Posted on by

Louis Vuitton Tambour Outdoor Chronograph

According to the Vogue Business Index (summer 2022) and Forbes, French fashion house Louis Vuitton is the world’s most valuable luxury brand. As the undisputed king of luxury, Louis Vuitton is associated in every corner of the globe with high-quality leather goods and accessories emblazoned with the iconic LV monogram. Somewhat surprisingly, given its presence on the market since 1854, Louis Vuitton only started making ‘serious’ watches twenty years ago. In a departure from some luxury emporiums that prize design over substance, Louis Vuitton took the bull by the horns and decided that its watches had to be as good on the inside as out. Louis Vuitton’s first watch, the Tambour, and its incursion into big-league watchmaking consolidated with the acquisition of La Fabrique du Temps have resulted in a unique, potent design that is impossible to confuse with anything else on the market. The Tambour, which means drum in French, marched out with its distinctive drum-shaped case and a GMT complication in 2002. Coming up for its 20th anniversary this year, the Tambour returns with iconic LV livery and a high-frequency chronograph movement based on Zenith’s El Primero calibre: meet the new 200-piece Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty Limited Edition.
Given the brand’s historical ties to travel (see above), it makes sense that the first Tambour watch released in 2002 was a GMT. Fitted with a lustrous brown dial (quite bold at the time) and a mustard yellow GMT hand and matching 24-hour scale, the colour scheme of the 39.5mm Tambour GMT (ref. Q11310) was a nod to the iconic Monogram canvas developed by Louis Vuitton’s son in 1896. As the blueprint for the Tambour family, it’s worth looking at the design features that have made it such a unique, somewhat quirky design that looks as fresh today as it did two decades ago.
Some sources attribute the inspiration for the deep, round, drum-shaped steel case of the Tambour to the silhouette of Japanese taiko drums. As Jean Arnault pointed out to MONOCHROME, the design of the Tambour was entrusted to a Parisian design studio (BBDC – Berra Blanquer Design). The result was a singular, unprecedented case shape that did, effectively, look like a drum. Its unusual flared profile, which was wider at the base than at the top, included a wide caseband, the perfect canvas to engrave the 12 letters in the name ‘Louis Vuitton’, aligned with the hour markers on the dial. Crafted from a single block of metal, the tall sloping flanks of the deep case also proved an ideal container for all sorts of complications (some Tambour models, like the Carpe Diem, have a height of 15mm). Practically every surface of the Tambour case was decorated with some form of branding, including the LV monogram on the crown, motifs from the Monogram canvas on the caseback, the brand name on the buckle and obviously, the dial.
A year after its debut, the Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty returned with a high-frequency COSC chronometer-certified chronograph complication, a model that has a direct bearing on the latest Tambour Twenty anniversary piece we are covering today. Known as the Tambour LV 277 chronograph, the model took advantage of the synergies in the LVMH group and powered its chronograph with Zenith’s famous El Primero high-frequency calibre.

Perhaps one of the most delightful Tambour watches and the one that would determine the new direction for the collection was the 2009 Spin Time. With 12 miniature rotating cubes revealing the hours, the Spin Time reinvented the concept of jumping hours in a fresh, new language. Developed and patented by La Fabrique du Temps, a specialist complication workshop based in Geneva set up by master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini, the 44mm Spin Time put a playful spin on time, but it also signalled a more creative approach to complications in the hands of Navas and Barabasini.
Just two years later, in 2011, Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty upped its watchmaking antes by acquiring La Fabrique du Temps. To mark its commitment to creative high-end watchmaking, the brand unveiled the complex Tambour Minute Repeater, a fascinating GMT complication that chimed the wearer’s reference (home) time instead of local time on demand.

Determined to acquire even more independence, in 2012, Louis Vuitton bought Léman Cadran, a renowned dial maker, and in 2014, inaugurated the La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton workshop in Meyrin, Geneva. Other standout Tambour models over the years include the Tambour Twin Chrono, a monopusher split-seconds chronograph, a skeletonised Flying Tourbillon with a cage shaped like the Monogram flower, the 2020 Tambour Curve Flying Tourbillon with Poinçon de Genève certification, and the sportier GPHG award-winning Tambour Street Diver of 2021.
Having established Louis Vuitton’s serious commitment to high-end watchmaking, it might come as a surprise that the Tambour Twenty Limited Edition is not powered by an in-house movement but by a high-frequency chronograph calibre based on the Zenith El Primero… Just like the 2003 Tambour. A retrospective model, if you like, the new Tambour Twenty upgrades some of the design features found on the dial of the original Tambour chronograph but flaunts the hallmark drum-shaped case. The gleaming polished stainless steel case measures 41.5mm across with a height of 13.2mm and features the 12 letters of the Louis Vuitton name engraved in the caseband, matching the position of the hour markers on the dial. Like the first Tambour chronograph, two rounded rectangular chronograph pushers flank the octagonal crown, and the case is water-resistant to 100 metres.
In a departure from the 2003 chronograph, the three sub-dials are not arranged inside a circle, and the sloping flange is brown to match the dial. The sun-brushed dial is a classic Louis Vuitton brown with contrasting yellow chronograph hands, a nod to the yellow thread historically used in the brand’s finely crafted leather goods. Large applied silver-coloured Arabic hour numerals as 12, 2, 4, 6 and 8 o’clock and baton markers, shortened at 3 and 9 o’clock to accommodate the sub-dials, stand out well against the warm brown background.
The two sub-dials for the running seconds at 9 and 30-minute elapsed times at 3 o’clock have black snailed interiors and clear white markings to match the peripheral seconds track calibrated to 1/10th of a second. The 12-hour chronograph counter is highlighted in yellow just above 6 o’clock, and its lower half is formed by the curving inscription ‘Twenty’. The baton-style hour and minute hands have blunt tips and a streak of Super-LumiNova down their spines, while the long central chronograph seconds hand with its lozenge-shaped counterweight and the chronograph hands are bright yellow. Angled between 4 and 5 o’clock, the date window has a black background and white numerals.
Turning the watch over, you can see the doughnut-shaped metal part of the screwed caseback with the ‘Limited Edition 200 Pieces’ inscription and the sapphire crystal over the movement. Still powered by calibre LV 227, based on Zenith’s famous El Primero high-frequency movement (the world’s first automatic chronograph movement unveiled in 1969), the rotor of this anniversary Louis Vuitton Tambour Twenty is crafted in 22k rose gold. Beating at 5Hz/36,000vph, this exceptional column-wheel chronograph calibre delivers a beefy power reserve of 50 hours and provides highly accurate readings all the way down to 1/10th of a second.

Posted on by

Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier

The expression “luxury sports watch” is often hideously misused and exaggerated. But here the Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Graphite Race Chronograph leaves you in no doubt. Serious swagger and hyper-fresh pops of green are the order of the day to bring a bright spark of sharp contemporary design into a world of vintage homage.
Well, what can I say, this watch is neither small nor demure, and that’s exactly what we need – not everyone wants a quietly spoken 38mm skindiver, and this is nothing of the sort. The first time I lay my hands on it I’m mostly awestruck by the audacity of Louis Vuitton releasing a 46mm sports watch when every other reference out there seems to be shrinking and hiding quietly under the slimmest cuff. This wants to be strapped on maybe even on the outside of your shirt, Gianni Agnelli style (Google it). In short, it begs to be shown off.
In this rather large case, LV manages to create a very comfortable wearing sports chronograph, as the recognisable Tambour case is a silky smooth pebble of comfort. PVD-treated steel creates comfort on the wrist and a perfectly rounded background while also being flashy as hell through the eye catching use of B.R.I.G.H.T green accents. A green so fresh it must have graduated with top honors from the school of pops. The feeling on the wrist is sublime, as the rubber strap is soft, and temptingly quick-released from the slender, ergonomically downturned lugs maybe to be swapped to an alligator for that cocktail party if necessary. The chances are that you’ll probably want to keep the rubber strap on, as that green relief logo ties in perfectly with the dial and green-encircled large crown.
The face is surely the star here, and there is a lot happening to distract you from pure chronograph functionality. The dial surface with its black and grey check is inspired by the Louis Vuitton Damier Graphite canvas, and echoes the freshness of Virgil Abloh’s magic touch throughout the collections of LV. We do have a user-friendly, accurate chronograph hiding within the barrage of colours and textures, and the softly contoured pushers make it a joy to operate. The dial is eminently readable thanks to large numerals and rectangular indices, blocky baton skeletonized hands giving off a street-tough vibe with the green seconds hand. Those shots of green sure are distracting from the task of timing, but maybe that’s exactly why it appeals to me on more than one level. The difference of it delivers pure refreshment on a strap, and a damn flashy one at that.
Little touches of grassy green delineate the minute track on the angled rehaut, while the entire scene is dominated by the futuristic cut of V in grey and greeen intersecting the rehaut and dial. This distracts, and in a big way, but do you know what? That’s exactly why this design is so strong, and you’ll struggle to tear your gaze away from the dial.
Turn the Louis Vuitton Tambour Damier Graphite Race Chronograph over, if you manage to pull yourself away from the dial, and the smooth grey back has a laser-like green circle presenting a tinted sapphire back, showing you an intricately decorated movement. The automatic movement has a Geneva-striped rotor with a black LV logo and offers a solid 42-hour power reserve. As the sporting intentions are not exactly hidden by the flashes of green, the depth rating is a secure 100m.
Personally, it only took a few minutes with this on my arm to feel refreshed, both by the fact that a sizeable watch can be so comfortable, and the fine detail work and mad fizzes of green that will genuinely improve your mood threefold. And yes, haute horlogerie can be bold, I’d happily wear a T-shirt in the winter to have this flashy wrist-jewel on and feel, well, damn sharp.

Louis Vuitton (PARIS:MC.PA -0.20%) ‘s timepieces often skew minimalist but are occasionally enlivened by bold hues in line with the striking hues seen in collections overseen by men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh. The latest Tambour watch is indicative of this mindset, as the Tambour Damier Graphite Race draws direct influence from Abloh’s splashy apparel designs.

Sporty touches come through on the fluorescent-accented black strap, which can be swapped for a bold tonal green version, contrasting a sense of athleticism against the graphite-hued PVD-coated steel case and smoked grey sapphire glass caseback. Graphite Damier patterns grace the dial alongside more hits of bright green, a nod to Abloh’s head-turning runway presentations. “V” — for “Vuitton” — also appears on the face, further juxtaposing statement styling against the timepiece’s traditional mechanism.

Posted on by

Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Tourbillon

When it comes to Louis Vuitton watches, we can clearly see two categories. On one side is the so-called core collection, luxury watches composed of traditional complications and styles, such as the Tambour Street Diver. The other side of the spectrum is a collection of high-end watches showcasing impressive expertise, created and manufactured according to haute horlogerie standars, thanks to the talent of the in-house atelier, La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton. Specialized in animated watches with jacquemarts and traditional complications such as tourbillons and repeaters, the latest creation to come out of this Geneva-based manufacture is a pair of coloured sapphire openworked tourbillons finished according to the Geneva seal; the Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant in green and yellow sapphire cases.
The name Tambour is inevitable when it comes to Louis Vuitton watches. This drum-shaped case, with the 12 letters of the brand engraved on the flanks and short attached lugs to respect the cylindrical shape has become the signature design of almost the entire collection. Created in 2002, it has evolved over the years, giving birth to new interpretations, such as Tambour Moon. First released in 2017, it re-invented the concept by inverting the curves of the case, moving from convex, domed flanks to concave, recessed sides to give a refined, more subtle style to the watch – a shape that evoked that of a crescent moon. Only available with the finest movements of the brand, all of them made by LFT, the Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant has once been the first sapphire-cased watch to bear Geneva Seal. And now, they come crafted from single blocks of synthetic sapphire in fluorescent green or yellow.
Bright, translucent and polarizing. But also rather impressive in terms of execution. The new yellow and green LV Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant are relying on the classic shape of the collection, now crafted from a single block of tinted sapphire. Obtained by heating aluminium oxide at temperatures of around 2000° Celsius, synthetic sapphire combines the advantages of its transparency with its great resistance, with a hardness only surpassed by diamonds. These new editions, with striking colours that appear almost fluorescent, are made from a single cylinder of mass-tinted sapphire in order to get a consistent colour on all parts (case middle, caseback and LV bridge), over the entire production of 20 pieces per colourway. Each component is cut from this sapphire crystal bar using diamond tools, and then polished to reveal its transparency. In total, a complete case required 420 hours of work.
These Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant in green or yellow sapphire are housed in cases measuring 42.5mm in diameter, with a reasonable height of 9.9m. It is complemented by horns and a crown made of titanium with black sand-blasted PVD treatment. As always with the Tambour shape, the diameter of the watch isn’t true to the compactness of the case, which wears short on the wrist. The 12 letters forming the Louis Vuitton logo are engraved on the outer side of the concave case middle of the Tambour Moon, just like the 12 hour markers on the inner flange – both lacquered to stand out from the sapphire case. Water-resistance is ensured by the use of a transparent gasket positioned between the case middle and the screwed caseback.
The tinted sapphire cases of these new Tambour Moon are a perfect vessel to showcase the openworked, in-house movement inside. Light and fully opened, this hand-wound movement is produced by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton and finished according to the Geneva seal – a certificate of origin, precision and quality, ensuring that the watch is made and hand-finished in the Canton of Geneva, then tested for resistance and precision. The Calibre LV90 has an 80-hour power reserve and a flying tourbillon with a finely decorated carriage designed like LV’s Monogram Flower motif. The movement is finished in a modern way, with a series of matt black circles.
Worn on a black or green alligator strap, the new sapphire Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Tourbillon Volant watches are each limited to 20 pieces.

Posted on by

Louis Vuitton Tambour Opera Automata

Last year was a busy one for the folks at Louis Vuitton. There was the new Spin Time Air Quantum, a limited edition Tambour chronograph, a very LV smartwatch, and a new watch prize. Never a brand to rest on its haute-horology laurels, the good folks at La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton are going even bigger and bolder this year with the new LV Tambour Opera Automata.

Building off of the mechanical innovation and high-end craftsmanship of 2021’s bonkers and beautiful Tambour Carpe Diem the Opera Automata turns from the land of the dead to the world of Chinese Opera for inspiration. The Carpe Diem, which won the “Audacity Prize” at GPHG in 2021, is a highly complicated, engraved piece with an hourglass for a power reserve and a reminder to seize the day.

Slightly less morbid, this year’s watch is inspired by Bian Lian, the traditional dramatic art of “face-changing” seen most often in Sichuan Opera. Performers rapidly switch colorful masks, seemingly by magic, and until fairly recently the techniques were a carefully guarded secret. This year instead of a skull we have a Bian Lian mask changing expression (one of five automations) and a dragon wrapped around the mask, moving its head to reveal the jumping hour in the middle of the mask’s forehead, and its tail serves as a retrograde minute hand. The power reserve is no longer an hourglass but a bottle gourd, or Calabash, believed to ward off evil spirits. The time is only displayed by activating the automation via the dragon on the case. Similar to the Carpe Diem one of the eyes of the mask is a nod to Louis Vuitton’s flower emblem, and a four petal flower replaces the number four, an unlucky number in Chinese culture.

All this is made possible by the manual wind caliber LV 525, the same movement found in the Carpe Diem, which has 426 components. The 46.88mm Tambour case is 18k pink gold and the dial is engraved and enameled with pink gold and ruby. LV Tambour Opera Automata called in the big uns with Anita Porchet on enamel and Dick Steenman on engraving. According to the press release it took 76 hours for the engraving and 60 hours for the enameling – and having seen just a fraction of what it takes to engrave, paint, fire, and polish the smallest parts of the dial I believe them (and think they may actually be rounding down to make us feel better). There’s 100h of power reserve which is impressive but also functional since it is a manual wind watch with a beautiful if not super-specific power reserve indicator. While not a limited edition, orders for the Carpe Diem were capped at 30, so we can expect something similar here. If you have the 520,000 Euro asking price handy you better act fast.

Inow know enough to know that one really has to see a watch like this in person to appreciate it. From the pictures and the video one can be wowed by the movement and the automation it makes happen, but to really appreciate the watch you have to see how alive it actually is. Like the Carpe Diem before this is not a watch meant to appeal to a broad audience, or even impress the more conservative fans of haute horology automatons, but for those who have had enough of flowers and peacocks, this watch still offers delight, but with a twist.

I am far from an expert in Sichuan Opera or mask changing but I do think there is something of a parallel between that art and watchmaking. There is a shared magic, where technique is hidden away, passed down between generations and information has only now become more open and available to those who seek it. But also, sometimes it is nice to just sit back and enjoy the spectacle – would this watch be any less beautiful to look at without a drop of watch knowledge? I would say no.

Louis Vuitton has been waging an uphill battle to be seen as a serious watchmaker, and in this watch, all the parts are there. And while I can applaud them for skill and innovation (of which there is plenty, outside and inside the LV Tambour Opera Automata watch) I am most impressed that it has not sacrificed gumption in an attempt to earn respect. I feel like it took the idea of “Audacity” and refined it – threading the needle between shocking to shock and dialing back to please a greater audience.

Posted on by

Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver Watch

For 2021, Louis Vuitton introduces a third generation to its line of LV Tambour Diver watches with the Louis Vuitton Tambour Street Diver collection. Today, I go hands-on with the black and yellow Tambour Street Diver Neon Black reference QA122 (debuted on aBlogtoWatch here). It’s a pretty great-looking watch that continues a legacy of some of the most lovely and quirky dive watches, from one of the world’s most popular luxury brands.

Even though LVMH (which Louis Vuitton is part of) owns a variety of watchmakers, including Hublot, BVLGARI, Zenith, and TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton also makes watches and has been since 2002. Many of these watches are in the under-$10,000 range, but once in a while, Louis Vuitton creates some really spectacular stuff that can be priced into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Closer to earth is the new LV Tambour Street Diver collection, which isn’t cheap but comes with a lot of style and refinement (you know, a lot like other Louis Vuitton gear).
The Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver began life back in 2005 when Louis Vuitton first released that excellent product (such as the reference Q1031 model that I have owned and admired for a number of years). Louis Vuitton later came out with a second-generation Tambour Diver (such as the reference Q113A) that made a number of changes to the case and dial. My favorite part of that second-generation Diver was how the subsidiary seconds hand was designed to look like a diving flag. Now, the third generation Tambour Diver is here, and it is more intended for on-land use given its name, the “Tambour Street Diver.” The collection launches with three models for men containing automatic movements, and a smaller white-colored model for women that contains a quartz movement.

The iconic Tambour case (modeled after the look of a musical drum) has not visually varied much from generation to generation, but across the various Diver generations, Louis Vuitton has made a number of changes. In fact, only the first generation Tambour Diver was a true diver’s watch with 300 meters of water resistance. Today — and ever since the second-generation product — the Tambour Diver case is water-resistant to 100 meters. All that seems to have changed are the crowns and caseback design. While 100 meters is more than adequate for most swimming and even some diving activity, I do wish the product was water-resistant to a full 300 meters.
The 2021 LV Tambour Street Diver has a very similar dial layout as the original Diver, albeit without the date window. We see a return to the second case crown, which is used to rotate the internal diver’s timing bezel. This remains one of my favorite watches with an internal rotating bezel. The internal bezel crown is coated in black rubber with a small yellow diver motif on it, and, according to Louis Vuitton, it is colored black so as to visually differentiate it from the crown for the time. The two crowns look like miniature versions of the Tambour case – which is charming, and the design of the crowns is new for this generation Tambour Diver product. The case is still the same 44mm-wide size in steel, which, for this LV Tambour Street Diver Neon Black, is mostly in matte PVD-coated black. Elements like the lug structure and buckle (along with the primary crown) are in polished steel, making for a nice two-tone look. I really like the neon yellow-colored Louis Vuitton lettering around the periphery of the case, which is a theme that began with the original Tambour Diver.
The LV Tambour Street Diver now features a display caseback with a semi-smoked sapphire crystal that makes the movement view a bit more “moody.” The movement inside the watch is a Swiss Made ETA 2895 automatic, which has been used for all the mechanical Tambour watches on account of its having a subsidiary seconds dial. The movement operates at 4Hz with about two days of power reserve. As I said before, the Tambour Street Diver opts for a more symmetrical dial layout and thus removes the presence of the date window that on previous-generation models was located at 3 o’clock.

The dial of the Tambour Street Diver is very youthful and trendy but also fun and legible. It has a classicism to it given the focus on readability without extra decorative design elements. The first-generation model was the same but had touches like the use of dark mother-of-pearl for the subsidiary seconds dial material. The Tambour Street Diver borrows a look from the middle-generation Tambour with a diagonal line cutting through it — only in black-on-black colors. This was originally inspired by the iconic red and white diver’s flag, but for the Street Diver, is just a small visually interesting element that adds character to the face when you look closely enough at it.
The hour and minute hands are polished, with the minute hand having a broad “yellow V” arrow end to it. Another Louis Vuitton “V” is located in the design of the 60-minute marker on the internal rotating bezel. The polish of the hands doesn’t really hurt legibility at all, and it does help them match the polished steel parts of the case a bit better. The dial is painted with a fair amount of Super-LumiNova luminant material and over the dial is a flat, AR-coated sapphire crystal.

Attached to the case is a custom black rubber strap that has a neon yellow “Louis” on one end and “Vuitton” on the other. A reverse color strap is also available (yellow rubber with black text) On the wrist, the Tambour Street Diver is extremely comfortable — something which has remained true throughout the entire Tambour watch collection. Also new are the quick-release straps, which make it easy to vary up the fashionability of the Tambour Street diver Neon Black with ease. Of course, you’ll have to do it with straps acquired from Louis Vuitton directly.

Posted on by

TAG Heuer 2000 Exclusive Chronograph Quartz

The Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph is from the early 80 th before TAG was involved. Im searching a replacement movement, the watch has a problem with the E-block.

The original Movement is an Eta 555.232.

In a couple of posts I read that the movement was replaced by a Eta 955.112, I guess this was for the non Chronograph model. Maybe somebody can help me and let me know which Movement i can use and is still available Pretty sure what you actually have is a Calibre 185 movement, which is a combination of an ESA 555.232 base quartz module (i.e. time only) with a mechanical dubois-depraz chronograph module. The ETA equivalent to your base module is ETA 955.232

Description Here for sale we have a Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph Why not check out are other listings for more great bargains. We are VAT registered. A VAT receipt will be despatched with item Please Note. UK BIDDERS ONLY PLEASE. WE WILL NOT POST OUTSIDE THE UK. Payment PayPal Only. Thank you Shipping Item will be posted with city link 48 hour recorded. Please note that we will not despatch any items untill a cleared payment has been recieved thank you. Shipping price is for city link zone 1, if you are outside zone 1 please message me for a quote. Please follow the link for City Link’s pricing zones Tag Heuer Exclusive 2000 quartz Chronograph Terms of sale We guarantee that our items will be as described in our auctions. If you find that they are not, or if something described as in working order is found to be faulty on receipt, we will refund the full price paid including initial postage, provided you notify us within 2 working days of receipt and return the item to us at your expense within 14 working days of sale (Saturday is a working day for us but Sunday is not). Please read our auction descriptions carefully for any specific variation to these general terms.

Posted on by

Hublot Big Bang Unico King Gold Rainbow

One of our shared goals here is to help bring watch enthusiasts closer to a diverse range of watches. Why? Simply because I am yet to meet a fellow watch-lover who’d be lessened by a broader, more vibrant appreciation of timepieces. Forming that bond through a detailed and honest analysis is sometimes an easy thing to do; and other times, it’s nigh-on impossible. From a quick glance at theHublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold, I trust you can tell which end of the spectrum we are experiencing today.
First things first. If you dislike or deeply disapprove of bejeweled watches, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold will not change your mind — in truth, chances are that it will just fuel your displeasure in them. Strangely, both Ariel and I have a very open-minded approach when it comes to bedazzled watches, so when discussing such a timepiece, we need not convince ourselves about its raison d’être. The Unico Rainbow King Gold is a tough one to crack even for us, and I’ll share why in a moment.
Rainbow-themed ultra-high-end watches are all the rage these days. Just look at that neat image assembled by Bloomberg to get a vague idea of where things stand these days. Rolex has been making the Rolex Daytona Rainbow for ages, but it was not until 2018’s Rainbow Daytona, and its immediately tripled resale value, that really urged brands to take note — and develop an appetite for this long-ignored market segment. Notably, rainbows also make for one of the safest ways of making an eye-catching and ultra-luxurious watch — as was discovered by Rolex back then and is being rediscovered by others, today.
In typical Hublot fashion, though, the Nyon-based manufacture went all out on the rainbow theme and applied it to the bezel, the flange ring (!), and the indices, as well as the entire top section of the lug structure. What I think about truly outlandish, jewelry-style luxury watches I have shared in this hands-on with the infamous Richard Mille Bonbon collection — if you are here, reading this for whatever reason, I suggest you take a look at that train of thought, as well.
A core component of Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold is the fusion of materials. As recently as just a few months ago, I was checking the specs of an Hublot model (don’t recall which one) and I was still surprised by the inclusion of a random modern material in some obscure spot on the exterior. They have made 18k-gold scratch resistant (I tested it here), made all kinds of crazy translucent cases, paired rubber straps with luxurious 18k gold cases (the norm today, definitely not the norm when they begun), and the list of Hublot’s more or less logical combinations of materials just goes on and on. This one though? It’s a gold watch with some colorful stones in it. This definitely counts as a “fusion of materials” for conservative brands like Rolex, surely, but a walk in the park by Hublot standards.
I am a fan of a lot that Hublot has done under the leadership of Jean-Claude Biver — with their marketing and ultra-high-end exercises, as well as some of the relatively more attainable models. The Hublot that I like, however, wants to be, looks to be, and is made to be a Hublot, not something else. For this reason, I don’t quite like the whiff of “me-too” that lingers around this baguette-rainbow madness or the Spirit of Big Bang, for that matter.

That’s my only gripe with this new piece; but that does not answer what we should make of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch, so here’s why I like it — and why I propose this watch as something that should be celebrated.
As I slide this weird Big Bang around my wrist with its color-transitioned, purple-green-blue-red strap, the gazillions of facets on the gazillions of colorful stones create a laughable lightshow even under the dullest, normally terribly unflattering spotlights in the ceiling. It is so ridiculously over-the-top that there is no way anyone in their right mind would ever want to make a case for this as a serious piece of watchmaking.
It’s a serious watch that put on a masquerade — like a serious actor that puts on a clown’s make-up and clothes to cheer people up. The Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch is a joke, it’s a laugh. It’s as though the watch (and with it, all of Hublot) were looking at you with its curious Swiss face, asking, “Do you want colors? How about lots of colors?” BANG! “We hope you’re happy now!” I look at this watch and this is what I can hear in my head — I’ll seek assistance, don’t worry — but not with a negative or aggressive tone, but rather an over-the-top-playful tone.
I mean, placing brilliant-cut stones next to baguette-cut stones is a real challenge to pull off right. It’s like wearing polka dots with stripes. It can be done, but it’s very, very hard, and there’s a very, very high chance that you’ll look ridiculous when you try to mimic those who can do it. Although the photos exaggerate the effect when compared to how this watch appeared to my eyes in reality, even when holding it in one’s hand, there is a strong and immediately apparent dissonance between the sizing and overall effect of these two stones.
Hublot has a small, but capable gem-setting department in its manufacture near Geneva, and they have done some truly impressive things before. On this occasion, I have some issues with their work, but said reservations are just of a stylistic kind, not qualitative. Just so you know the level of complexity they can handle, the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold features 176 colored stones on its case, 48 on its bezel, and 212 on its dial. Altogether, there are 436 stones, rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, blue topazes, tsavorites, yellow sapphires and orange sapphires, and that’s Jacob & Co. territory.

All those stones make for a lot of eye candy also — and also a lot of ways for things to go wrong. The bezel, with its baguette-cut sapphires, looks proportionate to the case and the watch as a whole, and that’s great. The lugs and the dial components, however, look exceedingly weird, as though these small stones originally belonged to a Michael Kors fashion watch, not a six-figure-priced piece — even though the quality of the settings and the cuts do, of course, belong to the luxury segment. All that noted, criticizing this watch for the disproportionate stones and resulting overall look is like a makeup artist walking up to a clown and criticizing the nuances of his makeup. It’s clearly missing the point, and that’s something I don’t want to do. So, here’s what I will say in closing, instead.
Would I wear the Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow King Gold Watch? Hell yeah, I would. It’s a gold watch with tons of baguette-cut sapphires (they are my weakness, my kryptonite) and brilliant-cut colorful stones on them. I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t a sucker for these things. If given the choice, would I take this over a base Lange 1? No. Have I lost my mind? Therefore, I think no, I haven’t. But if I could wear this for weeks or months, I totally would, because I know this unafraid, likeable, laughable watch would cheer me up. And I think it would cheer most of my fellow watch-lovers up, too. Even though we will never have a chance to prove this, I very much believe that, if given the chance to wear this exact watch for a week or so, nine out of 10 watch enthusiasts would grow really rather fond of it. They, too, would still take the Lange 1 — but they wouldn’t be as repulsed by this rainbow-themed watch, as they may be now.

Posted on by

Replica Breitling Avenger Chronograph GMT 45

When I think of Breitling, I usually think of the Avenger series or the Superocean, and even though these days the trend has been towards smaller watches, I think this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is so iconic and a great watch regardless of the size. Now it’s true that I used to own a Breitling Avenger Seawolf and yes I did end up selling that watch. Why you ask? Because of the size. That’s really a long story for another day, but basically, I had always wanted one and by the time I got one, I really wasn’t into big watches like that anymore. Still, I don’t regret owning it for the time I had it and even though this Avenger chrono is still a large watch, it is not as thick as the Seawolf and there are a few other differences as well, that would make it more daily-able-at least for me.
This watch comes to me from Saltzman’s Watches of Newport, who graciously loaned this watch to me for review. They are of course an Authorized Dealer and if you are interested in this watch or others that they carry, just shoot them a phone call or email, tell them you saw this review and what watch you are interested in. All their info will be in the specifications below.
The Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 has that famous rider tab bezel Breitling is known for, in this case, a beautiful matte blue dial with a white gold wing logo, and overall there is no mistaking this watch for any other. I mentioned in the video how the Avenger lineup doesn’t change that much over time, if you saw one of these models from 10 years ago, while there are some differences, you can easily tell they are the same model. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that is a good thing. Breitling is a brand that is not copied often, unlike Rolex, Bell and Ross, Omega, Audemars Piquet, and many others. Hell Maurice Lacroix, a bigger named brand in their own right kinda ripped off AP with their latest models, but look around at all the different brands, all the different micro brands and you really will not see watches that look like Breitling.
Now people can argue why that is, but one thing is for sure when you wear a Breitling, you aren’t really going to have to worry about people mistaking it for anything else. When I was talking to Saltzman’s and setting up reviewing some watches for them, they gave me a few options for the initial review. I took one look at this blue dial model and knew I wanted to review this one. I hope to review a few different brands that they carry moving forward, but I wanted to start with a brand I love and a model I was somewhat familiar with.
Yes, I have talked about this many times, but before I knew what a watch enthusiast or a WIS was, I was enamored with Breitling from a young age. Whether it was a billboard or a watch magazine, or even just an ad in a non-watch magazine, Breitling always captured my inner watch nerd more than any other brand. I have no issue stating that in the last 30 years my tastes have absolutely changed and big massive watches just are not my thing anymore, but I still love most of what the brand puts out, even though I may not want to wear it myself.
The 45mm case on this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is brushed on the top and the sides, very different from my Seawolf which had a lot of high polish going on, and while this is still very thick at almost 17mm in height, it doesn’t wear like a brick on my wrist, it wears flatter and does wrap around my wrist a little better than I thought it would. Of course with it being the Avenger, you have that familiar knurled screw-down crown and being a chronograph, large easy-to-use pushers, that are not just functional, but beautiful as well.
That rider tab bezel is fully polished on the sides, with a combo of brushed and polished on top, and is just always a joy to turn, but yes, this being a stainless steel bezel, and a lot of mirror polishing going, it is going to get scratched. Nothing you can do about it, same with a Doxa as an example. And this is an expensive watch at $5,500, no doubt about it, but watches are meant to be worn, and I have seen versions of this watch really well worn and used, and I still think they look good even with all the scratches, but that’s just me. A massive lume pip sits at the top of the bezel, ready to be seen in the dark.
The blue dial of this Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 is actually pretty clean for what it is, and I love the yellow accents against that muted blue dial. As I stated earlier, that wing logo is actually white gold, not just some chrome-finished steel, and even though it’s not something you can touch or really feel, there is just something about it being made of a precious metal that I appreciate. The indices are applied, big thick rectangles with strips of lume sandwiched between them, and a pretty traditional setup for a 7750 Chronograph (which is what this movement is based on) and the date located at the 3. Nothing revolutionary here of course, but a good-looking dial.
Above the dial though, is the cambered sapphire crystal, and it’s a beautiful crystal and the blue AR coating does look good but my problem with Breitling and a few others are the outer AR coating. Breitling uses both inner and outer AR coatings and they just aren’t as scratch-resistant as the sapphire itself. It can be removed by someone who is qualified (not many are surprisingly) and it can be reapplied by Breitling or a Breitling service center, but it is one thing I wish that Breitling would make optional and not standard.
When it comes to the case back, this may be one of the few times that I wish I could see the movement. While the Breitling 13 is a COSC-certified movement, it probably isn’t overlay decorated, most likely just a custom signed rotor, but this very plain engraved case back is not what I was expecting, especially on a watch that costs almost $6,000. Maybe I am being picky, but I was hoping for at least a stamped wing logo on the back.
The Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45 comes on a choice of a few straps. This sample was sent to me on a blue canvas with a yellow leather backing, and it is a very nice strap in my opinion. I love both the way it looks and feels and that yellow leather is just eye-catching. This version of the strap has a tang buckle but you can get a push-button deployant buckle as well as a Breitling bracelet and of course, the price goes up with each upgrade that you do. With a weight of 157 grams, you would think a strap would not balance the watch out at all, but it really does, and I think it felt very comfortable on my 7 1/2 inch wrist. Yes, this is a 55mm lug to lug, and yes it is a heavy piece, but somehow it does work on my wrist, though I still don’t know if I would want to rock this daily, after a few days of wearing it, who knows, maybe I could get used to it again.
Unfotunbaly I was not able to wear this piece like I normally would and I did test the lume, but not as I would normally, which would be wearing it in many different dark situations, one of them being to bed. The lume is bright though and it will easily last quite a few hours, about 5 or so, if not more, and this piece just looks really good in the dark.
I am glad I had a chance to review this piece and even though it is not the latest model from Breitling, I still think these are great-looking pieces and can easily understand why someone would want this in their collection. My tastes probably would lean more towards a Superocean these days, I love the look of the new ones and the 42mm model is one I could see me wearing daily, if not even being one that stays on the wrist a lot more than others, but there is something about this big and bold Breitling Avenger Chronograph 45, especially in this blue. There are other colors available and if you want to see more, please check out Saltzman’s, as they carry a lot of Breitling models, amongst other brands, and even if you are not interested in purchasing this piece, give their website a look, it would be appreciated.
As for this model, Breitling will always have a special place in my heart, no matter the model, and even though l love some more than others, the Avenger series is a staple in the Breitling lineup for a reason and I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.

Posted on by

Richard Mille RM 07-04

Richard Mille has expanded its line-up by introducing the new Richard Mille RM 07-04 ultra-lightweight sports watch. What makes the latest collection truly special is that it’s the brand’s first-ever multi-faceted sports watch dedicated to women. Richard Mille has a long history of working with renowned athletes and sporting personalities, with its long-standing collaboration with Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal being the most famous of them all. But the watch brand is known for supporting different sports, especially motorsports, and crafting highly technical watches that can withstand the demanding conditions linked to those sports. However, this is the first time Richard Mille has made a sports watch specifically for women and dedicated it to six of its female sporting ambassadors, which include racecar driver Aurora Straus, Florida-based golfer Nelly Korda, and Ukrainian high jumper Yuliya Levchenko.
The new Richard Mille RM 07-04 Automatic Sport features the brand’s familiar tonneau-shaped case with curved edges that measures 30.50mm x 44.95mm x 10.35mm. Constructed out of quartz TPT or carbon TPT depending on the version, the entire watch weighs just 36 grams, including its Velcro strap. The collection includes 6 different variants for the six athletes, rendered in different radiant colors. The Richard Mille RM 07-04 watch is powered by the new CRMA8 caliber. The sturdy in-house skeletonized automatic winding movement is made of grade 5 titanium and offers 50 hours of power reserve.
The baseplate and bridges are in black PVD-coated titanium, and the movement is resistant to 5,000g of acceleration. The skeletonized dial also features a clutter-free design with just hours, minutes, and a function selector on offer. “Rather than limit ourselves to a minimalist aesthetic, we chose a skeletonised movement with visible complexity,” explained the creative and development director at Richard Mille Cécile Guenat. As far as the pricing goes, it can be yours for $300 apiece.

Posted on by

Jacob and Co Casino Roulette Tourbillon

Within the realm of mega-expensive statement watches, no conversation is complete without mentioning Jacob & Co. and the fanciful pieces that make up its modern catalog. While many of the brand’s watches are flat-out ridiculous in concept, they are also undeniably impressive, and wheth-r we are talking about music boxes, planetariums, or miniaturized car engines crafted from sapphire, Jacob & Co. watches often embrace a level of fun and whimsy that is seldom seen in high-end watchmaking. The latest release from the brand just ahead of Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023 is the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon, which takes the fully functional roulette wheel complication that characterizes its popular Astronomia Casino watch, and combines it with a flying tourbillon to create a gambling-themed timepiece aimed squarely at high-rollers and the top 1% who enjoy spending their time at the tables in Las Vegas or Monte Carlo.Crafted from 18k rose gold with a high-polished finish, the case of the new Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon measures 44mm in diameter by 16.3mm-thick. Just as you would expect, a heavily domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment protects the dial side of the watch; however, there is no winding crown protruding from the side of the case, with the only thing disrupting its round profile being the pusher located at 8 o’clock, which is used operate the roulette wheel game complication. Instead, positioned on the caseback, directly above the small circular window that offers a view of the roulette-themed flying tourbillon, are two fold-out tabs, with one used for winding the watch and the other dedicated to adjusting its hands. While this timepiece is hardly designed for aquatic use (as confirmed by its black alligator leather strap with matching 18k rose gold deployant buckle), the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon still offers 30 meters of water resistance to protect against daily incidental contact.
The time is displayed by a pair of skeletonized hands with luminous inlays and red finished tips, while the dial itself is made from a single sheet of black onyx with applied 18k rose gold kite-shaped hour markers. The dial and hands sit elevated from the spinning roulette wheel section that surrounds it, and this difference in height creates a natural space for the white ceramic ball to move freely when the roulette wheel game complication is activated. Additionally, the black curved flange that occupies the outermost periphery of the display features eight diamond-shaped deflectors, which are intended to further add variation to the roulette ball’s movement. Pressing the pusher on the side of the case at 8 o’clock sets the wheel in motion, causing the white ceramic ball to bounce around until it settles into one of the 37 pockets that are filled with black, red, or green lacquer.
Powering the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon is the brand’s manufacture Cal. JCAM51 manual-wind movement. While its signature roulette wheel complication and base caliber design are carried over from existing watches, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 itself is a new movement and offers a novel combination of features. Running at a frequency of 21,600vph (3 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 72 hours, the JCAM51 is a 24-jewel caliber that consists of 268 components. In addition to having its winding and time-setting carried out through fold-out tabs located on its caseback and having a fully-functional mechanical spinning roulette wheel game complication, the Jacob & Co. JCAM51 also features a one-minute flying tourbillon that has red, black, and green lacquer inlays on its carriage, which mirror the appearance of the spinning roulette wheel on the opposite side of the watch.
Production of the Jacob & Co. Casino Tourbillon will be limited to 101 examples, and the new watch will be accompanied by an official retail price of $330 USD. Although this is undeniably expensive and could just as easily buy you a supercar or even a house in many parts of this country, it’s also worth noting that the new Casino Tourbillon costs less than half the price of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino, while simultaneously offering a superior roulette playing experience due to its simplified display and unobstructed view of the spinning roulette wheel. While a solid gold Jacob & Co. watch with a fully functional roulette wheel game isn’t really for the budget-conscious buyer, the difference in price is more than a quarter of a million dollars, and this delta is even significant to the mega-wealthy collectors — even if it just means having some extra money to throw down at the tables next time they visit the casinos.