Oscars - Stars Wear Mechanical Treasures
WORLDTEMPUS - 27 February 2013
The 2013 edition of the Oscar award ceremony seemed to contain more recognizable mechanical wristwatches than ever before. And, why not? These high-performance machines operate well as elegant evening companions.
Montblanc seemed to be in favor with the cast of best picture winner 'Argo': best supporting actor nominee Alan Arkin wore the Star Classique Automatic while his cast mate Cas Anvar chose a much more complicated model, the Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Open Hometime.
This in-house creation introduced at the 2012 edition of the SIHH and named for the inventor of the chronograph patented in 1822 pays homage by recreating the original revolving discs for the second and minute totalizers. Instead of the conventional totalizer display used in the modern era, where a hand makes revolutions around a subdial, this system sees a disc turning underneath a stationary hand. Further enhancing its vintage style, the chronograph is controlled by a single button housed within an oignon-style crown rather than the more modern double-button system. Also displayed within the 43 mm red gold case is a disc denoting the hour in a second time zone; to the left of this we find a cutaway for the day/night display and to the right the date. This manually wound, integrated chronograph controlled by a column wheel boasts 72 hours of power reserve. All in all, a magnificent choice for elegant evening wear that is instantly recognizable to those in the know.
Best actor nominee Bradley Cooper also chose to wear a chronograph to the ceremony, though a much sportier model: the IWC Portuguese Chronograph. Housed in a 40.9 mm stainless steel case, its chronograph is as modern, reliable and conventional as they come. Its movement is based on the ubiquitous Valjoux 7750, the most popular chronograph movement in the world.
Piaget proved popular among Oscars' attendees, with five presenters and nominees spotted wearing timepieces by the Geneva-based manufacture. Best actor nominee Hugh Jackman sported the 43 mm automatic Altiplano in white gold, while his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, wore a 40 mm white-gold-and-diamond model. Presenters Mark Ruffalo and Paul Rudd both opted for classically dimensioned 38 mm Altiplano models. And presenter Jamie Foxx, who played the title character in the multi-nominated film 'Django Unchained,' chose an unusual square timepiece: the Piaget Protocole XXL.
The award for the most complicated watch worn this evening, however, goes to presenter Jeremy Renner - 'Hawkeye' from the 'Avengers' - ensemble, who sported Van Cleef & Arpels' Midnight in Paris model.
Jean-Marc Wiederrecht of Agenhor is the watchmaker behind the complicated mechanics with the ability to tell stories utilized in the wildly creative line called Poetic Complications by the brand known best for its fine jewelry. The themes presented in each of the line's timepieces derive from the high jewelry collections and are part of holistic concepts that span the product categories.
For Midnight in Paris, which was presented at the SIHH in 2008, Wiederrecht created a dial that makes one slow rotation lasting a full year to create the impression of it turning almost imperceptibly. Using manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 849 - 9-ligne, extra-flat movement of 20.6 mm diameter and 1.75 mm height - as the base for this novel concept, Wiederrecht's module comprises an annual calendar disk, wheels, and a connector to set the disk turning at the rate of one rotation in 365.25 days as well as a medium for date correction.
Inspired by the constellations of the night sky in Paris, Wiederrecht worked with an astronomer to produce the most accurate sky charts possible and then incorporated them into the revolving dial concept reproducing Paris's night sky over the course of one year. The constellations are painted in gold on an aventurine dial, visible through the large opening of a frosted opaque blue quartz. The hinged case back of this 42 mm white gold timepiece opens to reveal the annual calendar encircled by a piece of authentic meteorite, which provides a tangible celestial presence underscoring its symbolic representation on the front of the watch.
The stars were definitely out and ticking in Los Angeles on Sunday.
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