In the build up to SIHH 2012 comes pre-show details of the Richard Mille RM037, a piece with a new in-house Calibre, the CRMA1.

Technical advancements and innovations are the norm at Richard Mille.  There is a methodological process involved in achieving the end product of all Richard Mille watches, one which is often measured in the hours and even days taken to produce even the most minute components.  Similar to the technology used to perfect and balance monocoque and engine in Formula One, watch case and calibre are constructed to have increased performance, precision and durability.

The new in-house Calibre CRMA1 features a number of re-designed features – the crown has been separated from the watch case, the removal of a winding stem means that there is a minimum risk of damage if the crown receives an impact; the new barrel rotates faster improving performance and precision; new gear teeth on the wheels of the going train result in better transmission of power to the balance wheel; there is a new rotor and new re-worked screws for all the major components – to design a new calibre, the Master Watchmakers at Richard Mille don’t tweak and fiddle with what’s in their spare parts tray, they begin with a blank sheet.  All the improvements made have a common goal – a more precise timepiece which is as close to indestructible as possible.

Two pushers are used for re-setting functions in place of a conventional crown.  The pusher at 4 o’clock is for winding (W), neutral (N) and hand setting (H) with an aperture at 4 o’clock on the dial to display the chosen option and at 10 o’clock is a pusher for the date change.

The convex case measures 52.2mm x 34.4mm and has, as always, been constructed using cutting edge techniques and more than a few trick manufacturing methods which ensure durability.  The Calibre CRMA1 has been created using skeletonised titanium and produces a mighty 50 hours of power reserve.

The Richard Mille RM037 will be available in Titanium, Red Gold or White Gold editions.

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When you have been in the business of making watches for 220 years, naturally you are a brand with a lot to celebrate.  The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Seconds for SIHH 2012 celebrates a trio of accomplishments and has a dial which in comparison to last year’s piece is positively cluttered.  Yet as always it remains pure and unfussy – a perfect example of a dress watch.

The 1966 Collection celebrates a time when the brand received recognition for its research and development of high frequency movements, a pursuit of precision which continues to this day, Girard-Perregaux are no stranger to accolades and awards and in 1889 they won the Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition in Paris for the “La Esmeralda” pocket watch, the following year, 1900 they were invited to become a jury member instead of a competitor, rather like the system in place for the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Aiguille d’Or prize winner.  Both dates are engraved on the solid caseback of the  2012 1966 Small Seconds watch, along with the year of its founding, a celebratory engraving worth sacrificing a sapphire caseback for.

On the hand-grained dial, an abundance of elegant features – the blued steel hands, railway track edging, caligraphical Arabic numerals, the little red “60″ on the seconds subdial.  The small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock and the date aperture at 3 are perfectly arranged, the GP logo and founding date add symmetry to eachother.  Inside is the GP 03300 automatic movement with 46 hours of power reserve.

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Seconds pre SIHH 2012 watch measures a very vintage 38mm across, is constructed from pink gold and will be a limited edition release of 100 pieces.

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At a cocktail reception hosted by the charismatic Jean-Claude Biver on the shores of Lake Geneva over the weekend, the all-new relationship between his Hublot brand and the Alinghi Americas Cup team became official by the unveiling of the Hublot King Power Alinghi Limited Edition, itself based on the hugely successful Hublot Big Bang series.

The Hublot King Power Alinghi Limited Edition

Present at the launch, and recipient of piece number 1, was Ernesto Bertarelli, President of the successful Alinghi team  who later this year will defend the Americas Cup for Switzerland against US challengers Team BMW Oracle Racing in the 33rd running of the famous yacht race.

While it is always interesting to see the launch of new a piece, whether it is to one’s taste or otherwise, this occasion was significant in that it represented the beginning of a new era for both Team Alinghi and the Hublot brand, for previously the Alinghi name was closely associated with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore editions, a relationship which expired along with it’s contracts mid 2009. With the signature pieces from both watchmakers being so competitively poised in adversity, one imagines that when the opportunity came around for JC Biver’s Hublot brand to pick up the torch left behind by Audemars Piguet, that he moved in fairly quickly (as is his way). Indeed the deal was agreed in outline within 24 hours of Biver and Bertarelli discussing the potential at the unveiling of the Alinghi 5 catamaran last year.

The Hublot King Power Alinghi

The new Hublot Big Bang King Power Alinghi is striking in that it’s part-skeletonised dial – beneath which beats the new in-house Hublot UNICO Calibre movement – leaves the impression that the chronograph counters appear to ‘hover’ independently between crystal and dial, a feature which is exacerbated by the Alinghi motif at the 9 o’clock position.

Crafted in ceramic and rubber, the watch symbolizes the mutual interest in design and materials shared by both Hublot and the Alinghi team. It will be produced in a limited release of 333 numbered pieces.

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