The Breitling Watch Blog

Vacheron Constantin unveiled its newest creations at the 22nd annual SIHH 2012 in Geneva Switzerland showcasing new additions to the Patrimony, Malte, & Metiers d’Art collections. Please enjoy the candid interview with Hugues de Pins, President of Vacheron Constantin North America!

In preparation for Baselworld 2012, new watch models are being announced by many of the participants. Always an exciting time of year! One of Blancpain’s annoucements is a very fine timepiece with a beautiful dial and white gold case.

40mm Solid 18K White Gold Villeret Case with beautiful blue Sunburst Flinque lacquered dial with retrograde seconds and pointer date complications. Flinque is a technique that involves putting on several layers of translucent lacquer on the dial to create an impression of depth. One of the more exciting features of this timepiece is the In-House Blancpain caliber 7663Q featuring 34 Jewels and 3 Day Power Reserve. Crystal is AR coated Sapphire and the case is Water Resistant to 30m.

Hell of a watch – the dial looks absolutely outstanding!

And the movement looks fantastic too!

Awesome! Zenith hits another one out of the park with the new Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 – a limited edition production of 250 pieces. This bad ass watch has a case diameter of 57.5mm, and uses the in-house pocketwatch caliber 5011. The watch is part of their Military Legacy watches series and is a limited edition created for the Smiling Children Charity Event.

Since this is such a limited production, I don’t think it will be in my own budget – but I can always dream can’t I!

Here is a shot of the Zenith 5011 in a Pocket Watch from Zenith:

With gadgets becoming ever smaller, the watch market has taken an interesting turn: A large number of used luxury wristwatches are available at a fraction of the original cost. This purchase, however, is not without its pitfalls. So before you run out and buy one of those pre owned watches, consider these following tips:

Research: Do your homework. Know what functions you want and which watches have them. If you just buy on a name, like Rolex, you’ll likely pay too much, and end up with a watch that doesn’t suit you as well as it should.

Reputable Dealer: The lowest price isn’t always the best purchase. A reputable dealer will likely cost a little more, but it’ll come with confidence. Reputable dealers don’t sell fakes, and they replace or refund broken watches.

Warranty or Guarantee: Avoid watches that do not include a guarantee or warranty. Even reputable dealers sell watches “as is,” but the consumer that can afford this kind of risk is better off buying a new watch anyway.

Documentation: Pre-owned luxury watches typically come with documents that detail the ownership history, the servicing history and any relevant historical documentation. Be wary of any luxury watches that do not.

Extra Benefits: Many jewelers and watch vendors include free benefits when they sell their most valuable pre-owned watches. These benefits often include lifetime care, maintenance and polishing, but not repair or batteries.

Fake Watches: If you have any doubt at all that the watch you’re buying is the real deal, stop. Bring in an expert assessor if need be. Counterfeit luxury watches are prevalent, and extremely difficult for the non-expert to detect.

Oris has revamped the Diver line with new Ceramic Bezels and updated cases. The new Aquis line features Stainless Steel Cases and Sapphire crystal and water resistances to 300m. They have added screwed-in crown guards for an extra touch of sophistication and a bit of faceting on the lugs as well. Nice looking pieces that update the look while still remaining quintessentially Oris in design.

There are two sizes available, a full size mens model at 43mm and a women’s sized model at 36mm. They are also available in two colors: Black and Blue. The photos appear to make the ceramic bezel insert on the blue model look glossy, while the ceramic bezel insert on the black model looks to have a brushed finish. Nice distinguishing features I think.

The watches continue with the integral style bracelets with an option for rubber as well. I like that they don’t have the rounded cushion sides that the older TT1 style had. I think that was my biggest dislike of the previous case. While I owned a couple and did really like them, the rounded case sides eventually started to bother me. Retail on the 43mm model is about $1,900US and $1,850 for the 36mm.

Specs:
Case Size: 43mm or 36mm
Dial Colors: Blue or Black
Case Material: Stainless Steel
Strap: Stainless or Rubber
Movement: Selitta SW-200