Tag: SIHH 2015

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Vacheron Constantin Replica

Replica VACHERON CONSTANTIN : Metiers d’Art MecaniquesGravées

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During this, the year of their 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin have added to their Métiers d’Art collection with two new platinum replica watches with hand-engraved in-house movements – calibres 22601/1 and 4400/1. What these two pieces share in common are the engraved acanthus leaves on their time only and tourbilon movements respectively.

The first Mécaniques Gravées model is time-only, containing the manual-wind Calibre 4400/1 with a power reserve of 65 hours. The replica watch itself is 39mm in diametre, 8.5mm thick, and made from 950 Pt with hands in white gold and a slate great minute minute track.

Now for the special part – both the front and back of the movement, including plates and bridges, are hand engraved with an ornate pattern of acanthus leaves. It takes a master engraver more than ten days to complete each movement, delicately cutting away at it by 0.2 mm or less, with the most shallow sections less than 0.35 mm thick.

The other new Métiers d’Art model has, as its skeletonised based, the Calibre 2260 also found in Vacheron’s Patrimony Traditionnelle Tourbillon 14 Days, hence its name ‘Métiers d’Art Mecaniques Gravées 14-Day Tourbillon’. The manual-wind Cal.2260 is composed of 231 parts, has a 336-hour power reserve and beats at 18,000VPH.

The 14-day tourbillon Mécaniques Gravées also has white gold hands and a platinum case. The tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock doubles as a seconds indicator, and there is a power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock with scale markers to indicate each 12-hour period of the fourteen days ‘printed’ on the crystal. As is the case with any skeletonised replica watch, to see this may require a little peering for some. There is a similar printed circular scale around the tourbillon, whose cage is the Vacheron Maltese cross. The replica watch has a diametre of 41mm and is 12.35mm thick. Through the caseback you can see the two large bridges again engraved with an acanthus pattern.

Both pieces come on a hand-stitched dark blue alligator strap with a platinum buckle and as a bonus, a magnifying glass as well. In case you are wondering – yes the really quite exquisite decoration (especially that visible through the caseback) is engraved free hand.

For another example of Vacheron’s skeletonised replica watches go to this link, and for examples of dial artistry and skeletonisation, go to this post.

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Jaeger-LeCoultre Replica

Replica JAEGER-LECOULTRE : the Master goesblack

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Although not their most glamorous or technically impressive pieces, two new releases by Jaeger-LeCoultre to their Master range at SIHH 2015 may end up being their most widely talked about. Why? Because they are new versions of two of the brand’s most accessible pieces, and for those who have a preference tending towards dark dials, they are a very welcome addition.

First up is the new Master Ultra Thin Moon, which now comes in stainless steel with a black dial. This piece joins its light dialled elder siblings in the same 39mm case with a moonphase indicator with concentric date display on the lower half of the black dial. The open caseback shows the Jaeger-LeCoultre automatic Calibre 925 with a power reserve of 38 hours.

The ‘blackness’ of the dial is quite matte and elegant and sleek. I’d even go out on a limb and say that this new black dialled version may be more versatile than the light dialled models, transitioning from an outfit of black jeans and casual top to a suited up evening. It comes no a black alligator strap with a double-folding buckle. There is already a red gold model with a slate dial that is dressy but arguably less versatile. Of the four iterations of the Master Ultra Thin Moon, this new one is hands-down my favourite.

The second release of note is the new Master Control Ultra Thin Date. Introduced last year in pink gold, it is now available in stainless steel, which means that it will prove to be an attractive proposition price wise for those wanting to get their first Jaeger-LeCoultre.

A solid everyday type of fashion replica watch, it contains the automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 899 movement with a powr reserve of 38 hours and also comes on a black alligator strap with a double-folding buckle. The blackness of the dial is similar to that of the Master Ultra Thin Moon but has the sense of being a much more casual piece. With this change to a black dial there is an almost vintage military replica watch feel to it, something that I thought I was alone in thinking, until I asked one or two others.

These two pieces are solid new additions to the Jaeger-LeCoultre stable  at their ‘bread and butter’ end of their collection spectrum. They are appealing variants, and I will be surprised if they don’t walk out the door.

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Montblanc Replica

SIHH 2015 : Replica Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph

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It would be something even more than an understatment to say that Jerome Lambert’s tenure so far at stylish replica Montblanc has been an eye opener, but the subject of Horologium’s first SIHH 2015 Montblanc posts is not about something ‘new’ so much as a very attractive (arguably an improvement, aesthetically, but that’s a purely personal view) new Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph. First introduced in 2010 and also appearing in 2013 in a rattrapante form, it features the in-house developed ExoTourbillon.

For those who are familiar with the Nicolas Rieussec models you will see a design continuity with this new model that perhaps wasn’t present with the previous ExoTourbillon. This is, in fact, an ExoTourbillon integrated into the monopusher column wheel chronograph movement of the Nicolas Rieussec, with a patented hacking tourbillon.

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In a tourbillon the escapement rotates in the tourbillon cage. The larger the balance, the larger the tourbillon cage has to be. This automatic movement Calibre MB R230 (50 hour power reserve) with its patented one-minute ExoTourbillon with stop-second mechanism (that directly halts the screw balance by means of a tiny spring, thus stopping the balance) has a tourbillon with a large balance that is outside (exo) the tourbillon cage. Montblanc states that this means that there is approximately one-third energy saving to the tourbillon’s functionality.

The date is indicated by a small centre hand on the same axis as the hour and minute hands. The semi-circle chronograph sectors are for 60 elapsed seconds (left) and 30 elapsed minutes (right). The chronograph’s monopusher is at 8 o’clock and the hour-hand can be independently set.

In addition to the regular production piece in a 44mm 18K red gold case there is also the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie ExoTourbillon Minute Chronograph Vasco da Gama in 18K white gold edition, limited to sixty pieces. This version features a very elegant aventurine dial that depicts the nightly sky with a Montblanc diamond at 12 o’clock and a satin-finished lower section of the dial. The non-limited edition is in 18K red gold that comes with an ivory grainé upper dial and vertical satin-finished silver dial lower dial, faceted indices, red gold plated number, hour, minute and date hands (the latter with a red crescent tip).

Both of these very good looking models come on leather straps made at the Montblanc Pelletteria, the Maison’s leather manufacture in Florence. The caseback of the limited edition model has an additional design of the Sao Gabriel that Vasco da Gama captained during his voyage to India.

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Cartier Replica

Replica CARTIER : the key to a newcase

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The house of Cartier presented a mindboggling fraction-over-one-hundred new models at SIHH 2015, but obviously there was not time to introduce them all during that brief time, and especially not during the press presentations, which focused on their key pieces and perhaps most interestingly, a completely new case shape and collection, called La Clé de Cartier. For those who are interested in such things, you can read the trademark details here.

There are two distinguishing features to his new collection – the ‘key’ of the name, which refers to a new crown design, and the new case shape which is a round shape within an ellipse but to my eye at least, with strong hints of the 1960s-early 1970s about them, and I mean this in a good way.

This new Clé collection will come in three sizes – 31mm, 35mm and 40mm, and the latter two sizes powered by a new movement, the automatic Calibre 1847MC (named after Cartier’s date of establishment, which underlies the new line’s significance) with a forty-two hour power reserve.

A new shape doesn’t mean a completely unrecognisable replica watch – the familiar blue Roman digits, blue hands and guilloché dial are all present.

As mentioned, ‘clé’ refers to the crown system, a small rectangular piece that is pulled out and turned. The name may give you a hint about the inspiration for this design – the use of a key to wind pocket replica watches or clocks but in this case, designed so as to be part of the case. When you push the crown back in there will be a noticeable click when it is back in place.The presentation at SIHH 2015 mentioned that it will almost require the learning of a “new gesture”.

The initial offerings in this new collection, some of which are pictured here, will be in white gold and pink gold. No doubt stainless steel options will follow.

Cartier seems to have a particular fondness for focusing on crowns and their environs in terms of design; for me this new crown, combined with the case design, is now officially my favourite.

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A. Lange & Söhne Replica

SIHH 2015 : Replica A.Lange Söhne Datograph Perpetual WhiteGold

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A.Lange & Söhne’s SIHH 2015 offerings were largely tweaks and updates of models apart from a few notable exceptions, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the case of the new Datograph Perpetual in white gold with a dark grey dial, this is a good thing. This (is) was a very beautiful replica watch, and the minor tweaks to it are guaranteed to have broad appeal.

For such a still relatively young brand, the fact that Lange have managed to produce in its short life the Datograph, arguably one of the most significant chronographs of modern times is testament to the strength of the brand. The first ‘edition’ of the Datograph Perpetual had a white gold case and grey dial, but as noted, it’s about the small updates. Had anyone tried to mess around too much with the replica watch there would be no doubt some hue and cry about it.

The new version is now sans Roman numerals (which works for me), matching the pink gold/ white dial version. The case is still 41mm.

The basic layout of the dial remains the same, with indications are located inside the sub-dials, the outsize date still at 12 o’clock, the moon-phase indicator at 6 (replacing the power reserve of the Datograph), the months integrated into the 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. There is a so-discreet-that-you-need-it-pointed-out-to-you day/night indicator at the top of the small seconds/ day indicator at 8-9 o’clock and a leap-year (sub) sub-dial below the 30-minute counter sub dial at 3-4 o’clock. Beautifully balanced though the dial is, for those like myself who are shortsighted and whose eyesight is only deteriorating with age, this requires a certain amount of peering intently at the dial.

On the gorgeous dial are baton hour markers, hour and minute hands in rhodiumed gold, a chronograph hand in blued steel and matching hands for the minute counter and seconds hand.

All calendar displays can be advanced via a correction pusher, and three recessed correctors allow the displays to be adjusted separately.

Inside is the manual-wind Calibre L952.1 (column wheel chronograph), visible through the caseback and with a power reserve of (unfortunately) only thirty-six hours. However, this low number can fairly much be forgiven when you look at the beauty of the 556 parts of the hand-finished German silver movement with its blued screws.

This addition to the Lange collection, based as it is on already immensely popular predecessors, is guaranteed to be every bit as successful as its progenitors.

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Audemars Piguet Replica

SIHH 2015 : Replica Audemars Piguet new Millenarymodels

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Amidst all the talk about the Royal Oak Concept RD#1 minute repeater there were a few women’s replica watches that were announced during the Audemars Piguet press presentation. These additions to the Millenary range are part of what AP called their two-pronged approach to women’s replica watches; a focus on“refined design” and “micro mechanics”.

Containing the new in-house manual-wind Calibre 5201, there are three new models in pink gold, white gold and white gold with white mother-of-pearl small seconds counter and diamond-paved white gold. The visibilty of the balance wheel was a decision that was made in light of the ‘micro mechanics’ approach mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Measuring 39.5mm x 35.4mm with cabuchons on the crowns, the two (of the three) models have white mother-of-pearl off-centred time discs and seconds counters.

The model on what Audemars Piguet call their “shimmering” beige strap has 18-carat white gold case, 116 brilliant-cut diamonds including the bezel and lugs, a crown set with a pink cabochon sapphire, anthracite printed Roman numerals, and pink gold hands. The beige strap is alligator with an 18 carat white gold pin buckle but also comes with an additional black alligator strap.

The second model has a mother-of-pearl dial in its 18-carat white gold case with diamond-set bezel and lugs, a pink cabuchon set in its crown, pink gold hands, “powder-pink” gold printed hands and a brown alligator strap with a pink gold pin buckle. It also comes with an additional black alligator strap.

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Swiss Replica

SIHH 2015 : Replica Vacheron Constantin ‘Harmony’ TourbillonChronograph

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Harmony of form and function, harmony in music, of thought, of companionship, of the tastebuds. A common word, but perhaps unexpected as the name of the new Vacheron Constantin collection introduced at SIHH 2015 to mark their 260th anniversary.

As is to be expected the six models which form part of the Harmony collection are limited. For those who were fortunate enough to see the Vacheron Constantin chronograph exhibition at the Museum as we did (more in a later post about this visit, but in the meantime go to #thewatchnerd for an introductory post) it all falls into place, as they are inspired by a cushion case shaped chronograph introduced in 1928.

This new model contains the in-house manual wind Calibre 3200 with hand-engraved bridge, tourbillon and monopusher functions as per the name, all in a 950 platinum case measuring a pretty decently sized 42mm x 52mm (12.81mm thick) and a limited edition of twenty-six numbered pieces – there is not just ‘No. X/ 26” on the case to mark the limitation, but also “260th Anniversary”.

Those familiar with high quality replica Vacheron Constantin will know of the American 1921 model in terms of their modern interpretations of cushion-case vintage pieces.The case itself consists of a curved middle, a square bezel and a round replica watch glass.

As mentioned above, the special anniversary Calibre 3200 features a bridge hand-engraved with scrolling patterns with what is called a ‘fleurisanne engraving’, inspired by decorations that were on the balance-cock of the oldest pocket replica watch belonging to the Maison and signed by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755.