U-BOAT LAUNCHES NEW CHIMERA GREEN LINE SERIES

From emerald to sage, lime to khaki, green has become one of the biggest trends in the luxury watch industry in 2021. We’ve seen new designs adorned in shades as well as reimagined classics. Italian watchmaker U-Boat chose the latter, presenting a new and refurbished collection of U-Boat Chimera Green watches, limited to 500 pieces each, in naturally aged bronze or 316L stainless steel, paired with artistic green accents. Signature Chimera dial accents.

As always, the new U-Boat collection is designed by Italo Fontana, the founder of the luxury watch brand. In a villa surrounded by the Graniano hills in the heart of Tuscany, just 15 minutes from Lucca’s ancient medieval walls, Fontana sits imagining his next greatest masterpiece, from the surrounding Drawing inspiration from the landscape and his Italian heritage. For the U-Boat Chimera, he wanted to capture his love of retro culture with distressed strap designs, vintage dials and masculine case silhouettes. With the all-new U-Boat Chimera Green, he takes that vision one step further, embodying his own colorful and playful personality through the green changes. Let’s take a look at four new U-Boat Chimera Green watches.

U-Boat Chimera Green 8526
The first in the U-Boat Chimera Green series is reference 8526. Made entirely of naturally aged bronze, this 500-piece limited chronograph is 46mm in diameter and features a patented crown release system at 8 o’clock, a Chimera feature that keeps time at your fingertips and date changes. The case also features a matching bronze bezel and case back and an oversized crown cap for easy gripping. In the center, the double-layered matt brown dial features laser-cut numerals, hour-markers, and chronograph counters, with vivid green chronograph seconds and green hands for the 24-hour subdial. The dial is protected by a domed sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating. Housed in the U-Boat Chimera Green 8526 watch is an automatic movement machined and modified according to the characteristics of U-BOAT, with a custom skeletonized rotor visible through the sapphire crystal case back, and equipped with a frequency of 28,800vph and 48 hours of power reserve. To complete the look of this bronze U-Boat Chimera watch, this distressed brown leather strap is handcrafted in Tuscany by expert artisans.

U-Boat Chimera Green 8527
The second and final bronze piece in the U-Boat Chimera Green collection is ref. 8527. Unlike the bronze companion above, this 500-piece limited edition offers a more classic time, date and GMT display, two large sword-shaped bronze hour and minute hands, a glossy green seconds hand, and a 24-hour subdial with green hands , with a curved date aperture at 9 o’clock. These functions are again powered by an automatic movement, this time taking into account a 48-hour power reserve, 26 rubies and a frequency of 28,800vph. Like all U-Boat Chimera Green watches, the reference 8527 is 46mm in diameter and features a stunning display sapphire crystal case back, which allows you to see the movement through a U-shaped opening. The dial is again double-layered, but this time with a black brushed metal finish and laser-cut hands, a patented crown release system at 10 o’clock, and water resistance to 100 meters. The bronze case is then paired with another brown aged leather strap and bronze pin buckle.

U-Boat Chimera Green 8528
Next up is the U-Boat Chimera Green watch number 8528. This is the first limited edition of 500 pieces in the collection made of steel. Other than that, it follows almost all of the same specs as the aforementioned 8526 chronograph. Its 46mm case is made of AISI 316L stainless steel with the signature oversized crown cap and patented crown release system at 8 o’clock. The five-screw case back once again showcases the self-winding movement, which offers hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph, date and 24-hour markers and a 48-hour power reserve. In contrast to the matte black double-layered dial, green marker chronograph seconds and hands on the 24-hour subdial. As expected, the U-Boat Chimera Green 8528 is water-resistant to 100 meters, features a curved sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating for instant legibility, and features an aged black laser-cut leather strap and stainless steel pin buckle Fixed on wrist.

U-Boat Chimera Green 8529
Last but not least is the U-Boat Chimera Green watch under the reference 8529. I’m sure you’ve figured out the mode here, but this model follows almost exactly in the footsteps of the bronze reference 8527, but wears stainless steel. Comes with a patented crown release system at 10 o’clock for easy time and date setting. This time around, the crown, bezel, caseback and case are made from AISI 316L stainless steel, while the black dial and black leather strap accentuate the masculine aesthetic. Housed in the U-Boat Chimera Green 8529 watch is another Swiss self-winding movement offering hours, minutes, seconds, date and 24-hour time, the latter with green accents on the complications and large central running seconds hand . The movement promises a 48-hour power reserve and features a custom skeletonized rotor that sits beneath a five-screwed caseback with a U-shaped display opening. Guaranteed 100m water resistance, high-quality domed-curved sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating ensures fast readability.

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity & Black watch hands-on

Regardless of surprise or not, the astronomical watch series has always been a popular product for Jacob co. Their main ambition as a watch manufacturer is to amaze and attract luxury consumers who think they have seen it all. There are currently six versions of “spacey” Astronomia watches on the Jacob & Co. website, some of which are “unavailable”, and some new versions that will be launched at Baselworld 2017. Now, I want to go back to the 2016 Basel International Watch and Jewellery Show. When I play these two Astronomia watches, they are Jacob & Co. Astronomia Black and Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity Baguette. I really like these brand new Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon watches, so we included them in the 2016 Baselworld 2016 update summary of the top 10 existing watches.

The 2016 Basel Watch and Jewellery Show witnessed no less than three new Jacob & Co. Astronomia watches. We finally experienced the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Sky personally, introducing a smaller case and more complicated functions. The “most affordable” of the new Astronomia watches at the time was actually Astronomia Black, which provided a darker, more space-like appearance in a black DLC-coated 18ct white gold case.

The jeweler Mr. Jacob implicitly understood the performance art in the luxury watch display. He knows that if you want something conservative, you will get a product similar to Patek Philippe or Lange. He (at all) did not try to compete with such a brand. He is tailoring products for those who seek to enjoy the love of ambitious mechanical creation in an open and fresh way. Therefore, Jacob & Co. makes watches and jewelry for customers who like to enhance their taste, status and aesthetic confidence in a bolder visual way. It is wrong to judge whether this is good or bad, because it is just a matter of taste.

As a person who cannot afford such luxury toys, I don’t know what I would do as a consumer. However, as a watch critic, I appreciate the novelty of concept and technical execution that you find in the Jacob & Co. Astronomia watch series. Carefully crafted and conceived, few modern watches are as bold and elegant as the astronomical tourbillon.

The concept of the movement itself is not a true astronomical complication-this means that although celestial bodies are displayed on the surface, the design of the mechanism does not mean to truly track the actual movements of various planets and their relationships with celestial bodies. another. There are other watches for sale (for example, this Geo.Graham Orrery Tourbillon Astronomical watch). For those who own a watch, if you need to adjust the complex functions of the planetarium, do you have a good assistant who can help you? Hurt for a few days.

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Black and Astronomia Clarity-both products appear in this article-have similar but slightly different sports, but they both do exactly the same thing. Jacob & Co. Astronomia Black is equipped with JCAM10 movement, while Clarity is equipped with JCAM12 movement. These are manual winding movements, made of 365 parts, with a frequency of 3 Hz and a power reserve of 60 hours. The movement is adjusted and wound by the folding crown on the back of the case.

Most movements are made of titanium and have a variety of finishes. The movement is divided into four arms, which are set on a pivot point and move continuously around the dial, rotating a full circle every 20 minutes. On the arm is the hour and minute dial (it always remains upright so that you can easily read the time), opposite it is an adjustment system based on a multi-axis tourbillon, and then a small and beautifully rendered map of the earth (every 24 hours Rotate one circle) Opposite the 288-facet “Jacob Cut” spherical diamond, which rotates once per minute. I like to call the latter element “Jacob & Co. Disco Ball”.

The whole movement is about visual brilliance and animation movement. The interesting thing about Jacob & Co. Astronomia watches is that they are equally interesting and attractive to toddlers because they are experienced watchmakers. This is a timepiece and movement that is pleasing on many levels. If you are the owner of one of them, please pray that you do not drop it on the floor.

One of Jacob Arabo’s dreams is to produce a version of Astronomia with a complete sapphire crystal case. Today, most of the 50 mm wide case of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon is made of sapphire crystal, and the rest is made of various gold alloys. In 2017, Jacob & Co. successfully produced the Astronomia all-sapphire crystal glass with all-sapphire crystal. I’ve seen it, but haven’t taken a picture yet. Even the gold hollow case, in addition to the large dome, the structure is also equipped with a series of sapphire crystal windows. Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity adds a sapphire crystal as the back cover, which is the second clearest Astronomia model around.

This special version of Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity is Clarity Baguette, and its lugs are set with 80 baguette-cut diamonds. This is a good addition of about 6.1 carats of stone, but for more frugal shoppers, Jacob & Co. Astronomia Clarity has a non-diamond-decorated version.

It is completely logical to imagine that these 25.45 mm thick watches would be uncomfortable to wear. It is not possible to bypass the 50 mm wide shells that are only half thick, but it is inaccurate to call them uncomfortable. Despite their avant-garde qualities, I find that most of even the strangest Jacob & Co. watches are designed to be very comfortable on the wrist, ergonomically surround your wrist, and provide a strap Fits firmly. Since both sides of the sapphire crystal mirror are coated with healthy anti-reflection coating, a clear and glare-free scene can be seen in the bubble-type case. If Mr. Arabo makes up his mind, this will become the hell of diving watches… Currently, the astronomical tourbillon of Jacobs is only water-resistant to 30 meters.

When the occasion requires luxury and you don’t hesitate to show it off, something like Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon is really suitable. In essence, this represents the places and events where the super-rich gather-not afraid to show off their toys or be criticized for extravagant decadence. At least, if you find yourself in such a situation and happen to be someone who appreciates the vivid and passionate art of robotic wrists, Jacob & Co. Astronomia is a very pleasant choice. This reference AT100.31.AC.SD.A Jacob & Co. Astronomia Black, reference AT820.30.BD.SB.A Jaconb & Co. Astronomia Clarity Baguette.

De Bethune DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon Watch

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of today’s iconic De Bethune DB28 series, this energetic Swiss ultra-high-end watchmaker has released the De Bethune DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon, which is limited to 10 pieces — it’s so beautiful. In addition to being obsessed with precisely cutting small parts and finishing them with excellent results, what I admire most about De Bethune is its indifference to norms or conventions. Although there are many “rebels” in the field of high-end luxury watches, when it comes to serious watch rebellion, few can match De Bethune.

When I talk about “don’t care”, I mean doing things, such as putting “steel” in the title of the watch, where steel accounts for a relatively small proportion of the watch’s overall metal or material composition. Or just avoid important small details in the press release, such as specifying how big the watch is (43 mm wide and 9.8 mm thick). I’m pretty sure De Bethune will not worry about the size of the watch. They made the case to suit their movements. As far as the DB28 is concerned, one of the reasons it is so famous is the hinged lugs that help it wrap around the package. This “comfort lug” system is actually a re-improvement of the DB28 Steel Wheels Sapphire Tourbillon, indicating that it is different from the DB28 case that De Bethune debuted ten years ago.

The case is made of highly polished titanium (which actually looks like steel), which is where De Bethune does a good job. They also have flame blue titanium, and you can see the parts on the dial, such as the outer ring, around the barrel, and the tourbillon frame. The concept of Steel Wheels is De Benthune’s view of skeletalization, which is quite elegant here. We see a lot of inspiration from contemporary luxury boat design here-which means it is elegant, sporty and practical. This is how to do futurism on your wrist. It looks good, but also technically attractive.

For some reasons, this DB28 is not a traditional hollow watch. The first reason is that it is not so “hollow”. The splints and wheels of the DB2019V5 movement are transparent, but still rigid in structure. Precisely cut transparent and blue sapphire crystals help to create this interesting effect, and the multi-layered depth of the dial makes this effect even more pleasing. The complete design of the designer’s hour and minute hands and the unique two-tone titanium DB28 hands ensure legibility. The manual winding movement consists of 272 parts and is equipped with a special 30-second tourbillon system.

The tourbillon is also a “high-beat” tourbillon, running at a frequency of 5 Hz (36,000 bph). This is the same as Zenith El Primero. The balance wheel itself is made of titanium and silicon, which is obviously the lightest De Bethune has ever made, weighing only 0.0001 grams! The entire tourbillon cage assembly itself weighs only 0.18 grams). Similarly, according to De Bethune, this is an import record for this category. Seeing the tourbillon intuitively in a watch like this is a more vivid experience, because it moves at twice the speed of a standard tourbillon, spinning a full circle every 30 seconds.

Where does the steel in the “Steel Wheel Sapphire Tourbillon Watch” come from? Well, as the product name implies, the wheels of the movement are mainly made of steel. Why is this a big deal? Although many watch cases are made of steel, steel is a very rare metal that can be used to make watch movements. Steel is a relatively challenging metal because it is very hard. For many machining purposes, brass is more preferred. Brass is relatively strong, but it is also much softer to machine. Most metal watch parts are brass. Steel can be polished beautifully, but it is also very strong. Considering that brass may be too fragile, even with a sapphire crystal holder, it may be the metal of choice for this thin structure.

Can you understand why watch nerds and design lovers love such luxury men watch? The movement inside the DB28 is like an elegant coach, but the movement is designed to run like an exotic supercar. Although this style is not suitable for everyone, no one can really deny the great advantages of this kind of creation, or easily question the value proposition of the price.