PowerReserve

Ebel Classic Hexagon Retrograde Power Reserve Watch

Yet another variation on the "modern" Ebel Classic Hexagon, is this Retrograde Power Reserve watch that you see before you. How does it fit into the Ebel watch line? They already have calender watches, they already have retrograde watches, they already have rose gold watches. So consider it a not-so-identical twin. The dial layout seems a bit haphazard to me. Not the elegant loveliness that you seen in some of the other Classic Hexagon watches. Too much of the dial looks bare, while the bottom looks heavy. A good example of bad symmetry. Not like I would refuse the watch if Ebel handed one to me, but not my choice pick by any means.

The 45.4mm wide case is in 18k rose gold, crystal is sapphire, and the watch is only water resistant to 50 meters. I do like the contrasting polished and brushed surfaces on the case, and the way the strap forms to the case is smooth and well done. Movement is an automatic Soprod caliber 9094 movement (base ETA). You can see the functions include the time, day, date on a retrograde scale, and a power reserve indicator.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: classic hexagon, ClassicHexagon, ebel, gold, power reserve, PowerReserve, retrograde, watch

A. Lange & Sohne Lange 31 Watch In Rose Gold

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

From an technical standpoint the A. Lange & Sohne Lange 31 watch was a nightmare to engineer. Not because the concept is difficult, but because the precision is. You see the Lange 31 has a power reserve of 31 days (744 hours), split between two mainspring barrels. The challenge was to make sure that the power moving through the slowly unwinding springs to the rest of the movement was consistent, otherwise the watch would run either too fast or too slow most of the time. This is because a fully wound spring releases a totally different amount of torque than an almost totally unwound spring.

Lange includes a winding key to wind the movement as you can't do it by hand, but you only do it once a month. Of course the dial has a power reserve meter, small seconds, and Lange's famous "out-size date." The piece you see is lovely. All this design work came after the years spent trying to make the concept work. I spoke with a watch maker recently and told him about the Lange 31 watch. He said that he didn't understand how it could be done, but if anyone could do it, it was the people at Lange.

To retain consistent power moving to the watch, the L034.1 movement uses a superior constant force escapement that regulates the torque from the mainsprings as it moves to the watch. This sounds simple, but the level of tweaking Lange had to do to get it right was likely legendary. As is the case with the Teutonic brand, the engineering team spent literally years thoroughly testing the already complete movement to ensure reliability over a long period of time. A direct personification of the German work ethic, "do it right the first time, no matter how long it takes."

The original Lange 31 watch was made available in platinum, but now a new 45.9mm wide rose gold case (with matching hand and dial markers) will be available. The watch has a warm look to it and is matched to a brown crocodile strap. Everything about the German masterpiece watch is top quality with many hours of time dedicated to hand decoration and assembly of the movement. Tested to perfection, this represents a feat of luxury un-replicated anywhere else. Price will be over $300,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: A. Lange & Sohne Lange 31 watch

Tags: a lange sohne, ALangeSohne, gold, lange 31, Lange31, power reserve, PowerReserve, timepiece, watch

Vacheron Constantin Malte Moon Phase Power-Reserve Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Combining a moon phase with a power reserve indicator is a rare mix of complications to have with the time (when it is just these three), though it makes sense on this manually-wound watch. This is the new Vacheron Constantin Malte Moon Phase Power-Reserve watch and it comes with an in-house made Caliber 1410 movement that bears the Seal of Geneva.

Vacheron Constantin's classic line of watches continues to evolve, slowly but surely. It is hard to separate this watch from the rest of their collection, but enthusiasts should be able to pick out the differences. The case is in various shades of 18k gold and 39mm wide in a tonneau shape. The moon phase is specially made to be accurate for about 100 years, while the round dial helps with legibility even though it is in a barrel shaped case. The mix of applied Roman and Arabic numerals makes for a sophisticated look that I don't recall seeing in other Vacheron Constantin models. The watches each have a silvered gold dial. Which begs the question of why they even used gold to begin with. The watches comes with a brown or black alligator strap with a folding deployment. Overall the timepiece is a satisfying rendition of what people enjoy most about Vacheron Constantin without straying much from the core appeal of the brand.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: malte, moon phase, MoonPhase, power reserve, PowerReserve, tonneau, vacheron constantin, VacheronConstantin, watch

Doxa TC Four & Five Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Doxa is most known for their diving watches but are slowly releasing alternatives to the watches that put the brand on the map. I think it was in fact Doxa that started the "orange diving watch color trend." Here are two new watches that are more connected to the world of classic cars than diving underwater. These are the Doxa TC Four and Five watches. The Four is the silvered face model with the power reserve indicator on the dial, while the Five is the black dial colored regulator watch.

The design of the dials remind me of classic race car gauges while The simple polished yet streamlined shape of the watch case further reminds me of the "wind tunnel era." Wile the vertically striped texturing on the dial looks a lot like teak wood on a yacht floor, it could be another element to classic cars that I am not considering. Alternatively I could have got it all wrong and the Four and Five collection watches are an homage to something entirely different than cars...say boats for instance.

Both watches are likely in stainless steel and feature modified base ETA movements. The Four has a base automatic ETA 2892 with a power reserve module on it, while the Five has a different base ETA movement and is also an automatic. I believe that each model can be had in both silvered or black dials and come with black or brown leather straps. The watches should be relatively well priced (maybe $2k - $3k) though Doxa watches are often a bit on the higher end (price wise) in comparison to their competition. Look for the Doxa TC Four and Five watches about now.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: doxa, five, four, power reserve, PowerReserve, regulator, tc, watch

Jorg Hysek Kilada Power Reserve Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

I received word sometime ago that Jorg Hysek is no longer an actual part of Jorg Hysek watches, and the newest line of these branded watches that arrived this year (including the pictured Kilada Power Reserve watch) are increasingly evident of this. Over time, the actually good designs that Jorg Hysek left are increasingly being morphed with unrefined derivatives like this model. The "Hysek" component just seems to be increasingly missing from the timepiece line. That isn't to say that each new watch the Hysek brand releases is a dog, but there are too many models, with too little soul. So if you are a fan, make sure to search out the models that are the most attractive.

The materials and construction of the watches are fine and totally commendable. So if you are keen on the looks, have no worries about getting one or learning more. This pictured model enjoys a 41mm wide DLC coated steel and rose gold case with sapphire crystal. The watch is meant to be sporty but chic. It succeeds in being somewhat both of them, but after the novelty factor wears off, you are left with a design that feels less than cohesive. Inside is a mechanical Swiss movement with an unannounced price that is likely over $25,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the popular watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2009, basel, baselword, hysek, jorg, kilada, power reserve, PowerReserve, timepiece, watch

Jaquet Droz Tourbillon Reserve de Marche Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

jaquet droz tourbillon reserve de marche watch

This is like no other Jaquet Droz watch I have ever seen. The luxury watch maker has made a true departure from their classic number "8" dial look with this new Tourbillon Reserve de Marche watch. No longer does the design emphasize the seconds dial, but rather an overall architectural theme. The watch starts with a Jaquet Droz JD3 manually-wound tourbillon movement that includes the time, date, and a power reserve indicator (with a power reserve of 88 hours). This is housed in the large 47mm wide 18k rose gold case.

Black opaline bathes the dial of the watch, which is sectioned-off nicely to feature the various areas of visual interest. At the bottom is the tourbillon carriage with a vertically aligned bridge (complimented by vertical finishing on that portion of the opaline dial). A brushed gold partition with exposed screws makes way for the white watch dial cut by the date and power reserve indicator. The contrast of the modern design elements and the classically styled Roman numeral dial is interesting. Despite the complexity of the design, the watch eases your eyes beyond the dial with a soft case design comprised of concentric gold circles. The Jaquet Droz Reserve de Marche will be offered in a limited edition of just 28 pieces, and is attached to a hand-stitched alligator leather strap. Price is likely to exceed $100,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: J028033201, Jaquet Droz, JaquetDroz, limited edition, LimitedEdition, power reserve, PowerReserve, Reserve de Marche, ReserveDeMarche, timepiece, Tourbillon, watch