Month: February 2015

Greubel Forsey, the boutique luxury replica watches brand specializing in complicated watches with multiple tourbillons, marked its 10th anniversary in 2014. Though it still produces only around 100 pieces per year, the Greubel Forsey watch brand has come a long way since its memorable debut at the 2004 Baselworld watch fair, and can look back on a decade of milestones. Here are the top 10.

2004: The Double Tourbillon 30° Marks the Foundation of the Greubel Forsey brand

Frenchman Robert Greubel and Englishman Stephen Forsey team up to astound the watch world at that year’s Baselworld watch fair with a tourbillon cheap replica watches uk of a type that no one had experienced before: it had two tourbillon cages, rotating at two speeds on two separate axes, with the inner cage set at an angle to the outer one. The groundbreaking timepiece, called the Double Tourbillon 30°, established the fledgling Greubel Forsey brand as an independent to be reckoned with.

2007: Debut of the Double Tourbillon 30° “Secret” and Tourbillon 24 Secondes

Greubel Forsey created a more subdued version of its double tourbillon watch in 2006, eschewing the openworked dial that showed off the two tourbillons in favor of hiding them behind a more traditional dial, thus keeping the groundbreaking mechanism a “secret.” The other big debut that year was the first Greubel Forsey watch with only one tourbillon, the Greubel Tourbillon 24 Secondes. But the single tourbillon cage in that Swiss replica watches uk was far from traditional: it was not only inclined as in previous Greubel Forsey tourbillons, but was also superfast, making a complete rotation every 24 seconds.

2008: Greubel-Forsey doubles down with the first Quadruple Tourbillon à Differentiel

After five years of development, and after presenting a prototype model to the watch press in 2005, Greubel Forsey unveiled its second “fundamental invention,” the Quadruple Tourbillon à Differentiel. (The Double Tourbillon was the first and the Tourbillon 24 Secondes was the third.) The new replica watches sale includes a total of four tourbillons — two double tourbillons, to be exact, with the inner two inclined as in the Double Tourbillon. Also as in the Double Tourbillon, The cages rotate once per minute (inner) and every four minutes (outer); Greubel Forsey added a differential between the two tourbillons to distribute energy between them. A “secret” version of the Quadruple Tourbillon à Differentiel would soon follow.

2009: Opening of the new ultra-modern Greubel Forsey manufacture outside La Chaux-de-Fonds

As part of its efforts to become a more streamlined manufacture, Greubel Forsey, which had been doing its manufacturing across eight workshops scattered throughout La Chaux-de-Fonds, consolidated and its operations into a new facility, consisting of an 18th-century farmhouse and a new, wedge-shaped building (below) in the Jura Mountains, made mostly of glass and equipped with eco-friendly features.

2009: Greubel Forsey joins the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH)

Greubel Forsey’s association with the Richemont luxury group — which began when Richemont acquired a 20% share of the company in 2006 —  meant that it would leave behind the crowded halls of Baselworld and become one of the very select handful of watch brands that exhibit their wares at the other major Swiss fake watches for men fair, Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), beginning in 2009. As many as 1,000 journalists visit Greubel Forsey’s luxurious, 240-square-meter booth each year.

2010: Greubel Forsey’s Double Tourbillon 30° Edition Historique wins the Aiguille d’Or at the Geneva Grand Prix

Greubel Forsey walked away with top honors at the annual Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève — basically, the watch world’s Oscars — when its Double Tourbillon 30° Edition Historique was awarded the prestigious “Aiguille d’Or” (“golden hand”) for best Swiss replica watches in all categories. The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Edition Historique, a limited edition of 11 pieces in rose gold and 11 pieces in platinum, boasts not only the inclined double tourbillon but curved plates on the dial and case sides with minuscule, intricately engraved text relating the brand’s history.

2011: Opening of the Greubel Forsey Time Art Gallery in Shanghai

When Greubel Forsey decided to open its own gallery, it did so in a way that honored its founders’ concept of watchmaking as art. The Greubel Forsey Time Art Gallery, located at 18 Bund in Shanghai, is devoted to three themes: to exhibit and showcase the special attributes of the Greubel Forsey watch collection; to unveil collaborative pieces such as the Art Piece 1 (more on which below); and to exhibit significant men’s replica watches by other independent watchmakers who share Greubel Forsey’s vision of traditional watchmaking, such as Philippe Dufour (again, more below) and Vianney Halter.

2011: The Double Tourbillon 30° Technique wins the International Chronometry Competition

Another evolution of the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon garnered another coveted watch-industry honor in 2011. The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Technique took first prize in the International Chronometry Competition, held at the Museum of Horology in Le Locle, Switzerland, which judges timepieces on their timekeeping precision. Scoring 915 points out of a possible 1,000, the Breitling replica watches sale triumphed in both the tourbillon category and the overall category, besting 17 other timepieces entered in the competition.

2012: Greubel Forsey launches the “Birth of a Watch” project with Philippe Dufour

Independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour, a name well known to watch connoisseurs, is participating in Greubel Forsey’s ambitious “Le Garde Temps, la Naissance d’une Montre,” project — a mission to preserve the knowledge and practice of traditional watchmaking practices that are in danger of being lost to industrialization. The project involves the creation of a new replica watches uk, from sketches to finished piece, using a blend of traditional and ancestral horological techniques, and recording it for posterity so the techniques may be preserved and passed on to a new generation of watchmakers. interested watch aficionados will be able to follow the creation of the watch, headed up by watchmaker Michel Boulanger, via a blog (at www.legardetemps-nm.org) with project updates and 3D films.

2013: The Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 debuts at SIHH

To create its first “Art Piece,” Greubel Forsey secured the talents of miniaturist sculptor Willard Wigan, who in the past has created sculptural works embedded in the eye of a needle and perched on the head of a pin. For Greubel Forsey’s Art Piece 1, which is also equipped with the 30° inclined double tourbillon, Wigan crafted an incredible micro-sculpture of a ship, positioned within the 2015 cheap replica watches UK interior and visible through a magnifying-glass crown at 9 o’clock. Very few editions of the Art Piece will be made, each with its own unique micro-sculpture and, as you’d expect, priced for maximum exclusivity, at over $1 million each.

Longines represents an excellent entry point into the world of fine Swiss-made watches. During the brand’s 182-year history, it has served as an official Olympic timer, supplied timepieces to multiple expeditions and to the International Aviation Federation, won numerous Grand Prix competitions, and of course created the famous Lindberg Hour Angle pilots’ watch. Today, Longines offers a broad range of great-looking replica watches uk at attractive prices. Here are five we can recommend for new collectors.

Longines Conquest 24 Hours

The Longines Conquest line exemplifies the brand’s spirit for adventure. The Conquest 24 Hour combines the purposeful look of an explorer’s tool watch with an air of elegance that makes it appropriate for all occasions. The dial displays are crystal clear, and the 41-mm case strikes an excellent balance between oversize sports models and undersize dress best Swiss replica watches sale, making it a versatile companion. The crystal is sapphire with an anti-reflective coating. The screw-in crown contributes to the 50-meter water resistance rating. The bright red 24-hour hand lets the owner track a second time zone.

The Longines Conquest 24 Hours is priced at $1,600.

Longines HydroConquest

With its 300 meter water resistance rating, the HydroConquest is no poseur. To our eyes, the red dial accents give this dive chronograph a strong sporting character. The case measures 41 mm x 15.7 mm, and it houses the mechanical, automatic winding caliber L688 column-wheel chronograph movement, developed exclusively for Longines by ETA. The subdials include a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, a 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, and small continuous seconds at 9 o’clock. The screw-down caseback, lateral crown protection and sapphire crystal offer protection from the elements, and the luminous hands and Arabic numerals let you read the time in all lighting conditions. Divers will appreciate the unidirectional bezel and double safety folding clasp.

The Longines HydroConquest chronograph retails for $2,325.

Longines Master Automatic Chronograph

For many collectors, when you ask them to think Longines, this is the look that comes to mind. The Master collection includes only mechanical cheap Breitling replica watches offering classic looks. The stainless steel case is classically sized at 38.5 mm, and the dial has a richly textured silver barleycorn finish – another nod to tradition. The dial sets off the blued steel hands to great effect. The movement is a Longines Caliber L651 with central chronograph seconds and a 30-minutes counter at 9 o’clock. The continuous small seconds are located at 9 o’clock. The movement can be viewed through a sapphire display back.

The Master Automatic Chronograph retails for $2,775.

Longines Heritage 1973

The Heritage 1973 is one our favorite models from Longines. Some might call the look retro, but we prefer modern and timeless. The look is based on a new replica watches uk Longines produced during the 1970s, and to our eye, the design has aged very well. This is not a cookie-cutter watch, but one with flair and individuality. It just works.

The 40-mm cushion case secures a movement to be proud of – an L688 Longines column-wheel chronograph. The column wheel controls the start, stop and reset actions, and it is an expensive construction found in the finest chronographs. This movement is manufactured by ETA exclusively for Longines. A clear sapphire caseback lets you view the chronograph mechanism, with its blued column wheel, in action.

We also like the subdial presentation. At first glance, the twin black registers give the Swiss replica watches uk a bi-compax look, but then you notice the white 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock. The blue tachymeter scale that circles the outer edge of the dial adds just a hint of color. The dial is very well balanced with a clarity that gives it a purposeful look.

The Longines Heritage 1973 is priced at $3,275.

Avigation Oversize Crown

Longine’s history is rich with aviation achievements, the aforementioned Lindberg Hour Angle being but one example. The Avigation Oversize Crown chronograph design is based on a fake watches uk Longines produced during the 1920s. Unlike many modern pilots’ watches that are too large to wear comfortably, this model measures 41 mm in diameter, meaning you can wear it anywhere. But it is no shrinking violet. The bold design makes a strong statement on the wrist.

Pilots’ fashion replica watches uk are all about legibility, and this piece offers it in abundance. Its black dial, white numerals and gold-plated, luminous, pear-shaped hands are extremely easy to read. The bezel is marked with a single white, triangular index that can be rotated in either direction, allowing pilots to set chronographic reference points. The fluted finish on the bezel and crown carry over from the early days of aviation, when cockpits were not heated. The size and texture allow the bezel and crown to be easily manipulated, even when wearing thick leather gloves.

We like the bi-compax chronograph layout, and together with the large date display at 6 o’clock, the dial is very well balanced. The main attraction lies behind the dial – a monopusher, column-wheel chronograph movement. These are quite rare, and typically found in best luxury replica watches uk with five-figure prices. Indeed, some people may experience a moment of confusion upon noticing chronograph subdials but no pushers. In this case, the oversize crown doubles as the chronograph push piece, controlling the start, stop, and rest functions, which is why the crown is set away from the case. And as noted, there’s a column wheel to boot, all visible through a sapphire display back.

At $3,500, the Avigation Oversize Crown chronograph is the most expensive piece we’ve selected, but it nonetheless represents outstanding value.

Breitling replica watches is an important name in the history of the chronograph, and now the brand is marking that role with a limited-edition version of the Transocean. The new Breitling Transocean Chronograph 1915 marks the 100th anniversary of a major design innovation that we too often take for granted on contemporary chronographs.

When you think of a chronograph today, one of the first images in your head is probably the two pushers on the side of the case at 2 and 4 o’clock. But timers had to go a long way before this design became standard. It was a matter of many separate inventions, developed in sequence over decades. In the early 20th century, a chronograph had a completely different appearance. At the time, all chronographs were monopushers, with the controls for starting, stopping, and returning the timer to zero all placed in the crown.

Breitling was one of the first companies to break free of this paradigm and to kickstart the evolution of the modern chronograph. In 1915, Gaston Breitling, son of founder Léon Breitling, designed a timing Swiss replica watches uk with a separate pusher to control the start, stop and reset functions. He placed it on the side of the case at 2 o’clock, just above the crown. The 2 o’clock positioning would soon become standard, as it is easy to reach and control on the wrist. (With wristwatches only just coming into vogue during World War I, the 3 o’clock position of the crown was still a new idea, too.) It wasn’t until 1923 that Breitling would separate the zero-reset button from the start/stop pusher, thus allowing for timing individual events without resetting the chronograph. But the advent of a monopusher distinct from the crown made a world of difference.

The new Transocean Chronograph 1915 plays off of these roots, updating them for a dial and case design in keeping with the Transocean collection. An angled pusher sits at 2 o’clock, above the fluted crown. The silvered dial has a bicompax display: a small-seconds subdial is at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. The hands and Arabic numerals have luminous coating. A date window can be found at 6 o’clock.

Whereas Transocean cheap replica watches for sale usually have the Breitling 01 automatic movement, the Transocean Chronograph 1915 uses a new manufacture movement. Chronometer-certified by COSC, Caliber B14 is a hand-wound movement running in 33 jewels. It has a 70-hour power reserve. Thanks to a frequency of 28,800 vph, the chronograph can time events up to a 1/4 of a second. The seconds scale around the dial is graduated to divide up the minute into 240 parts. Caliber B14 has a double column-wheel construction, arranged in two tiers.

The best replica watches uk has a stainless-steel case with a diameter of 43 mm. The dial is covered by a sapphire crystal with nonreflective coating. The caseback also is made of sapphire to reveal the movement; it also shows an engraving to mark the occasion: “100e anniversaire 1915-2015.”

The 2015 Cheap Replica Watches UK comes on a crocodile strap or on the Ocean Classic steel-mesh bracelet. It is water resistant to 100 meters. Appropriately for the anniversary, Breitling is manufacturing 1,915 pieces of the Transocean Chronograph 1915.