deLaCour Genève unveils CITY CADET II "SUN AND LOVE"

deLaCour unveils CITY CADET II "SUN AND LOVE", a vibrant watch fueled by love and sun.  The dial is flamboyant no doubt, the sun's glittering rays pouring over a gleaming almost pulsating heart.
I have a feeling this baby stole the show - among the ladies - at deLaCour's January 21st-25th launch of its new collections.  The watch was in great company though, sharing the stage with Bichrono Rafaga, City Leap and an exclusive preview of the Tourbillon reflect.

Our lady in question has slimmed down a bit from its contemporaries in the  CITY collections.  This new look provides the dazzling timepiece with a more slender appearance while still maintaining a curvaceous figure. Dimensions of 42 x 41 x 12 mm provide a bold placement on wrist.  However it is not merely dimensions that draw eyes to watch but a striking combination of rose gold emblazoned with diamonds extending from bezel to lugs surrounding a dial of the deepest black. The blackness of dial is a well chosen backdrop to the vibrant red gems outlining its heart and diamonds set as a shimmering sun. Sun and heart serve the function as a dual time zone powered by an in house automatic DC 251.  A day and date are located at the 3 'o'clock position.

deLaCour is a relatively new watchmaking company unveiling its first Bichrono collection at Baselworld 2003. deLaCour is the success of three highly skilled individuals: CEO Alfred Terzibachia, Designer,  Pierre Koukjian and Louai Kuzbari - Financier/CFO.
In the last ten years, the company has unveiled a remarkable number of limited edition timepieces catering to stylistic preferences of individuals.  They have adopted the slogan "since tomorrow" - a very clever phrase for a watch company with a bright future.

"The Last Laugh" Watches by Mr Jones

Mr Jones what do we have here? With a name like Jones one can get away with just about anything and then when things get a bit out of hand, one can hide beneath a swarm of Jonesses. Why would anything go wrong while wearing a Mr Jones watch?  Oh Nothing, Its just that the UK watches have a sort of macabre glee to them which may unsettle he unsettled.
Let me start by saying, I tried to embed a video of the workings of the watch and the clacking of its teeth, but my computer worked itself into a manic frenzy so much so that I had to shut it down and turn it off encase sparks may fly and devilish words appear on the screen in blood dripping red. I turned to my much older computer who has seen many many things, and it allowed the pleasure of posting the video.

What an appropriately frightful  introduction to your watches Mr Jones! 

The  Last Laugh by Mr Jones


As you can see the time is displayed in the evil grin of a skeleton. The hours are displayed on the upper row of menacing teeth while the minutes on the lower row. The 20 jewel automatic mechanical watch uses a jumping hour display and are quite affordable at $255.00.

If one wants to ramp up the  horror of it all - raise an eyebrow or two at this maggot invested video displaying the Last Laugh Tatoo Edition, see below.  The Last Laugh Tatoo Edition is decorated in the bright colors reminiscent of the Mexican "Day of the Dead Festival" of which I blogged  about here.This watch displays the artwork specially commissioned by British Tattoo Artist Adrian Willard

Mr Jones wants to make the point of "Carpe Diem" or Seize the Day".  Lighten up we are only around for a brief moment in time. Mr Jones has a large selection of very intriguing and unusual timepieces.

The Incredibly Thin Piaget Emperador Coussin Ultra-Thin Minute Repeater

At this year's SIHH, Piaget unveiled a minute repeater encased in an ultra-thin 48mm diameter case crafted in Piaget's location at Plan-Les-Ouates specifically working a mere  9.4mm thick case of which the movement is just 4.8 mm thick.  The open-worked dial exposes all elements of the in-house Caliber 1290P.

Piaget went all out to ensure extraordinary results.  Six engineers spent three years at Piaget's location in  La Côte-aux-Fées, working on the 1290P movement. At first I assumed this watch must be hand wound judging from the slimness of the watch, but nope this watch is all automatic - its movement is developed on the base of the Caliber 1200P, which is the worlds slimmest automatic watch.  This feat is enabled by a platinum micro rotor visible at the back of the watch.
The slimness of the watch is no measure to the amount of components, of which the 1290P has a astounding 407. Some of the pieces ,like certain wheels are a mere .12mm thick, and some components are even 0.07 mm thick. The precision required in crafting such diminutive pieces requires high level of expertise and competence. Once crafted, every piece must be placed with perfection for a precision movement. An error in reckoning of a single piece no matter how small can confound the timekeeping to no end. Thus an optimal skill required in compiling the movement is imperative.

 

 The components of the minute repeater comprise of rods encircling the movement and two steel hammers. The minute repeater is activated by a slider at the 9 'o'clock position whereby it chimes at an incredible intensity of 64 decibels striking in the 5th octave. Hours and minutes are distinguished in sound: Hours - G Sharp and Minutes - A Sharp . The resonance is amplified by increasing the space within the case by hollowing it out as much as possible without compromising the integrity of the structure.  In addition four braces attach the case to the movement ensuring optimal transmission of the gong vibration. A gong base is attached to the movement as well as four screws on the exterior of the case. All these aspects interact to provide a super efficient minute repeater as part of an ultra thin movement.   To regulate the rhythm an inertia flywheel is used as a regulation of rythum from the time the chiming starts until it subsides.

Piaget is at the horological pinnacle of watchmaking world especially in record setting ultra-thin watchmaking.  The Piaget Emperador Coussin Ultra-Thin Minute Repeater is Piaget's 4th ultra-thin high end complication and its 11th complication.  To date Piaget has manufactured no less than 35 completely in-house movements.

Only ten pieces will be available in rose gold raising its worth and appeal.