First published in That's Zhejiang in 1 January 2012.
Appreciating the finer things in life usually starts with collecting luxury watches. Their slender and streamlined designs make an elegant match with your evening wear, while their mechanics and engineering parts involve intricate technical know-how, flaunting your capabilities to appreciate what is beneath the surface. There are several rather important technologies in watch-making, so as an amateur appreciator you should be looking out for these!
1. Tourbillon, with its debut created by Breguet
Widely known as the pinnacle of timekeeping excellence, even those who don't know much about watches would have heard of tourbillon before. Well, at least from Eason Chan's pop song. What it does really, is to compensate for the effects of gravity and increases precision of your wristwatch. It is one of the most complex mechanisms in the horological field, alongside of the minute repeater technology. The reason why tourbillon is so much more widespread than minute repeater though is because there are suppliers who specifically manufacture these parts, so non-technical watch designers can just buy the bit and built it into their ideas, instead of developing it on their own.
Breguet is best known for their tourbillon mechanism, and they tend to focus more on featuring the watch movements, highlighting only the conservative details. Their Marine Tourbillon highlights their skills in this specialised expertise, featuring a part-titanium tourbillon carriage. Made of 18-carat white gold, dials in silvered 18-carat gold, and hand-engraved on a rose engine, its luxury is enhanced by diamonds being set pretty much everywhere around the watch.
2. Minute Repeater, with its debut created by Patek Philippe
As I just said, minute repeater is one of the most complex mechanisms, along with tourbillon. However, it isn't as popular because it requires the factory in producing such to maintain a high level of precision, so decorative wristwatch makers haven't exactly got the resources to master the skills. What it does is that it chimes on demand, allowing its wearer to be able to tell time in the dark, or rather, more likely for vanity reasons. Since these watches are produced in limited quantities by hand, so it could cost up to a small fortune, and is really mainly for serious collectors, who truly appreciate its functionality.
Patek Philippe is the most experienced, and so produces the most sophisticated mechanisms for minute repeater, especially with their new interpretation of their iconic Grand Complication. As the most complex minute repeater, its slightly larger case allows for a larger cavity, so that the chimes can resonate further, enhancing its fullness and creating an unique acoustic signature on your wrist. Made of sleek rose gold case with distinctive minute repeater trigger, paired with classic hand-stitched alligator strap and 18K gold fold-over clasp, it is the most complicated yet understated watches ever produced.
3. Skeleton, with its debut created by Vacheron Constantin
Skeleton watches are the most unapologetically flashy type of mechanical watch, showing off the technological advancements of its manufacturer. Usually manual winded, skeleton watches are named that way because you can see all of its parts in action on the front of the watch, with its mechanics decorated with leaves and flowers engraved using burin, a special type of chisel. Designs usually involve guilloche, which are interwoven lines and ribbons; perlage, decorating with overlapping circles; and Geneva stripes, which looks like parallel trenches. Just in case you can't find your dials from all the mechanisms, the dials on a skeleton watch are usually made of blue steel. After all, being able to tell time with it is kind of important too.
Since it takes a lot of time and effort to make one, they tend not to make it with steel, but with more luxurious metals such as platinum, white gold, rose gold, and just plain ol' gold. Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is the master of skeleton watches. Being the watchmaker for Napolean Bonaparte and Duke of Windsor shows just how regal their pieces are intended for. Their Patrimony collection was designed as the world's thinnest mechanical watch at its time, and the Patrimony Traditionnelle Skeleton flaunts the best of their skills.
4. Sapphire Crystal Case Back, with its debut created by Franck Muller
Skeleton watches may sometimes be a bit over the top, and especially in the dark, it is rather difficult to figure out what time it is. If you want to enjoy the smug feeling of being able to see the mechanics of your watch without mucking about with telling time, there are designs where the back of the case is clear, so you can take your watch off every so often and admire its delicacy and sheer craftsmanship. It has really evolved into a form of art, showcasing the mechanical excellence as well as giving a brand new bare-bone approach to designing, combining precision with elegance.
Franck Muller is known for its sapphire crystal case back, and its Long Island collection combines it with the art deco movement inspired by the Parisians. It comes in Franck Muller's signature barrel-shaped case design, with its sleek rectangular shape and numerals that are straight and arched at the same time.
Appreciating the finer things in life usually starts with collecting luxury watches. Their slender and streamlined designs make an elegant match with your evening wear, while their mechanics and engineering parts involve intricate technical know-how, flaunting your capabilities to appreciate what is beneath the surface. There are several rather important technologies in watch-making, so as an amateur appreciator you should be looking out for these!
1. Tourbillon, with its debut created by Breguet
Widely known as the pinnacle of timekeeping excellence, even those who don't know much about watches would have heard of tourbillon before. Well, at least from Eason Chan's pop song. What it does really, is to compensate for the effects of gravity and increases precision of your wristwatch. It is one of the most complex mechanisms in the horological field, alongside of the minute repeater technology. The reason why tourbillon is so much more widespread than minute repeater though is because there are suppliers who specifically manufacture these parts, so non-technical watch designers can just buy the bit and built it into their ideas, instead of developing it on their own.
Breguet is best known for their tourbillon mechanism, and they tend to focus more on featuring the watch movements, highlighting only the conservative details. Their Marine Tourbillon highlights their skills in this specialised expertise, featuring a part-titanium tourbillon carriage. Made of 18-carat white gold, dials in silvered 18-carat gold, and hand-engraved on a rose engine, its luxury is enhanced by diamonds being set pretty much everywhere around the watch.
2. Minute Repeater, with its debut created by Patek Philippe
As I just said, minute repeater is one of the most complex mechanisms, along with tourbillon. However, it isn't as popular because it requires the factory in producing such to maintain a high level of precision, so decorative wristwatch makers haven't exactly got the resources to master the skills. What it does is that it chimes on demand, allowing its wearer to be able to tell time in the dark, or rather, more likely for vanity reasons. Since these watches are produced in limited quantities by hand, so it could cost up to a small fortune, and is really mainly for serious collectors, who truly appreciate its functionality.
Patek Philippe is the most experienced, and so produces the most sophisticated mechanisms for minute repeater, especially with their new interpretation of their iconic Grand Complication. As the most complex minute repeater, its slightly larger case allows for a larger cavity, so that the chimes can resonate further, enhancing its fullness and creating an unique acoustic signature on your wrist. Made of sleek rose gold case with distinctive minute repeater trigger, paired with classic hand-stitched alligator strap and 18K gold fold-over clasp, it is the most complicated yet understated watches ever produced.
3. Skeleton, with its debut created by Vacheron Constantin
Skeleton watches are the most unapologetically flashy type of mechanical watch, showing off the technological advancements of its manufacturer. Usually manual winded, skeleton watches are named that way because you can see all of its parts in action on the front of the watch, with its mechanics decorated with leaves and flowers engraved using burin, a special type of chisel. Designs usually involve guilloche, which are interwoven lines and ribbons; perlage, decorating with overlapping circles; and Geneva stripes, which looks like parallel trenches. Just in case you can't find your dials from all the mechanisms, the dials on a skeleton watch are usually made of blue steel. After all, being able to tell time with it is kind of important too.
Since it takes a lot of time and effort to make one, they tend not to make it with steel, but with more luxurious metals such as platinum, white gold, rose gold, and just plain ol' gold. Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin is the master of skeleton watches. Being the watchmaker for Napolean Bonaparte and Duke of Windsor shows just how regal their pieces are intended for. Their Patrimony collection was designed as the world's thinnest mechanical watch at its time, and the Patrimony Traditionnelle Skeleton flaunts the best of their skills.
4. Sapphire Crystal Case Back, with its debut created by Franck Muller
Skeleton watches may sometimes be a bit over the top, and especially in the dark, it is rather difficult to figure out what time it is. If you want to enjoy the smug feeling of being able to see the mechanics of your watch without mucking about with telling time, there are designs where the back of the case is clear, so you can take your watch off every so often and admire its delicacy and sheer craftsmanship. It has really evolved into a form of art, showcasing the mechanical excellence as well as giving a brand new bare-bone approach to designing, combining precision with elegance.
Franck Muller is known for its sapphire crystal case back, and its Long Island collection combines it with the art deco movement inspired by the Parisians. It comes in Franck Muller's signature barrel-shaped case design, with its sleek rectangular shape and numerals that are straight and arched at the same time.