The alliance of gold and steel – A first in the Tonda PF collection

The quest for aesthetic purity is pivotal in the creative process at Parmigiani Fleurier. Given the collection’s subtle and refined spirit, the brand’s first Tonda PF Automatic in two-tone rose gold  and steel posed a stylistic challenge: how to incorporate a contemporary two-tone look without jeopardising the innate discretion of this collection. The solution was to use the precious metal to  enhance certain architectural traits of the case and bracelet. For example, the finely knurled bezel of the Tonda PF is recreated in 18ct rose gold, and the supple integrated bracelet features rose  gold links that accentuate its profile.

The signature teardrop lugs mark the departure point of the fluid, tapering bracelet. In contrast to the polished stainless steel links at either end of the bracelet, the gold vertical links flanking the  horizontal central link display a satin-finished surface.

The beauty of these golden links is how they taper in size as they reach the folding clasp. Like gold ribbons streaming from the knurled bezel, the flowing rose gold links accentuate the streamlined silhouette of the bracelet.

An elegant pop of colour: Rose Gold and Ruby

The rose gold, ruby dial Tonda PF 36 mm launched to such acclaim last year that it received the ultimate recognition, winning the Women’s Watch Prize at the 2022 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The sleek, minimalist timepiece is now reimagined with a beautiful, rich ruby alligator strap that follows through from the entrancing, coloured dial.

The Tonda PF Automatic 36mm models mirror the aesthetics and technical prowess of the larger 40mm Tonda PF Micro-Rotor in a more compact case size. In a departure from the larger model, neither 36mm timepiece is equipped with a date window. With nothing superfluous to hamper the view, the exquisite Grain d’Orge hand-guilloché decoration on the dial and the subtle, yet scintillating baguette-cut diamond hour markers command attention.

The two timepieces underline the versatile nature of the Tonda PF collection. They are the perfect companion to accompany ladies and gents from day through night, from business through leisure – and powerful, yet understated models that truly underline Parmigiani Fleurier’s approach to Haute Horlogerie.

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Ressence’s oil-filled TYPE 3 welcomes a striking Eucalyptus Green design within its core range.
Forward-thinking, highly legible, and now refreshingly colourful, the TYPE 3 EE appeals at first glance.

The TYPE 3 EE adds a statement colour to a statement watch. With its cool undertones, this soft green hue gives the award-winning TYPE 3 an unconventional feel, evocative of lush forests and outdoor living.

“It wouldn’t be Ressence’s year of colour without introducing a new shade to the TYPE 3 core range” says Benoît Mintiens, Founder of Ressence. “This new Eucalyptus Green TYPE 3 is truly reminiscent of a precious mineral. Holding and wearing a Ressence has never been more akin to experiencing the serene feel of a polished stone’s smooth surface.”

Beyond the new colour, the TYPE 3 EE introduces new details. The hour disc has been graphically simplified with indexes every two hours. Weekend days and oil temperature indications present new pastel tones.

The new Eucalyptus Green watch perfectly complements both the existing TYPE 3 Black and White watches and will be available worldwide from early October 2023, via Ressence’s official retailer network.

First ever oil-filled mechanical watch

When launched in 2013, the TYPE 3 took the watch industry by surprise as the first ever oil-filled mechanical watch. It was awarded the “Horological Revelation” Prize by the prestigious GPHG the same year. Drawing on the inherent qualities of Ressence’s crown-free case design, the edge-to-edge sapphire crystal found on both front and back of the forward-thinking TYPE 3 resembles a perfectly smooth and natural-looking pebble, making it as satisfying in the hand as on the wrist.

Augmented readability

The TYPE 3 engages with physics like no other watch has before. It cancels out the distortion caused by the refraction of light, ensuring exceptional readability from any angle. The explanation lies in its upper chamber, which is flooded with 3.75 ml of oil, creating a magnified projection effect that gives the illusion of information displayed directly on the glass. As a result of this revolutionary technology, the Ressence TYPE 3 provides a crystal-clear display that remains easy to read, regardless of the lighting conditions, even in the dark. This is made possible not only by the oil-filled chamber but also by filling all engraved indications with 100% grade A Super-LumiNova®.

Bellow system

While the oil provides a clear and magnified display, it is also sensitive to temperature variations. To compensate for the oil’s expansion or contraction under varying thermal conditions, Ressence has developed an innovative and state-of-the-art Bellow System. It is a self-equilibrating pressure-balance system that maintains an even pressure and prevents any negative impact on performance. The Bellow System is graphically represented by a temperature gauge on the dial, adding a unique and visually striking element to both the TYPE 3 and the TYPE 5.

Mechanical efficiency

Another benefit of the oil-filled chamber is that all parts of the ROCS are constantly lubricated, resulting in very low friction. The relative weight of the ball bearings is also reduced and in turn reduces the effort the movement has to provide.

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The Swiss-made Bamford B347 – Bamford AWG is an automatic monopusher chronograph with a very unique and vibrant Purple and black colourways with a 41.5mm black forged carbon fibre case.

The watch has many small details that have their own connotations and links to our Arabic and Phoenicien heritage.

First the 30min counter at 3 o’clock is decorated with one of the most recognisable patterns in Arabic and Islamic architecture : the Mashrabya pattern that is so elegant and delicate adding a fresh contrast to the vibrant dial.

You might be wondering what are those three scripts at the center of the dial – well these letters go back to the first alphabets in the world that were found in the town of Ugarit on Syria’s northern coast – The Phoenician scripts which refer to the current three letters we use in Latin alphabet A W G  – Latin & Arabic are  descendants of Phoenician script and we wanted to pay tribute to that heritage with this small reference on the dial and case back.

Back to the case: it is a 41.5mm black cutting-edge forged carbon fibre case housing a Sellita SW510 automatic movement combined with the bi-compax configuration of the SW510 movement.

The single push- button located at 2 o’clock provides the start-stop-reset function. As well as a 30 minute counter at 3 o’clock and date at 6 o’clock.

The Bamford B347 is paired with a purple rubber strap to match the dial but also comes with a black cordura strap with purple stitching. With quick release spring bars for ease of switching so the wearer can create different looks with these watches.

It is presented in a unique packaging, the AWG x Bamford London B347 is a 10-piece numbered limited edition and it retails at AED 11,500 (Exc VAT)

Book Now

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When we first approach Michiel to start brainstorming on a unique project, we wanted the brief to be very much influenced by our heritage, Arabic culture and strong nuances we have picked up from our local architecture, design and calligraphy.

The idea of the “الحكمة” project was to produce a very limited edition not more than 10 pieces to be offered to hand picked collectors that appreciate the art of combining new technology and modern design with local heritage – hence the result is our first unique edition with Holthinrich

The Dial Concept

The whole focus of the dial is the remarkably unique and captivating hand set. These hands will be produced by forming stainless steel and giving them a brushed finish to make them “pop” off the dial and take command, demanding attention like a famous actor on centre stage.

The supporting role of the dial background can not be underestimated. The green oxidized titanium colour scheme that is formed on a subtle relief based on the mashrabiya pattern offers a two dimensional pattern that provides an additional light play and charm.

The frosted finish on the dial surface brings a sense of romance and refinement to the overall aesthetic. Further to this there is a subtle but dramatic reference to the “15” market at 3 O’clock. The mashrabiya pattern is carefully positioned to present “15” in one of the stars.

The final feature of the dial is the delicate pad printing of the minute and seconds tracks with provides contrast and balance.

The Movement 

We are using latest movement finishing specifically for this collaboration – the finishing on the bridges includes the signature bridge design and clearly highlight the elevated edge of the plates with a contrasting polished bevels. In the higher end finishes the screw holes will be polished and create inward angles to highlight black polished screws.

The true highlight of this movement finish will be the appearance of the mashrabiya pattern on the plates between the embossed edges. There will be more depth and character to this unique casebook design – Finished with 14k gold plating.

3D printed Case

We will add a few words in Arabic along the cavity of the case with the name of each owner – the size of the case is 38mm and is made of Surgical steel 316L

The Hands

The most important feature on this design will be the hands expressly created for this project. The hands are cut out of extra thick hard en rust resistant spring steel with a satin brushed top finish and selectively bevelled by hand to make them stand out and to reflect the contrasting surfaces of the 3D printed case of the watch.

The watch has been pre-booked and is now in production with planned delivery by Dec 2021 – SHop

For more information about Holthinrich

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Today we bring you our second collaboration celebrating life and with a very unique calligraphy by the Syrian calligrapher Hazim Alkurdali.

The idea i had in mind was to combine a very light green subdial dial with a a subtle Sandy dial and to transform the bezel tachymeter to all “Indian numerals” in aluminum.

The AWG Hoffman Racing Edition II

The AWG RACING Edition II  has a polished and brushed steel case with a matt aluminum bezel with Indian numerals engraved markings. The dial is dual-layered with a specially designed Sandy upper dial, and a light minty lower dial. The sub-dials, accentuated by a circular pattern, show chronograph minutes and 24-hour time in Indian numerals (for when traveling).

The materials used to create this watch are simple: stainless steel, scratch-proof sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, and polished leather strap – all carefully selected for longevity and style.

Some of the specifications of the watch:

1. Width 40mm x length 48mm x thickness 12mm
2. Seiko VK64 mechanical quartz movement
3. 5 ATM / 50 meters water resistance

The materials:

1. 316 stainless steel
2. Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
3. Leather

https://hoffmanwatches.com/

To Purchase the piece Please click HERE

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Mad or possessed?Roger Dubuis is thus unashamedly guilty of that most serious of the seven deadly sins: Pride, known in Latin as SUPERBIA. Strongly linked to vanity and risk-taking, SUPERBIA is also regarded as having an obsessive addiction to adrenaline, just like, in fact, Roger Dubuis itself. Driven by this, along with its firm belief in living larger than life, Roger Dubuis has created Excalibur Superbia, the ultimate totem for a tribe of people who trust that life is but a game that is for making the most of.

The ultimate example of the Maison’s unshakable pride and excess, Excalibur Superbia is crafted in palladium-enriched white gold and set with exactly 600 precious white diamonds and blue sapphires. This offers a truly extravagant (and ideal) housing for Roger Dubuis iconic signature calibre: a brand-new DOUBLE FLYING TOURBILLON movement, the RD108SQ, inspired by its legendary version launched in 2005, the first double-regulator calibre connected with a differential, built up in volume and adorned with a diamond-set star. For the RD108SQ, paying tribute to Roger Dubuis’ status as a forerunner in the field of this extreme complication mastered by few other watchmakers, in the RD108SQ, the double flying tourbillon is transformed into the ultimate iconic signature.

Excalibur Superbia

Aptly demonstrated by multiple tricks embodied in this latest iteration of off-the-radar hyper horology, the devil, as Roger Dubuis knows all too well, is in the details. In the Excalibur Superbia, Roger Dubuis once again reinventsthe game like no one ever has before.Sending it firmly into the hallowed halls of World Premieres, the excessiveness of the Excalibur Superbia comes neither from its alloy nor its number of stones. What makes it truly bold is that every stone set on the flange, the bezel, the case and the crown is tetrahedron shaped and assembled with an invisible setting on curved surfaces. The hardest way to set a stone, an invisible setting becomes nearly impossible when required on a curved surface.

Where no man dares to tread

Not only has no jeweller or watchmaker ever dared to set a piece in this way, certainly no one has ever been crazy or ambitious enough to do it on a masculine watch. Until now. In this masterpiece in which the complexity of the pattern surpasses any norm known to mankind, master craftsmen at the Maison’s Geneva Manufacture have thus set about creating a backbone structure to encapsulate each stone from the back, complying with the brand’s total determination to avoid any material between the stones themselves.To complicate matters further, each and every glittering stone in the Excalibur Superbia is a tetrahedron, a shape requiring boundless cutting skill as its extreme thinness greatly increases the risk of breaking.

The concept of impossible is nothing if not meaningless at Roger Dubuis where the next challenge is simply round the corner, so not only did every stone have to be tetrahedron-shaped, the pattern was designed so that all 238 stones featured in the case of the Excalibur Superbia has a different shape and is thus singular.

Adding insult to injury, the design also demanded that the long-suffering craftsmen of the Manufacture would at times have to deal with the points of six or seven stones meeting simultaneously in the same spot.The test of Roger Dubuis setters’ skill does not stop here, however. The final sting in the tail of the Excalibur Superbia comes with the grooving –the last step required to complete the invisible setting with the previously perfectly triangulated stones.

This is so hard to do on a tetrahedron stone that it took each gemsetter an average of 30 minutes to do a single groove, corresponding to 900 hours for this operation alone on all three sides of the 600 diamonds, plus 420 hours to set the case and bezel–and that’s without even counting the stone-cutting!

The entire process takes about three times longer than the same case set with baguette-cut stones. And just for good measure, reaching the very pinnacle of complexity Roger Dubuis-style, in the Excalibur Superbia, this already painstaking, groundbreaking process has been entirely achieved on a curved surface.Simple, straight and utterly frank, the lines of this exceptional piece of artistry are strongly reminiscent of the spatial art forms favoured byinterior design artist KAZ SHIRANE with whom the brand that dares to be different shares a number of characteristics –not least from a visual perspective.

“I create interactive spaces that focuses on visitors. Whenever the space user enters a room filled with mirrors, there will be interaction –a reflection in mirrors -and the user can become the co-creator of this space. This mirrored space is designed to serve as a receiver and amplifier of the user’s will.

The space literally reflects the mind of the visitor, enabling him/her to become an artist. The only rule imposed on visitors in my installation is to enjoy the space as freely as they want. “Roger Dubuis and I share the same vision: we create incredible pieces that make people feel they arethe protagonists. For me, the Roger Dubuis Superbia watch is like a time machine that can take us to an extraordinary world in an instant. I always want to create such space in my artworks.

The elaborate craftsmanship is, of course, absolutely wonderful. But beyond that, what struck me the most is that it is a very artistic piece: its distinctive design catches the light so beautifully and can be noticed even from afar.I was honoured that my work inspired the design of their new watch. It proves that arthas many facets and can open up to new possibilities.I admire Roger Dubuis as it pours its heart into making its products; the importance it attaches to quality as well as its attention to details are visible in every aspect. I am looking forward to exploring this collaboration further. My role will be to express the Roger Dubuis philosophy and enable customers to experience its one-of-a-kind world through my art”

https://www.rogerdubuis.com/en

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TAG Heuer partners with Arab Watch Guide (AWG) Founder Hassan Akhras as he prepares to power through his first IronMan in 2018

Sports and the values it conveys are deeply-rooted in TAG Heuer’s DNA. Furthering this strong association with the sports arena, the brand will be backing established local watch influencer as he gets ready to take on his share of #DontCrackUnderPressure moments

DUBAI, 9^th February 2017 – In line with one of the philosophies at the heart of its brand’s key positioning, Swiss Watchmaker TAG Heuer announced its collaboration with AWG Founder Hassan Akhras at a breakfast event at Pascal Tepper in Dubai Media City.

The announcement came as no surprise seeing as Hassan Akhras is not only a leading figure and influencer on the city’s watch scene but has also decided to take on a new challenge by competing in IronMan 2018, which comprises of cycling, running and swimming – three sporting disciplines that TAG Heuer is strongly involved with.  TAG Heuer has a strong link with cycling and this became evident after it unveiled its partnership with the BMC Racing Team last year and bore the title of Official Timekeeper of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi tour. The brand also has a long-standing association with prestigious marathons including the New York City Marathon, the Chicago Marathon and the Paris Marathon for which it has been the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch. Swimming too is relevant to the brand and its Aquaracer collection is perfectly suited to the sport.

TAG Heuer’s partnership with Hassan Akhras will mainly focus on his preparation in the build-up to the much-awaited event next year, while he retains his primary job of watch blogger. The brand has come to be known with icons who all reflect the common values of mental strength, a disruptive attitude and ambition. Hassan Akhras, is in this sense, a perfect fit as his year of training will be replete with its fair share of trials and extreme #DontCrackUnderPressure moments that will test the boundaries of his endurance.

What makes things more exciting is the fact that Hassan Akhras, while being athletic, is by no means a professional athlete. In terms of training, he is being coached by GROWINGS coach Trace Rogers and will be taking some trips to Ras Al Khaimah and Khor Fakkan to train. He has participated in a pre-triathlon two weeks ago in Khor Fakkan and is geared up to take part in more such events in the UAE to build stamina.

Speaking about this interesting partnership, Anne-Claire Richomme, Marketing Manager TAG Heuer Middle East, said, “Pushing boundaries and breaking rules are integral to our rich heritage and what Hassan Akhras is attempting to do with the IronMan 2018, is in that sense a perfect fit with our brand ideologies.”

Hassan Akhras too was extremely enthusiastic about having found a partner that supported him and said: “Since I decided to dedicate all of 2017 to the training and journey towards IRONMAN 70.3, I needed a partner that would share my vision, my goals and my beliefs. It also made complete sense that my main partner would ultimately come from the watch world as I am a collector and watch blogger. I was looking for a brand that believes in never quitting, never letting go under pressure, no hiding; an avant-garde brand. It was TAG Heuer that came to mind and I decided to pitch my idea to their team, hoping they would share my enthusiasm for this journey and get on-board. Fast-forward to a few weeks ahead and here we are announcing our official partnership for next year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Challenge Journey.”

About TAG Heuer

The Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker since 1860. Avant-garde is in our culture and philosophy. Our unique heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules: harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches with real racing spirit and a performance touch. The brand has marked the history of watchmaking, especially in the field of luxury chronographs with an unequalled mechanical accuracy.

The new models reveal a new dynamic in terms of both the fast lead times and a completely transformed environment. TAG Heuer is currently one of the world’s rare watch brands to be able to communicate in the four different worlds: Art, Lifestyle, Sport and Heritage. Our ambassadors include the F1 Red Bull Racing Team, living football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, it-girl Cara Delevingne, electronic music icon David Guetta, Australian actor Chris Hemsworth, American quarterback Tom Brady, NBA Chinese Superstar Jeremy Lin and Chinese singer GEM all of whom reflect common core values of mental strength, disruptive attitude and ambition. Our slogan #DontCrackUnderPressure is far more than a claim – it is a mindset.

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