Hublot 10 years Big Bang Collection
The Hublot Big Bang collection marks its 10th anniversary this year, and behind the success of this collection — and Hublot — is Jean-Claude Biver, now president of Hublot and president of the Watch Division of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH).
When he joined Hublot as chief executive in 2004, he set out to create a collection that would usher in a new era for the brand, which has been in existence since 1980. The collection in question is the Big Bang, and when presented to the world the following year it was an immediate hit, with orders tripling within a year.
Hublot won several awards for their new Big Bang chronograph, and put Hublot on the watch-making map. When Jean-Claude Biver arrived in 2004, the brand’s turnover was 24 million Swiss francs ($26.2 million). By the end of 2006, sales had already quadrupled to border on the 100 million Swiss franc mark, a target which had been set for 2008.
To commemorate 10 years of their signature collection, Hublot launched three new Big Bang models. First is the 45mm Big Bang Unico Full Magic Gold, which at its heart is Hublot’s in-house Unico movement and its case made of Hublot’s proprietary Magic Gold (a scratch-resistant 18K gold). Second is the Big Bang Tourbillon 5-Day Power Reserve Indicator Full Magic Gold which is the first tourbillon in the new generation Big Bang line, that comes with a skeleton movement and an added practical power reserve indicator function on the dial side at 9 o’clock. This hand-wound HUB6016 movement is entirely produced and developed in-house.
Last but not least is the Big Bang Unico Haute Joaillerie, which comprises of 10 blinged Big Bangs worth $10 million in total. Variations include black diamonds, white diamonds, white diamonds and blue sapphires, and white diamonds and rubies. All of the 10 shiny Big Bangs have a diameter of 45mm and is run by the HUB 1242 UNICO movement that is developed and manufactured in-house.
Chanel Premiere Openwork Flying Tourbillon
A Sparkling Vision
French luxury house Chanel might be better known for crafting fine bags and jewellery. But in the realm of watchmaking, Chanel has also proven that it can go up against the big boys of the industry.
The 12-piece only Chanel Premiere Openwork Flying Tourbillon is a testament to its ability to create a women’s watch that is both beautiful and technically advanced from a watchmaking point of view. This piece marks Chanel’s third year collaborating with Renaud and Papi, two master watchmakers that have been making exceptional movements for a select number of watch manufacturers (especially Audemars Piguet).
At the heart of the piece is the Renaud and Papi specially designed movement for Chanel, the Camélia Flying Tourbillon Calibre, which is inspired by Coco Chanel’s favourite flower. This manual winding movement is made of 187 parts, and has a power reserve of 40 hours. It might look delicate, but the movement is designed with an anti-shock system on the balance.
The clear view (skeleton) movement is secured within an 18k white gold case with 47 black baguette cut diamonds. The hour and minute hands are made from 18k gold set with 17 brilliant cut diamonds and a tourbillon cabochon set with 19 brilliant cut diamonds. A black satin strap with white gold double folding buckle set with 30 brilliant-cut diamonds.
The Chanel Premier watch collection first appeared in 1987, with its hallmark baguette-shaped case inspired by the cap of the famous Chanel No. 5 perfume.
Corum Golden
Bridge and Miss Golden Bridge Ceramic Black & Gold duet
Marking its 35th anniversary, the Golden Bridge remains relevant to this day. Staying in fashion for so long, the baguette en ligne movement is so distinct, no other watch manufacturer has ever made anything quite like it. The movement is made on an 18 carat gold plate and bridges composed of 140 components arranged in a parallelepiped rectangle of 33 mm in length, 3 mm in width and less than 5 mm in thickness.
Then there is the fact that the crown is located at 6 o’clock emphasizing the Golden Bridge’s unrivaled characteristic.
The new Golden Bridge model is equipped with linear rhodium stripes metalised under the sapphire crystal back that allows for clever play of transparency: it is sometimes opaque on the wrist and sometimes translucent to light. The purpose of these thin rhodium lines are to conceal the wearer’s wrist hair to not get in the way of one admiring the movement. As there is no dial on the watch, the movement can be seen from above, the back, and even the sides of the watch.
Corum also launched a matching Miss Golden Bridge also in a ceramic case, powered by the CO 113 movement and water resistant up to 30 meters. The difference in the two is the size of the cases as for gents the size is 34 by 51mm, while the Miss Golden Bridge comes with a petite 21 by 43mm case. Two years ago Corum watches was bought by a Chinese company that startled the Swiss watch industry, and it brought various speculations of the direction of the 60-year-old company. But from what can be seen in Baselworld this year, Corum managed to stay true to its core as a solid Swiss watch manufacturer, equipped with a better strategy to penetrate the Chinese market.
Frédérique Constant Horological Smartwatch
Horological Smartwatch
Frédérique Constant (FC) may adhere to the strict traditions of fine Swiss watchmaking, but their brand values are somewhat different from the norm. While many Swiss luxury watch manufacturers shy away from using the word ‘affordable’ or ‘accessible’, FC on the other hand is proud to be on the forefront of making accessible, affordable luxury watches.
It positions itself as the gateway brand towards the world of fine luxury watches. And while some Swiss luxury watch manufacturers don’t — or won’t — admit that the smartwatch is a disruption towards the industry, FC has already tied up a partnership with Fullpower Technologies of Silicon Valley to create a smartwatch open platform, allowing for other Swiss watch companies to also purchase these smartwatch movements.
Not all are against the smartwatch as some watch manufacturers had unveiled their smartwatch concepts, and made announcements to manufacture these new era watches. FC had taken a leap forward and already introduced a fully functional ‘Horological Smartwatch’.
First and foremost, its watch dial is analog. Aside from daily activity tracking, the main function is to mainly record and improve the wearer’s sleeping patterns. The reason for this is that we spend a third of our lives sleeping but don’t know much about it, explains Niels Eggerding, Frédérique Constant’s Commercial Director. Unlike the current smart watches that need to charged on a daily basis, the FC Horological Smartwatch has a battery life of two years, and is modularly designed so it can be easily upgraded and kept for 10 to 15 years- no need to change watches every year or so.
FC plans to launch over 10 different Horological Smartwatch models this year. Niels believes that the affordable horological smartwatch will be a hit in the Indonesian market, which the brand first made its official presence here last year. He also revealed that there is approximately 21 million Swiss quartz watches sold annually, and within a few years he predicts 30 to 50 percent of it will be smartwatches.
The Peak
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