De GRISOGONO Otturatore Timepiece Changes Face

Small Seconds Subdial

At BaselWorld this year one can get an eye to eye view of the new De Grisigono's Otturatore Timepiece Collection housing  four complications revealed one at a time via a rotating dial aperture.   The watch is pretty pricey costing 69,100 - 71,100 francs, but De Grisigono emphasizes the intensive research and development required to create the movement. I blogged about this watch back in 2009, when the watch was less square and edgy.  I am still deciding which model I prefer.

Moon Phase

I have to say it is a brilliant way of incorporating four complications without cluttering the dial.  Even the rotor is under wraps. 
The 18k rose or white gold case is an imposing 50mm tall, 45mm wide 16mm thick.  The pushers hold an immense presence commanding as much attention as the dial itself.  I would have thought if the complications and rotor were crafted with discretion, the pushers could have been a little less obvious.  The pushers run the show, however, initiating the 90° dial change in a few tenths of a millisecond, undetectable by the human eye.  The speed requires a two step procedure.  When one depresses the pusher another mechanism is activated which in turn moves the dial.  The pusher itself would not have enough power to move the dial at that speed, thus a second mechanism is incorporated.  The second mechanism is equipped with its own mainspring barrel, which draws energy from the lower pusher, which must be "pumped" a couple of times.

Date Aperture

The automatic DL 19-89 movement is an in house effort comprising of 574 components, 28 jewels and beating at 28,800 vph.  The clou de paris cobbled textured dial is available in silver,ruthenium, black or brown and serves as a worthy landscape for the aperture. Elegant “dauphine” style hands crafted in either 18K rose or white gold allow for a bold efficient time display.  A sapphire crystal case back allows one to view the complicated mechanism at work.  The watch is fixed with a comfortable alligator leather straps and secured to the wrist by a 18 k rose or white gold Signature De Grisigono folding clasp.  Although this watch has a 100 feet water resistance, for this price, I would hesitate to get it wet.

42 Hour Power Reserve

De Grisigono has always captured my attention ever since I first blogged about its Meccanico DG watch in 2008 and the Be Eight Collection and the "8 rules of femininity" later that year.  De Grisigono  watches are renowned for their uncanny distinction and exceptional craftsmanship. They were one of the first watch companies to use Galuchat as watch bands  De Grisigono was established in 1993 by famous diamond cutter and jeweler Fawaz Gruosi. Fawaz Gruosi leaped to fame when he
cut the world's largest black diamond, "Spirit of De Grisogono Diamond"  - 587 carats in the rough and 312.24 when cut.  It was set into a white gold ring and surrounded by 702 white diamonds - a total of 36.69 carats.  Fawaz Gruosi sold the ring to a private client. 

Weirdest Watch Straps Ever by Artya

Artya watches are always quite creative. This time it seems as though Artya went rummaging through the long forgotten basement of a Museum of Natural History and upended jars of butterfly wings and something else to create its new "Farfalla" collection. "Farfalla, of course, is butterfly in Italian. But it is not the butterfly wings situated on the dials that got my attention. What caught my attention is the watches obviously bumpy straps. Recognize the material. No its not a galuchat strap fashioned from stingray skin -the like of which is used by De Grisogono. This strap is fashioned from something quite different. Something which may very well be cast into a witches brew.
The strap is made from toad skin. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine, but I am sure some people may like the idea. Like the idea very much.
And what of the dial? The dial, as I mentioned before, harbors genuine butterfly wings - hand plucked from the finest butterflies. And the bezel? The one bezel has been subjected to electric shocks giving the watch an eery discolored look. The other bezel bares multiple lacerations - looking very much like a crime of passion.
Artya watches are sculptures; artfully capturing human emotions with unique materials.
Powering these watch specimens are high quality Swiss Automatic Mechanical Movements

What is a Galuchat watch band?

I first started noticing Galuchat watch straps on De Grisogono timepieces. A sort of bubbly textured look. But what is it?
Also known as Shagreen, Galuchat is actually either sharkskin or stingray skin. The name comes from Jean-Claude Galuchat who was Louis XV's master leather artisan. He introduced this exotic leather to France in the 18th century where he was most noted for his sheaths. He fashioned shagreen for Louis XV and his court. He placed it on objects such as snuff boxes, wig cases, furniture, jewelry boxes and toilette items. It is said Madame de Pompadour was a great fan of Shagreen.
Jean-Claude Galuchat, although the most renowned for his use of shark skins, was not the first. Shark and sting ray skins were used as early as the 8th century. The Japanese Tachi, Katana and Wakizashi used the undyd untreated skins for sheaths and hilts of swords. The rough texture of the material provided the handle with extra grip as well as high resilience. In the China Qing dynasty, the polished Shagreen were used for composite bows. In the 19th century the material was used for book bindings and pocketbooks.
The name Shagreen actually refers to rough untamed skin. The leather was most often made from a horses back and most often dyed green. Today's Shagreen is made for Galuchat which is shark or sting ray skin. Shagreen is from the French word chagrin which means sorrow or Turkish sagri meaning "the back of a horse". As the leather was rough in texture the word was synonymous with displeasure or ill humor.
None the less, Galuchat still holds a unique quality. The uniqueness comes from round calcified papillae called "placoid scales". These placoid scales are otherwise known as Denticles and are small outgrowths which cover the skin of many cartilaginous fish such as sharks and sting rays. The denticles are similar in structure to teeth.
Most often the placoid scales are polished down until the denticles are rounded and pearl like.
De Grisogono has taken the natural texture of the Galuchat and enhanced it with exceptional colors and polishing, creating a timepiece where the strap commands as much attention as the watch.