Tag: SIHH 2015

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Montblanc Replica

Replica Montblanc Heritage Spirit OrbisTerrarum Hands On

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So far this year we have had a look at a couple of dressy worldtimer replica watches such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic UT and one from Frederique Constant so we thought we’d add another one into the mix for your consideration at this time when many of you will be travelling for the holiday period.

From Montblanc comes the Orbis Terrarum, launched earlier this year as one of a variety of travel-themed (whether in terms of your travel or those of Vasco Da Gama) pieces that have been released this year. Part of the Meisterstück Heritage Collection (yes as in Meisterstück pens), this world-timer follows some popular design cues on the dial which will make it familiar to many, especially those familiar with Vacheron Constantin to cite one example.

The dial is a planisphere of Earth as viewed from the North Pole. Twenty-four cities are listed on a disc indicating both twenty-four time zones and day/ night (white/ black). For those unfamiliar with world-timers the hour and minute hands are for your local time. When you travel, just adjust the centre hour and minute hands to your new ‘local time’. Your home time remains at 6 o’clock on the twenty-four city disc (the small red arrow). The disc with the twenty-four cities can be rotated independently via the pusher at 8 o’clock in one-hour increments.

The case is 41mm in diametre, 12mm thick, and comes in either 18k red gold or stainless steel. Inside is the Sellita-based Calibre MB29.20 with a forty-two hour power reserve.

With Montblanc going through a renaissance under the stewardship of Jérôme Lambert, the new Orbis Terrarum has been another bold move into positioning Montblanc at very attractive price points across a range of men’s and women’s replica watches, particularly when it comes to complications.

The RRP for the Orbis Terrarum is 4,990 EUR for the stainless steel model on a leather strap, 5,260 EUR for the same on a bracelet, and 13,900 EUR for the red gold model on a leather strap.

For some other worldtimers we’ve looked at this year, click on this link.

[Horologium attended Replica Watches & Wonders 2015 by invitation of Richemont Australia]

Categories
Roger Dubuis

REPLICA ROGER DUBUIS : ExcaliburBrocéliande

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Early this year Roger Dubuis announced a new limited edition Excalibur model called the ‘Brocéliande’, a skeletonised flying tourbillon that was to be the first part of a trilogy of limited editions of the same name. A 42mm pink gold replica watch with 3.44 carats of stones, it is characterised by the use of semi-precious stones in autumnal colours set as foliage into the skeleton, and a vibrant matching red strap. The skeletonised tourbillon movement used for this piece is the Calibre RD505SQ.

At Replica Watches & Wonders 2015 not only was this stylish replica watch on display, but accompanying it were the two remaining parts of this special three-piece limited edition series.

With ivy decorations entwining the skeletonised movement, all three models differ in their decoration : brilliant-cut diamonds, semi-precious stones for an autumnal feel, or mother-of-pearl leaves. The third of the trilogy has an additional sixty brilliant-cut diamonds on the bezel and 157 on the flange.

We took a closer look at one of the three. With bezel and lugs both with baguette-cut diamonds, it shares a similar base to other Roger Dubuis models such as their diamond-set rubber replica watch from earlier this year which also uses the same movement – the RD505SQ flying tourbillon skeleton movement. Manual-wind, it beats at 21,600VPH and has a power reserve of sixty hours.

In this new model there are pink and purple leaves composed of brilliant-cut diamonds and semi-precious stones along slender gold wire diamond-set ivy branches. It comes on a matching pink alligator strap which has a clasp paved with 32 baguette-diamonds. It’s also worth noting that there is a rose-cut diamond set on the crown.

So what actually is ‘Brocéliande’? Well it has a link to Arthurian legend and hence, the ‘Excalibur’ theme.

Brocéliande is the name of a legendary forest in France, probably Brittany, in which Merlin’s tomb is purported to lie. Its first mention in literature dates back to 1160 and a history of the Dukes of Normandy called the ‘Roman d Rou’ in which it is called ‘Brecheliant’ and the Brittany area is mentioned. It is also referred to in other early texts dating back to the 1100s and its links to Arthurian romance date back to ‘Le Chevalier au lion’ (Chrétien de Troyes) in the the 1170s and 12th and 13th century poems. It is even mentioned by Alfred Lord Tennyson in ‘Merlin and Vivien’ from ‘Idylls of the King’.

Ivy grows in a rather healthy fashion in the forests of Brittany, and it is this that Roger Dubuis have chosen to use as their decorative touch. It is good to see a movement not being restricted specifically to men’s pieces; the skeletonised Excaliburs are replica watches with a very strong presence with a clear aesthetic, so this is their attempt to soften their look for some haute women’s pieces.

Each of the three Brocéliande models are in a limited edition of twenty-eight pieces.

[Horologium attended Replica Watches & Wonders 2015 by invitation of Richemont Australia]

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IWC Replica

PHOTOS : Replica IWC’s Portugieser Yacht Club – something old, somethingnew

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As most of you will know by now, 2015 is IWC’s year of the Portugieser.

As you all know 2015 is IWC’s year of the Portugieser, with a new collection having been launched at SIHH 2015 to celebrate its 75th anniversary that included an Annual Calendar (their first) containing a new movement, the Cal. 52850, and with which we spent a few ‘on the wrist’ days a little while ago. You can read about that experience, and our thoughts at this link.

Today it’s about the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph. A model first launched in 2010, this newer version uses the same IWC Calibre 89361 with its 68-hour power reserve.

As mentioned in this recent post about a 1970s Yacht Club, the first of the Yacht Clubs, the Yacht Club Automatic, was launched at the Baselworld 1967. Inside the original Yacht Club was the Calibre 8541 with date display and Pellaton bi-directional winding system. The stainless steel Yacht Club was water resistant to 100m and 60m for the gold version, via a crown mechanism that automatically tightened the seals as water pressure increased.

The new Yacht Club Chronograph is smaller, down from 45.4mm to 43.5mm. In wrist terms, that’s actually quite a difference. Heightwise, the new model is 14.5mm. With the (flyback) automatic IWC Calibre 89361 inside and a case water-resistant to 6 bar (part of its ‘sporty’ bit), the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph is the only Portugieser model with lumed hands and indices and comes on a rubber strap to complete the sports look.

Available in stainless steel with a slate-coloured (Ref. IW390503) or silver-plated (Ref. IW390502) dial and in 18 carat red gold with a silver-plated dial (Ref. IW390501), we had the second of these for a few days to test drive.

The dial features a railway track style chapter ring with lumed hour indices and polished Arabic numerals. The outer ring is a 60-second chronograph scale for the red chronograph seconds hand.

Note the chronograph function sub dial at 12 o’clock. It is totaliser-style, indicating both elapsed hours and minutes on the one sub dial. display that uses one dial to indicate both elapsed hours and minutes.

As mentioned above, we took a look at a 1970s Yacht Club not too long ago, and thought it might be fun to take a photo of these relatives together.

Of course they are quite different; each was created for different eras and thus different markets for starters, but they do share certain attributes at a glance – both have been created to be very practical sturdy replica watches with no extra frills, but also to be slightly dressy (and in that, versatile from a ‘wearing’ point of view) as well. You can wear these both dressed up and dressed down.

The red gold version (Ref. IWC 390501) is an entirely different proposition, since making it red (or rose) gold makes it more dress and less ‘yacht’/ ‘sports’ replica watch almost by default. However, we live in an age where sports replica watches are red or rose gold and are worn with suits and people like to have choices of metal, so two options satisfy this.

Australian prices for the three models are as follows :

Ref. IW390501 RRP: $31,500

Ref. IW390502 RRP: $16,400

Ref. IW390503 RRP: $16,400

Categories
IWC Replica

ON THE WRIST : Replica IWC Portugieser AnnualCalendar

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At SIHH 2015 IWC released the Portugieser Annual Calendar, their first such complication and one about which we wrote at this link.

With thanks to IWC Australia we recently had the opportunity of having one of these new Annual Calendars for a few days, and took the chance to take it on a whirlwind tour of one or two places of note before our final destination of the sun dial at the Botanic Gardens (more on that later).

Having the choice of more than one dial/ metal combination we selected this one and not the blue dial because the blue seems to have had more coverage, but having seen both colours, the choice of this one ended up unexpectedly changing our views about certain aspects of this replica watch. But more on that later.

Firstly, let’s recap.

THE REPLICA WATCH

This year sees the celebration of the Port’s 75th birthday, and amongst the pieces released to mark this occasion is a new Annual Calendar, Ref. 5035. The first such complication in its repertoire, it is intended to fill in that gap between the perpetual calendar and the rest of the cheap replica watch pack. For those unfamiliar with this complication an annual calendar, unlike a perpetual calendar, will need to be adjusted on leap years.

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Containing the new IWC-manufactured Calibre 52850 with a seven day power reserve, the design of the dial has proven to be one of its biggest talking points since its release. With the month, date and day in three separate semi-circular apertures at 12 o’clock, it is very symmetrical, very balanced. The month/ date/ day sequence aka ‘American’ style, is a nod to founder F.A. Jones.

At 44.2mm and a thickness of 15.mm it is bigger than the Portugieser Automatic, which is 42.3mm with a thickness of 14mm. It comes in three models : two steel ones with either a midnight blue or silver-plated dial, and an 18k red gold on with a silver-plated dials.

SPECIFICATIONS

Features
– Power reserve display
– Annual calendar with displays for the date, day and month
– Small hacking seconds at 9 o’clock
– Glucydur® beryllium alloy indexless balance with high-precision adjustment screws on balance rim
– Breguet spring
– See-through sapphire-glass back
– Rotor with 18-carat gold medallion
– Glass: sapphire, arched edge, antireflective coating on both sides
– Water-resistant: 3 bar
– Diameter: 44.2 mm
– Case height: 15.3 mm

Movement : IWC-manufactured calibre 52850
– Frequency: 28,800 A/h / 4 Hz
– Jewels: 36
– Power reserve: 7 days (168 h)
– Winding: automatic

Ref. IW503501: case in stainless steel, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap, folding clasp in stainless steel

Ref. IW503502: case in stainless steel, midnight blue dial, black alligator leather strap, folding clasp in stainless steel

Ref. IW503504: case in 18-carat red gold, silver-plated dial, black alligator leather strap, folding clasp in 18-carat red gold

ON THE WRIST

As mentioned at the outset, one of the reasons for choosing this model was the dial colour. One of the subjects that has come up a bit about this replica watch has been the size and dominance, space wise, of the apertures. Some people have expressed a dislike of this.

On the blue dialled model they are indeed rather striking, in large part due to the contrasting colour of the background, and not to everyone’s taste. However, what the two of us who spent some time with this piece can say based on our experience over that time is that the silver-dialled one is an entirely different proposition and may just change your mind about the windows, if that has been your concern. It had been ours.

For us, silver dial > blue dial. The IWC blue is one for which it is known and has many admirers. A few years ago I met an American collector whose special focus is blue-dialled IWCs, and I know there is a great deal of affection for it. However, for this replica watch at least, the silver-dialled version just seems that little bit more ‘clean’ and thus perhaps that little bit more elegant, essentially because the apertures blend in.

Sizing. For those who are familiar with the classic Portugieser 7 Days, to compare with a popular model that many of you are most likely to have seen, it is not too big a leap in terms of comfort on the wrist. Slightly more heft, but not enough to worry about it being a ding magnet. In terms of the ‘overall build’, as they say, it is solid, the case and dial nicely finished.

Where is an Annual Calendar most at home? With a sundial, of course.

This Armillary sphere sundial is situated in the Herb Garden of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. Cast from silicon bronze, is is 2.4m high, 1.8m in diametre and weighs 1.5 tonnes. The four cardinal points of the compass are marked at the four feet that support the meridional, equatorial and horizontal rings of the sphere.

Cast in 1993 by Margaret Folkard and John Ward of Sundails Australia, the hours from 6am to 6 pm are marked with 10 minute divisions on the inside of the equatorial ring. The most charming thing about it is its nod to its placement in the herb garden

As to the accuracy of the sundial…

CONCLUSION

With looks that are quintessentially Portugieser, an annual calendar is a nice addition into that family’s mix for those who want a calendar complication from IWC but for whom a perpetual is either not what they want or more likely, not within budget. However, the looks of the two different dials are that marked that we would encourage you to look at both the blue and silvered dials.

For those whose response to the new annual calendars has been somewhat ambivalent based on the photographs that they’ve seen of it, this is a replica watch that may just surprise you ‘in the metal’. On the flipside, some have found it sitting bigger than they had anticipated, so as always our advice is to go to an AD or boutique and try one on for size.

The Australian RRP for thie Ref: IW503501 (stainless case/ silver-plated dial)is $29,100.

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Piaget Replica

Replica PIAGET : the rose takes newforms

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Having already covered the hand-embroidered Piaget rose dial earlier this year, today it’s the turn of two other interpretations of their floral emblem. For those who wish to know a little about the significance of the Yves Piaget rose, click here. The choice of this flower is not without meaning, and it is why it features in both their replica watches and jewellery.

Today the skills and craft that are being highlighted are hard-stone marquetry and grand feu enamelling.

Firstly, marquetry.

Stone marquetry has been traditionally used in furniture, as an architectural feature, in religious art, as a decorative art. In their quest to find new way in which to realise the Yves Piaget rose on a stylish replica watch dial (it occurrs to me that for a completist who has the funds, collecting these would be an interesting thing), Piaget approached the workshop of Hervé Obligi, which has been honoured with the ‘Enterprise du Patrimonie Vivant’ (a recognition of the French State for excellence in traditional and industrial skills), to see their skills in a miniaturised form.

The making of these roses involves a few main steps : selecting the stone (in this instance, Imperial Mexican jasper), using diamond-blade saws to cut it into thin pieces, selecting the appropriately coloured areas for the rose’s petals, tracing the petals are traced onto the jasper with a steel point, and then using a hazelnut wood bow strung with steel wire soaked in abrasive is used to cut the petals.

Each petal is then adjusted and assembled into the complete rose onto a surface, and heat-sealed with resin to join them. The finished rose is then attached to the gold dial of the Altiplano. Then, it is polished by hand to the form you see here.

This Altiplano is in a 38mm white gold case with a brilliant-cut diamond bezel and comes on a matching white satin strap. Made in a limitation of eighteen pieces, inside is the manual-wind Piaget 430P movement, with 43-hours of power reserve.

Today’s second piece that also forms a part of the Piaget Art & Excellence collection, is the Piaget rose in Grand Feu enamel.

For those unfamiliar with it, enamelling is the heating of silica (glass) with other elements including a colour (usually in the form of a metal oxide) at 800 – 1200 Celsius and to liquefy and bond the metal. The process of heating and cooling is repeated to add more layers, and applied to a replica watch dial using a quill.

The enamel artist creates colours through the combination of silica and metal oxides. Designs and colours can be either in the enamel itself, or there may even be plain enamel on to which the design is painted.

For this ‘Grand Feu’, the method used was that of repeated application of the coloured powder.

The dial is firstly engraved in relief with the rose motif of the Yves Piaget rose. After this, the sun ray guilloché is added. The enamel is then spread on its surface in successive layers as per the heating and cooling process mentioned above, with differing heights of engraving and different layers and colours of enamelling. Once the final glazing is complete, polishing.

As with the previous marquetry piece, this is in a 38mm white gold case with matching white satin strap. Inside is again, the manual-wind 430P movement. The limitation is also eighteen pieces.

The Grand Feu dial is the more delicate of the two pieces featured today, but I find the the darker hues of the stone marquetry replica watch more striking. Regardless of which you prefer, these are two worthy and fittingly delicate new manifestations of Piaget’s floral motif.

Categories
Swiss Replica

REPLICA GREUBEL FORSEY PHILIPPE DUFOUR : Le Garde Temps, Naissance d’unemontre

A query as to whether anyone wanted me to take photos of anything at particular at SIHH 2015 lead to one very unexpected request from a few people – could we take some photos of “the Naissance” please? At this point I’d not heard a whisper about this replica watch being present, which made the hunt more interesting. There’s fun in trying to try to track down something that everyone wants to see, but there’s a far different thrill in trying to track down something that is special and flying below the radar.

Ask and ye shall receive. We managed to take some ‘quick and dirty’ photos and put them up on Instagram, but here are some rather better photos to share with you. As well as being a special replica watch it is also a very photogenic one, and in looking back at these photos I confess that I rather like it in this prototype form.

The French name of this monumental horological project translates to ‘The Timepiece, Birth of a Replica Watch’. The timepiece in question is a collaboration between giants Greubel Forsey and Philippe Dufour. The project’s name seems simple enough, but the reality isn’t.

This isn’t a niche project for those who follow independent brands, it is a project that touches on issues that should be of interest to all who like replica watches.

This isn’t about a big multimedia production and lots of colour and movement and publicity, this is about pure horology.

Meet Number 0/11 of a replica watch whose genesis lay in the desire of Greubel Forsey and Philippe Dufour to teach and pass down their skills and knowledge in a very practical and focused way.

A project that commenced some four odd years ago was able to finally show off this first prototype, and those who knew to look for it and managed to pin it down were granted a very special audience indeed, not just with the replica watch, but also with its maker Michel Boulanger, who was gracious enough to allow us to look at it for as long as we liked after a brief wait when he had to take it out for Messrs Forsey and Dufour.

To be honest, seeing him bolt out of the room with the replica watch as he promised that he would be back with it as soon as possible and then replica watching him and Mr Dufour in an animated discussion was in itself something special to be able to bear witness to.

Unfortunately, a lack of passable French on our part meant that communication wasn’t as effusive as it could have been, but we were very much caught up in the frisson of excitement at being able to have what amounted to almost unlimited (in the sense of time) of access to it.

Master replica watchmaker and teacher Michel Boulanger was chosen by Greubel Forsey and Philippe Dufour to make this piece, with the intention that in turn, he will pass on the knowledge and skills that he has learned. There are people who are making replica watches in a traditional way, but when we narrow it down to those who aren’t using any CNC and the like, we’re really narrowing it down, possibly to a number able to be counted on a single hand. Even Roger Smith uses CNC.

The styles of Philippe Dufour and Greubel Forsey are very different, and it’s a rather intriguing combination of people involved in this project.

For this replica watch, which doesn’t remotely resemble anything that either Greubel Forsey or Dufour produce, they chose to make a manual-wind piece with the time, seconds, and a tourbillon. There are two separate dials for hours and minutes at 2 o’clock and a seconds dial at 8:30, both simple, with blued steel hands.

Everything you see is handmade, from the plates, bridges, dials and balance, to the tourbillon, which is made on a manual mill and lathe. There are many elements to this replica watch, including a bi-directional winding click mechanism sitting atop the mainspring at 12 o’clock.

The tourbillon is under a single-sided bridge containing a screwed gold chaton. There is a full mainplate with a cutout under the mainspring, itself supported by a jewelled bridge. If you look carefully, you will notice that it mirrors the design of the tourbillon bridge.

This is about the transmission of knowledge and experience as it is about the preservation of traditional replica watchmaking techniques, but in many ways it is about many other things, including the many wonderful partnerships that occur between independent replica watchmakers and what is created from these.

So who is Michel Boulanger? His name may not be on the dial, but in a way he is the key to the Naissance. A second-generation replica watchmaker, he has been through WOSTEP, restored vintage clocks and replica watches, and been at Renaud & Papi. A replica watchmaking teacher at the Paris Replica Watchmaking School, he is taking on this new pupil role with an enthusiasm that he is keen to share, based on our time with him.

Robert Greubel met Michel Boulanger at the Anet replica watchmaking school near Paris when the latter was learning basic replica watchmaking, and he met Stephen Forsey at Renaud & Papi. Antoine Simonin, the former director of WOSTEP, introduced Boulanger to Philippe Dufour.

If you know something of the histories of Philippe Dufour and Stephen Forsey, you may recall that they also have histories in restoration. Perhaps this is one of the links between all of them which give the ‘Le Garde Temps’ replica watch added meaning.

This stunning layered piece is a very modern looking replica watch. It may not be anywhere near complete in terms of its polishing and finishing, two things for which both Greubel Forsey and Philippe Dufour are known, but I find great appeal in what it looks like now. There’s a raw nature to it that will disappear, to a certain regret on my part.

There will be eleven of these made, but there is no way this is even going to remotely be about generating some sort of monetary return given the time and labour involved. Would I want one? Hell yes, even without the names on the dial.

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Vacheron Constantin Replica

Replica Vacheron Constantin HarmonyChronograph

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As mentioned earlier this year, Vacheron Constantin introduced a completely new collection called ‘Harmony’ to celebrate their 260th anniversary in 2015. We have already covered the Harmony Tourbillon Chronograph, and today’s replica watch is the simple  Chronograph, perhaps the one that is the purest representation of the 1928 cushion-cased model which inspired this new collection.

Firstly, the externals. The case is 18 carat 5N pink gold, and a very modern size, 42mm x 52mm, with a thickness of 12.81mm. The dial has a small seconds at 9 o’clock, a 45-minute counter for the chronograph at 3 o’clock, and a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock.

With its pulsometric scale in red and blued hands, even without the reference to a 1928 vintage replica watch this is clearly a very classically designed piece, and there is little doubt that it was inspired by vintage chronographs intended for medical use.

Inside is the new manual-wind Chronograph Calibre 3300, a column-wheel monopusher movement with a 65-hour power reserve that is visible through an open case back, with its hand-engraved scroll decoration on the cock-bridge, and the Vacheron Maltese Cross. Happily, all the 260th anniversary models have some form of engraving on their movements.

This is an elegant handsome replica watch with a strong presence and a beautiful movement, but its size may not be for all. If you want an idea about the size of the Harmony Chronograph, another modern Vacheron cushion case, the American 1921, is 40mm x 40mm.

The Harmony Chronograph is limited to 260 numbered pieces.

In commemoration of their year of the chronograph, Vacheron Constantin held a special exhibition in their Geneva museum, which we visited earlier this year. You can read more about it, and see some photographs of exhibits, at this link.

Categories
Panerai Replica

Replica Panerai PAM 604 Radiomir Firenze 3 DaysAcciaio

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Today we have some photos of one of the year’s more attractive releases from Officine Panerai, a Florence boutique-only limited (99 pieces) edition.

The Radiomir Firenze 3 Days Acciaio comes in a hand-engraved 47mm brushed steel case that has been compared to other engraved sports replica watches from other brands (a New Zealand brand that itself has perhaps been influenced by Officine Panerai comes to mind) but according to Panerai, these designs are inspired by Florentine motifs.

Engraved replica watches are not alien to Panerai, but they have been more commonly used in the Luminor form. The engraving on this Radiomir case takes a single engraver more than one week to complete.

For fans of the sandwich dial, you should be happy with the black sun-brushed dial with its ‘Firenze’ to mark both the brand’s origins (the size is also a nod to this) and the nature of this limited edition. The cleanness of the dial, without too many markings or words, is a nod in its favour and a good balance to the elaborate engraving work. It is, of course, lumed via a luminous backplate.

Inside is the Panerai Cal P.3000 with three days power reserve. This movement allows a quick set of the hour hand, making it particularly convenient for travellers.

For jet setters who want one as their new travel replica watch, the price is 17.000 EUR.

Categories
Jaeger-LeCoultre Replica

Replica JAEGER-LECOULTRE : Rendez-Vous IvyTourbillon

The Rendez-Vous collection, which has been a rather huge success story for luxury replica Jaeger-LeCoultre, has also been characterised by some special releases of complicated models such as a tourbillon, perpetual calendar and, last year, the Ivy Minute Repeater, which made its informal debut in Sydney during a visit by CEO Daniel Riedo.

Earlier this year at SIHH 2015 we were fortunate enough to see the latest in the ‘haute’ part of the Rendez-Vous line, the Ivy Tourbillon, which has now been launched (and thus the embargo lifted) during the Shanghai Film Festival (13-21 June 2015), of which Jaeger-LeCoultre is a supporter.

The key to these special pieces is the combination of a complication and an art, a craft – what Jaeger-LeCoultre call Métiers Rares® (Rare Handcrafts). In this new model the ‘art’ part is again the use of the ivy motif, with another stunning result.

When the minute repeater was launched last year, one of the reasons given for the choice of ivy was that it was in part a reference to the Vallée, the diamonds representing the first frozen ice crystals on the autumn leaves announcing the arrival of winter, but it appears that they have used an ivy decoration as far back as 1890 on a pocket with with a crimson enamelled case back which had a diamond-set ivy pattern and more recently, a 2008 piece unique jewellery set featuring ivy.

In this piece, the ivy seems to (by design, presumably) grow out of the tourbillon. A nice touch.

Rather bemusingly, Jaeger-LeCoultre have referred to this new piece as having “bucolic charm”. With two types of guilloché on the dial and leaf veins, enamelling and lace work decoration, this is about as far away from ‘bucolic’ as I can imagine. It is, however, indeed charming.

Inside the 39mm white gold case is the automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978 that is also used in the simpler Ivy-free Rendez-Vous tourbillon, with a 45-hour power reserve. There are, not unexpectedly, diamonds set in the bezel, crown and buckle, and it comes on a matching satin strap.

The dark richness of its deep colour makes this a more muted piece than the Ivy Minute Repeater, but it is equally stunning. The ivy design is, no pun intended, really growing on me, but one final thought :

Dear Jaeger-LeCoultre,

Please keep these Ivy pieces special by not releasing too many models with this motif and dial.

Regards,

Horologium

Categories
Cartier Replica

Replica CARTIER : Grains of gold on a new BallonBleu

It is at replica Cartier’s Maison des Métiers d’Art at La Chaux-de-Fonds that it develops the ideas and brings together the research and nurturing of crafts that have played an important role in their history when it comes to replica watches with an artistic bent. Their significant core replica watch collections may be their bread and butter, but this is where, to me, the extravagant fun lies.

The breadth of the crafts practised here is wide; intaglio engraving, gold cloisonné, stone mosaic, enamelling and floral marquetry to name but a few. Today, it is all about granulation and the ever popular mother-of-pearl.

Cartier took its inspiration from ‘Etruscan granulation’ goldsmithing. Grains of gold are created by cutting and rolling gold wires that are then rolled in charcoal dust and fired. The charcoal is to ensure that they don’t stick together during the firing process. The resultant grains are then hand-assembled into a surface to create a design, then gold plating is added to secure it.

There are three main techniques that can be used to attach the grains to a surface : hard soldering, fusing and collodial soldering. For granulation work such as in this instance, fusing is the method of choice. What this does is to weld the metal of the grains and the base (which both have to be the same alloy). A gold plate with approximately the same thickness as the diameter of the grains is used on top of them. The decorated surface is fired in an oven with a reducing atmosphere. When it reaches melting point the grains and the sheet fuse, leaving no remains of this process behind.

Although they mention Etruscan granulation in particular, its origins go back to Mesopotamia, circa 2500 B.C. Before spreading to Anatolia circa 2100 B.C. And then to Eturia in the 8th century B.C., where it flourished as a popular decoration.

This new limited edition Ballon Bleu de Cartier Orchid Granulation has, as its highlight, a 22-carat yellow gold granulated background features the use of engraved-mother-of-pearl for the orchid that is its focal point, with the folds of the petals taking a lifelike appearance and the use of enamelling as well as the grains used for the stamen.

It is housed in a 42mm diametre (14.35mm thick) 18 carat yellow gold case with brilliant-cut diamonds, which also feature on the strap buckle. Movement wise it’s the manual-wind Cartier Calibre 9601 MC with a power reserve of 72-hours.

One of the problems with looking at replica watches like this, which show off amazing craftsmanship, is that they are too often seen for too brief a period of time. They are best appreicated at length, under a loupe; in my case, a Loupe System one. This luxurious new women’s jewelled replica watch is a limited edition of 40 individually numbered timepieces. It is not Cartier’s first foray into the use of granulation; they released a granulated panther (naturally) in 2013.