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GPHG 2015 - Results of the WorldTempus readers' poll
There are some clear trends in the opinions of our readers and they do not necessarily tally with those of our contributors. One example is the apparent popularity of the Slim d'Hermes collection, which comes out top in three categories in our readers' poll (Artistic Crafts, Petite Aiguille, Calendar). Piaget was also a popular choice, notably coming top in the important Men's and Ladies' categories, with its Altiplano 900P and Limelight Gala models respectively, as well as in the Chronograph category, also with the Altiplano.
Our readers showed more high-end tastes in sports watches than those of our contributors, expressing a preference for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe and the Harry Winston Project Z9. This is in stark contrast to our "in-house" preferences for the much more down-to-earth Seiko Prospex Marinemaster 1000M and the Tudor Pelagos.
Opinions converged in the more complicated categories. Our readers concurred with our panel as far as the Mechanical Exception category is concerned, with Jaquet Droz's Charming Bird taking 43% of their votes. Scooping 49% of the readers' votes, A. Lange & Söhne's Zeitwerk Minute Repeater is a clear favourite in the Striking watch category. In the Tourbillon category, the Greubel-Forsey 24 Secondes Vision Tourbillon edged just ahead of our favourite, the Bovet Braveheart® with 27% of our readers' votes against 21%.
In the ladies' categories, our readers' views were aligned with those of our contributors for the Ladies' High Mech category, where the Faberge Lady Compliquee Peacock had a handsome lead with 33% of the votes. The same is true for the Jewellery category, with the Audemars Piguet Diamond Punk winning out over the Extremely Piaget Double Side Cuff but by only the most slender of margins (21% for the former against 19% for the latter). With 19% of our readers preferring the De Grisogono Grappoli the decision in this category was clearly far from easy.
See the results of our readers' poll in detail here (Click on "Predict the winner" to see the results in each category).
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Seiko - Japan's watchmaking star
Seiko, established in 1881, is the oldest watch company in Japan and one of the oldest in the entire watch industry. The company, founded by Kintarō Hattori, started out as a small watch and jewellery shop in the Ginza area of Tokyo and naturally gravitated into producing clocks and watches. Having established itself early on as a high quality mechanical watch manufacturer, Seiko introduced the first quartz watch in 1969, and the worldwide watch industry was changed forever.
Globally, the emphasis for the company has been on quartz and kinetic, while Seiko continued producing high quality mechanical watches, primarily for its home market, under the names of Grand Seiko and Credor. Today, Credor is mainly sold inside Japan, with a few other outlets in Asia. Credor is not available in Europe or the United States.
Seiko presents a full line of watches spanning the company's four technologies of watchmaking: mechanical, quartz, kinetic and Spring Drive.
Japanese not Swiss
Though Japan has learned a great deal from the Swiss, the founder made several trips to Switzerland, Seiko is uniquely Japanese. There is no tradition of small watchmaking ateliers in Japan, so Seiko couldn't rely on a network like the Swiss have to supply specialized parts. Therefore, Seiko had to do it all themselves, in-house. As a result, Seiko is one of the few vertically integrated companies in the worldwide watch industry. Seiko makes virtually every part that goes into its mechanical watches, including the mainspring and the balance spring.
Quality is foremost in everything that Seiko does, and that shows through in every stage of the company's production. In addition, unlike many other companies, Seiko has not limited itself to any particular technology. When the company, for example, saw the potential of GPS in watchmaking, they committed resources and went after it in full force. The result? The ground-breaking Seiko Astron. At the same time, Seiko has high watchmaking that is equal to just about anything from Switzerland. This wide variation of technologies used is relatively unknown in the watch industry.
Future
Seiko is backed by one of the biggest companies in the watch industry, so Seiko's future is secure. Though Seiko's quartz watches are in the upper end range already, it's in mechanicals where the most interesting work can be done, and Seiko rightly feels mechanical watch expertise is part of the company's DNA. In 1998, Seiko introduced Spring Drive, a mechanical innovation that has been very well accepted throughout the world. Seiko has the ability and the production capacity to really make a mark in mechanical watches. Having Seiko in the entry level mechanical market is good news for the watch industry, because the company is so big, the gospel of mechanical watches can be spread far and wide. Seiko is now making its mechanical watches available to markets outside of Asia with the Grand Seiko and Ananta lines, the rest of the watch industry better sit up and take notice.
The president and CEO of Seiko worldwide is Shinji Hattori, great-grandson of the founder, Kintarō Hattori. A modern thinker and innovator, Hattori is keen to leverage Seiko's past while moving into the future. "People think of Seiko as modern and many do not know we are 133 years old," he explains. "When we started to make watches, they were all mechanical. In the 1960s we invented quartz and became the leader in this as well. But we went further and we sought to invent new technologies that would combine both mechanical and electronic watchmaking, and the result was kinetic, Spring Drive and GPS Solar, and all of this is done in-house. Our history has created our present. By being leaders, we have developed into a company with a unique mastery of all areas of watchmaking. In this sense, we use our past to create our future."
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Seiko - Seiko 49er & 49erFX European Championship
The 49er Class renewed its reputation as the most exciting class in the Olympic regatta with over 130 boats competing for the 18th European title in a final day of theater-style racing that drew big crowds to the Helsinki shore.
In the lead up to the event, attention was focussed on the rivalry between the leading Australian crew of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen and the New Zealand team of Pete Burling and Blair Tuke who, between them, had won the last five World Championships and whose rivalry will be renewed in the next America's Cup.
These two crews were in first and second place going into the final three races. The New Zealand crew raced perfectly all day, while disaster struck for the Australians in the form of a broken wire and a capsize that pushed them back down to fourth place behind the leading European crew from Germany (Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel) and the British team of Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign.
In the 49erFX Class, the Danish team of Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen went into the three Grand Final races just a point behind the New Zealanders Alex Maloney and Molly Meech.
The next stop for the Kiwis and many of the other top teams in the 49er and 49erFX classes is Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic test regatta next month, followed by the World Championships in Santander in September.
Seiko has been the Class Sponsor of the 49er Association since 2007 and to presented Velatura watches to all the medalists. After the award ceremony, the Class President Marcus Spillane said, "With Seiko as our long term class partner, we are able to push sailing forward in ways not possible without their support. Working with Seiko gives us the profile and ambition to take skiff sailing to new heights, including our live broadcasting packages and format innovations. They are truly a wonderful partner."
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Tennis timing tales - Royal Oak Offshore Stanislas Wawrinka!
It's been a while now that timepieces have been constantly in the forefront of the biggest tennis stages around the world. In addition to the traditional clocks in the corners of the major stadiums, displaying local time and the duration of the matches, many of the best players on the planet are endorsing prestigious watch brands - and putting on a sponsored timepiece right after a match and just before the televised on-court interview has become one of the most predictable rituals. Of course, if a player is already wearing a watch that ritual isn't even necessary - and there have been more and more champions playing with a watch on their wrists.
This past weekend, the 102nd edition of the Australian Open offered us the first Grand Slam final ever between two players wearing a watch. One of them has been in the watchmaking spotlight for four years already: Rafael Nadal - who since the inception of his association with Richard Mille in 2010 had won seven Grand Slams with a hi-tech, hi-mech tourbillon on his right wrist - was vying for a 14th Grand Slam trophy that would tie him with Pete Sampras as the second most prolific Major title winner ever. The other was a talented late bloomer whose resurgence at the top coincided precisely with the use of a timepiece on his left wrist: Switzerland's own Stanislas Wawrinka.
Time for success
Somewhat against the odds and after an eerie match, 'Stan the Man' beat the Spanish world number one and went on to become only the second player in the last nine years outside the so-called 'Big 4' (Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray) to win one of the 'Big 4' (the Grand Slams), also becoming the the first man in two decades to beat both of the top two seeds at a Grand Slam tournament. Moving to No. 3 in the rankings, the player from Lausanne also surpassed his friend Roger and is the top Swiss player right now.
Why this late resurgence at the highest level? Believe it or not, it all started when Stanislas Wawrinka decided to play with a watch on his wrist. He'd previously been a friend of small Zurich brand Maurice de Mauriac early on in his career and afterwards endorsed Hublot for a while, but it was when he recently became a friend of Audemars Piguet that he started playing with a watch on. And it was exactly last year at the Australian Open that the Lausanne player began to make a big impression: wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph Bumblebee (featuring Audemars Piguet's lightweight forged carbon), he took then world number one and Audemars Piguet ambassador Novak Djokovic to the limit, losing an epic 5-hour match that captured the imagination of the fans and was later voted the best match of the year.
Going toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic until 12-10 in the fifth set gave Stanislas Wawrinka the belief he belonged to the elite. A few months later he beat Bovet ambassador David Ferrer in the final of the Portugal Open wearing the same Royal Oak Offshore Bumblebee, but during the summer changed to another timepiece; it was wearing a Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph new generation (44mm) that he qualified for his first Grand Slam semifinal ever at the US Open, again losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets, and for his first Year-End Championships, going through the group stage and losing to Novak Djokovic in the semis yet again.
Black watch, bête noire
In the beginning of the year, Stan - who knows I'm both a tennis and watch journalist - sent me a dedicated wristshot via Twitter from Chennai, where he was playing his first ATP World Tour tournament of the year: there was something new on his wrist, namely a Royal Oak Offshore Diver in black ceramics with orange touches. He won the tournament with it on and it was the watch he was wearing in his first round at the Australian Open. But something changed after that inaugural match in Melbourne Park: I was commentating for Eurosport and noticed he played the second round with a bare left wrist and then reverted to the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 44mm for the following matches - including the fourth round duel versus Tommy Robredo that finished right on time for me not to lose the flight to attend the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie; in Geneva, Audemars Piguet's CEO François-Henry Bennahmias explained to me that there had been a problem with the strap, hence the change.
Stanislas Wawrinka was back wearing the lightweight Royal Oak Offshore Diver for his quarter-final rendezvous with Novak Djokovic, who prior to the tournament had announced that Seiko had replaced Audemars Piguet as his watch sponsor - the Japanese brand made the Serb a seven-figure offer he couldn't refuse. Just like Federer, Ferrer, Sharapova, Azarenka and most watch ambassadors, Djokovic doesn't play official tournaments with his timepiece on - only exhibition matches or in practice. In the end, 'Stanimal' (as his friend Federer affectionately calls him) exorcized a losing 14-match streak versus Novak with an epic 5-set win and then beat Tomas Berdych (the Czech that Wawrinka rates as the best watch connoisseur among tennis pros, albeit not having a sponsorship) in the semis to qualify for the final versus Rafael Nadal, who had beaten Roger Federer in the other semi.
Stan has always been a great ballstriker and his majestic one-handed backhand made him a cult player, but he's been understandably obscured by the ominous shadow of Roger Federer in Switzerland. Mentally, his reputation was a bit shaky at the highest level: coming into Melbourne Park, he had lost 39 of his last 40 matches to the trio of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. His time was due, since he not only surpassed Roger in the rankings, but also beat Novak and Rafa for the first time on his way to the title.
The Royal Oak Offshore Diver and the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph weren't the only Audemars Piguet timepieces he sported at the Australian Open; in press conferences he showed the sporty elegance of the Royal Oak Chronograph on a metal bracelet and that was his choice to pose with the trophy in the photo session held in Melbourne the day after the most significant achievement of his career. To date.
New RM 35-01 for Rafa
Rafael Nadal didn't win the title, but he will have yet another Richard Mille timepiece under his name, though he'll keep on playing with the RM 27-01 Tourbillon. Unveiled recently at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, the RM 35-01 (with the inscription 'Rafa' on the dial) has a carbon case manufactured using the NTPT® technology, consisting of several layers of parallel filaments of carbon of a thickness of 30 microns, providing exceptional rigidity and unique aesthetics through the undulating shapes and random visual identity. The Calibre RMUL3 powering the RM 35-01 is a skeleton manual winding 4-gram (!) movement with hours, minutes, & seconds, providing exceptional resistance to impacts through the use of titanium grade 5 black PVD throughout the movement, as proven in extensive testing under extreme conditions and 5000 G impacts.
But there were more watch tales at the Australian Open. Serena Williams showed up playing with the ladies' version of the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph that was presented to her during the Art Basel event organized by Audemars Piguet in Miami last December - and though the world number one lost in the fourth round to Rolex's Ana Ivanovic, she won another kind of prize: the most frequently asked question related to watches on the internet; everyone wanted to know which timepiece Williams was wearing!
Clairvoyant timekeeper
As official timekeeper of the Australian Open, Rolex had a good tournament: ambassador Li Na won the women's title and projected even further the fame of the brand in China, whereas global icon Roger Federer made it back to the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in a year. But a strange episode surfaced in the middle of the tournament: the Rolex ad in the official website of the Australian Open precociously congratulated ambassador Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for winning the title (he ended up losing to Federer in the 4th round) and, when the error was discovered, it was replaced by another premature ad congratulating Li Na for the win. At least they got that one right!
Finally, besides Rafael Nadal getting a time violation in the final for taking too long between points in spite of wearing a 625,000 euro timepiece, the most awkward moment of the Australian Open related to watches occurred in the press conference following the first semifinal. Knowing Tomas Berdych is a great aficionado, an intrepid reporter - not me! - used an analogy to ask him whether his performance at the tournament deserved a (self) reward: "You used to buy watches every time you had a big result here. Is this a watch-worthy tournament, making the semifinals?"; the big Czech didn't like it: "This is really not part of a press conference right after the match. I have other feelings going through my mind and you come with a question like that. Really, I don't know what to say about it".
The next Grand Slam tournament will take place in Paris between May and June with Longines as the official timekeeper: Roland Garros.
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Seiko - Seiko Premier and Seiko Kinetic
At Baselworld 2013, all is new. The magnificent new building will house an entirely new Seiko stand showcasing a new Seiko collection that, like the Fair itself is bigger and more prestigious than ever.
Seiko Premier. A modern expression of classical inspiration.
Where classicism and modernity meet, there lies the essence of the Premier collection. The creative harmony between opposites inspires a dress watch that embraces the very latest technology and an architectural design. The Premier collection draws its charm from the subtle interaction of the classical and the modern. By blending these different styles, Premier expresses the elusive truth that opposites can attract, and offers a harmonious synthesis of contemporary style and enduring quality.
The 2013 Premier collection is subtly re-designed with a more sleek case and a more threedimensional dial.
Seiko Kinetic. You are the power.
25 years ago, Seiko made the world's first Kinetic watch, using the motion of the wearer to create the electrical energy to power a quartz movement. It was a technology advance that fulfilled a goal that had challenged Seiko's engineers ever since the launch of the first quartz watch in 1969 - could the precision of quartz be achieved without the need for battery change? It took the creation of an extraordinary rotor to provide the solution. Using the mechanical energy of a traditional oscillating weight, the Kinetic rotor spins at up to 100,000 rpm, creating the electrical energy that drives the quartz movement. No battery change, no inconvenience, no environmental impact - just reliable, precise timekeeping. Seiko Kinetic offers the best of both worlds; the precision of quartz and the convenience and traditional appeal of the motion powered watch.
The new Premier Kinetic Collection
Among the many Premier Kinetic creations to be released at Baselworld 2013, two models stand out. First, the 5M84 caliber brings new functionality to Seiko's Kinetic technology. It has a power reserve of a remarkable six months, so in normal usage it will, of course, work continuously. However, if the watch is unworn for six months, it ceases to operate but when you move the watch back and forth just two or three times, it re-starts instantly. This enhancement is made possible by a new IC that manages the power reserve more efficiently than ever.
The caliber offers the added convenience of a date window and a retrograde day indicator.
The second outstanding Premier Kinetic watch is this Kinetic Direct Drive creation, which will be widely advertised internationally in the autumn of 2013.
The Kinetic Direct Drive caliber offers the wearer of this fine watch a level of interaction that no other watch movement can offer. Not only does the rotor power the watch as you move, but you can also power it by turning the crown, just as with many mechanical watches. However, Kinetic Direct Drive goes further. When you wind the crown, the power reserve changes function to become a real-time indicator of the energy you impart to the watch through the winding of the crown. With Kinetic Direct Drive, you are the power and you experience the power transfer to the watch in a way that no other watch can match. With this remarkable caliber and the newly resculpted Premier case, it is, more than ever a modern expression of a classic inspiration.
Technical specifications
SRN037 & SRG009
SRN037
·Caliber 5M84
Kinetic with retrograde day indicator
Continuous operating time: Approximately 6 months from full charge
Instant re-start after up to 3 years
·Case
Diameter: 41.5 mm, Thickness: 12.1 mm
Stainless steel
Water resistance 10 Bar with screw see-through case back
·Band
Stainless steel bracelet, Three-fold clasp with push button release
·Glass
Sapphire crystal
Approximate recommended retail price range in Europe: Euro 520
SRG009
·Caliber 5D22
Kinetic Direct Drive
·Case
Diameter: 41.5 mm, Thickness: 11.86 mm
Stainless steel
Water resistance 10 Bar
·Band
Stainless steel bracelet, Three-fold clasp with push button release
·Glass
Sapphire crystal
Approximate recommended retail price range in Europe: Euro 600
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Seiko - Brand Watchmaker awarded from the Government
The award is given to individuals who, through their diligence and perseverance in their professional activities, become public role models.
Since joining Seiko Instruments Inc in its Morioka facility in 1971, Mr. Kannondo has been a watchmaker and has won recognition on several occasions as one of the most skilled watchmaking specialists including the "Award for Outstanding Skilled Workers" in 2009. Today, he teaches Seiko's younger watchmakers, handing down his skills and expertise to the next generation of master craftsmen.
Kazushi Kannondo is the fifth Seiko craftsman to receive the "Medal with Yellow Ribbon". He joins an exclusive group along with Mamoru Sakurada (2005), Kenji Shiohara (2006), Kiyoshi Terui (2007), and Kazuo Takeoka (2010).
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Seiko - Astron
The watch that understands time zones
At last, the search for totally precise time, everywhere on the planet, is over. By developing our own, patented, low-energy-consumption GPS receiver, Seiko has been able to create a watch that can receive GPS signals and identify time zone, time and date data using the global network of GPS satellites. It recognizes all the 39 time zones on earth. This breakthrough timepiece is called Seiko Astron. Like its celebrated 1969 predecessor which was the world's first quartz watch, the new Seiko Astron ushers in a new age of timekeeping technology. Seiko Astron will be released simultaneously in all markets of the world this autumn. Could this be the most intelligent watch ever built ?
Accurate time, anywhere on earth
Once a day, Seiko Astron receives the time signal automatically and, on demand, connects to four or more of the GPS satellites that orbit the earth, thus pinpointing its position and identifying the time zone and the exact time. The hands adjust automatically to the correct local time with Atomic Clock precision. The new Seiko Astron is solar powered, so never needs a battery change, and it also has a perpetual calendar, so the date will always be as accurate as the time.
A complete collection, with innovation in every detail
Seiko Astron is not just a watch. It's already a collection. In commemoration of the launch, a unique piece has been created and is offered in a limited edition of 2,500, with a high-intensity titanium case and ceramic bezel. The recessed sides of the case ensure that it is as light as it is robust. The case's high-intensity titanium is as b as steel but has only 60% of its weight. It is accompanied by an additional extra-strength silicon strap that is four times ber than any previous strap of this material.
There are three other models in high-intensity titanium and two in stainless steel. All have the same functions and high specifications, including a dual time sub-dial, in-flight mode indicator and sapphire crystal with Super-Clear Coating*.
The elegance and legibility of the dials disguise the richness of the information that can be displayed. In addition to the traditional date and dual time displays, the status of the GPS signal is indicated by the second hand and indicator at 10 o'clock position when the appropriate button is pressed. At a glance, you see whether a GPS signal has been received, and from how many satellites and whether Daylight Saving Time is activated.
The secret is in energy management
Why now and why Seiko? To combine Seiko's solar technology with GPS required years of painstaking and ground-breaking R&D which has resulted in no less than 100 patent applications. Only Seiko's advanced energy-efficiency technology could invent the miniature GPS receiver that requires so little energy to receive GPS signals from four or more satellites. Only Seiko's unrivalled skills in micro-engineering could package this technology into a watch that is just 47 mm in diameter and weighs about 135 grams (with high intensity titanium case and bracelet). And only Seiko's advanced IC circuitry expertise could make it possible for the watch to divide the world into one million 'squares' and allocate a time zone to each.
Convenient, simple and easy to wear
Seiko Astron may be intelligent, but to wear it is a simple joy. If you step off a plane, just press the button and the time zone adjustment is automatic. It takes just six seconds for the time to self-correct (to one second every million years!) and just 30 seconds for the location, and the adjustment takes place whether you are stationary or on the move. So, if you can see the sky, you will know the time. The adjustment to or from Daylight Saving Time or Summer Time is also a onetouch operation, and the date is also always exact; Seiko Astron's perpetual calendar is correct until February, 2100. The ease of use is further enhanced by Seiko's solar technology which ensures that maintenance is never an issue. The watch takes power from all kinds of light and never needs a battery change.
Never before has time management been so simple. Wherever you travel, the new Seiko Astron will keep you on time. Effortlessly.
Our proprietary newly-developed anti-reflective coating, applied on both the front and back of the glass.
It prevents 99% of light reflection and allows the dial to be easily legible, even in bright light.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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