Clocks, skeletons and a mechanical brain

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Can a minute repeater play out of tune? - Minute repeaters
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Aside from presenting an entirely new collection in celebration of its 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin also presented a series of unique table clocks. Roger Dubuis is the first to set diamonds into rubber and Greubel Forsey shows off its mechanical brain.

As we revealed yesterday on WorldTempus, Vacheron Constantin has unveiled an entirely new collection, called Harmony, to celebrate its 260th anniversary this year. The seven models in the collection use no less than five new calibres, all of which are finished to the exacting standards of the Poinçon de Genève. Amongst these, the calibre 3500 has the distinction of being the world’s thinnest self-winding split-seconds chronograph, with a height of just 5.20mm. The brand also presented a stunning table clock with a 30-day constant-force mechanical movement. Part of a series of 12 unique clocks that will be presented over the course of the year, this version with a facetted rock crystal surround and onyx base has already been sold.

 

Métiers d'art Arca

Roger Dubuis took its mastery of the contemporary skeleton movement to its logical conclusion this year with the presentation of the Excalibur Spider Skeleton, on which not just the movement but the watch case and even the flange have been skeletonised. The brand famous for producing all its models in accordance with the Poinçon de Genève criteria also presented a world première in the world of stone setting, showing off the world’s first diamond-set bezel in rubber. Working together with the Geneva stone-setting specialists at Pascal Vincent Vaucher, Roger Dubuis has found a rubber compound with just the right hardness to allow it to spring back into place when it is pulled aside and thus hold the diamonds in place.

 

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Flying Tourbillon

As you can read on the site today, Greubel Forsey has presented a revised version of the Equation of Time Perpetual Calendar [LINK] that was first unveiled last year. With a number of subtle improvements on this 2015 version, most notably an equation of time display with improved legibility, this model remains the first practical application of Greubel Forsey’s “mechanical brain” that can theoretically be used to display any event that recurs at a regular interval, from the equation of time to the transit of Venus.

But the real highlight from Greubel Forsey is the new Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision, which presents a new way of showing off the distinctive Greubel Forsey inclined tourbillon. This new interpretation with a case that is 2.5mm thinner than previous models, is made possible by a domed protrusion on the case back that allows the tourbillon cage, which has domed bridges on either sides, to be accommodated in the the full height of the movement. The incredible mirror-polishing on both sides of the tourbillon bridges set new standards in hand finishing.

 

Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 secondes vision

After Bulgari wooed customers in Switzerland with its surprise announcement of a 20% reduction in its Swiss franc prices in order to help its Swiss retailers, Day 3 ended on another high note courtesy of Hublot. The special edition Classic Fusion model produced to celebrate the centenary of the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in collaboration with Swiss designer Roger Pfund fetched a respectable 59,000 Swiss francs at a special charity auction organised by the brand at the Kempinski hotel in Geneva.

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