Richard Mille is a name that rightly goes down in the history of watchmaking. In fact, this man, who has spearheaded the brand under his own name, has ordained the emergence of a new style, balancing between tradition of classical Swiss watchmaking schools and high engineering elements from other industries – automotive and aviation. And his watch which can rightfully be proud to wear the title of immigrants from the world of «haute horologerie», in fact more than that – objects of high micromechanics. And the proof of this is the impressive list of innovations the brand used in the manufacture of parts of their watches from the most important to the most simple, sometimes not immediately apparent.
Monthly Archives: August 2015
Breguet watches have always been special. Firstly, their mechanical filling consistently outperform their peers in terms of caliber in technical development (the founder of the famous brand – Abraham Louis Breguet and his followers belong to a huge number of inventions, including the self-winding device, shockproof device, tourbillon). Secondly, the master manufactures its products always decorated with inimitable grace: worldwide known Arabic numerals with twisted tail, the arrow with the apple and branded guilloche dial watch.
Parmigiani Fleurier manufacture does not limit the quantity of watches Ovale Pantographe production, but actually seeing this timepiece can be difficult. The reason is that the pantographs rarely linger in the boutiques, and sometimes they even do not have time to put showcase – so fast they go into private collections.
When 29-year-old jeweler Louis-Francois Cartier founded the family business in 1847 Paris district Eglise Saint-Eustache near the oyster market, there were no signs that after 50 years a small workshop would become a rich empire and there would be a line of richest clietns from all over the world.
At the base of the future intercontinental luxury empire lay goldsmith Adolphe Picard, where Louis-François (1819-1904) hired an apprentice boy. Obviously journeyman tried very hard, because the owner decided to leave the business not to his relatives but to the boy Cartier.
Soon, the young jeweler knew almost all the dealers in Paris, and the orders he had set. It is one thing to be popular with owners of shops, and quite another – from the nobility. However, among customers there was Spanish merchant who settled in Paris, Ouizille-Lemoine, through whom fate gave Cartier a chance.
There were no signs that the son of a gun master Samuel Lange, born in February 18, 1815 in Dresden, is waiting the career of famous watchmaker. Shortly after his birth his mother left his father – “a man with a rough character.” Another’s family took on the education of Adolph Lange, raised him and arranged as an apprentice to a famous courtier watchmaker Johann Friedrich Christians Gyutkesu. Soon it became clear, it was a happy solution. Because after a while the master was struck by not only the excessive skill of his student, but also the extraordinary ambition of the young man, expressed in an effort to achieve more than enough for an ordinary watchmaker while in Dresden.
Learning watchmaking, Lange visited the newly opened Polytechnic School, and taught in the evenings English and French languages. From the very beginning he had planned that his knowledge he will expand only in the center of a highly watchmaking, which were at that time, France and England. Surrounded by brilliant court life, as well as in the search for more accurate timepieces for both military and civilian navigation, watchmaking art found there full state support.
Almost all the major jewelry and watch companies in Europe were customers of LeCoultre. Using the most advanced technology has allowed it to occupy a dominant position on the market in the last century.
Jaeger-LeCoultre – is a double name. The oldest of its half – LeCoultre, is a company founded in 1833 by a man named Antoni LeCoultre in the town of Le Sentier, near Geneva. The territorial and ideological proximity to the industrial-oriented IWS (International Watch Co. Schaffhausen), probably influenced on commercial orientation of the company. In contrast to the IWS, which united the whole cycle of metal production for wheels up painting boxes, LeCoultre tried to sell bare mechanisms. The company greatly owes its heyday immense to Russian market. Heinrich Moser and Pavel Bure, the two largest productivity-driver’s watches and importer in Russia, used the best products and mainly mechanisms of LeCoultre. More specifically, if there was something good for these big-name brands, it LeCoultre. It is worth to mention that for the unique individual orders Moser used the mechanisms of the company Meylan and Pavel Bure buys Le Roy.
The history of Patek Philippe, is a story of unique developments, patents and records. The double name of Patek Philippe etched in world history of watchmaking families two founders of the case – Antoine Norbert de Patek, a Polish nobleman, who emigrated to Switzerland, and Adrien Philippe, a young French watchmaker, became Patek’s partner in 1845. It is fair to mention that Patek founded another watchmaking studio in 1839 in Poland, together with Francois Capek, a Czech watchmaker who had settled in Poland. But true fame to company has brought the winder, the first patent of the company, in the form in which it exists today. Adrien Philippe came up with this idea. In addition, the company owns the historic invention patent for sliding windup spring mechanism that prevents damage from excessive plant, production of the first Swiss watches in 1868, a patent for a perpetual calendar mechanism (1889), the first wrist chronograph (1927) and many others. On account of Patek Philippe several historic and unique models that have become collector’s exclusive.
We have long been accustomed that usually the history of famous brand starts as a favorite fairy tale, with the words: “Many, many years ago …”. Hublot watch manufacture was the happy exception: its history began only in 1980. But just for 33 years this brand managed to gain international fame, becoming the legislator fashion watch and enter the top of the most expensive timepieces in the world. Avant-garde design and the royal luxury intertwined Hublot watches, surprising with its uniqueness and harmony.
Hublot is taking an active part in public life and cooperates with sports clubs, performing the official timekeeper. Hublot watches are popular in royal families and celebrities. Translated from the French «hublot» means “window.” This is probably determined the obvious similarity of the first men’s watches Hublot porthole with the ship. The model was named “Carlo Crocco” in honor of the founder of manufactory, and it was made from polished and matte gold. The similarity with porthole she gave bezel (ring around the dial), bolted to the body by 12 screws.