Until recently, the world's rarest frog was thought to be Isthmohyla rivularis, which was rediscovered in 2008 in the rainforests of Costa Rica. Now, however, that tiny tree frog's place in the record books has been taken by a new amphibian, one with a black satin skin tough enough to take anything the jungle can dish out: MB&F's Frog Zr, a numbered limited edition of just 18 pieces.
It is now more than five years since Moser introduced the Perpetual 1 as the world’s fi rst watch with the already legendary Flash Calendar. It is still the only watch with a perpetual calendar which can be accessed with consummate ease and only via the crown, and without even having to read the operating instructions. No restrictions whatsoever hamper the adjustment of the calendar forwards or backwards. Not even when the watch itself is on the point of advancing to the next day. Taken together with all its other functions, this watch is still without parallel anywhere in the world.
“GEOGRAPH rainforest” associates the unique Louis Moinet legacy with an exceptional new material: petrified palm wood. Each watch sold will enable a substantial contribution to the “PULAU BANDING Foundation”, which aims to preserve the Malaysian tropical forest of Belum-Temengor, one of the oldest in the world. The two chronograph counters are made from genuine petrified palm wood. This emblematic tree believed to be 70 million years old comes from the tropical forests of South-East Asia. Its origins and its venerable age make it the ideal ambassador for the “Rainforest” project.
Harry Winston’s Opus has become more than a collection of outstanding timepieces. This blend of watchmaking dreams come true tells a story of determination that has turned into a cultural phenomenon, recreated annually by talented people who know how to derive synergy from an equal commitment to art and technology.
With this highly sophisticated model christened in tribute to Christopher Columbus, the bold 15th century explorer who was the first to tackle the ocean head on rather than following coastlines, Manufacture ZENITH proudly presents one of the great modern-day horological accomplishments stemming from over five years of intense development.
Chopard’s emblematic sports watch has come to symbolise the world’s most famous classic car rally, the Millie Miglia. The Mille Miglia Watch remains loyal to the annual event that has made it a classic in the field of luxury watchmaking. Immediately recognisable thanks to its natural rubber strap echoing the 1960s Dunlop Racing tyre-tread motif, it appears in 2010 in a 44 mm-diameter steel or 18-carat rose gold case housing a self-winding chronograph movement chronometer-certified by the COSC.
The resolutely contemporary Quai de l’Ile collection launched by Vacheron Constantin in 2008 is now enriched with a Retrograde Annual Calendar model. This complication is revealed through the new Vacheron Constantin Calibre 2460 QRA and housed within a 43 mm case offering unique opportunities for personalisation. This Retrograde Annual Calendar also features new dial variations featuring alternating vertical satin-brushed and opaline finishing, versions that are now available for all models in the Quai de l’Ile collection.
At 6 pm on 7 May 2011, the day before the match against Chelsea, the hallowed turf of Old Trafford - the scene of so many victories, so much excitement and effort - has been chosen by the Manchester United players, Sir Alex Ferguson and Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot, to host the presentation of the new King Power Red Devil to the international press.
Pursuing its reinterpretation of the Villeret collection undertaken in 2010, Blancpain is now presenting a single-pusher chronograph with complete calendar and moon phases. In addition to the technical challenge involved, this original combination called for particular attention in order to preserve the readability of the dial and the stylistic purity of this model, thus ensuring harmony with the traditions of the collection.
For Chopard’s 150th anniversary, the Manufacture launched a limited edition of the L.U.C 1937 model – a mechanical tribute to the company’s watchmaking heritage. Two new versions of this steel watch, firmly rooted in the tradition of classic timepieces, are now being introduced: one with a porcelain-type white dial and the other with a satin-finished silver-toned dial. The core of this collection is the new high-performance L.U.C 1.010 movement.
There has also been a Mediterranean addition to the MONARD family. Alongside the MAYU MARRONE, introduced last year and already very successful in its own right, the slightly larger MONARD MARRONE with a brown dial is now also available. Joie de vivre, elegance and understatement are combined in a distinctly puristic three-hand watch.
The perfect travel companion is a watch that can always be depended on to tell the time – anywhere in the world. Precisely that is the mission of the new SAXONIA DUAL TIME. It was created explicitly for globetrotters and people who feel at home around the world. For anyone who travels frequently or who often needs to communicate with people elsewhere in the world, the display of a second time zone is a truly useful complication.
Black Mood expresses lunar time with a PVD-blackened steel instrument featuring a round 46 mm case carrying the iconic RJ-Romain Jerome “paws” and topped by a carbon fibre-coated bezel with a soul forged from fragments of Apollo 11. The date of that historical mission has naturally inspired the number of this limited edition: 1969. Its “instrumental” vocation is further highlighted by the red anodised titanium pusher at 2 o’clock, serving to start and stop the chronograph driven by a self-winding movement. The reset button at 4 o’clock is also notched.
ASTRALIS is an innovative watch unlike any other. Its extremely high level of technical sophistication is highlighted by a legendary mechanism stemming from an authentic passion for fine watchmaking. ASTRALIS features an exclusive and unprecedented alliance of complications: an astral Tourbillon, a split-second column-wheel Chronograph, as well as a 24-hour Planetarium displaying four meteorites boasting unique rarity.
The tourbillon was originally invented in 1801, and for most of its history, it was considered such a difficult complication to execute that to make one was the sign of a true master of horology. Yet virtually all tourbillons had the same basic design: a carriage containing all the escapement components, which revolves in order to combat the effects of gravity on the accuracy of the watch.