As part of the preview of its Spring sales in Hong Kong, Christie’s has organised a series of special events in Singapore, including a panel discussion on watch collecting, with a focus on vintage timepieces and independent watchmakers, moderated by SJX.

Titled “The Convergence of Collecting”, the panel discussion will discuss two different ends of watch collecting – independent watchmaking and vintage wristwatches – that are wildly popular in South-East Asia. This event happens alongside the preview of timepieces to be offered at Christie’s sale in Hong Kong at end May. Moderated by Su Jia Xian (SJX), the editor of this blog, the panel will comprise Sam Hines, the Head of Christie’s Watch Department, as well as watch collector Audric Haryadi, and Ong Ban, who heads watch retailer Sincere Fine Watches. The event will take place on Saturday, 3 May 2014 at 11 am in the Shangri-La Hotel. Registration is required for attendance – that can be done on Christie’s registration page.

With its swivelling, double sided case, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso offers a perfect canvas for customisation. Hand-engraving is the most frequently applied craft for customisation, with a simplicity of technique that belies the skill required. And despite the deft hand required, engraving is a surprisingly affordable.

Dominique Vuez, master engraver

Jaeger-LeCoultre recently had your correspondent try his hand at engraving a simple straight line on a piece of stainless steel, under the watchful eye of Dominique Vuez, one of the engravers at the manufacture. Engraving is the process of creating a design on a surface by removing tiny slivers of material, leaving behind grooves. The tools required are simple – a vice to hold the part being engraved, a sharp-tipped burin, and a pair of magnifying visor.  These are a condensed version of what the professionals use; instead of a visor they have a microscope, and engravers have a wide variety of burins, or gravers, for different lines. 

Mr Vuez, who began his career at JLC and has been there nearly 20 years, explained the process. To start with, the burin has to be gripped firmly in the palm, lodged against the ball of the thumb.  With the index finger and thumb to control it, the sharp tip of the burin is dug into the metal at just the right angle. Then with the right amount of strenght – a surprising degree of controlled pressure is required – the line is created. Care has to be taken not to skewer the hand gripping the vice. That, at least, is how it works in theory. Your correspondent had the task of finishing the line in between the letters “J” and “L” in the JLC logo.

He was unsuccessful. 

The degree of artful control required to create a perfect line, one almost as perfect as machine engraving, is not easily mastered. Nonetheless, engraving a Reverso is surprisingly affordable, with stock styles for initials starting at about US$200 for a pair of letters in the Anglaise font. More complex fonts, like the Art Deco style which is filled with lacquer, cost about US$300.

Custom designs are also available, with a possibility of lacquer or enamel decoration, with the cost depending on the motif and technique. Personalising a case back typically takes between three to eight weeks, with the script Anglaise font being the quickest.

This can be request via any Jaeger-LeCoultre boutique, for both newly purchased and currently owned JLC timepieces. Additionally, JLC offers an on-line personalisation tool for mock-ups and requests for engraved motifs.

Christie’s upcoming sale in Geneva comprises 440 lots. The line-up is diverse, including vintage and modern timepieces. But most notable are several one-of-a-kind timepieces from the star brands of the auction world, Patek Philippe and Rolex.

As is typical of Geneva auctions (sales in Hong Kong tend to emphasise modern watches), the offerings at Christie’s for its 12 May 2014 sale feature numerous significant and pricey vintage timepieces. One of the highlights of the sale is the lot 376, a possibly unique Patek Philippe reference 1518 signed “CALENDRIER PERPÉTUEL” on the dial. The first wristwatch featuring both a chronograph and perpetual calendar, the reference 1518 is a tiny 35 mm in diameter but widely regarded as one of the most important wristwatches ever. Estimated at 500,000 to 800,000 Swiss francs, this particular specimen is possibly unique (lot 376).  Produced in 1942, a year after the model was introduced, this watch has “CALENDRIER PERPÉTUEL” on the dial in black enamel lettering, a feature never seen before on this model. The reasons for this unique dials is lost to history, but Christie’s speculates it might have been a marketing ploy given that the reference 1518 was the first wristwatch of its kind.

Interestingly, though this reference 1518 is likely unique, in 2007 Christie’s sold a reference 1526 perpetual calendar with a similar “CALEND. PERPÉTUEL” inscription on the dial.  Also unique, but for all the wrong reasons, is a Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 3800/1 in platinum with diamond indices (lot 46). Less than 10 examples of this watch have been sold at auction, but this particular piece is unique because of the hand-engraved Roman numerals on the bezel – which were unfortunately done after-market and not by Patek Philippe. As a result of this, Christie’s note that “no Extract from the Archives will be issued” and has given it a lowish estimate of 12,000 to 18,000 Swiss francs. Let this be a lesson on why originality is important.

To continue the theme of unique timepieces, blessed with a 500,000 to 800,000 Swiss franc estimate is yet another possibly unique timepiece, a Rolex reference 6062 triple calendar with moon phase in steel (lot 262). Already rare in steel, this reference 6062 has a black lacquered dial, and is the only known example with such a dial. 

Notably, this reference 6062 has a dial characteristic of sixties Rolex watches, though it was originally made in 1953. This is explained by the fact that it was sold in the sixties, because the reference 6062 did not well well when it was launched in the fifties. Another special Rolex is the reference 5029/5028 with a cloisonné enamel dial depicting a whale and a frigate in stormy seas, and star-shaped hour markers (lot 207). Made in 1949, this is believed to be the earliest enamel dial Rolex ever made, and also the only example with star-shaped indices. 

Several other characteristics add to its rarity, the 36 mm case which was large for the time, the edge to edge enamelling on the dial, and the fact that the dial was made by Marguerite Koch, a noted enamellist of the period. Additionally, it is in wonderful, unrestored and unpolished condition. All of that results in the 500,000 to 1,000,000 Swiss franc estimate. In the same stratosphere is a Breguet, a brand rarely encountered in this price range (lot 294). This particular Breguet pocket watch, however, is historically significant. It is the third tourbillon made by Breguet, which by extension makes it the third tourbillon ever. It is also Breguet’s first four minute tourbillon.  In addition, this is equipped with a natural escapement, double subsidiary seconds, a power reserve, and a guilloche, regulator-style gold dial. Sold in 1809 to adventurer and writer Count Potocki, this is estimated at 600,000 to 1,000,000 Swiss francs.

Also the only one of its kind is the Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite in white gold, estimated at 150,000 to 250,000 Swiss francs (lot 392). Typically available with a blue dial and Arabic numerals, of which 18 pieces were made, this particular watch was delivered with a black dial and arrowhead indices, making it unique.

To continue the theme, another rare Lange at the same is the Lange 1 in steel, one of about two dozen made (lot 386). Lange watches in steel are uncommon: last year Christie’s sold a similar steel Lange 1 for nearly 150,000 Swiss francs, while a unique, steel Double Split sold for over US$500,000. That explains the 80,000 to 150,000 Swiss franc estimate for this steel Lange 1.

Also in the sale is a Lange 1A, the first ever limited edition Lange 1 (lot 387). The case is yellow gold, as is the guilloche dial, and even the date disc, giving it a striking, almost entirely gilded hue. The balance cock, escape wheel and pallet fork are also made of solid gold. Made in a limited edition of 100 pieces in 1998, this is estimated at 40,000 to 60,000 Swiss francs.

Worth a mention is a Vacheron Constantin reference 4178 chronograph from 1945 (lot 299). Estimated at 25,000 to 45,000 Swiss francs, the reference 4178 is widely regarded as the quintessential chronograph from Vacheron Constantin. This piece has the signature tear-drop lugs of the model, but has the addition of the uncommon pulsometer dial, designed for doctors to allow measurement of a heart rate. 

The last highlight is an unusual and quirky timepiece (lot 265). Estimated at 14,000 to 16,000 Swiss francs, it is an unsigned pocket watch with a perpetual calendar and equation of time display, but no time display. The moon-tipped hand indicates the date and month, while the sun hand is for the equation of time.

The Christie’s Geneva auction will take place on 12 May 2014 at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues. More details can be had from Christie’s. All images copyright Christie’s Images Limited 2014

Urwerk has just revealed the second generation of its signature satellite hour display wristwatch, the UR-105M, which becomes the new entry level timepiece in Urwerk’s line-up. With a thick steel plate screwed onto the front of the case, the new UR-105M has a strong resemblance to its bigger brother, the UR-210.

The watch that put Urwerk on the map as a maker of avant-garde timepieces was the Urwerk 103, introduced just over 10 years ago. Now the 103’s replacement has finally arrived, in the form of the UR-105M. Positioned as an entry level timepiece into the Urwerk universe, the UR-105M retains the trademark time display found in the 103, a wandering hours comprised of four satellite discs. The UR-105M operates on the same principle as its predecessor, four satellites – machined from aluminium for lightness – travel in succession across a minute track. The satellites indicate the hours and are in effect a wandering hours display. 

Mounted over the satellites is a canopy made of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), a lightweight, high-tech plastic that is extremely resistant to corrosion and temperature. Its properties mean that it’s often used in engineering applications in medical implants and the chemical industry. 

Here the PEEK canopy is open-worked, forming a frame for the hour numeral below. A running seconds display with a honeycomb-skeleton disc is located at the bottom right corner of the face, just above the minutes.

On the left side of the case is another constant seconds display in red, and the power reserve indication just beside it.

The case back has three displays found in other Urwerk timepieces. They are a power reserve indicator, an automobile-inspired oil change display which indicates when a service is due, and a timing screw. This screw allows the owner or watchmaker to adjust the rate of the watch without having to open the case.

Like its bigger brother, the UR-105M has an angular, aggressively styled steel front plate covering the titanium case. Inspired by medieval armour, the steel plate has six visible screws that secure it to the case below.

The UR-105M has a manual wind movement with a 42 hour power reserve. It’s available as the UR-105M “Iron Knight”, which has a black titanium case and a brushed steel front plate. A second model is the “Dark Knight”, which has an AlTiN-coated steel front plate, giving it an entirely black finish. AlTiN, or aluminium titanium nitride, is a hard coating used to coat industrial tools like drill bits.

Prices for the UR-105M are 57,000 Swiss francs (~US$64,600) for the “Iron Knight” and 62,000 Swiss francs (~US$70,300) for the “Dark Knight”.

Recently unveiled at Baselworld 2014, the Vulcain Cricket 50s Presidents’ Pegasus combines the brand’s trademark alarm function with a fine cloisonné enamel dial depicting a winged stallion amongst the clouds.

Vulcain is synonymous with the Cricket, a loud and insistent alarm wristwatch it invented in 1947. Having earned the moniker “the presidents’ watch” because it was worn by several American presidents in the fifties and sixties, the Cricket was presented with a cloisonné enamel dial at Baselworld 2014. Made by Donzé Cadrans, the Cricket Pegasus amongst the most elaborately decorative alarm watches on the market. Dial maker Donzé Cadrans specialises in enamel dials and is one of the few specialists able to make consistently high quality enamel dials in reasonably large quantities. The Pegasus and clouds are created using cloisonné enamelling, with fine gold wires measuring just 0.07 mm wide soldered to the dial to create tiny cells, which are then filled with enamel, forming the motif. 

Rich blue flinqué enamel forms the background, made of translucent enamel applied over a guilloche dial base. Because each section of the dial is painted and then fired, several firings are required before it is complete. Once finished the dial is polished to give it a smooth and glossy finish. The dial is well made and intricately detailed, with minimal imperfections that are unavoidable in enamel dial.

This particular case type is known as the Cricket 50s Presidents’ because it is modelled on the wristwatches worn by presidents Truman, Eisenhower and Johnson. Styled like a gentleman’s watch of the mid-twentieth century, it also features a domed sapphire crystal which completes the vintage look. But like all other vintage-inspired timepieces, the Pegasus has a larger case than its inspiration, measuring 42 mm in diameter. 

Visible through the display back, which has the Vulcain “V” across the crystal, is the calibre V-20. This is based on the original Vulcain Cricket movement, except it has an automatic winding mechanism. Equipped with twin barrels, one for the alarm and the other for the time, the V-20 has a 42 hour power reserve, while the alarm will buzz for 20 seconds at full wind.

The Vulcain Cricket Pegasus is available in two variants, Pegasus in the Sky, which is pictured here, and Pegasus on the Mountain. Both are limited to 18 pieces and priced at 75,500 Singapore dollars, equivalent to about US$60,400.  Vulcain typically has its timepieces at a much lower price point, but this is about par for a watch with a cloisonné dial made by Donzé Cadrans, or another dial maker of comparable quality.

The Bradley is a titanium wristwatch designed for telling the time through touch, while looking like a conventional wristwatch. It allows the visually impaired to tell the time, yet is attractive enough that most of the sales so far have been to sighted individuals, with only 1-2% of watches sold going to the blind. This is the accessible, modern equivalent of the montre à tact, the so-called tactful pocket watches made by the likes of Breguet for telling the time inconspicuously. Unlike other watches for the visually impaired that speak the time, the Bradley is discreet.

It works on a simple concept: two ball bearings, one on the front for the minutes, and around on the circumference of the case for the hours, indicate the time. Touching the ball bearings quickly reveals the time, making it useful not just for the blind but also the sighted who need to know the time in a unobtrusive manner.

Raised indices on the front – there is no crystal over the dial – mark out the hours. 12 o’clock is a triangular marker, while the quarters are elongated to distinguish them from the other indices.

Made of titanium, the Bradley is 40 mm in diameter, with a quartz Ronda movement inside. The movement drives the ball bearings via magnets, with the time set via the crown. Because the ball bearings are magnetic, even if they are thrown out of alignment, they jump back into position with a few shakes of the watch.

Eone – “designed for everyone” – launched the Bradley on crowdfunding site Kickstarter in mid-2013 with a goal of raising US$40,000, but has since raised just under US$600,000. 4500 watches have been sold so far, with about 3900 having been shipped.

Eone founder Hyungsoo Kim conceived the Bradley while at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Kim had a blind classmate who had difficulty telling the time. Kim named the watch after Brad Snyder, who lost his sight while serving as a bomb disposal officer in Afghanistan. Snyder, a swimmer won two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympics, provided input in the early stages of the Bradley’s development.

Available on a leather strap in various colours, or a steel mesh bracelet, the Bradley is available for US$195 from Eone’s online store, with delivery in June 2014. According to Eone, there are no plans yet for a Bradley powered by a mechanical movement.

Since its launch the bestselling Reverso 1931 has evolved into a plethora of different models, ranging from an enamelled skeleton to the twin-time zone Duoface, all with the same large but slim proportions. The latest addition to the collection is the Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1931 Chocolate, which like the Reverso Rouge, is inspired by a vintage Reverso.

The Reverso 1931 Chocolate is modelled on vintage Reversos which originally had black dials, but because of the sun’s effect on the pigments of the dial, are now a rich brown, something that would be called tropical in Rolex parlance. One such watch is this thirties Reverso in steel, made for Walser, Wald y Cia, a jeweller in Buenos Aires, and signed as such on the dial. Argentina was once a wealthy country, and its jewellers were the original retailers of some of the finest vintage watches on the market today.

The Reverso 1931 Chocolate has a rich brown dial with a slightly glossy finish, in a tone that is similar to oxblood. And the Luminova on the dial and hands has a faux patina, completing the vintage look.

This pairs very well with the pink gold case, which measures 46.8 mm by 27.4 mm, almost twice as large as the vintage model. At just 7.3 mm thick, the Reverso 1931 Chocolate is elegantly proportioned.

Worth noting is the strap, made of cordovan by Casa Fagliano, an Argentinian maker of polo boots. It is slightly rough at the edges – evidently hand-made – but incredibly supple and soft. An additional, conventional brown alligator strap (likely made by Camille Fournet) is also included with the Reverso 1931 Chocolate.

If there is one criticism that can be made of this watch, it is that the Reverso 1931 Chocolate has zero novelty or creativity. The Reverso 1931 Chocolate is yet another colour variation of the 1931, of which there are many. That being said, it is a beautiful and charming timepiece. And Jaeger-LeCoultre is still moderate enough in its pricing that its flaws are more easily forgiven.

The Reverso 1931 Chocolate will retail for €12,700 before taxes, which is about US$17,500.

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, F.P. Journe has created a pair of limited edition watches, a blue dial Octa Automatique Lune and an Elégante with a jade dial.

F.P. Journe is the official watchmaker of France-China 50, a series of events throughout 2014 held to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic ties between France and China. Though his eponymous brand is based in Switzerland, François-Paul Journe himself was born in Marseilles, and counts French horologists Breguet and Janvier amongst his inspirations. In a period where there seem to be almost as many limited edition watches for the Chinese market as there are people in the Middle Kingdom, F.P. Journe has created a pair of limited edition watches with the subtlest of references to the target market (Zenith’s most recent release was the polar opposite). The first limited edition is the France-China 50 Watch Octa Automatique Lune. With a 40 mm platinum case, this has a matte, dark blue dial, an uncommon colour for Journe timepieces. The numerals are applied white gold, and a tiny France-China 50 logo in red sits at three o’clock. 

This has all the slim, elegant proportions typical of F.P. Journe, along with well-considered details like the varying sizes of the numerals (notice 4, 7, 8, 9 and 10) to ensure the sub-dials do not cut into them.

Inside is the calibre 1300, which is automatic with a 120 hour power reserve, as well as the solid rose gold bridges and base plate which are an F.P. Journe signature.  Ten pieces of the France-China 50 Watch Octa Automatique Lune will be made, with one for each of the ten F.P. Journe boutiques worldwide. However, additional pieces may be produced as special requests. This will retail for 50,000 Swiss francs, or about US$56,800. The second watch is the France-China 50 Elégante with a jade dial. The Elégante is F.P. Journe’s recently unveiled ladies’ watch with a clever electro-mechanical movement. The tortue-shaped case in platinum is paired with a translucent green jade dial that reveals some of the gears which drive the hands. Around the bezel and on the lugs are 54 diamonds totalling a modest 0.62 carats.

Proprietary to F.P. Journe, the calibre 1210 of the Elégante goes into hibernation after 30 to 40 minutes, but once motion is detected it starts up and automatically resets to the correct time. This gives it a battery life of 8 to 10 years while in use, and up to 18 years in hibernation.  Only one of these jade dial Elégante watches will be made, however, more may be produced as custom orders. The retail price of the Elégante will be 36,600 Swiss francs, equivalent to US$41,700.

Jaeger-LeCoultre has remade its Geophysic chronometer as a limited edition, sticking closely to the aesthetics of the original but injecting modern features like a larger diameter and the self-winding calibre 898 movement.

In 1958 Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the original Geophysic to coincide with the International Geophysical Year (IGY). Resistant to magnetism and equipped with the 478BWSbr movement JLC used in its Royal Air Force pilots’ watches, the Geophysic was conceived as a precise, durable and no-nonsense chronometer for the explorers and scientists taking part in the expeditions during the IGY. JLC has just unveiled a remake of the Geophysic, applying the same formula it used for the successful Reverso 1931 – an accessibly priced, vintage-style timepiece equipped with stock, modern movement.  Three versions are available – steel, pink gold or platinum – but all share the same basic specifications. Water-resistant to 100 m, the modern Geophysic is 38.5 mm in diameter, while the original was just 35 mm. 

Inside is the calibre 898/1, an automatic movement with a 43 hour power reserve. This is encased in soft iron, giving it protection from magnetic fields. While the movement is competent technically and decoratively, it is a stock movement and offers nothing more than the basic Master line automatic watches with the same calibre.

The vintage Geophysic and its calibre 478BWSbr

All three versions have faux-patina lume on the hands but they are not all the same. The steel and pink gold models have a cross-hair dial, which is less common on the vintage models. The platinum version, on the other hand, has a cleaner dial that is conversely easier to find on the vintage Geophysic.

Geophysic Boutique Edition in platinum

All three versions have Luminova dots on the chapter ring around the dial, whereas the original Geophysic had tritium dots painted on the underside of the crystal.  Limited to 58 pieces, the Geophysic in platinum will only be sold in Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques with a retail price of US$32,000 or 42,600 Singapore dollars.

In pink gold it’s limited to 300 pieces and available at authorised retailer for US$20,800 or 27,500 Singapore dollars. And the steel version is limited to 800 pieces with a price of US$9800 or 12,800 Singapore dollars.

Latin America’s most famous revolutionaries – Simón Bolívar, Che Guevara and Emiliano Zapata – form the motif of the Zenith Christophe Colomb Hurricane Revolución, equipped with a gyroscopic escapement as well as a chain and fusée mechanism.

There is a great deal of irony in the latest versions of the Christophe Colomb Hurricane, the most complicated timepiece from Zenith, whose CEO will soon decamp for Rolex. This trio of timepieces, which retail for just over US$400,000 each, commemorate three legendary liberators of Latin American, an important market for Zenith, with Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Emiliano Zapata and Simón Bolívar immortalised in colourful relief. Each of these men, who fought for the poor and downtrodden, are depicted in lavish lacquered and hand-engraved relief on the backs of the watches in stylised and caricatured fashion. Zapata is depicted along with a moustachioed skeleton riding a skeleton horse amidst several cacti.