Eberhard & Co - Looking ahead with Mario Peserico
WorldTempus: You have a very striking poster that splits your Contograf model in half, showing the original 1960s version on the left half and the modern interpretation on the right. What do you think of the current revival trend?
Mario Peserico: I think it's important in this respect to mention the notion of "entitlement", in other words whether you have the right to talk about heritage. We have been in continuous operation since 1887 and have always been family-owned, so I think we have the right to do so. Our heritage is becoming increasingly important. At one of this year's watch auctions in Geneva, two Eberhard split-seconds chronographs were sold for 40,000 Swiss francs. This is far from Patek Philippe territory but it is still a considerable sum.
Is there any particular Eberhard collection that is more popular than the others?
I think the families are all different. The Chrono4 is patented and quite sporty, while the 8 days is also patented but more classic. The Extra-Fort recalls vintage watches and the Tazio Nuvolari is dedicated to an unforgettable racing driver. So each has its own history and some collectors will go for a different area, whether its sports watches or classic watches, so we try to cover all areas.
How masculine is the brand's DNA?
We are more a brand for men than women and our DNA lies in the chronograph, but the Gilda Ladies' watch is very elegant on the wrist and we need to cover some ground to gain acceptance in the field of ladies' watches. There are, of course, a number of brands that have been established for some time and are a "must" for the ladies. So to come on to the market with four new ladies' watches at the same time would have been ridiculous. We wanted to launch just one, but one that was done very well and which we could use as a solid platform to build up a collection.
What is your outlook for next year?
I have no certainty about next year. I don't think the situation in Europe or China is likely to improve rapidly. Even if the middle class there is continuing to grow, the anti-corruption campaign is affecting the sell-out.
And what about trends in product development?
I see steel-gold models gaining in popularity. We don't do any steel-gold models but I see the trend emerging and I think these models will become even more popular. I think that there is definitely a trend for reviving models from the past but I think the market is also open to any form of inspiration, whether from a particular geographic area or the history of a brand. At the moment you can find everything and its opposite on the market. We have colours or no colour, complications or no complication. Previously you either had one or the other. It is like with automobiles, where you used to have either a sports car or a utility vehicle. Now the SUV (sports utility vehicle) is a segment in its own right.
Do you plan to stick to your core price segment?
Brands are emerging from a period of growth with both a distribution network and a customer base that are very clearly defined. Ten years ago brands were falling over themselves to launch tourbillons. But we never did this because our upper price limit was around 7,000 Swiss francs and the gap between this and 70,000 Swiss francs for a tourbillon was too big for us. This may be restrictive, but many brands that moved up range are now having problems selling their more expensive models.
Patek Philippe - A New Chair in Neuchâtel with EPFL
Research rises to meet the challenges of the watchmaking industry
Developing new high-tech materials and conducting research in cutting edge micro- and nanotechnologies for the flourishing watchmaking industry: this is the goal of the new Patek Philippe Chair. Created in collaboration with EPFL, the Chair will be associated with the Institute of Microengineering (IMT) and based in Neuchâtel.
One of Switzerland's leading watchmaking societies is joining forces with one of the principal academic and educational institutions in the country. Patek Philippe and EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) are announcing today the creation of a new chair, the Patek Philippe Chair, dedicated to the application of new micro- and nanotechnologies to watchmaking.
Patek Philippe's contribution will be to fund the position of a professor and his or her research team, and EPFL will essentially provide infrastructure. The new Chair will be part of the Neuchâtel-based Institute of Microengineering (IMT). This entity, which has been part of EPFL since 2009, is growing rapidly and is becoming a center of excellence, thanks to the creation of several new research teams and a network that brings together all the major players in the Swiss microengineering industry. Neuchâtel is an advantageous location, since the Jura region is the historical seat of many watchmaking and high-tech companies. This Chair will build a bridge between the private sector and academic research.
"This agreement is in line with the b growth that the watchmaking industry is currently experiencing, and for which new technologies and materials have become essential," emphasizes Nico de Rooij, IMT Director and Vice President of CSEM SA. The horologic industry provided more than 50,000 jobs and some 16 billion Swiss francs in exports in 2010.
Many avenues to explore
To maintain this position and its competitiveness, the industry must continually innovate. "There is much progress to be made, particularly in increasing the energy efficiency of the movements in order to be able to make ever smaller mechanisms and components, and in increasing reliability and the power reserve," explains Jean-Pierre Musy, technical director at Patek Philippe.
The research touches on all production phases: from manufacturing processes to escapement mechanisms to components such as the train and the balance-spring that must be made more efficient, uniform, robust and easy to assemble. A particularly important area of exploration will be developing new high-tech materials, in the continuing quest for properties that will reduce friction, add to esthetics, and improve wear resistance - much like single-crystal silicon, which has revolutionized the industry over the past several years thanks to its elastic properties which have permitted the creation of carefully crafted geometries that allow improved watch movements.
The person nominated to this Chair will thus have as his or her objective to investigate a number of research avenues, to assemble a team and to train researchers and scientists to become experts in the field so that they can continue to improve and promote these innovations.
Patek Philippe - Ladies First Chronograph
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For Patek Philippe, the launch of a new hand-wound chronograph movement developed and crafted entirely in-house is a further manifestation of the manufacture's independence and spirit of innovation. The traditional column-wheel-controlled CH 29-535 PS caliber proudly shows off its roots, standing out with several innovations and patented improvements that optimize the chronograph's functionality and reliability. As an elegant tribute to the feminine mystique, this exceptional movement will first tick in a wristwatch chronograph dedicated to premiere as a ladies' model. Hence the name "Ladies First Chronograph". It begins a new chapter in Patek Philippe's longstanding commitment to ladies' timepieces. At the same time, it ushers in a new, long awaited era for all enthusiasts of mechanical chronographs. The CH 29-535 PS caliber and the Ref. 7071R "Ladies First Chronograph" had their debut in Paris in early November. The inauguration of the new Patek Philippe showrooms on Place Vendôme - totally renovated and remodeled in the past months - was the welcome occasion.
Within the extensive portfolio of complications that demonstrate Patek Philippe's virtuosity in timekeeping, the chronograph has always played a pivotal role. With many patented technical innovations to its credit as well as its continuous quest for combining performance with refined and understated aesthetic appeal, the Geneva-based manufacture has evolved to become one of the most respected makers of this comparatively technical category of timepieces. Born in the 1820s, chronographs today are perfect icons of our modern era.
An eminent name in chronographs
In the second half of the 19th century, Patek Philippe was already crafting unique pocket chronometers with and without split-seconds hands. The mechanisms for the measurement of short time spans were often merged with other refined complications such as a perpetual calendar or a minute repeater. This was the case in two watches presented in 1878 at the Paris Universal Exposition, where the manufacture was awarded a gold medal. In 1893, the company received a patent for a minute-counter isolator mechanism. In 1902, this was followed by a patent for a "double chronograph" with a second mechanism - also called rattrapante - that allowed the concurrent recording of a series of time measurements of different durations. In 1904, Patek Philippe was granted a patent for an instantaneously advancing minute-counter mechanism.
When the wristwatch gained popularity during the 1920s, Patek Philippe was a trendsetter in the miniaturization of the chronograph. In 1923, the company created a split-seconds wrist chronograph on special order, the first of its kind in the world. Starting in 1927, wrist chronographs with and without split-seconds hands were added to the schedule of regularly produced watches. Their Art Deco cases appeared in many different forms: round, square, rectangular, tonneau, and cushionshaped. The chronograph calibers were based on exclusive movement blanks produced by the best artisans, masterpieces of technical and aesthetic perfection in their own right.
For Patek Philippe, the 1930s were the golden age of wrist chronographs. The collection included eleven references for simple chronographs, among them the acclaimed Ref. 130 introduced in 1934, as well as three split-seconds chronographs. In the community of collectors, these pre-war chronographs are highly coveted Patek Philippe timepieces and regularly fetch record prices at international auctions.
During the 1940s and 1950s, this fascinating collection continued to evolve. Often, the chronographs were endowed with additional complications such as perpetual calendars, and many timelessly classic versions were presented, including the Ref. 1463 in a water-resistant case.
In 1986, Patek Philippe opened a new chapter in its chronicle of chronographs by presenting the famous manually wound caliber CH 27-70 based on a Nouvelle Lemania movement blank produced exclusively for Patek Philippe and completely reworked in the manufacture. In 1996, the workshops received a patent for a split-seconds chronograph mechanism with an isolator catch that totally eliminated rate accuracy deviations when lap times were stopped.
In 2005, Patek Philippe attracted considerable attention with the thinnest split-seconds column-wheel chronograph movement ever made. The hand-wound caliber CH R 27-525 PS, of which only a few are produced each year, was the first chronograph movement developed and manufactured entirely inhouse. Only one year later, the manufacture delighted patient enthusiasts with the launch of its first totally proprietary self-winding chronograph movement: the CH 28-520 IRM QA 24H with the patented Annual Calendar.
A new day for celebrating
This year's launch of the CH 29-535 PS movement is the reward for five years of development work. It is also an important milestone for the workshops which now have a new manually wound chronograph movement designed and manufactured entirely in-house. To arrive at this point, Patek Philippe had to mobilize the full breadth of skills and experience of its team to devise an exceptional mechanism that matches and in many instances exceeds the CH 27-70 movement - still deemed by connoisseurs and aficionados as the most beautiful traditional chronograph caliber ever made. But the effort has paid off: the CH 29-535 PS is a worthy successor of the legendary movement. With its flawless technology and artisanal finish, it is a perfect ambassador of Patek Philippe's uncompromising quality philosophy.
Additionally, the CH 29-535 PS creates fresh latitude for further developments and a new generation of wristwatch chronographs with and without extra complications. As a traditional chronograph movement, it will gradually replace the current (Nouvelle Lemania-based) caliber CH 27-70. The CH 29- 535 PS is an important enrichment of the portfolio of Patek Philippe movements which now encompasses 21 basis calibers with a total of 45 different versions.
Traditional caliber architecture
The CH 29-535 PS is based on the principle of the column wheel, no doubt the defining hallmark of truly beautiful mechanical chronographs. At Patek Philippe, it is crowned with a polished cap. The watch has a large chronograph hand, a seconds sub-dial, and an instantaneously jumping 30-minute counter. Its large four-spoke Gyromax balance wheel with four poising weights beats at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 semi-oscillations/hour). The caliber has a power reserve of 65 hours (58 hours when the chronograph is activated). The clutch lever exhibits the classic "S" shape. The aesthetic design vocabulary also extends to the chronograph wheel bridge and the minute-counter bridge. The movement has a stop-seconds feature that makes it very convenient to accurately synchronize the watch with an official time signal.
A perfect reflection of the Patek Philippe Seal
Down to the very last detail, the new CH 29-535 PS is a perfect example of what compliance with the criteria of the Patek Philippe Seal means. In the development phase, its engineers focused on exemplary user convenience, giving top priority to functionality and long-term reliability. The idea behind the ingenious shapes and configuration of the bridges is to minimize friction and maximize energy transmission efficiency from the mainspring barrel to the escapement in the interest of amplitude stability and rate accuracy. The engineers spared no effort to minimize the size of the highly complex movement, which has a height of only 5.35 millimeters and a diameter of 29.6 millimeters. In the course of the development process, every movement part was submitted to the Comite de surveillance (Supervisory Authority) of the Patek Philippe Seal to make sure all components comply with the manufacture's exceptionally strict technical and aesthetic specifications.
The heritage of innovation
Even though the CH 29-535 PS movement is based on the classic architecture of column-wheel control and a geared clutch system, it is a brilliant masterpiece that unites six patented innovations - each one is a manifestation of the workshops' inventive spirit. The caliber engineers examined all of the essential components of the chronograph mechanism and embarked on the quest for new solutions that would improve precision, reliability, longevity, and convenience. Their focus always remained on functionality and user-friendliness as stipulated by the principles of horological artistry and by the Patek Philippe Seal.
The six patents behind the CH 29-535 PS movement
The development of the CH 29-535 PS movement culminated in six patents and patent applications that represent the latest advances in chronograph technology.
1) Optimized tooth profile
The wheels of the chronograph mechanism feature an exclusive patented tooth profile (presented for the first time in 2005 when the ultra-thin caliber CH R 27-525 PS split-seconds chronograph was launched). It eliminates the risk of hand jump in both directions when starting a measurement, limits chronograph hand quiver, increases energy transmission efficiency, and reduces friction as well as wear in the movement.
2) Improved penetration adjustment between the clutch and the chronograph wheel
The adjustment between the teeth of the clutch wheel and the teeth of the chronograph wheel is performed by a large eccentric column wheel cap, working directly with the tip of the clutch lever instead of the conventional eccentric placed next to the clutch wheel. This new system enables a more precise adjustment of the penetration between the clutch and the chronograph wheel.
3) Improved synchronization between the clutch lever and the blocking lever
Ordinarily, the clutch lever and the blocking lever are synchronized by the column wheel. The engineers of the CH 29-535 PS eliminated this intermediate step by fitting the clutch lever with a finger piece that directly synchronizes both the clutch lever and the blocking lever. This solution simplifies and improves the precision adjustment of the control sequences because the watchmaker only has to adjust one point instead of two as was the case in the past. Moreover, this approach suppresses jumps of the chronograph hand when time measurements are started and stopped.
4) Pierced-out minute-counter cam
A new minute-counter cam was created with a slot to prevent abrupt blocking in response to the reset command and therefore considerably reduces hand quiver.
5) Self-setting return to zero hammers
The reset hammers of the chronograph are equipped with a self-setting system that makes it unnecessary to mechanically adjust the minute hammer function and thus increases the reliability of the mechanism.
6) Hammers pivoted between jewels
The engineers provided separate bilaterally jeweled bearings for both the seconds and minutes hammers on the same axis. Each hammer is pressed against its respective heart cam with its own spring. This system assures that the hammers remain precisely aligned in the vertical direction and improves the smoothness of their rotation.
Ingenious special features
The architecture of the CH 29-535 PS movement also exhibits a number of other remarkable features that have just as positive an impact on its functionality and performance as the six patented inventions associated with the development of the new chronograph movement. One of them is the instantaneous 30-minute counter that is much more difficult to engineer than a semi-instantaneous or continuous counter. This clever device advances the small minute hand within fractions of a second, resulting in greater accuracy and clarity of the reading. Another example is the driving wheel of the chronograph: it is integrated directly in the train and does not need to be separately assembled by the watchmaker. This construction improves the reliability of the chronograph functions.
Incomparable precision
The new CH 29-535 PS caliber combines Patek Philippe's ancestral know-how with latest-generation patented technologies. These innovations allow the watchmaker to focus on refining functionality and on achieving high-precision rate accuracy. This not only addresses customer expectations but also assures compliance with the strict precision criteria of the Patek Philippe Seal.
Excerpt from the directives of the Patek Philippe Seal:
"In the course of various levels of completion, the rate accuracy of Patek Philippe watches is tested in both raw and fully cased movements. The final check of rate accuracy is performed with kinetic simulators and the results must be in line with the following Patek Philippe precision benchmarks:
• For calibers with diameters of 20 mm or more, the rate accuracy must lie within the range of -3 and +2 seconds per 24 hours (rounded to integers).
A great aesthetic challenge
As befits Patek Philippe's heritage, the CH 29-535 PS presents itself as a new point of reference for aesthetic appeal and artisanal workmanship. Its salient features include captivatingly elegant components and old-style bridges that are meticulously chamfered, polished, and decorated with Geneva striping. Every surface, no matter how small, is beautifully finished in numerous consecutive steps, most of them manually executed. And in compliance with the criteria of the Patek Philippe Seal, none of the movement embellishments interfere in any way with the caliber's functional integrity.
Ref. 7071R "Ladies First Chronograph": The first Patek Philippe wrist chronograph to celebrate its debut as a model for ladies
More and more women have discovered a penchant for complicated wristwatches, especially those designed and crafted by Patek Philippe according to the finest traditions of horological artistry. They are attracted to the functionality and seductive beauty of chronographs. That is why Patek Philippe decided to initially launch its latest caliber with this attractive complication in a woman's format. The Ref. 7071R "Ladies First Chronograph" enriches the manufacture's collection of elegant and intricate watches explicitly designed for feminine wrists.
A memorable lesson in style
Inspired by Patek Philippe's Art Deco watches from the 1930s, the Ref. 7071R comes in an elegant, cushion-shaped case with rounded angles. Its inimitably complex form can only be crafted by talented artisans. Its contemporary design is enriched by the warmth of 18K rose gold, the only precious metal in which the case is available. The rectangular buttons that activate the chronograph functions are eminently ergonomic, as is the fluted crown used to wind the movement.
The dial is available in silvery opaline or black with a guilloched pattern center. It has two subsidiary dials for the small seconds and for the 30-minute counter. Both sub-dials are slightly offset beneath the center axis of the large hands. This unusual arrangement is emphasized by the asymmetric scales for the seconds sub-dial and the minute counter. Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands in rose gold with luminescent coatings, elongated Roman numerals, the arrow-style chronograph hand, the fine baton hands for the subsidiary dials, and the railway track minute scale assure outstanding legibility.
The precious stone complement is as exclusive as the movement: the Ref. 7071R displays 136 full-cut round diamonds that embrace the round dial. Consummately set by master jewelers beneath the slightly domed sapphire-crystal glass, they radiate a fascinatingly prismatic firework of color that compliments the lady's wrist and adds a gentle touch of feminine mystique to this technical watch. The hand-stitched alligator straps are attached to the case with hinged lugs to assure a luxuriously comfortable fit on any feminine wrist.
All external elements - the case, the dial, the strap and the precious stone settings - are designed, crafted, and finished according to the very strict provisions of the Patek Philippe Seal, a unique promise of quality that applies to the watch in its entirety.
The sapphire-crystal case back reveals the beauty of the new CH 29-535 PS movement - its elegant geometry, the graceful decorations, and the captivating choreography of its 269 parts. For the time being, this premiere is for ladies only. As the saying goes: Ladies First...
World debut at the renovated Patek Philippe showrooms in Paris
Extraordinary engineering with an unusual name: the new CH 29-535 PS chronograph movement and the new Ref. 7071R "Ladies First Chronograph" premiered in early November on the occasion of the festive reopening of Patek Philippe's showrooms in Paris. Established in 1995, the salon is located on 10 Place Vendôme, one of the world's most illustrious addresses. Now, the showrooms have been enlarged, renovated, and totally redesigned to offer visitors more space, luxury, comfort, and hospitality. The venue in Paris exhibits the same Art Deco ambiance as the Patek Philippe salons in London and New York. Customers and connoisseurs are welcomed on two floors with nearly twice the former floor space. The spirit of tradition and innovation that prevails in Geneva is literally palpable here. While it is a seductive oasis for international clients who visit this exclusive sanctuary of haute horlogerie, Patek Philippe's Place Vendôme venue also extends a standing invitation to the growing community of watch lovers in Paris and throughout France who are fascinated by its creations.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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