Tag Archives: luxury timepieces

7 films that Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces co-starred in

 

For decades, Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for its dedication to the movie industry. The watchmaker has not only been working together with the most prestigious film festivals including Venice International Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival but also collaborating with movie productions on screens.

In Batman Begins, 2005, Christian Bale opted a classic Reverso for Bruce Wayne, the alter ego of Batman, while Robert Downey Jr. who is known for his insane collection of luxury watches, is spotted wearing a Deep Sea Master Compressor in The Judge, 2014.

 

Scroll down to take a look at the Jaeger-LeCoultre’s creations appeared in movies:

The League of gentlemen, 1960 -Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Thomas Crown Affair, 1999 -Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso Duo

Bad Teacher, 2011 -Jaeger LeCoultre Scott Delacorte

Batman Begins, 2005 -Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso

Fast & Furious 6, 2013 -Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph

Annie, 2014 -Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Calendar

The Judge, 2014 -Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Master Compressor

Dr Strange, 2016 -Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual

Visit www.jaeger-lecoultre.com to find out more.

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

SIHH 2019: IWC Schaffhausen Pilots Watch fronts the game this year

At every watch fair where releases upon releases are unveiled to the public in a day, one question tends to stand out among collectors and fans – are brands tied to just their icons? It’s an important point to note.

We, as part of the media, understand and know a brand’s heritage all the way through, remembering references from a time that has past. More often than not, however, the public tends to not share the same sentiment. For a larger demographic that appreciates watches and not the watch industry as a whole, a brand like IWC Schaffhausen tends to only signal “pilot’s watches” in their head. The same folk that would have never understood why Rolex would create the Cellini, or that Audemars Piguet has any other reference than Royal Oak and its larger counterparts.

IW371815_Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium_Lifestyle

While that may have been the online response from IWC’s Da Vinci campaign in 2017 (that did well, mind you), 2019 sees IWC pushing what some have called the brand’s icon back to the forefront. It’s a win-win situation for all, of course. The people who love IWC timepieces for the one collection have plenty to celebrate, and the media itself has a fantastic collection to review.

IWC Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph TOP GUN Ceratanium

While much of the fanfare at IWC’s SIHH booth has been about the seven-watch collection for the Pilot’s Watch Spitfire range, we’re going to have to give a mention to the Top Gun timepieces from this year. With four pieces in total, the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium leads the pack.

The all-black stealth piece sees IWC’s titanium and ceramic alloy used in a 44mm case, as well as all case components, including the push-buttons and pin buckle. The 79420 calibre is an automatic double chronograph that lets its user record intermediate times.

 

IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert

If the all black look isn’t quite your thing, there’s IWC’s new Mojave Desert variant of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Top Gun. The colour, derived from a combination of zirconium and other metallic oxides according to the brand, matches the flying suits of the US Navy’s pilots based in the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in the Mojave Desert.

The watch is a limited edition though, with just 500 pieces available worldwide once it’s released.

SIHH 2019: All you need to know about the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date

Zeitwerk Date

Celebrating its 10th birthday, A. Lange & Söhne’s mechanical “digital” watch receives an update for SIHH 2019. The latest Zeitwerk Date delivers the same high precision jumping digital display with an all-new feature – an additional date complication via a sapphire ring date displaying the current date in red.

The new A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date is equipped with a new manufacture calibre, adding a date complication variant of the Zeitwerk series of Handwerkskunst, Minute Repeater, and the Decimal Strike.

SIHH 2019 A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date

The Zeitwerk series debuted in 2009, ushering a new era in timekeeping- a digital watch with a mechanical heart. Inspired by the famed Dresden clock (and not an ironic watchmaking exercise mimicking digital quartz devices which almost killed the industry), the Lange Zeitwerk became known for its innovative, precisely jumping digital hours and minutes.

Arguably a  foundational pillar for the Saxony manufacture’s know-how, alongside the Datograph collection, the innovative concept of a digital mechanical wristwatch, with constant-force escapement and precisely jumping digital displays indicating hours and minutes with jumping numerals, became a revolutionary icon for the resurgent brand.

Zeitwerk Date

Ten years later, the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date uses the new Lange manufacture calibre L043.8, introducing the series’ first date complication. The 44.2 mm  white- gold Zeitwerk Date with a grey dial could be mistaken for a regular Zeitwerk in the collection save for the circumferential date ring consists of glass with printed numerals from 1 to 31 with the current date indicated in red, as a result, the ring-shaped date complication is perfectly harmonised with the Lange Zeitwerk’s overall design codes.

Zeitwerk Date

To achieve the post-modern date display, a small colour segment beneath the date ring performs one step exactly at midnight. Advancing 31 days, the red section would have complated one full orbital association.

Hence, the date is always clearly legible at all times and also recognisable intuitively. The date is itself manually adjusted with a corrector at 8 o’clock which operates on what Tony de Haas calls, “the inverted pusher”.

Zeitwerk Date

Typically, a user subjects the movement of his watch to an inordinate amount of pressure when using his pushers, this action could technically damage the user’s calibre. However, the switching impulse generated by the Zeitwerk Date when it is released takes a lot of the guesswork and potential for damage out of the equation.

Inclusion of the new date display unexpectedly threw up some inconvenient challenges like how the aesthetic codes of a Zeitwerk do not allow for easy layout for the brand’s signature outsized date. Hence, the team eventually decided that they needed a totally new design approach with a precisely jumping ring date.

Zeitwerk Date

Since time setting accurate to 24 hours would take too long to adjust via the crown of a Zeitwerk due to the minute by minute advancement, the SIHH 2019 Lange Zeitwerk Date incorporates an additional button at 4 o’clock allowing for advance of the hour indication separately.

The integration of the hour button was associated with considerable design modifications. To enable the correction independently of the switching cycles of the movement, a clutch uncouples the hour ring from the jumping numerals mechanism each time the button is pressed – Lange Technical Director de Haas refers to this convent as the “inverted” pusher.

The  516 piece manually wound calibre L043.8 stands out with its clearly organised movement architecture. What remains is the patented constant-force escapement that handles two tasks. As a remontoir device, it powers the balance of the Zeitwerk Date with a uniform amount of force for the entire running duration. Additionally, it also delivers the one-per-minute impulse for switching the three-disc jumping numerals display.

 

Zeitwerk Date Price and Specs

Movement Manual winding Lange manufacture calibre L043.8 with 72 hours power reserve
Case 44.2 mm white gold case
Strap Alligator leather
Price $96,700