Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Best watch videos #1: How it's made Panerai Luminor Marina Caliber P.9000

Since I fell in love with watches, I have been amazed at the wealth of beautiful videos about watches available online. At the same time I have been amazed at how difficult they are to find. I will be periodically posting some of the best videos I find about watches.

This first one is a how it's made video (in two parts and in 1080 HD) about the Panerai Caliber P.9000 and the Luminor Marina 44mm that uses the movement.





I think this video is extremely interesting but also speaks to how watches are manufactured now. With the exception of extremely fine watches (above 20,000 USD retail usually), fine watches are largely made by machines with human-machine intervention. Panerai perhaps isn't the best example of handmade watches but future videos will be show more of that.

Monday, October 29, 2012

King at last!: facts, myths, and opinions about Rolex.

What's the best watch in the world?
Rolex, of course.

At least that's the answer you would get from the vast majority of people around the world. The most powerful brand in watches and the one with the most sales (at 3 billion dollars annually). It's also the highest grossing watch brand in important developing markets like China. At around one million watches a year, the Genevan manufacturer is truly the industry king.

But since this is not a business blog so let's get down to business.

I had wanted a rolex since probably conception. They were mystical and I had heard many (untrue) things about them, the most common being:

They're the most accurate watch (some exaggerate to say they're never off)
They're the most durable watch
They're the most expensive watches (I think Greubel Forsey begs to differ)
They make the best watches (definitely not true on an absolute scale)

Not only are those bits of lore ridiculous, Rolex isn't even close to being the most technically advanced watch with the most complicated piece being the Yacht-Master II or the new Sky Dweller with the dateless Daytona coming in a close third.


The 2012 Sky Dweller is the most complicated Rolex watch currently in production


Now before I get angry emails and death threats about my criticisms, Rolex deserves a lot of credit for the things they did do:

First water resistent watch
Helium escape valve for saturation diving
Reach the bottom of the Mariana trench twice (tried but didn't quite make it to the moon...)
Brand that is not named after anyone but rather easy to pronounce
First GMT watch
Most copied design AND most faked watch (an amazing achievement)
Other "firsts" are written but are a bit more dubious


Undeniably cool


Rolex was also worn by some pretty cool people like Che Guvera, James Bond, The Pope, and every other rich/powerful/famous person ever.

In my next post I'll be reviewing what I see as the embodiment of the Rolex brand, the 14060M No-Date Submariner in 904L Stainless Steel.

Now for the rest of the post I get to be silly and rant a bit:

Rolexes are also very durable and well designed as a tool watch, but paving a tool watch with colored diamonds and having it in 18K gold seems slightly counter intuitive to me, just like a gold plated vacuum cleaner.


Complete 24K Gold Plated Vacuum cleaner nonsense
(just get a Dyson)

Cool rainbow Rolex nonsense


Sexual innuendo Rolex nonsense

The most vulgar watch in existence: Rolex Daytona Leopard
Price? Priceless
Available at Amazon 


Although we're not really into celebrities here at Horolograph, it's fun to note that apparently Miley Cyrus has already gotten her paws on the new and slightly obscene rainbow Rolex Daytona above. Rumor websites say the price is at least 100,000 dollars but I would wait for an official figure :

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Journey of Reverso: Part 4.1 (Reverso Duo Pre-Harmonized MKI/Day & Night)

We finally come back to one of my favorites, the Reverso. The reverso duo is one of the most practical incarnations of the Reverso, especially for travelers. This part is about the original Reverso Duo released in 1994 which was subsequently replaced 10 years later in 2004 with the "harmonized" version (more on the differences later).






A few wristshots on my 6.5" wrist


This particular model is modestly sized at 26mm x 42mm x 10mm which is more or less the same size as the Reverso GT. This iteration features a diamond patterned guilloche on the white "day" dial and a radiating wave guilloche pattern on the black "night" dial. The hands on the day side are blued while the hand on the back are lumed with tritium. Overall, the dials are very pleasing to the eye and my favorite part is the rectangular seconds hand frame contrasted with the round 24 hour indicator on the back.


Photo courtesy of JLC
The specs for this piece are:
Ref. 270.8.54
26 x 42 x 10 mm
JLC Caliber 854/1
Dual time zones, back hour hand adjusted in one hour increments via pusher
3.8mm high
KIF shock protection
Flat hairspring
180 parts
21,600 vph
45 hr power reserve
Not water resistant (pre-harmonized version)
Price: around 6500 USD at release on leather band
Note: This piece also came in a white gold version with a slightly different movement that had a day/night indicator on the black side.


A point of minor complaint


The size was pretty good for me, although perhaps a tad too long, making it seesaw a bit on my bony wrist. The bracelet was comfortable and extremely well finished but has no fine adjustment on the plain butterfly clasp. The bracelet is held together by spring bars which makes adding links quite easy. I have to say that the lume is completely useless but it's not really expected that anyone use it anyways. The pushpiece to advance the "night" hour hand works pretty well and can be operated via toothpick or the dedicated pushing tool provided. While I like to have a date mechanism, that would somewhat ruin the beauty of the piece. I just have to say, this is a superb piece, the size is perfect and the functions are useful.

For more technical information, the old Purists site has a great page on this piece:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/234648/thread/1055687624/Reverso+Duo+Technical+Drawing+Pls

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos jump and Zenith El Primero (also Urwerk's Felix Baumgartner)

The jump has been delayed to Sunday October 14th 2012 at 8:30 MDT
This will be their last chance as there is only one useable balloon left and it turned out that it worked out great. The BBC is working on a documentary to be out sometime in November.

Any moment day now, Felix Baumgartner (the skydiver) will ascend to some 36 km into the stratosphere on 30 million square feet of helium. And then there's the jumping part too of course. Although Red Bull is the primary sponsor of this endeavor, co-sponsoring is Zenith, the LVMH owned maker of the famed and widely used El Primero (think Rolex Daytona, Louis Vuitton LV277, and Dior Chiffre Rouge).

Felix is also a Zenith ambassador

The Zenith El Primero Stratos Striking 10th Flyback Chronograph that Felix will be wearing during the jump

Felix's jump will be launched at Roswell, New Mexico, USA and land hopefully in the vicinity of launch. During this, four world records will be broken: Highest manned balloon flight, fastest human freefall (Joe Kittinger's supersonic speed was unverified and disputed and verified at Mach 0.9), highest skydive, and fastest human without propulsion.


Current record holder for the highest freefall in 1960, Joseph Kittinger 





Since we love specs here at Horolograph, here they are for the Zenith Stratos:

Cal 4057B
13.25''' (30 mm)
6.6 mm thick
326 parts, 31 jewels
36,000 VPH
50+ Hour power reserve, self winding
1/10th second chronograph function
Date function

Case:
45.5mm
Sapphire case back (strange for this kind of watch)
Water resistent 10 atm


It's also worth mentioning that there is another Felix Baumgartner, and he's a watchmaker and the co-founder of Urwerk. Perhaps Felix should be wearing an Urwerk during the jump since I've come to realize that most modern mechanical watches can survive even rather extreme conditions.


Saturday, October 6, 2012

The H-List: #2 Seiko Credor Eichi (GBLR999)

This post was originally going to be titled: Philippe Dufour Simplicity, but I believe there is another watch that is on the same plane. Admiration for a time piece for me comes not only out of complexity and novelty, but also from excellence in execution. The Credor Eichi is the horological pinnacle of the Japanese concept of Kaizen, or continuous improvement. Personally I think this is one of the most elegant watches in the world, with the appropriate dash of edginess from the three numbers on the dial.



Not much needs to be said about the 25 watches, it's 35 mm and Pt950 platinum, with a Noritake porcelain dial with the numbers 2, 4 and 7 in subtle white. It retailed for around 70,000 USD but is no longer made. The specifications of the movement are largely irrelevant except for the fact that it is regulated by Seiko's spring drive technology.



Seiko's spring drive technology is described by the video below and is basically a quartz regulator mechanism that generates its own power from the mainspring. There is some debate on whether this is an improvement (due to its +/- 15 seconds per month rate) or deviation (due to inclusion of electronic components) upon the swiss lever escapement but as long as Seiko stays around, it certainly will prove no issue for servicing. I feel somewhat ambivalent towards Spring Drive, although it is in most empirical terms a superior technology, I do not yet feel ready to have electronic components inside a watch of such a high mechanical level, but perhaps one day I will accept it.



I was unable to obtain any more press photos for the watch bu SJX has many real life scans over at his blog:
http://www.watchesbysjx.com/2011/12/one-of-finest-finished-watches-in-world.html

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Review of LeCoultre Memovox ref. 2677 cal. K910

With this post, I think my blog is starting to turn into a JLC blog, but do not despair my friends, there will be non-JLC watches. But today is not that day.




The Memovox is somewhat of a cult watch, if such a title can be given to anything other than the Rolex Submariner or Omega Speedmaster. Although it is certainly not the first alarm watch, it's definitely the most well known. Debuted in 1951 with the Cal. 489 (developed in 1949) and followed by 12 versions ending with the Cal. 956 used in the current Memovox. Only the most recent 5 movement references (Cal. 919, 918, 914, 909/1, 956) starting in 1989 with the Grand Reveil perpetual calendar/alarm and its Cal 919. These ringing Memovoxes use a gong to make a bell ringing sound, the others all used a vibrating hammer that makes the sound shown in the video in my previous post.




Some specs of the example I have:

LeCoultre (with VXN stamped on the movement) movement for the US market
Model Ref. 2677
Circa 1962-1964
Cal. 910
Movement introduced in 1962
Two mainsprings (one for time and one for alarm)
17 Jewels
13''' (29.3 mm) diameter, 5.15 mm thickness
KIF flector antishock
3 bridge design (as opposed to the 3/4 design)
Glucydur balance
19,800 vph




Watch is 34.5mm diameter, 38 mm long, 10 mm thick (including high domed acrylic crystal).
Stainless steel made by the Star Watch Case Co. in Michigan (now defunct)
Monocoque case design (movement can only be removed from the front by removing the crystal)
Applied markers with tritium paint, with typical 1960's arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9.
Silver dial with "T Swiss T" marked at the bottom.
Lug width 19mm


The movement itself requires a typical 40 turns to fully wind and lasts approximately 36 hours (never measured). The watch is not water resistant in any way whatsoever, like most vintage watches, so water must be avoided like the plague.




There's not all that much to say about the watch except a few points about purchasing. Overall it's very wearable and, at least for my small 6.5 inch wrist, is a pleasure to wear. 19mm straps used on most memovoxes are not a standard size and may prove more difficult to get, but it's only a minor nuisance. The alarm is an interesting complication although not the most useful given it's 10 second duration and 50 decibel loudness. It's by no means a piece of haute horologerie and the American made LeCoultre cases reflect this more so than its European counterparts marked Jaeger LeCoultre. The movements for both markets are the exact same but the cases are not held to the same esteem. The case on my example has unbeveled lugs that appear quite industrial. Some American cases can be up to the Swiss made standards but it's more misses than hits.




Regarding the materials, many US Memovoxes are gold filled, which means that the case is made of some nonprecious base metal which is covered in 14 or 18 karat gold foil at least 1/10th the weight of the case itself.  While these cases have gold much thicker than gold plating would allow, I prefer either solid stainless steel cases or solid gold cases. Gold plating, gold filling, and even rhodium plated white gold feel like a bit of a lie to me. To quote my friend Amanico over at Purists "Gold filled is like bastards, neither gold nor steel." This is, of course a sack full of personal opinion and you should always buy whatever makes you happy.



Memovox Video


My video demonstrating the sound of vibrating Jaeger LeCoultre Memovoxes. Full review and scans in the next post.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Comparison: Patek 215 PS versus Vacheron Constantin 1400

While the Calatrava seems to garnish all the attention, one often overlooked but worthy opponent is the Patrimony by Vacheron Constantin, especially the Contemporary in platinum with a platinum dial (pt950). The two are often eerily similar, both using refined JLC ebauches. In this case, the ultra thin automatic JLC Cal. 920 spawns three great movements: The Patek 28-255C, the VC 1120, and AP 2121. The Patek and VC are both similarly finished (despite Patek's recent migration to its own PP seal instead of the Geneva Seal) with a Gyromax free sprung balance.



However, recently things have taken a turn, and since manufacturers like Breitling are even no longer satisfied using ebauches, both watches have started to migrate towards in-house movements. The VC now uses the VC Cal. 1400 and the Patek uses their Cal. 215 PS. Being very much so a movement enthusiast, it's disappointing that although prima facie, the two movements look similar, closer inspection reveals the superiority of the Patek. One reason is perhaps the price difference of USD 7,700 (Patek is USD 39,600 and VC is USD 31,900) which can buy a steel JLC Master Control with money saved. Another is Vacheron's relative inexperience in making movements, while a superb finisher and complication builder, Vacheron acquired HDG in 1998 in order to establish VCVJ (Vacheron Constantin Vallee de Joux) which now does all the component manufacturing for the company. The 1400 was the first movement by the renamed establishment and so the less than perfect mainplate finish could be forgiven.

Philippe Dufour is reported to have complimented on the finish of the 1400, but he seems not to have gotten a look underneath the main bridges. The bridges are indeed beautiful and more elegantly shaped than the Patek with the only visible complaint being the lack of a free sprung balance wheel.




(Photo from VC via The Hour Lounge)

A superb review of the 215 can be found at timezone: http://people.timezone.com/library/horologium/horologium631671451971451015
(Photo from Purists)

and a review by ei8htohms of the 1400 reviews its minor shortcomings on Purists.

The movements are pretty similar, both are 9''' (21.9 mm), 28,800 vph, the Patek is 2.55 mm thick and 18 jeweled and the VC is 2.6 mm and 20 jeweled. Both were Geneva Seal but recently the Patek bears the PP seal. According to watchtime, the Patek is extremely accurate with a max deviation of 3 seconds and averaging a mere +0.2 seconds a day while the VC deviates a max of 6 seconds averaging +1.5 seconds a day.

Let me know in the comments what you think, or does the accuracy not matter since both are dress watches anyways.