Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570 bk pictures

Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570. Photo is from the JK Watchstore

and is used with their permission. No republication of the same

 should be made without permission from the source.

JK Watchstore, who graciously allows us to use their pictures in this, blog has the new Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570 bk on stock. The new Explorer II was announced at BaselWorld 2011. This is the first Rolex watch to feature the new larger 42mm case.

I was not too fond of was the new Maxi dial that Rolex has become the standard for all updated Rolex watches. The Maxi dial which features large hour markers nad hands. While undeniably more functional, I felt that they looked to big for the dial. But the Maxi dial, for me looks perfect on the new larger dial on the 42mm case.

Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570. Photo is from the JK Watchstore

and is used with their permission. No republication of the same

 should be made without permission from the source.

Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570. Photo is from the JK Watchstore

and is used with their permission. No republication of the same

 should be made without permission from the source.

The 24-hour hand which can be used to measure a second time zone is in orange, pays homes with the original Explorer II released in the 1970's.

I think one thing many will appreciate is the new clasp. Not that there was anything functionally wrong with the old one. It just did not seem like it belong to such an expensive watch.

Rolex Explorer II Ref. 216570. Photo is from the JK Watchstore

and is used with their permission. No republication of the same

 should be made without permission from the source.

The previous model Rolex Explorer II was always a slow mover in the Rolex line-up, always sold at a fairly large discount. I do not think the same faith awaits the new one. Well at least not until the other professional series Rolex watches migrate to the larger 42 mm case.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

Rolex Yatch-Master II Ref. 116681 pricing

The new bi-metal Rolex Yacht-Master II which Rolex displayed at BaselWorld 2011 are being delivered to your local Authorized Distributer. The 40mm complication watch with a 10 minute countdown timer for Regatta races is now being sold with a list price of US$25,150.

The Yacht-Master II has a very interesting mechanism we wrote about in detail in an earlier article which can be found at this link. 

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

Rolex Daytona Ref. 116515 pricing

The new Rolex Daytona's with the Cerachrom monobloc bezel which Rolex displayed at BaselWorld 2011 are being delivered to your local Authorized Distributer as you read this. The 40mm chronograph watch in a everose gold case and on a black leather strap is available with either a chocolate brown or a ivory dial. The chocolate brown version looks much better to me. A popular online retailer is now offering the watch US$28,400 for either the black or white dialed version.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona has a very interesting history which we wrote about in a previous article which can be found at this link.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

Size comparison between the new 42 mm Rolex Explorer II and a 40mm Rolex GMT Master II

Two millimeters is not much, but a two millimeter difference in size makes a big difference in the size of a watch. MortgageGuy posted comparison pictures between the new 42 mm Rolex Explorer II and a 40mm Rolex GMT Master II. I was a bit surprised about how more massive the new Explorer II looked overall. To view the pictures follow this link.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium LiquidMetal

In-house. It is go to see Omega's in-house movement going into more of it's watches. At BaselWorld 2011, the built-by-Omega Calibre 8500 finds its way into the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean line-up. The Omega Co-Axial calibre 8500/8501 was first released to the public in 2007 in the Omega De Ville Hour Vision and more widely. It is a self-winding movement manufactured by Omega completely in-house. The Calibre 8500/8501 produce 25,200 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 60 hours.

In house movements mean higher prices, but we do feel the prestigious Omega brand merits it.

Titanium and LiquidMetal. Planet Oceans are big watches, and the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean Titanium LiquidMetal is no different. The watch has a 45.5 mm case diameter. As indicated by the name the case is constructed from Titanium and LiquidMetal is for the hour markers. The bezel insert is constructed from ceramic, instead of aluminum which seems to be the trend in the industry these days. 

The design follows the typical divers watch design with a rotating bezel to keep tracks of periods of time of up to 60 minutes. The dial displays time and date. Like other Planet Oceans, it is water resistant to at least 600 meters and has  a Helium Release valve.

Blue is the theme for this watch with a blue colored dial, bezel the as band. A release can be expected later this year. I want to wait until I see this watch in the flesh, but it looks like the most beautiful Planet Ocean ever built.

About Omega SA. The forerunner of Omega was founded 1848, by Louis Brandt. The name Omega was first used in 1894. It was used as the name of one of the Louis Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5164A

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5164A. I really thought we would see more stainless steel sports watches from Patek Philippe at BaselWorld 2011. We do have one stainless steel Aquanaut and the three ladies Nautilus watches, so I was not completely wrong. 

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5164A is a dual time watch with a second 12-hour skeleton hand to display the second time zone. Normally, a 24-hour hand is used for this purpose in other watches like Rolex's GMT Master II. A 24-hour hand will show you the time in the second time zone and indicate whether it is day or night. With a 12-hour hand, whether it is day or night in the second time zone, will have to be indicated by a day/night indicator. This combination is frequently used by Panerai. Patek adopts this formula, but goes one step further by providing a day/night indicator for both local and home time. A sub-dial a the 6-o'clock displays the date of the local time zone.

Inside the 40.8 mm stainless steel case you have the self-winding Caliber 324 S C FUS movement which beats at a smooth 28,800 beats per hour and has a 45-hour power reserve. Like other Patek creations, the rotor of the watch are in 21K or 22k gold. It is water resistant to 120 meters consistent with its sports minded design. All-in-all another solid creation by Patek Philippe.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as     one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.

Rolex Basel 2011 postscript

BaselWorld 2011 was not Rolex's most exciting year in terms of new releases, but it does look to be the most controversial. Part of the excitement was lost dues to the early leak of a video showing the new Rolex Explorer II, right before the start of Basel 2010. What was unexpected, though in retrospect hinted by the leaked images was the new 42 mm case diameter. The maxi dial, which in my opinion overwhelms other Rolex watches, looked just fine on the new Explorer II.

The question raised by the new 42 mm case diameter of the Rolex Explorer II is whether or not this is the start of the migration of Rolex's 40 mm sports watches to larger 42 mm cases. In many ways, this makes sense. Rolex's dress-sports watches, the Day-Date and the Datejust are available in 41 mm sizes. This makes the updated dress-sports watches larger than the "pure" sports watches. We could see the original Yacht-Master, Daytona, GMT Master and Submariner migrate to this new larger case for the remainder of this decade. 

The release of a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a ceramic bezel will leave the community asking if this is already the new updated Daytona, or if the black and rose gold watch is a one-off. Do we see this ceramic bezel going down the line to yellow gold and bi-metal models next year, to be followed by it incorporation in the stainless steel Daytona by 2013? Or do we see a completely revamped Rolex Cosmograph Daytona in 2012?

There is the smaller issue of will the Yacht-Master II be release in an all stainless steel model? 

We have to wait till BaselWorld 2012 will answer these questions.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Ref. 7000R and 7059R

Firsts. BaselWorld 2011 is over, but there are still a lot of watches to cover. One area we do not cover much is women's watches. Well, actually there are a lot of noteworthy watches that we do not cover. The reason for that is this is really a hobby blog, so I cover things which interest me personally. The tendency to use we do describe myself is a habit a picked up when writing letters from my firm. Somehow saying we several times in a post, sound better than saying I. 

Ref. 7000R. Unfortunately, we do leave plenty of noteworthy creations out, without a scant mention of their existence, and that is something we will try to remedy this year. At BaselWorld 2011, Patek Philippe unveiled their first ladies minute repeater watch, the Ref. 7000R.

A minute repeater is a complication in a mechanical watch that audibly chimes the hours and minutes at the press of a button. This complication originated to allow the time to be determined in the dark, and were also used by the visually impaired. The minute repeater chimes the time down to the minute, using separate tones for hours, quarter hours, and minutes, usually with low tones for the hours, a sequence of two tones for the quarter hour and high tones for minutes.

Ref. 7059R. Patek Philippe also unveiled this year, its first ever ladies splits second chronograph watch, the Ref. 7059R.  A splits seconds chronograph is one with two center second hands, the extra hand moves together with the main chronograph hand but can be stopped independently. Because the hands literally split, it is called "Split Seconds hand" which refers to two hands - a flyback (Rattrapante) hand and a regular chronograph hand. Both hands run concurrently with the ability to time laps or multiple finishing times, the wearer can stop the flyback hand while the chronograph hand continues. This, splits the hand in two. This allows one interval of time to be measured, while allowing the chronograph to continue measuring a second event.

While these complications are not new, placing them in ladies watches adds a large degree of difficulty in their creation. Putting a minute repeater mechanism in the small 33.7 mm case of the Ref. 7000R and a splits seconds chronograph in 33.2 mm case of the Ref. 7059R required new efforts at miniaturization.  

Making the smallest slimmest movements, is something which is not something greatly desired today. With the more than decade old trend towards larger watches, what was extremely difficult to built into a 36 mm watch, is not as hard to do in a 43 mm case. In that sense, Patek Philippe's expertise at making the smallest complication movements is not as big an advantage as it use to be. Focusing some of its effort on the ladies watches can put the company in territory where other watch manufacturers are not quite as ready to thread.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Ref. 5496P Perpetual Calendar

More than words. Press release - "At Baselworld 2011, Patek Philippe is yet again presenting a broad selection of debuts that will delight all connoisseurs and admirers of haute horlogerie with a main focus on Grand Complication watches"... and that was just more than words. This year at Basel 2011, Patek Philippe brought out two watches that now occupy 2nd and 4th in ranks in terms of degree of complexity on their line-up, displacing the watches than held the 2nd and 3rd places last year. 

While the triple complication Ref. 5208P and the Ref. 5216R, which also has three major complications, are truly horological wonders, they are not our favorite release from Patek Philippe this year. Neither is the amalgamation of the chronograph and perpetual calendar in the Ref. 5270G, the one the most strikes our fancy. 

Patek Philippe Ref. 5496P. Our favorite release this year is the Patek Philippe Ref. 5496P. The Ref. 5496P is a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date hand. In terms of combination of complications, it is nothing new. The Ref. 5496P has the same complications, and even the same dial arrangement as the Ref. 5159 Perpetual Calendar. Both watches run on different movements (Caliber 315 on the Ref. 5159 and Caliber 324 on the Ref. 5496, though I really cannot tell what the difference between the two movements are) but the main difference as far as most people will be concerned is the case.

While the Ref. 5159 uses an officers case, the Ref. 5496P used the same case used on Patek Philippines original commercial wristwatch the Ref. 96. This is the most classic of Patek Philippe cases used on the Ref. 5196, Ref. 5296 and the annual calendar Ref. 5396. This year Patek Philippe pays tribute to its most classic case with two watches, the Ref. 5216R and the Ref. 5496P. 

However, the Ref. 5216R is going to be unreachable to all but a handful of people. We do not know how much it will cost, but several hundred thousand dollars is a fair guess. We do not have pricing for the Ref. 5496P, but with any luck, it might come in a just under US$100,000, or thereabouts. That is reasonably priced, for a Patek. 

We think that its 39.5 mm size and contemporary (though classic) design will make it the favorite among Patek Philippe's perpetual calendars. While the Ref. 5140 remains our favorite perpetual calendar, many might find its 37mm size small by todays standards. The Ref. 5159, while impressive with its officers case is a little too extravagant looking for a daily driver.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.  

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5270G

Patek Philippe concentrated on the launch of new chronographs for BaselWorld 2010, and from the companies own press release, 2011 is dedicated to other complications. But Patek Philippe still does have a new chronograph this year, the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5270G combining the perpetual calendar complication which automatically takes into account the varying number of days in each month as well as leap years so that the watch displays the correct date each month without the need of adjustment with the function of having a mechanism for precisely measuring short elapsed periods of time.

The combination of these two complications is nothing new to Patek Philippe. Seventy years ago, in 1941, Patek Philippe added chronographs with perpetual calendars to its range of regularly produced timepieces. Since then, they have ranked among the manufacture’s most popular Grand Complication wristwatches.

The dial of the Ref. 5270G displays day and the month in apertures at 12 o'clock, an analog date with an integrated moon-phase display at 6 o'clock, the seconds subdial at 9 o'clock, and the 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock. For seven decades, this has been the classic layout of Patek Philippe's perpetual calendars with chronograph mechanisms. Nonetheless, there are a few characteristics that distinguish it from all of its predecessors. The seconds subdial and the 30-minute counter are positioned beneath the horizontal centerline, and two small, round apertures between the analog date and the subsidiary dials accommodate the day/night indication on the left and the leap-year indication on the right. 

The movement in the Ref. 5270G is a Caliber CH 29-535 PS Q manually wound movement, which has a long 65 hour power reserve. Movement is encased in a 41mm white gold case and presented in a black leather strap. 

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Ref. 5216R

Fourth in rank. Another Grand Complication released by Patek Philippe this year is the Ref. 5216R which combines perpetual calendar, retrograde date, and moon phase, minute repeater and tourbillon, complications. This Ref. 5216R is a a updated version of the Ref. 5016 launched in 1993. Like other updated watches it sports a larger case, this one at 39.5 mm, larger than the 36.8 mm span of its predecessor, the Ref. 5016. The case is made of Rose Gold, hence the R designation. 

In terms of degree complication, the new Ref. 5216R occupies ranks fourth in the Patek Philippe hierarchy, behind the Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002, the new Triple Complication Ref. 5208, and the Ref. 5207. Ordinarily, a watch like this would be the flagship release of the year, however, it takes a back seat to the Ref. 5208P, also announced by Patek Philippe at BaselWorld 2011. Some may disagree about the ranking though.

Grand Complication. There is a difference of opinion among horologist as to what constitutes a Grand Complication. Some define a grand complication as one having at least one complication from the three different groups: Timing, astronomical and striking complications. Other horologist claim that there are three grand complications, the Tourbillon, the Minute Repeater and the Perpetual Calendar. The Ref. 5216R easily qualifies under any of the divergent opinions. 

Perpetual Calendar. Displaying a date on their dial is no difficult task, but making one which displays the correct date for a year or several years is. Most date complications simply change once per day for thirty-one days. But since some months have only thirty, twenty-nine or twenty-eight days, you need to adjust the date at least five time per year to adjust for the months with less than thirty-one days. 

A perpetual calendar is a mechanism that automatically takes into account the varying number of days in each month as well as leap years so that the watch displays the correct date each month without the need of adjustment. A perpetual calendar watch will not need correction for more then a century.

Retrograde date display. The date on the Ref. 5216R is displayed by a red-tipped fourth hand, which runs from the 8 o'clock to the 4 o'clock position. This hand moves clockwise from the 8 o'clock to the 4 o'clock position, along a 270 degree arc, slowly over the period of one month, and than jumps back to the number 1 at the end of the month moving in the reverse direction. This is the retrograde complication.

Tourbillon. First invented in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguetto, the Tourbillon is designed to counter the effects of gravity. Breguet built a watch that rotated the balance wheel of a clock through 360 degrees. This is accomplished by mounting the escapement in a rotating frame, called a "carriage" which turns at regular intervals, usually once a minute. This rotation reduces the positional errors of the movement.

At that time Breguet invented the tourbillon almost all watches were pocket watches or clocks which stayed in one position most of the time. The only time a pocket watch changes position is when it's taken out by the owner to check the time. The effect of gravity on a watch or clock kept in one position all the time, like a pocket watch, is particularly noticeable on the escapement, especially the balance which rocks back and forth. This can lead to inaccuracies. Breuget's solution was the tourbillon. 

Minute repeater. A repeater is a complication in a mechanical watch that audibly chimes the hours and minutes at the press of a button. This complication originated to allow the time to be determined in the dark, and were also used by the visually impaired. The minute repeater chimes the time down to the minute, using separate tones for hours, quarter hours, and minutes, usually with low tones for the hours, a sequence of two tones for the quarter hour and high tones for minutes.

The movement in this watch is the manually wound mechanical Caliber R TO 27 PS QR LU movement which runs at the rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour, and has a 48 hour power reserve. The movement, is visible through a sapphire crystal caseback.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208P

Convergence on complications. At BaselWorld 2010, Patek Philippe focused on chronograph watches releasing six new models. At BaselWorld 2011, the companies focus is on the grand complication. 

One of the new watch released by Patek Philippe at this years show is the Triple Complication Ref. 5208P. The Ref. 5208P features a monopusher chronograph, perpetual calendar and minute repeater. In the current collection of Patek Philippe’s Grand Complication wristwatches, the Ref. 5208P ranks second only to the Sky Moon Tourbillon.

Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208P. The new Ref. 5208P is one of the very few existing highly complicated watches with a self-winding movement and the first true Grand Complication that integrates silicon-derived Silinvar® components, the revolutionary Pulsomax® escapement and the Spiromax® balance spring. The Ref. 5208P is an amalgamation of traditional know-how and innovation.

Patek Philippe in its press release describes the complications as follows:

1st complication: the monopusher chronograph 

Patek Philippe has always emphasized the aesthetic appeal of a timepiece in the development of new movements, and it is a mandatory criterion of the Patek Philippe Seal. For this reason, the chronograph mechanism with its column wheel and the horizontal clutch had to be made extremely thin to fit the space between the movement and the instantaneous perpetual calendar. In this respect, the Patek Philippe portfolio is a rich source: the caliber CH R 27-525 PS is the world's thinnest splitseconds chronograph movement with column-wheel control. It contributed the friction drives for the minute and hour counters that are not only very thin but also offset the torque differences between the coupled and uncoupled states of the chronograph, assuring that the amplitude of the balance remains consistent in every operating mode. Additionally, the toothing profiles of the chronograph wheels, also derived from this record-breaking movement, reduce wear and increase power transmission efficiency. Conversely, the patented self-setting hammers and brake levers were borrowed from the new CH 29- 535 chronograph movement. They automatically assure the optimum lever position relative to the respective counterpart without requiring that the individual contact surfaces must be ground to a few hundredths of a millimeter in a time-consuming process. Thanks to innovations of this kind and to the classic column-wheel and clutch-wheel control design, the overall height of the chronograph mechanism was reduced to 2.4 mm. The result is a three-phase chronograph with a monopusher at 2 o'clock that executes the start, stop, and reset commands when actuated in succession. The seconds and fractions of a second are measured with the large sweep chronograph hand while the continuously running counters at 3 and 9 o'clock display the elapsed time on a 60-minute and a 12-hour scale.

2nd complication: the instantaneous perpetual calendar with aperture displays 

The basics of its construction bears similarities with the Ref. 5207 launched in 2008, but the mechanism had to be extensively redesigned to accommodate the chronograph functions. Because the chronograph mechanism is layered between the calendar and the movement proper, it was not possible to simply route the cannon pinion through the chronograph wheel into the calendar module with the standard time and calendar data displays. For this reason, a detour had to be designed for the cannon pinion. Given the tight space conditions within the chronograph mechanism, it was a delicate task, and a considerable amount of research had to be conducted to develop the best possible solution. The cannon pinion is severed above the basic movement with the minute repeater. Its rotary motion is laterally shifted before it is transmitted through the chronograph mechanism, but then routed back to the center in the calendar mechanism which drives the hour and minute hands, the calendar displays, the day/night indication, and the moon phases. However, the subsidiary seconds hand is powered directly by an arbor that extends straight into the subdial at 6 o'clock. 

To distribute the force in the calendar module as economically as possible with the objective of assuring that all calendar displays will advance instantaneously and simultaneously at midnight ±2 minutes, the patented mechanisms of the Ref. 5207 were modified to match the new configuration of the movement. Considering that the disks for the aperture displays have much larger masses than hands, this was anything but a trivial task. A large, 15-part yoke makes sure that all calendar displays are advanced by one day at the very same moment. Additionally, an arrangement with two complementary lever springs that act in different directions assures that the switching force always remains constant despite considerable travel differences from the single-day jump at the end of months with 31 days to the four-day jump at the end of February when a non-leap year begins. This precludes incomplete switching cycles to a force deficit or overrides due to excessive force reserves. 

3rd complication: the minute repeater 

Given the fact that the Patek Philippe Triple Complication Ref. 5208 was endowed with an elaborate mechanism which instantaneously switches the calendar indications, the time display deserves special attention as well. Thus, the caliber R CH 27 PS QI movement not only has hour, minute, and seconds hands, it also features a minute repeater that indicates the progression of time with gentle yet distinctly audible sonority. 

The minute repeater is considered among experts to be the queen of complications. With a mechanism composed of filigreed racks and snails, tiny hammers, and delicate, freely suspended gongs in the confined space of a wristwatch, it demands the utmost of skill from the watchmaker. In over 172 years, Patek Philippe has advanced the art of repeater timepieces to an unmatched degree of perfection. When the owner of a Ref. 5208P actuates the slide, the result is a reverberant experience: first, the watch counts the elapsed hours on a low-pitched gong, then the number of quarter-hours with double strikes on both gongs, and finally the number of minutes that have passed since the last quarter-hour on the high-pitched gong. Many years of research were invested in finding the best possible steel alloy as well as in developing the shape and attachment points for the gongs – insights that are carefully safeguarded like state secrets. Among connoisseurs, the tonality perfected by the manufacture is deemed unsurpassed by any other wristwatch minute repeater. This sound quality – the manufacture's acoustic signature – is individually analyzed for each watch in a soundproof echo chamber and compared with numerous digitized sound parameters. But because the impression of resonance is always very subjective, every Patek Philippe minute repeater is also personally judged by President Thierry Stern or Honorary President Philippe Stern. They listen to the melody several times and then decide whether the exceptional timepiece is ready for delivery or must be returned to the workshops for acoustic optimization.

On the technological front you have the silicon-derived Silinvar® components, the revolutionary Pulsomax® escapement and the Spiromax® balance spring.  Developed by the Patek Philippe Advanced Research program. The excellent material properties of Silinvar® are that it is hard, lightweight, nearly friction free, antimagnetic and corrosion-resistant. The Pulsomax® escapement is about 30% more efficient than a conventional assembly made of steel. 

The case of the Ref. 5208P is 40mm in diameter. It shows hours, minutes, and seconds of standard time and has a day/night indicator. The chronograph function shows elapsed seconds, minutes, and hours of stopped times.  The perpetual calendar displays the day, date, month, and year and the moon phases. 

Befitting a watch of this caliber, the case is made of 950 platinum which in itself is unusual. It is not a conventional design with lugs that are integral to the case band. Instead, it consists of three parts (back, middle, and bezel) that are clenched between and screwed to two clamps. Only this unique construction allowed the lugs to be pierced as resolutely and aesthetically as is the case with the Ref. 5208. It is supplied with  on a chocolate brown strap secured with a 950 platinum foldover clasp.

About Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe & Co. was founded in Switzerland in 1851. The company's emblem, the Calatrava Cross, was adopted by it at the end of the 19th Century. It is acknowledged as one of the finest, if not the finest, watchmaker in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th of second chronograph

360,000 vph movement. TAG Heuer is known for its chronograph watches and racing tradition, and at BaselWorld 2011 it did not disappoint with a new chronograph watch, capable of measuring intervals of time to a precision of 1/100th of a second. This is not the first time TAG Heuer has released a chronograph capable of measuring up to 1/100th of a second. We already saw the Tag Heuer SLR Calibre S 1/100th of a Second Chronograph three years ago.

Previous 1/100th per second accuracy was achieve through a combination of mechanical and quartz technology. The Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th of second chronograph is a purely mechanical wonder. The fastest beat 36,000 vibration per hour mechanical movements only beat 10 times per second, which would only allow for 1/10th of a second accuracy. 

In order to achieve 1/100th accuracy in a purely mechanical watch two movements were used. A standard 28,800 vibration per hour movement with a 42 hour power reserve is used to measure hours, minutes and seconds. This is a self winding movement. A second movement, running at a incredibly fast 360,000 vibrations per hour is used for the chronograph. Understandably, this only has a 90 minute power reserve. This second movement needs to be manually wound in order to charge. The two movements are integrated into one watch. This is truly a amazing horological creation. This chronograph is more than a chronograph. It is a true complication watch.

The dial. Displaying the 1/100th of a second measurement prevision is done using two counters on sub-dials and the central second hand. Chronograph minutes are displayed by the counter at 3 o’clock while, chronograph seconds, by the counter at 6 o’clock. The blue central hand display the 1/100th second reading. These three hands are powered by the manual winding 360,000 vibrations per hour movement.

The watch also has a power reserve percentage indicator at 12 o’clock. The last sub-dial at the 9 o'clock displays the continuous seconds. Date is displayed at a window at the 6 o'clock. These functions are connected to the 28,800 vibration per hour movement. 

The watch has a 43mm case diameter, with the was manufactured in rose gold. Production of the watch is limited to 150 pieces. 

No TAG. We did notice, that the TAG branding was dropped from this watch. It looks like higher end creations will be sold under the Heuer brand and this may indicate a fork in the road for the company. In any event, the company has brought something truly interesting and innovative out this year at BaselWorld 2011. Salute!

About TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer is a Swiss watch company founded by Edouard Heuer who founded a watchmaking company in 1860. TAG Heuer concentrates on chronographs with some less expensive models in each line lacking chronograph features. The lines include Formula One, Aquaracer, Link, Carrera, Monaco, and others.

BaselWorld 2011: Omega @ Facebook

Omega is using Facebook to display its Basel 2011 collection online. This will also allow them to interact with viewers. We do want to spoil their party... yet, so here is a link to Omega's Facebook page.

But could not resist throwing in a few spoilers

BaselWorld 2011: Rolex Datejust Special Edition and Lady Datejust

The Oyster Perpetual Datejust Special Edition mimics the design of the Rolex Pearlmaster but in a larger 34mm size. It has a smooth bezel set with 12 brilliants and its GOLDUST DREAM dials with delicate gold motifs on black or white mother-of-pearl, is the first 34 mm model produced in 18 ct Everose gold. 

Rolex also has a new 26 mm lady Datejust with a gem-set bezel intricately designed dial.

These two watches round off the Rolex releases at BaselWorld 2011. Done and done. And the show has not even started yet.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: B-metal Rolex Yacht-Master II

Bi-metal Yacht-Master II. Rolex's releases this year will bring about a lot of discussion. The new 42mm Rolex Explorer II, will make the aficionados wonder whether this will start a new trend of Rolex releasing the GMT Master II, Submariner and Daytona in the same sizes over the next few years. The CERACHROME bezel of the new 2011 Daytona will make many wonder whether this is a one off, or if we will see the new ceramic bezel filter its way down to the two-tone and stainless steel Daytona's over the next two or three years. Still I suspect, the third Rolex sports watch released at BaselWorld 2011 will evoke as much discussion, even if there really is nothing all that new about it.

Rolex has release their Yacht-Master II, in a bi-metal rose gold and stainless steel combination. On the one hand, there is really nothing unusual about this. The Daytona, GMT Master II and Submariner all have two-tone models. The only real question is, why now. 

Rolex's usually releases the bi-metal model the year after the all gold version. The stainless steel version is released two years earlier. But for their flagship watches, they are released only purely in precious metal cases and bracelets. For the past few years, the Day-Date and the Yacht-Master II have held the distinction of being Rolex's flagship models sine they were only released in all gold variants.  

The Yacht-Master II was release in 2007. Ordinarily, a bi-metal variant would have been released in 2008. For whatever reason, it is here now, in 2011, and it's presence raises the question of whether a all stainless steel version will arrive in the future. To those who have been wanting this watch, the bi-metal model presents a substantial reduction in the cost of entry.

Complication watch.  The Yatch-Master II was designed for regatta (boat racing) events featuring a programmable 10 minute countdown timer to keep track of the time that skippers have to get their boats into position before the start of the race.

The Yacht-Master II is Rolex's only true production complication watch, with a "Command Bezel" to control the countdown timer. Rotating the bezel 90 degrees counter clockwise and pulling out the crown to the first position will allow you to use the crown to set the countdown time. The watch can be set to countdown from 1 minutes to 10 minutes. When set on zero, the watch does not countdown. Once the countdown timer is set, the bezel is rotated back to its original position and the button at 2 o'clock can be used to start and stop the countdown timer which uses the main second hand and the short hand with a red and while triangle at the head. The button at 4 o'clock is used to reset the main second hand.

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.

BaselWorld 2011: New CERACHROME Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

Paint it black. A truly inspired release at BaselWorld 2011 is the new rose gold Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a black CERACHROME (ceramic) bezel. This watch is reminiscent of the Paul Newman Daytona's which also sported black bezels. 

Aside from the black ceramic bezel, the new Daytona is identical to the current model watch, with the same 40mm case diameter and calibre 4130 movement. The dial design is decidedly different from previous Daytona's, which have come in a wide variety of designs. PVD black hour markers are placed on a chocolate brown dial is something we have not seen before in a Rolex watch. 

This is a truly stunning design, and something I think no one was expecting. I suspect, this will be the most talked about Rolex for the show. It leaves us hanging, waiting another year to see if Rolex will start offering more ceramic bezeled Daytona's, or if the current model will receive a totally different refresh in 2012, the year of its 50th anniversary. But that is for another show. 

About Rolex. Rolex SA is a Swiss manufacturer of wristwatches and accessories founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis. Rolex is the largest single luxury watch brand by far, producing over 2000 watches per day. Rolex is the best known and most sought after watch brand in the world.