Avant-première: les néologismes dans le dictionnaire horloger

Unlike many of its fellow exhibitors inside the Palexpo, Baume & Mercier makes no claims to be a manufacture. Given the brand’s price point, it would be a folly to suggest this or aspire to this. Nevertheless, Baume & Mercier now has its own movement, the Baumatic, which has been developed by Richemont’s ValFleurier movement production facility in accordance with the brand’s specifications. And what a set of specifications: silicon hairspring, magnetic resistance to 1500 Gauss, chronometer-level performance and a power reserve of 120 hours. All for a price of 2,450 Swiss francs that would take some beating at Baselworld, never mind the rarefied atmosphere inside the halls of Palexpo. Oliver Müller brings you the full story tomorrow.

The attendee list was regulated to 300 tastemakers, influencers, top-of-craft artisans, racers, and modifiers. The three day event would consist of long joy rides, flat track racing, Sons of Anarchy-esque convoy expeditions, an unconventional drag race, along with a secret window at which us “outlaws” could conceal and reminisce about the day’s tomfoolery.Vincent Prat along with Paul d’Orleans were the organizers of Wheels and Waves California and lots of the motorcycle sector’s trendsetters and influencers were in attendance that day for example Jamie Robinson from MotoGeo, Roland Sands from RSD, as well as Steve Caballero, a world renowned pro skater, just to name a couple. Brands such as Alpinestar along with a ton of all-star modification passengers were current too, such as Deus ex Machina, Revival Cycles, Brat Style, and Suicide Machine Company, just to name a few.The occasion was tightly packed with all types of motorcycle “anti-racing.” Hurry day one was at the Santa Maria Raceway, where I’d spend my sexy day running across the dirt trail, photographing and viewing the Vintage and Super Hooligan flat track races. The sweltering sun took the race to set up the watering truck onto the dirt trail to have it nice and slippery for the races to come and boy were they sideways.Race day two had me roaring towards Santa Margarita, where I’d embark on a private landing strip for Crooked Sprints. Drones over, the finish line banner dancing in the arid 105 degree weather. One by one, motorcycles would trickle onto the sticky hot tarmac. One hundred feet apart, a decommissioned train on what seemed to be a railway going to nowhere, became a shady refuge from the heat lamp above. Still, more racers arrived, essentially piloting their custom creations, awaiting when the checkered flag could fall for them.
The McCall’s Annual Motorworks Revival serves to kick off the Monterey Car Week that sees thousands of motor enthusiasts gather annually for classic automobile auctions and racing in the famous Laguna Seca Raceway. So what makes these models unique? Still current beneath the sapphire crystal, clearly, is your tachymeter round the dialup, and obviously there is the cobra emblem forged directly into the seconds hand’s counterweight to remind you it means business. Along with the amount, every one of the four bits have been dressed in comparable aesthetics of their winning cars.No. 15 features a hot-yellow spin on the tachymeter dial using a yellow-lined black alligator-leather strap and even the flip side is yellowish for this model. Also, such as the No. 15, the No. 50 receives the ADLC-steel treatment that still retains a sporty edge. No. 97 additionally offers a yellowish cobra seconds pairs and hand the watch with a slick black rubberized strap. No. 97 and 96 include the stainless steel casings with No. 96 getting the loudest of the straps, a brilliant yellow alligator leather strap with black stitching and lining. Just a little something for everybody’s tastes with these models.
Avant-première: les néologismes dans le dictionnaire horloger

Clifton Baumatic © Baume & Mercier

As Baume & Mercier’s signature semi-casual dress watch, the resourceful Clifton is able to play host to a pretty vast array of complications — everything from easy GMT and moonphase displays, to endless calendars and this wild minute-repeating pocket view. So it should come as little surprise for 2017, just as in years’ past, the entry Richmont manufacturer is leaning onto the Clifton’s flexibility to showcase their most recent technologies: an in-house manufactured manual-winding movement outfitted with an exclusive system designed to enhance accuracy.The Baume & Mercier Clifton Manual 1830 is the very first Richemont group watch to deploy this new tech, known as TwinSpir, which is based around a new type of proprietary ion hairspring developed by the Richemont Research & Innovation team. This new spring is comprised of a distinctive, composite structure that combines two layers of silicon, rather oriented and bound through a layer of carbon dioxide. The aim was to create a hairspring that was not only resistant to the usual effects — rust, magnetism, etc., but one that was also largely immune to changes in temperature and infinitesimal variances in tension while it oscillates.Now, phoning TwinSpir the basis for a thermocompensated mechanical motion would be something of a gross oversimplification, but this is not far from the assumption, either. But, rather than consciously correct for changes in temperatures, this system mutes them. By way of example, in which a normal hairspring might demonstrate varying levels of elasticity (and thereby subtly differing oscillation rates) on the wrist on a warm day, vs. sitting on a bedside table, the fundamental assumption of TwinSpir is to make a more consistently stable hairspring that is mostly immune from these thermoelastic variances whatever the view’s ambient temperatures. Additionally, as the hairspring contracts and expands through its normal oscillations, the layered arrangement is designed to create a perfectly and more consistent oscillation, eliminating any subtle flaws in elasticity (or even “elastic anisotropies”) that will also adversely affect the chronometric rate — a known performance characteristic exhibited by many traditional hairsprings.

Fourteen years after the Double Split, A. Lange & Söhne spoils us with the Triple Split. The former was the world’s first split-seconds chronograph that could record comparative measurements with an aggregate duration of 30 minutes; the latter, quite logically, pushes the boundary further and is the only split-seconds chronograph in the world that can measure additive and comparative times for elapsed times of up to 12 hours. Find out more about this technical marvel in my article on Wednesday.

The McCall’s Annual Motorworks Revival functions to kick off the Monterey Car Week that sees tens of thousands of motor enthusiasts gather annually for classic automobile auctions and rushing at the famed Laguna Seca Raceway. What exactly makes these models unique? Still present under the sapphire crystal, clearly, is the tachymeter around the dial, and obviously there is the cobra logo forged directly into the moments hand’s counterweight to remind you it means company. The small-seconds subdial on each of these pieces was outfitted with a number representative of drivers of the Shelby Cobra CSX2118: No. 15 (Dan Gurney), No. 50 (Ken Miles), No. 97 (Dave MacDonald), and No. 96 (Allen Grant), respectively. In addition to this number, every one of those four bits have been dressed in comparable aesthetics of the winning cars.No. 15 features a hot-yellow take on the tachymeter dial with a yellow-lined black alligator-leather strap as well as the seconds hand is yellow with this particular model. No. 97 also features a yellowish cobra seconds pairs and hand the watch using a slick black rubber strap. No. 97 and 96 feature the stainless steel casings using No. 96 having the loudest of their straps, a vibrant yellow alligator leather strap with black stitching and lining. Just a little something for everybody’s tastes with these versions.

Avant-première: les néologismes dans le dictionnaire horloger

Triple Split © A. Lange & Söhne

The feel of this pre-production piece was solid, from its own buckle, straps, instance, and finish. I truly liked the subject of the watch and the best part about it was that it seemed classic. Adding to the aesthetic pop and depth to the overall look, Indian Motorcycle’s famous vermilion red is splashed and tanned about the chronograph hand, sub-dial palms, and USA-sourced leather strap with a pin buckle. Another great touch is that the chronograph hand counterweight, that is the Indian Motorcycle’s “I.” Finally, the caseback, while nonetheless not an exhibition caseback, is engraved with the Indian Motorcycle’s headdress logo with the limited version number softball, one from 1967.

Since the Ferdinand Berthoud brand was launched barely two years ago under the leadership of Karl-Friedrich Scheufele its development has been staggering. Its FB1 chronometer, which is now in its fourth iteration in less than two years, scooped the most coveted prize in watchmaking at the GPHG in 2016. The new FB 1R.6-1 will certainly be among the contenders for this year’s awards, too. Its name might not trip off the tongue, but like its predecessor this new regulator version houses the same highly-complicated fusée and chain constant-force mechanism and conical power reserve function. The aesthetics may not be to everyone’s taste (but there is a mini trend for excessively uncluttered dials among the upper echelons of the industry, with Greubel Forsey’s Nano Foudroyante going down a similar route) but with only 20 models available demand will undoubtedly exceed supply. Oliver Müller brings us all the details on Friday.

Preview: the neologisms in the watchmaking dictionary

FB1R.6-1 © Ferdinand Berthoud

Initially a small double-digit gathering of friends and family who ride and surf together, it’s become an yearly migration of motorcyclists and surfers to the numbers surpassing 10,000 attendees, entirely open to the public. The stateside version, on the other hand, was an invitation only event staged in Cayucos, California. It’s a tired little wild west, Cowboys and Indians-like beach town consisting of a skate park, two pubs, three cafes, plus a well-known taco store serving up delicious smoked albacore tacos. Baume and Indian both referenced the long tradition and parallel of timepieces and motorsports; equally embodying the DNA of technology advancements and the pursuit of operation.

This is, of course, just a bite-sized appetiser ahead of a veritable feast of watchmaking this week. As usual, we will be updating the site regularly throughout the day during the SIHH and posting wristshots and behind-the-scenes coverage on our social media accounts. If you don’t want to miss the news make sure you sign up for our newsletter, which will summarise all our new articles every evening.

The launch of the Indian Scout Bobber brings a fresh and hip look challenging the brands standard conservative fashion, much like what the Clifton Club has done for Baume et Mercier. The sleek, understated utilitarian look of the bike makes you think that could ride this anywhere, at any time, sporting anything, maybe even a slim-fitted suit. The fit and finish of this Bobber can be best described as bang for your dollar with a massive emphasis on bang and less about the buck; another similarity with the Clifton Club’s satisfying and tight build quality not commonly found on competitors’ watches in precisely the exact same price range.Baume et Mercier had already made a limited version for the Shelby Cobra, therefore it was natural that they’d be publishing a bit to kick-off their venture with Indian Motorcycles, the Burt Munro Limited Edition. With regards to tribute pieces, limited editions, and theme oriented watches, I like them to be on the top. Meaning, I really need the brand to embody whatever they are trying to achieve with this “particular” piece. Some manufacturers will simply affix a symbol, possibly change the colour of the dial, or even simply put the watch on another strap and call it a day. Luckily, Baume et Mercier put some real thought to the Burt Munro Tribute timepiece.Much like the Clifton Club Shelby Cobra 1964, the new piece is framed in a 44mm polished stainless steel case with dual pushers and beveled lugs. The motor powering the watch is exactly the same automatic Valjoux 7750 running easily on 25 stones at 4Hz, capable of storing up to 48 hours in its book tank. So far, so familiar, but in which the watch actually stands apart from the Shelby Cobra sibling is in the particulars of the tachymeter and dial.
Earlier this year, Baume et Mercier introduced its Clifton Club “hero” collection of sports watches at SIHH using its CEO, Alain Zimmerman, stating that they’re focusing on younger clientele. If you haven’t noticed the motto “Gentle Sportsmen,” the market with this watch is the bicycle polo playing, big wave catching, classic car driving, alternative sports athlete that wears well tailored, slim-fitting suits to casual parties and club meetings. I wear a suit fairly regularly, and never once did I feel as though it was great attire to ride a bike, push a skateboard, or grab a wave. Although, when it comes to driving a car with its top down and feeling just like James Bond, well, I’d have to give them a gentlemanly nod.In my mind, Baume et Mercier didn’t have a client demographic that was young, daring, or sporty, and definitely not part of the counter culture that’s cafe racers and vintage customs. I thought of them as a watch companion for anniversary presents, a thank you present you purchase for your parents following your first “real” pay check, a style watch for a girlfriend or spouse, maybe a graduation present. The cost point for a Baume et Mercier is around a few million; only about the expense of a classic fixer upper. Sure, even if they had been trying to break in the MotoGP audience having a more affordable timepiece, it’d be a no brainer, but a Wheels and Waves motorcycling event full of kickstarts, bandanas, and antiques, sounded a little odd.