Michele Deco 16 White Mother of Pearl Dial Yellow Gold-tone Watch MWW06V000023

WORLDTEMPUS - 17 September 2012

As the second annual TimeCrafters Exhibition made its way to New York City, so too did multiple watch brands, top Swiss watchmakers, and a host of exciting special showcases. Among the highlights of this open-to-the-public exhibition was a unique display of nearly 300 Swatch watches from the famed Blum Collection, which comprises thousands of Swatch watches and prototypes, and a Ferrari pacer car brought into the show by Hublot to celebrate the synergistic relationship of the two. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) brought in an interactive panel exhibition called "Think Time" that clearly outlines the watchmaking process, and Sotheby's Diamonds showcased a stunning diamond exhibition.
Additionally, 22 top watch brands not only showcased their premiere timepieces - some of which have never been seen before by the American public - but many also brought in watchmakers to demonstrate their trade and top technological master crafters to discuss their theories and approaches to watchmaking. Girard-Perregaux, for instance, brought in watchmaker Dominique Loiseau to discuss his ideas about watchmaking in a presentation called "Manifesto of Time."
 

According to Loiseau, "Tradition without creativity is a bad habit. Many brands build watches based on conventional codes, but we need to reinterpret watchmaking in a different way and adapt new approaches to design techniques and making complications."
In fact, says Loiseau, his plan is to make a complicated Girard-Perregaux watch, from which the individual complications can be taken out and added separately into other single-complication timepieces instead of putting complication upon complication on a base module. Michele Sofisti, CEO of Girard-Perregaux, says this new concept will most likely come to fruition in early 2013, along with a few surprises. Meanwhile, Sofisti outlined expected changes at the brand, including paring down the number of Girard-Perregaux styles, eliminating some, and focusing on four main pillars. Additionally at TimeCrafters, Girard-Perregaux unveiled its new Bi-Axial Tourbillon, which Sofisti said was four years in the making. It is offered in a black DLC-coated titanium case for a bold new way to view the brand's double-axis tourbillon (only eight will be made of this version, retailing for 420,000 Swiss francs), while another 12 will be issued in 18-karat gold.
 

Harry Winston also unveiled several never-before-seen watches in its Midnight Collection of classically elegant round watches. Among the new models is a stunning blue-dialed timepiece as well as a romantic Midnight Moonphase for women, with the moon phase aperture depicting the moon and stars above a dial engraved and etched with a beautiful tree. Offered in 18-karat white or rose gold, this watch - whose case is outlined in diamonds - will retail for about $26,700. Other new Midnight watches include the Midnight Skeleton, a traditional complication recreated in a totally modern and avant-garde interpretation with bold bridges and a micro rotor. New Ocean watches also made their debuts, including a triple retrograde and the alluring Ocean Tourbillon. Additionally, the brand brought in Emmanuel Bouchet, creator of the Opus 12, to fully discuss that mind-boggling watch and other plans he has to hopefully continue working with Harry Winston.
 

 
TAG Heuer's top technical specialist and engineer responsible for executing the Mikro series, Guy Semon, gave an in-depth lecture on the challenges and solutions involved in the making of the Mikrograph 1/100th Second Chronograph, the MikroTimer Flying 1000, the MikroGirder Concept watch, and the new MikroTourbillonS, which made its public debut during this exhibition. The MikroTourbillonS features double tourbillons designed so that one operates at 4 Hz and makes one full rotation once per minute to keep the precision timing in check, while the other runs at 50 Hz (360,000 beats per hour and rotating at an amazing 5 seconds per revolution - or 12 times per minute). This double-chain, double-barrel tourbillon has no cage and can be stopped and started for the chronograph functions. It is TAG Heuer's most ambitious luxury chronograph to date - embodying the world's fastest tourbillon and the first tourbillon created to co-exist with a 1/100th of a second chronograph.
 

 
Other great highlights of the show saw watchmaking demonstrations by Audemars Piguet's Gary Cruz and master watchmakers from Bulgari, Glashutte Original, Breguet and more. Chopard, showcasing its L.U.C. Lunar timepieces, had a beautiful booth decorated with the moon and stars and even brought in a world-renowned astrologer to give readings to consumers.