De Bethune Ninth Mayan Underworld

De Bethune’s latest model is in a style quite different from what we are accustomed to and a novel piece exploring new territory, the Arts and Crafts. It is inspired by the Mayan Calendar.

Through their calendars, the Maya established with incredible precision the end of their ‘long count’ calendar to be Friday, December 21, 2012, this being the basis of various interpretations for the end of the world.

To mark the symbolic passing of humankind as predicted by the Mayan calendar, De Bethune will release twelve unique watches in honor of these traditions.

With the the Ninth Mayan Underworld, De Bethune has tried to recreate the deep atmosphere of pottery and stone sculptures by Mayan scribes.

“Moments in Time” are a series of watch sculptures by British designer and inventor Dominic Wilcox.

He has created unique, miniature animated scenes using a collection of watches and customised model figures.

Reflections on human behavior and delightfully surreal scenes, each tells a story or conveys a message and draws on everyday and imagined situations.

A man in a suit extends his arm towards his colleague expecting a handshake. The colleague crosses his arms in clear disregard for their friendship, in “The unrequited handshake” (above)

Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 052 Skull watch

An ingeniously conceived titanium skull offsets the familiar signature case shape of Richard Mille’s new Tourbillon RM 052 Skull watch.

The skull plays an integral part in the design and engineering of the human skeleton and Richard Mille has taken the motif and made it an integral part of his new skeleton watch, the Tourbillon RM 052 Skull.

The skull is usually used as a decorative feature on watches but the Tourbillon RM 052 incorporates the form into the movement using it for both style and function.

The movements center bridge has been constructed from the back of the skull and the ruby of the tourbillon cage is held between the upper and lower jaws. Four bridges connect the movement to the case and form the crossed bones of the skull and cross bone design.

Limited edition of 21 pieces, which includes 15 pieces in titanium and 6 unique set pieces in red or white gold.

Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon No.3

“Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.” said Einstein.
It could, however be the cause of your attraction to the Histoire de Tourbillon No.3 .
Its visual spectacle is all about gravity.

An arsenal of Three tourbillons combat the adverse gravitational effects on time with this the third in Harry Winston’s series focusing on the tourbillon.

Each has been offset by intervals of 36, 40 and 120 seconds in order to create the most accurate regulation of the movement.

Its two predecessors were large watches and No.3 is even more so with dimensions of 65.9mm x 45.9mm, a substantial case no doubt needed to accommodate the array of tourbillons.

Functionally, time is shown using two discs and sapphires that go from dark to light coloured indicate the power reserve and add a touch of glamor.

Limited to 20 pieces it will probably be priced in a similar range to the preceding models which were in the $700k area.

I’m excited to learn that Ludovic Ballouard has a new watch coming out called the “Half Time” and it is due to be available in May 2012.

This will be his second watch following his wonderfully whimsical and technically masterful “Upside Down Watch” with its cleverly designed dial featuring inverted hour markers.

Cabestan Trapezium

The latest version of Cabestans Winch Tourbillon watch is named “Trapezium” after its case design.

Watchmaking and geometry have always intertwined, cases usually being round, rectangular or square..Cabestan offers an alternative with a trapezoidal enclosure. In geometry this is defined as a quadrilateral whose sides are unequal. No matter the angle of vision, a trapezoid is recognizable at first glance and sets the watch apart. Applied to the watch design, the result is a complex combination of quadrilaterals giving the timepiece an imposing appearance, and turns the case of the Trapezium into a perfect showcase for its amazing mechanism.

To the new case Eric Coudray has added case crowns which have been completely redesigned to reinforce the idea of inclination. Without effort, the mechanism engages and allows a single movement of the thumb and index finger to adjust the time and wind the watch.

For Baselworld 2012 new watch brand HYT will launch an unprecedented watch: it displays the time using liquid.

Named the H1 it uses two liquids, one fluorescent coloured and one transparent that circulate through microtubes.

Technically the closest watch I can think of to this is Concord’s C1 Quantum Gravity which uses liquid to indicate the power reserve – incidentally Vincent Perriard the leader of the project was previously the CEO of Concord. This is however the first time liquid has been used to indicate time in a wristwatch.

The seeds of the idea lie in Egypt according to Lucien Vouillamoz the inventor of the technology who states: “I began with the Egyptian clepsydra – the first instrument to indicate the time using water – to rapidly arrive at the concept of two non-miscible liquids in a tube. I then felt the potential of this idea.”

The H1 comprises of two parts: a mechanical movement and a fluid system.
Two pistons move the liquid around the micro tubes in bellows-like fashion. Alcohol has been added to the coloured liquid in order to prevent gelling, whilst oil has been mixed with the transparent one.

The “Memento Mori” watch by Fiona Kruger is a skeleton watch with emphasis on the skull, it is a one off design created when she was studying at University of art and design Lausanne in Switzerland. The watch design is inspired by the 17th century skull watch of Mary Queen of Scotts, as well as the Mexican day of the dead, and the piece symbolizes mortality.

The watch design uses hand-engraved solid sterling silver, and the highly decorative dial is made up of gold and rhodium plated brass.
The teeth and temporal region have been fashioned out of perlage polished plates and there is subtle decoration suggesting eyebrows and cheekbones. This version uses a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, here are the entire specifications:

Case: Solid silver, hand engraved
Crown: Silver
Movement: ETA 2824 Mechanical movement
Dial: Gold and rhodium plated brass, laser cut and engraved
Hands: Blued steel
Glass: mineral hand cut glass
Bracelet: Blued Calf leather Buckle: Silver

For more information about this design visit her website

Christian van der Klaauw Aquarius Planetarium

Christian van der Klaauw specializes in Astronomical watches and his latest model the Aquarius Planetarium is the first in a series of twelve unique pieces. In this version the solid gold dial has been decorated by well known master engraver Kees Engelbarts and shows the constellation Aquarius.

The Aquarius Planetarium is a variation of his well known Planetarium watch which was the first to feature the worlds smallest planetarium.

The platinum case measures 40mm and the watches featuring the remaining 11 constellations will be available by special order.