This glamourous watch is the latest in the Joallerie 101 series from Jaeger-LeCoultre, the 101 Manchette. The watch,
which looks more like a bracelet, is made up of a series of polish and
diamond-set squares (a jewellery puzzle). And oh yeah, there is a watch
there too, one that uses the mechanical manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre
Calibre 101 movement. The watch has a silver-colored dial with a
sapphire crystal and a winding crown on the case back. The watch is
available set with 576 diamonds or with 400 diamonds and 11 onyx
cabochons.
2– $25 million – 201-carat Chopard
“Time is money”, nothing explains that better than this 201-Carat Chopard
watch-bracelet and yes that’s 201-carat of diamonds, the watch-bracelet
comes with a trio of heart-shape diamonds, a 15-carat pink diamond,
12-carat blue diamond and an 11 carat white diamond, all of which open
with a spring-loaded mechanism. Wait there’s more, to top it all of just
add 600 yellow diamonds sprinkled alongside 91 or so colorless
diamonds. They are set in a bracelet encrusted with clusters of white
pear-shaped diamonds arrange in flower motifs, with a yellow diamond
standing up from the center of each. The watch
has a spring-loaded mechanism which, when pressed, allows the three
heart shapes to mechanically open up. What a timeless piece, diamonds
are forever! Oh did I mention it will ONLY set you back $25 million?
3 – $11 million – Patek Phillipe’s Supercomplication
Patek Phillipe’s Super complication is also super expensive. The yellow-gold watch has two faces and 24 complications and was bought at a Sotheby’s
auction for a little over $11 million. It was created in 1932 for New
York banker Henry Graves, Jr. Interestingly, this watch was created as
part of a vain competition Graves had with Ohio automobile engineer
James Ward Packard to have commissioned a watch with the most complications in the world.
4 – $4 million – Patek Philippe’s Platinum World Time
The Platinum World Time (1939) from Patek Philippe
is often believed by experts to be the only watch ever of its kind; it
was sold for $4,026,524 by the leading watch autioneer Antiquorum in
2002. The auction price of the watch was more than double the
world-record sale price for any wristwatch. The earlier record for a
wristwatch was about $2 million. In the 2002 auction, the watch was
bought by an Asian buyer.
This watch manufactured in
the year 1939 is unique as is shows time in 42 cities around the globe.
The World Time complication was the brainchild of Louis Cottier, a
famous independent watch manufacturer. He invented it during 1935.
Later, this world time complication was taken by Patek Philippe to
manufacture great timepieces.
For the world time, the owner has to wind the watch and select a city
so that it can direct it to the 12 o’clock point. This helps the hour
hand and the center ring to move to a certain time and show the correct
time of the selected city.
The Platinum World Time wristwatch from Patek Philippe is appreciated
and preferred by both the watch lovers and watch collectors. The other
designs, which are in vogue, are the ones that have hand-painted
cloisonné miniature and those with enamel themes. Watch collectors and
lovers prefer those pieces that have a world map at the center of the
dial.
This platinum Patek Philippe World Time or for that matter any Patek Philippe wrist watches are worth an investment.
5 – $1.5 million – Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’Ile
The Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin
marked its 250th anniversary in 2005 with the year’s most expensive
watch. Its name refers to one of the historical sites of the venerable
company, located next to the current Maison Vacheron Constantin on the
Quai de l’Ile.
The expensive watch is also
the most complicated double-face watch, and only produced in a limited
edition of 7. Tour de l’Ile is made with a totally original combination
of horological complications and astronomical indications composing a
list of sixteen different points including a minute repeater, sunset
time, perpetual calendar, second time zone, a tourbillon device, the
equation of time and the representation of the night sky.
6 – $1.3 million – Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon
One of the most expensive modern wristwatch – A platinum Patek Philippe
tourbillon watch became the most expensive modern wristwatch to be sold
at auction when it fetched HK$11.75 million ($1.49 million) in Hong
Kong on April 10, 2008. The “Ref. 5002 P Sky Moon Tourbillon” wristwatch
with a double dial is considered the most complicated wristwatch ever
produced by the renowned Swiss watchmaker. Only two such watches are
made every year, one in platinum and one in rose gold. The watch, made in 2003, was bought by an Asian private buyer at the Sotheby’s auction.
7 – $1.2 million – The Chopard Super Ice Cube
The Chopard super Ice Cube timepiece exhibits 60 carat of diamonds and retails for approximately $1,259,000
Chopard, a Swiss jewelry and watch maker founded by Louis-Ulysse
Chopard in 1860, is now owned by the Scheufele family. Besides their
100+ years of producing high quality and beautiful time pieces
and jewelry, Chopard is also known for the current design of the Goldan
Palm award of the Cannes film festival and being one of the ongoing
sponsor of the event.
8 – $1 million – Hublot Black Caviar Bang
The newest member of the million dollar watch club is the Hublot
Black Caviar Bang. Coming from the Big Bang line with all its
derivatives, the Black Caviar Bang has an 18k white gold case and clasp
that feature hundreds of precision cut black diamonds, for a total of
34.5 total carats. This includes 322 diamonds on the case, 179 on the
bezel, and another 30 on the clasp at the end of the rubber strap. Black
diamonds are exceedingly rare, and are attributed for most of the Black
Caviar Bang’s million dollar value.
Inside the watch is
Hublot’s specially manufactured manually wound HUB Solo T tourbillon
movement. A beautifully designed face opens with a view on the one
minute tourbillon, and diamonds are patterned into the face as the power
reserve indicator. The design of the face is attractive and functional,
but doesn’t try very hard to be practical. With an impressive array of
square cut black diamonds, the Hublot Black Caviar Bang register’s high
on the glitz scale as well as the exclusivity meter with a limited
edition of only one piece.
9 – $860,000 – Louis Moinet Magistralis
Who want to wear a piece of the moon on their wrist? A 2000 year old lunar meteorite lies within the Louis Moinet
Magistralis. Its exterior has 18 carat gold with minute repeater,
perpetual calendar, and mono-pusher chronograph. It includes pressure
controlled striking mechanism lever. This is the perfect watch
to match your status with style and sophistication. Good luck finding
one since the watch will be produced in very limited quantities.
10 – $800,000 – Blancpain 1735, Grande Complication
This Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication Le Brassus watch
in platinum features a 42mm case, white dial, and crocodile strap. The
Blancpain 1735 Grande Complication Le Brassus also features and
automatic windning movement with hour and minute display, tourbillon
escapement, minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph, perpetual
calendar, moon phase indicator, and 80 hour power reserve.
11 – $734,000 – Breguet pocket watch 1907BA/12
This unique pocket watch, otherwise known as the Breguet
Classique, held the accolade of being the most expensive pocket watch
in the world in 2009, and to our knowledge it still is as of April 2010.
Breguet are a name in horology that exemplify quality and prestige, and
the company has the respect of its peers within the industry. The
company has been producing timepieces for some 225 years and are
credited with inventing the tourbillon.
Even though Breguet are now a part of Swatch they continue to develop
and create exciting new innovative designs that set them apart from
other horologists. The Classique is no exception to this rule; the
stunning 18 carat yellow gold case is complete with grand strike and
tourbillon, and the movement is hand engraved and hand wound for
ultimate luxury and accuracy. The crown rotates and the gold dial is
exquisitely finished in silver.
The caseback is sapphire and rose-engine and is also hand engraved.
It is easy to see why the Breguest Classique is the most expensive
pocket watch, but also why it is by far the most sought after.
|
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Louis Moinet Magistralis
Who will be the first man to wear the moon on his wrist? Louis Moinet will answer this question with the one-of-a-kind Magistralis.  Click image for larger version Louis Moinet is the world’s first and only brand to create a watch featuring an authentic piece of the moon. Magistralis, which is being offered for $1 million Swiss Francs (CHF), comes in a limited edition of only one watch and will never be repeated.  Click image for larger version  Click image for larger version Magistralis contains pieces from a lunar meteorite, which was ejected from the moon 2,000 years ago. The meteorite, which has been authenticated by the University of California, Los Angeles, actually added to scientific knowledge of lunar geology, since it came from a place that the Apollo missions did not visit. Of all meteorites, the lunar type is the rarest and is more expensive than gold and platinum combined.  Click image for larger version THE MOVEMENT The movement was created a hundred years ago. Designed in the Vallée de Joux, it was made in Geneva and bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. It beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour and features a (double-bladed) self-compensating balance and a flame-blued Breguet balance spring. Its flat-polished moustache lever escapement is hand chamfered and mounted on an endstone. The chronograph The single-button column-wheel chronograph (6 columns) has a spring-assisted lever. The instantaneous jumping minute hand, a very distinctive mechanism, operates by means of a cam. The function of the cam is to load the minute lever by means of constant friction, thereby stabilizing regulator operation (by avoiding loss of amplitude) when the chronograph function is activated. This technique is no longer used now, given the complexity of its entirely manual fine-tuning. The striking mechanism The striking mechanism comprises two hammers that sound the hours, quarter-hours and minutes, as well as an “all or nothing” lever. The mechanism for activating the striking mechanism is operated by pressing a lever, so as to facilitate handling of the repeater slide, which is always a delicate operation on traditional watches. The making of a striking mechanism will always remain a manual operation that simply cannot be industrialized. Indeed, the extreme accuracy of the adjustments required for this complication can neither be done by machine nor measured; they truly do come from the watchmaker’s hand, ear and heart. For this reason, two identical striking mechanisms will sound different, precisely because they are adjusted by hand. The creation of a striking mechanism requires all the experience of a skillful and knowledgeable master-watchmaker.  Click image for larger version The perpetual calendar The perpetual calendar function displays the day, date and month over four years. Its unique feature is its small size, as the perpetual date mechanisms of the period were usually much larger. All of the steel parts of the bridges are polished with a tin block to achieve a perfect polish and cold-work the material so as to eliminate any cracks, thus protecting it from oxidation with no need for any additional treatment. That is why these century-old steel parts are still as perfect as ever.  Click image for larger version THE CASE The case is made of 5N and 3N 18-carat rose gold. Its brand-signature design stands out especially for its patent pending crown guard and chronograph button guard at 12 o’clock. The 90-part case is extremely complex to make. It features a pressure-controlled striking-mechanism lever, which makes the slide easier to manipulate. The various correctors are marked with the Louis Moinet symbols so their purpose is obvious. THE DIAL The dial is adorned with the “Côtes du Jura” ® motif, an exclusive creation from the Ateliers Louis Moinet. The four counters are hollowed and their “old rose” shade ensures excellent readability of the indications provided by the century-old flame-blued steel hands.  Click image for larger version  Click image for larger version THE WATCH BOX An extraordinary watch deserves an extraordinary box, and the Magistralis presentation box also marks an industry milestone as the first musical instrument for watches. The watch stand serves to amplify the sound of the repeater mechanism. The box is entirely hand-crafted from curly maple by luthier Claude Bourquard, from the Jura. Claude has a thorough knowledge of resonance, acquired by making guitars and violins of the highest quality by hand. He has used this knowledge to design a true musical instrument using the watch support. Once the striking mechanism has been activated, the instrument amplifies its sound so the tone can be fully appreciated.  Click image for larger version  Click image for larger version An original copy of Louis Moinet’s famous Traité d’Horlogerie (Treatise on Watchmaking) is also included in the presentation box. This is the second edition, dated from 1856. Traité d’Horlogerieis regarded as one of the world’s most comprehensive books on the subject and contains illustrations of watch movements hand-drawn by Louis Moinet.  Click image for larger version Throughout history, Louis Moinet had a tradition of crafting timepieces for the wealthiest and most influential people in the world, including Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon, James Monroe and King George IV. Now, one distinguished watch aficionado can have the honor of being the first and only person in the world to wear the moon on his wrist. “Magistralis is a one-of-a kind-watch to be worn by a one-of-a-kind person,” said Michael Brader-Araje, President of Louis Moinet North America. “This magnificent watch is unlike any other, and will never be repeated. It is the ultimate addition to any watch connoisseur’s collection.” Click image for larger version If you are interested in learning more about the Magistralis watch, visit http://lmtime.com/watches/magistralis.php. |
BigTimeUK.com
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