Summer readings / Letture d'estate

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

Looking for something serious to read while holidaying? The right answer is one of Marco Strazzi’s Watch Books.

 

The Museum Collection is a selection of 100 milestones of 20^th Century watchmaking. The technology, design and style of the more and less well-known models that made the history of timekeeping from 1900 to 2000. Click here to learn more.

Watch Ads 1900-1959 and Watch Ads 1960-2000 take the reader through a century of communication. The thousand or so featured images are living history and a faithful testimony of how design, styling and the public’s tastes evolved. Click here to learn more.

Rolex 1905-1960 focuses on the company’s first half-century - the years that shaped its identity and paved the way to worldwide success. Timeline, watches, movements, ads, patents, documents. Click here to learn more.

The publisher has a recommendation for fiction lovers, as well. The historical novel Wingwatch tells the story of a wristwatch, lost on D-Day and rediscovered 70 years later in an auction house catalog. Click here to learn more.

 

ITALIANO

Cerchi qualcosa di interessante da leggere mentre sei in vacanza? La risposta giusta è un volume della collezione Watch Books di Marco Strazzi.

 

Orologi da Polso 1900-1959 è la prima parte della nuova storia enciclopedica dell’orologio da polso. Lo stravagante braccialetto con orologio deriso dai conformisti diventa uno strumento indispensabile. Clicca qui per saperne di più.

Orologi da polso 1960-2000 conclude la cronistoria del Ventesimo Secolo. Dall’orologio elettrico al rinascimento della meccanica, passando attraverso la crisi del quarzo. Con un’appendice sul ventennio 2001-2021. Clicca qui per saperne di più.

Watch Ads 1900-1959 e Watch Ads 1960-2000 accompagnano il lettore lungo un secolo di comunicazione. Un migliaio di annunci pubblicitari raccontano l’evoluzione del design e dei gusti attraverso i decenni. Clicca qui per saperne di più.

Rolex 1905-1960 è dedicato al primo mezzo secolo della Casa: gli anni che ne hanno definito l’identità creando le premesse di un successo planetario. Cronologia, orologi, movimenti, pubblicità, brevetti, documenti originali. Clicca qui per saperne di più.

L’editore ha un consiglio anche per gli amanti della narrativa. L’Orologio con le Ali racconta la storia di un orologio smarrito il 6 giugno 1944 (D-Day) e riscoperto 70 anni più tardi nel catalogo di una casa d’aste. Clicca qui per saperne di più.

 

 

New releases – Singer Divetrack

The 24-hour central chronograph function allows divers to track dive times, decompression stops, and surface intervals. The jumping hour and minute indicators provide an instant display of elapsed time. The 49 mm grade 5 titanium and stainless steel case with a ceramic aluminium black insert for decompression indications hosts the Agengraphe automatic movement, featuring a 72-hour power reserve.

 

 

New releases – Doxa SUB 300β Sharkhunter

 

The 42.5mm case is equipped with a pressure-resistant titanium container to protect the movement, a patented unidirectional rotating bezel in 18K 3N gold with dual indication of dive time (in minutes) and depth (in feet), a screw-down crown also in 18K 3N gold, and a water-resistance rating of 300 meters. Its scratch resistant sapphire crystal is treated with anti-reflective coating and the COSC-certified Swiss automatic movement provides a power reserve of approximately 38 hours.

 

Omega & NASA - The video clip

A fine video clip tracing the history of the Omega Speedmaster's association with NASA from the beginning to the 1990s

(by courtesy of Antiquorum Auctioneers)

 

 

New releases - Vanguart Orb

The hand-finished flying Tourbillon movement allows the user to alternative between manual and automatic modes via the crown. When in self-winding mode, the 2mm diamond-set orbital mass revolves around a sloped pvd-coated titanium track. When the watch is changed back into manual mode, the mass is locked into place. The case merges futuristic aspects with traditional finishes such as sandblasting, satin-finishing and mirror polishing.

New Releases – Maurice Lacroix Pontos S Diver

This reissue of the 2013 model features a 42 mm case water resistant to 30 ATM, available in both stainless steel and bronze (limited to 500 pieces). The crown positioned at 2 o’clock enables the wearer to adjust the internal rotating bezel displaying a count-up scale that measures the elapsed time spent underwater. The watch is equipped with a self-winding movement and the company’s Easy Strap Exchange System, providing a simple means of swapping the strap for an alternative.

 

 

A 3D catalog ...

ENGLISH

Black and white catalogs are a bit dull. Let us give some color to this one from Vacheron & Constantin, published in 1945.

 

ITALIANO

I cataloghi in bianco e nero sono un po’ noiosi. Proviamo a colorarne uno pubblicato nel 1945 da Vacheron & Constantin.

Modern Classics - Corum Admiral's Cup

 

The latest mini-documentary from the YouTube channel 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi. A history of the iconic collection launched in 1983. 

Classici moderni - Corum Admiral's Cup

 

L'ultimo mini-documentario dal canale YouTube 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi. La storia dell'emblematica collezione lanciata nel 1983.

 

 

New releases – Minase Horizon GEN DLC

The case, crown, indexes and buckle of this limited series of 25 pieces made by the Japanese luxury watch brand are DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coated. The treatment offers durability, high resistance to corrosion and wear, and a great resistance to scratches. Available on a black rubber strap with folding clasp, the watch is equipped with a Swiss ETA 2892-2 movement customized for the brand. The polyhedral crown bears the brand’s logo.

 

 

Watches at auction

The catalog of the upcoming Christie’s auction in New York (Rockefeller Center, June 10) features a couple of historically important timepieces.

 

The original owner of this Rolex Ref. 6098 ‘pre-Explorer’ was Colonel Patrick Douglas Baird, the leader of the 1953 Swiss Canadian Baffin Island Arctic Expedition. Manufactured in 1952, the watch was presented by the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research (S.F.A.R.) a year later, and worn by Colonel Baird during the famous expedition. Estimate: US$20,000-40,000.

 

This Patek Philippe Ref. 2526 is an example of the so-called ‘Duo’ models, made for then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, who gave them to influential figures. ‘Duo’ stands for ‘Do unto others (as you would have them do unto you)’, the inscription printed on the dial. This one was a gift to Senator Robert Kerr of Oklahoma, who later gave it to a pilot (grandfather of the present owner) as thanks for a skilled, safe flight through a tumultuous storm. Estimate: US$25,000-45,000.

 

    

New Releases - Renaud Tixier Monday

The 40.8mm rose gold case houses a caliber centered around a novel micro-rotor re-envisioned to maximize winding efficiency. At the heart of the newly born brand’s inaugural creation is an auxiliary mechanism called ‘dancer’ that serves as both an engine and a shock absorber. This innovation guarantees a 60+ hour power reserve. The micro-rotor’s hidden face is revealed at nine o’clock on the sunburst/grained dial.

 

 

Vintage ads - Piaget (1979)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è sotto l'immagine)

“Recognized as the Ultimate Sportswatch, it has proven to be the Ultimate Watch”. This is one of the earliest ads published after the launch of the Piaget Polo in 1979. Its distinctive case housed an in-house quartz movement at the time. The manufacturer has recently released an update of the timepiece, appropriately naming it Polo 79.

Do you like vintage watch ads? Visit the page about Watch Ads, the one and only two-volume pictorial history of communication and design in 20th Century watchmaking. Do you wish to know more? Watch the video clip about the publication and download the preview of Volume 1.

The vintage ads presented in this website are not featured in the Watch Ads books.

ITALIANO 

“Noto come l'Orologio Sportivo Supremo, si è dimostrato l'Orologio Supremo". Questo è uno dei primi annunci pubblicati dopo il lancio del Piaget Polo nel 1979. All'epoca la sua cassa inconfondibile ospitava un movimento al quarzo. Recentemente la Casa ha presentato una riedizione del modello, battezzandola - ovviamente - Polo 79.

Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina su Watch Ads, l'unica storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Vuoi saperne di più? Guarda il video sull'opera e scarica l'anteprima del Volume 1.

Gli annunci pubblicitari d'epoca presentati in questo sito non sono tra quelli riprodotti nei volumi Watch Ads.

 

 

New Releases – Raymond Weil Millesime

First prize winner in the ‘Challenge’ category at GPHG 2023, the new collection offers two time display variants: reference 2925 with a central seconds hand; and reference 2930 sporting a small seconds counter at 6 o'clock. The textured-finish dial is protected by a ‘Glassbox’ sapphire crystal with dual-sided antireflective treatment. The 39.5 mm stainless steel case hosts the self-winding Caliber RW4251, featuring a 38-hour power reserve.

 

 

Icons at auction / 2

Two top lots from the catalog of the upcoming Antiquorum auction (Geneva, 11-12 May). Watch the video clips.

 

Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Ref. 6265 - ca. 1975 - Estimate: CHF80'000-140'000

 

 

Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 2523 - 1953 - Estimate: CHF1'000'000-2'000'000

 

Icons at auction / 1

The upcoming Christie’s auctions feature a few remarkable Rolex and Patek Philippe timepieces. 

 

 

Previously owned by Gordon Bethune, the CEO of Continental Airlines 1994-20024 and a world-renowned collector, this triple date Oyster Perpetual Ref. 6062 features the much coveted “Stelline” dial. Geneva, 12 May. Estimate: CHF 350,000-700,000.

 

 

This Reference 6036 ‘Jean-Claude Killy’ triple date chronograph also belonged to Gordon Bethune. It was named after the French Olympic skier, a Rolex ambassador for 40 years. Geneva, 13 May. Estimate: CHF 160,000-200,000.

 

 

This Reference 6100 is one of three Rolex wristwatches featuring a cloisonné enamel dial decorated with a coat of arms known to date. Vintage cloisonné dials exhibit a certain colour palette which is more tonal and characterful than modern enamels, due to materials such as lead, mercury and cyanide still allowed to be used in the enameling process in the 1950s. Geneva, 13 May. Estimate: CHF 220,000-440,000.

 

 

This Yellow gold Patek Philippe Reference 2523 features a world time dial with the names of 41 cities in French, and a cloisonné enamel map of Eurasia attributed to Marguerite Koch. It is one of only three examples known to still exist today. Hong Kong, 26 May. Estimate: EUR 4,600,000-9,200,000.

 

 

Novità – Aerowatch Régulateur Automatique 1942

Proposto in serie limitata di 100 pezzi, il modello ha una cassa impermeabile da 42 mm in acciaio inossidabile. Sotto il vetro zaffiro bombato il quadrante decorato a “clous de Paris” visualizza l’ora in alto, i minuti al centro, i secondi in basso e la data a ore 3. Il movimento automatico Sellita visibile attraverso il fondo cassa trasparente presenta una massa oscillante decorata.

 

 

Vintage Press - Revue Internationale de l'Horlogerie (1952)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

The Revue Internationale de l’Horlogerie (RIH) was a trade magazine published monthly in La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland). Its April 1952 issue was fully devoted to the self-winding wristwatch, a product that over twenty years after its debut still struggled to gain widespread acceptance among the public. As the Bales Watch Fair was approaching, the obvious intent of the RIH was to promote the sales of a timepiece that customers still found unreliable and too expensive.

The brief history of the self-winding watch is the work of Alfred Chapuis, the most reputed historian of watchmaking at the time. Abraham-Louis Perrelet is mentioned as the inventor of the “Perpetuel” timepiece in the 1770s. A few years later, such great watchmakers as Abraham-Louis Breguet and Louis Recordon patented their own ingenious systems. The British John Harwood was the first to create an automatic wristwatch in the late 1920s. In the mid-1930s, the Perpetual by Rolex paved the way to the modern automatic watch.

The following pages feature a wide selection of contemporary self-winding movements presented by their manufacturers. Photo above: calibers by ETA and AS.

Most exhibitors at the upcoming Basel Watch Show were presenting automatic watches. These pages feature products by Rolex, Movado, Omega and Breitling among others.

The final pages are devoted to the impact of the self-winding watch on world markets. Retailers from all over the globe were invited to write about their experiences. Photo above: reports from Brazil and Canada.

ITALIANO

La Revue Internationale de l’Horlogerie (RIH) era una rivista specializzata pubblicata mensilmente a La Chaux-de-Fonds (Svizzera). Il numero di aprile 1952 fu interamente consacrato all’orologio da polso automatico, prodotto che a oltre vent’anni dal debutto stentava a conquistare il grande pubblico. Con l’avvicinarsi della Fiera di Basilea, la finalità della RIH era ovviamente di favorire le vendite di un segnatempo che il pubblico percepiva ancora come inaffidabile e troppo caro.

La breve storia dell’orologio automatico fu affidata ad Alfred Chapuis, lo storico dell’orologeria più prestigioso dell’epoca. Abraham-Louis Perrelet è citato come inventore negli Anni 70 del 18esimo secolo. Alcuni anni più tardi, grandi orologiai come Abraham-Louis Breguet e Louis Recordon brevettarono a loro volta sistemi ingegnosi. Il britannico John Harwood fu il primo a creare un orologio da polso automatico verso la fine degli Anni 20. A metà degli Anni 30, il Perpetual di Rolex aprì la strada all’automatico moderno.
Le pagine successive presentano un’ampia gamma di movimenti automatici contemporanei descritti dai loro fabbricanti. Nella terza foto dall’alto, calibri di produzione ETA e AS.
La maggior parte delle Case partecipanti all’imminente Fiera di Basilea esponeva orologi automatici. In queste pagine (quarta foto dall’alto) appaiono prodotti firmati Rolex, Movado, Omega e Breitling fra gli altri.
La sezione finale è dedicata all’impatto dell’orologio automatico sui mercati mondiali. La rivista invitò commercianti di ogni parte del globo a condividere le loro impressioni sul tema. Nell’ultima foto, i rapporti dal Brasile e dal Canada.

Bibliography / Bibliografia

ENGLISH

Click here for a summary of the print sources - books, magazines, catalogs, manuals, brochures, yearbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias - from which I drew to write my historical books. I hope it will prove useful to those who wish to delve into one or more themes related to the history and technology of watchmaking. Happy hunting!

 

ITALIANO

Clicca qui per consultare una sintesi delle fonti cartacee - libri, riviste, cataloghi, manuali, opuscoli, annuari, dizionari, enciclopedie - alle quali ho attinto per scrivere i miei libri storici. Spero che possa risultare utile a quanti desiderano approfondire uno o più temi legati alla storia e alla tecnica dell’orologeria. Buona ricerca!

 

New releases – Vulcain Cricket André Didixein

 

The brand and CronotempVs Collectors present a limited edition Cricket watch created as a tribute to André Didisheim, descendant of the founder of Vulcain and Real Madrid football player. The 39 mm stainless steel case houses the Vulcain caliber V-10 manually wound with double barrel, a result of the evolution of the 1947 original movement. The dial features Arabic numerals coated with Superluminova and a chromatographic effect created to simulate its aging.