Tissot Celebrates 160 Years with the Powermatic 80
The Swiss watch brand marks a milestone with a technologically advanced timepiece.
May 15, 2013
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
This year marks the 160th anniversary of Swiss watch brand, Tissot. To honor the milestone, the brand has been very busy, and this year unveils multiple new movements and a host of really cool new timepieces that move it to the next level of sophistication.
Among the new pieces is the Powermatic 80—an automatic watch with 80 hours of power reserve. The watch was made possible thanks to the revolutionary new caliber, the Powermatic 80 movement. To achieve this technical prowess, Tissot strongly reduces the consumption of energy of the watch. The oscillation frequency of the Powermatic 80 is therefore brought down from 4 to 3 Hz. A high-performance synthetic material is used in the construction of the escapement to reduce friction. Thanks to a reduction of the diameter of the barrel-arbor’s core, the mainspring is stretched, thereby increasing the power reserve even further. Finally, the precision is increased with a new and innovative balance.
Making the watch even better is the fact that it is a COSC-certified chronometer. It is available in two sizes appropriate for men and women—33mm and 41mm—and is crafted in steel, steel, and gold-plated, and in versions with diamond adornments. The watch, which looks great and offers superb craftsmanship and precision, retails for a wow price of $1,075 to $1,575 depending on the model.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Cadence Launches EQL Equality Watch
Cadence's latest timepiece makes the ultimate statement.
May 13, 2013
EQL Equality Watch, Cadence Watch Company ($125).
Cadence Watch Company is taking the statement accessory to the next level this spring with the EQL Equality Watch. Promoted in conjunction with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, the new 40mm timepiece by the Philadelphia-based watchmaker celebrates equality. With a stainless steel case and a classic black saddle-stitched strap, the watch comes with a face in either black or cobalt blue, with raised-metal equal signs as the hour marks—a subtle homage to the iconic symbol for LGBT rights. Cadence Watch Company, 2400 Market St. Ste. 217, 484-483-2322
6 Hot Watches from BaselWorld 2013
A Timely Perspective's Roberta Naas has a first look at some of BaselWorld's top timepieces.
May 09, 2013
Rolex Daytona with ice blue dial and brown CeraChrom bezel; like a A Timely Perspective on Facebook for more watch news>>
Christophe Claret Soprano with sapphire jewels; like a A Timely Perspective on Facebook for more watch news>>
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
Stay tuned on ATimelyPerspective for more BaselWord coverage>>
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Bulgari’s Il Giardino Tropicale
Unveiled at BaselWorld 2013, this hand-painted, gem-adorned watch depicts a lush garden.
May 01, 2013
Bulgari’s Il Giardino Tropicale watch.
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
Here at BaselWorld 2013, spring is in full bloom—not only outside, but in the halls, too, as many watch brands unveil timepieces inspired by nature. One example is the stunning new Bulgari “Il Giardino Tropicale” Tourbillon timepiece. Not only does the watch beautifully depict a tropical garden on the wrist, but it also offers one of the most complicated feats in watchmaking—the tourbillon. The watch represents Bulgari’s first complication created expressly for women.
The new Il Giardino Tropicale di Bulgari celebrates nature via a hand-painted varnished dial set with gemstones that depict a luxuriant garden, complete with a colorful parrot. Exactly 61 diamonds grace the floral centers and accent the lush gardens and parrot. The vision is further enriched with a self-winding movement with tourbillion escapement supported by a sapphire crystal bridge—upon which the parrot is perched.
The dial painting uses transparent varnishes and glaze effects to add depth and shimmer. Because varnish dries rapidly, it demands quick but meticulous painting—a tricky proposition, considering anywhere from three coats of paint (for the flowers) to five (for the leaves) or even eight (for the parrot) are needed. Just 50 of this watch will ever be made.
Stay tuned on ATimelyPerspective for BaselWord coverage>>
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Rado HyperChrome Court Collection
The brand nods to its involvement in tennis and ambassador Andy Murray with this new style.
April 24, 2013
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
With its involvement in tennis and its recent pick-up of winning player Andy Murray as an ambassador—whom ATimelyPersepctive interviewed here—Rado is right on point with its HyperChrome Court Collection of watches. The new line is inspired by the three surfaces on which professional tennis is played: hard, grass, and clay courts.
All watches are black and feature colors of the courts. The hard court is represented by a brilliant blue model, grass by a green accented piece, and clay by a bold orange. The dial features hands and markers that are SuperLuminova to glow in the dark.
The watches are made of scratch-resistant matt high-tech, lightweight ceramic, and sandblasted for a winning look. Each houses an automatic chronograph ETA 2894-2 caliber with 42 hours of power reserve and lack oscillating rotor. When ATimelyPerspective was in Key Biscayne recently at the Sony Open with Rado, we had the chance to get up close and personal with these watches and they are grand slam winners. Our personal favorite? The clay orange.
Stay tuned on ATimelyPerspective for BaselWord coverage>>
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Up Close and Personal with the Richard Mille RM 028 Diver
The attention-grabbing watch comes equipped with cutting-edge diving technology.
April 17, 2013
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
Last week in St. Barth’s we had a wonderfully rich and unique experience accompanying Richard Mille at the Voiles de St. Barth’s regattas—for which Richard Mille is the main sponsor. We wanted to bring you up close and personal with the really cool new Richard Mille RM 028 that we had the luxury to try on, play with, and indulge in for a while.
Decidedly individualistic (but then, all Richard Mille timepieces are), this 47mm Diver’s watch is created in titanium with bronze colored PVD for a super sharp look. Called the RM 028 Brown PVD, this watch has the same technical characteristics of its predecessors: titanium with DLC coating, skeletonized automatic RMAS7 movement, rotor with variable geometry. But it packs an even more powerful punch in its burnished and sandblasted bronze PVD case. Especially when accented with a bright orange strap. Yes, this will get anyone’s attention.
The three-part case of this watch renders it water resistant to 300 meters and meets the diver’s watch ISO norms 6425. The bezel is also composed of three sections—assembled with 22 torque screws for perfect adjustments. What is truly special about this patented unidirectional bezel is the fact that it cannot be accidentally moved during diving thanks to an ingenious system that requires the wearer to press on two arrows simultaneously to move the bezel. The highly technical feature could be a life saver under water. The entire piece was approximately a year and a half in the design and development stages. While it was unveiled in 2012, it is now fully available on the market—for a bold but beautiful price of $95,000.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Cinema on the Wrist: Konstantin Chaykin
Powerful new Russian-made watch pays homage to the history of movie-making.
April 11, 2013
Konstantin Chaykin's Cinema model mimics an old movie projector.
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
We don’t often cover the world of Russian-made watches, but today we do because one top watchmaker brings cinema to the wrist. Konstantin Chaykin, known for his incredible pieces, unveils the Cinema watch, which—with the push of a button at 9:00—features an animated depiction of a man galloping along on a horse.
The incredible watch pays tribute to Eadweard Muybridge, inventor of the zoopraxiscope (circa 1879), which is credited as being the first movie projector of sorts. It features a wheel with a series of pictures on it that could project an animated image. In the new Cinema, Chaykin has built such a projection aperture into the timepiece in a round disk at 6:00 beneath the dial. The animation can run for up to 20 seconds and is created using a disc with 12 images on it.
The round aperture in which the animation appears is at the base of the rectangular watch—with the entire case designed to resemble old movie cameras. The watch houses the Konstantin Chaykin Caliber KCM01-1, made totally in-house. It is a manually wound movement with 48 hours of power reserve. It is equipped with separate mainspring barrels for the timekeeping and the animation, each wound by turning the crown in a different direction. It should retail for around $65,500.
View this video to see the animation (a series of rapidly spinning images) in all its fast glory.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
The Second-Generation HYT Watch, H2
The company behind innovative hydro mechanical watches launches a new model.
April 04, 2013
HYT presents the second generation of its ground-breaking hydro mechanical watch.
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
From HYT, the company behind hydro mechanical watches, the first HYT H1 watch garnered international acclaim. It is now available in new versions, but another generation—the new H2 watch—is also making its debut. The extremely limited edition H2 was created by HYT in cooperation with APRP (Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi) led by the renowned watchmaker Giulio Papi.
For the making of the new watch’s architecture, Vincent Perriard, CEO of HYT, says, “We had to reinvent the fluidic module and make it in “V” shape to allow the movement to surround the bellows (pistons).”
The watch has an increased power reserve of eight days. The 48mm black DLC titanium case and its new movement architecture spent a year in the design stages. It offers retrograde fluidic hours, and minute’s indication via a jumping hand functioning at 30 minutes. (Two flexible reservoirs, or pistons, with a vein at each end comprise the driving force of the watch. Each piston contains a different liquid and when the bellows are compressed, the fluid fills the veins to indicate the time.)
The mechanical manual-wind exclusive HYT caliber beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The hybrid movement of H2 is redesigned to optimize the integration of the interface that connects the watch mechanisms with the fluid system. The watch also boasts a hand that is a temperature indicator—enabling the user to determine when the fluid is at optimum temperature range. Just 50 of the H2 will be created.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Richard Mille RM011 Felipe Massa
The auto-inspired brand launches another high-tech, cutting-edge, and lightweight watch.
April 03, 2013
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
For those in the know, Richard Mille is a true fan of automobile racing. In fact, the brand has been the principal partner of the Le Mans Classic for nearly a dozen years. The speed, precision, high-tech materials, and quest for excellence in the automotive world parallels his creed on timepieces. The brand has several ambassadors on board from the racing scene and has developed some of the most high-tech, cutting-edge, and light-weight automotive-inspired watches in the world.
Such is the case with this bold and beautiful RM 011 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Felipe Massa Watch. Created in a limited edition of 30 pieces in brown titanium, it features a skeletonized automatic movement with flyback chronograph and adjustable rotor geometry. It is ultra-impressive on the wrist, and ultra-lightweight. Precision timing for $115,000? This is a must-try-on timepiece—you’ll be swept off your feet.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 Tourbillon
The 1966 Tourbillon with three gold bridges is the ultimate mechanical watch for women.
March 20, 2013
Girard-Perregaux 1966 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges for women.
—ROBERTA NAAS, ATimelyPerspective.com
Mechanical watches for women—with multi-functions and complications—are being created by top watch brands more than ever before. Typically these mechanical calibers are hand assembled and comprise hundreds of tiny parts. It can take weeks—even months—for the most complicated of movements to be built before being fit into a watch case of distinction.
I personally love wearing a mechanical watch: there is nothing as satisfying as pulling a watch out, setting it and then winding it, or giving it a little shake to feel that automatic rotor whir to life. The watch in question here—the Girard-Perregaux 1966 Tourbillon—retails for $211,500 and features the brand’s GP Manufacture tourbillon movement with Three Gold Bridges. It's delightful to watch; with the tourbillon escapement constantly moving, it’s an eye-catcher.
Founder and editor-in-chief of ATimelyPerspective.com, Roberta Naas is a veteran award-winning journalist in the watch industry with more than 25 years of experience. She was the first woman watch editor in the US market—breaking in to an “all boys network” with a pioneering spirit that would be her signature to this day. Naas brings responsible, factual—yet always timely and insightful—reporting of the watch industry to the forefront.
