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Independent Complication

[dropcap size=big]B[/dropcap]reguet’s latest chronograph can only record up to 20 minutes at a time, but for good reason: It is part of an innovative, self-contained system that powers itself every time it is reset. Firstly, this is possible because the chronograph and the timekeeping functions of the Breguet Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077 do not share the same mainspring – but, instead, have their own power source, transmission and regulators.

What is truly novel, however, is the long, thin piece of steel that is flexed when the chronograph is reset, generating enough tension to run the chronograph for 20 minutes. Resetting the stopwatch generates the power to run it, so no winding is necessary.

Another creative solution was used to keep the balance wheels of the chronograph and timekeeping mechanisms the same size, in the name of visual harmony. The chronograph balance wheel runs at a higher frequency than its timekeeping counterpart. This trait allows the chronograph to measure up to a tenth of a second, but would typically require its balance wheel to be smaller than that of the timekeeping system.

To keep their dimensions the same, the chronograph balance wheel is made of lightweight titanium, as opposed to the heavier Glucydur alloy of the timekeeping balance wheel. Breguet’s Tradition watches may be modelled on 19th-century pocket watches, but that spirit of antiquity clearly stops at aesthetics.

Breguet Tradition Chronographe Independant 7077; $113,300 (rose gold) or $114,500 (white gold).

 

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Soft Power

Women’s timepieces, as previously noted in this magazine, have become more technically complex, as brands realise that there are plenty of female consumers who want more than just a pretty quartz watch.

Marrying one of haute horlogerie’s most complex mechanisms with an age-old symbol of femininity, the RM 19- 02 Tourbillon Fleur is equipped with a flying tourbillon hidden beneath five petals of a magnolia, each of which is crafted from white gold and lacquered. Completing this picture, the centre of the tourbillon is set with gems, evoking the stamens of a flower.

Every five minutes, the petals open and the tourbillon slowly rises to be admired – the tourbillon assembly is mounted on a long pinion that allows it to keep rotating as it rises – before returning to its perch, as the petals close over it. The tourbillon can also perform its routine on demand, with a push of the button on the side of the diamond-set case. Lifting the petals and raising the tourbillon requires substantial energy, which comes from a second mainspring. Flower power, indeed.

Richard Mille RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur, price upon request.

 

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The Thinnest Timer

More precisely, the world’s thinnest automatic split-seconds chronograph: That’s what Vacheron Constantin has achieved with our favourite piece from its new Harmony collection. The Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph is a monopusher split-seconds chronograph. Unlike a conventional chronograph, a split-seconds chronograph can time two periods of up to a minute simultaneously.

Here, the movement is just 5.2mm in height – pretty impressive, considering that (a) the split-seconds chronograph is one of the most complex complications to make, and (b) the movement in question has 459 parts. The chronograph is activated via the button integrated into the crown, while the button at two o’clock is used to activate the split time.

Revealed through the sapphire caseback, the Calibre 3500 resembles the beautifully complex movements found in vintage pocket watches, with numerous straight-grained steel levers of the chronograph mechanism sitting over the base movement. Instead of a rotor that sits on top of the movement and obscures half of it, this watch has a peripheral winding mechanism. The thin, curved gold weight revolves around the edge of the movement, shaving off precious millimetres, and allowing an unblocked view of the finely finished calibre within.

em>Vacheron Constantin Harmony Ultra-Thin Grande Complication Chronograph, $518,200.

 

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A Surrealist Vision

One of the most iconic shapes ever to emerge from Cartier, the Crash is equipped for the first time with a skeletonised movement. Developed specifically for the Crash Skeleton, the movement is shaped just like the case, with its bridges elegantly twisted out of shape. The base plate of the movement – which forms the dial here – is curved to match the arch of the case. The 9618 MC movement is based on the square skeleton movements Cartier developed for its Santos watches, with the same twin mainsprings that give it a three-day power reserve.

The origins of this Dali-esque timepiece lie in an apocryphal story. A Cartier executive in Swinging Sixties London was involved in a car accident while wearing an oval Cartier wristwatch. The mangled timepiece created the basis for the original Crash, which is slightly smaller than the skeletonised version. Historically available primarily in gold, the Crash Skeleton is also one of the rare occasions it’s presented in platinum.

Cartier Crash Skeleton, $108,000.

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