2010年7月27日星期二
The history of Franck Muller watches
Also the brand enriched the Cintree Curvex collection with nice novelties: chronographs with perpetual calendar and several time zones and wonderful Big Ben watch model with GMT function.2000.In the year 2000 the collection Long Island that included elegant rectangular watches was issued. Also in 2000 the company presented Master Banker modelthat had very uniquely styled dial, this wristwatch model enriched the Rondes collection.2001. In 2001 the first watch model of Transamerica collection were produced. Watches from this collection are very recognizable due to tubby steel case and rounded ledge. 2002.. Havana models with stylish design brown colors of which reminded of Havana cigars enriched Cintree Curvex collection in 1997.1998 was marked by plenty of new watch models, such as the new collection Conquistador that included timepieces with beautiful aggressive sports design of the dials. Also in 1998 the company produced the world's thinnest tourbillion that broke the record that was set in 1945. This is a truly unique wristwatch model that came in a luxurious casket that is shaped as an egg and adorned with most beautiful diamonds.The year 1999 was marked by Caliber 99 - bilateral chronograph with perpetual calendar, minute repeater and most elegant diamonds adorning the case. Other events of that year are: King Conquistador chronograph, the model Limited, the new Cintree Curvex with big date indications as well as the model Master Banker with 2 time zones.2000/20001. In the beginning of the new millennium the brand produced plenty of novelties, for instance such novelties as a wristwatch model that combined such complications as perpetual calendar with moon phase indication and repeater and a wristwatch model that had reversal indications.
The history of Franck Muller watches
While restoring wristwatches Franck Muller came to the conclusion that a watch ought not be only accurate, it should look elegant and amaze by its design, only in this case it will be considered excellent. This experience inspired Franck Muller and he dared create his own wristwatches. 1992 was the great year when Franck Muller opened his watch brand. This company was the brightest event in the world of horology in 1992. The first wristwatch collection from Franck Muller that became a sensation in the world of watch manufacturing was ??intree Curvex.Some watch admirers are sure that all well known companies are companies? with long history, however, this is wrong as Franck Muller being well known in all over the world is a watch manufacture that does not have a very long history. Franck Muller founded his company in 1991 and from the very start it was understood that the brand will enjoy enormous success in the world of watch manufacturing. Franck Muller was the talented craftsman who founded the brand. Motherland of Franck Muller is Switzerland - the area where the world's greatest wristwatches are produced. From the very youth Franck Muller was interested in watches.The world of watch manufacturing knew Frank Muller long before his company produced the first wristwatch. While he was a student at a watch college Franck Muller became very famous with specialists from all around the world as a great watch restorer.
Vacheron Constantin - Exclusivity in Everything
As the result, watch connoisseurs are given the joy to listen to the purest possible sound that is improved by the Les Cabinotiers Skeleton's sapphire crystal case back and dial. The Vacheron Constantin caliber 1755 has two tones. The lower pitch is for the hours, the higher one for the minutes. The high and low pitch sounds for the quarter-hour.Vacheron Constantin has one more reason to be especially proud by presenting its Les Cabinotiers Skeleton Minute Repeater - the brand values the tradition of developing beautiful platinum watches.Initially, the brand's watchmakers took time to disassemble a 1940s wristwatch. To work up the concept of a new Minute Repeater, they had to draw up plans, buy necessary equipment. The idea of a new Minute Repeater could be realized just by a solidary team of the most skillful and passionate watchmakers. The team came through four years of research and hard, yet enjoyable work. As a result, in 1993 Vacheron Constantin was proud to present the first piece, the caliber 1755. The choice of 1755 is obvious - the watchmakers honored the year of the company's foundation. Les Cabinotiers Skeleton Minute Repeater watch has been equipped with this legendary caliber.The movement comprises more than 330 parts, while it is just about 3.30 mm thick, as it has already been mentioned - it is the slimmest in the world. The process of developing such a movement naturally consists of numerous stages, so each wonder takes not less than 320 hours to be created. Each part of the mechanism and case is handcrafted.
Vacheron Constantin - Exclusivity in Everything
The range of the brand's achievements in the area comprises the movements from the ***st to the most awfully complicated ones. The Art of the Minute RepeaterEven those watch lovers whose imagination is captured by the latest technological innovations, appreciate the minute repeater as the greatest challenge in the art of watch-***. Every minute repeater is created to be one of its kind as for its decoration, sound and history. Somewhere in the period of the 1980s Vacheron Constantin set a goal to develop an absolutely new Minute Repeater.The process of developing such an exclusive skeletonized masterpiece requires unsurpassed technical expertise that just a few watch houses are proud to possess. The size of all watch's details has been reduced in the most refined and precise way. The brand's skeleton watches are also distinguished due to their finish. Vacheron Constantin watchmakers carefully examine every tenth of a millimeter of metal using a loupe to be able to adjust and polish even the most barely visible screw by hand. The brand's watchmakers overwhelmed by the last for perfection, technical precision and beauty, perceive every complication of such a watch first of all as a kind of challenge and personal achievement.Vacheron Constantin has long established its reputation of really few watch manufacturers maintaining the tradition of skeletonizing matchless watch movements.
2010年7月13日星期二
Review of the Tissot Seastar 1000
In typical Tissot fashion, the box holds the manuals, strap, and the replica bell & ross, and through some clever trickery, a large compartment in the base of the box holds a product catalogue along with what basically amounts to a small novel on Tissot's history. The packaging is definitely more than I expected, and shows that Tissot understands that when it comes to watches, we sometimes will judge a book by its cover.SummaryThe Seastar 1000 is a blingy diver that catches the eye and weighs down the wrist. It's even a passable dress bell ross with the stainless steel bracelet, but may be a little too thick to hide under a cuff, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves. It is a good bargain for the average selling price of $500, and if it appeals to your particular tastes (as it does mine), it will make a great addition to your collection, or as a daily wearer. The quality, fit, packaging, and style are all present, *** the Tissot Seastar a good choice for anyone looking for an entry point in to Swiss divers.Related Articles: Review of the Seiko Orange Monster (SKX781).There is a diver extension to allow the watch to be worn over a thin wetsuit, but it has a habit of opening whenever you open the clasp. For the price, it's decent, but I tend to expect a lot of my bracelets, which is probably why many of my watches end up on straps. Admittedly, my standards are pretty high, partially because I own a Seiko Orange Monster which has a world class bracelet, and the entire replicas bell & ross costs only about $100 more than the Seastar's bracelet by itself (between $130 and $180 through Tissot). The only reason I would recommend the bracelet on the Seastar over the rubber strap is that I think it makes the watch look quite a bit better. PackagingTissot included some very substantial packaging with the Seastar.
Review of the Tissot Seastar 1000
There is a date window at the 3 o'clock position and the dial is noted with the gift for def name and its depth rating (300 meters, or as its name suggests, 1,000 feet). Outside the dial there is a matching unidirectional dive bezel with raised numerals.Unfortunately, I found luminosity to be on the poor side as the markers and hands are quite thin and have very little paint applied to them.At the heart of the Tissot Seastar 1000 is the very popular ETA-2824 Swiss "hackable" automatic movement. It can be seen through the sapphire display back which has been decorated with Tissot branding and a small diver on the rotor.The only real issue with the head of the watches is the crown: it doesn't seem to screw down as well as I would expect. My Bathys 100 Fathom houses the same movement, but the crown seems to have much more accurate threading. Of course, the Bathys is almost double the price, so one must make some allowances.Strap / BraceletThe bracelet on the Tissot Seastar 1000 is big — 22mm all the way around — and has a fantastic weight on your wrist. Aesthetically, it is much like a Breitling Pro 2 bracelet in weight and style, but that's about where the similarities end. The Tissot's bracelet is loud and sort of squeaky, and although the fold-over clasp is tight, it somehow manages to rattle annoyingly with the vibrations of my steering wheel. The Tissot Seastar 1000 is an entry-level Swiss automatic in the diver segment. The most current version dates back to 2004, but the Seastar name has been around for more than 30 years. Currently, the Seastar is offered in the following versions: Silver dial with a stainless steel bracelet. Blue dial with a stainless steel bracelet. Black dial on a rubber strap.The review model is a custom combination of the black dial with an upgrade to the stainless bracelet. The HeadThis is a very heavy watch — by far the heaviest I have ever worn. The case is large, measuring 44mm across without the crown and 14mm high. It has a beautiful weight to it, and the clarity of the sapphire crystal gives the entire piece a jewel like quality that is very pleasing and not often seen in $500 Swiss watches. The dial is a flat matte black that highlights the indices and makes the watch very legible.
The Tissot T
I can activate touch mode, choose the countdown timer by touching "chrono" twice, begin a countdown, and the watch returns to time keeping mode but leaves the countdown information on screen. Great for cooking, driving long distance, etc. Its just an obvious feature for a watch with a screen and I really appreciate it on the T-Touch Expert. The BraceletAs previously noted, the bracelet is made of titanium so it is light and strong and I did not find the review model to be especially scratch prone (titanium's Achilles heel). The bracelet is noise free with a firm pushbutton divers-fold release and a nice folding divers extension inside the clasp. The extension is likely not designed for diving, per say, because the watch is only rated to 100m and the functions cannot be used while submerged. I like to think of it at a jacket extension to get the watch on top of lighter weather protective clothing like jackets and sweaters. I usually have a complaint about the bracelet on almost every gifts for jewelry, but this is a rare exception. It's light, precise, has a good clasp, and there's no noise. If you get this watch, get it on the bracelet. Conclusion This is a great watch, but it is not without fault. Granted, you can only cram so much tech into one watch case, but where is the atomic regulation and solar charging capability? As the Expert is a premium watch, I feel like these features should be present. There is no watch that will be for everyone and no watch is perfect, but Tissot has come close to perfecting the tech bags gift online. Obviously, the T-Touch Expert is not dressy or flashy nor is it especially boisterous for a sport watch whose peers are covered in bumpy plastic. In a world ruled by G-Shocks and a few Suuntos, the Expert has come to the fight with solid build quality, sharp styling, and the easiest user inte***ce of any bags for gift since the single-button chronograph. The T-Touch Expert is a solid performer that is so dead *** to use, its like its powered by magic. Arthur C. Clark would have been impressed. When a feature is activated the screen shows fine point data (heading, barometric pressure, lapsed time) while the hands take on a contextual meaning. For example, when the gift for jewelry is in "meteo" mode the hands group together and depending on their position to the right or left of 12 o'clock, they indicate whether the pressure is rising or dropping. Depending on the amount of change in the hands position, you can predict bad weather. The best feature, as far as I'm concerned, is the ability to blend the features with standard time keeping mode so you can monitor a feature on-screen and still have the time reading on the hands. This is a great feature and really shows that Tissot knows what they are doing and what is needed in tech a watch.
The Tissot T
The T-Touch line is famous for its "touch" ability that turns the regular-old sapphire crystal into a touch sensitive inte***ce for selecting one of the many, many functions. Lets take a look under the hood:43.6mm titanium case. Matching titanium bracelet.Sapphire crystal.Dual time zones.Dual Alarms*.Barometer (absolute and relative)*.Chronograph/Countdown timer*.Thermometer*.Altimeter (can record difference)*.Compass (with Azimuth ability)*.Perpetual Counter.100m Water Resistance.Integrated LCD with red backlight.Touch enabled crystal.* Touch-activated features.The above list, while somewhat overwhelming, shows what can be done with modern technology. The kind of tools that would have filled Batman's utility belt can now be packed into a relatively small 43mm case. I remember seeing the spec sheet and being surprised by both the laundry list of features and the fact that almost every one of the features can be activated on the touch crystal, which has seven touch points. Some of the touch points even have two feature levels (ie. Chronograph/countdown timer) activated by tapping the allocated area twice. The CaseThe case on the Tissot T-Touch Expert is the kind of case (and bracelet) that makes your brain skip a beat with you pick it up. It looks heavy and solid but the titanium is light and relatively hollow feeling. It doesn't feel cheap at all -- it feels strong and confident while being worn, and is yet another watch that proves titanium is a great case and bracelet material. I am admittedly not the biggest fan of the styling on most Tissot watches gift, but I consider this to be a very handsome my chinese gift that is both cool and sporty without being too nerdy. The T-Touch Expert incorporates a large LCD screen that takes up most of the lower third of the dial and relates data in tandem with the hands based upon which feature you've selected. The chronograph-style side buttons are used to manipulate certain functions while the middle button is pressed to activate the touch mode or held down for two seconds to activate the backlight.The Tissot T-Touch is a well known and respected line of tech watches from one of Switzerland's best known bags gift manufacturers. Tissot has built its name on crafting well built and affordable time pieces — something of a rarity from everyone's favorite neutral federal republic. It has been nearly a year since I reviewed the Seastar 1000 and walked away impressed. The T-Touch Expert is the most feature packed model in the brands history and it offers a comprehensive mix of sport styling and easy to use tech.
Two new Bell & Ross models
The BR01 has a chronograph, using the ETA 2892 base coupled with a Dubois-Dupraz chronograph module. Specs are 46mm, grade-2 titanium with a satin finish. The dial is grey with white Superluminova coating on hands and hour markers. The crystal is sapphire with an anti-reflective coating, and the strap is rubber.About the only thing I don't like is the MSRP of 5500 Euros, or $7900. That's quite a bit for a stock-ETA watch, and probably reflects how well B&R has been doing in the marketplace with the Instrument series.The other new model is the BRS Ceramic Instrument. This pays homage to the immensely influential Chanel J12 series, debuting in 2000, which were the first to ship bell & ross made from super-tough white and black ceramics.(The picture is from the Chanel site) Ever since the J12, other companies have introduced watches made of ceramics, which we consider a fine thing: ceramics make excellent watch cases and bracelets. I should also note that other companies have been *** ceramic watches for a while, such as Rado, but for some reason the J12 proved more influential. Such is fashion.Bell & Ross have done some interesting things with it - they used it to make an ultra-thin watch of more moderate size, which combined with the quartz movement chosen should result in a fantastically durable watch. The specifications for the Ceramic Instrument55g, 6.8mm by 39mm. Only 7mm less than the Ti Pro, but that's quite a lot in a square web chanel watches.More than one material is available - white or black ceramic, steel or gold, with or without diamonds around the bezel.List prices range from 2900 to 7900 Euros, or 4100USD to 11,300USD.Here's a shot of the family faces, courtesy of their PR:And one closeup of the black dial with diamonds.The Bell & Ross company (Yep, that's an ampersand. The joke is that Bell & Ross got theirs from Vacheron Constantin, who used to be Vacheron & Constantin.) has been a recurring subject here on Watch Report. We like many of their watches, particularly the aircraft-styled Instrument collection and their new line of dive bell & ross watches. Today we've got some new models from B&R, so let's take a look and see what's changed.First up is the BR01 Instrument Pro Titanium. Like their predecessor Instrument models, it has the square case, bold dial and aircraft-gauge style paired with a reliable ETA mechanical movement. This new model is now made of lightweight titanium, and they've also changed the style of the hour and minute hands to a beveled/polished look that I quite like. It's very similar to the style of the hands on the Seiko Marinemaster SBDX001, another watch slated for review here.
Victorinox Classic XLS MT
Crown-driven operation.100m waterproof.AR-coated sapphire crystal.42mm by 10.4mm, 38g.(Picture snipped from the Breitling website)You can kind of see from the pictures that the displays are identical, which makes sense if the movements are the same. You can also see that the Victorinox is larger. 45mm is large but not huge; I'd be happy to wear one.As with many Swiss brands, Breitling bars selling over the Internet, but Amazon sells them with a list price of $2,795. There are two things I dislike about this movement: the lack of a second hand (useful for 30-second turns), and the crown-driven operation. It's really hard to manipulate while wearing it, which limits the functionality a bit. Nevertheless, I'm hoping that I can try the Victorinox, as that price is much more up my alley, and I really like how it looks.As a former pilot, there are two chanel watches online that represent the absolute finest gear for flying: the Omega X-33, and Breitling Aerospace. Both are quartz and analog/digital, and have very different looks. Today's post is about a very similar watch that has a much more reasonable price tag to the Aerospace, the Victorinox Swiss Army Classic XLS MT. I've not yet confirmed this, but I strongly suspect that it has the exact same movement as the Aerospace, the ETA 988.432, *** it one heck of a deal. Specifications of the Victorinox are:Swiss made, Swiss quartz movement.Anti-reflective-coated sapphire crystal.Stainless steel case, PVD-coated 'gunmetal'. Luminous hands and hour markers.Crown guard.Countdown timer, alarm clock, stop chanel ceramic, dual time zone, multiple languages.Water resistant to 100m.45mm by 12m, quite large.List price is shown as $1,095USD, but I would expect a discount from that. Let's compare to the Breitling Aerospace:Titanium case.Night-vision-goggle-compatible backlight. (I have no idea what that means, but it sure sounds cool.)Second timezone, alarm, stop chanel online, countdown timer.
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