, he
says. Shortly after joining Bulova, Thumm
found himself sitting with a Swiss casemaker in La Chaux-de-Fonds. He knew
the man from his days in Hong Kong; they
were both old watch-industry veterans. As
they discussed different forms of component manufacturing watch geek talk,
as Thumm calls it he tested out a pie-inthe-sky idea on the casemaker. I said to
the guy, Hey, have you ever put a gold
coin in the tool and just pressed it to see
how hard it can get?
THE WATCHS MOVEMENT IS

CERTIFIED BY COSC. ITS CASE
IS CERTIFIED BY THE SWISS
PRECIOUS METALS BUREAU.
PROFILE
The Manchester
United Titanium
Squad Watch
From an engineering standpoint, the

notion isnt as strange as it sounds. Nonferrous metals, when stamped in a highpressure forge, become extremely hard.
The disadvantage to forging pure gold,
however, is that its a one-shot process.
Progressive stamping, the process whereby
a component is formed by squeezing it
with different tools until it forms the
appropriate shape, can work for other
metals, but not gold. If you continue to
stamp a hard gold part, it will crack,
Thumm says. So instead, his gold watch is
stamped once, a single time, extremely
hard, and then its milled to shape.
Working with his colleague at the case
factory, Thumm developed a proprietary
process for hardening gold with a single
stamp. (Thumm declined to disclose the
name of his case supplier.) Afterwards, the
gold is machined and pared away until it
takes its final form. The result is not just
durable but extremely valuable. Each
watch case gets driven directly from the

factory to the Bureau Central du Contrle
des Mtaux Prcieux, the Swiss regulating
body that tests the quality of precious
metals. There, each case is certified as to
its purity with a hallmark depicting a St.
Bernard dog the same hallmark used for
Swiss gold coins.
Thumm also dreamed up the case
design: he sketched it on a piece of hotel
stationery when inspiration struck late
one night. It is a four-part construction.
The bezel, case middle and caseback, all
solid gold, are held together with four
grade-5 titanium screws. Underneath the
gold bezel is a fourth piece: an inner bezel,
also of titanium, which holds the sapphire
crystal in place. This inner bezel both protects the watch from shocks and allows it
to maintain water resistance up to 30
meters. The screw-down crown is formed
of a titanium inner section surrounded by
a gold shell.
Another aspect of the watch that

highlights Bulovas technological expertise is the proprietary strap design. In
order to support 4.5 ounces of gold,
Thumm and his team developed an
entirely new hybrid strap. Its top layer is
black alligator leather from Italy. Underneath is a bracelet of stainless-steel
mesh, made by Hermann Staib, a German company specializing in mesh. To
hold these two parts together seamlessly,
a series of titanium rivets runs through
both layers.
The 24-Karat Gold Special Edition
has a Sellita SW200 automatic movement, an 11 1/2-ligne caliber with 26
jewels and a frequency of 4 Hz. The
movement is COSC certified, allowing
Bulova to place the vaunted word
chronometer on the dial. Thumm says
he wanted a high-quality movement
befitting its advanced case design.
Only 30 pieces of the Special Edition
will be made. Thumm considers it the
flagship for further innovations, and says
there will be more pure gold watches in
the future heralding other Bulova technical innovations. However, the case
design known as the Percheron is
also being used for other new watches.
The company recently became the official timekeeper of the British soccer team
Manchester United. All the first-team
players received personalized versions of
the Manchester United Titanium Squad
Watch; Bulova has also made two versions of the soccer-themed watch in
stainless steel. Collectively, these watches
all with the same case design as the Special Edition are known as the Treble
Collection.
Thumm says that in the next few
years, Bulova will introduce further technological innovations. To Thumm, the
wild dream of the gold watch is a part of
the companys evolution, and of its
appeal to watch collectors. As the new
president, I needed to do something to
show our technology and engineering
skills and to attract the watch aficionado, Thumm says. He may be the
man who has everything, the guy who
owns every cool Patek, Vacheron and
Rolex made but no one owns a 24karat gold watch.
WatchTime Magazine Presents
AMERICAS
LUXURY
WATCH
SHOW
Friday, October 23rd & Saturday, October 24th
Gotham Hall, NYC
2/11/15 1:19 PM
Join us for this new two-day

exclusive watch event!
To register for tickets and learn more go to www.watchtime.com/events
2/11/15 1:23 PM
WT_0215_Cartier_04_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 10:33 Seite 144
In its new Maison des

Mtiers dArt in
La Chaux-de-Fonds,
Switzerland, Cartier
creates artisanal dials for
manufacture watches.
BY JOE THOMPSON
Making an enamel turtle dial by hand in the Maison des Mtiers dArt
Cartier turned a 19th-century

farmhouse in La Chaux-deFonds, Switzerland, into its
new Maison des Mtiers dArt.
he field next to Cartiers giant, ultra-modern, glass-walled

watch manufacturing facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds was, until
recently and for hundreds of years before a farm. On it to
this day stands a Bernese-style, four-story farmhouse, built in
1872. A few years ago, Cartier acquired the field and the farmhouse. Now the house has been transformed into a center for
artisans whose crafts are used to produce Cartier watches, particularly watch dials.
Called the Maison des Mtiers dArt, the facility opened last
fall after a three-year restoration of the farmhouse. It houses 28
craftspeople who work on two floors in an unusual open-space
plan designed to encourage exchanges of information between
the artisans.
On the second floor are the jewelry crafts (gem-setting, jewelry making, polishing, granulation, and filigree work). On the
third floor are the crafts of enameling (six different kinds), a traditional craft used in dial making; as well as newer, more exotic
PHOTO ESSAY
Cartiers Maison des Mtiers dArt
ones like marquetry (using wood and straw) and stone mosaic.
There are meeting rooms on the first floor; on the sloped-roof
fourth floor is a mezzanine for meetings and exhibitions.
The snug atmosphere of the Maison des Mtiers dArt
evokes a beehive, Cartier says, with periods of great concentration, exchanges about traditional techniques and the development of specific tools. This is how forgotten expertise is
rediscovered and the craftspersons work hard to understand its
secrets and further develop it.
The new workshop is part of a growing trend to emphasize
the artistic side of fine watchmaking, using both traditional and
unusual crafts to create products that combine high art and high
horology. WatchTime was among a group who were the first
visitors to the new facility. The following pages show examples
of Cartier watches with complex, intricate manufacture dials
that are now produced in the new Maison.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, PANTHER

The face of the panther on the dial of this watch, introduced in
2013, is made of 22-karat yellow gold. Cartier creates the panther using the granulation technique, which Cartier says is like
sowing seeds of gold. Cartier makes gold beads using wires
that are cut up, rolled in charcoal dust and heated with a flame.
The beads are then assembled one by one and fused with the
gold sheet to create the relief of the panther face.
The panther is made up of nearly 3,800 gold beads, attached
to the dial in groups of five. It took about 320 hours to attach
the beads. Some 3,500 firings were required to complete the
picture.
This limited-edition watch (20 pieces) comes in an 18k-gold
case with brilliant-cut diamonds. Inside is Caliber 9601 MC, a
manual-wind manufacture movement. Price: $248,000.
PHOTO ESSAY
RONDE LOUIS CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, TWO PANTHERS

The two panthers on the dial of this new watch are produced by
filigree work with the application of lacquer and with gem-setting. The filigree technique uses 22k-yellow-gold wire and 950platinum wire, which are twisted and flattened by a hammer.
The wire is then shaped to form the panthers and then soldered.
The filigree work for this dial took 10 days to complete. The
panthers eyes are emeralds.
The watch is a limited edition of 20 pieces. The 18k-gold
case is set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Inside is a manufacture
movement, manual-wound Caliber 430 MC. Price: $186,000.
RONDE LOUIS CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, TOUCAN

The toucan on the dial of this watch, introduced last year, is created by the technique of plique--jour enamel. The toucan is
traced using a thread of soldered gold, with a layer of silver or
copper placed across the bottom of each cavity formed. Then
comes the enamel work.
Enamel in its raw state is a combination of silica, alkaline
components and lead, similar to lead crystal. These are melted
at a high temperature and then ground into a colorless powder
called flux. By adding metallic oxides, the craftsman creates a
wide range of color tones. Once placed on the metal, the enamel
powder undergoes several successive firings at temperatures
exceeding 800 degrees C. Each color has its own firing constraints. The dial of this watch has 21 different enamel colors.
When the enamel work is completed, the bottom surface dissolves. The translucent enamel is held in place by the extremely
thin gold partitions.
The watch is a limited edition of 40 pieces. Its case is made
of white gold with a rhodium finish and set with brilliant-cut
diamonds. The manufacture movement is Caliber 430 MC.
Price: $126,000.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, TIGER

The tiger on the dial of this watch is created using the grisaille
enamel technique. The base of the 18k-white-gold dial is covered with a layer of black enamel, which is fired. Then Limoges
white enamel is applied with a needle or thin brush. With the
white enamel, the craftsman produces different color tones to
create the tiger. It takes more than 40 hours of work to create
this dial.
Cartier will produce 100 pieces of this watch. It has a whitegold case and a manual-wound manufacture movement, Caliber 9601 MC. Price: $92,500.
PHOTO ESSAY
ROTONDE DE CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, PANTHER

To create the dial on this watch introduced last year, Cartier
combines enameling with the grisaille gold-paste technique. The
18k-gold dial is covered with an even layer of black enamel. The
enameler uses a needle or very thin brush to apply a gold paste,
which he or she works to produce the panther. The dial is then
fired.
The watch is a limited edition of 80 pieces with an 18k-gold
case set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Inside is a manufacture
movement, Caliber 9981 MC. Price: $148,000.
PHOTO ESSAY
BALLON BLEU DE CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, PARROT

The dial on this watch was created from rose petals using the
craft of floral marquetry, which Cartier first used last year. The
craftsman collects, colors and cuts the petals, and then places
each one on a thin piece of wood, formed using a marquetry
saw. The petals are then painstakingly applied by hand to the
gold dial to form the picture. It takes two weeks to perform the
marquetry work for this dial, and a total of three weeks to create the entire dial. The parrots beak is made of onyx; its eye is
an emerald.
The watch is a limited edition of 20 pieces. It has a rhodiumfinished 18k-white-gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds
and a self-winding movement. Price: $119,000.
ROTONDE DE CARTIER 42-MM WATCH, LION

The dial on this watch is made of straw using the technique of
straw marquetry. The straw is chosen for its high quality, sturdiness and sheen. It is split, blade by blade, and beaten flat with
a burnishing bone. It is then cut up with a fret saw and assembled on an 18k-gold dial to create the lion. Blades of straw in
different sizes and shades are juxtaposed as closely as possible
to produce effects of volume and depth. Once the picture has
been formed, the straw is left in its natural state, with no further
processing or polishing. It takes 45 hours to create this dial.
The watch is a limited edition of 70 pieces. Inside is a Cartier
manual-wind manufacture movement, Caliber 9601 MC. Price:
$82,000.
PHOTO ESSAY
ROTONDE DE CARTIER 45-MM WATCH, TIGER

Last year, Cartier created a version of its Rotonde de Cartier
Mysterious Double Tourbillon watch with a dial composed of
stone mosaic. (Cartier calls it mysterious because the double
tourbillon appears to float, attached to nothing, in a round window in the dial.) The dial is made using two mosaic techniques.
One consists of small square stones set on the base of the 18kwhite-gold dial. The other uses irregularly shaped stones,
known as tesserae, for the tiger itself. This dial contains nearly
500 tiny tesserae. The colors vary according to the nature of the
stones. It takes 30 to 40 hours to create the base and between 25
and 30 hours to make the tiger picture.
This watch is a limited edition of 30 pieces. The case is 950
platinum. Inside is a manual-wind Cartier manufacture movement, Caliber 9454 MC. Price: $261,000.
PPCO Placed_1754
4/9/14
8:45 AM
Page 1
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WT_0215_Christophe_Claret_04_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 10:58 Seite 156
PROFILE
Christophe Claret
PLAYING
Caliber Fly11 from
the X-Trem-1 model
is a shaped movement
with an inclinedtourbillon escapement
and a magnetically
driven time display.
THE
ODDS
Christophe Claret has built a collection

of watches under his own name that
showcases his penchant for the playful
and the stridently unconventional.
BY ALEXANDER KRUPP
PROFILE
Christophe Claret
C
omplications specialist Christophe Claret

has been designing movements for more
than 25 years, but it wasnt until 2009
that he created a watch collection bearing
his own name. The 65 complicated movements he has designed over the years
were mostly commissioned by other
brands, including Ulysse Nardin, Harry
Winston, Matres du Temps and many
others. It was the financial crisis of 2009
that led Claret to create his own collection. Commissions by other companies
had tapered off, and he took a chance
that a Christophe Claret brand would
appeal to aficionados. His hunch paid
off, and today, his timepieces are sold in
Europe, Asia, the U.S., Latin America
and the Middle East. His own watches
now account for 60 percent of his companys production.
Christophe Claret SA is based in Le
Locle in the Swiss Jura watchmaking
region, where Claret modernized and
expanded a historic villa, Soleil dOr, into
a fully automated manufacture. He
employs more than 100 people, including
25 watchmakers, in roughly 30 different
production processes. Every component
is produced in his machine shops, with
the exception of jewels, balance springs,
mainsprings and some balance wheels.
For Christophe Claret watches, the manufacture produces dials, hands and cases,
purchasing only the crystals and straps.
Claret collaborated with a machining
company to develop his own CNC and
laser cutting machines. He offset the
development costs by selling some of the
machines to other watch companies,
including Rolex and Patek Philippe.
Claret specializes in high complications, particularly chiming watches. The
first watch he produced after graduating
from the Geneva watchmaking school in
the early 1980s was an hour and quarter
repeater with automatons. In 1987,
Ulysse Nardin commissioned him to
develop and produce 20 minute-repeater
calibers with jaquemarts. He formed
Christophe Claret SA in 1989.
Christophe Claret
The Christophe
Claret manufacture
is on the outskirts of
Le Locle in a
renovated villa
called Soleil dOr.
The DualTow is a
tourbillon and
single-pusher
chronograph with a
belt-drive time
display. Each start,
stop and reset
activates a chime.
$564,000
DUALTOW
The DualTow, unveiled at Baselworld in
2009, marked the 20th anniversary of
the manufacture, yet it was Christophe
Clarets first self-branded watch. It is a
rectangular monopusher chronograph
with a chime that signals each start, stop
and reset. It contains the hand-wound
tourbillon Caliber CC20A and takes its
name from the unique hour and minutes
display. Instead of using conventional
hands, two belts printed with numerals
indicate the time as they progress
through small framed windows.
The mechanism driving this display,
with nine planetary gears, can be seen
through a window on the side of the
case. The DualTow is a limited edition of
68 pieces in a variety of customizable
case and dial combinations. Like all the
watches featured here, it is still available.
ADAGIO
The Adagio, introduced a year later,
combines a minute repeater with a second time zone, a small day-night window and a patented large-date display. A
safety mechanism, also patented, prevents the chimes from hitting each other
when they vibrate. Eight pieces of the
Adagio are available in a choice of 11
different dial and case combinations.
The Adagio is a
minute repeater with
a second time zone,
day-night window
and patented largedate display.
$308,000
PROFILE
Christophe Claret
The 21 Blackjack
plays cards, dice
and roulette.
$228,000
BLACKJACK
In 2011, Claret introduced the 21 Blackjack, a miniaturized casino for the wrist.
Wearers have the option of playing the
card game blackjack (also called 21), a
dice game or roulette, using the front,
back and side of the 45 mm case. Two
1.5-mm dice, visible through a window
on the side of the case, are rolled by simply shaking the watch.
To play roulette, you turn the watch
over: the rotor on the back doubles as a
roulette wheel. It spins with the wearers
movements, and when it stops, an arrow
points to a winning number among those
printed on an outer ring. A personal
lucky number can be marked with an
emerald on the edge of the case.
For blackjack, a pusher at 9 oclock
shuffles the cards on four spinning disks,
and then deals random cards into openings in the dial. Some of these cards
remain covered until the players request a
card by pressing a button at 8 oclock.
The dealers card is played by activating a
pusher at 10 oclock. There are 884,736
possible card combinations. A chime
sounds every time a card is played. The
21 Blackjack is a limited edition of 21
pieces in each of eight different dial and
case combinations.
BACCARA
In 2012, Claret unveiled the second piece
in his Gaming collection, the Baccara. It
also plays cards, dice and roulette, but
instead of blackjack, it deals a game of
baccarat (baccara in French and Italian).
The goal in baccarat is to come as close
as possible to nine points with two of
three cards. The Baccara is available in
nine different versions, each limited to
nine pieces and all with either a dragon
or a tiger on the dial.
A custom-built
laser cutting
machine, designed
by Christophe
Claret, has been in
use for more than
eight years.
The Baccara is a
mini-casino, with
cards, dice and
baccarat games.
$223,000
The machining
department of
Christophe Claret SA
X-TREM-1
The X-Trem-1, containing a caliber
called Fly11, was introduced in 2012. Its
name stands for Experimental, Time,
Research, Engineering and Mechanism.
Like the DualTow, it has an angled tourbillon escapement (its a flying tourbillon;
hence the Fly in the calibers name) and
an unconventional time display. The
tourbillon, inclined at 30 degrees, is
mounted on a titanium mainplate that is
also tilted on an angle. Hours and minutes are indicated on two retrograde
scales by hollow steel balls that hover
inside sapphire tubes. The balls are controlled by magnets concealed under the
tubes. The watch is a limited edition of
eight pieces in each of seven different
dial, case and sphere-color options.
SOPRANO
The Soprano, introduced in 2013, combines a tourbillon with a minute repeater.
A Westminster chime, with four hammers striking four cathedral gongs,
marks the quarter hours. The striking
mechanism is visible on the dial, as is the
tourbillon and its skeletonized bridge.
The Soprano is a limited edition of eight
pieces in each of three versions, including
rose or white gold combined with PVDtreated titanium, and a choice of blue or
red hands on the white-gold version.
X-Trem-1 is a tourbillon with a time display

indicated by magnetically driven steel balls inside
sapphire-glass tubes. $308,000
The Soprano is a
tourbillon and
minute repeater
that sounds a
Westminster
chime on the
quarter hour.
$538,000
PROFILE
Christophe Claret
The Kantharos is
a monopusher
chronograph with
a constant force
mechanism.
A chime marks
each start, stop
and reset of the
chronograph.
$110,000$136,000
KANTHAROS
The Kantharos, introduced at Baselworld in 2013, is a monopusher chronograph that chimes a cathedral gong
with each change of the chronograph function. Caliber MBA13
also incorporates a constant force
mechanism, which reduces any
variations in rate over the full
48-hour power reserve. The
mechanism is visible under a
sapphire crystal bridge at 6
oclock. The watch is available in
titanium, PVD-coated titanium or
a choice of rose or white gold combined with PVD-coated titanium.
It is not a limited edition.
Assembling a 21
Blackjack at the
Claret factory
POKER
In early 2014, Claret issued the Poker, his
third watch in the Gaming collection.
This watch allows the wearer to play the
poker game Texas Holdem. It is set up
for as many as three players and a dealer,
with 98,304 possible card combinations
(32,768 per player).
The game begins by pressing the
pusher at 9 oclock to shuffle and deal the
cards. Each player sees two cards in separate windows with specially designed
blinds that prevent them from seeing
The third watch from the Gaming

collection, the Poker, lets up to three people
and a dealer play Texas Holdem. $184,000
A detent
escapement and
constant force
mechanism ensure
the Maestoso
keeps time at a
consistent and
highly accurate
rate. $214,000
The Margot plays

He loves me, he
loves me not and
sounds a chime
each time a petal
is plucked.
$320,000
their opponents cards. Once the players

have placed their bets, the game calls for
five community cards to be dealt. Three
are called flop cards; the other two are
known as the turn and the river. A
pusher at 10 oclock deals the flop cards,
appearing in a window at 9 oclock. After
another round of betting, the turn card
appears at 3 oclock. The last card, the
river, is revealed after the final betting
round. A cathedral gong is activated
whenever these cards appear. The winner
must have the best combination of five
cards from the seven available to him.
As with all watches in the Gaming
collection, the rotor on the back of the
Poker serves as a roulette wheel. The
watch, with automatic Caliber PCK05,
is limited to 20 pieces in four versions:
PVD-treated titanium combined with
either white or rose gold, and PVDtreated titanium with either blue hands
or red hands.
MAESTOSO
The Maestoso, introduced at Baselworld
last year, prominently displays a detent
escapement and a constant force mechanism on the dial, under sapphire bridges.
The high-precision detent escapement
was originally used on ships chronometers, which were suspended on gimbals
and therefore remained stable. Claret
places it in a wristwatch, but because a
moving watch is more vulnerable to

impacts, he devised a special shock
absorption system.
The movement, Caliber DTC07,
incorporates a cylindrical hairspring, two
barrels and a hack mechanism for setting
the time precisely something rarely seen
in detent escapements. The constant force
mechanism ensures the precision of the
watch over the entire power reserve of 80
hours. The 44-mm Maestoso is available
in a limited edition of 20 pieces in each of
three versions: rose gold, white gold with
PVD-coated titanium and rose gold with
PVD-coated titanium.
MARGOT
Claret introduced his first ladies watch,
the Margot, last year. The watch has a
complication that is both complex and
whimsical. It was inspired by the romantic flower-petal countdown game, He
loves me, he loves me not. The flower is
plucked gradually by activating a
pusher that causes petals to disappear,

triggering a chime with each pluck. The
petals fall randomly the order is different each time and they may or may not
be next to each other. The combinations
change from one game to the next so the
result cannot be predicted. Once the last
petal has been plucked, one of five sentiments appears in a window at 4 oclock:
he loves me a little (un peu), very much
(beaucoup), passionately (passionnment), madly ( la folie) or not at all (pas
du tout). A pusher at 4 oclock is used
to restore the petals to their original
positions.
Another romantic game is played on
the back of the watch. When the spoked
rotor stops moving, one of eight colored
gemstones will point to a heart located at
the 6 oclock position. Engraved beside
each gemstone is a word that represents
its meaning, such as joy, affection or purity.
The Margot is available in a limited edition of 20 pieces in each of four versions:
either white or rose gold, with either
baguette diamonds or snow-set diamonds on the bezel.
WT_0215_Facetime_02_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 11:07 Seite 164
FACEtime
The Weiand family spends Christmas morning with their Rolexes.
From left, Marc Weiand wears his Yacht-Master; his wife Tiki
wears a Datejust; and Marcs father Ron wears a Day-Date.
While strolling in Edgewater, N.J., James Ng wears

a Rolex Explorer II, Don Tepe a Sinn 103 ST SA
and Henry Lam an Omega Planet Ocean.
Melissa Gelormini sports her new

Frdrique Constant Classics
Index automatic while dining on
a Caribbean cruise.
While on a river cruise in the Czech Republic, Patrick

Morrissey checks the accuracy of the Prague astonomical
clock against his Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Wave.
Visiting Macchu Picchu at dawn, Robert Chu wears his

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.
WT_0215_Facetime_02_Proof.qxp 09.02.15 11:08 Seite 165
Facetime
Galleries
To submit a photo, please
send your image to
photo@watchtime.com with
a short description identifying each person in the photo
and the watch each one is
wearing. Please give the first
and last name of the wearer
and the brand and model of
the watch. If the photo was
taken at an event, please
specify when and where it
was held. Only clear images
in which the faces of both
watch and wearer are visible
will be considered for publication. Images must be in
JPEG format, no smaller than
1 MB. Only the best-quality
and most interesting photos
will be considered.
At Two Hands Winery in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, Brenda Kapasky wears her Rolex Submariner,
Campbell Brodie his Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean chronograph and Ken Teng his Jaeger-LeCoultre Tribute
to Polaris.
In Palm Beach, Fla., Richard

Aaron Johnson wears his new
Christmas gift, a Hamilton
Jazzmaster Seaview Day-Date.
Taking his eight-month-old daughter Izel to see a holiday parade

in Miami, Baris Evran wears an Oris Divers mens automatic.
Facetime
Social Media
The photos will also appear
on Facebook, Twitter and
Pinterest.
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watchtimemagazine
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WT_0215_LastMinute_02.qxp 11.02.15 17:25 Seite 166
LASTminute
BY JOE THOMPSON
The Gathering Storm

Switzerlands FH warns of a more difficult
situation for Swiss watch exports.
or the fourth year in a row, Swiss
watch exports set a new record in
2014. But nobody in Switzerland
popped Champagne corks. A close look
at the data released by the Federation of
the Swiss Industry (FH) on Feb. 3 makes
it crystal clear that the China-fueled
watch party is over. In fact, the party has
been fizzling for two years: watch exports
rose in value just 1.9 percent in 2013 and
the same amount last year, to 22.2 billion
Swiss francs ($22.4 billion).
The concern in Switzerland is that the
industry staggered to 2014s finish line
and stumbled into 2015 with no momentum at all. After a good first half (+3.1
percent), watch export growth dropped
to 0.8 percent in the second half. Most
alarming is what happened in December,
when exports dropped 2.5 percent versus
December 2013, despite having one extra
work day. It turns out that the markets
that were the heroes of the 2010-2012
boom, Hong Kong and China, are now
the goats. The negative trend observed
in November and December [was] linked
to the autumn events in Hong Kong and
SWITZERLANDS TOP 10 IN 2014

Value of watch exports in SF millions
Country
1. Hong Kong
2. U.S.
3. China
4. Japan
5. Italy
6. Germany
7. Singapore
8. France
9. U.A.E.
10. U.K.
Value
4,123
2,378
1,401
1,331
1,235
1,224
1,120
1,119
1,018
974
Source: Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry
+/-%
0.0
+6.2
-3.1
+15.2
+0.5
-6.4
-1.4
-6.0
+8.9
+2.3
the decline of the Chinese market, the

FH said. Exports to China and Hong
Kong in December dropped 27.2 percent
and 10.3 percent, respectively.
The FH, which is the Swiss watch
industrys trade association, made no
attempt to sugarcoat the situation.
Watch exports ended the year 2014 on a
negative note, it said in a press release.
And the industry started 2015 on the same
note: The emerging trend in recent
months points to a more difficult situation
for Swiss watch exports, the FH said,
not to mention serious consequences
attributable to the strength of the franc.
(For more on that matter, see The
Return of Francenstein on page 54.)
In light of what it called an environment which is clearly less robust, the FH
revised its 2015 forecast to zero growth.
But dont hold them to that. Exchange
rate fluctuations in particular will continue
to be monitored closely and the results of
the first months of 2015 will be decisive
in assessing the general situation, it said.
The implication is that zero growth could
turn out to be too optimistic.
One bright spot in the gathering
gloom, though, is the U.S., Switzerlands
second largest export market after Hong
Kong. (China is number 3; see table.) The
value of watch exports to the U.S. in
2014 increased 6.2 percent. That compares with no growth in Hong Kong and
a decline of 3.1 percent in China. The
U.S. total last year of 2.38 billion Swiss
francs ($2.41 billion) was the second-best
performance ever, slightly above 2008s
SF2.37 billion, but still shy of 2007s
record SF2.44 billion.
The two-year export trend for the Big
Three is even more dramatic and explains
why Swiss watch firms are refocusing on
the U.S. market. For 2013 and 2014 com-
bined, Swiss watch exports to the U.S.

increased 8.7 percent versus a decline of 5.7
percent for Hong Kong and 15.2 percent
for China.
The slump in Asias top two markets
and long-running economic difficulties in
Europe have scrambled the Swiss watch
export picture and put the Americas, of all
places, in the spotlight. In 2014, North and
South America, led by the U.S., was
Switzerlands fastest-growing region for
wristwatch sales, up 4.5 percent. Asia grew
by just 2.8 percent; it would have been lower
except for strong performances by South
Korea (+18.5 percent) and Japan (+15.2
percent). Wristwatch exports to Europe
contracted, down 1.2 percent.
THE HEROES OF THE

2010-12 BOOM, CHINA
AND HONG KONG,
ARE NOW THE GOATS,
DOWN 15% AND 6%
OVER THE PAST
TWO YEARS.
Those seeking a silver lining could
take some solace in the performance of
the mechanical watch in 2014. Total
wristwatch exports increased 1.7 percent
in both unit sales and value, according to
the FH. When you strip out quartz
watches, which had a dismal year, you
discover that mechanical watches did
pretty well. Tick-tocks were up 8.8 percent in units (to 8.13 million pieces) and
3.4 percent in value (to SF16.6 billion/$16.8 billion). They accounted for
28 percent of Switzerlands total wristwatch exports in units and 79 percent in
value. Finally, something to celebrate:
heres to the 500-plus-year-old mechanical watchs hearty good health!
2/4/15
10:05 AM
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WATCH_ppcoplcd 0931.

THE HYPERSONIC CHRONOGRAPH

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ON THE COVER: The Rolex Sea-Dweller 4000

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THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WATCHES

Digital Media Editor

trurnit Publishers, Munich

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THE MAGAZINE OF FINE WATCHES

EBNER PUBLISHING INC.

Management & Administration

Controlling & Accounting

EBNER PUBLISHING GROUP

International Editorial Director/Watch Division

Head of Digital Development

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ACCURACY TAKEN TO NEW DEPTHS

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05.12.14 14:35 Seite 1

PATEKS 175TH ANNIVERSARY PIECES

AMERICAS #1 WATCH MAGAZINE

YOUR REVIEW OF THE BELL & ROSS BR-X1 IS

BELL & ROSS

Display until March 17, 2015

A manufacture movement? No way.

Its an X-1BEE, stupid.

WatchTime welcomes correspondence from readers.

WatchTime April 2015

AND ANOTHER THING

Joe Thompson replies:

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Montblanc Gets Smart

WatchTime April 2015

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The e-Straps smartphone app includes an activity