Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Murano Glass - What About Murano Glass Watch?

Murano in Italy is famous for their Murano glass which is an art form unique to the town of Murano. We visited Venice, Italy and in one of our boat rides visited the small island town of Murano - famed for their glass making.

But surprisingly, there is little collaboration between the glass industry and the watchmaking industry so when we came across a mechanical timepiece featuring the Murano glass as dials, we jumped at it of course. Not one, not two but three of these timepieces!

Because each dial is handmade and the different substances (quantity and colour) added manually, no two dials are alike - similar in colour combination but definitely unique in their own ways.

Upon closer examination, you can see the vibrant colours of the glass and also the transparency that allows one to also see a little of the movement behind.

Perfect for ladies as they can choose each timepiece to match their outfits. See how "deep" the glass motifs are? The three dimensional motif is the signature of Murano glass.

The open case back shows a mechanical skeletonised movement. Nothing fancy, just functional.

I can hardly find these timepieces anywhere since then. Would the ladies wear something like this? My wife does so I am wondering if it is because no one has really marketed this timepiece?

Maybe it is time for a Murano Glass manufacturer to co-operate with a watch manufacture and come up with a line. Perhaps the next Swatch?

Thursday, July 23, 2015

The Lange One Tourbillon - An Icon Made More Iconic

The Lange One is the icon of the brand so when Lange decided to develop a tourbillon around this piece, it sure will be a stunning piece.

I am lucky enough to know a friend who owns of these beauties - the Lange One Tourbillon. As with all things Lange, the finishing and aesthetics are beautiful.

And the movement side is a stunner too.

And the hand engraved balance cock is exquisitely executed.

The level of finishing on the movement is as one would expect from the House of Lange. The watch is in platinum and limited to 150 pieces worldwide.

The timepiece has all the signature of the Lange One - off centre dial, large date and the power reserve indicator. A rather beautiful timepiece IMHO.

The tourbillon is located on the right side of the timepiece and well finished too.

A close up of the tourbillon. And the "jewel" at the top of the tourbillon is a diamond!

A simple yet stunning timepiece.

The next is to find the Cabaret Tourbillon which is the first tourbillon to incorporate a hacking mechanism which is a Lange Patent.

Monday, July 6, 2015

At The Races with Manufacture Vulcain

Vulcain Watches developed the alarm watch in the 1940s and put them into serial production. They are equally well known for their cloisonné enamel dials. So what better way than to put both into one timepiece in the timepiece named “At The Races”.

My friend was lucky enough to get his hands on one such beauty. Housed in a 39mm case, the colors of the timepiece is really what gets at you immediately.

The galloping black beauty can be personalised but in this case, the number 12 was pre-printed on the enamel dial.

The beauty is in the dial of course - the amount of work done on the cloisonné enamel to produce such vibrant colors and the intricacies of the design.

Limited to 30 pieces, the timepiece is fitted with the Vulcain Alarm V-10 calibre. The movement features a twin barrel - one for the watch and the other for the alarm function.

The watch is also rated to 50 metres water resistance and case is in rose gold.

Manufacture Vulcain is one of the few who are well known for their elaborate cloisonné enamel dials. They have several models and I have the luck to own one of them - The Vulcain Cricket Aviator GMT "the Dragon."

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Hublot Classic Fusion Gold Dragon

To many collectors, finding that special piece is a journey of pain and joy and a friend of mine found the watch he was looking for.

Born in the Year of Dragon under the Chinese zodiac calendar, he was always on the hunt for a piece of significance and found it in the Hublot Classic Fusion Gold Dragon.

The pink gold timepiece is 42mm in size and with gold hands. This series is limited to 50 numbered pieces.

The Classic Fusion Gold Dragon has a rather interesting dial.

The dial looks as if it were speckled with gold dust.

Another close up look at the dial. I must say the dial is pretty well made.

The timepiece comes with the automatic Calibre HUB11 and also with deployant clasp.

Overall a nice especially for those born in the Year of the Dragon.

A happy friend is now the proud owner and the last I asked, this is the piece he wears for special occasions. A worthy Gold Dragon I must admit.