SIHH 2009 – General presentation
Posted in omega on Feb 16th, 2012 No Comments »
www.thetimetv.com – SIHH General Manager, Fabienne Lupo, leads us behind the scene of the “Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie” 2009.
On Trend: A Look At The Time-Only Tourbillons Of SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Feb 13th, 2012 No Comments »
We’re not really one for “trend” here at HODINKEE. The term “trend” is used by fashion magazines when putting together a photo spread on watches with, for example, a blue face, or by the New York times to describe something that happened three years ago (hey-ho! jk, love you guys!). So, in this case, we’re going to call this micro-trend of SIHH a theme, instead.
One theme we noticed while in Geneva was the introduction of a type of watch that is a juxtaposition upon itself – a refined, elegant, time-only tourbillon of reasonable size – or a “timid time-only tourbillon.” Tourbillons are rarely of interest to people that truly understand wristwatches. The are, most of the time, kind of silly and a horological “peacocking” of sorts (of course there are notable exceptions, such as those incredible purpose-driven tourbillons from the likes of Greubel Forsey, Thomas Prescher, Richard Mille, and Jaeger-LeCoultre, plus the traditional tourbs from Patek Philippe, Laurent Ferrier, Vacheron Constantin, and A. Lange & Sohne.) In fact, there are few modern tourbillons that most watch guys would make the effort to save up for, purchase, and wear.
But, SIHH 2012 changed that. In fact, there were four tourbillons that really caught our eye, and not a single one of them features a perpetual calendar, a chronograph, or hell, even a date window (ok – a power reserve indication is present here and there but does that really count as a complication?). And, all four of them fall into the size range of 39mm-42mm (actually, one is 39mm, one is 40mm, one is 41mm, and the final is 42mm – so you can pick your millimeters). So, if you’re like us and have never really thought yourself a tourbillon guy, click through and take a look at these four understated, chic, and almost timid time-only tourbillons from SIHH 2012.
From:HODINKEE
Vacheron Constantin’s Newest Creations at SIHH
Posted in articles&news on Feb 10th, 2012 No Comments »
Vacheron Constantin unveiled its newest creations at the 22nd annual SIHH 2012 in Geneva Switzerland showcasing new additions to the Patrimony, Malte, & Metiers d’Art collections. Please enjoy the candid interview with Hugues de Pins, President of Vacheron Constantin North America!
Baume et Mercier Gives an Old Name a New Look at SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Jan 31st, 2012 No Comments »
Written by: Catherine Wolinski
The new Baume et Mercier Capeland model
As many luxury watch aficionados know, last Friday, Jan. 20, marked the conclusion of SIHH, or the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. In simplest terms, the SIHH is the annual event in which watchmakers an designers are invited to showcase their latest innovations. To date, the SIHH has held over 20 shows, proving its relevance for the fine watch sector of fashion. At this year’s conference, which took place between Jan. 16-20, one of the industry leaders that grabbed the attention of watch connoisseurs was Baume et Mercier, which introduced a new piece this year.
While SIHH 2011 saw the introduction of Baume & Mercier’s Capeland Flyback Chronograph, SIHH 2012 met a new contender of the collection—the same model with a few tweaks, namely a change in color. The new-yet-classic Capeland bears a black, rather than white, dial face, giving a fresh look to the old timepiece. Further aesthetic adjustments included a new layout with two registers (last year’s had 3) and gilt Breguet style hands that emphasize its vintage feel. The new model is otherwise the same, available in stainless steel or red gold, a diameter of 44 millimeters and thickness of 16 millimeters. The chronograph movement inside is a La Joux-Perret automatic bi-compax complete with flyback and date, and runs at 28,800, and boasts a power-reserve of 48 hours.
The new Baume et Mercier Capeland introduced at this year's SIHH
As a final touch, the piece is appropriately engraved with the Greek letter Phi, a symbol of balance and perfection. The model seems to achieve an equilibrium between loyalty to its past, and functionality in its future. The new Capeland does not stray too far from its ancestor chronograph introduced in 1948, yet it also succeeds in maintaining modern expectations of a luxury timepiece, and a somewhat shocking change in face color.
Presenters in Geneva this year at the 2012 Salon International de la Haute Horlgerie, which takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, were likely not shy to reintroduce themselves to fellow watch manufacturers and designers. The new look seems only to reinforce the poise of a brand that simultaneously upholds its traditional values while sustaining contemporary qualities.
SIHH Zenith Watches – Chronomaster 1969
Posted in articles&news on Jan 24th, 2012 No Comments »
Lots of amazing watches released at SIHH 2012 this year… with a fabulous lineup from Panerai as well as some very cool new offerings from Audemars Piguet and Cartier as well. One of my personal favourite pieces is the Chronomaster 1969 watches from Zenith. In particular, I really dig the standard Chronomaster 1969 Chronograph. This bad boy has a nice open heart dial and uses with very cool vintagey looking 1969 case.
I like my Chronomaster just fine, but this 1969 version has some understated, classic lines that just really call out to me. I will be buying one of these in the near future – just a matter of time!
Specs:
Movement El Primero 4061
Components: 282
Jewels: 31
Frequency: 36,000 VpH – (5 Hz)
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 42 mm
Crystal: Box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflection treatment on both sides
Case-back: Transparent sapphire crystal
IWC’s Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer is Hot at SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Jan 19th, 2012 No Comments »
Written by: Michael Arnold
The Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is well underway in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the 19 other luxury watch brands present, IWC Schaffhausen has been grabbing attention.
IWC’s Pilot Watches Collection includes five watches that are all unique in their own right. The most intriguing of the collection, perhaps, is the Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer. It has attracted so much attention from the SIHH clientele because the Worldtimer is a watch that truly caters to a wealthy traveling class of people.
The watch face has a lot going on – large numerals and a 24 hour ring surrounded by the 24 time zones of the world. Worldtimer owners can know the time in both Paris and Samoa with just a glance at their wrists. The watch’s dial is bulky, but allows the wearer to change the time zone accordingly with ease.
Obviously this type of watch will be most appealing to travelers. It eliminates the need for time zone conversions when set properly. Business-people, frequent vacationers and, of course, pilots will be mutual beneficiaries of this timepiece.
In addition to utility, the Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer has a very cool look. It’s sleek 45mm stainless steel case is as strong as it looks. It’s coated by convex sapphire crystals with anti-reflective coatings. The Worldtimer’s soft iron inner case protects it from magnetic disruption so its wearer can trust that it will stay accurate over the course of extensive travels.
A water resistant watch is a must, but this timepiece goes above and beyond. It can be submerged in up to 200 feet of water and still function properly. The Worldtimer is powered by the Caliber 30750 mechanical movement, a self winding movement that is built on 31 jewels.
In terms of aesthetics, its black alligator strap meshes quite nicely with the stainless steel case. It is elegant, yet very utility – a neat combination of attractiveness and usefulness.
The Pilot’s Watch Worldtimer is a hot item at the SIHH 2012. It is rivaling other top brands because of its many great attributes. Beyond SIHH, high class travelers worldwide should look into this timepiece. It’s currently at the best of its kind, rendering other travel watches obsolete.
IWC Pilot's Watch Worldtimer.
Panerai SIHH 2012 Watch New Releases – Full List of 18
Posted in articles&news on Jan 18th, 2012 No Comments »
Here are all the Panerai Releases for SIHH 2012 this year.. they really pulled a quick one on everyone, sneaking in several surprise models that we were not aware were coming out. A nice spread of new watches from Panerai this year totalling 18 watches, with a few announced earlier than SIHH. Some notables include the black coated movements and only two new watches using non-in-house movements, both special editions. The introduction of the two watches featuring the 1940′s style Radiomir case is also a highlight, which is also the same two watches using the non-in-house movements. The 1940′s Radiomir is basically a Radiomir case with Luminor style lugs. Strange isn’t it? Anyway.. Here they are!
Panerai PAM 424 – PAM00424
Radiomir California 3 Days
P.3000 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 425 – PAM00425
Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days
P.3000 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 421 – PAM00421
Radiomir 3 Days GMT Oro Rosso
P.3001 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 422 – PAM00422
Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days
P.3001 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 423 – PAM00423
Luminor 1950 3 Days Power Reserve
P.3002 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 439 – PAM00439
Radiomir Oro Rosso
P.999 Movement
42mm
Panerai PAM 441 – PAM00441
Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Ceramica
P.9001 Movement
44mm
Panerai PAM 438 – PAM00438
Tuttonero Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Ceramica
P.9001/B Movement (Black colored 9001 Movement)
44mm
Panerai PAM 388 – PAM00388
Radiomir Black Seal 3 Days Automatic
P.9000 Movement
45mm
Panerai PAM 392 – PAM00392
Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic
P.9000 Movement
42mm
Panerai PAM 393 – PAM00393
Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic Oro Rosso
42mm
Panerai PAM 323 – PAM00323
Radiomir 10 Days GMT
P.2003/6 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 396 – PAM00396
Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT Ceramica
P.2005/B Movement
48mm
Panerai PAM 448 – PAM00448
Radiomir California 3 Days (Limited Edition of 500)
P.3000 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 449 – PAM00449
Radiomir S.L.C. 3 Days (Limited Edition of 500)
P.3000 Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 399 – PAM00399
Radiomir 1940 (Limited Edition of 100)
OP XXVII Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 398 – PAM00398
Radiomir 1940 Oro Rosso (Limited Edition of 100)
OP XXVII Movement
47mm
Panerai PAM 395 – PAM00395
Radiomir 8 Days GMT Oro Rosso
P.2002/10 Movement
45mm
IWC Top Gun Booth at SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Jan 18th, 2012 No Comments »
The IWC Top Gun booth is an incredible looking display. I watched the timelapse video of the booth’s assembly on the IWC site, and its very cool. Hope you guys enjoy IWC’s booth videos!
Here is a video of the creators talking about how they created the booth, it includes cool CGI video of a fly-through of the booth as well. :
And here is the Timelapse video of the booth’s creation:
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15202ST – A New Version Introduced At SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Jan 18th, 2012 No Comments »
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’, or ref.15202ST has always been one of our favorite – perhaps even the favorite – stainless steel luxury sports watch. Designed by Genta, this watch already has seen a lot of coverage here at Fratellowatches (most popular topics here, here and here). During the SIHH 2012 in Geneva, Audemars Piguet introduced an appropriate successor of the current ‘Jumbo’ ref.15202ST, the ‘Jumbo’ ref.15202ST. That’s right, nothing changes in the naming or reference number, only the watch itself changes a tiny bit.
Picture via Perpetuelle
Changed in a good way, as a lot of collectors and enthusiasts have longed for these changes for quite some time. With this new version, AP took this watch back to its original roots of 1972, with the company’s logo located at 6 o’clock. The date wheel has been painted black (instead of white) and the tapisserie has become a bit smaller. Additionally, AP dropped the printed Arabic numerals above the hour markers and made these hour markers a bit longer. The white frame around the date aperture also disappeared. What stayed, is the size of 39mm in diameter – it wears a tad bit larger though – and the beautiful caliber 2121 (based on the 2120, which had no date). This movement is still derrived from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s caliber 920, as introduced in 1969. Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin also used this movement for a long time, but Audemars Piguet is the manufacture entitled to use it (in license). The engraving on the rotor changed a bit, AP seems to have added a ‘hobnail’ motif to the massive gold weight.
Above, you’ll see a photo or RJ’s 2006 ref.15202ST Royal Oak, the current ‘Jumbo’ with charcoal dial. There is no update yet on availability and pricing of the new AP Royal Oak Jumbo. The current AP RO Jumbo ref.15202ST has a list price of 17900,- EUR. We suspect that the new AP RO Jumbo will have an even more serious price tag. Nevertheless, we are impressed by the new Jumbo.
Live photos of the new Royal Oak can be admired in this post at Hodinkee. More live photos of the SIHH 2012 can be found at Watchlounge, here.
From:FratelloWatches RSS
Panerai is Set to Impress at the SIHH 2012
Posted in articles&news on Jan 17th, 2012 No Comments »
Written by: Michael Arnold
The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), a private event in Geneva, Switzerland that exhibits luxury watch brands, is but a few days away.
Last month, Panerai released its preview for the 2012 event – and this timepiece is sure to impress. Only 18 exhibitors will be present at this esteemed event, and only 12,500 privileged guests will be in attendance.
The Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic is a 47mm vintage watch. The timepiece is comprised of 21 jewels and two spring barrels. It is a limited edition timepiece, with only 2,000 in circulation.
It has a classy brown leather strap and a stainless steel case. The dial of the watch is covered by a 3mm thick plexiglass crystal, and its watch face is marked with Panerai’s classic large Arabic numerals. Truly a marvel.
And that’s exactly what the guests at the SIHH 2012 will be doing - marveling. This high class event is any watch lovers dream. 30,000 square meters of exhibition space, 1,500 represented points of sale and 1,200 journalists to cover it all makes SIHH the luxury watch event of the year, every year.
A bevy of international watch brands will be showcasing their newest and most spectacular designs, “the result of often years of intensive research” according to the SIHH 2012 official website.
“Perfection through Tradition,” is the mantra of this event. The SIHH values ingenuity in the industry, but equally supports the notion of presenting watches that are defined by “craftsmanship and technique.” The Luminor Marina 1950 will fit right in, for obvious reasons.
The Luminor Marina 1950 finished its debut at a Milan exhibition called “The “O’Clock – time design, design time,” earlier this week, just in time for the SIHH. This event fostered quite a different vibe than the upscale and traditional SIHH event usually does. Rooted in exploring the relationship between time and design, the contemporary Milan exhibition used Panerai’s vintage, chic watch in an “in-depth reflection about time.”
Its versatile audience makes the Luminor Marina 1950 one of the hottest and most highly anticipated items in luxury watches this year.
The Panerai Luminor Marina 1950.
