It has been ten years since the late Nicolas Hayek warned that he was going to cut the deliveries of ebauches to his competitors.
While some brands, like Breitling or Panerai, did their best to integrate their production as much as possible, some others, like IWC for example, did not seek to develop other house-made movements, to compensate for a possible ending of the precious 7750 and 2824 deliveries.
Whether they are ants or cicadas, hard workers or lazy, nobody foresaw the current core issue, which actually has to do with the "heart" of the watch.
Indeed, the end of the Swatch group deliveries had been well anticipated by the "shavings makers" (like Tech Ebauches, Sellita, Technotime, Concepto, etc.…), who created a "CNC" Maginot line.
But the fate of Maginot lines is to be by-passed: actually, the problem specifically comes from the hairsprings and more generally from the sets! In fact, the main provider, Nivarox, is a subsidiary of the Swatch Group...

More opinions (by famous bloggers), a Pool to give your opinion, on the watchonista's silicium page.



For a few months, there was a rumor about a potential wave of panic related to the hairsprings: it stated that this component, as tiny as it is vital, as cheap as it is complicated to industrialize, would be missing with a cruelty worthy of the quartz crisis.
This anxiety became tangible when Nivarox informed TAG Heuer that the deliveries had stopped.

Today, a watchmaker who wants to produce watches independently, has to invest in equipments. Yet, there are only three ways to do so.

Produce Elinvar hairsprings oneself: if it is the most common and the safest solution in terms of brand image, it is also the most complicated to implement.
Indeed, the material's recipe is not a secret,  the Elinvar alloys are utilized in precision measurement tools (industrial scales, precision gauges, etc.);
Hence, there are some producers of the precious isotropic steel alloy, most of them German;
For example, one could think of the Precision Engineering/Moser share holder, who has been producing this material for a long time.



The product is available, the Elinvar spiral recipe is can be found in all the good watchmaking cooking books.
But the missing part is the Chef! Only a few members of Nivarox, carefully selected and submitted to security and confidentiality levels that would make a fighter pilot turn pale, know the secrets of fabrication of the magical hairsprings produced by the ETA's subsidiary.

The brands who offers alternative hairsprings, like Ato-Kalpa or Technotime, spent years to produce good quality hairsprings, and the waste seems to be higher than that of the Swatch Group ("seems", because nobody knows what happens at Nivarox).

So, to summarize:

Finding the right alloy is rather easy, and at any rate a hairspring only weighs a few tenths of a gram, therefore one wastes very little material to find the right mix.
Finding the machines for laminating, wire drawing and hairspring counting is far more complicated, as they are not produced anymore and most of them were destroyed during the quartz crisis.
For example, Technotime bought machines from the ex-Eastern Bloc, formerly used to produce Poljot and consorts.
Finding the "Chef" who will perfectly master all the stages of the production is almost impossible; therefore, he must be trained internally.
The implementation of a hairspring  production plant is a long process, as it takes several years of development to achieve a consistent level of quality (consistent enough for the pairing and the hairspring/balance tuning to be done in less than one day per watch).

But! As the recent "TAG case" just demonstrated, most of the brands cannot spend the 5 or 10 years required to integrate the whole production chain.



Buy hairsprings from other providers than Nivarox: in spite of the quality of their production, the likeable Helvetian sub-contractors cannot supply quantities large enough for the big brands such as Tag Heuer (or Breitling).
TAG, as always the first in any domain, just announced that it will buy its supplies from Japan.
The only continent that produces hairsprings in large quantities is Asia.
For example, one could think of the Chinese Sea-Gull, whose production figures are bigger than those of ETA.
Or of SeikoSha, which is also a very good alternative choice, as its Grand Seiko watches announce better chronometric performances than Rolex.

The Helvetian brands which will source their products in Asia, will symbolically trample the "Swiss Made", by fitting the Swiss watches with the only part that until now, was 100% made in Switzerland.
This decision might lead to extremely damaging consequences. 
One already sees some small brands claiming their cantonal belonging, since the "Swiss Made" doesn't seem to be a guaranty of AOC for the watches.
 Indeed it will be the end of a kind of ambiguity; but the overall watchmaking industry benefits from it;
and the entire field, even those who did what it takes, is at risk of being penalized by a blurred brand image.



Produce silicon hairsprings: it is currently the biggest topic in watchmaking since the advent of quartz.
To well understand what is at stake, one has to understand that the preparation of silicon compared to that of Elinvar is like the Molecular Gastronomy opposed to the "Nouvelle Cuisine" of the greatest chefs.
Or even, if one is a scandalmonger, it is like McDonald's vs. the "Grande Cuisine".
While manufacturing Elinvar demands a genius cook able to feel the materials, to observe the clouds to know the atmospheric pressure, the fabrication of silicon hairsprings takes a valedictorian trained in cutting-edge technologies and able to run the chemical cutting of material with  precisions down to the micron, through the mathematical rigor of equations.
The benefit of using silicon is that one can implement a manufacturing chain faster.
If there is enough equipment, this strategic component can be produced in large quantities far quicker than the Elinvar.



The other benefit brought by the silicon is that the quality of the hairsprings is standardized by the "LIGA" cutting process.
Hence, the slow and difficult pairing phase does not exist anymore (the differences in hairsprings qualities are compensated by appropriate balances). Thus, even the balance production stage is simplified.
The problem with the silicone arises during the assembling phase, where the very fragile hairspring must be fitted into its final slot without shocks.

To better understand the two "quick" options, Silicon & Asia, let's take a careful look at the Tag Heuer case:

The rumor states that LVMH's legal department more or less challenged their counterpart at Swatch Group.
LVMH  wanted to speed up the process of contract renewal for the deliveries of Nivarox escapement sets.
But the Swatch Group lawyers outsmarted those of LVMH: they cut the sets deliveries to Tag Heuer, without striking a blow. Considering the suddenness of the announcement, TAG did not have time to develop its own Invar sets. Therefore, there were only two options: Asia or Silicon.
To compensate for the withdrawal of Nivarox, TAG once again called upon Seiko (and this after the caliber 1887) to get out of this tricky situation.
To address the problem, TAG could have developed homemade silicon;
but they chose to rely on Seiko, on the one hand because it was obviously simple from a logistical standpoint, and on the other hand because the image of silicon may have been deemed dangerous.
Actually, the crucial question raised by TAG's choice is this: what does a "region of origin" mean?
Is it the use of traditional technologies, implying the utilization of a plain alloy and lots of handwork, but made in Asia?
Or does it mean a totally normalized production with cutting-edge industrial processes, but made in Juras?

And the other reason to reject silicon certainly was the reliability.

The fundamental obsessions at Rolex are the reliability and the after sale returns.
As a matter of fact, it is one of the reasons why their production processes are widely automated.
Rolex is undoubtedly the most automated of the mid-range market brands in the Swiss watchmaking industry.
It is obvious that Rolex made the reduction of costs a priority. But not only that!
Rolex engineers spend their time burying innovations.
These break-through, which would have benefited certain independent brands for years, are buried by Rolex without second thought.



This policy of generalized industrialization and of slow innovation, of course, comes from the necessity to bring down the after sales servicing figures.
The brand with a crown would never launch an innovation without making sure to master the consequences from A to Z. One even knows that the brand is very advanced on the silicon matter, but sticks however to the excellent Parachrom rather than taking chances with the silicon.
In addition, it is a common knowledge that Omega, like De Bethune or other "early adopters", already underwent the difficult development of this cutting-edge technology. For that matter, they deserve praises.
For the great watchmakers (such as Journe or Flageollet), Abraham Louis Breguet's Holy Grail was to use less lubrication, which is a source of problems and of dirt accumulation in the mechanism.
For example, with the Extreme Lab, Jeager LeCoultre tested the "fat-free" watch (with a limited success).
If the silicon technology breaks through, there is no doubt that the JlC EL will go through the roof of the auctions at Christie's, 50 years from now, since it has been emblematic of the beginnings of this "fat free" technology.
But today, with the waterproof watches and high quality lubricants, does the development of a lubricant-free technology still make sense?

The greatest technical achievements , like the Citroen DS, the iPhone 4 , the Concorde or printing, were very difficult to develop, which frustrated many clients (-guinea pigs).
But these long development phases have been laboratories for innovations, which were reused in hundreds of new similar products (for example, the technologies developed for the Concorde are still utilized in nowadays airliners).
The equivalent in watchmaking is the Omega 8500, with its silicon hairspring, its coaxial escapement and its double barrel;
it is currently the pinnacle of the mainstream watchmaking technology, but it inevitably suffers from an after sales servicing rate higher than the Rolex 3135.
So, are we ready to potentially sacrifice the long term reliability, in order to benefit from a state-of-the-art product?



Furthermore, when one talks about watchmaking, the cutting edge technology does not mean the same thing.
In the automotive or the mobile phone fields, the equation is relatively straightforward; the goal is mainly to reach the most advanced technology.
"Mainly" , because if some car makers , leaders from a technological standpoint, are successful, their German counterparts, not always as technically advanced, are even more successful !
In the end, the Teutonic cars take the advantage thanks to their uninterrupted reputation for reliability, prestige and to a certain tradition linked to the German luxury car industry.
From the communists to the capitalists, from the industrials to the organized crime, all, all, all of them did put their renowned bottoms on the Mercedes-Benz stiff leather.
A French rap band (NTM) even sang its ode to the "Benz-Benz-Benz".
Why ? Because Mercedes-Benz is a symbol of tradition. And tradition is a common value to all the cultures.

The reason why I am talking to you about tradition, is because it is the key to the rebirth of the mechanical watchmaking.
In a world where everything moves faster and faster, where one lives in an opulent society steered like a drunken ship, it is reassuring to remember our grand-parents' sacrifices,  which allowed for this opulence to exist.
Yet, the mechanical watchmaking's Kryptonite was the quartz.
And there are odd resemblances between the quartz and the silicon: silicon is the main component of the micro-processors that power all our computerized systems, especially the Casio G-Shock.
But also (and specifically?) the fabrication process of a quartz watch is totally standardized, exactly like the production of the sets of silicon escapement devices (compared to the artisanal manufacturing process of a mechanical watch).
Ironically, a well tuned silicon system is amazingly efficient;
the proof is that Technotime, Chopard and Tissot, all of them using silicon hairsprings, won the last International Chronometry Contest.
Yet, the other technology that provides an incredible precision with a silica core is of course the quartz!

The best illustration of this phenomenon is Patek Philippe:  the aura of the most prestigious of all brands relies on an uninterrupted tradition of mechanical movements and on the quest for the best quality, by employing the best craftsmen in all Romandie.
So, do we really want a cutting-edge mechanism in a traditional watch?



Watchmaking only makes sense if one agrees to stop the technological progress at a given date.
If he had had the adapted tools during the French revolution era, would Abraham-Louis Breguet have integrated silicon into his watches?

In short, the silicon raises the metaphysical question of when does the hard-line mechanical watchmaking stops evolving; does silicon have its place in a traditional watch?

Conclusion:
 
The butterfly effect is when a minor decision leads to major consequences.
The ironical side of the story is that, after a few generations, the savior of the traditional mechanical watchmaking could become its gravedigger.
The decision to stop the deliveries of Nivarox sets could be an incentive to switch to silicon.
But the latter is double-edged! It could be the greatest revolution in watchmaking since Huygens (well, at least since the Invar), but it also could be the high-tech product that will totally depreciate the Swiss watchmaking tradition...

We are lucky to witness the greatest revolution in watchmaking since the end of the 60's, and the advent of quartz;
like all the revolutions, it could be a top, or a flop. Will silicon join the heaven of the ground-breaking technologies which died too soon? Or will it open the road to new chronometric heights?
Will it crash against the breakers of the reliability's craggy coasts? Will it rescue the Swiss Made from the Dragons' jaws or definitively spoil the already eared Helvetian watchmaking's brand image?

Maybe you remember the article on the Blancpain Villeret Grande Decoration for Only Watch, published about one year ago...
Under its apparent simplicity, this watch's caseback is abundantly decorated. Indeed, the front face features a superb Grand Feu enamel dial; it takes a trained eye to appreciate the subtle work executed on the painted numerals, with their "hollowed body". On the contrary, the back side is a festival; the bridges feature a superb handmade engraving of the "Rocher de Monaco". This work has been executed by Marie-Laure Tabouriech, a "Best craftsman of France".



To well understand the added value of a handmade engraving on a caliber or a watchcase, one has to look into the history of engraving...
Engraving, together with painting and music, is one of the prime arts in the history of humanity. This art is born when the human kind realizes that he can leave a permanent mark on his environment. It is indisputable that prehistoric carving (directly on stone or on bark) somehow led humanity to understand its role in the modification of the environment, which is nowadays a hot topic, with the environmental crisis we are experiencing....
Etching, a more recent medium, was for a long time the way through which journalism allowed our ancestors to discover the beauties from beyond the oceans.



Of course, the art of engraving developed in parallel with the art of painting; for that matter, a large part of the great painters, from Da Vinci to Picasso, also created superb engravings. Indeed, both art mediums rise from the same creative process. When one extrapolates this shared history to the watch dials, one could picture engraving as the tridimensional equivalent of enameling. Besides, the two techniques are sometimes mixed, as it is the case for the Champlevé enamel, which relies on both crafts.
However, engraving is more adapted to the movements' decoration for an obvious technical reason:
The dust produced during the enameling process could indeed jeopardize the caliber's accuracy.



Handmade engraving, with its typical human lack of precision, gives rise to a fundamental question: what is the value of a watch?
Is it the absolute informatics precision, reached through a multitude of CNC and chemical treatments, or is it the tireless manual work furnished by a troop of excellent craftsmen?



If one considers the fact that ultra-precise handmade finishes by someone like Philippe Dufour are, for many dandies, the ultimate Holy Grail of watchmaking, one could conclude, at least with respect to the decorations, that what makes the "Swissness" more than perfect, is the number of hours spent to decorate a watch.



Therefore, someone will dedicate lots of time and energy to decorate your Blancpain, and this person is Marie-Laure Tabouriech. In the Tabouriech family, the decoration craft is a tradition: Marie-Laure's father and grandfather were also engravers; she inherited her family's fairy-fingers. After 10 years spent in the perfume industry (the delicate vial prototypes were done under her direction), she had the opportunity to integrate Blancpain.
Crafting the ultimate decorations by hand is fine. Publicize it is better. When Blancpain understood Marie-Laure's potentiality, the company granted her three months to prepare the "Best craftsman of France" contest.



It is a prestigious competition, organized since 1929. An avatar of companionship, its goal is to create the emulation between the best craftsmen.
Thanks to this type of event, which promotes the know-how and the very high quality, France has been able to develop a prestigious industry of luxury, envied worldwide.



Marie-Laure got a free-hand to take up the challenge. She chose rather classic themes, in the same vein as her current work (but not necessarily as her next ).
As a matter of fact, she chose to reproduce a drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci: a fantastic warrior's profile. Regarding the horologic part, it was a Blancpain pocket watch, fitted with a 151B caliber.



Reproducing Da Vinci's knight is a double feat: It has been engraved on a steel sheet (as a template, for the embossing process), a relatively hard alloy, difficult to carve, which lengthen the work time... But above all, the carving had to be less than half a millimeter deep. The relief and the depth are reached through optical effects. Marie-Laure created a perfect illusion, with her master chisel stroke.



The pocket watch is in the same vein as Marie-Laure's actual work. It is equipped with a caliber formerly named "Piguet 151" of 16 lines, since the integration of the Frederic Piguet house within Blancpain it is always the 151 but B. The bridges are made of brass; since it is a far more ductile alloy than steel, it is easier to work. Surely, carving is easier on brass, but with a watch movement, it gets more difficult in totally different ways.



First of all, the 151B is not a Lange movement with a ¾ plate; here, the plate is cut out with bridges very far apart.
As a consequence, it is far more difficult to get an overall visual coherence. Moreover, the engraving is hardly deeper than the classic côtes de Genève; nonetheless, Marie-Laure Tabouriech must preserve enough contrast to make the scene lively. In fact, it is like shooting a short film, intended for a cell phone screen and watched in a subway train. It takes a hell of a time to keep the image coherent.



This caliber referenced 151B or 15B (for the "wrist" version), with its wide bridges, is the primary mechanism engraved by the team of Marie-Laure. The Villeret Grand Decoration and Villeret Pocket Watch are customizable to satiety.
You just have to go to a Blancpain shop, make a deposit and you ask your own personal movement. This is one of the most advanced customization options in the watch industry, with a caliber entirely decorated according to your wishes.



Prior to the conclusion, let's play a little game:
The ornament pictures a typical valley of the Jura, together with its fauna.
One can see a heron, a chamois, a fox, a capercaillie, a weasel, a squirrel, two birds, an oriole and a bobcat; but also with its flora: absinthe, huckleberry, daffodil, gentian...
I will let you find these animals on the Blancpain, the answers in a few days.



In 2012, we live in a world of automation, of absolute standardization; a world where the robot's productivity is so effective that kids are losing their jobs in factories of developing nations!
On the contrary, luxury is more than ever the unique work of highly skilled craftsmen. That is why Marie-Laure Tabouriech's work is important.

The main buzz at Baselworld was of course HYT.
Launching a buzz successfully is like putting a spaceship into orbit, it takes a thruster, but it also takes an astronaut.  Yet, most of time the buzz fails, because one of the elements is missing…



The pre-Basel marketing campaign was indeed very well orchestrated: a crew worthy of the A-team, a booth that would fit in Tron Uprising, a most of all, a set with a fancy fluorescent green decoration.
And above all, the engineer with a German accent, who explained how a machine, key to the success of the project, filled the capillaries of the watch. But which watch, by the way?



Regarding the general design, it makes us think of Darth Vader who would have borrowed Flash Gordon's watch.
The HYT H1 is a round watch of about 45mm (actually it is 48.8mm, but it seems far smaller when it sits on the wrist), available with a gold or a titanium case, topped by an impressive raised crystal.
It is rather the contrary of a classic watch, oscillating between sports and science-fiction;
The end result is indeed original and refreshes the round watch style, proof that it is still doable. The feature that makes this piece so special is the couple of rhodium coated pistons which push two fluids, one colorless and the other luminescent green, into capillarie. For that matter, these pistons and the feat they represent in terms of metallurgy are unfortunately outshined by the fluid display system; one would have wished them to be pushed to the forefront.



The luminescent liquid displays a retrograde hour between 7:15 and 5:45. The minutes are indicated on a sub-dial at 12 o'clock, while the power reserve sits at 3 o'clock and the operating indicator at 9 o'clock.
 The indexes remind us a bit of some Zenith Defy Extreme from the Nataf period; they contrast in a somewhat anachronistic way with the caliber's magnificent classic finishes, a work performed by the Chronode workshop (located in the Jura led by Jean-François Mojon).


 
The way the device works is quite simple: the barrels (65-hour power-reserve - 28800v/h) drive the bellows, which move the fluids in the transparent tube.
 The most impressive phase is of course when the retrograde indicator goes back to zero: in a few seconds, the transparent fluid pushes the colored one back to its start position.
 The most playful amongst us will set the time a little more often than necessary, as this sequence is so impressive.


In terms of design, it is the opposite of the Opus 12: when the latter features a super-complex display, using 27 hands, the HYT could (and should!) almost content itself with its retrograde display; a sector dial with an aperture only for the display would have even more impact.
These two watches are the biggest hits of Baselworld 2012 (with the couple of Tudor)...



If the concept is very simple, as it is the case for any hydraulic technology, the development was a nightmare.
 Starting with the watchmaker's psychological barrier of putting a liquid into a watchcase (when, for example, Rolex's core business is the waterproofing). For that matter, it is Preciflex, a company from Bienne, who helped develop a shockproof hydraulic microcircuit, through 7 patents filed by HYT.
Here are some photos of the machine which fills the HYT H1's hydraulic circuit:



Let's be honest, even if the watch is a technological feat, it is also a show-off item: imagine your neighbors on a private beach in St Tropez, green (hydraulic) with envy because they don't own the new kick ass watch…
But the reason why it is such a success in the blogosphere is deeper than these limited views. You all know about the watch-lovers' taste for obsolete technologies?
At the bottom, HYT is a heaven-sent return to the pre-mechanical watchmaking.
Prior to the utilization of wheels, springs and chains, one relied on the flowing of water and its regularity to tell time, even without sunlight. The clepsydra is the mechanical regularity's oldest ancestor.
And even if, in the HYT H1, the liquid is only there for the display, the future developments in hydraulic power applied to watchmaking could give birth to completely new complications, and revive the watchmaking "Haut-Jurassic" era.



Beyond the aspect "Back to the future" and despite the technological feat it represents, the striking feature of this watch is that it does not take itself too seriously... In the everlasting vanity pyre of watchmaking, humor is the salvation received from a fluorescent-green fire hose!!

At the beginning of each Baselworld, the commentators frenetically split their attention between two booths: Rolex's and Patek's. Yet, in order to see the 2012 edition's future best-sellers, one only had to slightly turn one's head to the right when facing the Rolex booth.  Indeed, even if the Tudor booth is absorbed by the impregnable Rolex bunker, the novelties presented by Tudor were the focus of all the photos and of all the attention. Therefore, the excellent "Heritage" chrono presented in 2010 was not a "single-shot", which only confirms that the Tudor creations are "laboratory tests" for the Rolex group.

Let's say it straight out: it is the greatest hit of Baselworld 2012. Tudor not only presented The most attractive watch of the trade show, but the two most attractive, at least in the affordable category. You know this category of watches which is not divorce-inducing in case of a compulsive purchase. I'll let you determine which one is the best, according to your tastes.





The question is: why?

In order to understand the success carried by these products, one has to understand the Rolex myth. Since I am not a specialist of Rolex, I will describe it from an ignoramus' standpoint.
The mythology of Rolex was popularized by another myth, that of the James Bond played by Sean Connery.
Rolex is the legend of the Alpha man from the 50's-60's. Adventurer, sports man, but also gentleman which remains  virile, in short, the last example of the complete man from the XVI-XVII centuries (the "gentilhomme", poet, philosopher, swashbuckler and womanizer).

This myth of the exploration, of the last geographical conquests (the deepest dive, in the Mariana Trench, the highest climb to the top of Mount Everest), but also of the spies, was the foundation of the Rolex passion. (Spies are the main theme of the excellent movie "Killer Elite" that takes place at the end of the 70's, in which Robert de Niro and Jason Statham both wear the Rolex Submariner 5513 or 1680).
One has to admit that many marine commandos were equipped with Rolex throughout the 50's-60's period, outstripping Panerai, even though this brand was the historic provider for the Axis' combat divers.
Rolex for the most expensively equipped divers, but also Tudor, for more thrifty army corps.



For the Rolex & Tudor purists, the ideal watch is functional, waterproof, legible, compact, and it preserves the elegance of the curved shapes from the 50's.

Yet, since the industry gradually gave up using tritium and painted dials during the 80's, some of the Rolex fans on the web are frustrated, as the will to reach the "Zero flaw quality" sometimes led Rolex on the path of gentrification.

Against all odds, this year it is Tudor, the "affordable" subsidiary of Rolex, which presents two watches true to the "adventurous" spirit from the 50's. Even if these two watches are totally different in terms of design, they satisfy the same technical specifications:  producing dive watches conforming to the criteria of the Submariner's original commercial success. On the one hand, the engineers inspired themselves from the 50's-60's period, and reproduced as faithfully as possible a military dive watch. On the other hand, they turned toward the future and created a mechanical dive watch as modern as possible but satisfying the exact same criteria.

First of all, the most desired? Longed for? Wanted? The Tudor Black Bay.
It is definitely inspired by the Tudor 7922-7924 from the 50's; this watch, with a professional or even a military purpose, featured a blue bezel, and more rarely a red one.

The case also has a vintage look: "Big Crown" without flange and metallic bezel insert, domed sapphire crystal (the vintage's look without the Plexi's shortcomings). The lugs are rather thin from the front view, but they are a bit too thick when seen sideways; therefore, they look too modern, it is an inconsistency we already noticed on the "New Migauss".



In order to understand the dial, one has to talk about the bezel; remarkably, the Tudor team chose to revisit the red version. It will take a while for the blue model to be available. This choice of color enhances the dial's gilt font. While it is shocking to some, it is well suited for the "brand with a crown", especially considering the success met by the green bezels from Rolex. But most of all, after hundreds of gallons of vintage Pepsi, Tudor crosses the sparkling soda's Rubicon, and at last proposes the Coca-Cola Rolex; excuse me, the Coca Tudor.

The watch's appeal comes from its warmth, from the combination of the gilt hands, indexes and font, sitting on a domed dial and associated with the red/burgundy bezel. All of this provides the watch with the warmth of a peplum shot in Technicolor.



As described in the press kit, the dial is black, but if I trust my eyes and my EOS 60D, it looks slightly brown, as if it had been exposed to imaginary radium. Or perhaps the SuperGilt (© Watchonista) indexes/font/hands visually beam on the overall dial…



In the Tudor purist's opinion, the watch should not feature Snowflake hands, as they don't match historically this kind of indexes (it should feature double pencil hands)….  As well as some other details, such as the red insert that sits between the bezel and the casing (which is not terribly shocking when one holds the watch in one's hand).

As always, the criticism is easy, but the art is difficult. For example, today, one of the rare almost successful attempts at redoing a Neo-Vintage watch is the Jaeger leCoultre Polaris.
This watch is almost identical to the vintage model, yet, it has a few flaws that tend to prove that  succeeding in this area is almost impossible (?): the watch is relatively cold, the "Vintage Luminova" indexes are over worked, but most of all , the price of about 12.000€ is absolutely outrageous . Hence, if the expertise used on this vintage Polaris is quite impressive, the final result is a bit disappointing. Comparatively, the Tudor Black Bay, or some Neo-Vintage Panerai are far more entertaining and are priced according to the quality of their movements, even if they are not perfect reproductions of the original models.

Today, wanting to perfectly reproduce the glorious "oldies" is utterly useless: 

-The brand's internal policies, and especially that of the groups, forbid certain things; for example, it seems that the Mercedes hands (which would match the indexes better) are obviously reserved for Rolex.
-The everlasting level of quality increased enormously since the 50's-60's: a lot of patinas and weathered bezels were inherent to the manufacturing flaws of this period.
-The processes became more industrialized, and the manufacturing techniques from this era have been forgotten.
-The fact that the uses of Radium and Tritium have been successively forbidden prevents the indexes/dials from aging quickly.
 -Nobody owns the "watch aging machine", especially since the process is inherent to its original buyer (CF the article on the PAM382 "Gonzo").



The morale is that it is far more important for a watch to "sound" vintage with charisma, than to be an impossibly perfect copy.  The Black Bay keeps with another vintage code: the price, even if it fits into modern ranges. It is one of the most affordable neo-vintage watches on the market (the Longines Legend Diver is another example).
 The Tudor BB will be sold for about 2400€, for the version with the aged leather strap (included the Tudor NATO), and about 2600€ with the stainless steel bracelet.
A real certified quality vintage will cost you about 10 times the price, with complimentary Becquerels.

NB: These watches are both fitted with the ETA 2824 set at 28,800v/h, with a theoretical 28-hour power reserve (by the way, Tudor communicates openly on the matter, which is rare in the industry and therefore praiseworthy)
 The 2824 has the quality of its main flaw: it is very common, because of an extremely broad diffusion, and is therefore easy to maintain, from a customer service standpoint. There will be plenty of qualified people and spare parts available for a very long time.

The other bombshell presented by Tudor is the Pelagos (which means "deep sea", in Greek). While the Black Bay plays the role of the Submariner's Grandmother, the Pelagos impersonates the prodigal grandson.



It is the super-futuristic remake of the famous vintage Tudor divers, like the "Marine Nationale".
 This work is not only futuristic, but also realistic. Rather than proposing a fanciful piece with a waterproofing far beyond the best divers' abilities, Tudor focused on the functional and aesthetical aspects. For decades, the Submariner has been the main source of inspiration for some small watchmakers who lack creativity. And one has to admit that the Germans especially, and sometimes the Americans, managed to present dive watches more believable as tool-watches, than those proposed by Rolex.



By becoming more and more of a luxury item, the Submariner gentrified.  In order to outstrip the "little ones" who sometimes successfully produce some vintage Rolex, the brand had to return to basics.
 The return to basics is the key to the success of this Pelagos: it is technical, super-modern in its design and its details, but most of all, it is streamlined to make way for the functionality to shine through.



The first big surprise is that the case is made of brushed titanium: even if this material has become a classic in watchmaking, up to the point where it even replaced stainless steel in some brands, the Rolex group had almost never used it….  When it is oxidized, the titanium takes on a brownish tinge (which brings some stealth to the piece).
The matte look is also visible on the shot-peened ceramic bezel. The middles, which are almost as thick as the Black Bay's, look a bit slimmer on the Pelagos: the brushed titanium and the slightly larger casing (42mm) create this visual effect. On the crown's side, the flanges are very well designed, sharp and sober. The other side features the helium valve. This device is far from being indispensable for the leisure or semi-professional diving. Akin to many watches, it sits at 9 o'clock, a placement that disturbs a bit the case's harmony: a fitting between the lugs or at 7:30 or 10:30 would have been more subtle….
The last noteworthy detail is the titanium bracelet. Its folding strap features a series of devices that allow the bracelet to adjust to the variations of the wrist's diameter, which changes depending on the depth: the wetsuit gets thinner as the pressure increases.
 But in everyday life, the desk divers' main concern is to know whether the auto-adjustment system is sensitive enough to adapt to the summer's temperatures, that is, to the swelling of the wearer's wrist.
 In a few months, the lucky owners will be able to share their experiences. There is no doubt that if successful, Tudor will have found the philosopher's stone of the metal bracelet's folding strap.



The dial gives its full meaning to the stealth and the pureness of this watch. First of all, it is absolutely matte (like the casing), and it features a beveled and crenellated chapter ring, (yes, like the Seiko Diver 200) to make room for the UNRIMMED indexes!  Indexes with no metallic rim, we are not yet back to painted dials, because the indexes are bonded; but still, it is a big leap for the tool-watch lovers. The indexes are square, which matches, it seems, the superb snowflake hands (with a black finished inner part), even better!


All of this in blue Lume on a black background, like the SDDS; it is pretty, it looks technical; but is the fluorescence better than with the green? It will take some testing.  The watch features little lettering, which is unusual with a Submariner's dial. But most of all, the dial conveys quality, despite its lack of lust: all the details, such as the date's aperture or the chapter ring's cut outs, are very, very carefully done.
 If the Black Bay is a successful tribute to the adventurers or the divers' watches from the 50's, the Pelagos is the perfect adventurer's watch from the 10's:  efficient, streamlined, technical, it has all the features that make the desk divers happy. It will be available for about 3300€ with the titanium bracelet (it would be a pity not to choose this version), which is quite fair for a revived myth.



The commercial war is fought on all battlefronts, notably on the diver's; from Japan to the USA and through Eurasia, Omega, Rolex, Breitling and Tag Heuer fight each other to sell as many watches as possible, sometimes forgetting the watch lovers' simple passion.
What just happened at Tudor's is very healthy, very positive. Tudor's creative team managed to move the supertanker from Plan-les-Ouates with brilliance. These novelties, designed for the watch lovers by the watch lovers, prove that the creation and the trendy products are not the prerogatives of the independent watchmakers or of the niche-market brands…

The Fusion concept was one of the 2000's horologic bubble's stylistic drivers. 
It was initiated by Hublot and much of the watchmaking industry followed suit. Yet, for many brands, "Fusion" merely meant "superimposition", superimposition of materials, of styles, of complications….
In order to well understand what "Fusion" stands for, one ideally has to have some culture in science fiction, to be familiar with the SF and Cyberpunk literature, with Lang's Metropolis, with these urban, cold, technological and tough universes. Harry Winston's design department has obviously grasped these aesthetic codes quite well.

Indeed, the brand officially presented the Ocean Sport Chronograph at Baselworld. This watch is definitely part of the Fusion trend.

In fact, this high-tech “toolwatch” is a case study in successful cross-trending. If it was a car, one would call it a crossover.
But if one had to draw a comparison with the automotive world, the piece would borrow more from a BMW X6 than from a Pontiac Vibe….

A "Horologic crossover", why?



Prior to wearing the watch, one notices that it is quite bulky, as much because of its 44mm as because of its wide directional bezel (the watch is waterproof up to 200m). But the watch’s cutting-edge look gives way to luxury; as soon as one wears it, one is surprised by the piece's weightlessness and comfort, and one could think it is made of titanium.
 But after careful scrutiny under the sunlight, the reflections are different, as different as those seen on white gold vs. platinum. Furthermore, this case's metal ages differently from titanium…
This metal is Zalium, an alloy of zirconium (chemically close to titanium) and aluminium, patented by Harry Winston; this material stems from some cutting-edge alloys utilized in the aerospace industry.
This high-tech material makes perfect sense with the watch's super-technical look and the mix of brushed metal and of PVD coated inserts.



The watch develops its entire flavor when one carefully examines the dial: under certain angles, it merely seems to be a polished black surface; but under other angles, a magnificent blackened ruthenium skeleton shows up.
 In fact, the only part of the movement based on an ETA 28-92 that is skeletonized is the exclusive Harry Winston's chronograph plate. This module directly sits on the 28-92, in order to maximize the contrasts; the dial is covered by a slightly smoked crystal, which makes the watch look stealthier.
The Ocean Sport series' very angular case,  is fitted with the perfect dial: skeletonized, dark and technical. The sprawling skeleton seems to spread upon the bezel, through the black PVD coated inserts.



To go on with the process of putting some Cyber into the classic watchmaking codes, the dial features a date aperture at 12 o'clock, which is almost surprising, since it is split by the chronograph second-hand.
To get an optimal legibility, one has to start the chronograph, very playful; Harry Winston should have pushed the envelope further, by proposing a wider chronograph hand in order to completely conceal the date.

Finally, despite their super-modern design, the sub-dials remain quite discreet, like those of classic chronographs;
The second-hand is really plain, which is even better as it makes the skeleton even more visible.

If the independent watchmaking's dreamwatches have successfully reinterpreted the skeleton in a futuristic watch, the domain of more affordable pieces took a back seat, and has done little to update the classic skeleton style.



Yet, it is precisely this watch's strength: it makes relevant the marriage between a virile toolwatch and the classic watchmaking codes, in a discreet and perfectly finished synthesis.
The best illustration is the dial: the hands' slenderness stands out in sharp contrast with the skeletonized plate's hardness, which shows up when the light is reflected by the movement.

After many years of wanderings, the Cyberpunk integrated to watchmaking, this trend better known by watchmakers as "Fusion", was eventually perfectly mastered in this Harry Winston.

Tonda 1950

The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 fits into a big trend of the Sinophile watchmaking; the (colossal) Chinese market is fond of plain Hours-minute-second with a classic diameter.
Yet, in this field, there were a tremendous number of reissues of pieces from the 50’-60’s; many brands merely reproduced these codes without the era’s magic.
However, certain brands, like Lange & Söhne or Vacheron Constantin, make very fine things in this vein.
Parmigiani recently took up the Quest for the Bauhaus’ horologic Grail: the quintessential horologic layout.
Minimalism is too often mistaken for dullness and the functionalism for the banality.
If making a white classic 3 hands is easy, it is a bit, or even a hunk more difficult in black…
Many brands make (or subcontract) superb powdered or grained silver;
They produce « liquid-paint » enamellings (©www.Watchonista.com), eggshell whites, “Silver-Surfer” silvers, more than perfect whites…. In short, some fine white which conveys quality.
But regarding the black, it is despairing. Dull colors, light sinks, corny textures on a B-uhr made by a “little” German, the final result is poor in terms of quality.
Weak product management? Lazy suppliers? Color more difficult to master?
With this Tonda 1950, Parmigiani Fleurier demonstrates that it is possible to achieve a beautiful black.
This Tonda’s black is surprisingly powdered/shimmering/eggshell (just wear the watch, you will understand).
For the lovers of more sportive watch (without white dial), it is bliss.
Because the vivacity of the dial’s black combines with the distinctive PF lugs and the sharp hands, to produce a very dynamic look.
As a result, the watch seems larger than the advertized 39mm… Still in this idea of “perceived quality”, the brand name circled in gold combined with the narrow indicators complete the effect.
Even if the white Tonda 1950 is a success, it is with the black version that Quadrance (PF’s dial department) demonstrates its Know-how. Sportive, dressy, neo-classic, it is an achievement.










                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
Tonda Retrograde Calendrier Annuel

Nowadays there is a crack in the very high-end watchmaking, between sports-chic (Royal Oak, Overseas, Nautilus…) and classic dressy watches.
This distinction was created by some big wigs of the Helvetian design, such as the late Gerald Genta.
And since the 70’s, the design of high end classic watchmaking collections almost hasn’t evolved aesthetically.
But nowadays, Parmigiani Fleurier punches a hole in the establishment of the high end dressy watches, by modernizing the classic codes. Hence, the movement of the “Tonda Retrograde Calendrier Annuel”, completely designed, assembled and finished in the Parmigiani-Fleurier manufactory, represents the horologic “swissness” pinnacle.
The annual calendar movement is of course automatic, to allow the use of a watch winder  Even if the circular-graining of the 22K gold balance is superb, one could almost regret that it blocks the light which perfectly enhances the subtle Côtes de Genève and beveling. The dial is a surprise: a neo-classic design featuring grainy silver at the center and powdery at the periphery; you will notice the many details, especially the PF logo circled with gold.
But the centerpiece is of course the Grande date, indicated by a retrograde hand instead of an aperture.
The day is indicated at 9 o’clock and the month at 3 o’clock, when the moon phase for the Northern and Southern hemisphere sit at 6 o’clock. This super-accurate complication only has to be adjusted every 120 years.
The watchcase is 40mm across, but the exclusive and dynamic lugs, together with the Hermes wide alligator sports wristband make it look like a 42mm.
The bet on the Tonda line seems to be worthwhile for Parmigiani: that of having the Swiss conservatism evolve while keeping with the tradition.  It is not really a novelty, but this watch is rare and interesting enough for us to dwell upon, lengthily!













Bugatti Super Sport

In 2004, Parmigiani presented the Bugatti Type 370 (which is the top speed in Km/h of the first Veyron), featuring a first: a movement with a transverse architecture, just like a super car engine block.
While the actual trend is to produce movements as large and as flat as possible, PF did the exact opposite: a movement as small and as thick as possible, in order to fit it transversely in a watch case which is reminiscent of the hoods of the Bugatti from the 30's, such as the famous "Type 35" and "Type 41”.

In order to satisfy the increasing market and to pay an ultimate tribute to the Bugatti Veyron, the most mythical
Super car from the 2000's, PF just presented the "Super Sport", dedicated to the limited eponymous edition of the Veyron. Rather than perform a makeover on the "Type 370" with orange and black, the brand of Fleurier proposes an entirely different watch. It keeps the lateral display, so useful to tell time without having to let go of the wheel.
Thus, the caliber and the watch case of the "Super Sport" are completely new.
While the 370 paid a tribute to the classic Bugatti's front part, the Super Sport is still a tribute to the case that contains the Bugatti's engine, but this time with the Alsatian intergalactic fighter's rear part as an inspiration.
The bow is curved like a raindrop, the most aerodynamic natural shape. As a coincidence, the typical wing shaped case lugs of Parmigiani are reminiscent of the Bugatti Super sport's rear part, thus, multiple aesthetical references.
The watch is as unusual in its dimensions as it is in the way it feels on the wrist. One finds again the sensations experienced with the "Type 370". It is such a surprising and innovative watch in the way it displays the hour, that wearing it is more indispensable than ever. The crowning touch is that the astonishing work performed on the movement, with its bridges and plates with "Black Gold" colored Côtes de Genève, is visible through six sapphire crystals: the contrast with the white gold case is stunning. Therefore, like the two Veyron Super Sport's coupled V8, one can see two barrels that provide a 10-day power reserve (circular graduated scale displayed on top of the watch).
The watch is manually wound through a dynamometric crown, which retracts with simple pressure.
With the Bugatti series, Parmigiani signs one of the most successful partnership of the motor sports world, by producing an elitist and groundbreaking watch, all the way through to the architecture of its engine.
A piece worthy of the independent high-end watch making's most original creations.













Transforma Rivage Chronograph
The photograph, bending under the weight of his camera, his eyes blinded by the flashes, sometimes reaches a level of exhaustion almost hallucinatory. To be honest, the first time I saw this Tranforma Rivage Chronograph,  I thought it was a mistake.  In the flow of dressy neo-classic watches of PF, this watch looks like a UHO, as if Mercedes-Benz produced a G Class . At first, one could think that a specialist of aerospace/professional/adventure watches, like Sinn or Fortis, had lost their way in the Vallee de Fleurier rather than in the Guangzhou valley.
Then, when one looks at the details, it is obviously Fleurier's quality: it is beautiful, it is very well finished, but most of all, it does not lapse into the technical pedantic arrogance. Joy, happiness.
Regarding the caliber, it is far from a 7750 with a dubious pedigree: the watch is powered by the PF334, 50h power reserve, 28800v/h (but with a display "divided" by 2, (down to 1/4th of a second instead of 1/8th), 68 jewels, with an overall Fleurier quality. In fact, the chronograph is 43mm across with a large aperture. The external case is made of titanium, while the internal case is made of woven carbon fiber (because of this Transform-ability, the watch is waterproof up to 30m only, versatility opposed to water resistance, it is a matter of choice !)
Yes: the internal case. Because the watch is "convertible", it can be fitted in the titanium wrist frame as well as in a steel pocket watch case. The chronograph's secondary dials are also made of carbon fiber while the main dial is made of graphite, to stay within the realm of carbon. The light effects are magnificent and highlight the stylized map of the globe. While you got the explanation for "Transforma", you are still missing the one for "Rivage": it is a limited edition watch (100 copies), an homage to the Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm, whose new boat is made of carbon fiber.
Let's hope that this success will be the inspiration for a new line at PF, as much as this aerospace/adventure style is despised by the great brands, wrongly so.


















Toric Ovale

At SIHH 2010, there was this magnificent piece from Vardon & Stedman brothers, an oval shaped pocket watch!
It was exceptional because it featured telescopic hands that retract following the railway’s curvature, a display that is a feat dating more than 200 years and was never reissued in the same way.
When I saw this watch, I tried to find any modernized version on the net. Nothing! It is one of these moments when you wish you were a watchmaker! Two years later, Parmigiani proposes a veritable tribute to this pocket watch, the Toric Ovale; PF creates a watch that does more than mimicking the original design, it reproduces the complication altogether!
It is also one of the most thoroughly shaped watches, as it features an oval shape down to the tip of its hands.
The hands retract at 3 and 9 o’clock and extend at 12 and 6 o’clock. For the large hand lovers, it is rapture: not only are they large, they grow even larger!

Based on its Vaucher/PF110 caliber (8 days Power reserve, set at 21600v/h), the Toric Ovale encloses the PF114 shape movement, (8 days Power reserve as well), which features a chiseled floral ornament.
The display complication that pulls or pushes on the hands in order to alter their length is relatively thick, which is noticeable on the Power Reserve and Date apertures’ bezels, respectively sitting at 12 and 6 o’clock.
To stay in the realm of the dream, one could imagine, in the future, a "Grande seconde" that would follow the same elliptical curve.

Of course, in watchmaking, technique is nothing if not served by a flawless design. The watch is an absolute aesthetic achievement; a single criticism though, the aperture that shows the movement on the back of the case is vaguely potato-shaped, when one could have expected it to be fully oval … To achieve an oval watch is always a challenge, because supermarket watches sometimes sullied this shape, a little kitsch…   In this case, the watch is beautiful, as it takes after the Bauhaus, the Art Deco (a fundamental influence at PF). The lugs designed by the brand from Fleurier never fit better than on shaped cases, akin to the Bugatti Super Sport (the watch); they perfectly suit the offbeat case design.
As you can see on the wrist shot, it is rather a Dandy’s watch; the lugs are tapered at the level of the spring bars, to follow the case’s curvature. With regards to the dial and the hands, it is a real surprise: the indexes are a reminder of the famous Panerai’s «sandwich dial», and provide a quite adaptable sporty look to the watch.
With the «Grand feu » enameling finish, one obviously stays in the realm of chic. Akin to the indexes, the extendable hands are blue, the color of oven treated titanium, a highly complex technique mastered by few.
Now that this technique is acquired, I want to see some future Parmigiani featuring blued titanium dial…
The oval is pervasive on the watch, from the hand’s tip to the lugs, as well as through the numbers, the watch benefits from a hard-liner geometry. One could almost regret that the oval balance has not yet been invented!












 
Dragon Clock
Chinese market my love. China is obviously the new Sinorado of the Helvetian watchmaking.
And this year is The year of the Dragon.
The Dragon is a fabulous creature, more than in any other mythology, in that it borrows from the camel, the tiger, the eagle and the demon, as well as other creatures.
The "Dragon" clock by Parmigiani is based on the "Le chat et la souris" mechanism. "Le chat et la souris" was extremely sober, as it borrowed a lot to Art deco with an asserted minimalism.
If the profusion of precious material could make the clock look heavy, but the dynamism of the clock remains, the dragon's posture is energetic and it looks absolutely ferocious.
It runs behind the pearl of knowledge with as much energy as the cat ran after the mouse.
The dragon's body is made of gold and silver.  The scales are made of jade, 585 pieces fitted depending on their color in order to produce a shaded effect. The eyes are made of ruby, the tongue is carved in cornelian and the claws are made of white gold. The pearl of knowledge is set with diamonds, sapphires and rubies.
 Of course, the dragon stays with all the traditional Chinese mythology codes, as it is also the case for the characters, displayed on the base made of rock crystal. Following the tradition, each of these characters represent 2 hours in base six. The pearl of knowledge jumps 6 times per hour, while the dragon does the same once over the same period; Of course, it takes enormous amounts of power to move this mass of precious materials.
If the theme borrows a lot from Chinese mythology, it is also the case for the making.
Like the Dragon, which is a mosaic of animals, the clock is a mosaic of artwork.















Rather than an exclusive presentation, I chose to dwell upon the finest pieces of PF, because the most surprising feature of the brand from Fleurier is variety.
While many brands specialize in a single product, PF does the exact opposite, from the neo-classic watch, to the style of independent watchmakers, from the sports watch with Grande Complication to the clock worthy of the Guinness book.
Parmigiani is not entangled in an heritage, this young brand has still everything to play for, and that’s its strength.

Since Richemont stopped participating in BaselWorld, the consequences are numerous and surprise us at every edition.
More and more similar events take place during the SIHH week… It makes sense.
Because the Swiss watchmaking, 95% French-speaking, embarks on an illogical transhumance toward the German-Switzerland every spring.
The wish to relocate was real, but there were no coordinator and no site to do so.







For its third edition, the GTE gradually becomes a must-attend of the Genevan “Wonder week”.

This year, the GTE moved into the Espace Hippomène. This site, which hosts the Watch Days in November, is located in the Quartier des Charmilles in Geneva, and is easy to get to from the Cornavin train station or from the Cointrin Airport.
If this site is farther from the SIHH via public transportation, the drive time is equivalent.  But what the Espace Hippomène loses in terms of accessibility from the SIHH, it gains in terms of comfort, room and quality.







The spanking new Espace Hippomène, recently renovated, contrasts sharply with the 70’s look (worthy of a James Bond movie) of the GIGC. Roomier, brighter, this site is far more suitable for discussions, meetings, for watch advertising as well as for photography. Because if the CIGC is a superb conference room, its constrained surface area could not keep up with the growth and the enthusiasm surrounding the GTE.

For those who attended the Watch Days at the Espace Hippomène, well, forget what you saw.
The layout of the aisles of the GTE takes after that of the previous editions, but two times larger.
If the place is more suitable for exercise, refreshments were not forgotten:  so, if you are starving, you will find “The Caviar House” and “Nespresso” located in the middle of the exhibition.

 It is also a first for WatchOnista, or even for the overall web of watchmaking.
It is, to my knowledge, the first time a Website has a booth to welcome the other bloggers, with a Mac. to access to watchonista, but above all sofas to sprawl out on, rest, have a drink and discuss the magic of this Genevan “wonder Week”.
As the GTE opens on Sunday, one day before the SIHH, it was a watering hole for the big lions of the web of watchmaking, administrators, moderators and bloggers assembled in an informal way before the Monday morning rush.

The show is intended to become an all-Genevan event, as was obvious the night of the award-ceremony.
Large trade-shows like the SIHH or BaselWorld are totally international events, where globalization prevails.
The GTE is Swiss-French speaking (aka “coherent” French).
Akin to the EPHJ, it is also a true oasis for watch-related meetings, one of these rare places where one can see on the same stage Jean Marc Wiederrecht, Eric Coudray and Karsten Frasdorf, three of the most brilliant watchmakers of our time.

The reason why I mention a stage is that, like all the previous editions, the best exhibitors were awarded.
This year, two exhibitors were bestowed the GTE “Super Watch Award”.







Following the acknowledgement speech by Florence Noel Kameloni given to the numerous GTE partners, the jury held the award-ceremony.
The panel was made up of big wigs from the watchmaking journalism world as well as from the watchmaking industry:  Elizabeth Doerr (journalist), Axel Kufus (professor of watchmaking), Geoffroy Ader (Sotheby’s), Anders Modig (Plaza Watch) and of course Jean Marc Wiederrecht (Agenhor). 










Cabestan received the “Design Award” for the new version of the famous “Cabestan Tourbillion”, with a simplified winch, but featuring a wider and streamlined watchcase.

For the “Tensus”, Heritage Watch Manufactory was presented with a well-deserved “Super Watch Award”, a prize they had not received at the previous edition of GTE.
The Tensus is a chronometer watch featuring a series of constant force devices, all along the energy chain.
It is certainly the first of a long series of trophies.
Indeed, the Tensus revolutionizes the classic chronometry, all while respecting its standards, most notably through its large 16mm balance.

This first practice-run was also an opportunity to hold informal conversations with the exhibitors of exotic creations.
As an indication of the increasing momentum of the GTE, there was a large number of Asian buyers, watch lovers and journalists, on the very first day of the show.

Watches @ GTE : http://www.geneva-time-exhibition.ch/

This two first day portends great things for this 2012 edition. Somes Watches taken @ the GTE:

These last months had become unbearable, I had the state of mind of a five year old on Christmas Eve.



At the beginning of November, a clusterf#ck about the delivery address made me blow a fuse.
After two extra weeks of waiting, (a kind of double penalty), the watch eventually arrived at the shipping facility in Geneva.
I jump into my Interceptor parked in Lausanne, for a homerun at « ISO 14001 driver’s license-revoking speeds”, punctuated by many front lights flashing aimed at placid Helvetians cruising on the Autobahn, themed after “the left lane, love it or leave it”!!



Touchdown. I make it at 6:27pm; the shipping company closes at 6:30pm. I furiously open the parcel, the attendant offers his rusty box-cutter (pardon me, shiny with age) that even a terrorist trainee would not use.
I retort: “Now, I’m ready”, drawing my 154cm Steel Leatherman, boasting!

Once the parcel stripped down like a Bobo after a trip to the Bronx in the 80’s, I get the monster out.
Detractors would say that it looks like plumbing pipes, but to me, since it is brand new and devoid of patina, or should I say “virginal”, it is unquestionably an outstanding ode to the classic elegance of the “Vegas pimp”.



-It is beautiful.

-Very beautiful.



Still, I remember that despite an inspired report on the SIHH2011, like “Zarathustra-stepping-down-from-the-mountain”, (Thus spoke Pifpaf), the PAM382 aka Bronzo did not arouse an unrestrained enthusiasm.
One could even say that it was lukewarm, or even cold.



Two reasons for this, the obvious one is with the festival of novelties, it was a little difficult to sort anything out “on paper”.



However, more deeply, many Paneristis still have whiffs of luxury classical watchmaking codes, with their stream of workmanship and timelessness ("You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation", blablabla…).
And here, the OP signs a watch upstream from the classical views of the watch industry, because it is definitely a timeless watch, a piece totally embedded in the present and one that ages with its Panerist!
Worse or better! In the same way one chooses to smoke, to binge, to booze, to beat the crap out of people, the PAM382 aka Gonzo will age depending on its wearer’s unruliness.
Finally, one could write: « You will totally own this watch, we don’t give a sh#t about the future generations.” 



The « vintage » trend started a few years ago, with the paradigm “the older the better”.
It is a wiener-contest of who has the most rotten, the scruffiest, and the stinkiest wristband (“fresh from the cow”, my dear Sir)…
But regarding watches, it still has to be shiny, involving the use of lots of « Cape Cod » polish; it has to be clean as a whistle.
Because the enemy of the genuine Vintage-roots-staining-gladiator-look is stainless steel, a fantastic alloy far too resilient to get a true patina! How scandalous!
Finally, the post-SIHH period during which Paneristis did not quite understand this watch, is the time it took to cross the psychological Rubicon of the “fine deluxe watchmaking” mythology.



Well, one has to acknowledge that with this PAM382 aka Swamp Thing (Thank you IMO), the Officine reached rock bottom, or the apex (depending on one’s point of view), in terms of trashiness.
It is bulky, it is ugly, it is green, it corrodes in 10 minutes, and it matches very few outfits and certainly not a suit. In short, it is the bomb.
In addition, it answers a profound expectation from watch fans, as an obvious parallel to watches from certain independents, Max Busser leading the charge.
We are bored with working for services companies who are totally out of touch with reality, one has to observe speed limits, put a suit on, shave, pay bills, taxes and insurances policies, sign divorce documents, brown-nose one’s boss, vote sensibly, not drink, not smoke, not get angry, not have sex (unless you follow rules of hygiene thick as the yellow pages), in short, we are experiencing the unprecedented rise of a sluggish totalitarianism.
Yet, this 382 aka “The Expendables” offers the uselessness, the insecurity, the discomfort of a necessary and vital transgression. This watch is 200 grams of carry-on freedom.



In short, bronze casting:

Regarding the exterior design, the PAM382 aka “The Gladiator” goes to the apex of the military-vintage concept. So vintage that the army extensively used bronze, 2700 years ago.
This alloy immediately reminds us of Steampunk, of Jules Verne and his Captain Nemo. However, depending upon one’s mood, it is closer to “The Gladiator” in terms of sensations when you wear it.
Because, fundamentally, the copper hat’s universe is the “Silent World”, the realm of contemplation;
But in this case, it is so brute, so virile, it aggressively goes for jugular so much so that one feels closer to being in the arena with lions than in the depths of the ocean with the fish (or else at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea with a pair of Santonis made of concrete).



The submersible line from Panerai is interesting, because apart from the bezel, which is a vague tribute to the Big Egy 2/56, this series is an almost pure avatar from the Richemont period. In fact, it is a kind of “in vivo” test of the Officine’s creativity and its vision of Panerai.
The 24-25 was almost the worst the Officine could do in terms of design and finishes. Then the Bombas came out, and next the Submersibles 47mm, and we pretty quickly got into a universe ruled by technique, a consequence of the restrictions due to diving regulations, requiring quite a lot of compromise from an historic standpoint.
Afterwards, the PAM305 took precedence over the superb but vulgar former Sub 47mm. While the level of finishing and the caliber are praiseworthy, the overall result is plain, maybe even cold, in an attempt to avoid tackiness.
This year the Officine finally proposes mature Submersibles, with the 371 and the 382, thanks to the addition of just the right amount of color.



The revolution in this Submersible is not so much the use of bronze, many brands did it over the last 30 years: Genta, Anonimo, Cuervos & Sobrinos, etc… No, the revolution is to have gotten bronze out of the ghetto of cheap brands.
It is the fact that the Officine managed to transform bronze into gold with a design and a product consistency unreachable to razzie awards regulars. Akin to Technotime, which is struggling to find prestigious customers to match the quality of their production, the bronze metal  was not heralded to the level it deserved.



 [Panipedia]
The bronze CuSn8, after its German designation (Willkommen in die Suisse Romande ! It is called C52100 in the USA or CuSn9P in France), is a 92%  copper and 8% tin compound.
It is one of the bronze alloys that features high resistance to corrosion and is only slightly allergenic (or even “food grade”).

After one month of heavy use, I experienced a slight itching in the area of the crown guard , unless it is a side effect of the Helvetian winter on my skin.
One has to say that, thanks to the domed case back, neither the lugs nor the case touch the skin ; The aftermarket Di Stephano bronze buckle causes itching from time to time.
Again, regarding comfort, the watch is heavy, but the density of bronze is very close to that of stainless steel (9 instead of , hence if the weight difference is noticeable compared to scrawnier watches, it remains within the standards of 47mm Subs.

The piece weighs around 200 grams with its wristband, it is heavy, but still, the watch is comfortable given its size.
But if you have a frail wrist or if the strap is ill fitted, you simply do not deserve to wear the same watch as Sly.

This alloy is somewhat the equivalent to 4N rose gold, not the most exotic variety, but the most stable and proven one.
Nonmagnetic, its hardness is around 150 Vickers, between 18K gold and steel.
By the way, I just put a #*$ ¤% dent on the bezel, indeed, it is really not the hardest of metals !
Copper, which accounts for 92% of the case, is one of the metals, if not the metal most widely used in watchmaking, for ebauches made of nickel-silver or brass, and for turned parts. Copper is regarded as the noblest metal behind precious ones, thanks to its ductility, its resistance to corrosion as well as its good conductivity. Above all, it is one of the rare golden/salmon colored metals, with an offbeat and warm look, in the middle of an ocean of metallic grayness.
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Bronze is much warmer than titanium, and the watch looks bulkier, hulkier and impossible to forget in everyday life !
Bronze softens angles, the Bronzo looks more rounded than the PAM305.
The curved outlines of the 1950 case reaches yet another dimension with bronze, the patina emphasizes the curves better than titanium or stainless steel. The alliance between new metals and new case designs promises great things for the years to come. How could we live for so many years with only steel Bettarinis?
The Nautilus-looking bezel (from « Pimp my Submersible feat Nemo », not « Da Pa-teK by MC Genta ») is the centerpiece of this watch, it gets a patina fairly quickly and the polished “Paris nails” indexes  show up like gold choppers. Thanks to bronze, the bezel looks less flat that the 305’s, one almost returns to the pitbulian feel of the Bombas, with extra comfort. Regarding the bottle-opener, because of the low contrast between the bronze and the color of the skin, it is far less noticeable than on the other 47mm Luminors.



As for the aging, with normal use, it takes several years to get a greenish watch. On  the “dotcom”, some put it in water, or even seawater, in order to quicken the aging; here it is a matter of choice, as I said earlier, it is a personal watch, but first and foremost a customizable one!
For that matter, if green is the natural color of oxidized bronze, this alloy can take almost any hue, depending on the acids used to attack the surface, as sculptors do. (Pifpaf disclaims all responsibility in case of inadequate use of your Gonzo).



Akin to the utilization of bronze, the design of the dial is a first for Panerai as well as a rarity in watchmaking.
Green is totally under used in dial making, and even if it is the historic color of Rolex, very few watchmakers offer it, red or orange dials are far more common… Green is the color of aged bronze, but it is also that of foliage, in which grunts love to hide. This shy species never stops painting tanks and fatigues in green.
This reference to military camouflage uses a shade similar to the famous GMC CCKW 353 (Gogol is your friend).
Akin to the 371 with its blue dial, green brings far more dynamism than the black used on the 305.
According to a care for detail that is symptomatic of the increasing level of quality of the OP, the date disk is also green , and the Luminova unquestionably fits the watch perfectly.



The 4mm thick sapphire is the same as the PAM305’s, it is effective, and it distorts just enough to remind us it is a dive watch; One could regret the lack of an internal magnifier for the date, but I am not willing to gain 2mm in thickness « just » for that.



The only dark spot is the hands: they are golden (brass ?), which is consistent with the overall look and feel of the watch; Less consistent is the fact that they are hollowed out. If one quickly gets used to it by day, it is far more complicated by night, as the dial is less flashy than many “Panis”, and therefore one ends up deciphering multiple poorly contrasted luminescent dots. Not great for telling time while driving, for example.



Then, when turning the watch over, one finds a sapphire back, rimmed with a titanium ring , a material that prevents allergies. For once, the transparent back is welcome, because a full titanium underside would not have brought much to a bronze watch.
First, one has to specify that an automatic caliber is mandatory per dive watch regulations, hence the choice of movements is obviously limited.
The watch is fitted with the P.9000, without the PAM371’s power reserve; However, this movement remains a big effort by the OP compared with the castrated 7750 fitted in the previous Subs.
It is an interesting caliber, which features a layout close to the P.2000 series, with only two barrels for a theoretical 72-hour Power-Reserve (at least 75 actually, or even more, I could not stay away from the 382 any longer  ).
The balance is set at a standard 28800 v/h. The overall dimensions are also common, with a diameter of 13 lines and a thickness of 8mm. If the dimensions of the P.2002 are the same as the 7750, the Officine could have produced a thinner and wider caliber, akin to the P.3000. Still, it is a very bulky movement compared to a regular 28-XX from ETA.
One has to understand that it takes years to develop a caliber, and that the 40mm PAM usually accounted for most of the sales.
The decoration is well executed, without flourishing and perfectly suited to the spirit of what a Panerai caliber should be; One could regret the somewhat offbeat trimming (especially the hollowing of the rotor’s counterweight, worthy of a MB&F), which has little to do with the vintage look of the watch; anyway, to keep nitpicking so vehemently is to be assured to get into trouble with the ASPCA.
It is a consistent choice however, since there are very few alternatives. Nobody proposes a larger automatic movement (the TT738 from Technotime is thinner with similar technical features).
Regarding the accuracy, there is nothing to complain about, akin to many industrial calibers from groups, it is always outstanding, with less than a one minute recorded deviation over this first month (a gain of about one second a day).
This almost « In-House » mechanism (designed and assembled at Val Fleurier), « Group made » anyway, offers all the comfort one can expect from a costly watch.

The Bronzo is delivered in a marine clock like box to die for, and if the quality of OP boxes always meets expectations, this one is exceptional: precious wood, bronze plate and key, in short, it justifies the price of the monster.
On the contrary, the supplied straps are more than upsetting: a ghastly brown hide and the utterly unattractive sail canvas wristband (why not the superb pleated rubber strap of the 305?); Furthermore, there is no matching bronze buckle. As Nature abhors a vacuum, strapmakers make up for it, (straps were delivered long before the watch).
The large green strap on the photos, like the “tanned-Hulk-skin”, is a calf nubuck “Maiala” from Mustang Straps (I am also waiting for a green canvas, to perfect the “Band of Brothers” look).
The seamless « Gator » is a Simona Di Stephano. After lots of testing, the watch works better with dark green or brown
straps.



This watch, akin to the PAM339 from last year, is a turning point for the OP. Because with these kinds of designs, the Officine does better than to revisit the 40’-50’s hits with more or less success, it transcends the codes of vintage in order to present a nostalgic and (therefore?) ultra-transgressive product.
A perfect split achieved with brilliance. For that matter, it is a fabulous nose thumbing, when Hublot or other brands propose High-tech everlasting materials, used in State-of-the-art weaponry (the Boron carbide used in the Magic Gold is usually utilized for armored-plates). Conversely, the Officine proposes a watch made of a copper alloy, the Bronzium , a High-tech material 5000 years ago. The Future Primitive.