brand watches wiki – rolex watches, omega watches, replica watches

One glance of Bulgari’s Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater watch will immediately transport you to a visual experience in fine art appreciation. The research and development involved to bring this watch to fruition is undoubtedly well worth its notable price tag.

Bulgari is one of a select breed of haute horology manufacturers capable of in-house production of its movement as well as its timepiece research, development and actual production. Bulgari Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon demonstrates its brilliant expertise to produce results in particular with its hand-wound DR3300 calibre movement crafted entirely in-house. It consists of 327 parts and beats to the rhythm of a Tourbillon type regulating organ housed within a large sized carriage.

Bulgari Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon is the result of several year of careful development. Its design stems from “three hammer striking” mechanisms, an unusual configuration for a watch of this type model which usually consists of two hammers for Minute Repeaters, or four in rare cases such as Grande Sonnerie or grand strike models.

The miniaturization required to produce the required force and clarity of tone were governed by detailed parameters. The exceptional sized calibre with three hammers gives Bulgari Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon a higher torque which in turn enhances the acoustic resonance. The set of three gongs is affixed to the mainplate and is coupled with an inertia governor which keeps friction to a minimum when the striking mechanism is in action, hindering any audio interference.

The three hammer Minute Repeater chiming sequence striking three different pitches produces a C note for the hours, and E-D-C sequence for quarter hours, and a single E note for the minutes.

Bulgari Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon showcases polished steel for the hammers, gongs and tourbillon carriage and open worked surfaces. The finely decorated mainplate and bridges are metals from the platinum family, platinoids consisting of platinum, rhodium, ruthenium and indium. This high tech coating produces the metal and elegant black color which is visible through the case dial and caseback sapphire crystal.

The watch’s sturdy construction is protected by a pink gold case with Minute Repeater slidepiece on left side, which glides between 7 and 11 o’clock. The crown, instead of bearing Bulgari’s signature logo, is inscribed with numbers from one to 30, in keeping with the watch’s 30 limited edition pieces. It is also water resistant up to 30 meters and showcases well with a brown alligator leather wrist strap which is secured by a triple-blade folding clasp in 18K pink gold.

The Bulgari Daniel Roth Carillon Tourbillon is indeed a work of visual art whose limited edition beauty will place you in a hypnotic trance.

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

Read Full Post »

The vintage minute repeater – who made them? Patek Philippe? Sure, but not many.  Vacheron Constantin? Yup, but even less.  In fact, Vacheron only made 36 watches in the early to mid 20th century that were minute repeaters, and all of them (as far as we know) bore the reference 4261.  And, out of those 36 minute repeaters, only ten used a 13mm diameter movement, inside an oversized case.  All 36 minute repeaters were in fact ultra-slim, with a movement of just 3.1mm thick and were typically made from yellow or pink gold, sometimes platinum.

And then we have the watch we saw yesterday at Christie’s, which will be coming up in their May Geneva sale.  This is indeed a vintage Vacheron repeater, and indeed it uses a wide (13mm ligne diameter) but ultra-slim (3.1mm) movement in an oversized case (36mm, but it feels more like 38mm), but it is not a reference 4261 like all the others. 

From:HODINKEE

Read Full Post »

Video Rating: 3 / 5

Read Full Post »

It seems that this year is to be the year of the super complication! Thanks again to the folks at Jaeger-LeCoultre, we had the opportunity to photograph and enjoy this piece for a very short period of time – enough to produce some images and gather some impressions of this rare bird.

As usual, click on any image for a larger version.

Most repeaters are housed in cases of ‘heavy’ metals – think platinum, or at very least, gold; there have been a few forays into exotic metals (I have no idea what Richard Mille would use if they were to ever make a repeater) but titanium seems to be the predominant choice for non-precious metal cases. The reason for this is fairly simple: it sounds different. Although case design plays a huge part in the final sound of the piece, given all other things being constant, a denser case will probably sound richer than a less dense one; however it will also be softer because more energy is required to make the case resonate.

I can’t claim to have handled a huge number of repeaters; however this does seem to bear out with the Master Minute Repeater (MMR) – the gold versions are not as loud as the titanium, but they do sound a bit richer. The titanium cased version is a little crisper, and has a slightly sharper pitch. All variants are fairly loud by repeater standards, thanks to the coupling of the gongs to the sapphire crystal – which effectively acts as a resonator. The regulator is also noticeably silent, adding almost zero background noise to the proceedings.

Two enormous barrels give this watch a power reserve of two weeks; it’s probably not the kind of piece you’d wear every day, so being able to set and leave it for an extended period of time between wearings makes sense. Thanks to shorter gearing, it doesn’t take that long to wind fully either.

Note the tri-lobed chatons holding the arbors for the two enormous barrels.

One of the consequences of having such a long power reserve – despite a large movement diameter – is that the barrels take up a huge amount of space; this leaves little room for the balance wheel. Although larger balances carry more inertia and are generally more rate-stable, a smaller balance also uses less power to oscillate and permits an even longer power reserve. (Inertia varies with the square of the balance radius; energy requirements are linearly related to inertia).

There really isn’t a lot to say about the finishing, other than it’s commensurate with expectations of a watch in this (rarefied) price range. It’s excellent. Plenty of attention is paid to details, giving the watch a very three-dimensional, luminous quality; the variation in surface finishing is nice, too – matte blasting, anglage, perlage, brushing, polishing, darkened plates, sunburst stripes…

I think JLC made the right decision to not put a dial on this piece; the dial side of the movement holds the striking train and upper pivot jewels for many components, notably the entire repeater train. Watching the works in action is definitely one of the highlights of this piece. It also saves the owner from having to wear it upside down – this must be one of the few watches where the dial side of the movement is definitely more beautiful than the top plate.

Not much to say about the repeater slide, other than the action is quite long and firm; you don’t want to be accidentally half-activating the strike mechanism and risking a very hefty repair bill. I’d like to see a bit less vertical play in the slide; though I understand why some tolerances may be required for smooth operating. Despite the long slide, the watch still carries a 50m water resistance rating – though you’d be nuts to swim with it.

I leave you with one final image of the watch – it’s really a very warm, cinematic piece despite the rose gold indices; I think that blued steel hands and indices would contrast with the dial better, but people who know me will also know of my strong personal bias in that direction.

Now, does anybody know how I can get my hands on a Hybris Mechanica? MT

From:FratelloWatches RSS

Read Full Post »

www.jomadeals.com Tag Heuer Mercedes Benz SLR Calibre S Mens Watch CAG7010.FT6013. A killer watch for a great, last last-minute Christmas gift. Last chance for Christmas delivery. Thisdeal of the day is 95 (62% off the 00 retail price). Get it for Christmas with our FREE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING UPGRADE on this deal offer. Sale ends at midnight tonight (EST). December 22, 2009. Ive never gotten a car for Christmas. Chances are, unless youre like one of those brats from the show My Super Spoiled (sorry, I meant Sweet) Sixteen, you havent either (if you bought it yourself, thats a different story. Youre not spoiled, you rock. Unless your name is Heidi and Spencer. Then you still suck). Why? Well, for one, its way to big for Santa to carry in his bag. I know its supposed to be a magic bag and that he can fit anything in there, which is true, but come on. Be reasonable. Santa is not going to pull a car out of his bag and put it under your tree. Plus, his elves couldnt make a car. Sure, theyre skilled enough. But can you imagine the lawsuits that would happen if elves started making BMWs or Cadillacs? The car industry is in enough trouble as it is. So even though you wont be getting a Mercedes Benz this Christmas (again, if you are, we all hate you), you can at least get the Tag Heuer Mercedes Benz SLR Calibre watch. Its the masculine luxury watch that comes with all the options: Hybrid Electro-Mechanical movement, durable rubber strap, and a perpetual calendar that will be …
Video Rating: 3 / 5

Read Full Post »

For 2012, Girard Perregaux has added a minute repeater to their 1966 collection. With an enamel dial, applied gold Arabic numerals, blued hands and distinctive G-P movement bridges, it is a simple, elegant addition to the brand’s throwback line. The repeater’s tone is bright and clear, resonating through the 38mm rose gold case. No word yet on pricing.

From:HODINKEE

Read Full Post »

Cartier's first minute repeater watch, to be revealed at SIHH 2012.

Written by: Vanessa Formato

When it comes to this year’s Salon de la Haute Horologie (SIHH), Cartier Watches is pulling out all the stops. Among the many exciting reveals the luxury watch giants will be making at the event is their very first minute repeater watch, the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon.

Cartier has been anticipating this moment for some time now: the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon has been in development for approximately five years, making the upcoming reveal in Geneva all the more exciting. The watch will feature complications like its namesake flying tourbillon and minute repeater, as well as some elegant visual details like blue hands and accents on the titanium version, accompanied by Cartier’s signature Roman numerals on the face. The flying tourbillon and the repeater mechanisms are visible through the piece’s face, a design aspect that is sure to delight enthusiasts. The watch will also be available in pink gold.

The watch’s availability will be extremely limited. Cartier plans to release only 50 watches in each casing. In addition, only 20 of these artisanal watches can be produced per year, so the demand for the pieces is sure to quickly skyrocket. This isn’t a watch for the casual collector with price tags set at $ 287,000 for the titanium casing and $ 294,000 for the pink gold casing. Reportedly, there is also a diamond-accented version planned for future release.

A repeater is a complication that is capable of chiming the time at the press of a button (unlike striking clocks or watches, which sound the time at regular intervals). The increments of time that these watches are capable of tracking is dependent on the kind of repeater implemented. A minute repeater is capable of sounding the time down to the minute through a series of different tones to denote hours and minutes. Minute repeater watches were once a valuable and practical resource for watch-wearers operating in the dark as well as for the visually impaired, but light-up displays and other alternatives for the blind have largely taken their place. Today, they are primarily prized by watch enthusiasts for their intricacy and increasing rarity.

This year’s SIHH will be held January 16 through 20 in Geneva. The event is a private trade fair open only to invited individuals in the fine watch-making community.

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

Read Full Post »

Hublot Minute Repeater Tourbillon Swiss Replica Watch with Genuine Tourbillon made in Austria www.replicahause.net
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Read Full Post »

See more @ aBlogtoRead.com. Here the HUB 9000 manually would flying tourbillon minute repeater movement shows off its impressively loud and clear minute repeater mechanism. It is the Hublot Minute Repeater Tourbillon with a Confrerie Hublot in-house movement.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

Read Full Post »

www.hublot.com This limited edition (10 pieces) King Gold beauty was crafted in-house by the Confrêrerie Horlogère Hublot in Switzerland in our Nyon factory. The tourbillon and the minute repeater are two of the highest horology complications available. The skeleton movement gives a unique view into the inner workings of one of the most sophisticated pieces of horology out there.

Read Full Post »