Fine machines: Grégory Galiffi defies Frank Sans C!

CAR N°1

WATCH N°1

AUDEMARS PIGUET, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph

The sober look of this Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph hides in fact one of the most complex case designs of the industry.

The octagonal 18ct rose gold case band is sandwiched between a round ultra-thin bezel and a circular case back, resulting in a multi-layered architecture with a seriously controlled geometry. The signature lugs are brazed to the bezel then adjusted with extreme precision to the case back, thus guaranteeing a coherent and visually balanced piece. The 41mm case is topped with a double sapphire crystal – a technical feat that enhances the depth of the dial while improving legibility.

The green stamped dial acts as the centerpiece of the watch. This “signature” background introduced in 2023 replaces the smooth surfaces of the previous generations. It is the result of a tight collaboration between Audemars Piguet’s designing teams and Swiss guilloche craftsman Yann von Kaenel. The pattern composed of concentric circles that evoke water ripples was stamped from handmade punches. Hundreds of microcavities animate the surface and modulate the light depending on the angle. The colouring process, obtained with a PVD treatment, preserves reliefs and enhances volumes. The chronograph’s counters present the same green tint, circled with gold, while the subdial located at 6 o’clock stands out by its monochrome treatment that improves legibility.

The chronograph is powered by a next-generation self-winding calibre that provides a power reserve of 70 hours. Equipped with a column wheel and a flyback function, the chronograph can be zeroed and restarted with a single push and without any preliminary stop. The vertical clutch prevents any hand jolt when activated, ensuring a smooth and accurate measuring of the time.
Visible through the sapphire case back, the movement displays a 22ct rose gold oscillating weight as well as remarkable finishing that follow the purest high-watchmaking standards: bevelled angles, vertical satin finish, Côtes de Genève waves, beading and chamfering. This edition water-resistant up to 30 meters is delivered with a textured green rubber strap.

€49,500

See the technical details of the Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph by Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet website

CAR N°2

WATCH N°2

ROLEX, Cosmograph Daytona

A Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch doesn’t just indicate the time. It narrates speed, ambition, mechanical thrills. For more than 60 years, this chronograph has been hitting the road at the frontier between sports, myth and market. During the early 1960s, Rolex peered at the burning hot asphalt of American race tracks. Indeed, the company was an official partner of the Daytona International Speedway in Florida – a temple for the newly-born need for speed.

Rolex launched in 1963 a chronograph designed for motor racing professionals: Cosmograph Daytona. The first Daytona models were firmly utilitarian: a manual winding movement, a tachymetric scale to measure average speeds, a totalizer with 3 subdials conceived to preserve legibility under any circumstance. The tool prevailed, but success was slow. This Daytona model, too specialized and too technical, seduced mainly connoisseurs and race drivers. Time did its work.

Some collections with contrasting dials (panda dials) that are now called “Paul Newman dials” progressively entered the legend. The American actor and race car driver wore his watch genuinely, without putting on airs. The image established itself. Its scarcity made up for the rest.

In 2017, the actor’s personal watch was sold at auction for a record price. The Daytona model thus switched from cult item to icon.

Year 1988 signed a change of tempo. Rolex introduces a self-winding calibre: El Primero, developed by Zenith and thoroughly redesigned. Larger case, screwed-down pushbuttons, improved water-resistance – the Daytona model became sturdier. This evolution ignited an unexpected phenomenon: demands sky-rocketed. Wearing a watch became an exterior sign of success, as well as owning a time-measuring tool.

Year 2000 marked a new milestone. Rolex launched calibre 4130, their own in-house chronograph movement. The house asserted its industrial autonomy loud and clear: simplified architecture, bigger power reserve, improved reliability. Yet the Daytona model didn’t break with its original aesthetics. It evolved.

The model crossed a new threshold during the 2010s. The black ceramic bezel of the stainless-steel model triggered a worldwide rush. Purchasing a brand-new Daytona model represented a true endurance test, while prices shot up on the second-hand market. Gold, steel, platinum, precious setting: the collection widened, and envy grew stronger. In 2023, a sapphire glare-proofed case back was added to the Cosmograph Daytona in 950 platinum, thus displaying the adorned movement and the swinging oscillating weight.

Nowadays, the Daytona model is much more than a sports watch. It still flies through time at full speed, faithful to its origins, unbothered by trends, having become both a beacon and a dream.

Read our dedicated article to learn more about the story of Cosmograph Daytona by Rolex:

From Daytona to Rolex Cosmograph Daytona : a passion for speed

Daytona’s story on Rolex website

CAR N°3

WATCH N°3

HAMILTON, Ventura Quartz

Designed in 1957 by Richard Arbib, the Ventura model drew from the energy of 1950s’ rock and roll to establish a triangular futuristic dial, unprecedented at the time. As the first electric watch in history, powered by a battery, it created a major technological gap for Hamilton.

The watch turned into an icon in 1961, when Elvis Presley wore it on screen in Blue Hawaii, sealing its status of cult watch once and for all. Its production was interrupted then rekindled during the late 1980s. Yet, the Ventura model crossed decades and starred on the big screen again, especially in Men in Black, with its avant-garde spirit.

The easily identifiable triangular case wasn’t a mere stylistic exercise. It addressed a precise construction goal: optimising the materials’ resistance, structuring volumes and integrating the movement into a dense architecture. The steeply tilted crystal, the subtly curved dial and the carved lugs made out for a design almost industrial – every line was both functional and aesthetic.
With time, the Ventura model evolved without ever rejecting its DNA. The once-sharp angles were smoothed out, the outlines became more fluid, but the asymmetrical geometry remained. The lugs, complex and off-centre, extend the case without any visual obstacle, emphasizing this feeling of a controlled monolithic piece.

The automatic editions play on sharp contrasts: deep black dials, PVD coated cases, sporty rubber straps or sewn leather straps for a more classical look. As for the quartz variations, stainless-steel is preferred for a bolder technical sobriety. The graphical elements on the dial both improve legibility and participate in the watch’s visual identity.
The dial is framed by triangular and parallel lines, while the protruding trapezoidal base creates a layering effect rarely seen in the industry.

€995

See the technical details of the Ventura Quartz model

See the technical specifications sheets of the Ventura models by Hamilton

Hamilton website

CAR N°4

WATCH N°4

Tissot, Alpine On Board Chronograph automatic – 2020 edition

Launched in 2020, this Tissot Alpine On Board Chronograph purposely blurs the line between motor sports and watchmaking. Designed as a true dashboard instrument, it matches the new Alpine A110S much more than as a simple aesthetic tribute.

Its singularity lies in a rare modular architecture: the case can be detached from the strap to come to rest on a frame-support integrated to the dashboard. A precise mechanical solution, designed to guarantee immediate legibility while driving.

Tissot extends this experience off the road by providing a table stand that turns the watch into a “desk chronograph”. A self-explanatory detail of the functional approach of this project: each position of the watch lures the eye, each one of its uses implies a different support.
Under the 316L stainless-steel hood beats a self-winding movement that provides a power reserve of 60 hours. The transparent case back reveals it.

The dial is inspired by the counters of the original Berlinette, while the hands, the piston-shaped pushers and the perforated leather strap confirm the sporty roots of the watch. Orange highlights – indices, seconds hand, topstitching – evoke brake calipers.
The 45mm Tissot Alpine On Board Chronograph was limited to 516 copies. Water-resistant up to 100 meters, it supports an instrumentalist approach of watchmaking items – they are conceived to be used, handled and moved around like real machineries.

Sold €2,190 in 2020

Technical features:

Movement: Valjoux A05.H31 automatic movement
Power reserve: 60 hours
Case: 316L stainless-steel removable case with transparent case back
Water resistance: 10 bar (100m)
Strap: Leather strap with butterfly clasp with pushers
Special edition limited to 516 copies
Special package
Diameter: 45mm

Tissot Alpine On Board Chronograph – 2019 edition

Sold €1,950 in 2019

Technical features:

Movement: Valjoux A05.H31 automatic movement
Power reserve: 60 hours
Case: 316L stainless-steel removable case with transparent case back
Water resistance: 10bar (100m)
Strap: Leather strap with butterfly clasp with pushers
Special edition
Special package
Diameter: 45mm
Anodised aluminium frame-support, available exclusively in Alpine Stores

Tissot Alpine On Board Quartz – 2019 edition

€460

Technical features:

Movement: Quartz movement
Case: 316L stainless-steel removable case with engraved case back
Water resistance: 10bar (100m)
Strap: Leather strap with standard buckle
Special edition
Special package
Diameter: 45mm
Anodised aluminium frame-support, available exclusively in Alpine Stores

Tissot website

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