The Spero Lucem is a new brand of watches, that was inspired by the city of Geneva. Its name was taken from the city’s motto “Post Tenebras Lux”, meaning “Light After Darkness” – the full version of which is “Post Tenebras Spero Lucem” (from the Old Testament Book of Job, in the Bible), meaning “After darkness, I hope for light” or “After calamity, I aspire to happiness”. This watch company strives to pay tribute Geneva and the fundamentals of the city. They believe that these fundamentals of tradition and a history that is still an integral part of the city’s daily life are those that Swiss watchmaking owes a large part of its identity.
Monthly Archives: November 2013
Like most watches that appeal to men, the Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver Watch (reference PT6248) strikes that great balance between style, utility, and durability; and is actually useful on a daily basis. The fascinating design includes a mixture of the classic qualities that we love and a touch of the “now” that we crave; as well as looking a bit into the future. Another plus to this dive watch is that it boasts a reasonable price tag of $3,000.
Including a water resistance of 600 meters and a vestigial helium release valve, this watch has just about anything that could be wanted from a diver watch. The design includes features that include inner rotating bezels, red colored minute hands, two crowns on the same side, and NATO straps – all done in a way that will make you appreciate each of them. The inner rotating bezel not only looks nice, but does not require the crown to be unscrewed – simply press it inwards and unlock it, in order to turn it. The crown for the bezel is located at the 2 o’clock position, with the main crown at 3 o’clock. Inside the watch, you’ll find a base Sellita SW200 automatic movement – Maurice Lacroix’s caliber ML 115.
Omega – now owned by the Swatch Group – was founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt, and since then, has become one of the most desired and popular watches in the world; so much so that they can now boast that their watches were the choice of NASA and worn by the first men to walk on the Moon in 1969 (making it the first watch on the Moon). These watches are also trusted by Olympic officials – as the official timekeeping device of the Olympic Games since 1932, and favored by James Bond since 1995. This Swiss luxury watchmaker, based in Biel/Bienne, also makes watches that were chosen by Britain’s Royal Flying Corps as its official timekeepers for combat units in 1917; with the American army doing the same in 1918.
Those who eagerly await the Cartier art pieces each year, will be impressed with the striking artistic skills implemented in the creation of the fantastic and ultra-high-end Rotonde de Cartier Flying Tourbillon Crocodile Motif watch. This timepiece is one of the exclusive “metiers d’art” limited edition collection of watches, offered only for 2013, of which there will be only 30 pieces produced for discriminative buyers.
The dial makes this watch quite a unique piece, being made of natural agate which is various shades of blue that lightens as it nears the center. Agate is a crystallized quartz stone – similar to amethyst – that is found primarily in volcanic rock. The artists use the change in color in this stone to create an exceptional effect when they hand-carve a crocodile into the dial, so that the head is highlighted in a lighter shade of blue, with the lower sections of the body being darker, as it curls around the dial. In keeping with the theme, the watch includes a genuine crocodile strap. However, the focus of the watch is still the impressive hand-carved crocodile face, which covers the dial.
Visually stunning and masculine, with a tounge-twister of a name, the sport-themed Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month (reference IW379201) also features a chronograph, and is the second most expensive new Ingenieur for 2013 – priced at $49,700. Featuring 120-meter water resistance and a fitted alligator strap, this luxury timepiece is the essence of forward-thinking, modern design.
This model contains the beautifully in-house made calibre 89802 automatic movement – a slight revision on the movement found in the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month. The base chronograph – with the chronograph hours and minutes both being totalized in the top subsidiary dial – is built upon with a perpetual calendar complication. There is a central chronograph seconds hand, and a lower sub dial is used for the running seconds. The chronograph has a flyback complication and the movement has a 68 hour power reserve. The movement for the perpetual calendar system digitally indicates the month and date, in the three additional windows that have been added to the dial for this purpose. There is a “big date” display and a “big month” display, as well as a leap year indicator in the lower sub dial, thanks to the two discs used in each of these three windows.
This renowned company originated in 1791, when talented watchmaker, Jean-Francois Bautte signed his first watches; after learning all of the trades of watchmaking, at that time, and completing his education. He set up a manufacturing company in Geneva, with all of the watchmaking elements of that time under one roof – which was unusual at that time. He became one of the most famous watchmakers of the era: trading with the European courts and receiving visits from Victoria, who would later become Queen. Girard-Perregaux & Cie was born in 1856, when Constant Girard (founder of the Firard & Cie Firm in La Chaux-de-Fonds), married Marie Perregaux. After taking control of the watch manufacturing company, his son also took over the Bautte House in 1906, and merged it with his family’s company. Thus began a legacy of prestigious mechanical watches that came to have approximately 80 watch-making patents and originated many innovative concepts in their domain. Recently, they even announced themselves as the exclusive timekeeper of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; with their new Chrono Hawk Hollywoodland being used by the museum as a canvas for paying tribute to film-making history.
Luxury and exclusivity are just a couple of the elements offered by the Ateliers DeMonaco Tourbillon Carre and Ronde collection of watches. This collection offers dial options such as both Arabic and Roman Numerals or baton hour markers. It also offers cases in 18k rose or white gold, with an inner case made of titanium; which makes the watch lighter & stronger.
The Ronde has a round case measuring 43mm wide; while the Carre has a square case measuring 44.3mm wide. The dials usually come with engraved elements or Tahitian mother-of-pearl centers. The applied hour markers come in various, cut and polished, forms that are brought to attention by the watches skeletonized hands. If you’re searching for even more indulgence, the Tourbillon has select pieces that are sure to suit your taste; such as the 18k white gold Ronde, that is lined with black diamonds. These curved and angled cases have a non-traditional look that uses a mixture of brushed and polished finishes; but still have the traditional touches, indicating that they were designed by a watchmaker, including a crown that screws into the case for protection.
The Arnold & Son DBG, or Double Balance GMT, is quite practical and stylish. It has two dials, with a different timezone on each, which makes it a wonderful watch for anyone who travels. Within the main dial are two distinctly different dials – one with Roman numerals and skeletonized hands, and the other with Arabic numerals and filled in hands – making it easy to remember which is which. They share a centrally located seconds hand; and a smaller, synchronized 24 hour dial with two hands – each reflecting the dial that they indicate – which shows AM & PM for each of the timezones. There is a clear section in the lower part of the main dial, offering a look at the double balance wheels – the uniquely harmonic “heart beat” of the watch.
This offering from Arnold & Son contains the A&S1209 manually wound movement, with 40 hour power reserve, running at 3Hz. The two dials each have their own independent gear train, and a single winding system and mainspring that they share; meaning that the time for each dial is totally independently set, with a crown on each side of the watch. Unlike most dual timezone watches, the minutes of the different timezones do not have to be set at the minute same – each time can be set to whatever time you’d like, which makes the DBG stand out from the rest. Each time dial is very easy to read, with rich detailing and lack of reflective surfaces: thanks to the AR-coated sapphire crystal. The design of the watch is quite practical, with the rest of the space on the watch face is also filled with useful information, unlike many other two dial, dual timezone watches.