LUXE TREND 41
EXTRAORDINARY TIMEPIECES
For the serious collector, or the devoted luxury time-keeper, these extraordinary watches redefine the art of telling time. Watches that are works of art as much as technical feats of virtuosity.'
Hautelence Moebius
A genuine feat of engineering, the Moebius is a large timepiece, measuring 52mm wide, 50mm long, and 18mm high. The Moebius features a bi-axial tourbillon placed at six o’clock that is linked to the chain display. The tourbillon makes four complete revolutions every 24 hours, turning like a barbeque spit.
The Moebius features a case unlike any other, dedicated to serving the movement and its function. This case is composed of a single sapphire crystal carved out of a block and rounded on the upper and lower parts. This glass “jewel case” showcases the entire movement by revealing each of its functions according to the angle from which it is viewed.
Price: Approx. $240,000
Bvlgari Octo Tourbillon Sapphire
Presented at Baselworld 2017, the Octo Tourbillon remains faithful to Bvlgari’s octagonal form but with softened angles and a new color accents.
The Octo Tourbillon sapphire case is forged from titanium coated with black DLC; its ‘sandwich’ construction features a middle part made of sapphire with green ITR2 and Superluminova cylinders. Its skeletonized movement is regulated by a tourbillon. Ten bridges radiate from its center serving as indeces. These bridges are enhanced with green luminescent material bars crafted from Superluminova and ITR2 (a hard composite material with carbon nanotubes particles — the acronym stands for Innovative, Technical, Revolutionary Resin).
Price: Approx. $67,000
MCT Sequential One S100
MCT is a small, independent manufacture and their timepieces are innovative, stylish and expertly finished displaying a range of matchless movements.
Occupying the central area of the dial is a rotating dial made from sapphire crystal. It is suspended above the hour display and resembles the letter “C”. The open aspect of the minute dial reveals the hour below by rotating above the relevant module. Adorning the surface of the minute dial, Arabic numerals and strokes, together with a single hand, convey the minutes.
This is a watch that is sure to turn heads and give acquisition fever to any serious collector.
Price: Approx. $118,000
ITourbillon Regulateur by Akrivia
Rexhep Rexhepi is the designer of this brand and his Tourbillon Regulateur’sis a thing of artisanal beauty. The sheer simplicity of appearance of its matte-polished dials display a subtle yet confident luxury. The black-polished bevels seen on the sub-dials are not easy to produce because polishing this kind of angled surface takes extreme patience, precision, and a lot of trial and error.
The ingenuity of the design can be seen on the reverse of the watch through a mechanism of perfectly symmetrical components that underline the maker’s obsession with ultimate precision.
Price: Approx. $128,00
Zenith DEFY LAB
Zenith’s harmonic oscillator has been creating a stir in the luxury watch world since news broke about it. Defy Lab is the brand’s timepiece employing that innovation. Only 10 pieces were made and they all presold at time of announcement. The amount of innovations in this watch are staggering. From the case that is made using a new material composite called Aeronith — essentially an aluminum foam — to the oscillator mechanism that employs a new technique to achieve unprecedented precision. According to Zenith, the Defy Lab is the most accurate mechanical watch.
Zenith and parent company LVMH created a timepiece that is not only going to be a holy grail for collectors, but also serves as a genesis for new tech in precision timepieces.
Arpal One by Laurent Ferrier and Urwerk
Urwerk is one of the original mavericks who started pushing the boundaries of what watches could be back in 1997 and Laurent Ferrier is a modern master who is bringing more traditional watchmaking into the modern era. For this one of a kind watch, the material is actually the namesake for the watch, and it’s called Arpal+. It’s typically used in high-tech applications and it’s a color-fast, oxidization-resistant alloy of 75% precious metals and 25% other elements.
Inspired by classic sports automobiles, the watch was introduced as part of the Only Watch charity auction that raises funds for muscular dystrophy. The Arpal One is based on the wandering hours and satellite complication used in the UR-105. The time is shown by four satellites, each bearing three hour numerals, which successively sweep past the track of minutes. The satellites turn on a hidden carousel, at the heart of the successive passage of the hours.