Two years after the introduction of the Type 1 Squared, the cushion-shaped model that was smaller and slimmer, Ressence now unveils the Type 1 Slim. It’s a slimmed down version of the  most pared back watch in the Ressence catalogue,

The Type 1 Slim features a monobloc titanium case that measures 42mm in diameter and 11mm in height. Its tonneau shape and lug-less design makes for an eminently sleeker case.  As with all other Ressence watches, the Type 1 Slim has no crown, the winding and setting mechanism being the case back itself.

Available in black, blue, white and grey, the dial is slightly convex, echoing the curve of the domed sapphire crystal. It is made of German silver and features engraved indications filled with Super-Luminova.

Time is indicated with the signature Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), wherein traditional watch hands are replaced by planetary discs.

The ROCS is made up of 107 components, with the entire dial rotating on itself, and each sub-dial making smaller revolutions to display the hours, minutes, seconds and day of the week.

The ROCS module

The base movement is a modified ETA 2892 calibre, which is slightly thinner than the ETA 2824 used in the preceding generation.

Price and Availability

The Type 1 Slim is available with the dial in black (Type 1B), white (Type 1W), blue (Type 1N) or grey (Type 1RS), and is priced at SFr16,800.

Having unveiled two unique Les Cabinotiers watches prior to SIHH 2019, Vacheron Constantin has now unveiled a third one-of-a-kind creation for the year, this time powered by the ultra-thin minute repeater Calibre 1731.

At just 3.9mm thick, the hand-wound Calibre 1731 was the thinnest minute repeater on the market when it was introduced in 2013. Named after the birth year of brand founder Jean-Marc Vacheron, the Calibre 1731 is combined with a perpetual calendar module here, raising its height to 5.7mm in height and becoming the Calibre 1731 QP. Composed of 438 parts, it has a frequency of 3Hz and a 65-hour power reserve.

Two examples were produced, one each in white and pink gold, with the case measuring 42mm diameter and 10.44mm in height. The white gold version gets a blue dial, while the pink gold watch gets a brown dial, both with a matching moon phase discs. Both the applied hour markers and moon are in 18k gold.

Designed with a traditional, four sub-dial layout, the dial is balanced and clean, with a discreet leap year indicator in a small aperture at one o’clock.

The sapphire crystal caseback reveals the Calibre 1731 QP. Visible on the top is the spring which powers the hammers. The spring is wound by pulling the slide on the side of the case, then unwinds to power the repeater. The rate at which the spring unwinds is regulated by the silent governor, a gilded, cross-shaped device held under its own bridge.

As the governor spins, its wings spread apart, creating air resistance to moderate its own rate of spin, operating silently as compared to the mechanical buzz of a traditional governor.

The design and layout of the bridges lend themselves well to finishing with the bridges having several bevelled sharp outwards points and two inward ones. As with all Vacheron Constantin’s mechanical movements, the Calibre 1731 QP bears the Poincon de Geneve, or Geneva Seal.

Price and Availability

Each Les Cabinotiers Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar (ref. 6610C/000G-B511) is a one-of-a-kind creation and the price is only available upon request. Further customisation is also possible.

A. Lange & Söhne first introduced its proprietary gold alloy back in 2010. Known as honey gold for its pale colour that’s a cross between rose and yellow gold, the metal was used solely for limited edition watches, which is exactly the case for the new 100-piece Langematik Perpetual.

First unveiled in 2001, the Langematik Perpetual was the first automatic wristwatch that paired a perpetual calendar with Lange’s signature outsize date. Though the Langematik Perpetual was once available in both platinum and the three colours of gold, it is now only available on honey gold.

The applied elements of the dial, namely the Roman numerals, hands and date window, are also made of solid honey gold.

Besides the material, there’s a key visual difference between the ordinary version and the honey gold edition: the chapter ring for the Roman numerals is decorated with a radial guilloche.

The rest of the watch is identical to the earlier versions of the Langematik Perpetual, with the case measuring 38.5mm by 10.2mm.

The L922.1 movement within is based on the venerable Sax-0-Mat movement. It is one of the earliest movements by Lange, but has withstood the test of time and is still found in several current watches.

Named after its hacking zero-reset seconds, the Sax-O-Mat movement has the best of both worlds by combining the ornate, relief cast 21k gold rotor with Lange’s signature three-quarter plate. With the rotor off-centre, the trademark engraved balance cock is always visible.

Hidden from view underneath the dial is the perpetual calendar module. The perpetual mechanism is of a traditional grand levier, or “big lever”, construction with the distinction of being paired with an outsize-date window. Setting the calendar can be done via pin pushers integrated into the side of the case.

Price and availability

The Langematik Perpetual Honey Gold (ref 310.050) is limited to 100 pieces, priced at €85,000 including 19% German tax.

Originally released in platinum three years ago and then in pink gold the following year, A. Lange & Söhne returns to the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds at SIHH 2019, now with a white gold case with a black dial. And unlike the earlier iterations that were limited to 100 pieces each, the new model is part of the regular collection.

To recap, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is a regulator-style watch with overlapping sub-dials for the seconds, minutes and hours, arranged in a triangle.

The significance here is the inverted colour scheme of the grained black dial with white printed tracks and Roman numerals. The look is somewhat reminiscent of Richard Lange Pour le Mérite in white gold of 2016.

Visual interest is maintained via red accents on the quarters of the minutes sub-dial. Additionally, a small triangular cutout at six o’clock serves as the power reserve indicator, showing red when the mainspring is nearly empty.

Unusually for a regulator watch, the seconds hand is most prominent, being on the largest sub-dial at 12 o’clock. The reason for this is the deadbeat seconds function, where the seconds hand ticks in one-seconds steps like a quartz watch. This represents a nod to 19th century watches when deadbeat seconds pocket watches were conceived for easier synchronisation of the time.

Most modern deadbeat seconds are designed with what is fundamentally a regular movement, but with an additional gear train to create the jumping seconds function that serves no genuine timekeeping purpose.

The L094.1 movement in the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds, however, was designed from the ground up with a remontoir, a buffer spring that serves as a constant force mechanism by smoothing out the varying torque from the mainspring as it winds down.

The remontoir delivers controlled, consistent bursts of power to the regulating organ of the timepiece. Isochronism is therefore improved and thus, accuracy is maintained independent of the remaining power in the mainspring.

The remontoir inside the L094.1 is designed to recharge every second, making it perfect for driving the jumping seconds hand. The priming of the remontoir is visible through a cutout of the movement’s massive half-plate.

Meanwhile, the other half of the movement houses both the auxiliary geartrain for the jumping seconds and a plethora of levers. These levers form another feature of the movement – the second hand resets to zero and stops when the crown is pulled out, making time setting more precise.

As with Lange’s mid to high-end watches, timekeeping is further improved by having a freesprung balance wheel coupled with an overcoil for the hairspring.

Price and Availability

The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds in white gold with a black dial (ref. 252.029) is priced at €71,000 including 19% German tax.