Blancpain’s Bathyscaphe appears in a fully ceramic construction

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune. Image credit: Photography Soon Lau / Awesome Images Studio; Art Direction Joyce Lim

If you are looking at the feature image of this article you would have probably come to the same conclusion we did at first, asking why is there a complete calendar with a moonphase indicator on a dive watch? Indeed, the very function of the dive watch is to time a dive in minutes with the core principle of having a unidirectional bezel so this timing mechanism can’t be accidentally interrupted. We had the same thoughts at first but as it turns out, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe actually does have a historical reason why the collection bears not just the complete calendar complication but also a slew of other functions like a day-date at one point in time and also a chronograph to name a few, and it is not just chalked up to watchmaking now traversing into the realm of luxury timepieces. In this cover story we will take the time to get into it, but first, just to set the stage, I suppose we ought to take a deeper dive into the history of Blancpain’s diving watches.

IT CAME FROM BENEATH

In 2023 Blancpain celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms collection. And to celebrate, they released a slew of fantastic, limited-edition models. As is customary, each time a media outlet decided to write about one of these watches, they dug deeper into Blancpain’s history re-telling the origin story of what many consider the world’s first modern dive watch, the Fifty Fathoms. For the sake of brevity, we will not go in-depth into this story once again. In a nutshell, the impetus for the first Fifty Fathoms came when the then CEO of Blancpain, Jean- Jacques Fiechter, himself a diving enthusiast, had a near-fatal accident whilst diving. He decided then to devote the company’s resources to creating a more reliable tool for divers so they never had to experience what he had. Thus, the Fifty Fathoms was born.

Fiechter on his dives in the South of France. It was on one of these dives that he realised the importance of having a reliable timing device underwater

In 1953 around the time that this was happening, it is worth noting that diving was still considered an extreme sport, something that only serious enthusiasts would consider. This is very much the opposite today where one can become a certified PADI Open Water diver in as short a time as three days. The Fifty Fathoms of the 1950s was designed with this in mind and was intended to be sold only in diving shops as an essential element of a diver’s kit or issued to military personnel. Therefore, the watches didn’t quite take into consideration questions like how well they sat on the wrist or did the size fit the trend of watch wearers of that generation. No, it was a dedicated tool, made to serve its ultimate function as a time instrument for use underwater. The term Fifty Fathoms was derived from the measurement of distance. With a fathom measuring 6 feet, 50 fathoms indicate 300 feet which is roughly 100 meters. Even today, the ISO 6425 standard that governs the horology industry’s divers watches also stipulates that if it were to be called a divers watch it must have a water resistance of 100m.

Thus, because the Fifty Fathoms was designed as a tool, the initial watches were made with a 41mm diameter. Today this size may seem closer to a midsize case, especially for a dive watch but considering that most men’s watches at that time measured 32 to 34mm, 41mm was shockingly huge to the general public. It was around 1956 that Fiechter then had the idea to take what made the Fifty Fathoms successful and transform it into something smaller to suit the tastes of the general public. And thus, the Bathyscaphe was born.

It is a little ironic that what was essentially a watch that could be used both as an everyday timepiece and as a casual dive watch would be named after a vessel that would eventually be the first vessel to reach Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth. It is known that Fiechter was an acquaintance of the man who designed the Bathyscaphe submersible, the Swiss Scientist, Auguste Piccard, through his affiliation with diving-related events. Perhaps this is why he named the collection Bathyscaphe, after a friend. Another theory to consider, and this is neither confirmed nor denied by Blancpain, is that perhaps at the time, the Bathyscaphe submersible was built with cutting-edge technology, a representation of modernity which Fiechter likened to Blancpain’s new Bathyscaphe collection branching out from the Fifty Fathoms.

Image credit: Photography Soon Lau / Awesome Images Studio; Art Direction Joyce Lim

The Blancpain Bathyscaphe debuted with a smaller case size, and in subsequent years since the Blancpain Bathyscaphe launched, they even started adding various complications that would be functional to the everyday user including a date, in some instances, day-date indication and in its modern form, chronographs, and even complete calendars with moonphase indicators. Which, in a roundabout way, answers the question we put forth at the start of this article.

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

At about this point in the article you might be wondering why we are featuring this collection as it is not exactly new. And the answer to that can be found within its case and bracelet – ceramic. Outside of watchmaking, the ceramics we are often acquainted with are almost all ornate and beautiful, however, they are also incredibly fragile. This simply won’t do for an instrument that was designed to accompany its wearer as they go about their day, or in the case of the Bathyscaphe as they venture to depths unknown.

The ceramics used in watchmaking retain all of their beauty and ornateness, if you will, but shed all notion of fragility. Within the industry, the ceramic material is prized for its durability, lightness, hypoallergenic properties and above all, its hardness which makes it impervious to all but the most forceful attempts at scratching its surface. There is a test in the industry known as the Vickers hardness test which pushes a diamond tip into a material and calculates various parameters to determine hardness. Just as a comparison, gold which is known to be one of softest watchmaking materials, comes in at about 100 Vickers. Traditional stainless steel has a hardness of around 250 Vickers. Blancpain’s favorite Grade 23 titanium is harder at 300 Vickers. But the type of ceramic Blancpain uses for its watchmaking, zirconium dioxide, sits at the pinnacle of hardness with a whopping 1,200 Vickers.

For all its desirable properties, the biggest barrier for watchmakers to use this coveted material is the complexity of its manufacturing process. Imagine, if you will, that this material that boasts such incredible hardness starts off as a fine zirconium oxide powder. The powder is mixed with high-tech pigmentation and binders before being dried in a spray drying atomization process. Then this powder has to be either pressed or injection molded, both at incredibly high pressures into the desired shape.

Probably the hardest part about ceramic manufacturing comes from the sintering process. To obtain the hardness level of 1,200 Vickers, the sintering process puts the raw material into an oven and baked at high temperatures. Although the explanation seems simple, the actual process is anything but. It requires careful management of the temperatures, the length of the sintering process, the rate at which the temperature increases and even how the finished materials cool. Any miscalculation in these parameters and the finished product may not have the intended effect or even worse, be rendered unusable. And if you consider the tight tolerances needed in watchmaking and the shrinking that occurs during sintering, this alone is enough to create a hurdle that many watch manufacturers are unable to cross.

It is also because of this Sintering process that only certain colours can be created for ceramics. The ratio of pigments and the exact recipe needed to achieve the intended colour is one thing but imagine then having to put this whole thing through a high-temperature sintering process, which causes many of the pigments to change colour. For example, the pigment for black ceramic is usually grey or tan before heating. As of now, Blancpain has managed to perfect the recipe for three colours including black, blue and green. There is also a special grey plasma colour that resembles stainless steel. This unique version of ceramic requires an additional heating process at high plasma heat levels transforming the zirconium oxide into zirconium carbide.

As complex as the above steps were, here things get even more ridiculous. Remember we were mentioning just how incredibly hard ceramic is as a material? Well once the case nears the final shape, it now has to be machined to get the precise shape, along with the interior elements that house the bezel, movement and caseback. And because the material is so hard, many of the tools required to cut and grind the case have to come with diamond tips, one of the few commercial materials left that is harder than the ceramic case.

This means that even polishing the case of the Bathyscaphe has to be met with the same fervour. A simple satin finish, normally quite easily done on stainless steel watches now requires many hours of highly skilled handwork. To demonstrate the finesse that Blancpain’s craftsmen have, they even managed to polish the areas between the lugs where no one ever looks. Just as an indication of its complexity, Blancpain estimates more than 50 facets on their case, where each needs to be addressed by the finishing craftsmen, one by one, facet by facet, often several times per facet.

50 facets may seem like a crazy amount to hand-finish but consider that just last year, Blancpain introduced a fully ceramic bracelet. These bracelets are more complex than most traditional bracelet constructions with multiple links, termed “maillons” with connectors on either side. All these components are made in ceramic which means each of these small parts has been meticulously pressure injected, sintered and finally finished by hand. Here with so many moving parts, the tolerances are even tighter because if the fit of the elements is too loose, the bracelet will be sloppy and if they are too tight there is a risk of it binding. Just to produce the bracelet alone, Blancpain has filed for two separate patents on the process and even the metal pin that binds the links, has a patent for its cam-like shape.

BATHYSCAPHE OF TODAY

Finally, it is only after setting the scene for the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune, that we can properly understand what makes this watch worth the nearly MYR 120,000 asking price. Of course a good chunk of this comes from the complexity of manufacturing the ceramic bracelet, we’re talking a nearly MYR 40,000 price difference between this and the sailcloth strap version. There is a cute anecdote that Jeffrey Kingston wrote in the 24th issue of Blancpain’s annual Lettres du Brassus magazine where he mentioned having accidentally left his ceramic Bathyscaphe in a room with a big, 40kg, German Shepard dog. When he returned sometime later, the sailcloth strap was torn to shreds while the watch was still pristine, without even a hint of a scratch or blemish, even under the scrutiny of a watchmaker’s loupe.

Of course, you would want a such sturdy and reliable material protecting the complex Calibre 6654.P movement that beats within the Bathyscaphe. The complete calendar, mechanism within the watch displays the day, date and month requiring only five adjustments a year, for the months that have less than 31 days. This is less complex than the annual calendar complication which automatically adjusts for the months that have 30 and 31 days. The annual calendar still needs to be adjusted once a year during February as it has less than 30 days regardless of whether or not it is a leap year. The next step is the perpetual calendar which we have written extensively about in the last few issues of World of Watches Malaysia. Even with the need to adjust the calendar five times a year with the complete calendar, users don’t need to fret as the Calibre 6654.P has safeguards built in that allow adjustments any time of the day without damaging the delicate internal mechanism.

Additionally, the Calibre 6654.P also brings with it yet another heritage of Blancpain, the moonphase indicator. As the story goes, during the height of the quartz crisis, Blancpain famously stood firm against ever making a quartz-based watch. And to demonstrate that this electronic technology can never usurp the romance of a complex mechanical timepiece they doubled down on the moonphase indicator complication. Today, the Blancpain moonphase stands as a symbol of the revival of mechanical watchmaking. This combination of complications, paired with the new, technologically advanced ceramic case, represents a fantastic marriage between technology and tradition.

Staying true to the Bathyscaphe’s legacy as a dive watch meant for the casual, everyday wearer, the collection also houses other complications originally not meant for dive watches like the flyback chronograph. This complication that allows a quick resetting of the chronograph hand without having to stop the measurement of elapsed time was developed for the aviation industry to measure fuel consumption or the time taken to travel between waypoints. The flyback chronograph finds its way onto the Bathyscaphe collection via the Calibre F385 movement which offers a column wheel system and a vertical clutch for chronograph aficionados. Moreover, the beat rate for this movement is also increased to a higher 5Hz so that the chronographs can be accurate to 1/10th of a second. 5Hz means the regulating organ of the watch is oscillating at 36,000 beats per hour translating to 10 beats per second thus with the right scale, the wearer will be able to track the precision of the timekeeper up to 1/10th of a second. Due to its complexity, the watch is priced similarly to the complete calendar mentioned above.

Finally, for the base Bathyscaphe in ceramic, the model is available with a date indication between the 4 and 5 o’clock position. Interestingly the watch is powered by Blancpain’s Calibre 1315 movement which, like all of Blancpain’s movements, was designed, developed, produced, assembled and adjusted in-house. Additionally, it offers a staggering 5-days of power reserve and this is achieved through the use of three series coupled barrels. The watch is still housed in the same 43.6mm case even with its lack of complication, which is the same size as the flyback chronograph and complete calendar versions. One reason for this could be due to the complexity of manufacturing these cases, it is more cost-effective for Blancpain to make all three variants the same size so they don’t have to recalibrate the machines for each different reference of the ceramic Bathyscaphes.

Although the size of these Bathyscape ceramic watches is considered quite large at 43.6mm, it is worth noting that in stainless steel, the Bathyscaphe still comes in a variety of sizes, even scaling down as small as 38mm to fit practically every wrist size and taste preference. Today, the Bathyscaphe can also be found in a variety of colours and case materials including this ceramic version, 18K gold and even grade 23 titanium. The variance in material, colours and complication continues to propagate the legend of the Bathyscaphe as the more casual cousin of the Fifty Fathoms and this story doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon.

Parmigiani debuts a stone blue colour with their new Tonda PF in 950 platinum

When the Parmigiani Tonda PF collection was launched, it firmly planted a flag, making a statement that the new brand direction was all in on subtle, quiet luxury. And just when you thought that the Tonda PF collection could not get anymore pure, they went and launched the 36 mm version with no date. And it seems like Parmigiani has done it again, taking their purest form of watchmaking and giving it an even more sublime update. We are talking, no doubt, about their Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Platinum Stone Blue.

With all the stone dials being thrown about, it is easy to mistake that Parmigiani is hopping onto the bandwagon as well. However this Stone Blue actually refers to the specific shade of blue that the brand has decided to use on the dial. Since the launch of the Tonda PF collection, they have been pioneering a bunch of muted colours not commonly seen on other watches. The recently launched Sienna Gold is one of them, and if you look at their Tonda PF Hijri Calendar, the Viridian Green they use is really quite a unique shade. Even the Toric Petite Seconde with its Grey Celadon dial is entirely unique.

In this watch, the Stone Blue is set to be yet another classic for Parmigiani offering the tried and tested blue dial but with a hue that is entirely in keeping with the purity element of the Tonda PF collection. In preserving this minimalism, they have even removed the fantastic grain d’orge guilloché texture on the dial, instead opting for a simpler sand-blasted finish so the colour really the star of the show. We would have liked to see Parmigiani use the same techniques from their Toric dials which are hand-grained on this model but alas we get one that is sand blasted. Hand graining is a more appealing of course, but sand blasting will potentially mean faster production times for the watches which will perhaps result in a shorter waiting list. Regardless of the finishing technique, the watch still achieves the intended effect.

The dial does loose the texture of the grain d’orge guilloché pattern that seems to be the calling card for the Tonda PF collection but fortunately a little bit of this still remains and can be found engraved onto the micro-rotor visible through the caseback. The watch uses the same Calibre PF703 movement that offers a rotor in 950 platinum and thanks to all the bridges that are curved the gold-tone bits that peek out are quite astonishing to see.

From the name you can probably tell that the entirety of the case is made from 950 platinum which extends to the bracelet as well. Platinum is a much-loved material in watchmaking due to the soft, white-grey hue it exudes and as many owners will testify, has a much more intense shine than white gold. This subtly elegant material paired with the Stone blue of the dial is a fantastic combination and as much as it tries to hide its beauty, will definitely be identified by watch afficionados in the know.

The Tonda PF Micro-Rotor Platinum Stone Blue is priced at MYR 441,100

Lange Celebrates The 30th Anniversary of The LANGE 1 in 2024 With Two Limited Edition Collections

From left: The LANGE 1 and LITTLE LANGE 1 in 950 platinum with black onyx dial

Almost every modern luxury watch brand has a watch collection that is intrinsic to its brand identity. And for A. Lange & Söhne, it is undoubtedly the LANGE 1. The LANGE 1 is one of the few watches in history that can truly be considered an icon of modern watchmaking. The asymmetrical layout of its dial is not just representative of Lange’s brand DNA but it quite literally represents the cornerstone on which the contemporary version of A. Lange & Söhne was built upon. In 1994, when Günter Blümlein and Walter Lange unveiled the rebirth of Glashütte watchmaking, there stood Blümlein next to a giant print of the LANGE 1 Ref. 101.001. Therefore, to celebrate the LANGE 1’s 30th anniversary is to also celebrate 30 years of A. Lange & Söhne’s new era.

The LANGE 1 (left-most) was present ever since the brand relaunched in 1994 after the reunification of Germany

In an interview that Blümlein did with the famed author of watch books, Gisbert Brunner, in 1994, he said: “The 1994 A. Lange & Söhne wristwatches and all upcoming models are anything but epigones of watchmaking legends.” This was the mindset of the brand ever since it was revived. Creating watches that follow the attention to detail and craftsmanship of traditional watchmaking only in spirit. Everything else had to be befitting of the times. The LANGE 1 was a great example of this, as its now iconic asymmetrical design was practically unheard of back in the 1990s and represented a great risk, especially for a first collection. Back then, watchmaking in Germany, more specifically in Glashütte, was nowhere near what it is today with sometimes multiple manufactures lining the same street in this small town. And for a German brand to try and penetrate the upper echelons of watchmaking, a realm mostly conquered by the Swiss back then, they definitely received their fair share of scepticism and criticism.

A. Lange & Söhne, however, were confident of what they had with the LANGE 1 because, despite the irregular positions of its dial elements, they had put a considerable amount of thought into its design. According to Alp Sever of Langepedia, Helmut Geyer, Annegret Fleischer, and Kurt Klaus, the team behind the LANGE 1 along with Blümlein spent years perfecting the proportions. “Once they arrived at the asymmetric layout, countless hours were dedicated to refining the placement of each indication, rotating and adjusting until they achieved the design that is now widely regarded as an icon.” Interestingly, when you overlay a grid of golden-ratio guidelines over the LANGE 1’s dial, each component falls at intersecting or important points of this mathematical ratio that guides the most beautiful occurrences in nature.

From left: The LANGE 1 and LITTLE LANGE 1 in 750 pink gold with a blue dial in 925 silver

In the last 30 years, the design of the LANGE 1 has barely changed, even when they launched a smaller version with the LITTLE LANGE 1. Its design identity is widely associated with German watchmaking, to the point that there are other brands with Glashütte on the dial that try to create a similar asymmetry to their dials. The design however remains distinctly Lange as there is even an anecdote that the big-date aperture was, in fact, inspired by the five-minute clock that sits in the Semper Opera House in Dresden. The original clock in this building was built by Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes with the help of his soon-to-be son-in-law, F. A. Lange.

Today, 30 years after the first LANGE 1, the brand is launching two new references of the LANGE 1 and LITTLE LANGE 1 to mark this momentous milestone. The first reference combines the elegance of a 950 platinum case with the shimmering jet-black nature of Onyx. This marks the first time that this rare gemstone has been used in the LANGE 1 collection. Next comes a version clad in the warm tones of 750 pink gold. For this version, the dial is crafted out of 925 silver in blue, also a rare feat in watchmaking.

Despite both the LANGE 1 and LITTLE LANGE 1 having different case sizes, 38.5mm and 36.8mm respectively, both are still powered by the same Lange manufacture calibre L121.1 movement. This fantastic hand-wound movement offers all the hallmarks of German watchmaking including the use of a three-quarter plate. Additionally, all the intricacies specific to Lange are also present, such as the use of untreated German silver, the screws held in place by gold chatons and blued screws, along with the hand-engraved balance cock. And yes, as per Lange’s practice, each of these movements is also assembled twice. The LANGE 1 references are limited to only 300 watches each while for the LITTLE LANGE 1 each is limited to only 150 pieces worldwide.

“The LANGE 1 is a timepiece that unites everything that distinguishes a refined mechanical watch: originality, timeless elegance and horological precision, down to the last detail,” explains Wilhelm Schmid, A. Lange & Söhne CEO. “When it was launched thirty years ago, it broke the existing design rules and defined its very own style. This innovative force is embodied by our ambition to never stand still.”

Watchmaking Trends To Expect in 2025: Milestones & Shifts Shaping the Industry

The Future of Watchmaking Is Already Ticking

New watches begin development many years before launch, potentially, and brand management decides when to pull the trigger. In this sense, looking ahead to 2025 is not too difficult. Broadly speaking, forecasting such things as the dominance of the sports watch and the related return of the integrated bracelet is more difficult to get right. For this list, we decided to be bold and tell you what you can 100 percent expect to happen, and also what we hope will happen.

It will not surprise you that we think the rough weather of 2024 will carry over into 2025, and there is every chance that brands will respond with more muted watches. Conservatism remains the tried-and-tested path to survival for big luxury, after all. This will be bad news for those who expect attention-grabbing moves from the birthday boys; brands have delayed major launches in the past and there is no reason to think 2025 will be different. On the other hand, brands that were big with the crypto set might be keeping the champagne at the ready since a Trump presidency in the USA is seen as beneficial; on the back of his election win, crypto rose to record highs and perhaps 2025 will be the year everyone finally goes to the moon. Keep those fingers crossed that the ballooning AI hype does not pop…

Of course, macroeconomic trends are outside the scope of articles like this one but it should always be remembered that fine watchmaking is vulnerable to how confident the wealthy feel. You will note that we have left the secondary market out of our list of predictions and that is by design. While availability is not great, the market has largely righted itself, but that could change. Certain in-demand evergreens still command higher-than-RRP and this is mainly supported by collectors who are a little too pampered by brands and those who are not. This is a feature of the world of watches and thus we will say no more about it.

Artistry of the world’s premier independent watchmakers come together under one roof at Sincere Haute Horlogerien (SHH)

Finally, we could have said a lot more about the various leadership shakeups in the sector we gaze critically at but we shall see if the desired results roll in. Again, a lot is out of the control of the top brass but, at the highest levels of quality, they do need to figure out how to respond to the continuing rise of independent watchmakers. As long as retailers keep the action going, we foresee no changes. That said, here are our five top sort-of predictions for the new year in watchmaking.

Legacy Matters

Bell & Ross concluded 2024 with the unveiling of the BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue.

Anniversaries matter, or at least they do when the parties involved have decided on some number as being a big deal. While brands such as Rolex and Bell & Ross do not like to make a fuss, many more certainly do. In what is a yearly exercise for us, we check all the brand anniversaries and then even some key collections. What we are looking for here are indications that a special watch might be forthcoming, or maybe a fresh collection or subcollection. Consider that the Royal Oak Offshore was conceived as a sort of tribute and legacy transfer for the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak. In 2025, we are particularly looking forward to Vacheron Constantin’s 270th, Breguet’s 250th and Audemars Piguet’s 150th but there are so many that we do expect some to skip the fanfare, as Zenith did in 2024 for the 55th anniversary of the El Primero. Here are a few brands and their big dates: A. Lange & Sohne (180th); Blancpain (290th); Maurice Lacroix (50th); Panerai (165th); TAG Heuer (165th) and Zenith (160th). It may have escaped most of us but 2024 was Patek Philippe’s 185th and the brand delivered an important milestone for itself and the industry to mark the occasion: the Cubitus.

The TAG Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph x Oracle Red Bull Racing Watch (pictured above). 2025 sees TAG Heuer return as the Official Timekeeper for Formula 1.

Leadership Moves That Could Reshape the Industry

Jaeger-LeCoultre announced the appointment of Jérôme Lambert as Maison Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2025.

Given the mixed economic outlook for watchmaking in 2025 — a continuation of the present scenario - quite a number of brands have course-corrected in 2024. In fact, the biggest news of all was the rise of Nicolas Bos to the group CEO position at Richemont. Staying with the same group, perhaps the most surprising news was the return of Jerome Lambert as CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre; Lambert had been group COO and then CEO, although the role was reportedly very different to the one Bos now occupies, now that Richemont Chairman Johann Rupert will be more hands-off again. Other power moves at this watchmaking group include Louis Ferla getting the top job at Cartier, handing off his CEO hat at Vacheron Constantin to Laurent Perves (an in-house promotion); Catherine Renier climbs into the hotseat at Van Cleef & Arpels (she was at Jaeger-LeCoultre) while the CEO role at Roger Dubuis remains officially unoccupied. At LVMH, another game of musical chairs happened after the elevation of Frederic Arnault as the CEO of the watchmaking division and continuing tough times in China. With Ricardo Guadalupe retiring from the CEO position at Hublot, LVMH tapped Julien Tornare to take over; Tornare had been CEO of TAG Heuer, where he succeeded Arnault. Antoine Pin, former watchmaking boss at Bvlgari, replaces Tornare at TAG Heuer; Pin’s former role at the Roman jeweller has yet to be filled, officially. While Swatch Group is faring no better than its group peers in China, there has been little movement at the top there. A significant difference is at Breguet, where longtime Omega man Gregory Kissling has been appointed CEO.

Richemont appoints Catherine Rénier as the new CEO Of Van Cleef & Arpels

Shaping Up

With market observers and shareholders questioning the big brands over their China strategies and exposure, and perhaps even the sort of watches consumers in that market want, now might be the right moment for something completely different. Leading the way in this is an apparent renewed push in the neglected form watch category. The most prominent example here is the Patek Philippe Cubitus, and the Geneva brand has never bet big on China. Well, it is no bigger than it has in any other important market. It will be interesting to see if the new collection marks new China moves for the brand as it could herald sweeping changes across the board in watchmaking. We are also looking out for what high-impact brands such as Tissot and Swatch do, on the more affordable side. For the moment, all eyes will be on Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025 to see if more form pieces debut. It will take some years before the dust settles, just as it did some 20 years ago when brands tried to crack the dominance of the round shape.

Collaborations Fuel Creativity

In 2021, Ferrari and Richard Mille, driven by their shared quest for perfection, joined forces to create a long-term partnership.

Will brand collaborations pick up steam or will things stall? We answer our own question because these collaborations have been in the works for years maybe so they can only be delayed or cancelled. Typically, most watch brands have steered away from collaboration as keeping everything under one roof seemed the most efficient way of controlling brand DNA. Over the last year, and arguably even a few years before, the collaborative spirit seemed to be picking up steam. Watches and cars have always been a great pairing: Richard Mille has Ferrari, Roger Dubuis selected Lamborghini a couple of years ago and most recently H. Moser & Cie picked Alpine to cross-brand their products. There was once a time when it was considered sacrilege to have the Bamford Watch Company detail a Rolex but since then, the LVMH group has doubled down with a few key partnerships a couple of years ago. This year we saw them take this further through a unique collaboration between two houses we thought would never meet: Louis Vuitton and Akrivia. This is the beautifully made dual-face LVRR-01 Chronographe à Sonnerie. Even artist Seconde Seconde seems to be finding constant collaborative opportunities with big brands like Moser at one point, and others like Timex and Louis Erard. Speaking of Louis Erard, they have also been steadily gaining momentum with a string of collaborative watches with big names in the artisanal watchmaking scene like Vianney Halter, Kudoke, Konstantin Chaykin and Alain Silberstein. We have no doubt this will continue well into 2025.

Stoned and Dethroned

The precious stone dial trend seems to be coming back strong in 2024, a trend that we think should follow well into 2025. Of course, using these unique minerals as dials isn’t something new. What brand can resist offering a client a unique piece and due to the nature of these stones, whichever way you slice it, the resulting dial will offer enough variance to be different from however many watches are in that same collection. This year there were fantastic examples of these dials, including one from Ulysse Nardin using a rare mineral called chrysocolla, resulting in a dial that looks almost like the waters of some atoll out in the middle of the ocean. Of course, who can forget the limited edition models of Lange 1 watches that A. Lange & Sohne made to celebrate its 35th anniversary where these beautiful watches were furnished with even more pristine onyx dials. The laborious process of crafting these dials – sourcing the perfect sizes of stones, carefully slicing them into thin enough slices without them breaking, and getting the right alignment for the hands and indices – would be prohibitive for smaller brands to use them. Well, everyone was wrong about this because, last year, more than a handful of microbrands started using them. Timex put one in their Q Timex GMT; Baltic offered three limited edition runs with their Prismic Boutique Editions; and even new entries like Dennison Watches were able to offer these beautiful stone dials at extremely affordable prices. Stones like lapis lazuli and malachite are no longer reserved for ultra-luxury watches. Expect more good news on this front in 2025.

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Movado Steps Up a Notch with Their Latest Campaign "When I Move You Move"

Movado is back in a big way, announcing a new global campaign: “When I Move You Move”. For those that grew up in the early 2000s, the new campaign will trigger waves of nostalgia with legends like Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and entrepreneur, Ludacris, and renowned actress and entrepreneur, Jessica Alba, appearing alongside legendary Academy Award-winning actress Julianne Moore, Pro Bowl and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, and All-Star point guard and 2024 Team USA Summer Olympics team member and gold medalist, Tyrese Haliburton, as the new faces of Movado.

*Ludacris, Grammy Award-winning rapper, actor and entrepreneur*

This is completely in line with Movado’s brand DNA as the word Movado means “always in motion” in Esperanto. Even the name of the new campaign was inspired by Ludacris’ 2003 #1 Billboard and Grammy-nominated song “Stand Up.” In the chorus, the words “When I move you move” are sung as a call to action for people to express their full potential by doing what truly moves them. In the campaign, the talent showcases watches from across the Movado range each of which comes with the highly recognisable sphere at the 12 o’clock reminiscent of Movado’s Museum watch.

"We are proud of our multi-year partnership with this roster of amazing talent across culture and entertainment and to feature them in our 2024-2025 global brand campaign,” said Efraim Grinberg, Chairman and CEO, of Movado Group. “It was important to us that we aligned with individuals that truly represent Movado’s legacy of innovation, commitment to excellence and iconic design. This campaign has an incredible amount of energy and movement that is dynamic and makes you feel connected to Movado."

*Jessica Alba, actress and entrepreneur*

To bring their vision to life, Movado worked with Creative Director Robert Lussier from The Style Council and two globally renowned fashion photographers, Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott. The styling in the photos you see along with the hip-hop-esque campaign video was done by celebrity stylist Mel Ottenberg while the moves were choreographed by movement director Stephen Galloway.

*Julianne Moore, Academy Award Winning actress*

“Over the last year, we’ve embarked on a journey to take our brand to new heights by developing a culturally relevant campaign that moves you – that literally makes you want to get up and move,” said Margot Grinberg, President, of Movado. “Our goal is to be disruptive and stand out – do something unexpected that will make you stop and want to see more from Movado. It will keep our brand top of mind and engage new audiences globally.”

*Christian McCaffrey, Pro Bowl and All-Pro running back*

Tyrese Haliburton, All-Star point guard and 2024 Team USA Summer Olympics team member and gold medalist

For more information and to see Movado’s new and extensive collection of watches and jewellery please visit Movado.com.

This article was first seen on LUXUO Malaysia

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Grand Seiko unveils the secrets behind the ‘Nature of Time’

Grand Seiko brings the beauty of the natural world into Pavilion Kuala Lumpur through a new exhibition called ‘Nature of Time’. This unique showcase was created in partnership with Sincere Fine Watches and will run from 23rd November to 2nd January 2024. As with most projects that Grand Seiko undertakes, the ‘Nature of Time’ exhibition is an immersive experience, delighting all of the senses, and celebrates the harmonious blend of nature, craftsmanship, and innovation.

Starting with the design of the booth, located right outside the Sincere boutique, visitors are immediately transported from the lively and energetic vibe of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur into a plane of serenity and calm, inspired by the beauty of Japan’s forests. Shades and textures of birch trees can be found throughout the installation. At the same time, projection mapping overlays the interplay of shadows as if the light is filtering through an overhead canopy of leaves. Throughout, there are even sounds of a gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves piped in to complete the experience.

The concept of this unique exhibition borrows the ideas implemented by Grand Seiko when they exhibited in the Watches & Wonders show earlier this year in Geneva. And just as all the novelties were present then, the latest watches from the brand are also available in ‘Nature of Time’. This includes the newly launched Evolution 9 dress watch SLGW003 and its redesigned, manual-wind movement that offers one of the most pleasant winding experiences in a mechanical watch. Additionally, two of the brands elusive Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillons will also be showcased at the venue giving fans of watchmaking a chance to view the watch and all its mechanical prowess.

A live demonstration of the 9R Spring Drive calibre assembly by a Grand Seiko master watchmaker, Mr. Junya Kamijo.

Mr. Kiyotaka Sakai, the designer of the Evolution 9 style, shared about his inspiration and creative journey.

Ida Idris-Low, Managing Director of Grand Seiko Asia-Pacific, expressed, “This event is a testament to Grand Seiko’s commitment to both our heritage and our future. The 'Nature of Time' exhibition celebrates our passion for craftsmanship and precision, inviting our guests to experience the brand’s spirit through nature’s beauty and horological excellence. We are thrilled to share these iconic pieces and engage our guests in an experience that brings our brand’s spirit to life.”

Ong Ban, CEO of Sincere Watch Limited added, “Partnering with Grand Seiko for the ‘Nature of Time’ exhibition allows us to showcase the exceptional artistry and precision of Japanese watchmaking craftsmanship, or ‘Shokunin.’ Grand Seiko’s ability to seamlessly blend traditional techniques with cutting-edge innovation is truly inspiring. This exhibition offers our clients and watch enthusiasts an exclusive opportunity to experience the brand’s distinctive approach to horology. We are honoured to play an integral role in this remarkable collaboration, reinforcing our position as Asia’s Premier Watch Specialist.”

In addition to the visual and auditory stimulation at ‘Nature of Time’, a third partnership with the one-Michelin-star, Kyoto-based, kaiseki restaurant – Kinobu – will see them offer a special teaser tasting menu to guests before the Malaysian extension of the brand opens in the months to come. Fresh, seasonal ingredients will be flown in from Japan to celebrate the same dedication to perfection and harmony that defines Japanese watchmaking.

A sample of the menu offered by the Kinobu partnership

IWC’s Portugieser Eternal Calendar Finally Finds A Solution to The Perpetual Calendar

Throughout history, humankind has always sought to keep time. It began with curious glances at the sun, moon and stars in the sky which turned into observations of the lunar and solar cycles. Then, as the broader notion of time was quantified into calendars, they looked at more minuscule values, breaking down and counting hours, minutes, seconds, and fractions of seconds. Today we have come to a point in civilization where timekeeping is so commonplace that we take it for granted. The people who once watched the shadows of the sundial in excitement as the hours passed have been replaced by us, who lazily glance at a digital screen to get the time. So advanced, in fact, is our civilisation that now, we have the luxury of investing instead in traditional technology for the sake of preserving culture.

The perpetual calendar within a mechanical wristwatch is a beacon of such luxury. Even though we have mastered the tracking of the Gregorian calendar with digital means, there are watchmakers who have continued picking at the gear trains of movements in the hopes of making a perpetual calendar that is truly perpetual. And it seems that those watchmakers reside in IWC Schaffhausen. This is a story about the Eternal Calendar, a secular perpetual calendar mechanism that has finally solved the peculiarities of the Gregorian calendar, theoretically being able to keep the date for ‘eternity’ and also promises to keep an accurate record of the moon phases for the next 45 million years.

LEAP OF FAITH

To understand why this problem exists in the first place, one need only look to the stars for answers. The simple explanation of a ‘year’ as most people on the planet recognise, is defined as the time it takes for the earth to make one full rotation around the sun. It is taught in schools as 365.25 days, and this is also why, in the Gregorian calendar system, every four years these quarters are added together to form an extra day on February 29. This is the leap day added every four years to what is known as a leap year, and this is the problem the perpetual calendar has already solved.

However, scientifically speaking, the exact time that the earth takes to rotate around the sun is not exactly 365.25 days but rather 365.2422 days. And if the leap years are consistently added every four years, it would progressively shift the calendar out of sync as the centuries go by. When Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian calendar system in 1582 it included the leap year exception rule where three leap years every 400 years are removed to accommodate this difference.

This leap year exception rule, where every year divisible by 100 is not a leap year unless it is divisible by 400, is the one that perpetual calendar mechanisms still can’t solve. Thus, despite what the name of the complication suggests, the calendar will still have to be adjusted in 2100, the next instance where the leap year exception rule takes place.

In the same vein, most moonphase functions are also designed with the general rule that a lunar cycle is 29.5 days. In reality, this number is again an approximation of the observed time of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.88 seconds. Therefore, with the simplest moon phase indicators working on the 29.5-day cycle, they will start to be inaccurate after a few years of functioning.

This is where IWC steps in. With their new Portugieser Eternal Calendar, they claim to have solved the problem by offering what they are calling a secular perpetual calendar complication that can not only keep track of the leap years but also observe the leap year exception rule resulting in a timekeeping mechanism that will theoretically display the correct date in perpetuity. And their moonphase indicator? They haven’t yet found a perfect solution, but are flexing hard with a mechanism that, they say, will be accurate for the next 45 million years. When the Eternal Calendar was launched, IWC cheekily stated that we would just have to take their word on this but since then, the Double Moon indicator on the watch has been recognised by Guinness World Records as the “most precise lunar phase wristwatch” with a theoretical deviation of just one day in 45,361,055 years.

COMMON DENOMINATOR

Solving this problem digitally is easy as most computers understand fractions and decimal places. And with the proper input instruction, you can get a computer to adhere to any nonconflicting rule like leap years and leap year exceptions. But when it comes to mechanical watchmaking, it is a lot more complex. Instructions have to be relayed in gears, springs and cams, while there is also the constraint of space in a wristwatch. This is why we mentioned at the top of the article that civilisation has to be at a place where excess is possible to devote the resources that luxury companies have to finding a more ‘artistic’ solution to a problem that has already been solved, vis-à-vis the calendar.

Kurt Klaus who celebrates his 90th birthday this year

However, in order to arrive at the Eternal Calendar, IWC had to have some considerable technical expertise in the complication. Their experience with perpetual calendars dates back to the 1980s with Kurt Klaus who incidentally is celebrating his 90th birthday this year. Klaus, was the student of yet another famous name at IWC, Albert Pellaton, of the Pellaton winding movement that is still in use today.

The IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3750 in light yellow gold

In 1985 he pioneered an ingenious new perpetual Calendar movement within the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3750 which allowed the user for the first time to set all the displays by simply turning the crown. And the genius of this perpetual calendar movement was that he achieved this through 82 individual components. Additionally, he also created a new moonphase indicator that was precise up to 122 years. Klaus’ perpetual calendar movement was also the first to offer a digital year display that could showcase the year until 2499. An interesting fact that IWC states is that that the 100-year numeral of this year display will advance only a mere 1.2mm in a century but a point on the balance wheel would have travelled a distance equivalent to 40 orbits of the Earth in the same time.

This was hardly the start of IWC’s foray into the perpetual calendar complication but it was a significant milestone in terms of the modern watchmaking landscape. The 1980s was the time of quartz technology and it took real gumption and perhaps foresight, both on the part of Klaus and IWC to choose to develop a mechanical calendar complication.

This choice, arguably has bore abundant fruits throughout the years as the perpetual calendar with moonphase indicator exists in some shape or form in the major IWC collections including the Pilot, Portofino and of course the Portugieser. And it has gotten upgrades over the years. In 2003 the perpetual calendar debuted within the Portugieser collection and its moonphase indicator gained accuracy, from needing adjustments once every 122 years to once every 577.5 years.

AGE OF ETERNITY

To say that IWC is excited about the Portugieser Eternal Calendar may be the understatement of the year as it was launched practically the moment the first pieces were fully assembled. Earlier this year at Watches & Wonders Geneva there were literally only two pieces of this watch circulating within their booth. Two pieces to serve thousands of journalists and more than ten thousand retailers, all clamouring to see this marvel that solved what the perpetual calendar complication couldn’t.

So how did they do this? The simple answer is to increase the duration of its calendar cycle. If you think about your average date display or the complete calendar complication it is simple because it is programmed to a 1-month cycle. This means that every month regardless if it’s a 30-, 28- (or 29) or 31-day month the date will always go to the 31st requiring an adjustment 5 times a year for the shorter months. The next step up in complexity is the Annual calendar which was designed in a 12-month cycle for the mechanism to understand the difference between the longer and shorter months.

Then comes the perpetual calendar. For it to understand that every four years a leap day has to be added to the end of February during a leap year it has to be designed to function in a four-year or 48-month cycle. With the same logic, the engineers at IWC solved the problem of the leap year exception rule by extending the programme cycle of the Eternal Calendar to a 400- year or 4,800-month cycle. This means, that inside the newly developed IWC-manufactured 52640 calibre movement, there is a gear that will only make one full rotation in four centuries. This gear contains three indentations which causes the perpetual calendar to skip three leap years over that period which happens next in 2100, 2200 and 2300.

Of course, if you’re going to have a secular perpetual calendar mechanism that theoretically keeps the date for ‘eternity’ the moonphase indicator that is accurate to 122 or 577.5 years simply won’t do. To solve this problem, IWC installed a reduction gear between the base movement and the moon phases disc to get as close as possible to the actual duration of the lunation - the aforementioned 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 2.88 seconds. The design of this reduction gear, now this is the interesting bit, was done by engineers using a special computer programme to simulate more than 22 trillion different combinations before settling on this mechanism that they say will be accurate for the next 45 million years.

What is perhaps overshadowed by the 45 million years and the Eternal part of the watch is the details they have afforded on the dial of this Portugieser. They chose to go with a glass dial which is frosted and lacquered on the underside. On top, there are clear subdials and the numerals and characteristic Portugieser minute scale are printed on a white lacquered flange sitting between the glass dial and the front glass. The whole thing gives the watch a sort of dimensionality, revealing only a very inconspicuous clue that when 2100 rolls around, finally, no adjustments will have to be made.

THE END

Theoretically, if the Gregorian calendar system doesn’t change, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar presents a perfect calendar complication that would never run out of sync. However, at present IWC claims the secular perpetual calendar complication will be accurate until at least 3999 because it has not been officially decided if the year 4000 will be a leap year or not.

Assuming the rules stay status quo and, of course, humanity continues to exist, what then is eternity? How long will the calendar of the Eternal Calendar be accurate? These types of questions are too complex for us and perhaps even IWC to answer. So, they sought out, Brian Cox, particle physicist and professor at the University of Manchester, to help out:

“In our current baseline model of the universe, we understand that the universe is not only expanding, but it is expanding at an accelerating rate. If the universe continues to do that, we will reach a point when everything is so far apart from everything else, and the temperature of everything is the same. Technically, we would say that entropy always increases as the universe goes from a highly ordered state to something messier. However, one of the things that we know about a clock is that it is a thermodynamic device. To build a clock, you need a temperature difference. In the far future, we will reach a point when no more temperature differences exist in our universe. I suppose that, then, time will have gone. When we get to the point where nothing happens in our universe – when there are no more temperature differences, and you can’t even build a clock. That, to me, is eternity. It goes on forever, and time will have ceased to have meaning. To give you a rough number: we currently believe that the supermassive black hole in the centre of our galaxy will evaporate in something like 10 to the power of 100 years. That’s one with 100 zeros. So, we are talking about an unbelievable amount of time before that probably will happen.”

So in short, a really freaking long time.

Chanel Watchmaking Combines Couture With Horological Precision

Assembly of the Musical Clock Couture Workshop

There was once a time when watches were items of necessity. Anyone and everyone who wanted to conveniently keep track of the unyielding flow of time would need a watch, be it in the pocket or on the wrist. Therefore, with the watch as a tool, people didn’t quite pay too much attention as to how it was made, so as long as the timekeeper was precise and, more importantly, reliable. This basically explains how the quartz era and its more efficient timekeepers nearly decimated the mechanical watch industry, but that is a story for another time. In the current era of watchmaking, however, a timepiece is no longer simply just a tool for keeping track of time (this job has been relegated to the smartphone) but rather a luxury purchase, an item that speaks to emotional appeals instead of practical ones.

This is why the modern watch enthusiast pays far more attention to every detail of a watch. It is no longer just about precision and reliability. The provenance of a brand, its ethos and even its manufacturing processes all play a role in converting a customer when it comes to serious watches. Due to this shift, storied fashion brands, when diversifying their portfolio into the watchmaking market, decided the best way to capture the hearts and minds of watch enthusiasts was to subtly steer their watches away from trendy elements to instead highlight more “watchmaking” inspired collections.

Chanel for example, is a house that since 1910 has been intrinsically linked with the fashion industry, first as a designer of hats and a few years later as a house of couture. And yet, the first “serious” watch it made, the iconic J12, was inspired and named after a class of racing yachts, and even built with ceramic, a material that was considered futuristic when it was launched in 2000.

This year however, Chanel has decided not to beat around the bush and based an entire capsule collection around the maison’s signature element of couture, which it has whimsically named Couture O’clock. And just to put it into perspective, the brand presented this collection to the world at Watches & Wonders Geneva in April. In an exhibition hall surrounded by displays of mechanical and technical prowess, there stood Chanel’s booth designed as the runway of a fashion show, complete with the lights, glitz and glamour that come with it.

Perhaps after building up its watchmaking facilities in La Chaux-de-Fonds; setting up the Watch Creation Studio; buying stakes in both independent stars F.P. Journe and Romain Gauthier; investing in Swiss movement manufacturer, Kenissi; and most recently acquiring 25 percent of the independent watch brand MB&F, headed by Max Busser, Chanel finally feels that it has enough watchmaking gumption to celebrate its couture heritage whilst still keeping their status as a serious player in the industry intact.

On Being Fashionable

J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6

True enough, although Chanel’s 2024 Couture O’Clock is based on couture elements, there is no shortage of both technical and historical watchmaking provenance incorporated into this new collection. The pièce de resistance is undoubtedly the Musical Clock Couture Workshop. This fantastic piece of craftsmanship combines horology savoir faire with gem-setting, and a tuned musical mechanism, put together by a large team of highly skilled artisans.

The inspiration for this unique piece was the lively atmosphere in Chanel’s rue Cambon atelier. Hence, a series of five couture busts stand tall on the surface of the base while hanging overhead is a miniature chandelier set with diamond droplets. When activated, these busts dance to the rhythm of "My Woman" by Al Bowlly, a melody that Mademoiselle Coco Chanel reportedly loved to hum while working.

Aside from its whimsical nature, the Musical Clock Couture Workshop has a functional side to it in the form of a clock. The indication of time is cleverly hidden in plain sight through a tape measure at the base. And to wind the timekeeping mechanism, Chanel provides a beautiful key, mounted on a long gold chain necklace dotted with diamonds.

Also scattered throughout this capsule collection is a series of beautiful couture-inspired jewellery that cleverly hides timekeeping devices. These so-called secret watches also played a huge role in watchmaking history, with origins that date back to the early 19th century. Where the pocket watch was a standard accessory for men, women’s fashion at the time rarely incorporated pockets. Thus, timekeeping devices were built into female accessories like bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and chatelaines to accommodate this. And the reason that these clocks are often hidden, is that it was considered rude for women to check the time in a social setting and so by cleverly hiding the clock, women could still do so without risking their social standing.

For the couture capsule collection, there are clocks hidden in pincushion rings, bust necklaces, bobbin cuffs and the like. First and foremost, these are created as jewellery so you can expect a decent amount of precious stones on them, or for the case of the Bobbin Cuff Couture, a massive 17.51ct (approx.) emerald-cut, yellow sapphire contrasting against rows of 1,244 brilliant cut diamonds.

All In A Day's Work

This brings us then, to the watch in focus in this story, the J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6. Even though the theme for the year may be quite fun in nature, in terms of Chanel's horological know- how, it has made serious leaps forward with the introduction of this particular model and its in-house Calibre 6 movement. The Calibre 6 represents a brand-new movement for Chanel and represents the brand’s very first automaton complication. Just as a comparison as to how much more complex an automaton complication is, the new Calibre 6 registers 355 components which is more than twice the number of components on the retrograde minutes and jumping hours, Monsieur Superleggera or the Calibre 5 movement which is equipped with a tourbillon.

It was an obvious choice to debut the new movement on a J12 seeing as how this collection, since its debut in 2000 has become something of an icon not just within the ranks of Chanel’s normal clientele, but in the wider watch industry as well. The J12, as it was created more than two decades ago, proudly embodied a forward-thinking spirit and the J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6 was built with the same ethos.

If based purely on aesthetics alone, the watch looks like just another fun addition to the Couture O’Clock collection with its cartoonish rendition of Chanel’s founder and, really, the muse for the entire collection – Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. However, the moment the Automaton is engaged, it becomes clear just how special this watch is. The additional components within the Calibre 6 all go towards animating Mademoiselle. Her head, torso and legs all swivel independently of each other, while her arm flails around as she grasps her pair of scissors. Opposite her, even the bust moves up and down.

To complement such a special movement, the watch was also created, for the first time with a matte finish on the ceramic bracelet. This may seem like not that big a deal considering stainless steel offers a variety of polished, matte, brushed, and even engraved surfaces with ease, but in reality, ceramic was, in essence, conceived for watchmaking to be an unscratchable alternative to steel. It is this intense level of hardness that makes working with this material incredibly difficult. To celebrate Chanel's watchmakers even more, they managed not only to give the links a matte finish but also, the bevels of the links were polished so that there was an interplay between matte and glossy black.

Adding to the finesse of the timepiece, Chanel also decided to give the traditional J12 bezel a touch of sparkle. Well, we say a touch, but really it is 48 baguette-cut diamonds, with a combined weight of approximately 3.34ct. To set these stones into the watch, however, the bezel had to be crafted out of stainless steel, a material which is malleable enough to hold the stones in place. In the same vein, the crown is also made of steel as it holds a singular brilliant-cut diamond of 0.15ct. Unfortunately, or should we say fortunately for the collectors that manage to procure one of these watches, the J12 Couture Workshop Automaton Calibre 6 is limited to only 100 pieces worldwide, making it as collectable as it is quirky.

Behind The Runway

At this point in the article, one might be wondering how a house so synonymous with couture and of course, the Chanel No. 5 perfume, has the watchmaking talent to create something like the Calibre 6. The short answer to this question lies in the heavy investments the brand has made in its watchmaking division over the years. For the long answer, one has to look further to La Chaux-de-Fonds where, since the launch of the very first Première in 1987, every Chanel watch has been made. As the watchmaking industry evolved, so did Chanel’s watch manufacture and by 2015, it was finally ready to claim the coveted title of having fully realised in-house movements with the Calibre 1.

As a testament to how masculine-skewed the watch industry can sometimes be, Chanel, a brand so loved by female clientele worldwide, launched its first in-house calibre in the Monsieur de Chanel. This was the brand's first men’s timepiece. Of course, the calibre still exists today, powering the Monsieur Superleggera Intense Black Edition and comes with the same two complications: the jumping hour and retrograde minutes hand.

The smaller 33mm J12 with the Caliber 12.2 movement made by Kenissi

Since 2015, Chanel has continuously upped its game in terms of movements. It released the Calibre 2 for the Première case and the Calibre 3 for the Boy.Friend collection, both of which were designed to be skeletonised movements. The big jump for Chanel however, arguably came in 2022 when it made one of the most sought-after technical features in enthusiasts' circles, the tourbillon. Today, the Calibre 5 can be seen in a brand-new interpretation of the original J12 Diamond Tourbillon, available in both white and black ceramic.

Through each iteration of its in-house calibres, Chanel has grown in terms of its watchmaking savoir-faire, which is how it can make such a complex automaton in the form of the Calibre 6 movement without having to rely on outside assistance. Perhaps what also makes Chanel’s watches unique is that even though their manufacture is based within the watchmaking cradle of Switzerland, the creative brain is located nearly 500km away at Place Vendôme in Paris where Arnaud Chastaingt heads the Watch Creation Studio.

As much as they have achieved in the last decade or so, Chanel is still demonstrating year upon year its commitment to serious watchmaking. Yeah, having complicated in-house movements is all well and good but its recent moves are more telling in terms of dedication to bringing serious watchmaking to the entire line of timepieces. A case in point is the firm's stake in the movement manufacture Kenissi. The first mention of Kenissi was in 2019 when Chanel launched the J12 with the Calibre 12.1 movement. This marked a significant step for the J12 collection to transition from its status as a fashion icon into a market where the more technical points of watchmaking are valued equally to aesthetics.

Kenissi gets its provenance from Tudor, the sister company to Rolex, by producing its manufacture movements. In 2016, Kenissi would be formally set up as a manufacture and start offering its services to other brands, beginning with Breitling. Today, Kenissi still makes Tudor’s movements along with movements for household names such as TAG Heuer, Bell & Ross, Norqain and of course Chanel. In 2019, Chanel bought a 20 percent stake in Kenissi and in the same breath announced investment into F.P. Journe. This effectively acts as a signal that the brand is serious about its place in the horology food chain as it were.

The Chanel watch manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds

Through this partnership with Kenissi, not only was Chanel able to place a manufacture movement, both precise and reliable, within the J12 collection but in 2022 it even announced the Calibre 12.2, which is a smaller-sized mechanical movement made by the same people. This smaller version of the Calibre 12.1 fit into their 33mm J12 models which before were powered by a quartz calibre. If 38mm is nowadays considered a unisex model, 33mm would undoubtedly fit only women. And yet, Chanel decided it was time to have a manufacture movement for this size as well.

With all that has been said, yes Chanel is still a brand with its roots and clientele deeply entrenched in the world of fashion. However, despite the fun and couture-inspired aesthetics that the 2024 collection offers, knowing the amount of technical prowess that runs just beneath its surface, can you still call Chanel’s timepieces, fashion watches?

This article first appeared on WOW Malaysia’s Autumn Issue #67

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