Edox Unveils a Royal Lady Luxury Timepiece

Edox, the first company to introduce a double case back, protective gaskets and seals, now extends a warm welcome to its Royal Lady Luxury Timepiece.

The Royal Lady Luxury Timepiece reminds me of a cool ocean breeze, rippling waves and a blue lagoon that stretches for miles and miles. The bezel is the color of the sky reflecting on water, and the 36mm dial is crafted in mother-of-pearl. Mother of pearl is the smooth interior of mollusk shells, thus the dial of the Edox actually originates from the ocean.

Roman Numerals are engraved in the bezel providing a certain ancient look quite similar to the Corum Romulus Collection.

The Royal Lady Luxury Timepiece is equipped with a Swiss Ronda quartz chronograph movement which ensures maximum timekeeping efficiency and stop watch function. The white rubber strap completes the nautical color scheme and makes this watch an ideal summer companion.

This watch retails for $2,100.00

A Cartier Roadster Never Leads One Astray Especially on Ones Wedding Day.

Highly recognizable and well regarded, a Cartier luxury watch stands shoulder to shoulder with high end luxury brands. Among Cartier's impeccable collections is the Roadster Collection. Roadster has a distinctive shape, which compliments the wrist, and a look which never loses its luster. A Roadster is highly versatile due to the wide range of materials and complications available, thus each and every watch is perfectly suited to the wearer, so much so that watch becomes an integral part of the wearer's image.

For example, I have a dear friend who takes much pride in her stainless steel Roadster. She has even developed quite a habit of running her fingers up and down the links of her Roadster's bracelet when slightly agitated. Since she is in the profession where nerves of steel are required, and any display of unease could have unwarranted effects, her only display of emotion are her fingers on her Roadster.

Perusing THE WATCHERY's collection of Cartier Roadster's, I came across quite a number of excellent pieces. Take for example the Roadster Chronograph Automatic. A Watch fit for a Prince on his wedding day. Bracelet and case are crafted from the finest 18k yellow gold and beneath Cartier's Signature Roman Numeral dial, lies an automatic movement, which works in symbiosis with the wearer. With the aid of the gentle swinging motion of the wearers arm, a rotor affixed to the back of the watch, moves back and forth winding the main spring. Impeccable craftsmanship ensures the gear train, balance wheel and escapement progression work with optimum grace to achieve perfection in time keeping. Yes I would say this watch is fit for a Prince on his Wedding Day.

At THE WATCHERY, the Roadster Chronograph is 25% off, and can be yours for just $25,838.

And what of the bride? The beautiful princess bride to be? Can there be a Cartier Roadster to compliment her beauty. Yes there is... with the aid of a crown and bezel just dancing with diamonds.
Elegant and dainty ,the 18k yellow gold case and bracelet, makes the perfect pair.



Oh and what of the maid of honor, what of her? Is there a Roadster for her? Yes indeed there is! The lovely Stainless Steel Cartier Roadster with a feminine pink dial protected by a Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal. The flower girls may want one too and the guests will be casting envious eyes at many a wrists.




The best man may want one, and we cannot, must not, leave him out. The Stainless Steel and 18k yellow gold combination is a handsome choice, very handsome indeed.

And the parents of the bride and groom - surely they need a magnificent timepiece for all their hard work. Yes they do ... and there is no better place to find a luxury Cartier timepiece than at THE WATCHERY. Just a click away and the watch of dreams is for keeps.

We wish the Prince and Princess all the happiness in the world.

Oris Tributes First Plane to Beat Sound Barrier.

Oris Big Crown Collection adds another horological tribute to historic strides made in aeronautics. The Big Crown X1 Calculator honors the first aircraft to fly faster than the speed of sound and break the sound barrier. The Bell X-1. On October 14th, 1947, piloted by Chuck Yeager, the Bell X-1, looking very much like a bullet with wings, was launched from the bomb bay of a modified B-29 and reached a speed of 807.2 mph (1,299 km/h) during an unrepresented supersonic flight #50. This flight was a joint effort by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now NASA) and US Air Force in collaboration with Aircraft builders, Bell Aircraft, as part of a supersonic research project. The Bell X-1 was the first of many "x-planes" , a US series of experimental and classified aircrafts designed for testing new technologies.

The Oris Big Crown X-1 Calculator actually sports a calculator of sorts - a historically accurate circular slide rule mounted on the bezel. The slide rule is a mechanical calculator pilots use for dead reckoning as well as converting time, distance, speed, and temperature values, compass errors and calculating fuel use. Although GPS eliminates much need for mechanically calculating this information, most aircrafts are equipped with this device for back up purposes. In addition, flight schools require its students to know how to use the slide rule.

The notched rotating bezel adds a rugged look to the 46mm, PVD coated, gun metal grey, stainless steel case. A anti-glare treated Sapphire crystal ,cambered on both sides, protects a metallised black/gray dial. Hour markers and hands are treated with Superluminova allowing for time display in the dark. . Counters displaying the 12-hour, 30 minute and small seconds are placed at the 6,12 and 9 -o-clock respectively.
The case houses an automatic ETA Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement. A handy m/ft conversion is displayed on the case back.

The watch is water resistant to 30m and affixed to the wrist by a comfortable black calfskin leather strap. The watch will be available in the $3000 to $4000 range, which makes it extremely affordable for an excellent well crafted, not to mention useful, timepiece.

Oris watches embrace traditional craftsmanship by only producing mechanical watches. Oris prides itself in its quality of craftsmanship at affordable prices.

Tag Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Watch Beating at 3,600,000 Vph

I know Tag Heuer likes speed, but a chronograph mechanical movement beating at 3,600,000 vph is incomprehensible. At BaselWorld 2011 Tag Heuer unveiled the world's first mechanical chronograph concept timepiece to track time to 1/1000th of a second -125 times more accurate than any other chronograph timekeeper. This incredible precision is enabled by a chronograph movement that beats at 3,600,000 vibrations per hour (500 hertz). The Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph utilizes the same concept as the Tag Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100 second Chronograph - which I blogged about in much detail back in January 2011

"The Carrera Mikrograph has two distinct balance wheels, one for the watch itself, and one exclusively for the chronograph. This distinction allows for greater precision in the chronograph function as the chronograph does not depend on the watch for the time base (as with other chronograph models), but allows for exclusive chronograph function without the interference of the watch function"

The 45mm case is crafted from titanium carbide, which is extremely hard (9-9.5 mohs), strong and scratch resistant ceramic material. In addition, the watch case is extremely resistant to corrosion and has a melting point of 3,100C. This material is mostly used in drill bits and other industrial tools, and is still very new to the watch industry. The sapphire crystal is treated with an anti-reflective coating bringing any reflection from the sun down to zero. The open case back is affixed with sapphire crystal so one can view the Tag Heuer in house movement beating at two very different rates - the Chronograph beating at a whopping 3,600,000 vph and the watch beating at 28,000 vph. The watch has a 42 hour power and a water resistance of 100 meters.

Tag Heuer is constantly striving for better precision, the ability to find winners in neck to neck motor races. Races which in the past would have been a tie, but are now just fractions of a second apart. Tag Heuer's dedication to motor racing has fueled its determination to eradicate confusion at the finish line and pin point a winner at the smallest of margins.

Hublot Dives To New Depths featuring Hublot King Power Diver 4000m Titanium

A new diving watch from Hublot has surfaced. The Hublot King Power 4000m Diver. At first I though I must have unwittingly added a zero to the water resistance, but no this watch can actually accompany a diver down 4000 meters - if a diver is able to plunge to those depths. Last I checked, the deepest SCUBA dive on record is 330 meters performed by French Scuba Diver Pascal Bernabé, while the deepest dive by a Navy diver in Atmospheric Diving System (ADS) suit is 610 meters. To put the depth into context, the wreckage of the titanic is currently resting at 3,795m.
The trend of very deep sea diving watches are becoming all the rage. Hublot's model, limited to 500 pieces, commands a powerful presence. The case is titanium, which is resistant to corrosion by sea water, chlorine and a host other environmental substances. In addition,titanium has one of the highest strength-to-weight ratio. The Hublot King Power 4000m Diver is equipped with a rotating bezel, which can be adjusted via a crown prominently situated above the 2 'o'clock position and protected by a formidable crown lock system. I am not sure if this watch has a helium valve.
This watch is powerful to perceive, and Hublot has gone to great depths to achieve this look.

What is Chronofiable Certified?

Just recently I happened upon the term Chronofiable®, thanks to the super lightweight RM 035 manufactured by Richard Mille. The RM 035 is the first Richard Mille manual winding movement to have a Chronofiable Certification and weighs a mere 4.3 grams.

What is a Chronofiable Certification? It is a Certification awarded to a timepiece that has undergone and passed a series of tests focusing on the durability and reliability of a movement worn on the wrist on a a regular basis. For example Richard Mille boasts excellence, durability and reliability on the tennis court. Under these circumstances the watch is subjected to extreme shock when the wearers wrist swings and makes contact with racket to ball. In fact, 2010 three time tennis champion and Richard Mille ambassador, Rafeal Nadel, wore his RM 027 tourbillon while competing at Wimbledon. Although that watch was not Chronofiable certified, the new RM 035 is. The extreme testing the watch has endured to obtain the Chronofiable Certification will give some indication on how and how long this new model will fare on the tennis court.

How is this different than the Chronometer Certification tests? The rigorous testing in accordance with the ISO 3159 norm focuses more on the precision of the timepiece whereas the Chronfiable certification focuses on the durability, or wear and tear, of the timepiece over an extended period of wearing time. (click here to learn more about the COSC Certificate)

How is this Certification different than the Geneva Seal? The Geneva Seal focuses more on the aesthetics of the movement and is predominately concerned with finishing and decoration. In regard to the Geneva Seal, precision tests are available ,but not required, as part of the inspection process. The Geneva Seal inspects the current quality of the craftsmanship and compilation, and is not directly concerned with the ultimate durability; although, it can be ascertained that the better materials, craftsmanship and assembly will lead to better durability.(click here to learn more about the Geneva Seal)


What types of tests does the timepiece undergo to become Chronofiable?
The timepiece is exposed to a accelerated aging test over the course of 21 days, which is equivalent to six months of constant wear. This process is divided into many components:
a) Initial inspection of the movements functions serve as a baseline for future changes occurring during the testing process.
b)Subjecting the timepiece to climatic cycles in dry/wet environment from –70°C to +180°C and measuring the resulting corrosion and performance.
c)Measuring the pull and push forces on the stem.
d) Measuring the forces exerted on push buttons such as chronograph controls, correctors as well as turning bezel.
e) Monitoring the efficiency of the power reserve.
f) Monitoring the movements reaction to magnetic fields.
g)Subjecting the movement to intensive linear and angular accelerations and decelerations.
h) Striking the movement with a heavy pendulum or striker, and subjecting it to some 20,000 shocks ranging from 250 to 5500 m/s2 (a constant acceleration of one metre per second squared) - not applied to timepieces with delicate complications.
i) Testing water resistance.
j) Performing electrical measurements.
k) UV testing on leather straps.
l) Performing the final monitoring phase, which involves applying the same monitoring technique used in the initial monitoring phase, and comparing the results. These results indicate if the timepiece can be awarded the Chronofiable distinction.

When was the Chronofiable test developed? The Chronofiable was initially a random series of reliability tests performed by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) in the 1960's and 1970's. These tests were performed with great success on about 1000 to 2000 "worn on the wrist" watches leading to the "Chronofiable reliability test procedure developed by a team of technicians resulting in the creation of the "Swiss Watch Industry Reliability Test Center (CCF SA)"
In 1985, the CCF SA was assigned to the Laboratoire Dubois and Chronofiable became a registered trademark.

Which label of quality requires the Chronofiable certification? The Fleurier Quality Label.

How valid is the Chronofiable testing procedure or in other words does the testing actually test how the wrist watch behaves on the wrist? Since there is an excellent correlation between the wear and tear of watches worn on the wrist and those subjected to the testing, the conclusion is that the Chronofiable testing is a valid way to determine the effects of the watch being worn on the wrist over time. This has been proven on numerous occasions with many types of movements and many brands. This, Chronofiable testing is an accurate predictor of how the watch with this type of certification will perform over time.

How is the reliability of the procedure insured? To maximize good reproducibility of the test conditions and ensure consistent long-term comparisons, the testing equipment is regularly updated, serviced and calibrated. The test parameters have not been changed in 30 years, thus providing the watch industry with a exceptional standard to grade the durability of a timepiece.

Does all testing need 21 days? No. Functions and components less effected by the frequency of tests imposed, such as tightness of back cover screws and casing-up screws, dial and hand integrity, can be tested over a shorter time period by subjecting the timepiece to accelerated application of multi directional shocks; however to reduce the entire testing procedure to just a few days will undermine the quality of the testing procedure and provide little indication of the actual performance of a watch worn at all times on a wrist. To date the Chronofiable testing is the best indicator of the durability of the wristwatch in its natural settings.

Although, Richard Mille has just unveiled the RM 035, the tests it has undergone to ensure its durability have been around for 30 years.

A Breitling Barnato for the Bentley Boys

In honor of the Bentley Boys, Breitling has unveiled two winning timepieces. The Bentley Barnato and the Bentley Barnato Racing chronographs. The watches carry the name of the most famous and triumphant of the Bentley Boys -Woolf "Babe" Barnato, heir to his father, Barney Barnato's fortune.

Barnato used part of his multi-million dollar fortune to pursue his passion for the race track. In the 1920's Barnato was a member of an elite circle of wealthy British motorists ,the Bentley Boys , who would only be seen in W.O. Bentley's. The highest point was from 1927 to 1930 when the group won four consecutive victories at the 24 hours of Le Man. The latter three were won by Barnato himself, the only races he ever entered, making him the only Le Mans driver with a perfect wins to start ratio.

Barnato is closely tied to the history of Bentley. So inspired by the 1924 Le Mans win by John Duff and Frank Clement, Barnato dug into his multi million dollar fortune and agreed to finance Bentley's business becoming a majority shareholder and chairman in 1925.

Breitling has a long standing relationship with Bentley, affixing Breitling impeccable time keeper to every Bentley and presenting a long line of Breitling for Bentley timepieces such as the Breitling for Bentley Flying B and Mark IV.

The new Breitling Barnato Collection makes its namesake proud. The dial represents a passion for racing, three sub dials emblazoned on the white dial represents the shape of a steering wheel clutched while careening around hairpin bends. The raised knurled motif of the bezel brings to mind the dials on the control panel of Bentley's racing cars of the 1920's.
(inset - 1929 " Blower Bentley")

Via a scratch resistant sapphire crystal, an attractive oscillating weight, powers the COSC movement, which is equipped with an innovative "30 second chronograph" function. The oscillating weight is fashioned after wheel rims of the new Bentley Continental GT.

The Breitling Bentley Barnato timepiece represents the "golden age of sports".