christophe claret

Christophe Claret Adagio Watch

Now with three watches bearing his name, Christophe Claret - master watch maker and designer - is able to boastfully indicate he is a real watch brand. The oft-cited and relied upon movement making genius makes his work look easy. Producing highly limited super high-end watches with a distinct character and focus on complicated functions. Interestingly enough, between his Dual Tow and 21 Blackjack watches, the Adagio feels downright straight forward.

Looking like a follow-up to the Shabaka watch that he made for Jean Dunand, the Adagio has a sort of space-age Egyptian design to it, and comes in a 44mm wide case in either 18k rose or white gold, or in platinum. Aside from telling the time, the watch has a second timezone in 12 hour format with a day/night indicator, a big date, a subsidiary seconds disc, and a minute repeater. The beautiful dial comes in a series of materials including the pictured onyx, ruby, jade, lapis lazuli, and more.

Powering the watch is a Christophe Claret made SLB88 manually wound movement that is visible through the open case-back. Each Adagio watch style will be limited to just 8 pieces, from prices ranging from 268,000 - 318,000 Swiss Francs.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: adagio, christophe claret, watch, watches

Christophe Claret 21 Blackjack Watch For Casino Game Lovers

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Christophe Claret 21 Blackjack Watch For Casino Game Lovers

This is no ordinary super high-end watch made in honor of gambling games. This is a Christophe Claret watch made in honor of gambling games. His new watch for 2011 is the 21 Blackjack, and is the third watch with his name on it. All the images of the watch aren't released yet.

Massively complicated, the 21 Blackjack has a brand new Christophe Claret movement in it called the BLJ08. It has 501 hand finished parts and two barrels with a 72 hour power reserve. But what really matters is that in addition to the time it lets you play three games. Which games? I am not 100% sure how they will all work, but it will be blackjack, dice, and roulette. The dice game is on the side of the case (which probably has a mechanical dice toss randomizer), and there are images of cards on disc under the smoky sapphire dial. You can probably play blackjack with yourself and the watch is the dealer. You can now lose money to a watch you'll probably have to spend well over half a million dollars for. If you like, you can get the dial as a solid piece of onyx with windows for the game indicators.

Tags: 21 blackjack, Christophe Claret, watch, watches

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Christophe Claret Music Box Watch Up For Auction

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This has got to be an extremely rare timepiece. I thought the Christophe Claret Dual Tow was the first timepiece the genius watch maker made with his name on it. I guess I was wrong. Looks like a few years back he made timepieces like this. I don't think Claret ever really marketed watches like this as this is the first time I have heard of them. I understand that Claret started his career building incredibly complex minute repeater watches. So a music watch like this music box watch isn't a terrible stretch of the imagination. The dial of the watch almost masks its special function, having a traditional Breguet style dial with the time, a power reserve indicator, and one other indicator.

In 18k rose gold, the watch contains a traditional pin wheel style music box. A very intense mainspring barrel is likely utilized in storing the power needed to play either Strauss' Imperial Waltz, or C. Chaplin's "The Little Bootees -" the two songs available in the cylinder. The music can be played manually, or set to play automatically each hour. Make sure you keep that spring wound! Given that it has two mainspring barrels that aren't connected, winding the watch crown in one direction will wind one spring, while winding it in the opposite direction will wind another. It is unknown what this beautiful watch originally retailed for, but auction estimates have it going for between about $70,000 - $90,000.

This Christophe Claret Music Box watch No. 8 and other watches will be available to bidding during Antiquorum's October 9th auction in Hong Kong.

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

Tags: Antiquorum, auction, christophe claret, music box, watch

Christophe Claret Dual Tow Watch In Black & White

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The master watch maker's brand Christophe Claret's first watch the Dual Tow, now will come in a tuxedo style black and white version. Already the watch is bought via a handy customization tool where the buyer opts for a wide range of options including colors and materials. This new combination of colors also represents titanium as a material for the complex watch case. While titanium has been available for the Dual Tow from the beginning, I personally saw and enjoyed the watch in its gold form.

Christophe Claret's workshop has special machines no where else available. The watch case is made up of about 67 parts and is cut using their 17 axis cutting machine. The precision of a machine getting closer to the dexterity of human hands. Though no hands could be trusted to make such parts given the need for water resistance. While I haven't seen titanium out of Claret's shop, I imagine his technique will render it beautiful as a case material.

There is one major concern about the watch that Christophe Claret is addressing - the reliability of the rubber belts used to tell the time. It is true that rubber degrades over time with bending. As such, it is reasonable to infer that the belts of the Dual Tow watch would wear out over a short period of time. Christophe Claret has thus engaged in a series of tests to prove that the belts are hardy. Apparently they stress tested the belts to simulate over 60 years of usage and the belts survived nicely apparently. The full results of the testing haven't been announced yet. Price for the limited edition watch varies, but is roughly in the $400,000 - $500,000 range if my memory serves correct. Configure one here.

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

Tags: black, christophe claret, ChristopheClaret, dual tow, DualTow, watch, white

deLaCour Birepetition Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Watch maker deLaCour never fails to release something interesting. I can't always speak as to the practicality of the watches, but they are always fun to check out. For example, in this Birepetition watch, the moonphase indicator include a "shooting star" that occasionally shoots though the view. This beautiful and highly complex movement was part of a venture with Christophe Claret, one of the only people who is able to conceive and deliver on movements like this. So what does the watch do? There are two time zones, and each time has its own minute repeater complication - operated by a level on each side of the watch. This is the first watch that I know of to have such a double minute repeater chiming mechanism. There is also a skeletonized big date, the time zone hours are on retrograde scales and share the same large minute hand. Then there is the moon phase that I discussed earlier with its whimsical shooting star complication.

How do you feel about the honeycomb pattern on the skeletonized dial/movement? I think it is pretty interesting. Alludes to the complexity of what is inside, just like a bee hive. It is also a clever surfacing technique that hasn't been done much. The watch is large across and in gold with all the luxury fixings you could ask for. Click to read more to see a video of the deLaCour Birepetition watch in action.

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

Gallery: deLacour Birepetition Watch

Tags: birepetition, christophe claret, ChristopheClaret, delacour, timepiece, watch

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Christophe Claret Teases With Image Of Upcoming DualTow Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Common in today's world of ultra-luxury watches is the teaser image – a glimpse at a new timepiece with just enough detail to intrigue you, but not enough detail to inform you. Christophe Claret releases scant few watches under his own label, but the magician-like watch maker is the brains (and guts) behind some of the world's most exclusive watches (including having a key role in the new Maitres du Temps watch line).

Right on Claret's website is a teaser image of soon to be released new watch, called the "DualTow" that will no doubt include some impressive technical specifications. While Claret with surely hope that the new watch will be novel, it is entirely possible that they are simply refining an idea that is already out there. What we know so far about new watch is the name and the simple image. "DualTow" implies that there are two pulling systems (one for the hours and one for the minutes maybe?). I anticipate that the watch will use some type of conveyor or belt system to display the time. The two circular pieces in the image are not tourbillion cages, but likely serve as rollers or something else to operate the "towing" aspect of the watch. Enough with the speculation - all will be revealed regarding the new Christophe Claret DualTow watch on March 27th at Baselworld.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: christophe claret, ChristopheClaret, dual tow, dualtow, timepiece, watch