The first week of October had more than its fair share of new watch announcements, with the introduction of the colourful H1 Colorblock from HYT, and on a nautical theme, some newcomers from Bell & Ross and two heavyweight Nautilus anniversary pieces by Patek Philippe. The marine theme continues this week with an article by Brice Lechevalier, recently back from the Monaco Yacht Show, where the fair’s official sponsor Ulysse Nardin unveiled a new special edition, as it does every year: the Diver Chronograph Monaco. The article, which also touches on the company’s other news including the GPHG 2016 and SIHH 2017, will be available to read on Tuesday.
« Ce mois-ci, gagnez une montre Eterna pour dames »
This week on WorldTempus you will also find interviews with the heads of two major watch companies. Before leaving for his holidays, Paul O’Neil was asked by our partner magazine Shanghai Tatler to interview Roger Dubuis CEO Jean-Marc Pontroué. The original interview was published in Chinese in the magazine’s October issue, and you will find extensive extracts on our homepage today. Another interview, another magazine, this time closer geographically, since GMT and WorldTempus share the same offices: GMT’s editor-in-chief discusses the first three years as head of the company with Van Cleef & Arpels CEO Nicolas Bos. You can read it on Wednesday. Staying with GMT, the Great Magazine of Timepieces has announced the launch of its Middle East version this November.
Camille Gendre has been wearing a Corum Watches Shop Online Bubble watch for the past few days, which hasn’t gone unnoticed around the office. On Friday she will be playing her Joker (that’s the name of this colourful model) and sharing her impressions. As for myself, today I look at my favourite perpetual calendars from IWC’s Top Gun, Ingenieur, Aquatimer and Portugieser collections (LINK). Next Thursday I’ll be back with one of the watches shortlisted for the GPHG 2016, the uncompromising Hublot Big Bang Impact Bang. Finally, we end the week in football stadiums all over the globe in the company of TAG Heuer.
Our October competition will make our readers dream of Paris’s hallowed clay courts, as we are offering a magnificent Longines Conquest 1/100th Roland Garros in steel worth CHF 1,500. It could be yours – all you have to do is enter!
Exploding from the mind of this overdue Severin Wunderman, the Corum Bubble watches defied expectations upon release. The profile of the watch remains remarkably towering, with one of those highest-domed crystals I have ever seen. The impact that has on the dial is impossible to dismiss. This is appropriate in terms of design fidelity, as it completely adheres to the use of spheres all over the view — most obviously about the rubber-ringed crown at 3 o’clock. Furthermore, it manages to remain true to Wunderman’s unique vision, which was motivated by a 1960s dip watch that comprised a massive crystal to withstand the pressure of deep-sea exploration. However, is this view only an homage, or have Corum upgraded it considerably to appeal to some contemporary audience?The first important change is that the diameter: The brand new releases all quantify 47mm wide and an impressive 18.8mm top. Smartly, though, the lugs are curved and short to enable a snug fit to the wrist. Of the 18.8mm of elevation, 8mm of this is down to the sapphire crystal alone. This is seemingly no mean feat: obtaining a flawless finish on a Sapphire part of the depth, curvature, and essential consistency is real challenge. Corum achieves this unusual effect by starting out with a block of crystal and squeezing it into a bubble-like contour, before polishing to complete clarity.To get the most out of this attribute, the designers of the Corum Bubble watches, decided to match the timepieces using “Op-art” (optical-art) dials. These smart patterns provide the feeling of motion, as well as depth and shadow. Though level, the dials have a degree of existence. There’ll be two Corum Bubble Op-Art watches available at a limited run of 350 bits each: The Corum Bubble Drop watch comes with a brownish PVD-coated case plus a “ripple” effect dial; the Corum Bubble Sphere2 is coated in blue PVD and includes an “atom-inspired” pattern on the dial. Both watches use Super-LumiNova on the hands. The Op-art dials are inspired by the work of Victor Vasarely, a French artist of Hungarian descent and the founder that the Op-art movement. The magnifying sapphire crystal has such an affect on the flat dials that they seem to be sharply domed themselves. With this particular design leaping out of this watch, it is a lot easier to understand why this crazy contraption has so many fans the world over. Both watches are fitted with rubber straps topped with leather, using a buckle matching their individual case finishes. The straps begin at 24mm between the lugs and taper to 20mm in the buckle.
In conclusion, the entire WorldTempus team is delighted to welcome Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud as a partner. The young company’s first timepiece has already charmed the jury of the GPHG 2016, which pre-selected it for the final round of the competition. Welcome and good luck to Ferdinand Berthoud.
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