The Rolex Doctor Salute to Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie

HH Magazine Special Issue for the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie

The HH Magazine Spécial Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Special Issue

For the 2012 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), taking place January 16th to 20th in Geneva, HH Magazine invites you to be part of the action at this exclusive event with a special issue, online and on iPad.

In-depth articles, presentations of new products, interviews with industry insiders, opinion pieces, videos, backstage and red carpet… join the team at HH Magazine for this packed week that dictates the trends for the horological year to come.

With its 18 exhibiting brands, this 22nd Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie will, as always, be a week of surprises, impromptu visits by brand ambassadors, major breakthroughs in watch complications, and stunning examples of the profession's métiers d'arts. All brought to you live by HH Magazine, the online magazine of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.

Share with us the excitement of the SIHH 2012 with its many marvels, possibilities and timepieces that are made for eternity.

Greubel Forsey’s Double Tourbillon 30° Technique (DT30T) has won the 2011 International Chronometry Competition held at the Museum of Horology in Le Locle, Switzerland.

The DT30T, featuring a 60-second tourbillon cage inclined at 30° rotating inside a second four-minute tourbillon cage, scored 915 points from a possible 1,000 to claim first place both in the tourbillon category and the overall competition.

This latest accolade completes a remarkable hat-trick of major prizes for Greubel Forsey. They now have the distinction of being the only brand to have won the
Prix Gaïa for “Entrepreneurship” (2009); the Aiguille d’Or – best overall watch – at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (2010), and now the International Chronometry Competition.

Eighteen pieces were entered into the precision competition in three categories: ‘Tourbillon Category’, ‘Classic Category’ for standard escapements and a ‘School Category‘ for the watchmakers of tomorrow.

This year marked the second edition of the International Chronometry Competition since its introduction in 2009 when Greubel Forsey entered the Quadruple Tourbillon.

The fully-cased timepieces are first subjected to 15 days of tests at the Observatory in Besançon, France, then 15 days tests at the COSC laboratory in Bienne, Switzerland, followed by exposure to a magnetic field and subjected to repeated shocks before undergoing yet another 15 days tests at COSC laboratory in Bienne.

The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Technique DT30T in 5N gold entered into this year’s competition is a standard timepiece fully representative of those created for collectors.

Company co-founder Stephen Forsey believes that winning the International Chronometry Competition is fine recognition for Greubel Forsey’s constant quest for innovation and perfection, and that superlative precision can now be officially added to the qualities of excellent finishing and the innovative horological architecture for which Greubel Forsey timepieces have become renowned.

“We are delighted to have achieved the fine distinction of creating the most accurate timepiece as evaluated at this year’s International Chronometry Competition,” said Stephen Forsey. “I’d like to thank everyone at Greubel Forsey for their extremely hard work and for making this achievement possible.”

Company co-founder Robert Greubel added: “This is a joyous moment for Greubel Forsey. All of our complications are conceived, created and tested with the aim of improving timekeeping precision. Entering for the second time is not only a measure of our support for the competition, but also serves as an independent validation of our inventions. Collectors can now choose a Greubel Forsey timepiece with the certain knowledge that they are acquiring the best of reliability and accuracy.”

French only

Découvrez les Métiers de l'horlogerie

Des professionnels présentent, le mercredi 12 octobre, de 14h à 16h, à la Cité des Métiers de Genève, trois métiers de l'horlogerie:

• Horloger-ère
• Termineur-se en habillage horloger
• Micromécanicien-ne

Cette présentation sera suivie de conseils aux étudiants ainsi que d'une rencontre avec des élèves en cours d'études et des entreprises.

Evénement organisé par l'OFPC (Office pour l'orientation, la formation professionnelle et continue) et la République et Canton de Genève dans le cadre des Zooms Métiers.

Entrée libre, plus d'informations sur www.ge.ch/citedesmetiers

Cité des Métiers et de la formation, Rue Prévost-Martin 6, Genève

The interviews on our Facebook fan page

HH Live Blog

Avarice, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, gluttony, lust… which sins is Fine Watchmaking guilty of?

For its HH Live blog, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie has put the question to the CEOs of its partner-brands.

Each week, a different CEO answers, on film and only on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/FondationHauteHorlogerie

Are they forgiven?  You decide…

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie is reinforcing its communications department and from the beginning of June welcomes Dominique Tadion as Communications Director. For more than twenty years, Dominique Tadion was Director of Corporate Communications and Press Relations at Rolex.

Dominique Tadion will contribute her professionalism and expertise to further develop the Foundation's mission and activities in Switzerland and worldwide.

Thanks to this reinforcing of its operational teams, the Foundation can look forward to ever greater success.

In addition, after twelve years during which Anne Biéler has managed communications and press relations for the SIHH, then for the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, in mid-May she will begin a new appointment as external consultant for corporate communications and public relations at Vacheron Constantin.

Anne Biéler will nonetheless remain close to the Foundation and take charge of certain institutional projects with Fabienne Lupo, Chairwoman and Managing Director of the Foundation.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie's circle of partners continues to grow. After Harry Winston in February, now Bovet 1822 will be supporting the Foundation in its activities to promote Fine Watchmaking around the world.

Geneva, March 24rd 2011 The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) welcomes BOVET 1822 into its network of partners, which join the Foundation in delivering the message, values and ethic of Fine Watchmaking worldwide.

BOVET was established in Fleurier in 1822 by Edouard Bovet and his three brothers. China proved a thriving market for the company's expertise, prompting Edouard Bovet to move there. He succeeded in opening up a country that had previously been impervious to foreign trade.  Bovet was awarded a Gold Medal at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris for a pair of pocket watches, made to order for the Emperor of China.

In 2001, Pascal Raffy acquired BOVET and has been the sole shareholder since 2002. In 2006 he added DIMIER 1738, Manufacturer of Handcrafted Fine Watches, DIMIER 1738, Manufacturer of Dials and Château de Môtiers housing workshops and administration. BOVET continues to produce its timepieces in quantities that never exceed 2,000 a year. Over a third are one-off pieces, made as special commissions. Since 2010, the AMADEO® concept has equipped every timepiece in the Fleurier collection. This revolutionary case transforms a wristwatch into a table watch, a pocket watch or a pendant watch yet requires no special tool to do so.

By becoming a partner to the FHH, BOVET endorses and supports the Foundation's role to actively defend the unique values of Fine Watchmaking.

Here are the 28 partner brands of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.

A quantum leap in mechanical precision

TAG Heuer MIKROTIMER Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph

The world’s first-ever mechanical chronograph to measure and display the 1/1,000th of a second
– making it 125 times more accurate than most existing mechanical chronographs and 10 times faster than the Heuer Carrera Mikrograph 1/100th
Second world first presented in Geneva in January 2011

At 1/1,000th of a second, a Formula One racecar at full throttle travels about ten centimeters. Over a 305 km race, this might not seem much — the length of a finger — but it can mean the difference between second place and a World Championship.
The TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph is the only mechanical timepiece that can precisely gauge this phenomenon. TAG Heuer’s newest, fastest, most revolutionary timepiece creation to date, its measuring and mesmerizing powers are unprecedented. More than ever, it makes TAG Heuer the unrivalled master of high and ultra-high frequencies in mechanical watchmaking.

TAG Heuer: Mastering Speed for 150 Years

Founded in 1860, TAG Heuer has pioneered, mastered and dominated high-frequency timing and chronographs since 1916, the year Charles-August Heuer introduced the 1/100th Mikrograph stopwatch. With the Calibre 360 in 2005, TAG Heuer introduced the first-ever wrist mechanical chronograph measuring and displaying 1/100th of a second. In January 2011, TAG Heuer went one step further with the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first-ever wrist mechanical chronograph with a foudroyante central hand displaying 1/100th of a second. Of all major houses in the Swiss watchmaking industry, TAG Heuer is more than ever the unrivalled master of accurate time measurement to the tiniest fraction, thanks to 95 years of accumulated know-how in high and ultra-high mechanical frequencies. The list of its patented world firsts is without equal:

• The Mikrograph (1916); the first-ever 1/100th of a second mechanical stopwatch. Introduced by Charles-August Heuer, the Mikrograph 1/50th and 1/100th, two patented stopwatches beating respectively at 180,000 and 360,000 beats per hour, revolutionized sports forever and led TAG Heuer to become the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games as early as 1920.
• The Microtimer (1966); the first-ever 1/1,000th miniaturized timekeeping system. Launched by Jack Heuer, the Microtimer 1/1,000th became the norm in contemporary timing and opened the gate to Formula 1 and Scuderia Ferrari for TAG Heuer.
• The Microtimer (2002); the first Swiss digital wrist chronograph accurate to the1/1000th of a second. Winner of the Best Design Award at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix 2002.
• For Indy 500 (2004), the first timing system accurate to the 1/10,000th of a second. On November 4, 2006, TAG Heuer set a new world record when it precisely clocked an astonishing 2/10,000ths of a second difference between first-place Mattias Ekström of Sweden and second-place Heikki Kovalainen of Finland in the semi-final of The Race of Champions in Paris. This astounding level of accuracy – the two drivers were averaging 120 km/h, which means they were separated by only 6.6 centimeters at the finish line — is unprecedented in the history of sports timekeeping.
• The TAG Heuer Calibre 360 (2005); the first modular mechanical wrist chronograph measuring and displaying 1/100th of a second thanks to an oscillator beating at 360,000 beats per hour. Commercialization started at the end of 2005 with the “Vanquish” limited edition, and was followed in 2006 by the Carrera Calibre 360. It won the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in 2006
• The TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36 Caliper (2008); the first-ever integrated mechanical wrist chronograph measuring and displaying 1/10th of a second, thanks to an oscillator beating at 36,000 beats per hour coupled with a rotating caliper scale. It won the Ultimate Sports Inspired Timepiece of the Year Award at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix the same year.
• The TAG Heuer Pendulum (2010); the first mechanical watch regulated by a 6Hz magnetic field equivalent to 43,200 beats per hour. One of the few true technological revolutions of the last three centuries in terms of regulation, as for the first time a mechanical movement beats at high speed without a hairspring but thanks to a magnetic field.
• The Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph (2011), the first-ever integrated column wheel mechanical 1/100th of a second wrist chronograph with foudroyante central hand display. This game-changing innovation combined two assortments beating at 28,800 and 360,000 beats per hour respectively. It offers unrivalled precision and chronometry thanks to the independence of the “normal speed” and “high speed” watchmaking chains. COSC-certified, even in chronograph mode, this masterpiece redefines modern chronograph manufacture in terms of ultimate precision and readability. Commercialization will start in mid 2011 with a 150 limited edition encased in a beautiful rose gold case.

Today, TAG Heuer goes even further — an incredible 10 times further. The TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph, the world’s first mechanical wrist chronograph to measure and display 1/1,000th of a second sets a new milestone in mechanical precision. It is 125 times more accurate than the most famous mechanical chronographs on the market — thanks to a heart beating at the unbelievable speed of 3,600,000 beats-per-hour!

If the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph is to watchmaking what walking on the moon is to space history, then the TAG Heuer Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph is the equivalent of the first manned landing on Mars.

In 1/1000th of a second…

• Usain Bolt ran 1.2 centimeters while establishing his new 100 m world record of 9.58 seconds
• a cheetah at top speed travels 3 centimeters
• the Maglev train between Pudong International Airport and Shanghai travels 14 centimeters
• an Airbus 380 between Zurich and Singapore flies 24 centimeters
• a supersonic airplane breaking Mach 1 flies 33 centimeters
• a M16 bullet flies 97 centimeters
• Apollo 10 traveled 10 meters while establishing the fastest-ever speed for a manned craft in 1969
• the Earth rotates 29.8 meters around the Sun
• a fast neutron travels 10 kilometers
• light travels 300 kilometers

TAG Heuer: Challenging the Fundamental Principles of Watchmaking

In recent years, TAG Heuer watchmasters and engineers have taken on a bold challenge: to completely rethink the way a mechanical watch generates, stores, transmits and regulates energy and displays time.

In 2004, it introduced the Monaco V4 Concept watch, the first belt-driven mechanical movement.
In 2010, it unveiled the TAG Heuer Pendulum, the first mechanical watch regulated by magnetic fields instead of a hairspring and beating at 6Hz, the equivalent of 43,200 beats per hour, an exceptionally high frequency for mechanical watchmaking.
Now, taking the next step, TAG Heuer has broadened it research into spiral-based regulating systems. The result, an escapement developed together with Atokalpa and vibrating at the mind-blowing speed of 3,600,000 beats-per-hour — more than 3 times faster than the pistons of an F1 engine cranked to maximum speed — opens a new chapter in the glorious history of Swiss watchmaking, and reinforces TAG Heuer’s status as the absolute master of “Grande Complications” chronograph manufacturing.

The fastest mechanical regulating organ ever designed, developed and engineered: 3,600,000 beats per hour!

As in racecar construction, the principal concern in chronograph engineering is precision, speed and readability. This is determined by the chronograph’s oscillating power and construction. Traditionally, oscillators used in chronograph manufacturing beat at 3, 4 or 5Hz, which is the equivalent of 21,600, 28,800, 36,000 beats per hour respectively.

Both the TAG Heuer Calibre 360 launched in 2005 and The Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph launched in January 2011 are equipped with 50Hz oscillators – ten times faster than the fastest conventional ones. They are to this day the 1st and only ever and have been commercialized since late 2005 for the former and mid 2011 for the later.

The Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph pushes the concept even further, beyond what anyone dreamed possible — and past what everyone said was impossible. Using complex differential kinematics, TAG Heuer watchmasters and engineers have designed an ultra-high-frequency 500Hz spring oscillating system that vibrates a phenomenal 3,600,000 beats per hour, 125 times faster than most existing mechanical chronographs ever created and 10 times quicker than the former world-record holders TAG Heuer Calibre 360 and Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph.

The 100% TAG Heuer-built Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph capitalizes on the construction of the integrated Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph and is equipped with two escapements:

• Regular time: 4Hz, 28,800 beats per hour, 42-hour power reserve.
• Ultra fast time: 500 Hz, 3,600,000 beats per hour. It relies on an unprecedented 11 patents pending.

The chronograph movement’s most remarkable innovations are:

1. There is no balance wheel system (patent pending). Its absence de facto eliminates all forms of isochronous errors normally caused by this conventional watch movement component, such as dilatation and inertial imperfection.
2. The mechanical regulating body, a high frequency 500Hz spiral (patent pending), developed together with Swiss watch component high-end manufacturer Atokalpa, is conceptually based on existing spirals but with an optimized rigidity and a reduced length. This gives static stability and extremely high dynamism with limited dilation. It also reduces gravity effects and shocks, while its low amplitude increases the isochronous precision of the pulse.
3. A dynamic lever/wheel transmission (patent pending) generates a hyper-velocity impulse unencumbered by pallet/teeth slippage: the lever literally rebounds on the wheel instead of sliding.
4. Unlike the self-starting balance wheel-spiral systems usually found watches, the Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept Chronograph uses a Launcher-Hub-Brake system (patent pending) controlled by a column wheel and made possible because of the increased rigidity of the spiral. “START” activates the launcher by putting it in solid contact with the radial escapement. "STOP" radially pushes the launcher onto the hub, instantly stopping the movement of the spring.

Unique 2-Chain Architecture

Since 1969, the year TAG Heuer launched the world’s first automatic chronograph movement, coupling watch movement with chronograph function has become standard operation procedure. There is a serious “hitch”, however, with this isochronous system: its wheel chain gear system increases energy loss.

This is one of the greatest quandaries of chronograph design — how to keep chronograph operation from disrupting watch operation.

Then came the TAG Heuer Calibre 360 in March 2005 and the TAG Heuer Mikrograph 1/100th of a second Chronograph in January 2011, which combined two independent kinematic chains — one for the watch and one for the chronograph — in an integrated movement for the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph, thereby eliminating the need for a clutch. The system displays 1/100ths of a second on the central hand and beats at a very high frequency of 360,000 vibrations per hour. Separating the watch chain from the chronograph chain eliminates the risks of the chronograph influencing the watch and vice-versa; but most importantly, it reduces energy loss and optimizes the precision of the chronograph’s regulating organ. It allows the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph to be COSC across the board — i.e. with the chronograph function running, a feat virtually impossible to achieve by conventional mono-frequency chronographs.

The Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Concept is an integrated chronograph using this same patent-pending two-chain architecture. The changes to the regulating body, however, make it 10 times more accurate than the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph — and 125 times more accurate than the fastest “high-end” oscillators found in most existing mechanical chronographs.

Displaying 1,000th of a second effortlessly and at a glance

Creating a mechanical chronograph that measures 1/1,000th of a second requires serious engineering. Making it easy to read — 10ths, 100ths, 1,000ths and minutes at a glance — requires even more.

The flying central hand of the Mikrotimer Flying 1000 makes an astounding 10 rotations per second, indicating 1/1000th of a second and 1/100th of a second on a scale on the external part of the dial, which has 100 graduations over 360°. A second, smaller central hand indicates minutes (TAG Heuer Patent pending) and 1/12th of a minute on a 150-second scale. A counter at 6 o'clock displays 1/10th of a second, calibrated to 5 seconds.

This unique dial-scale display system allows direct, instantaneous reading of minutes, seconds and 1/1,000th , making this the only mechanical chronograph for sporting events like the Formula 1, where 1,000-of-a-second accuracy is essential. Above and beyond everything, it is one of the most stunning “Grande Complication” ever developed in mechanical watchmaking.

Stunningly beautiful, with its black Titanium Carbide coated case with titanium horns and the black ruthenium-treated movement inside, the Mikrotimer Flying 1000 is still in the Concept Stage. As was the case of the Monaco V4, further development will be needed to ensure the same over-time reliability and precision that have characterized every TAG Heuer masterpiece commercialized over the last 151 years.

Once again, TAG Heuer demonstrates in style its innovation leadership and unrivalled mastery of mechanical watchmaking at high, very-high and ultra-high frequencies. Now, this 95-year epic domination and the brand’s accumulated know-how have, for the first time ever, made possible the measuring and reading of the 1/1000th of a second ….with a mechanical chronograph.

Play at the game « Through space and time » on Air France website and try to win one of the 2 Baume & Mercier watches, offered by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.

The competition is now finished.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) is pleased to welcome Harry Winston as a partner-brand, the twenty-seventh to join the circle of watch companies that wish to defend the values of technical and precious fine watchmaking by associating with the Foundation's activities.

Geneva, 14th March, 2011 This new partner lived its own story before becoming a leading name in fine watchmaking today.

The Harry Winston brand saw daylight in 1932, when Mr Harry Winston opened his first store in New York. It set a precedent in 1943 when its diamonds lent glamour to the actresses at the Academy Awards.

Building on a history of successes, Harry Winston launched its first timepiece collections IN 1989. In 1995, the brand presented the Biretrograde Perpetual Calendar, a complication watch that rewrote the rules of traditional Swiss fine watchmaking. In 2001, it created a frenzy with a totally new concept: Opus, a revolutionary series developed with independent watchmakers.

Frédéric de Narp joined Harry Winston in 2010 as President and CEO.

With the arrival of Harry Winston, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie further strengthens its position and its vocation to defend the unique values of an industry that is built on tradition, innovation and savoir-faire.

Here are the 27 partner brands of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie.

French only...

Le Concours international de chronométrie 2011 a enregistré les inscriptions de 18 pièces produites par des entreprises horlogères et des écoles d’horlogerie. En 2009, le concours avait réuni 16 pièces. Les montres subiront divers tests selon les normes internationales. Les noms des garde-temps les plus précis seront proclamés le 20 octobre prochain au Musée d’horlogerie du Locle – Château des Monts.

Le secteur horloger remporte un succès économique éclatant. La conception, le design, les matériaux et l’usinage des montres ont remarquablement évolué et font régulièrement l’objet de concours et compétitions. Quant à elle, la précision est maintenant une évidence et une condition-cadre pour la vente des montres. Elle a pourtant besoin de légitimité et de crédibilité. C’est la raison pour laquelle le Concours international de chronométrie, dont les résultats sont basés sur des critères strictement objectifs, s’est donné pour but de créer une vitrine en faveur de l’horlogerie mécanique contemporaine. Ses partenaires sont la Société suisse de chronométrie, l’Observatoire de Besançon, le Contrôle officiel suisse des chronomètres et la Haute-Ecole ARC Ingénierie.

Le concours est ouvert aux montres bracelets mécaniques avec des classements séparés pour des mouvements classiques ou à tourbillon, d’une part pour les entreprises et d’autre part pour les écoles d’horlogerie. Dix entreprises participent au Concours 2011 et se répartissent à parts égales entre les mouvements classiques et à tourbillon. Quatre écoles se sont aussi lancé le pari de comparer leurs performances avec le même mouvement.

Les mesures seront effectuées dans des laboratoires officiels certifiés à Bienne, au Locle et à Besançon. Les montres seront soumises à des épreuves de magnétisme et de chocs reproduisant les conditions d’un usage quotidien.

Le comité d’honneur du concours est présidé par l’astronaute et professeur Claude Nicollier. Jean-Marc Triscone, doyen de la Faculté des sciences de l’Université de Genève, préside le jury international garantissant la régularité scientifique et juridique des opérations. L’Association du Concours est placée sous la haute surveillance du Musée d’horlogerie du Locle.

Deux de nos marques partenaires participent: Chopard et Greubel Forsey. Bonne chance!

Plus d'informations et contacts

Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire took the first place at the 2010 TimeZone.com Watch of the Year competition following the online community voting that ended last week, March 3, 2011.

TimeZone is an English-speaking forum based site dedicated to the watch industry that operates 26 brand specific forums contributed to by more than 45,000 registered users worldwide and moderators located in 9 different countries. The website receives 100,000 unique visitors per month.

With 5 other competitors running up for the victory on the final stage of the competition, the winner received approximately 38% of the total votes!

The prize-giving ceremony will be conducted in the US on March 23rd.

2011 is the year of the Reverso which celebrates 80 years of rich history, having adorned the wrists of polo players and illustrious personalities. Yet, before we can begin to glorify these eight decades of watchmaking history, we need to go back to 4 March 1931, when it all began.

Looking back to 4 March 1931, at 1:15 pm, at the INPI (National Industrial Property Institute) in Paris: René-Alfred Chauvot officially patents his invention of a "wristwatch which can slide on its base and flip over on itself”. A unique and ingenious invention: the Reverso watch is born!

Yet another secret of the now legendary reversible watch that Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to deliver to all lovers of history and fine watchmaking! To mark this date of 4 March 1931 forever in the Manufacture history, Jaeger-LeCoultre wanted to celebrate this anniversary in grand style across the world!

After its Virtual Museum to which stories and exceptional items are added every day, and its Treasure Hunt completed symbolically this 4 March 2011 to mark the patent’s anniversary, the Reverso has not yet divulged all its secrets…

Jaeger-LeCoultre has other treasures and watchmaking tales in store to share throughout the year.

Join us in this extraordinary adventure online.

Check out the celebration fireworks today on Jaeger-LeCoultre Official Facebook page.

Yesterday, on February 24, 2011 in Munich, Germany at the award ceremony “Goldene Unruh 2011” Jaeger-LeCoultre received the first prize in the category “watches with public price under 25,000 EUR” (category D). The competition is organized by the German “Uhren-Magazin”, with Focus and Focus Online, and it invites the readers to select the best watch in 5 price categories, from A (price under 1,000 EUR) to E (price over 25,000 EUR).

The prize-winning Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Chronograph, with its timelessly elegant design and high-performance automatic caliber, belongs to the Master Control line. This prestigious heritage is reflected in the seal engraved on its case-back.
Available in pink gold or steel, Master Chronograph is fitted with a silvered and domed dial highlighting its sunburst finish.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, over 177 years of expertise

A major player in watchmaking history since 1833, Jaeger-LeCoultre is the first Manufacture to have been established in the Vallée de Joux. It played a pioneering role by uniting the full range of technical and artistic professions under one roof and made an indelible imprint on the watchmaking development of the entire region.

Guided by time-honoured know-how and a constant quest for technical enhancements, the over 1,000 master-watchmakers, engineers and technicians craft each watch in harmony with the same passion. Each masterpiece, heir to 177 years of expertise, calls for the exercise of no less than 40 professions and benefits from cutting-edge technologies while being crafted in harmony with the noblest traditions of the Vallée de Joux.

Building on a vast heritage encompassing over 1,000 calibers and over 300 registered patents, Jaeger-LeCoultre remains the reference in high-end watchmaking.

HUBLOT is opening today at 692 Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

Nearly 300 square metres - including a mezzanine for a more confidential salon lounge - completely dedicated to the world of Hublot. Our boutique enjoys an ultra-prestigious address, since the premises on 62nd are part of a historic Madison house dating from the 19th Century, and which is situated in a block encompassing the grandest luxury houses.

Developed according to the same concept as the Hublot boutique in Paris' Place Vendôme, which opened a few weeks ago, the famous New Yorker star architect Peter Marino has reinterpreted the concept of fusion dear to the brand, using materials such as bronze, natural buckskin or ebony to convey a warm yet hushed atmosphere.

The high ceiling, extending up to 6 metres, incorporates skylights to genuinely illuminate the walls, clad with buckskin and a fabric made-to-measure by the Swiss materials artist John M. Armleder.

Art has a strong presence in this new fusion of materials, especially through the furniture, the lights created by artists highly rated by Peter Marino, the Dupré-Lafon period chairs or even the majestic stairwell. The ramp also has a hand-woven decoration, and the whole confers a touch of originality to a completely rethought and redesigned watch space.

The innovative and technological touch dear to Hublot is represented by an unprecedented new large Raptor table made by Xavier Dietlin, the LCG Madison glasses which finely embellish the watch showcases, the spatial motors which enable you to view a watch from all angles, and finally a giant screen guided from Switzerland capable of broadcasting Hublot events live worldwide.

Hublot is already present in the United States, with two exclusive boutiques in Miami - at Bal Harbour and Boca Raton. Opening soon in Beverly Hills and Las Vegas.

HUBLOT BOUTIQUE
692 Madison Avenue
NY 10065
USA
+1-212-308-0408
madison@hublot.com

As of January 2011, Franck Juhel is the new Mission Delegate for the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) in Spain.

Franck Juhel, a 29 year-old French national, married with two children, is the current director of Jaeger-LeCoultre for the Spanish market. He is a graduate in Business Management of the elite École des Dirigeants & Créateurs d’entreprise (EDC) in Paris, and has impressive international experience in the luxury goods industry, having held a number of positions of responsibility in some of the sector's major companies.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie was created in Geneva in 2005 and it has three main objectives: to promote Fine Watchmaking at an international level, to train Fine Watch professionals and affirm its role as a think tank for the Fine Watch industry.

In 2009, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry joined forces to launch an international anti-counterfeiting campaign entitled “Fake Watches are for Fake People”.

Franck Juhel's mission in Spain is to co-ordinate the activities of the Foundation for its partner brands and its HH Ambassadors retailers, so that Fine Watchmaking values can be conveyed to Spanish consumers.

2011 is the year of the Reverso watch. Since its creation in 1931, this watch, a perfect blend of the Art Deco artistic and cultural movement, has never ceased to unveil new secrets and multiple facets.

From the polo playing field to the wrists of the most illustrious personalities, from the INPI to the wrists of young fiancés, the iconic Reverso watch continues to enrich the story of the person who wears it.

But the legendary reversible watch still has some secrets up its sleeve… Jaeger-LeCoultre invites you to discover them.

From February 10th to March 4th, 2011, Jaeger-LeCoultre looks forward to seeing you on Jaeger-LeCoultre – The Official Page on Facebook to take part in the Reverso Treasure Hunt.

Answer 7 questions about the Art Deco icon, get the support of your friends, go and find out more about the Reverso... And win a Reverso watch.

Become a fan of Jaeger-LeCoultre – The Official Page on Facebook today and let join this incredible adventure.

More information on Jaeger-Lecoultre website.

A mechanical marvel, the Tourbillon remains a benchmark in the universe of luxury watchmaking and signals the return of a masterpiece to the Perrelet collection.

In its generous 50mm, rose gold and DLC steel case, already appreciated in the Perrelet collection, the new interpretation of this rare automatic Tourbillon with off-centre hour and minute display, is a magnificent demonstration of style.

Perrelet has chosen to work the structure and composition of its latest creation in depth, in order to evoke the multidimensional aspect of time. Thus the cage of the flying tourbillon is presented inside a cylindrical ring positioned at 6 o’clock. The small second’s indication is provided by the revolving of the cage, which completes one full rotation every 60 seconds.

Two wing-shaped, carbon fibre zones lead the eye towards 12 o’clock, where the tips of the hour and minute hands are finished in a luminescent material.

The minute hand, precisely profiled to rise out of its recessed base area, matches the contours of its surrounding limits perfectly. The extensions of the claws gripping the case embellish the dial in the form of six double tubes, adding force and character to the whole.

On the reverse side, the crystal case back reveals the “Côte de Genève” decoration of the movement and the Perrelet oscillating weight, brushed and set with a crystal engraved with the Brand’s name.

This complication is completed with a black rubber strap and DLC steel tongue buckle in a limited series of 20 pieces only.

Skilfully combining avant-garde with tradition, this out of the ordinary timepiece would certainly have appealed to the inventor, Abraham-Louis Perrelet; because over and above the product, there is man, the love of the know-how and the pleasure of sharing a passion.

The FHH is extending its social media activity and has concluded a partnership with Luxury Society.

This partnership combines the strength of a Foundation for the promotion of Fine Watchmaking, backed by close to 30 Fine Watch brands, with that of the foremost international social network specialising in luxury, whose 15,000 members are all leading professionals in areas as varied as fashion, design, art, jewellery, watchmaking, travel, the media and banking.

The main objective of this partnership is to provide Luxury Society members with a single, exclusive platform for sharing information and, using the FHH's contacts, develop an active community of watch industry professionals.

The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie will have a dedicated page where members can read the latest news and developments with daily updates from the Foundation's online HH Magazine, members' publications, information about events, photos, films, etc.

Members will be able to post their own news and comments, live feedback and develop their business network.

Thanks to this initiative, both partners will benefit from each other's expertise while providing a unique platform for information and exchange on Fine Watchmaking.

Luxury Society

La Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre s’associe avec ZEP, le célèbre dessinateur de « Titeuf », en l’honneur du 80e Anniversaire de la Reverso.

La Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre est heureuse  d’annoncer son « partenariat » en 2011 avec Philippe Chappuis, plus connu sous le nom de « Zep », le  célèbre dessinateur de BD de « Titeuf ».

Zep dessinera une Reverso unique en l’honneur du 80e Anniversaire de la Reverso, modèle iconique et culte de la Grande Maison du Sentier.  Zep viendra en visite à la Manufacture en février prochain pour s’inspirer et discuter de ce projet artistique.

La Reverso unique sera ensuite vendue aux enchères au profit d’une œuvre de charité suisse durant la soirée de gala qui se tiendra à la fin août 2011, lors du célèbre Jaeger-LeCoultre Polo Masters Geneva à Veytay/Mies.

• Diane Kruger, face of the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin.

January 18th 2011 GENEVA, SIHH 2011 – Diane Kruger and Jérôme Lambert , CEO of Jaeger-
LeCoultre officially presented the new Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin at the SIHH.

The press conference was an occasion to tell the story of the last 3 years between Jaeger-
LeCoultre and Diane Kruger since the Swiss Manufacture met her at Venice film festival in
2007.

She expressed her long attachment with the Brand, the first time being when her mother
offered her a Reverso for her 18th birthday.

During her visit at the SIHH, Diane stated :

“I feel more than honoured to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Reverso.

For my first at the SIHH, I was proud to reveal the new Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin and I
invite you to discover this new feminine Reverso”

Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin

80 years ago a legend was born: a watch with a case that could swivel to shelter the dial from
impacts while revealing its personalised engraved back.

Initially designed in 1931 for polo playing British colonial army officers, the Reverso soon
became a watch icon that exercised its seductive appeal well beyond polo fields. From 1931,
onwards, a feminine model adopted this Art Deco inspired swivel watch concept and paved the
way for a whole world of aesthetic creativity, a universe in which watches became full-fledged
pieces of jewellery.

In celebrating the 80th birthday of the Reverso, Jaeger-LeCoultre wished to salute femininity by
unveiling a new expression of this emblematic watch: the Grande Reverso Lady Ultra Thin, an
original timepiece expressing the very essence of the Reverso personality: a marriage of
tradition and nobility, an alliance of style and elegance.

January 21st 2011 Geneva, SIHH 2011 – Marc Newson welcomed at the SIHH by Jérôme Lambert, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

It was an occasion for the designer of the ATMOS clock 561 and 566 to discover the new Jaeger-LeCoultre collection 2011.

ATMOS CLOCK by Marc Newson

The Atmos clock is intimately bound up with time itself. First of all, through its mechanism, which is driven by infinitely small successive changes in temperature. And secondly through its style, which has brought it majestically and serenely through the decades for over 80 years. This new creation sublimates the spirit of a collection with an almost perpetual mechanism that remains an impressive technical feat to this day: The ATMOS by Marc Newson which transforms Baccarat crystal into a second skin.

Blessed with an incredible watchmaking instinct, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, the boss of the watchmaking firm ZENITH, was named “Man of the Year 2011” by the journalists of the watchmaking press. In a year and a half, the ZENITH CEO has restored the brand’s aura and pioneering spirit – with precision and clarity.

Geneva, Monday, January 17th. Awarded by the specialized press, led by Gabriel Tortella and Groupe Edipresse, the “Man of the Year 2011” prize crowns the work of Jean-Frédéric Dufour at ZENITH’s helm. Gabriel Tortella commented on the “clarity” with which the new CEO has restored the brand’s luster and pride of place in the watchmaking world.

A Watch in His Cradle

The man of the year was born with a watch in his cradle. His family includes a long line, indeed a collection, of Geneva engineers and industrialists. His grandfather was the inventor of the valveless engines used to power the famous Pic-Pic. Even before he took over at ZENITH, Jean-Frédéric Dufour dreamed of the company. Let’s not forget that the watchmakers at Le Locle have the legendary El Primero as their heritage, the watch with the most precise movement in the world, the only standard caliber to tick at a rate of ten vibrations per second, while others effect only eight vibrations in the same second. Jean-Frédéric Dufour made the minute precision of this exceptional system visible on the dial, creating the ZENITH Striking 10th.

Straight to the Top

Jean-Frédéric Dufour’s career path has been a straight line to the top. He began his profession at Chopard, where he learned the importance of visiting all the international markets in person, in order to get a sense of the trends. He was then hired by Ulysse Nardin, where he discovered a passion for technical aspects. In 2000, he met Jean-Claude Biver and helped him develop the Léon Hatot brand: “Working with Jean-Claude Biver was the most rewarding and most important experience of my career,” J.-F. Dufour said upon receiving the award. He then returned to Chopard, overseeing product development, before taking over as head of ZENITH in June 2009. The CEO of Hublot, Jean-Claude Biver, summarizes Jean-Frédéric Dufour’s work at ZENITH: “He was able to reconnect the brand to its roots.” Blessed with an incredible watchmaking instinct, Jean-Frédéric Dufour, the boss of the watchmaking firm ZENITH , was named “Man of the Year 2011” by the journalists of the watchmaking press. In a year and a half, the ZENITH CEO has restored the brand’s aura and pioneering spirit – with precision and clarity.

Reconnecting ZENITH to Its Roots

The Le Locle firm has considerable technical and creative potential; in 146 years of existence, it has registered 297 patents and racked up numerous watchmaking awards: 2,333 prizes in all, making it the most highly awarded brand for instrument panel clocks, wristwatches and pocket-watches. Possessor of a skipper’s license, Jean-Frédéric Dufour knows what course he needs to chart and as the captain, he knows how to motivate his crew.
The route will be a high-tech one: “ZENITH is one of the very few companies that produces all the components for a watch, plus it is the only one to have mastered high frequencies and be able to divide mechanical time into tenths of a second. As the guardians of this rich tradition, we will perpetuate it and constantly reinvent it.”

Back and Forth on the Markets

Like the El Primero calibers and their incessant and regular back-and-forth movements, Jean-Frédéric Dufour travels to and fro between his international markets. He regularly visits every one of the brand’s retailers, all around the world. In Singapore in December, Jean-Frédéric Dufour received two awards from the magazine Revolution: “Best Men’s watch” and “Rising Star Award” recognizing the El Primero Striking 10th watch and ZENITH.

• Tag Heure Automobile Club de Monaco sign partnership agreement

The legendary club ACM joins TAG Heuer’s “150 Years of Motor Racing” celebrations

As part of its 2011 “Mastering Speed” commemoration of its most famous source of inspiration — a century and a half of professional motorsports — TAG Heuer is proud to announce a new partnership with the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM).

The agreement makes TAG Heuer the Official Watch and Chronograph, Eyewear and Timing Partner of the ACM and its events. For 2011, these include some of the most prestigious and glamorous moments in motor sports: the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco, the Monte Carlo Rally, the Monte Carlo Historic Rally, the Monaco Rally of Alternative Energies and the Monaco Kart Cup.

“Partnering with the Automobile Club de Monaco in this important year is a great honour,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of TAG Heuer. “We look forward to working side by side with the ACM in their pits and paddocks, and helping to promote their legendary races throughout the TAG Heuer world.”

“We wanted to work with a prestigious watch brand that is a reference in international motorsports,” said Michel Boéri, President of ACM. “TAG Heuer was the obvious choice. We are already linked with them through the Monaco, the iconic watch worn by Steve McQueen, and we share the same values of prestige and performance. With its unrivalled roster of F1 champion ambassadors, and its heritage of watches and chronographs inspired by 150 years of automobile racing, TAG Heuer symbolizes the best in racing.”

“TAG Heuer has now established itself as the key watch brand of the most important tracks and events in motorsports,” said Jean-Christophe Babin. “Through our partnerships with the ACM at Monaco, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes in F1, Audi Sport for Le Mans and Endurance racing, and our longstanding role as Official Watch of the mythical Indy 500, TAG Heuer is precisely where it wants to be — in the pole position.”

TAG Heuer kicks off its 2011 “Mastering Speed” celebrations with a special exhibition of historic racecars and TAG Heuer timepieces in the Halle Sécheron in Geneva from January 17-20. The event also marks the premiere unveiling of the Swiss watch brand’s newest breakthrough creation, the Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first integrated mechanical timepiece with 1/100th of a second display by a central hand.

The “Mastering Speed” exhibition showcases 10 cars that have made an indelible mark in the motor racing history of TAG Heuer and in international motorsport in
general. These include those driven by the brand’s racing ambassadors, including F1 great Juan Manuel Fangio’s Mercedes W196, Clay Regazzoni's Ferrari F1 312 B3, the World Champions McLarens F1 cars of Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen and Lewis Hamilton, and the Audi R15+ TDI winner of Le Mans 24 Hours. Also in the show are iconic TAG Heuer timepieces and chronographs directly inspired by motor racing. These include the Formula 1 series, created in homage to TAG Heuer’s long association with F1 racing, as well as the indomitable timepieces named after the most famous driving competitions in motorsports: the Monaco, the Silverstone, the Carrera, and the Monza.

The “Mastering Speed” exhibition will tour other cities in 2011 as part of TAG Heuer’s ambitious “150 Years of Motor Racing” celebrations.

• "Mastering speed" Exhibition in Geneva January 17-20

The historic racecar and racecar-inspired exhibition showcases the TAG Heuer CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph, the first ever column wheel integrated mechanical chronograph with 1/100th of a second display by a central hand.

World First: TAG Heuer introduces the first ever column wheel integrated mechanical chronograph displaying the 1/100th of a second with a striking central hand allowing an easy reading: the TAG HEUER CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph. Entirely designed, patented, developed and manufactured in La Chaux-De-Fonds, "TAG Heuer Haute Horlogerie" workshop also crafting the Monaco V4, this new major innovation from TAG Heuer confirms the company 150 years leadership in mastering ultimate accuracy, speed and high complexity mechanical movements.

Like the Calibre 360, the TAG HEUER CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph features two different balance wheels, with separate escapements and transmission systems that allow to engage the stopwatch performance without interference to the watch movement.

However, unlike the Calibre 360 which was modular, the new Mikrograph 1/100th is a fully integrated COSC certified chronograph with a column wheel system. It comprises a balance wheel for the watch moving at 4 hertz, 28’800 vibrations per hour, with a 42-hour power reserve; for the stopwatch, the high frequency Swiss balance wheel oscillates at 50 hertz, 360’000 vibrations per hour, with a 90-minute power reserve, displaying this 1/100th of a second with the central chronograph hand. A transparent sapphire crystal case back allows a direct and stunning view of the two "hearts" beating at different speeds and facing each other at the bottom of the complex movement endowed with sophisticated Côte de Genève finishes.

TAG Heuer’s timekeeping heritage is peerless. It is fuelled by the distinction between just fractions of a second, when the performance of speed-driven professionals is at stake.
In 1916, TAG Heuer developed the Mikrograph, the first sports stopwatch accurate to 1/50th and 1/100th of a second when other timing instruments could only measure to the nearest 1/5th of a second. This technical innovation changed the future of racing events management, by gaining greater accuracy of a second - a mere moment that can count for  everything between striving professionals. This groundbreaking core technology catapulted Heuer ahead as official timekeeper to the world’s most prominent competitive sporting events ever since.

Available in a rose gold limited edition of 150 timepieces only, the TAG HEUER CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph brings this original stopwatch innovation to the wrists of modern motor racing enthusiasts who seek ultimate precision. Until now, the wristwatch and stopwatch were separate instruments because of their differing performance objectives: the wristwatch is like a marathon runner, slow but with endurance, while the stopwatch is like a sprinter, fast but in bursts of activity. If they drew upon the same gear for their differing intensities, such a traditional chronograph movement would wear quickly.
With the TAG HEUER CARRERA MIKROGRAPH 1/100th Second Chronograph limited edition, TAG Heuer celebrates in style "150 years of mastering speed".

Come and visit us!

You are invited to attend TAG Heuer’s special “MASTERING SPEED” exhibition and  TAG Heuer Mikrograph launch at the Halle Sécheron in Geneva from January 17-20.

Discover our Mastering Speed for 150 years mini-web site.