In this incredible year of 2018, four impressive timepieces had their debut, all with mechanical and iconic details that make them unique in their DNA and history.
We could argue that the watch on a man’s wrist indicates their character, but the assertion would go too far. The passion for time grows with experience and the spirit of observation, and the wait to discover details becomes a precious value. In this incredible year of 2018, the suspense has been repaid by the debut of some selected masterpieces, sounding their Tic-Toc for the first time. We choose four, all with mechanical and iconic details that make them unique in their DNA and history.
De Bethune
Light and character for the DB28 Steel Wheels by De Bethune, focused on bold aesthetics and the complex architecture of its movements, with plays of colour and 3D effects, making the structure seem to rise on the wrist as it marks time. Steel, titanium and palladium with white gold inserts, are the elements used for the 275 components. Crafted in limited edition of 25 units.
Jaquet Droz
Elegance and nature in motion for Jaquet Droz, who creates one of the most original masterpieces ever in his Tropical Bird Repeater. Seven 12-second artistic animations backed by up to four different settings bring a true tropical garden to life, with a hummingbird beating its wings up to 40 times a second, a peacock that opens and closes its tail, a toucan snapping its beak as it peeks out between palm leaves, and three elegant dragonflies, dancing even in the dark – all with a realism never seen before. With a mother-of-pearl dial, this Repeater creates an oasis in the manner of an exotic Gauguin painting, at the limits of the art and wonder. Intended for aesthetes of time, it is limited to 8 unique pieces.
Patek
In the name of tradition and innovation, Patek Philippe presents its first catalogue piece combining the terms Minute Repeater and Universal Time, as well as sounding the hour of the local time zone, detected at 12 noon. This is a new technology combining two of the Geneva manufacturer’s most emblematic elaborations, with a complex architecture that sets in motion the 462 components. Housing this technical mastery is an exceptional case of high craftsmanship, with cloisonné enamel dial in Clous de Paris guilloché motif, depicting a scene of the vineyards of Lavaux on the shores of Lake Geneva, executed with extreme care in the application of 22 colours. This is one of Patek Philippe’s most exclusive references, the perfect example of the value of a timepiece to be preserved as a living memory of the character of time.
Ulysse Nardin
Child of the highly modern vision of Ulysse Nardin, Freak Out Full Black is the sportiest model of the Freak Collection, a hyper-masculine and sporty version structured by the absence of crown, dial or hands and the insertion of a “flying carousel” tourbillon (the baguette movement rotates on its own axis), with silver gear bridges. This is the Nardin’s first experiment in applying a PVD surface treatment that renders it totally black, along with the contrasting style of a black sail strap with red stitching – showing the wild soul at this timepiece’s heart.
Of course the price is just a detail!
