Look at the transparent case: seeing is believing

Some time ago, I wrote about the resurgence of skeleton movement. Traditionally, hollowing out required a watchmaker to patiently remove as much metal from the movement as possible with a saw and file without affecting its function. This is a beautiful thing, but with the new aesthetics, new materials and new manufacturing methods, the culture of the skeleton replica luxury watches has changed. Trimming and piercing existing movements is no longer a "mere" issue: manufacturers are creating movements that are explicitly expressed as skeletons, or more precisely they are designing movements that maximize the impact of transparency. Negative space has long been used in art, and it is now increasingly valued in watchmaking.

As the movement gets more and more attention to miniature dynamic sculptures, the case also continues to evolve, allowing the wearer to see more mechanical ballet with interacting parts. The first is the crystal case back, the second is to punch the dial to check for miracles such as the tourbillon, and then completely eliminated the dial. Now even the walls of the case are equipped with windows to see through the mechanical principle.

Of course, the side view is not necessarily the most exciting, and you may need to squint, but sometimes completely unobstructed views from both sides have advantages, such as the slim, in-line gold bridge movement of Corum, with the six o'clock crown Tucked between the lugs. Indeed, when the movement has a particularly unusual structure, it is natural that the creator wants to take advantage of it, just as Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard Same as the re-launch of the distinguished Ferdinand Berthoud brand in 2015. Scheufele hopes to re-manufacture unique pillared structures within the scope of men's luxury watches, the maker of 18th century marine chronographs. Considering that this is a 1,120-part watch, these pillars give the movement a surprisingly airy feel, and this case is well appreciated through the crystal side panels of the octagonal case.

Today, the replica watches swiss industry has surpassed Rubicon. Advanced materials and processing techniques can make a completely transparent case. Cartier was one of the first brands to experiment with a completely transparent case, and the brand showcased its concept watch ID2 in 2012. Since its launch, transparency has been one of Cartier's hallmarks. The mysterious clock, with its hands sandwiched between two crystal planes, seems to float in space and move independently. For ID 2, however, instead of using crystals, ceramics are used.

"Ceramics are usually opaque and we have worked for three years to develop the first fully transparent ceramic," said Carole Forestier-Kasapi, Cartier's watchmaking head. The process is protected by patents, understandably, Forestier-Kasapi is unwilling to pay too much, only to show that this is a problem with heating and molding materials. "Usually for opaque ceramics, you only need to make a mold, but this process requires several steps." Cartier has no plans to put Transparent ID into production, but Cartier's existing watches have potential uses for this technology, especially those that must Watches using hand-shaped mineral glass instead of the much stronger sapphire crystal. shape.

Watch glass is also a problem for Richard Mille. But although he described the outer glass surface and the inner glass surface as a nightmare (especially because both are curved to fit the wrist and the change in curvature requires multiple resets of the tool, increasing the possibility of breakage), he personally Made a watch made entirely of crystal (approximately £ 1.33 million). Mille is usually not an understatement, but when he describes the process as one of "extreme complexity", he may feel it. He continued: "There are so many radii ... that's why many subcontractors cannot."Hublot MP-02 Key of Time 902.ND.1190.RX replica watch


How complicated it is when he says preparing the case, cutting the parts from a solid sapphire crystal, and then polishing it, takes 1,000 hours. In addition, 430 hours were spent machining and finishing the sapphire crystal movement. All this is done before assembling the watch, which has unusual micro-braided steel suspension cables on each corner of the bottom plate (making it look like a trampoline) and can be described literally and figuratively as real Clocks are high. The line itself works.

It does sound like a nightmare, but Miller insists: "That's my dream. I've been watching mechanics. When I was young, you usually wear transparency when going to airports and auto shows. Under the hood, sometimes you buy a translucent airplane model or car. "

But now there are signs that the crystal case is gradually exiting the niche market. Zenith is not an independent, independent brand, but a long-established watchmaker known for its El Primero automatic chronograph and now part of the LVMH Group. It has been looking for a way to showcase the huge 5011 K movement, which is at the center of its 60mm pilot watch, reminiscent of the historical connection between Zenith and Louis Blériot, and decorated with engravings, telling French pilots The story of flying across the strait. . "This is one of Zenith's legendary sports, and we think collectors want to see as much of it as possible," said Zenith CEO Aldo Magada.Versace replica watches

The effect is impressive, and because the crystal case is not as complicated as Mille and the manufacturing process is not as expensive as Mille, its price is also attractive, at 150,300 pounds. "The only concession we made was to use a small metal bezel on the front, instead of mounting screws directly on the sapphire, but to use thin metal posts at six points on the bezel. It is more difficult to put the screws in It's problematic in the long run because it could weaken sapphire and make it more vulnerable. "


 
Hublot's involvement in transparent watchmaking is a by-product of the brand's experience in using high-strength materials in its research and manufacturing facility in Nyon, on the outskirts of Geneva. The creation of its superhard "magic gold" required special new machines, followed by laser cutting machines, which are now used for both ceramics and sapphires. Chairman Jean-Claude Biver said: "Sapphire is similar to ceramics in terms of resistance and hardness, which means we can use exactly the same methods, the same tools, and even the same person. The biggest The difference is that sapphire needs to be polished like a diamond. That's difficult and expensive, because depending on the complexity of the case, polishing can damage up to 50% of the parts. "

Hublot offers two sapphire crystal movements, the Cobra-style 50-day power reserve (LaFerrari, £ 397,000), arguably the brand's most exotic and sculptural movement, and the Unico chronograph. The latter is a less luxurious mechanism, but more importantly, according to the standard of the crystal case. Biver estimates that Hublot will produce 1,000 to 1,500 crystal case watches this year. He also offers transparency in various colors. In addition to clarity, there are smoky crystals, blue crystals planned for deployment by the end of the year, and pipes of other colors. But Liver's current interest is to start working on the movement and make as many components as possible as transparent as possible. "I want complete transparency," he said enthusiastically with his trademark.Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Replica Watches