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GPHG 2015 - The winners
The jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve has awarded the following prizes:
• "Aiguille d'Or" Grand Prix
Greubel Forsey, Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision
• Ladies' Watch Prize
Hublot, Big Bang Broderie
• Ladies' High-Mech Watch Prize
Faberge, Lady Compliquee Peacock
• Men's Watch Prize
Voutilainen, Voutilainen GMR
• Chronograph Watch Prize
Piaget, Altiplano Chrono
• Tourbillon Watch Prize
Ulysse Nardin, Ulysse Anchor Tourbillon
• Calendar Watch Prize
Hermes, Slim d'Hermes QP
• Striking Watch Prize
Girard-Perregaux, Minute Repeater Tourbillon with Gold Bridges
• Mechanical Exception Watch Prize
Jaquet Droz, The Charming Bird
• "Petite Aiguille" Prize
Habring2, Felix
• Sports Watch Prize
Tudor, Pelagos
• Jewellery Watch Prize
Audemars Piguet, Diamond Punk
• Artistic Crafts Watch Prize
Blancpain, Villeret, cadran Shakudō
• Innovation Watch Prize
Antoine Preziuso, Tourbillon of Tourbillons
• "Horological Revelation" Prize
Laurent Ferrier, Galet Square
• Revival Watch Prize
Piaget, Extremely Piaget Double Sided Cuff Watch
• Special Jury Prize
Micke Pintus, Yannick Pintus, Jean-Luc Perrin. The three Vacheron
Constantin watchmakers who developed the Reference 57260 watch.
• Public Prize
Antoine Preziuso, Tourbillon of Tourbillons
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Watch bands - The strongest link
Is the band an integral part of the watch… or an accessory? Ask ten people the same question and you'll receive five answers in one camp and five in the other. The first will be of the opinion that a watch can function perfectly without its band, which is therefore just an accessory. The others will reply that it is an integral part of the watch and sometimes highly technical - and is therefore in no way just a "simple" accessory, but inseparable from the timepiece. Witness the fact that a wristwatch without a strap or bracelet can no longer be worn!
A vain semantic quarrel? Not to the extent it might seem. A look at the recent investments made in 21st century bands gives some idea of their importance to customers - and thus to the brands themselves. This fundamental trend is part of a lineage that goes back three generations.
Generation I and II: the Pioneers
The number one trend, after leather and steel had asserted their supremacy, was to simply extend the main material used on the case. This saw the birth of bracelets made of titanium or ceramic. Rado, Chanel and more recently Ralph Lauren feature amongst the many representatives of ceramic used for bracelets.
Nevertheless, the jewellery companies had long anticipated this approach with the aim of extending the case material to the bracelet. Richly set feminine timepieces have always been interpreted in riviere-style models with bracelets that are equally set. The most frequent case is a diamond-encrusted case flowing into a bracelet set with the same stone. Recently, jeweller Graff revealed its aptly named "Fascination", a piece with a pear-shaped case and integrated bracelet, both entirely set. Chopard is also ahead of the curve in this regard with its "Heure du diamant" collection.
These companies make up the second generation of artisans of the modern bracelet. They are the ones that have abandoned traditional leather, steel and gold to offer alternative materials. But it is now well and truly a third generation that is currently emerging.
Generation III: the Conquerors
This freer and more creative wave consists of brands using cutting-edge technologies to create combinations of original materials. During the most recent SIHH, it was Roger Dubuis for example that stood out with the first bezel in gem-set rubber. This is a unique combination that one could expect soon to be extended to straps... This would bring a breath of new life to the "casual chic" straps that were born in the 1970s. At Baselworld 2015, the Manufacture Ulysse Nardin also launched its Marine Perpetual model equipped with a similar bezel. Gem-set rubber could thus become one of the next trends in watch bands.
Hysek has also just revealed an exciting new option. The Manufacture has developed insertions into rubber straps, with decorative inserts of steel, titanium and gold, picking up on the letter H for Hysek. A rotational axis is also added, along with swivelling lugs, at the far end of this H motif, in order to enable optimal adjustment on the wrist. This strap is part of the Abyss collection and is notably used on the new Abyss 44mm Chronograph.
In the same vein, Bell&Ross has developed a strap for its BR-X1 Tourbillon that is made of FKM (highly resistant, high-tech rubber) with three slanted buckle holes and a reinforcement on top, as well as alligator appliques stuck and sewn onto the rubber. A similar process was developed by Montblanc on the strap of its Timewalker Extreme DLC. Its black vulcarbonized rubber base provides extreme robustness and flexibility. The leather sewn on the upper rubber surface undergoes an impregnation treatment, which coats the leather and becomes inseparably bound to it, so as to increase its natural resistance. This leather treatment process results in very high-performance material that effectively protects the leather from scratches, water and fire.
From the chain bracelet to the two-in-one strap
It is nevertheless not necessary to be in the forefront of advanced technology to develop new combinations of material… or shapes. This is an area in which Richard Mille stood out at the most recent SIHH with an impressive 100% gold bracelet sculpted like a chain bracelet. This sturdy, imposing, incredibly 1980s - and therefore contemporary - model will be used exclusively for two ladies' watches: the RM 07-01 and RM 037.
Finally, Jeanrichard has come up with a very successful - and ingenious - initiative. The most recent edition of its Terrascope collection which has just been launched at Baselworld features a reversible vulcanised rubber strap. One side features a black alligator print, and the other a sporty striped motif. The idea of "two-in-one straps" is both appealing and persuasive. The only reservation is that it lacks a quick-change system which allows the owner to choose which side to wear uppermost. Currently, a trip to the watchmaker is required, which bly limits the possibility of playing at whim with this nonetheless very clever reversibility.
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Ulysse Nardin - Black Sea Chronograph
As authoritative as a steel-colored sea during a storm, the new Ulysse Nardin Black Sea Chronograph offers a commanding presence and the unfaltering reliability expected from master diver watchmakers. Below the water's surface or on solid ground, this timepiece guides its wearers with exacting precision and endurance.
Steering divers to depths of 200 meters and sporting a rubberized screw crown for added water-resistance, the Black Sea Chronograph features Superluminova on the dial for sharp, luminescent visibility in the darkest of places. Another beneficial component is the unidirectional turning bezel.
Enhancing its ability to withstand the most challenging environments are the materials from which it is constructed. Its 45.8 mm diameter case is made from stainless steel coated with rubber and finished with a sapphire glass case back. Its buckle, as well as other segments of the watch, is crafted from ceramic, while its rubber strap brings comfort and flexibility.
Black Sea Chronograph also presents a special personalized chronograph seconds hand adorned with the iconic Ulysse Nardin anchor. The permanent seconds indicator is at the 3 o'clock position, while 9 o'clock marks the 30 minutes counter. The date is located at 4 o'clock, and 6 o'clock indicates a 12-hour counter detailed with a red and blue hand. Rubberized pushers offer ease when a hurried start or stop function is necessary.
Complementing its functionality and strength is its styling. Monochromatic in rich black with accents of blue and red, Black Sea Chronograph is masculine, as it is elegant. It is the ideal timepiece to accompany the bespoke and diving suit, alike. Black Sea Chronograph is for the man who counts the hours before he can return to the sea.
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Culture - The Egg and the Watch
WORLDTEMPUS - 21 avril 2011
Dictated by its difficult geometrical shape, the egg remains a rarity in modern watchmaking. But historically speaking, it is the egg that gave birth to modern portable watches. Starting with what is known as the Nuremberg Egg, it shows up from time to time -now notably in modern interpretations by the likes of Ladoire and Breguet.
Historians are pretty much unanimous in citing the Nuremberg Egg as the first portable watch. Peter Henlein's watch, ran reliably for about 48 hours, with its diameter of about six centimeters is pinpointed as the first miniaturized mechanical clock. Tambours, considered fashionable, were worn around the neck at that point in time. Now on display in Nuremberg's Germanic National Museum, this drum (or tambour) watch was made in the mid-1500s.
Faberge
Peter Carl Faberge, born into a Huguenot refugee family in 1846 in St. Petersburg, was famed for his enamel and jewelry. Between 1885 and 1916, Faberge (named official court jeweler in 1910) created more than fifty egg-shaped Easter gifts for the czar family, most of which were commissioned as surprises. The first egg, a chicken's egg, was a gift from Czar Alexander III to his Danish wife, known by her Russian name as Maria Feodorovna. The last egg, made in the year of the October Revolution, was named the War Egg.
Victor Mayer, Faberge's last workmaster, situated in Pforzheim, Germany, created a new generation of eggs beginning with the first post-revolutionary example, which was presented to Mikhail Gorbachev as he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
The most horologically complicated egg was completed in collaboration with master watchmaker Paul Gerber of Zurich: the Moon Phase Clock Egg from 2001, a limited edition of twelve pieces. Made of gold, onyx, rock crystal, and rose quartz, the body of the egg was crafted in hand-guilloche gold and completed with translucent light blue enamel. The moon phases are shown on a navy blue enameled sky with gold leaf stars. The white gold moon is set with paved diamonds and onyx to display the moon phases. The movement created by Gerber is an eight-day mechanical movement outfitted with twin spring barrels, a swan-neck fine adjustment, and a Breguet overcoil balance spring. The hours are visible in a window made of rock crystal on the side of the egg, while the minutes can be seen on the gold ring located directly above it. Every day at noon, "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy sounds from a musical movement found hidden in the gold-and-onyx pedestal.
Russian honor
Honoring the Russian market, Ulysse Nardin released two very limited watch editions housed in enameled eggs crafted by an internationally famous contemporary Russian jeweler, Andrei Ananov of St. Petersburg. Two Eggs of the Tsars were released: one honoring the Kremlin (2005) and one honoring St. Petersburg (2009).
Queens and kings
Breguet is the first brand to have reproduced the egg shape in a wristwatch: the Queen of Naples, introduced in 2002. Reserved for females—fitting since it is they who reproduce life with the help of eggs—Breguet's Queen of Naples has become a popular part of the high jewelry collection, reinvented anew every year.
There is also an egg for men containing the king of complications thanks to pre-Richemont Minerva: the Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses came out in 2005 and morphed into Montblanc's Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses in 2009 after the takeover.
The oblong shape of the egg seems to also be finding a home in the futuristic places that watchmaking is now heading. Ladoire's Rolling Guardian Time was designed by Lionel Ladoire and became a signature element of his boutique brand's look - particularly in 2008 when Ladoire debuted thanks to the more opulent angles and structures of the case, which have meanwhile softened a bit.
The latest example is, of course, Hublot's Key of Time. Like a science fiction novel, this model was reborn from the remains of BNB's demise and has now taken on an entirely different, post-modern look - reminiscent of an egg.
And, speaking of rebirth, Zenith naturally pops to mind. The Christophe Colomb, whose case is round, contains a sapphire crystal with two half-globes protruding from either side. The effect, particularly of the rotating escapement inside, is decidedly egg-shaped.
These sorts of Easter eggs have always been accompanied by a certain price. Henlein's Nuremberg Egg is priceless. Zenith's Christophe Colomb, a limited edition of 25 pieces, goes for something like 210,000 Swiss francs, and Breguet's Queen of Naples starts at around 15,000 Swiss francs and heads into the clouds with the addition of jewels and complications.
Rest assured you probably won't find them in your Easter basket on Sunday.
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Ulysse Nardin - Personal Memories of Rolf
WORLDTEMPUS - 15 April 2011
Yesterday marked the unexpected passing of Rolf Schnyder, a man whose actions in the watch industry have changed the face of it forever. When Rolf Schnyder bought Ulysse Nardin in 1983, he saved not only a traditional family business in danger of going under in the flood of quartz. It was at that point that Rolf began showing his stuff, laying the groundwork for a wealth of visionary art that looks to the future without forgetting the past.
Rolf, who celebrated his 75th birthday this past year, still had the energy to lead his company's impulses and be present at all the important milestones it was involved in. On the Wednesday evening of Baselworld's press day, just three weeks ago, in front of hundreds of guests he spoke of the recent advances his company had made and looked eagerly toward an interesting future. His company's biggest advance of last year was announced just five months ago in Sion: it concerned another joint venture called Diamaze, this time in the realm of diamond use. Rolf made Ulysse Nardin's advances—which include the Sigatec joint venture for silicon—available for all to use. While he could have chosen to keep this progressive research exclusively for his own company's employ, he shared these services with any other firms who cared to use it.
Like all of us, Rolf has grown with this industry. Unlike all of us, he had the foresight and vision to make real changes and follow a direction of belief that has enabled the watch world to enjoy works of art that would otherwise have never come to be. One such example is his longtime friendship with Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, which resulted from his search for the right partner to help fulfill the original vision he had of mechanical art. Together they created masterpieces at a time when it was considered entrepreneurial suicide to do so.
Rolf Schnyder was born in Zurich in 1935. An entrepreneurial adventurer right from the beginning, he got to know the world of watches and other cultures through his marketing work with Jaeger-LeCoultre, after which he joined the Diethelm company in Thailand, where he also learned the local language. In 1966 he became responsible for Philip Morris's Asian dealings, though watches seemed to remain his focus. In 1968 he co-founded the first company in southwestern Asia to manufacture components for the watch industry. After setting up this enterprise, he left Thailand for Malaysia, establishing his own company in Kuala Lumpur in 1975. Precima specializes in the fabrication of dials, supplying a number of Swatch Group companies and other high-end brands, as well as electronic components that are supplied to the likes of ETA, Nivarox and Comadur. He later divested himself of these other entrepreneurial interests to devote his full energy to Ulysse Nardin
During a visit to his homeland in 1982 he discovered that Ulysse Nardin had been put up for sale. Backed by a number of investors and friends, he bought the company and its excellent reputation one year later, aiming to fill the then-empty shell with mechanical delicacies intended to aid in resuscitating the beached brand and, by extension, the lagging mechanical watch industry. Although Rolf's background to that point lay in marketing, he was in no way driven by market research—but rather a far-sighted dream.
Ulysse Nardin's ongoing research and longtime employees—who have remained loyal to Rolf and the company despite their own success—have made this company a leader in its field. The remaining leaders, among them Pierre Gygax, Lucas Humair, Susanne Hurni and Patrick Hoffmann, will continue to guide Ulysse Nardin as Rolf would have wanted within a predetermined structure. In fact, Rolf has left behind a plan for the continuation, parts of which fans of the brand will see when the timing is right. "He was an excellent teacher," Susanne told me this morning. "We will continue to work as he wished."
Rolf will be buried in Kuala Lumpur on Monday during a ceremony with his immediate family. Rolf lived in Malaysia with his wife and three children, but was often in Switzerland at his second home in Neuchâtel and other countries in the service of his beloved brand. A memorial in Switzerland is planned for a later date.
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Ulysse Nardin - Joint Venture with Sigatec
WORDLTEMPUS - 4 November 2010
In 2006, Ulysse Nardin's Rolf Schnyder sat down with the founder of Mimotec, Hubert Lorenz. The two created a joint venture that has changed the face of the watch industry forever: Sigatec utilizes the combined force of UV LIGA production and DRIE-worked silicon to created light, sturdy, corrosion-resistant, and non-magnetic components and made them widely available to the entire watch industry. Currently, Sigatec has 32 clients using this technology; Mimotec can boast about a hundred. Undeniably, these two companies have heralded the watchmaking of the future.
Before this ever happened, Ulysse Nardin had already been in contact with Germany's GfD institute since 2002. This start-up was specialized in "growing" synthetic diamond using a vapor process to plant the "seeds." In 2005, the fruit of this labor was launched: the Freak Diamond Heart, boasting escape wheels of the Dual Direct escapement in pure synthetic diamond.
Growing diamonds on a silicon substrate however turned out to be a less costly venture, so Ulysse Nardin and GfD began experimenting with this in 2004: DCS (Diamond Coated Silicon) was born. The result of this was exhibited in 2007's Freak DiamonSil.
Highest mechanical strength
Yesterday at the facility in Sion, Ulysse Nardin introduced its next joint venture, this time in conjunction with GfD. The new venture has been christened Diamaze Microtechnology. "This represents a new chapter in the history of haute horlogerie," Schnyder said. Peter Gluche, founder and director of GfD, was also on hand to explain the advantages of diamond in conjunction with silicon. "There is no more extreme material than diamond," he explained. "It is the most stable of all materials too." Gluche went on to explain that while diamond has the highest mechanical strength of all materials -ten times harder than the next hardest material on the Mohs scale - it remains lightweight, chemically inert (meaning it won't corrode), non-magnetic, and will not exhibit wear and tear. While silicon also boasts many of these characteristics, it is also brittle. Gluche demonstrated that the diamond applied to a silicon substrate remains flexible - providing yet another advantage over silicon on its own.
After fifteen years of experimentation and research the process is stabilized and can now be industrialized thanks to Sigatec. Ten million Swiss francs invested into the Sigatec facility by GfD (and an undisclosed sum provided by Ulysse Nardin) have resulted for the most part in an innovative three-chamber machine that basically "toasts" the diamond vapor coating the silicon and growing the crystals. Using enormous amounts of energy, five microns of diamond coating can be grown in a 24-hour period. The result looks much like a piece of foil when it is separated from the silicon substrate. Welcome to the future.
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Ulysse Nardin - Monaco 2010 Marine Diver
Ulysse Nardin conquers the oceans once again as an official sponsor of the 2010 Monaco Yacht Show - the World's Luxury Yacht Showplace - and celebrates the superyacht exhibition's 20th anniversary with the new, limited-edition Monaco 2010 Marine Diver, to be unveiled at the opening.
Created exclusively for the monumental event occurring September 22-25 at Port Hercules, Principality of Monaco, the timepiece is ideally suited for those passionate about yachting and has been designed with the show's most influential industry leaders and private clientele in mind. As well, it pays tribute to this historic city on the Mediterranean Sea, while honoring Ulysse Nardin's nautical legacy in high horology. Since 1846, Ulysse Nardin has been expertly steering captains and their crews with faultless precision by way of its marine chronometers.
As the latest addition to the coveted Marine Diver collection, the Monaco 2010 - limited to 100 pieces and individually numbered - showcases Ulysse Nardin's evolution in watchmaking technology, beginning with the Monaco's specially treated stainless-steel case. Having undergone a complex vulcanization process, the case (45.8 millimeters in diameter) is revealed with a matte-black rubber coating, presenting a sporty aesthetic and comfortable feel. Its exhibition case-back reveals a self-winding movement.
Softening its styling is a calming elegance that washes over this watch in the form of a signature wave pattern decorating the black, structured strap and dial with its power-reserve indicator and the oversized small-seconds register. As well, it is water-resistant to 200 meters. Strengthening its already exceptional reliability is the Monaco's rubber band including ceramic components and an exclusive black ceramic folding clasp.
For the second year, Ulysse Nardin is an official sponsor of the Monaco Yacht Show. Therefore, it's only fitting that the largest superyacht exhibition in the world be honored with a custom-designed timepiece to commemorate the celebration of its 20-year history. The new, limited-edition Monaco 2010 Marine Diver gives a nod to the show, as well as Ulysse Nardin's own seafaring stories.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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