::Van Cleef & Arpels Watches ::

Van Cleef & Arpels Watches - The Fleurette Collection

A contrast between black and white, between what is infinitely simple and infinitely precious, the fleurette collection plays with patterns of jewelry motifs. On either side of the curved case, two flowers made with seven brilliant-cut diamonds perfectly mold to the shape of the wrist and seem to rest on the black satin strap. To fully showcase the size of the dial and highlight its curves, the jeweler used the black or white lacquer technique and paired exceptionally pure diamonds. In its jewelry version, a bracelet entirely diamond set in an open work motif mirrors the floral motif of the case. Van Cleef & Arpels’ emblematic motifs suggest that nothing can resist to the timeless charm of the House’s great classics.

Van Cleef & Arpels Watches -Charms Collection

Paris Jewellery & Watchmaker Van Cleef & Arpels has imagined its newest watch collection based on a jeweler’s fancy. Classical yet surprising, the watch is adorned with its inseparable diamond-set Alhambra good luck charms, free to turn infinitely around the dial. Its harmonious shape comes from the generous curves of thewatch and the highly-refined details. The guilloché dial with a sun burst effect highlights the purity of the simple baton hands, adding a touch of glamour to this ultra-feminine creation. Available in white or pink gold, signed on the side of the case, set with two rows of diamonds or fully pavé, the Charms watch is available in two sizes and has an ingenious interchangeable strap system.

::Van Cleef and Arpels::

Van Cleef & Arpels Watches -Complications poétiques Femme

 Lady Arpels Féérie

Born from the imagination of Van Cleef & Arpels and created to enhance the beauty of gestures and to trigger perpetual wonder, the concept of a poetic complication has endowed fine watch-making with a new dimension. In this spirit, technical complexity is at the service of aesthetics. Behind each curved-out mirror, characters come alive as if by magic, motifs are created; they evolve or change according to the time or seasons. Each dial is thus transformed into a scene from a fairytale. This enchanting interpretation of time offers hand-enamelled and hand-painted design upon which to read time. These sublime showcases marry various themes: fairies, stars, seasons, designed by Van Cleef & Arpels' master watch-makers and jewelers.

::Type of Astronomical Watches::

Blu Galaxy
This brilliantly sparkling astronomical watch creates a heavenly display through a dial comprised of three disks made from Aventurine, a special type of glass.
Each disk rotates concentrically at different speeds and is inset with diamonds.
Two diamonds on the middle disk indicate hours while three diamonds signal minutes on the outer disk, the central disk for seconds.
The watch is available in stainless steel, white gold, or red gold, as well as three sizes, 36, 39, or 42mm.

Jaeger LeCoultre Grande Complication

This celestial time instrument comprises an incredible 527 parts and is testament to formidable technical mastery. Its complexity is due to the combination of three major watch complications, a minute repeater, a flying tourbillon and a zodiac calendar with sidereal time.
It is the only astronomical watch to indicate celestial time through use of a flying tourbillon which moves round the dial once every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds indicating true time or sidereal time. Astronomers use the sidereal unit to track the direction of stars. Most wristwatches typically display mean time.
This most distinguishing design feature revolves round a dial which is intricately decorated with star charts on the beautiful blue lustre of the laquered face.
The dial is intricately decorated with important celestial information and blue lustre.

Ulysse Nardin Moonstruck
At the center of the Moonstruck is the earth viewed from the top, pivoting around which are the moon and Earth indicators.
By using two discs that revolve around this central map of the earth, the Moonstruck reproduces the rotation of the Moon around the Earth, as well as the Sun’s relative position.
The moon indicator not only shows you its relative position to earth but through the use of an orb gives you the moon’s phase as well as rather ingeniously revolving so its lit side always faces the sun.
Also featuring a rotating GMT hand and disk , these can be used together with the sun indicator for world time zones.
Features a beautiful mother of pearl dial and ceramic bezel.

Sarpaneva Korana K3 Black Moon
The darkly distinct design of this moonphase watch by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva features an enigmatically stylized moon face which has been hand-engraved. The moon phase indicator shows a complete moon phase cycle through its “relieved dial”.
The uniformly black appearance perhaps hinting at the long dark winters in Finland.
The K3 has a lattice-like skeletonized dial revealing sections of the Soprod A10 automatic movement within.
Limited to 20 pieces, each one comes with a hand-bound book “Black is the Moon” recounting the legend of Lilith the seductive temptress that preyed on men during the new moon.
The Sarpaneva Korona K3 Black Moon won a 2009 Red Dot Design Award for communication design.

Citizen Astrodea Celestial
This reasonably priced Astronomical watch comes with a 10x magnifying glass so you can truly appreciate the level of detail of the dials complex star chart, representing 1,109 stars.
Its equipped with a myriad of celestial functions including Daily Duration of Sunshine, Equinox Indications, Sunrise & Sunset, among other cosmic information. Available with either northern or southern hemisphere versions of the dial.

Van cleef & arpels midnight in paris

The Van Cleef & Arpels “Midnight in Paris” recreates a map of the stars in the night sky above Paris. The orbiting of the stars is achieved by using a rotating Aventurine glass disk.The art of bringing life to a dial, the jeweler’s sensitivity, aesthetic and technical watch-making prowess. Van Cleef & Arpels has channelled their exceptional know-how towards masculine elegance.Genuine meteorite stone from 4.5 billion years ago has been set into a disk that surrounds the calendar in the back of the watch.

Van Cleef & Arpels incorporated meteorite because it represents “the only known physical material that provides information shedding light on the creation of the solar system elements”


Patek Philippe Celestial
Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe is the last privately owned independent Geneva watch manufacturer and one of the largest traditional watchmaking companies in the world.
Patek Philippe is well known for its sophisticated high-end astronomical watches.
This one provides information about the night sky by using a dial constructed from a series of superimposed layers of sapphire crystal disks which concentrically rotate and tell you information about the cosmos.Using the Geneva sky as a reference, it will give you the time of meridian passage of the moon as well as Sirius, the position of the stars, a beautifully Milky Way rendered in gold.Inside the Platinum and Rose Gold 43mm case is a mechanical self-winding movement Caliber 240 LU CL with a 48hr pwer .

As Philippe Stern, President of the company confirms, “As an independent company, Patek Philippe enjoys total creative freedom to design, produce and complete what experts agree to be probably the finest timepieces in the world.”

Arnold & Son Grand Moon Tourbillon

Arnold & Son are British watchmakers founded in 1764, maker of the first ever pocket chronometer they became the leading supplier to the Royal Navy.
Their “Grand Moon Tourbillon” astronomical watch combines the complex beauty of a tourbillon with its celestial design.
It uses a retrograde, hand painted moon phase that calculates the phase of the moon based on the moon’s exact synodic period.
Other celestial touches include a movement decorated with diamond constellations and a power reserve of 96 Hours.
Price:$295,750

::Astronomical Watches::

Astronomy and timepieces have been intertwined throughout history and its a natural relationship given that all time units are caused by astronomical phenomena. Indeed watchmakers look to this astronomical history for inspiration.
Dutch watchmaker Christiaan van der Klaauw for instance was inspired to create his first astronomical timepieces by Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695), the well-known astronomer and maker of the first pendulum clock. He also drew inspiration from the planetarium built by Eise Eisinga (1744-1828) for his Planetarium watch.
Other brands such as Ulysse Nardin have been inspired to create astronomical watches named after famous astronomers. Three such astronomical watches were the “Astrolabium Galileo Galilei“, the “Planetarium Copernicus” and the “Tellurium Johannes Kepler“, called the Trilogy of Time. The essence of Astronomical watches lies in their interpretation of celestial timekeeping, a combination of horological history and cutting edge technology. They are not only fascinating technical marvels but also interesting tools for astronomical observations.

“Watches with astronomical indications remain among the rarest and most poetic type of complications.” – Patek Phillipe  

::ToP 5 Unique Watch Style::

 
1.Skeleton watches:
Like the name suggests, skeleton watches showcase the inner workings of a mechanical wristwatch. A glass-encased face allows wearers and admirers to see the precise detailing that makes a quality watch run smoothly. These stunning watches are fascinating to look at and are sure to make a statement wherever you choose to wear them.

2.Colored watches:
If you're looking for something more playful than the average wristwatch, colored watches fit the bill. The most prominent feature of colored watches is generally their brightly hued rubber straps, providing a flashy design that is also extremely durable. If you love the idea of a colored watch but want to keep it subtle, you may want to look at watches with colored faces. You'll get the same pop of color in a smaller format. Since these watches come in both sport watch and dress watch styles, they are ideal for almost any occasion.

 

 

3.Dual-face watches:
Can't decide between roman numerals and classic numbers? Don't worry; you don't have to. Dual-face watches offer split-screen faces for an unexpected design detail that sets it apart from other casual watches. These hybrid watches also come in a futuristic analog/digital watch format.

 

  4.Pocket watches:

 Pocket watches have a distinguished look that hearkens back to the days of old-fashioned time telling. Pocket watches are a great option for men who love the look of a historical timepiece and still want a fully functional watch. Modern pocket watches with rugged details, like leather straps and protective cases, add an unexpected twist to the original luxury watch.


5.Cuff watches:
Thick leather straps are the defining characteristic of laid-back cuff watches. These edgy watches are often produced by designer watch brands and can be polished and sleek or distressed and relaxed. Cuff watches can be perfectly paired with a t-shirt and jeans for the man who wants to show off his trendy taste in wristwatches.

::History Of Watches::

The first pocket watch was created in Germany by Peter Henlein in 1524. Others appears in 1548 and more were produced in Switzerland and England after 1575. At this time the main problem was the driving mechanism. Typically, weights were used, which made portable watches impractical, but it was a period of great advancement and innovation.

The first movements were made of steel, then later brass. They had no balance springs and were notoriously inaccurate. The watches had only an hour hand and had to be wound twice daily. Soon the spiral leaf mainspring appeared, the greatest innovation at the time as it allowed long-term power without weights. Because of a difference in timing between the long arcs and the short arcs, accuracy could only be improved by using a limited portion of the mainspring. Germany produced a watch with a cam at the end of a barrel arbor to compensate for variations in spring tension, but it was the English and French solution to use the fusee. This stopped the watch during winding to prevent over oscillation of the balance wheel. Additional stops were included as regulators. 

 

Form watches became popular in the 1600s, with cases shaped like animals and objects. Religious themes were especially popular. Although there were few technical improvements, watches became more like pieces of jewelry. It wasn't until 1704 that the first rubies were used in watch movements to create more accurate time pieces. By 1750, enamel was used on watch dials making them more visible in low light. The first self-winding movement was invented in 1780, by Abraham Perrelet, and in 1820 Thomas Prest registered a patent for a self-winding watch. In America, in 1809, the first watch manufacturer was Luther Goddard of Shrewsbuy, Massachussetts. In 1848, Louis Brandt opened a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds which was to later become the Omega Watch company. It was the Americans, around 1850, who were first to go into mass production, with mixed results, the main companies being Waltham, Elgin and Hamilton.

In 1884, Greenwich, England was named the zero meridian, a worldwide acceptance of a starting point for global time zones. After 1900, advances in metallurgy improved the mechanisms, primarily because the balance spring was sensitive to temperature and position. Self-compensating balances were made with bi-metallic properties to compensate for high and low tempartures, and eventually a balance was created that could compensate for middle temperature errors. In 1905 the Rolex Watch Company was started by Hans Wilsdorf. 1914 saw the first wristwatch with an alarm. Seiko was started in Tokyo in 1924.