I will be visiting the Caribbean shortly here, so there will not be any updates for the week. However I will be following up shortly with video tours as well as photographs of all the nice watch stores hopefully.. such as the famous A.H. Riise.
I surely hope that they will let me videotape the inside of the amazing stores!
Maybe I will return with some new additions to the collection! I will be interested in Panerai, Zenith and Breitling mostly. Perhaps Anonimo and Martin Braun as well, but who knows. Also upcoming should be a review on the L&B Schaumburg Aquamatic COSC that should be arriving. lots of new stuff on the way!
Check out the new Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique!!! That is a pretty sick watch, and a really slick movement. Very low parts count as well at 168. The movement is a Corum 382, which is a modified LaJoux Perret 7951. Definately the right direction to take with the series! This one down here is technically a “platinum panoramique” I suppose.
This watch matches well with the Golden Bridge watches offered by Corum:
They are all beautiful watches featuring sandwiched Sapphire Crystals, Anti-reflective coated both sides. All Manually wound as well.
Some specs on the Tourbillon Panoramique:
Size: 38mm X 53mm (its a big one!)
Water Resistance: 30 meters
Optional: Diamonds – 225 Pave Set 8.4 Carats
Strap: Croc with Folding Clasp
Just a short note for those that may have missed this. Antiquorum, for those that do not know, is the worlds largest auction house for swiss watches. They are a huge organization and when they annouced that their old CEO, Osvaldo Patrizzi would be dismissed, it was wondered who would replace him.
Mr. John Tsukahara will be the new CEO. It is unknown why Patrizzi was dismissed.
So Cool! The first time I saw a micro rotor, I thought it was the coolest looking thing I had ever seen, and I still really would like to have a watch with a visible micro rotor. For those of you that may not know what a micro rotor (or a 3/4 rotor) is, its a rotor that does not cover the entire circumference of the movement. Most traditional rotors encircle the whole back of the movement like so:
But micro rotors allow the movement to be thinner, and also look pretty cool to boot! One recent micro rotor design are the ones used in some of the L.U.C. Movements by Chopard, particulary the ones in their 1.96/3.96 movements. These movements have an incredibly high power reserve as well.
There was an article in WatchTime several months ago debating the pros and cons of micro-rotors and why each company selected the ones they did for a given movement. The results are interesting, and I’ve summarized some of the points that the watchmaker’s made for and against the micro-rotors.
1. Micro-Rotors allow for an overall thinner movement.
2. Central-Rotors allow for an overall smaller diameter movement.
3. This third point allows for some debate among some watchmakers… physics tells us that a centrally mounted rotor would reated the greatest oscillating mass, ergo, more efficient winding. However, some watchmakers argue that in practice, this efficiency is negligable. Thierry Nataf from Zenith has even provided the mathematical calculations to prove that the microrotor has less static torque. Approximately a -76% loss of static torque when going from a full-sized central rotor to a half-sized micro-rotor.
4. Shock absorbancy is at it’s best when the rotor is mounted concentrically around the periphery of the movement and shock absorber.
5. It is argued that the Microrotor allows for easy addition of complications, however there are plenty of central rotor designs that complications are easily added to as well.
6. Chopard claims that the reason other manufacturers opt for centrally mounted rotors is because they have not been able to design mechanisms that can use a microrotor without compromising winding efficiency, any maybe he’s correct, albeit a bit arrogant!
7. Chopard is also able to position twin barrels one on top of the other without sacrificing thickness because of the use of the microrotor.
8. The Microrotor allows for an unimpeded view of the beautiful jeweling and finishing work that goes into a high-end movement, especially when you have an exhibition back. This is one of the best reasons for having a microrotor in my opinion!
So there you have it folks.. some of the reasoning behind the choices that some of the companies have made regarding central and micorotors. Ultimately its not a huge concern to me, but I would definately like to own a nice micro-rotor watch someday, maybe something like this A Lange and Sohne:
Well, here’s my second installment of the high-quality fake analysis. This time I’ve got a fake Breitling Chrono Avenger on the block, and i’m going show you guys what’s wrong with this replica, so you can check to make sure you know all the signs.
They did a good job copying the original with this one, right down to an almost perfect all Titanium case. The Titanium feels a little bit different to the touch than the real ones do, however, the fake is still Titanium, which is pretty impressive. They did miss some pretty major things, and this one is not as good as some of the replica’s I’ve seen, but it is the best Chrono Avenger fake I’ve seen.
Check out the video, and keep yourself informed so you don’t get duped!
