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The Art of Horological Complications

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The Art of Horological Complications the art of horological complications 2020/2021 THE ART OF Horological Complications © Gerhard D. Wempe KG, Hamburg 2020 Author: Thomas Wanka 2020/2021 Noble radiance BREITLING 81 Metal bracelets make wristwatches into sporty luxury items 8 Chronomat Limited Wempe Edition 82 ROLEX 19 HUBLOT 85 Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II 20 Big Bang Integral Titanium 86 Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 22 CHOPARD 89 PATEK PHILIPPE 25 Alpine Eagle Chronograph 90 Nautilus Chronograph 5980/1R 26 Nautilus 5711/1R 28 GIRARD-PERREGAUX 93 Laureato Ininity - exclusively available at Wempe 94 BREGUET 31 Marine Tourbillon Équation Marchante 32 ROGER DUBUIS 97 Classique 7337 34 Excalibur Spider Huracán 98 A. LANGE & SÖHNE 37 FERDINAND BERTHOUD 101 Odysseus 38 Chronomètre FB 1 102 Zeitwerk Minute Repeater 40 ULYSSE NARDIN 105 JAEGER-LECOULTRE 43 Executive Blast Black 106 Master Control Chronograph Calendar 44 TUDOR 109 Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication 46 Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue 110 CARTIER 49 TAG HEUER 113 Pasha de Cartier 50 Carrera Heuer 02 114 VACHERON CONSTANTIN 53 WEMPE IRON WALKER GLASHÜTTE I/SA 117 Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin 54 Iron Walker Automatic Chronograph 118 IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN 57 Iron Walker Automatic Diver‘s Watch 120 Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 58 LONGINES 123 GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL 61 Spirit Pilot‘s Chronograph 124 Senator Cosmopolite 62 MONTBLANC 127 WEMPE CHRONOMETERWERKE GLASHÜTTE I/SA 65 Heritage Manufacture Pulsograph Limited Edition 128 Chronometerwerke Automatic Pilot‘s Watch Bronze 66 NOMOS GLASHÜTTE 131 175 Years of Watchmaking in Glashütte 68 Tangente Sport 132 ERWIN SATTLER 135 PANERAI 77 P 100 Bauhaus 136 Luminor Marina Fibratech 44 MM 78 Foreword Time was originally measured according Our second retrospective peers a bit fur- to the position of the sun, which is why ther back in time to a structural develop- Romance languages use the same word for ment program that began exactly 175 years “weather” and “time.” The advancement of ago in the small, impoverished town of society can also be seen in the evolution of Glashütte in the Erz Mountains. This pro- time measurement, whose progress went gram’s unparalleled success proved that the from the sundial to the geared clock and intentional establishment of watchmaking then the atomic clock. The accuracy of in Glashütte was indeed the right decision. timekeeping, along with its global stand- The industry’s history is marked by polit- ardization and formalization, served as a ical upheavals, but the town’s inhabitants motor for the industrialized modern age. were able to hold their own at all times and It also contributes to the feeling that the under all circumstances thanks their com- pace of life has accelerated. mitment to watchmaking. This is why out- standing mechanical timepieces are still To prevent the past from becoming a manufactured in Glashütte today. hasty form of the present, this edition of The Art of Horological Complications Wempe wrote an important chapter in this takes a look to the past – but not too far ongoing success story. Our family-owned back. We focus our attention on the 1970s, company renovated Glashütte’s observatory, a decade that was a colorful ield of experi- establishing our own watch production mentation, especially in popular culture. facility and Germany’s only chronometer- The watch industry likewise found crea- testing facility there. tive ways to combine contrasts. One was a new generation of sporty luxury watches, Cordially yours, recognizable by their integrated bracelets made of stainless steel or precious metal. Nowadays these watches serving as role models for new editions are sought-after Hellmut Wempe collector’s items. THE ART OF HOROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS Foreword 7 Noble radiance – renowned observatory in Kew, England metal bracelets make in 1914, Wilsdorf equipped every Rolex wristwatches into watch with a caliber that could pass the sporty luxury items chronometer test. Precision was no longer an unresolved issue, but resistance to water Legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis in its exposed position on the wrist re- Rolex President bracelet Breguet made the irst known wristwatch mained problematic. When Mercedes in 1810; its recipient was none other than Gleitze attempted to swim across the Eng- Napoleon’s sister, the Queen of Naples – lish Channel in 1927, Wilsdorf recognized they must begin their ascent without from the outset with a stainless steel and for many decades thereafter, wearing the potential of her undertaking. “The exhausting their limited supply of air, tak- bracelet, it was the irst watch with a uni- a wristwatch was considered extremely Wonder Watch That Deies the Elements” ing into account any pauses for decompres- directionally rotating bezel to preset the unmanly. The vest pocket was where a proclaimed a headline in the Daily Mail sion that might be necessary along the way. intended dive time. Rolex chose the three- gentleman wore his watch, the quality and when Wilsdorf gave the swimmer a watch Émile Gagnan collaborated with oceano- row Oyster bracelet it had developed in material of whose chain indicated his social to carry with her on her adventurous swim. grapher Jacques-Yves Cousteau to develop the late 1930s to serve as the attachment for status. Only after half a century had passed She wore the world’s irst water-resistant a breath regulator called the Aqualung its Submariner, which was created in 1953 in 1943; thanks to a breathing mixture in- and oficially launched in 1954. These irst side a pressurized cylinder, this innovation metal bracelets were comparatively simple made scuba diving possible – and diving constructions, but nonetheless empirically soon became important in military applica- proven and sturdy. The riveted stainless tions. Armies in many different countries steel bracelets on Tudor’s Black Bay models set up special divisions for frogmen. Recre- are reminiscent of these early attachments ational diving irst became popular in and pay tribute to the pioneering divers Rolex Oyster bracelet the 1990s and afterward developed into a of yesteryear. When Rolex presented the sport enjoyed by countless amateur divers. Oyster Perpetual Datejust in 1945, it was was the struggle for supremacy between wristwatch – appropriately called the With the increasing demand for watches equipped with a matching metal Jubilee the pocket watch and the wristwatch “Oyster” and patented the year before – not conceived expressly for divers, engineers bracelet. The President bracelet was intro- ultimately decided in favor of the latter. on her wrist, but around her neck. The irst at watch brands focused their efforts on duced with the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date Among other challenges, the watch bracelet serially manufactured Oyster models were constructing seawater-resistant metal in 1956 and is still exclusively reserved for played a decisive role in this. Describing likewise secured by leather straps. Wilsdorf bracelets. The irst wristwatch developed that model today. The Pearlmaster brace- the hurdles to be overcome, Rolex founder had big plans for wristwatches, realizing expressly for divers was the Fifty Fathoms, let debuted in 1992 and has accompanied Hans Wilsdorf asserted in typical terse they would quickly become fashionable which Blancpain debuted in 1953. Designed the Pearlmaster ladies watch ever since. precision, “A wristwatch that cannot be re- accessories and accordingly needed to be lied on is not worth owning.” Wilsdorf able to “adapt to changes in taste.” Each meticulously worked through every chal- owner would want several watches, and if lenge. Registering “Rolex” as his brand’s they were not all acquired simultaneously, name in 1908, a mere two years later one of then at least successively. Water-resistant these became the irst wristwatch ever to materials for wristbands became urgent earn a chronometer certiicate; after he when divers needed to know exactly how even succeeded in obtaining one from the long they had been underwater and when Rolex Pearlmaster bracelet 8 metal bracelets metal bracelets 9 Metal bracelets also offered new possibili- epitome of a genuine luxury watch. This ties for innovative clasps. One of the best changed in the 1970s, a revolutionary dec- known is the Oysterclasp for all Oyster ade in more ways than one, in which new bracelets. In some models, this closure is materials such as plastic perfectly matched also equipped with a quick-adjustment the irresistible allure of rebellion. Novel mechanism: the Easylink enables its wearer styling and an unprecedented indulgence to readily adjust the bracelet by as much in vivid colors put a new face on everyday as ive millimeters. The bracelets of the life. This environment favored innovation, Rolex Professional models are secured but a new trend in the watch industry was by Oysterlock clasps, while those of the initially considered too revolutionary: Submariner, Sea-Dweller, and DeepSea stainless steel wristwatches with integrat- diver’s watches are equipped with Fliplock ed metal bracelets priced as high as watches IWC Yacht Master and Glidelock extensions; the latter two with precious metal cases and bracelets. mechanisms allow the bracelet’s length to Designer Gérald Genta (1931-2011) is in- be adjusted without taking the watch off separably associated with this new epoch of Moreover, the watch case no longer needed attachments challenge every craftsper - the wrist. Metal bracelets are the optimal steel watches. Born in Geneva and trained to be round to accommodate a spring bar son involved in their production. Patek attachments for diver’s watches, which – at as a jewelry designer, Genta achieved his between the strap lugs. Customers’ reac- Philippe’s Nautilus serves as a good exam- the very latest since the advent of the James irst major success with Audemars Piguet’s tions ranged from cautious to reserved at the ple to illustrate the complex processes and Bond ilms – can also be worn under the Royal Oak in 1972. The metal bracelet’s Royal Oak’s premiere in 1972 – as it was with diverse polishing techniques that are es- sleeve of a tuxedo jacket.
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