Watches from the JTH N°3
Leading watchmaking Maisons Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Casio, Frédérique Constant, and Oris converge on this new JTH to unveil their newest models, brimming with originality, excellence, and showcasing the finest workmanship – anniversary models included. Join us on a trip though the AP House Milano and witness the unique Omega auction for the benefit of Oris!
LOUIS VUITTON, Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-jour
Louis Vuitton is known to masterfully combine “Métiers d’Art” handicraft with high watchmaking. Nowhere is this better exemplified than in the new Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-jour watch, elaborated in the Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton workshop.
Within the 41mm white gold and platinum case beats an in-house hand-wound mechanical movement with an 80h power reserve. Certified Poinçon de Genève, the very highest watchmaking distinction, this watch is equipped with a flying tourbillon housed in a V-shaped tourbillon carriage – like the “V” of Vuitton.
The calibre’s beauty does not outshine the dial, quite the opposite. The two parts work together to dazzle the wearer. Our favourite French trunk maker is bringing back and ancient vitreous enamelling technique from 4th-5th century AD Byzantine Empire: the pierced plique-à-jour – or Western plique-à-jour.
For this delicate and intricate technique, the craftsman fills the empty cells with enamel to create a miniature stained-glass window. It took two years for the Maison’s enamellers to marry the many blue tones of this stained glass – from ultramarine to azure and blue-grey. Five to six layers of enamel were applied, the piece was then fired in the kiln just as many times to achieve the desired transparency, which gently lets the light pass through. It took 100 hours to make each dial.
Price on request
Click here to read the full Louis Vuitton Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinçon de Genève Plique-à-jour technical sheet.
BULGARI, Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch Steel
Another anniversary that sets 2024 apart from other years is Bulgari’s 140th. To celebrate the occasion, the Swiss-leaning Italian Maison, or rather the most Italian of Swiss Maison, released three exceptional timepieces, including this remarkable 280-piece limited edition steel model.
Art is alive and well in Italy, and Bulgari, always true to its heritage, evokes the Italian Renaissance ‘schizzo’ or sketch for the dial’s design. Back then, artists would preserve their sketches to train their apprentices, as well as for posterity. The dial on this Octo Finissimo Automatic Sketch features a sketch drawn by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the Creative Director for Bulgari Watches – that represents the back of the automatic calibre. The gears, the bridges, the micro-rotor, the rubies, and the escapement – drawn on the dial in a bold andesite grey – jump out in an astonishing visual effect. On the back of the watch, the colours and the elegant finishing touches – the côtes de Genève and the beading – shine on the actual calibre. A real marvel.
€17,800
CASIO, Casiotron TRN-50
The new generation of Casiotron watches, the TRN-50 model, has arrived. At MyWatch, we have prepared a special episode covering all its features and fine details. This year, the Casiotron – the world’s first wristwatch with a full auto-calendar – celebrates its 50th anniversary, half a century after revolutionizing the watchmaking industry.
Besides the classic features of the Casiotron like the digital display of the time, the full-auto calendar with the day, date, and month, this new generation also has some cutting-edge technology on board.
True to the iconic look of its predecessor, the original Casiotron QW02, the TRN-50 features a 42.7mm stainless steel case and is made in Yamagata, Japan. This 4,000-piece limited edition is sure to become a collector’s favourite in the coming years.
4,000-piece limited edition – €499
Click here to read the full Casiotron TRN-50 technical sheet.
ORIS, Father Time Limited Edition
The Oris Father Time Limited Edition is the result of a fruitful collaboration between Oris and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Oris, the official chronometer of the Lord’s Cricket Ground, named this watch ‘Father Time’ as a tribute to the weather vane – known as Father Time – that’s mounted over the clock, which overlooks the Lord’s Cricket Ground, a cricket symbol recognized around the world.
The design of this watch is consistent with the aesthetics of the Big Crown Automatic Pointer Date model, one of the hallmarks of Oris: a 40mm case, crafted in bronze, a massive crown, the ribbed bezel, and the red-tipped date pointer.
This 1,926-piece limited edition is equipped with a fine Swiss automatic calibre, which features the emblematic red rotor, and a 38h power reserve. It is water resistant up to 50m and comes with a bronze and a light brown Cervo Volante leather strap.
€2,950
Click here to read the full Father Time Limited Edition technical sheet.
FREDERIQUE CONSTANT, Slimline Moonphase Date Manufacture seconde/seconde/
French artist seconde/seconde/ – Romaric André’s sobriquet – went all out on this new Slim Moonphase Date Manufacture by Frédérique Constant. This reinterpretation of the Swiss Maison’s classic model captures André’s unique and wacky style and is available in both gold and stainless-steel. This steel model is a special 100-piece limited edition.
At first glance, the design of this watch seems rather ordinary, however, if you look closely, you will notice that seconde/seconde/ has sown his special brand of chaos across the matte silver dial. The indices appear to be sprinkled randomly in a shiny mess, but there’s more to it than meets the eye.
This planned chaos is seconde/seconde/’s response to Frédérique Constant’s brief, which appears on the transparent case back and reads: ‘How do we tell the world that manual-assembly is at the core of our Manufacture? We asked artist seconde/seconde/. He went too far.’ It seems that André took this brief very seriously, as even the logo and the date seem to be handwritten.
The starry night on the moonphase disc also seems to have been drawn on by hand. This clever edition has a 42mm case and is equipped with a fine beading and côtes de Genève decorated in-house automatic movement with an elegant openwork oscillating weight.
Limited edition, 100 pieces – €3,295
AMÉLIE LASSAUSSOIS’S ‘COUP DE CŒUR’ – CARTIER SANTOS -DUMONT, LARGE MODEL
€6,550
Consulter les détails techniques de la Santos de Cartier, grand modèle.
OMEGA x ORBIS
Eleven briefcases each with eleven watches from the MoonSwatch Moonshine Gold collection. Omega made some very happy collectors with this online-exclusive auction organized by Sotheby’s from the 12th to the 24th of February. By selling these precious watches, Omega raised a total of CHF 534,670 which was donated to Orbis International. Orbis is a nonprofit organisation whose mission is to treat and prevent vision loss around the world, and above all, has worked with Omega for years.
These briefcases hold eleven OMEGA x Swatch Mission to Moonshine Gold models, each of which has a unique second hand covered in 18K gold Moonshine™.
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