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Vacheron Constantin launches Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

The decoration is exquisite and complicated.

Vacheron Constantin luxury starts the new year with Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus. Bacchus is a large double-sided complication that is part of the brand’s annual collection of unique timepieces. Bacchus is one of the most complicated watches produced by Vacheron Constantin, thanks to cal. 2755 GC16 is composed of more than 800 parts.

Although the Geneva watchmaker used variants of the same caliber in its past watches, due to its case decoration, including hand engraving and gem inlays, a vine-patterned relief was formed on both sides of the case, even when It is also unusual among its siblings.

Bacchus is a grand complication that makes a statement, and belongs to the same category of watches as the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon. It is very large and very complicated, and it is impossible to miss it on the wrist.

Although a one-off creation, Bacchus is not Vacheron Constantin’s first double-sided complication. In fact, the past few models, especially the 2018 Phoenix, contain variants of the same caliber as Bacchus. But Bacchus has a unique decoration and is in fact one of the most exquisite decorations to date.

Vacheron Constantin’s large complications are often carved, but Bacchus seems to be the first — or at least the first public display — to use gems as part of the carved pattern. Although the gorgeous style is not for everyone, it is impressive in terms of craftsmanship and execution. Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus

The brand will not disclose the price of this watch, but similar models in the past are priced between 2-3 million U.S. dollars, and it will not be easily affordable. In other words, this kind of watch usually sells very quickly, especially in the past few years, Vacheron Constantin has organized suitcase exhibitions in major cities around the world. Or maybe Bacchus is designed for a client who likes drinking and complex functions.

The fantasy of a winemaker
The 18k rose gold case has a diameter of 47 mm and a height of 19.1 mm, providing plenty of engraving space for almost all surfaces. The bezel, lugs and back are all engraved with repeated vine patterns, but the most delicate decoration is on the side of the case.

Case decoration requires the exquisite skills of engravers and gem setters, and it takes about 300 hours to complete. Both sides of the case are embossed, engraved with vines and rubies, of which about 113, with a total weight of 1.84 carats.

The process starts with the outline of the engraved pattern and the groove of the ruby. Then, the gem setter sets the cabochon-cut ruby, and then returns the case to the engraver for the final step to complete the engraving by adding clarity and depth. Discount cheap watch

In the big case, it is cal. 2755 is a manual winding movement, derived from the movement developed for the Tour de l’Ile. This is a super complication created for the 250th anniversary of Vacheron Constantin in 2005.

Although simpler than the Tour de l’Ile movement, cal 2755 still has a long list of complications-explaining the number of its 839 parts-including a perpetual calendar with a time equation, a minute repeater and a star chart on the back.

The front of the watch also contains a perpetual calendar, power reserve and tourbillon, while the back contains a star map and sidereal time display.

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Grande Complication Bacchus
Ref. 9700C/000R-B755

Diameter: 47 mm
Height: 19.1 mm
Material: 18k rose gold set with 113 1.84 carat rubies
Crystal: Sapphire
Waterproof performance: not waterproof

Movement: Carl. 2755 GC16
Functions: Time, minute repeater, perpetual calendar with time equation, sunrise and sunset times, power reserve indicator and tourbillon regulator; on the back, the starry sky chart with sidereal time and zodiac calendar winds up the chain
: Hand wind
Frequency: 18,000 times per hour (2.5 Hz)
Power reserve: 58 hours

Strap: Alligator leather hand-engraved folding clasp

Eric Clapton’s Patek Philippe white gold 5970 with “brick” bracelet

One of the best things that have happened in the past two years is my close friendship with a gentleman who asked to remain semi-anonymous for the purpose of this story because he is a collector. skeleton watches

Thanks to the recommendation of Auro Montanari, we were able to have dinner together in Singapore, and it hit it off. My friend is tall, elegant, and likes relaxed Italian tailoring, dressed in an irresistible way for a truly fashionable man. He is not only one of the most important watch collectors in the world, but also sells two of the most iconic watches in the world-Rolex ref. 6062 “Bao Dai”, and Patek Philippe reference steel. 1518 achieved 11 million Swiss francs in 2016-helping Aurel Bacs and Phillips become outstanding auctioneers and high-end antique watch auction houses in the new millennium. To say that the gentleman set a high watermark on the clock when he was by his side is perhaps one of the most understatement in history.

For the purpose of this story, we will call him H. H provides me with advice on watches and tailors from time to time, and I am always happy to receive these suggestions. So I am waiting with a certain curiosity for his arrival at the Patek Philippe Watch Art Exhibition held in Singapore last year. Never disappointing, H showed up with an excellent platinum Patek Philippe reference. 5970 is engraved on a “brick” bracelet with Breguet numbers. Of course, this is interesting because there is no conventional production version of the iconic Lemania 2310, CH27-70 driven perpetual calendar chronograph manufactured by Patek Philippe. In fact, H’s watch used to belong to the person who best introduced Breguet numbers into the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph: Eric Clapton.

In fact, these indexes have become the iconic themes of Clapton’s special customized watches, which fully demonstrate his taste and understanding of Patek Philippe’s history. Because since Patek Philippe first introduced the perpetual calendar chronograph in the references. In 1941 and 1518, there was no perpetual calendar chronograph equipped with Breguet digital dials. The Breguet numbers simply reappear on the reference dial. 5170 chronograph, and later ref. 5370 split-second chronograph. This dial is in the most coveted retro chronograph ref. 130 and reference. 1463, and their minute and second version, reference. 1436 and reference. 1563. The Breguet digital dial is generally regarded by collectors as the most beautiful variant of these models, adding a very considerable premium to the value of the watch.

Therefore, it is absolutely reasonable that the shrewd Clapton would ask for these numbers on his one-of-a-kind watch. We have seen that Breguet numbers are usually limited to the 12 o’clock position in the references. 3970 and reference. 5004 watch, but why?

Well, the case size of these watches is relatively small, only 36.7 mm, so the space on the dial is already limited. Now add the fact that Clapton always orders watches with a speedometer, which is a reference for regular production. 3970 and reference. There is no 5004 watch, and the available space on the dial is greatly reduced. By the way, the tachymeter is a good inclusion because it also quotes references. 1518 and reference. 2499 The first and second generation watches, this is the most collectible Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph ever. However, once you add the Breguet 12 and the speedometer, the available space is only enough for the baton marker, or, in the case of Clapton, the genius application of point markers. discount watches

Why do I think this is a blow of genius? Because if you look at Patek Philippe vintage chronographs, such as ref. 130 and reference. In 1463, you will see that, in general, these dots are combined with Roman marks, especially the index at 12 o’clock in Rome. But this unusual combination of Breguet 12, dot markers and speedometer is the most beautiful dial combination ever made in my opinion.

Once collected by CBE Eric Clapton, a Patek Philippe rose gold watch. 3970 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with silver-plated tachymeter panel and applied Breguet numerals at 12 o’clock.

Once collected by CBE Eric Clapton, a Patek Philippe rose gold watch. The 5004 Perpetual Calendar Dual-Second Chronograph with a special black tachymeter panel and Breguet numerals at 12 o’clock; this watch is currently the permanent collection of The Hour Glass.

Hollywood super agent Michael Ovitz (Michael Ovitz) was obviously inspired by Clapton in his special watch. He basically got the same watch, but with a Roman 12 o’clock hour marker, and he added luminous hands and markers, which fell into the minute track due to space constraints.

Patek Philippe must also like these dials, because they use the Eric Clapton configuration for reference. 3970 watches are five rumored works for the 2015 London Watch Art Exhibition. Despite the configuration they chose — rose gold with black dial and Breguet 12, dot markings and white printed speedometer — they had never used a Clapton reference in any previous time. 3970, it is used in the above references. 5004 was sold in 2016 and is now in the permanent collection of Singapore’s The Hour Glass.

When Patek Philippe reference. 5970 was launched in 2004, and Clapton was suddenly provided with an exciting new possibility, which boiled down to a huge difference between the 40mm ref. 5970 and 36.7 mm reference. 3970/5004: Available dialing space. referee. The 5970 offers more dial space than its predecessor, which means that even if the watch is already equipped with a beautiful bold speedometer as standard, Clapton can commission a watch with a full set of Breguet digital time scales. (When I say “full”, I mean 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 11, and 12, because the sub-dials of the watch encroach on the space normally occupied by the 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9 indices.

And that’s exactly what he did-but this time, he ordered more than just a watch, but a set of four references. In the 5970s, all were equipped with Breguet digital dials and matching metal brick bracelets. This was one of the most coveted special order upgrades. It is important to understand that against the historical background of the perpetual calendar chronograph, Patek Philippe has never sold a “brick” bracelet separately, but only as part of a very important customer’s special order. In fact, it is only with reference. 5270 in 2018 and reference. 5204 In 2016, these bracelets entered the regular production lineup. But the point is, in the context of 2006, you must be The Man to order a watch with a brick bracelet; you must be a legend to order a watch with a special dial; you must…well, basically Eric · Eric Clapton ordered four referees. 5970 watches, all with Breguet numbers and “brick” bracelets.

Because I have the opportunity to check and photograph this amazing reference. 5970 Close up, I decided to make this story around it. I was shocked by how amazing it was and the fact that Clapton seemed to really love it. If you look at the ref conditions. 3970s and references. 5004 is sold at Phillips, and those look relatively unworn. Another interesting thing is the Breguet number used in Clapton’s references. The 5970s is completely different from the one used on his ref. 3970 and reference. 5004 watches.

You can clearly see the Breguet number on the reference. The 5970 is taller and thinner, while smaller watches use more compact, thicker, and more square fonts. I can’t think of someone cooler and more suitable than my good friend H to own this masterpiece, and I am very happy to know that it will eventually be completed by him.

TAG Heuer Monaco

Steve McQueen gave the SWISS watch to Haig Alltounian, the chief mechanic of Le Mans. As Alltounian said in the 2015 documentary “Steve McQueen: Man and Le Mans,” when McQueen handed the watch to Haig, he said, “Thank you for letting me live for these months.” Although Haig refused to accept it and suggested that McQueen give it to his wife or son, McQueen told him that he could not, because Haig’s name was already on it, and he quoted the inscription on the back of the case, “To Haig Le Mans 1970”. In 1971, an updated version of the 1133 model released an improved movement-Calibre 12-designed to increase the limited efficiency of the micro-rotor and increase the strength of the mainspring of Calibre 11. The beating frequency increased from 2.75 Hz (19,800 vibrations per hour) to 3.0 Hz (21,600 vph). One obvious difference between Calibre 11 and Calibre 12 is the color of the motherboard, which changes from silver to gold.

A year later, fierce competition in the watch market and the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the US dollar have almost doubled the retail price of Swiss watches. It is recommended that TAG Heuer develop a cheaper self-winding chronograph movement-Calibre 15-to be integrated in Monaco 1533B (blue dial) and 1533G (grey dial), as well as some Carrera an Autavia models, to reduce retail prices. In these models, the 12-hour chronograph is replaced by a continuous seconds display that is strangely located at 10 o’clock. Compared to reference 1133, reference 1533 also uses a more traditional radial hour marker.

In 1972, TAG Heuer also introduced the Monaco 73633 powered by the manual winding movement Valjoux 7736. The use of this movement brought several changes to the watch, the most obvious being that the crown moved back to the right. The date at 6 o’clock is removed to make room for consecutive seconds for the third subdial. And, of course, there is no description of “automatic chronograph”.

There are two versions to choose from: blue dial with white registers (73633B) and gray with gray or black registers (73633G).

With the release of Monaco 74033 in 1974, Heuer returned to the original dial layout. Equipped with Valjoux 7740 manual movement, 74033 has a thinner case than the reference 1133 and has a right-hand crown.

Together with the typical blue and gray dial version, TAG Heuer also created a small part of the black PVD coated Monaco reference 74033N (where N stands for black, black in French), but it was never included in the catalog. This model is called “The Dark Lord” by collectors and is extremely rare. According to Jack Hoya, a total of 100-200 units were produced.

Due to its radical design and unusual square case, Monaco’s success was limited. After the last attempt of the black 74033N, TAG Heuer decided to stop production.

Most experts agree that the production of various Monaco references during 1969-1975 was about 4,000-4,500 units.

But this is only the first part of the model’s history. In fact, at the end of the 1990s, Monaco re-emerged, this time with great success.

Prior to this, it is worth mentioning that in 1985, TAG Group (Techniques d’Avant-Garde) acquired a majority stake in Heuer and formed TAG Heuer.

The newly renamed cheap TAG Heuer modernized its product line and significantly increased its global sales (from 66 million Swiss francs in 1988 to 420 million Swiss francs in 1996). The financial success enabled the company to Listed on the Swiss and New York stock exchanges in September 1996.

In 1998, TAG Heuer realized the value of its heritage and decided to launch the “Re-Edition” series, a series of Carrera and Monaco timepieces inspired by the classic Heuer chronographs of the 1960s.

To promote Monaco, TAG Heuer contacted Steve McQueen’s son Chad McQueen to negotiate the right to use his father’s photo that died in 1980.

The first version of Monaco is a reference CS2110, with a black flat dial and old Heuer shield, a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, a second hand at 3 o’clock, and a date at 6 o’clock. The Monaco CS2110 is limited to 5,000 pieces and has a redesigned case with a winding crown and new buttons at 3 o’clock. Inside is an ETA 2894 automatic movement.

This remake has achieved huge sales and great success, so TAG Heuer quickly added new variants, such as the reference CS2111, which also produced 5,000 units, featuring an engraved black dial and three counters.

In 1999, luxury goods giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) S.A. made a takeover offer, which was accepted and led to LVMH owning nearly 100% of the Swiss company’s shares.

Tag-heuer MONACO CALIBRE 11 AUTOMATIC CHRONOGRAPH watch CAW211D.FC6300

In 2003, the first Monaco model released under the LVMH banner was the reference CW2113, which featured the current TAG Heuer logo instead of the historic Heuer logo used in the “Re-Edition” series (CS210 and CS2111).

Reference CW2113 is also the first Monaco model with a real square case. In fact, although all previous versions were slightly rectangular (40 mm x 38 mm), this model is 38 mm x 38 mm. This model is powered by an automatic Calibre 17 based on the ETA 2894-2 movement.

During this period, following the acquisition of LVMH, TAG Heuer began to enter the more high-end watch category, as evidenced by the Monaco V4 concept watch. The prototype was launched at the Baselworld trade show in 2004 and caused a sensation in the industry as the world’s first watch that uses belt transmission, linear mass and ball bearings instead of traditional wheels and pinions.

This movement was inspired by car engines and was designed by Jean-François Ruchonnet with the help of master watchmaker Philippe Dufour. The goal of this model is to reconfirm that TAG Heuer is a manufacturer of its own movements. Built around a revolutionary movement, the square case has been slightly redesigned with soft edges.

The project has undergone various changes and improvements. After five years of testing, Monaco V4 is finally ready to be put into production. In 2009, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the brand, 150 limited-edition platinum pieces were launched.

In 2009, TAG Heuer also launched Monaco Calibre 12, equipped with ETA or Sellita ebauche-based self-winding Calibre 12, with Dubois-Depraz timing module.

The natural evolution of the previous version, this model is easy to pass the winding crown on the right, the three main color combinations (blue with white chronograph, black with white chronograph, black with black chronograph) radial scale dial and modern TAG TAG Heuer logo.

In 2015, Monaco Calibre 11 (model CAW211P.FC6356) was launched, which is a faithful reproduction of the original Heuer Monaco 1133B. The crown is located on the left side and the metallic blue dial is equipped with diamond-polished horizontal hour markers and vintage Heuer logo. Lugs The main difference with the shape of the button and the movement.

Compared with Calibre 12, the automatic Calibre 11 rotates the base movement by 180 degrees, so the crown can be located on the left side of the dial, while the chronograph button is located on the right. Unlike the original version, this movement vibrates 28,800 times per hour instead of 19,800 vph like the original Chronomatic Calibre 11 launched in 1969.

In 2019, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of the watch, TAG Heuer launched the Monaco Heuer 02, the first Monaco timepiece to use the brand’s Calibre Heuer 02 in-house movement.

In this way, in its half-century history, Monaco adopted its own-made movement for the first time, namely the innovative Calibre Heuer 02 launched by TAG Heuer in 2017. Due to Monaco’s unique square shape, TAG Heuer’s watchmakers redesigned the inside of the case to accommodate the manufacturing movement.

Today, Monaco is one of the pillars of TAG Heuer. There are a variety of styles to choose from, including three-pin versions and small-sized ladies’ models, keeping its unique appeal unchanged.

Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 Night Mission

As we reported earlier, many watch brands choose not to participate in the next Basel Watch Fair. Among these dissidents, Breitling chose to hold its own exhibition, called the “summit.” Recently, at one of the events in October, they launched a series of new “Avenger” models.

We have reviewed some of the newer versions of the Breitling Avenger series, you can recall here. And the special “Avengers 01 Premium Edition” made of proprietary alloy “Breitlight” (reference number: AB01901A|BF88|168A) and the older 2016 model.

Now, these new 2019 models use a 45mm case made of black DLC-treated titanium. The solid caseback is engraved with the words “Breitling Avenger” with a “star” between the words.

Mounted on the case is a rotating bezel, decorated with Arabic numerals and four rider labels, which is a classic Breitling ornament used to mark the time frame.

It is equipped with two buttons to operate the chronograph function, between them there is a screw-in crown. The screw-in crown is equipped with a non-slip handle, which can be operated safely even when wearing gloves.

All table mirrors adopt curved sapphire crystal with anti-glare on both sides. This watch is water-resistant to 300 meters (1000 feet).

The time is displayed on Breitling: green khaki or black dial with white template Arabic numerals. You can see a small circle of white minute index marks hovering around the dial. Although previous versions of this model series had a “military time” 24-hour scale, these new versions all chose a 12-hour scale.

There are three subdials: a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and a small seconds counter at 9 o’clock. These subseconds, as well as the tip of the central chronograph, have been given some orange highlights.

The hands and Arabic numerals are treated with luminous coating to improve legibility. There is also a date window between the 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock positions.

Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 Night Mission
“Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 Night Mission” (model: V13317101L1X1-green dial and model: V13317101B1X1-black dial) is powered by a self-made mechanical self-winding chronograph movement, a Breitling 13 movement, 25 jewels and 28 hours of rotation. When fully wound, this timepiece has a power reserve of up to 42 hours.

Mounted on these watches is a khaki green or black leather strap, which is secured to the wrist with a black DLC-treated titanium buckle.