Dare to dream

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Dare to dream - Christmas gifts
5 minutes read
Forget about the price tag, let yourself be transported on the wings of desire. Our final selection of men’s and women’s watches are the stuff of dreams.

Patek Philippe – Minute Repeater Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5207G-001

Don’t be fooled by its apparent simplicity. This timepiece is highly complicated, and it’s the only model in Patek Philippe’s current collection to offer a tourbillon, a minute repeater and an instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture display. The two-gong minute repeater sounds the time on demand, via a slide piece at 9 o’clock engraved with the same motif found on the sides of the lugs. The tourbillon can only be seen from the back of the watch – a discreet feature shared by all Patek Philippe tourbillon watches. It is a purely functional decision, based on the desire to prevent the lubricating oils being degraded by daylight.

Dare to dream

Movement: hand-wound mechanical manufacture movement Calibre R TO 27 PS QI
Power reserve: 38 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, day/night indicator, moon phases
Case: white gold, 41 mm
Dial: blue sunburst

Kerbedanz – Maximus

The Neuchâtel-based manufacture, which specialises in watchmaking complications and traditional jewellery, takes a completely different approach. With its record-breaking 27 mm diameter, the tourbillon cage of the Maximus sits comfortably within the 49 mm case. The fascinating spectacle of the tourbillon revolving at 18,000 vph inside a cage that rotates once every 6 minutes represents a radical departure from the watch’s traditionally static image.

Dare to dream

Movement: hand-wound mechanical calibre KRB-08
Power reserve: 54 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, power reserve, tourbillon
Case: titanium, 49 mm 

Jaeger-LeCoultre – Joaillerie 101 Feuille

At the other extreme, Jaeger-LeCoultre plays the minimalist card with the Calibre 101, still the world’s smallest mechanical movement 90 years after it first appeared. Made of 98 components and assembled by highly experienced watchmakers, vibrating at 21,600 vph and weighing barely one gram, it drives the minuscule hour and minute hands around an equally minuscule square watch face measuring less than 2 cm on each side. It’s a feat of miniaturisation and a miracle of discretion. Although it is perfectly integrated into the line of the bracelet, it still has the ability to retreat behind a diamond-paved leaf. The rest is all about the diamonds – 167 in total, making a total of 10.3 carats.

Dare to dream

Movement: hand-wound mechanical Calibre 101
Power reserve: 33 hours
Functions: hours, minutes 
Case: pink gold, 18.35 mm x 6.80 mm 
Dial: silvered opaline
Bracelet: pink gold, diamonds (10.30 ct)

Jacob & Co. – Twin Turbo Furious

Anyone who’s mad about innovation, technical complexity and extreme design would no doubt be delighted to find this watch in their Christmas stocking. A list of its functions says everything there is to say about the technology involved: accelerated sequential triple-axis double tourbillon; minute repeater that strikes the tens of minutes; monopusher chronograph with reference time indicator; and a power reserve display that uses a planetary system with differential gearing. All this is driven by an extremely complex movement comprising 832 components.

Dare to dream

Movement: self-winding mechanical JCFM05 movement 
Power reserve: 50 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, monopusher chronograph, differential time, decimal minute repeater, triple axis double tourbillon, power reserve
Case: 18K 5N rose gold, 57 x 52 mm, sapphire back 
Dial: smoked sapphire, red neoralithe inner ring

Chanel - Mademoiselle Privé Camélia Skeleton

When the watch mechanism transcends its functionality to become a decorative high jewellery motif, the entire watch becomes a thing of splendour. This Mademoiselle Privé is the first to be fitted with a manufacture movement. The mainplate in overlapping arcs of white gold depicts a camellia set with diamonds, contrasting against a black onyx baseplate.  Behind the stunning aesthetics, Haute Horlogerie asserts itself in the form of a variable inertia skeleton movement with an anti-shock system for the balance.

Dare to dream

Movement: hand-wound mechanical Chanel Calibre 2.1 
Power reserve: 48 hours
Functions: hours, minutes
Case: 18K white gold, 37.5 mm, bezel set with 60 brilliant-cut diamonds
Dial: black onyx, 18K white gold skeleton camellia set with 185 brilliant-cut diamonds

Bovet - Récital 22 Grand Récital

Duly rewarded by the supreme distinction of the Aiguille d’Or of the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, the Récital 22 Grand Récital is a high-flying timepiece that showcases functional depictions of the Sun, Moon and Earth. The three-dimensional flying tourbillon represents the Sun and counts off the seconds. The hand-decorated, hyper-realistic Earth performs one complete rotation anti-clockwise every 24 hours, as it does in real life, and shows the time. The moon is depicted on a sphere that rotates around the Earth sphere exactly once every 29.53 days. The perpetual calendar is visible on the back of the watch, and features a retrograde date ring, day and month windows and a reminder of the time.

Dare to dream

Movement: hand-wound mechanical movement 17DM03-TEL
Power reserve: 9 days
Functions: hours, retrograde minutes, double-sided flying tourbillon with seconds, precision moon phase, retrograde double-sided date, power reserve
Case: platinum, 46.3 mm

Breguet - Reine de Naples 8908

According to historical sales ledgers, in 1812 A.-L. Breguet delivered an egg-shaped watch with a bracelet, guilloché dial and Arabic numerals to Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. In 2002, this became the inspiration for the Reine de Naples collection by Breguet, aimed at people with an interest in historic timepieces, but also at ease with contemporary technology, given that its automatic movement includes silicon components. Classic styling comes courtesy of Tahitian mother-of-pearl, an hours ring with Roman numerals and a smiling moon. Diamonds around the bezel add an elegant touch.

Dare to dream 

Movement: self-winding mechanical Calibre 537 DRL2
Power reserve: 45 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds, moon phases, power reserve
Case: pink gold, 28.45 mm x 36.50 mm, bezel and inner ring set with 128 brilliant-cut diamonds 
Dial: Tahitian mother-of-pearl and silvered gold, hand-crafted guillochage

Richard Mille - RM 11-03 McLaren

Clients of the McLaren Ultimate Series were given first refusal of the RM11-03, on its launch at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show. But, even they’ve all taken up the offer, there might still be a few left over for people who, while they may not have a McLaren in their garage, dream of having one on their wrist, and know someone with a well-stuffed bank account who might be willing to give them a rather special present. Designed in collaboration with McLaren’s director of design, this timepiece is full of details borrowed from the British racing cars, beginning with the colour orange, and the titanium push-pieces reminiscent of the headlights of a 720S. And it wouldn’t be a Richard Mille if it didn’t feature plenty of innovative materials, like the Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT of the case, and the PVD grade 5 titanium used for the mainplate and bridges of the flyback chronograph movement.

Dare to dream

Movement: self-winding mechanical RMAC3 movement
Power reserve: 55 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, date, month, flyback chronograph, 60-minute countdown timer
Case: Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, 44.5 mm, sapphire back 
Dial: skeletonised

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