PRIMETIME – Best Of 2015 – The Watchmaking Beasts Of The Year
Every year brings awesome new watches, and 2015 was once again a serious one. We chose 5 models that we find absolutely out of the ordinary for various reasons – and because of their unusual qualities, we call them our beasts.
Number five is the H4 from HYT because it offers a new way to read the time in the dark. For the first time an electro-mechanical micro generator is powered via a dedicated crown. Two micro LEDs work alternatively and at high speed to light the movement from inside, which allows one to read the time in the dark.
The fourth beast is the Royal Oak Concept Audemars Piguet Laptimer Michael Schumacher Chronograph. What is really cool about the Laptimer is that it can be used in various situations, even simple ones. It is first and foremost a regular chronograph with start, stop, and reset functions. This wristwatch also works as a regular flyback chronograph. But it can provide more information than that such as measuring different laps, also offering the possibility to erase the last one.
Our third choice is the Legacy Machine Perpetual from MB&F. This perpetual calendar looks like no other on the market and is the first high complication conceived entirely in-house. It integrates in particular a type of innovative mechanical computer that calculates the year, month, day, and date in a totally new way. A technical challenge, the Legacy Machine Perpetual offers a stunning new visual interpretation of what a perpetual calendar can look like. Again, MB&F succeeded in providing its own interpretation of a classic complication.
Beast number two is the Rolex Oyster Day-Date with new Caliber 3255 integrating the new Chronergy regulator. This new movement is a supreme timekeeper as its precision is between -2 and +2 seconds per day, which far surpasses COSC certification demands (the COSC allows deviation from -4 to +6 seconds per day). In addition, Caliber 3255’s hairspring is metallic, and the movement is produced industrially!
Finally, our number one is the stunning Vacheron Constantin pocket watch Ref. 57260. With 57 mechanically driven complications, this watch ordered by a private collector took 8 years of research and development. But more than breaking a new record, it proves that still today boundaries can always be pushed further in mechanical watchmaking and that this unique mix between beauty and technology at a micro scale is irreplaceable.
