Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre-S Regatta

Wind Energy Watch by Jullen Moise

This interactive watch by Julien Moise uses the wearer’s own renewable wind energy to power it’s icy blue display.  To read the time the user simply blows on the propeller mechanism to generate just enough electricity to activate a short visual sequence. You might get some strange looks blowing on your wrist, but this watch’s cool minimal style totally makes up for it.

yanko desig

Straddling traditional and avant-garde watchmaking is no mean feat but Marice Lacroix does just that with this moon phase beauty.  An off-centre dial traces the minutes while the hour gradually reveals itself via a rotating disc.  Across the dial, two superimposed discs execute a sophisticated dance indicating night or day and the moon phase.  The icing on this multi-layered work of art is a date disk driven by a patent-pending in-house developed transfer system.  available in sandblasted titanium, it is equipped with the automatic ML 122 movement and limited to 500 pieces.  Available for US$11,250.

*Thanks to WOW

Anonimo’s Marlin Bronze…

Anonimo, the Italian brand of watches is offering a model out of the ordinary: the Marlin Bronze, a diving watch, 1500 meters waterproof (150 atmosphere pressure resistant) in a bronze case.  True to the tradition of the Florentine watchmakers, Anonimo pays great attention to the details. The robust bronze case is the most striking aesthetic element of this watch, combining design, know-how and great comfort.   

The central case and the back cover are made of one piece. The material used to manufacture them is also an unusual one, as Anonimo, in fact, did not use ordinary bronze, but marine bronze. This copper, iron, aluminum and nickel alloy, also known as aluminum bronze, is usually found in the nautical sector (e.g. ship propellers) and in the Navy (e.g. torpedo elements). 

Resistant both to corrosion and oxidation, the watch can be used in the most extreme conditions. Besides its functional side, the naval bronze used by Anonimo will also give the Marlin a unique look. Over time, due to the personal usage to which it is exposed, the watch will gain a darker and warmer color, it will “age”.

To emphasize the warm and elegant character of this model, the new dial colors for 2011 are a rich brown and deep green.  This watch has an elegance which catches the attention even in the most formal situations. At the same time, Anonimo remains true to its military origins and its dynamic character.  Each watch is numbered on the back of the case, which is also engraved with the image of a marlin, the legendary swordfish that gave the name to this diving watch.  The calfskin wrist strap, especially processed by the patented Kodiak treatment to resist seawater, gives a final touch of class and elegance.   The Anonimo Marlin Bronze is a limited series of 300 numbered watches per dial color.

*Thanks to Watch Luxus

Piaget's Altiplano Double Jeu...

Which red-blooded male can resist having a svelte supermodel hanging off his arm, let alone two prized beauties?  The same rush can be had with Piaget’s latest waif, which touts two dials governed by separate hand-wound, ultra-thin movements, for which the marque is famous.  Originally launched in 2007 to critical acclaim, the 2010 version takes it up a notch by using a unique 24-hour scale on the lower dial to represent home time.  To achieve this, the watchmakers had to modify the hour wheel and install a new minute mechanism to create a display running from 1 to 24.  And with that, a new Caliber, the 832P, was born.  The upper dial, meanwhile, runs on Caliber 838P, visible through the exhibition window.  Finishing on the watch is luxuriant and meticulous as always: note the fine, brushed and silvered dials; and on the 838P, beveled bridges, circular Geneva stripes and circular graining on the main plate.  Available in 18K pink for S$47,690 or white gold for S$49,150 with a brown alligator strap.

*Thanks to WOW

Cartier's Ronde Louis Cartier...

The Ronde Louis Cartier is named for the watchmaker who popularized the mechanical wristwatch for men, and thus has many of the defining characteristics of the timepieces of the era.  It was in this period that Cartier was able to innovate in the design of wristwatches thanks to its partnership with Edmond Jaeger and Antoine LeCoultre, which gave them access to some of the slimmest movements of the time.  Since then, Cartier has developed its own in-house movements and the Ronde Louis Cartier timepiece for this year is also an extremely slim timepiece, with a hand-wound mechanical caliber 9754 MC.

The throwback to the early years of Cartier as a watchmaker is shown most evidently in its hands, which are the apple-shaped hour and minute hands on the dial.  Early Cartier timepieces also featured this design, eventually giving way to the sword or diamond-shaped hands seen today on their timepieces.

The Ronde Louis Cartier collection has a very consistent look, with large indices around the dial in Roman numerals and a smaller circle of Arabic numeral indices indicating afternoon time.  A chemin de fer minute track is marked out in black.

What is new to the Ronde Louis Cartier this year is the use of guilloche on the dial.  The rosette pattern is divided into two areas, leaving a blank white dial for the minute track and Arabic numerals.  The larger Roman numbers are indicated on the rosette pattern, with a tiny Cartier logo at 7 o’clock.  A small seconds counter with a railroad seconds track is positioned in between 10 and 11 o’clock with a needle pointer.

Other little details such as the inverting of numbers from ‘21’ to ‘15,’ deliberately done to facilitate the reading of these times, demonstrate the thoughtful design process that goes into each watch at Cartier.

Variations of the Ronde Louis Cartier include the pink gold model as well as diamond-set models on the bezel and crown, as well as on the center of the dial and finally, a model with full pave diamonds.

*Thanks to Revolution

Gucci by jasonpitsch on Flickr.

Gucci by jasonpitsch on Flickr.