Anticipation ran high in Las Vegas as a crowd of nearly 800 gathered in the fabulous Encore Ballroom at the Wynn Las Vegas for the inaugural presentation of the Couture Time Jury Prize. The ceremony was the culmination of Couture Time's all-new juried watchmaking competition, the only contest of its kind in the U.S. Presented as part of the Couture Design Awards, the Couture Time Jury Prize recognizes exceptional timepieces in different categories and The Jury Prize for Innovation—for outstanding invention or innovation—was presented to Christophe Claret for the 21 Blackjack watch.
To judge the 20 watches entered into the inaugural competition, Jury Prize organizers assembled a distinguished panel of experts representing various facets of the watch industry. The jurors included John Reardon, head of the Watch and Clock Department at Sotheby's in New York; Keith Strandberg, International Editor at Watch Journal; veteran watch journalist Roberta Naas; watch collector and TimeZone.com forum moderator Sam Yukon; and Nick Stellino, a celebrity chef and watch collector, who also took the podium during the June 4 ceremony to announce the winners.
About Couture Time by Watch Journal
Couture Time by Watch Journal is a program of Couture, the leading destination for the luxury jewelry trade during Las Vegas Market Week. Couture Time presents the world's top luxury watch brands to America's top-tier jewelry retailers. Couture Time takes place each year in early June at the Wynn Las Vegas.
21 Blackjack - Casino miniature
A real miniature casino, the 21 Blackjack matches grand complications with the world of gaming. To transparency, relief, and the passage of time, Christophe Claret adds the sensory effects of blackjack, roulette and dice.
Next comes roulette. On the back of the watch the winding rotor, which serves as the roulette wheel, is visible through a glare-proofed sapphire crystal.
Finally there is blackjack, which consists of drawing cards to try to equal 21 points, or come as close as possible without going over. On the lower part of the dial, the player's four cards appear in windows. On the upper part of the dial are three additional windows for the dealer's cards. Each time a shutter opens, whether for the player or the dealer, a gong is struck; the striking mechanism is visible through a side window at 2 o'clock.
Christophe Claret
After spending his youth repairing complex watches and clocks, Christophe Claret from Lyon nurtured his passion for watchmaking by coming to study at the Geneva Watchmaking School. He subsequently trained with a cabinotier (traditional Geneva watchmaker) who taught him a number of trade secrets, and then began buying up, restoring and reselling complicated watches for collectors. At the 1987 Basel Fair, Christophe Claret was entrusted with a substantial order and settled in La Chaux-de-Fonds, where he set up his own company in 1989 before relocating to the heights above Le Locle, in the Soleil d'Or manor house.
Christophe Claret, maker of exceptional timepieces
Since 1989, Christophe Claret has worked surrounded by the Neuchâtel mountains, where the heart of Swiss watchmaking beats strongest and all the skills that combine to create an exceptional timepiece can be found. The company's workshops are in Le Locle at Le Soleil d'Or, a magnificent manor house that has been completely renovated for use by highly qualified staff and state-of-the-art machines. This ranks it among the rare few companies with the ability to design, develop and produce a fine watch from the first component to the last.
A timepiece by the Christophe Claret brand is a collective endeavour, brought to life through passion, perseverance and, underlying it all, emotion and dreams. Thus the brand creates supremely complex and highly innovative niche market watches that admirers of rare objects aspire to own. The company looks beyond what has already been done. It embraces innovative technology, as much in its products as its means of production. It takes the impossible into the realm of the possible, never hesitating to think outside the box in proposing new ways to display the time.
Christophe Claret draws from the best tradition has to offer to invent its own watchmaking future.
21 BLACKJACK
Technical specifications
Movement
Mechanical self-winding movement, BLJ08 calibre, twin barrel, 501 components, 40 jewels and 7 double sets of ceramic ball bearings, frequency 28,800 v/h (4 Hz), power reserve approximately 72 hours
Functions
Hour, minute, three games: blackjack with chime, roulette and dice
White gold and grade 5 black PVD titanium; pink gold and grade 5 black PVD titanium; platinum and grade 5 black PVD titanium; grade 5 black PVD titanium; or grade 5 grey titanium…
Diameter: 45 mm
Two side windows, one revealing the striking mechanism's hammer and gong, the other a pair of dice
Watertight to 3 atm (30 m)
Dial
Titanium and grey sapphire with a plaque decorated with casino-related motifs (card games, Las Vegas, Joker, etc.) or black onyx…
Front with three “dealer” windows and four “player” windows
Back: 3D roulette wheel that rotates as the watch rotor moves
Strap
Black alligator with a two-screw attachment system. This attachment system helps prevent damage to the case when the strap is changed.
Limited edition
Each version will be limited to a maximum of 21 pieces
