Watchismo Times: 01/2008

Monday, January 28, 2008

A Clocktease - 2008 Concord Tourbillon Gravity

Developed with the custom tourbillon masterminds of BNB Concept, the brand Concord will be unveiling their C1 Gravity Tourbillon this April. Featuring a vertically set tourbillon visible from the side of the watch as shown here. More to come soon...

BNB helped develop the HD3 Vulcania, Hublot Bigger Bang, and Bell & Ross BR 01 Grand Complication to name a few.

Press release; In April 2008, Concord is renewing ties with this legacy and these origins, while remaining true to its own identity by taking a sharp new turn in both technical and aesthetic terms. The world-first C1 Tourbillon Gravity will be an invitation to ponder the history of time, while simultaneously propelling Concord into the modern age of innovation and a firmly futuristic approach. This stupefying timepiece will be equipped with a unique and complex movement based on an orthogonal mechanical concept. The vertical position of the tourbillon – the only justifiable one for a wristwatch – enables it to serve its initial and primary function: namely to compensate for the effects of gravity in a vertical position. But Concord’s creativity does not stop there. An unprecedented construction principle enables it to display a tourbillon carriage on the fringes of the actual body of the watch. Independent and apparently detached from the mechanism, it is housed outside of both the dial and the case. This feat will give watchmakers more space to create other complications “inside” the watch itself…

via Horlogerie Suisse & Le Blog des Montres

See Also;
All Tourbillon Related Posts

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

Living Vicariously Through Other Watch Collectors - 1977 Heuer Split Lap Unit

I can't have everything I want, and that's okay (for now). With fellow collectors detailing their acquisitions in such detail as Jeff Stein of OnTheDash and Chronocentric has done with his recent purchase of a very rare 1977 Heuer Split Lap Unit made for the Ford RS Motorsports Team, I can live vicariously through him. The images might even be sharp enough for me to print out a paper version and assemble it on my wrist.

Heuer Split Lap 77-->Link

The varied reactions Jeff received upon wearing it for the first time;

one bad ass watch

the ugliest watch I have ever seen [his wife's reaction]

a statement . . . a very loud statement

a cool-looking machine

one rock-solid watch

I thought you were getting into the Bubble-backs?

what in the world is it?

Original 1978 advertisement

Partial ad translation; "Built for those with the higest of expectations. With the ambitious standards of motorsport, - with obsession, with the love of perfection & measuring equipment. If you want to wear a timecomputer, that will remain a styling & technology rarity"

Friday, January 25, 2008

Tableturns Miniature Turntable Watch

It's definitely not as cool as Bang & Olufsen Beowatch and has no functions other than time, but the "Tableturns" by Flud is just a simple $65 timepiece modeled after a Technics 1200 turntable. Is it just me or shouldn't they have used spinning discs instead of hands??

Whatever...Link

See Also;
All Musical Related Timepiece Posts

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Thursday, January 24, 2008

The World Clock Project

Just bumped into this by the World Clock Project, a website that displays the current time from clocks shot from around the globe & accurate to your location. They're always looking for more shots to fill the empty time-slots and anyone can contribute images (preferably) of public clocks. Submit by Flickr or email (methods described below).

5:04 in the bakery - The Bakery Salt Lake City, UT

4:19 am - Hooters
Somewhere on Route 5 North outside of Portland, Oregon

7:20 am - Clock House - Stamford Hill

11:57 am - Glockenspiel Rathaus, Germany

Why they're doing this...

"We find it intriguing to see a picture of a clock that is located thousands of miles away, but one which tells us the exact time of where we are right now. So we've set out to collect as many pictures of clocks as possible from as many different people as possible from around the world. Our goal is to gather enough pictures to account for all the minutes of the day. Upon accomplishing that, we will create a "digital picture clock" for the community."

Email your clock photos to clocks@worldclockproject.org or, if you are already a Flickr user, join us on the World Clock Project Flickr group.

See detailed instructions.

World Clock Project-->Link

See Also;
All Clock Posts

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

A Century of Rolex Watches - Antiquorum Thematic Auction

Antiquorum celebrates a century of Rolex watches with a thematic sale.

The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Rolex. Antiquorum Auctioneers, the world’s leading auction house for timepieces, will celebrate this important event with the exceptional sale “Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch” on April 17th at Antiquorum’s US headquarters located at 595 Madison Avenue in New York City.

See highlights of the auction here-->LINK

(Featured above) Rolex “Space Dweller” Ref. 1016
Extremely rare, first introduced to the Japanese market in 1963, just after a visit to Japan by the Mercury astronauts.
Estimate: $20,000 -$30,000 (US)

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When you buy a man's watch, buy a MAN's Watch. 1960s Macho Watch Ads

Above, a 1969 Rado Diastar advertisement appealing to men with abnormally large & hairy arms. Below, a 1960s Hamilton Thin-o-matic ad for the punctually homicidal end of the market.

Have an old magazine with some cool watch ads? Email them to me!

See also;
The Zodiac Killer's Zodiac Watch
1960 Live Television Timex Torture Test Failure
1970s Timex Commercial Collection
1960s Timex "Underwater Dating"
1978 Texas Instruments
1961 Bulova Accutron
Laser Beam Wristwatch
A New Age in Quartz
1940s Jam Handy for Hamilton
1970s Seiko Memory Bank
1940's Conquer by the Clock

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

First Hand Experience with Greubel Forsey's Invention Piece No. 1

Timezoner and collector Kee Yew has purchased one of the coolest timepieces ever made, the Greubel Forsey Invention Piece No. 1. (originally featured here->link) He shares his experience and photos of this limited edition double tourbillon on Timezone-->Link (one of only 22 made)

Close-up of tourbillon-orbiting indicators

The value? Let's just say that for the same price, you could buy a house or the Invention Piece No. 1.

Greubel Forsey website-->Link

Vintage Watching - Auction of a Steineck ABC Spy Camera Watch

Here is a rare opportunity to own a Steineck ABC subminiature spy-camera watch from 1949. Comes with original presentation case and a disk of film. Auction-->Link

Originally featured on The Watchismo Times here-->Link

More about Steineck Camera Watch History.

Related Posts;
$60,000 Kilfitt Prototype Camera Watch
Subminiature Camera Watches
James Bond Movie Gadget Watches
Steinheil Camera Watch
Victorian Camera Pocket Watch
1950s Minifon Spy Recorder Watch
Victorian Wrist Horn & Prototype Wrist Camera
Satellite Watches of 1979

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

LIP Watch Debut at Barneys New York

LIP watches are having their US retail debut this week at one of the most exclusive & influential stores in the world, the grand opening of Barneys New York in Las Vegas. Part of the Palazzo Hotel & Casino's Shoppes at The Palazzo, the flagship Barneys is located on the Grand Canal between the Venetian Hotel and the Palazzo. LIP Mach 2000 & Revival Seventies collections will be introduced on the main floor before they make their way across the country to other Barneys locations in New York City, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston in February-March. LIP are also available online here-->Link

(Pictured above - LIP "Mythic" Watch by Prisca Briquet)

The French brand LIP has been around 150 years but were unavailable in the United States until now. The company is reintroducing some of their most important models from a modern collection that remains as visionary today as when first unveiled 35 years ago. Most are faithful recreations while others have been updated with new designer visions. Best of all, the quality of the watchmaking is top notch and priced incredibly well ranging from $180-$520.

The Mach 2000 and Revival Seventies collections were the brainchild of a revolutionary collective of French industrial designers, architects, interior decorators, and graphic designers. In the 1960s and 1970s, LIP enlisted a handful of these creatives to bring their truly original ideas of timekeeping to life in a series of watches. Among them was the prolific Roger Tallon who designed everything from high-speed French TGV trains to the 1964 Helicoid Staircase (part of the MoMa Design Collection). Tallon’s LIP designs include the iconic Mach 2000 series.

See more about LIP here-->Link

The LIP Product Pages-->Link

Barneys Las Vegas (along the indoor canals of the Venetian Hotel & Casino)

What do you want? It's Vegas!

Staircase to the main floor LIP department in Vegas

Big Fat LIPs!

LIP Mach 2000 Chronograph->Link
Roger Tallon Design - 1974

LIP Mach 2000 Watch "Mafia" ->Link
Roger Tallon Design - 1974

LIP Revival Seventies "Big TV"
Roger Tallon Design->Link

LIP Revival "TV" ->Link
Roger Tallon Design - 1975

LIP Revival Seventies "Fridge"
Roger Tallon Design - 1975 ->Link

LIP Revival Seventies "Diode" LED Digital Watch
Roger Tallon Design - 1975 ->Link
(and soon to be featured in GQ Magazine!)

LIP Revival Seventies "Baschmakoff" Jump Hour
Prince Francois de Baschmakoff Design - 1970 ->Link

See more about LIP here-->Link

Happy Nooka Year - New Styles & Colors from Nooka Watches

I'm a sucker for asymmetry. And that's why the new Nooka Zirc models "stuck out" to me when seeing their latest offerings. Nooka is NYC designer Matthew Waldman's three year old watch brand spawned from his lifelong desire to see time represented in untraditional ways. The Nooka watches feature linear displays of LCD bars, dots, dashes, and the occasional digit.

Zirc Black, White, and Mirrored ($330)

The upcoming Nooka COTN Camo $250
Camouflage patterns of cats, bats, and birds
COTN=Creatures Of The Night

The Golden Zot, Zoo, Zen & Zub Nooka Collection
Self described "Fauxtastic" $310

Nooka available here-->LINK

See also;
History of LED Calculator Watches
History of Dynamic Scattering LCD
History of Solar LED Watches
LED-LCD Watch Combos
Zenith Analog/Digital Hybrid
Other Analog-Digital Posts
Alternative Displays
All Digital Watch Posts
All LED Watch Related Posts

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Turn to the Left - Fashion Brands Seeking Horological Legitimacy

Louis Vuitton's Tambour Collection

"Chanel, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton. What do these three brands have in common? None of them is originally from the domain of watchmaking. Chanel comes from the world of haute couture; Hermès has its origins in saddlery and leather goods; and Louis Vuitton started with luggage."

"They have all expertly entered the world of horology, and have even succeeded in becoming members of the very small club of legitimate watchmakers. Each has done so in its own way."

Read the entire Europastar article here-->Link

Chanel J12 Tourbillon & Superleggera J12

Hermès Cape Cod Moon Phases

Via Europastar

Live Television Disaster - Timex Took a Licking and Ended Up Missing

John Cameron Swayze's Timex demonstration mishap on live television circa 1960. Note Mr. Swayze's face when looking at the blade.

Press play above or go to video-->Link

And a few more vintage spots below including a live dolphin licking/ticking test and hidden at the end of this reel (the spot after the Heinz pickles ad) is...well, I'll just say one very scary word. Mimes.

Press play or go to video-->Link

The AlarMe - Personal Wrist Alarm Concept

Designer Nikita Golovlev has created a watch for the hearing impaired. AlarMe has the ability to alert those who cannot hear an audible alarm by vibration on the watch. The watch has two built in multidirectional microphones that measure the surrounding ambient sound levels. Once the sound changes frequency, the vibrating alarm alerts the user that there is a situation going on and they need to leave the area. The LED lights and face alert the user as to what the alarm is, and if it is a serious situation or one where only caution needs to be had.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Translation Lost - Brad Pitt Japanese Rolex Commercial

Pitt Rolex Video-->Link

I hope they gave Mr. Pitt as thorough stage directions Bill Murray received in Lost In Translation (as shown below).

Lost In Translation Video-->Link "Mow Intensatay!"

See also;
1970s Timex Commercial Collection
1960s Timex "Underwater Dating"
1978 Texas Instruments
1961 Bulova Accutron
Laser Beam Wristwatch
A New Age in Quartz
1940s Jam Handy for Hamilton
1970s Seiko Memory Bank
1940's Conquer by the Clock

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

Use Your Phonograph as an Alarm Clock - Popular Science 1932

USE PHONOGRAPH AS AN ALARM CLOCK

"A novel attachment for the phonograph by which a heavy sleeper may be aroused at any hour he wishes by soft music, was recently shown in London, England. The alarm-clock device is set at the desired hour, and wound. A brake on the turntable of the phonograph is released at the set hour by a slight pull from the alarm key of the clock."

1932 Issue of Popular Science

Friday, January 11, 2008

RIP Ettore Sottsass

Ettore Sottsass has passed away soundly in his sleep at the age of 90. Founder of the influential Memphis design movement and the iconic 1969 Olivetti typewriters, he also designed watches for Alessi, Seiko, Tissot, and Cleto Munari.

Sottsass Seiko Designs (originally featured here->link)

Sottsass Designs for Tissot

Sottsass for Munari

Sottsass for Alessi

The 1969 Olivetti

Video of his 2007 exhibition at the Design Museum London spanning sixty years of design-->Link

See also;
Eero Aarnio Prototype Watch
Vintage Christian Dior
Vintage Pierre Cardin
Designer LIP Watches
Paul Smith Watches
All Designer Posts

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Friday, January 4, 2008

Walter Wayle Wall Clock by Philippe Starck -circa 1989

Walter Wayle Wall Clock
Year of production: 1989
Model: Walter Wayle II
Dimensions: 25.4 x 25.4 x 5.1 cm
Material: Thermoplastic resin
Manufacturer: Alessi
Designer: Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck, designer of half-a-million dollar Richard Mille watches as well as the mass produced models for Fossil created this wall clock sculpture for Alessi in 1989 and is part of the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) Design Collection. Two propeller/flipper style hands for hours and minutes.

Pita RE2 Chrono by Spanish Watchmaker Aniceta Pita

Barcelona watchmaker, Aniceta Pita released his Pita RE2, a new chronograph with unique non-protruding case-flush pushers and crown. A member of the exclusive AHCI (Horological Academy of Independent Creators), Pita has created a limited edition of 59 RE2's featuring modified vintage Lemania 5100 movements and a patented TSM system of ball bearings to reduce friction.

Pita website-->Link
(RE2 is not shown yet on his site)

An earlier Pita "Carousel" with a single hand that is attached to the movement itself. Note the visible ball bearings.

via Timezone

See also;
All Chronograph Posts
Botta Uno One-Handed Watches
Max Bill Chronoscope for Junghans
Expanding & Contracting Hand Watch

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