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Some nice things

I do like my Omega Speedmaster, which I recently fitted with a leather strap, but I cannot help looking at the competition, which is considerable in the chronograph department. One of the rarest birds is the Speedmaster Professional with moonphase on the left, which I have only seen in pictures (you can find a picture of the soon-to-come super Speedy on page 12). On the right, the much-anticipated Speedmaster Rattrappante, which borrows some of the looks of the X-33, the Mars watch.
Click on the left picture to go to Matwat's review of the moonwatch, the right picture to go to Omega's web site!

Officine Panerai was born in a small workshop in Florence specializing in high precision work and sophisticated mechanical devices. It was in 1936, as a result of the technology acquired in these fields, that Officine Panerai created the first prototype of a new design of underwater watch, intended for use by a special, secret military force which was being formed in Italy. In 1938 Radiomir Panerai watches entered permanent regular service with the Royal Italian Navy. In the 1950s the Radiomir Panerai was first joined and then replaced by the Panerai Luminor, a model which reserved the case design and dial of the original historic watch, but incorporated significant improvements. The watch's water-resistance was perfected by the adoption of a special lever device, which kept the winding crown pressed against the case. Over the years, this unique arrangement has become a distinctive mark of Panerai and it has been registered as a trade mark. The movement mainly used was an Angelus calibre with 8-day winding reserve, which allowed the winding crown to be used less frequently, thus reducing the risk of water penetration round the crown.

In 1993 and again in 1997, two re-editions of the Panerai Luminor were produced, making them available to the public for the first time. Water-resistance is guaranteed to 300 metres, but during testing every example is actually submitted to a pressure equivalent to a depth of 400 metres. Panerai watches are unique and unmistakable through their design, the large size of the watch being perfectly balanced by the minimalist graphics of the dial. The requirement of making the time immediately readable under conditions of little or no light has led to the creation of a dial of clear and essential style, with distinctive luminous hands and markings.
Click on either watch to go to different Panerai information sites!

GIRARD-PERREGAUX, the second oldest Swiss watch manufacturer, is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1880, Constant Girard designed and produced the very first production wristwatch, intended for officers in the German navy. J.-F. Bautte founded Girard-Perregaux in 1791 and produced ultra-thin watches. In 1966 Girard-Perregaux produced the first high-frequency mechanical watch, and in 1969 the first mass-produced quartz watch.
While I have always been a traditionalist at heart, I am greatly attracted to anything high-tech, including exotic materials. It is difficult to top the GIRARD-PERREGAUX Ferrari on the right in this respect: it features a stainless steel case, a black carbon fiber dial, and a black kevlar strap with ardilion buckle. It has an automatic movement with calendar display beside the chronograph functions. Pour Ferrari F50, an automatic chronograph with perpetual calendar, only available in gold or platinum, comes in what must be the most elaborate display case, which somehow reminds me of a cash register more than anything else. On the left, a closer view of the F50.

…is another watch company I originally intended to include among the less-known brands, but first ran out of space on the page, then realized that among watch people, Minerva is not only well-known, but also highly respected for the quality of their products. Minerva Watches began their history in 1858 in Villeret, Switzerland, where they continue to manufacture a variety of handcrafted watches to this day. Unfortunately, and curiously in tune with the rather Spartan appearance of their timepieces, the Minerva site offers very little information on the history and evolution of the brand. More can be learned on the TimeZone Minerva forum, which also includes an exposé by Phil Baker about his visit to the Minerva workshops. Rather than repeating excerpts from his account, here is a link: Phil Baker's visit to Minerva.

To the right is a photograph of a rather stern looking Charles-Yvan Robert, the co-founder of Minerva, dating from 1862. He was only 22 years old at the time but had already been involved in watchmaking for four years.

Above are four examples of Minerva's history, a model from 1942, followed by one from 1945 and another from 1954, and on the extreme right the recent anniversary issue. The watches clearly demonstrate that once you find a good thing, there is no need to change it drastically. I guess the same argument is regularly raised by defenders of Rolex when that company's lack of innovative designs is criticised.


	These are just five more examples of Minerva's craft, two versions of the Pythagore on the left, which is probably the company's classiest model, followed by the Heritage chronograph, the Palladio, and a prototype of a new model to be introduced shortly. All of them qualify as what a friend of mine refers to as "Plain Jane Models," same as IWC's Mark XII, for example. To me, being a traditionalist and generally horrified by flashy or showy things, these watches are near-perfect! Many of the watches are fitted with a transparent case back, so the owner can admire the beautifully finished movement. About as basic and classic as can be, many of Minerva's models are hand-wound, mechanical, of course.

Probably the most bizarre watch to appear in the past few years is the HALTER BARNES Time Machine Perpetual Antiqua, below on the left. This perpetual date calendar watch features four dials indicating the hours, minutes, day, date and month.

The case, which has a screw-down back, is fashioned in 72 g of 18K gold, fastened with 54 platinum rivets. The crown is decorated with 24 rivets and a platinum cabochon. The dials, with hand-engraved letters and numbers, and the automatic movement's circular rotor are also made of platinum. The complicated movement, visible through the transparent case back, was developed on the HB 198 calibre. Looking like a strange creature of the deep sea, it stands in remarkable contrast with the stunning Lange & Söhne Tourbillon "Pour le mérite" on the right, which is just as rare a creature, though.

Click on the Lange to go to the TimeZone - Lange discussion forum

The only thing more unusual then the Halter Barnes I can think of coming across on my travels on the Internet is the Beowatch by Bang & Olufsen, here in the only picture (not a good one) I could ever find of it. I would love to find out something about this gadget - does it also work as a remote control, phone or portable radio, where can you find one, how much is it, ... but I have found no such information. It certainly looks like a must-have for any devotee of high-tech design in general and Bang & Olufsen fans specifically.

Page 1: hello	Page 2: nice things	Page 3: Audemars Piguet	Page 4: IWC, JLC	Page 5: Patek Philippe
Page 6: Flieger	Page 7: more Flieger	Page 8: Zenith, Eberhard	Page 9: chronographs	Page 10: big money!
Page 11: mo' money	Page 12: more chronos	Page 13: less known gems	Page 14: moonstruck	Page 15: pictures & links