Showing posts with label timepieces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label timepieces. Show all posts

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Racing-Inspired Watches. Autodromo Motoring Timepieces Are Just Your Speed.




Inspired by automotive instruments such as speedometers and tachometers, Autodromo Motoring Watches are a new collection of Swiss made wristwatches whose faces are minimal in design and reminiscent of vintage Italian racing-inspired style.

Just launched, the collection consists of three models, two available in two different finishes; the Brescia, the Vallelunga, with a white or black dial, and the Veloce in a black or stainless finish.

Brescia:



Vallelunga (white face):



Vallelunga (black face):



Veloce (stainless case):



Veloce (black case):



With quartz movements, sapphire coated crystals and leather straps, the watch cases measure 42mm in diameter and 10 mm in thickness and are designed for both men and women.




And the come beautifully packed in individual cases:


The Autodromo Story (courtesy of Autodromo)

INSTRUMENTS FOR MOTORING

Officine Autodromo was founded to recapture a romantic era of motoring. It was a time of Gran Turismo when driving from city to city wasn't just a matter of hopping onto an expressway. It meant slipping on your driving gloves for a high speed jaunt through the great roads of Europe with a powerful, sweet-sounding engine propelling you into new adventure, and maybe even a little danger. You can’t be out every day, blasting through alpine passes and winding country roads, but with an Autodromo timepiece on your wrist, your mind can be motoring, even when you are in the dullest of Monday meetings.


VINTAGE-INSPIRED MINIMALIST DESIGN

Autodromo watches and accessories draw aesthetic inspiration from the world of mid-century auto racing. Our products have a vintage feel, alloyed with a clean, uncluttered modernist design philosophy. Each new product is conceived as an artifact that might have existed in the past, but is equally at home in the world of today.

SWISS MADE MOVEMENTS – BATCH MADE QUALITY

Only the finest quality materials and the best Swiss Made movements are deemed suitable to go into an Autodromo motoring watch. And because we keep our batches small, we can ensure that each piece that goes out the door meets our exacting standards of excellence. Our goal is to offer beautiful design, attention to detail, and exquisite craftsmanship at prices that represent a smart allocation of resources. With Autodromo, you can live well and drive well.

PROUDLY INDEPENDENT – OBSESSIVELY DRIVEN

Everything we do, from our motoring watches to the custom wrapping paper we ship each purchase in are designed in-house by our small, passionate team. We build products we are passionate about, and approach each and every new project with the goal of crafting a special and memorable experience for the discerning customer. That’s our obsession.- Autodromo

Each stylish watch retails for $425 and can be purchased at their website.

A special shout-out to Brian Jones for bringing these to my attention.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Marc Newsom's Limited Edition Hourglasses For Ikepod.




Designer Marc Newsom first unveiled his stunning modern hourglass for Ikepod at last year's Baselworld. The hourglass was created in 2 models, the HGS20 and HGS80. Both are made of Borosilicate glass and measure 300 x 250 mm. Weighing 9.6 kg. the sand is made of stainless steel nickel nanoballs while in the HGS80, it is made of actual gold-plated nanoballs.



You'd be hard-pressed to find a more elegant way to keep track of time.

The HGS20 -the stainless steel nanonball version- will soon be available for purchase at Colette

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Montblanc Unveil's Two-Faced Watch, The Metamorphosis



above: The Montblanc Metamorphosis in action

One of the most talked about and exciting new watches at this year's SIHH was Montblanc's TimeWriter 1: Metamorphosis. One watch, that through methods from the art of automaton construction, changes into another watch, right before your eyes.



By moving a slide down or up, this timepiece changes from a wristwatch with hour, minute, second display to a chronograph and vice versa.




TimeWriter I: One watch – two faces


The first watch of the TimeWriter series, the Metamorphosis, is based on the Montblanc chronograph calibre MBM 16.29 and derives its name from its unique dual functions and faces: By moving a slide down or up, the Metamorphosis changes from simple time indication to a chronograph and vice versa.

The first face: The Classic Time
In the standard timekeeping mode, the watch displays hours, minutes and date and has a rather conservatively elegant appearance with Roman numerals in classic silver and black colours. The lower half of the dial displays an unusual circular date display.



A sliding mechanism starts the transformation process of the watch: By pressing the slide on the left-hand flank from “10” to “8” the watch starts with its metamorphosis process that lasts approximately 15 seconds and magically transforms it from the time indicating mode into a chronograph.

The second face: The Chronograph
The metamorphosis itself can best be compared to a scene change at the theatre: wings of the dial open up, slide under one another, and disappear to the left and right beneath the middle section of the dial.



After the transformation, this masterpiece of mechanical timekeeping presents a face devoted entirely to the chronograph function. Emphasising the watch’s second function as a sports timer, the face displays Arabic numerals with red markers. The subdial, in the form of a rotating disc, now takes the stage as the minute counter. The existing hands and dials assume new roles as part of the chronograph.

The two inventors, Johnny Girardin and Franck Orny, came up with the idea of a timepiece that could literally and mechanically change its appearance before our very eyes. For over a year, they worked alongside the designers and watchmakers in the Institut Minerva de Recherche en Haute Horlogerie to transform their initial idea into a watch.


above: the inventors of the Montblanc Metamorphosis Franck Orny and Johnny Girardin

Although the principle of a watch with different functions is nothing entirely new, the way in which the Montblanc Metamorphosis transforms itself from one watch face to the other, has never been seen before. It is a highly complex process, involving 50 individual components that move technically synchronously. The mechanisms involved in this process are so new and innovative (The complication adds 315 extra parts to the original 252 parts of the Minerva Kaliber 16-29 hand-wound movement) that they’ve been registered for patent.

The Metamorphosis watch will only be available in a limited edition of 28 pieces. Price is still unknown as of yet.


all information and images courtesy of Montblanc.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

2 New Wild Watches From Storm London



About Storm (from their own site):
London fashion brand STORM is renowned for its exclusive, contemporary watches and other stylish fashion accessories. For the individual seeking a distinctive and unique expression, STORM offers a range of styles from funky edginess to sleek sophistication.

Today STORM is a global brand with a presence in more than 45 countries around the world and standalone STORM stores in numerous countries including Shanghai, Riga, Prague, Bratislava, Dubai, Melbourne and Delhi. More STORM stores are planned in India, China Nigeria and the Czech Republic during 2008.


Below are two of their newest watch releases. While not super easy to actually 'read' and 'tell time' they are stylish, unusual and already back-ordered.

The MK V:



A shutter mechanism shields the watch face and once opens reveals the time. The chunky case is made from brushed stainless steel and sits on a sleek rubber strap. Available in black, slate (below) and rose gold (above).



MK V, technical specs:
Movement Japanese Movement
Battery Standard Type
Case Material Stainless Steel
Case Diameter W : 42mm X H : 50mm
W/R ATM Not Water Resistant
Lens Mineral Glass
Caseback Stainless Steel
Crown Stainless Steel
Band Type Rubber Strap
Total Length N/A
Max Fitting Length 210mm Adjustable
Clasp Type Stainless Steel - S-Fold Clasp

The MK2 Circuit:



The futuristic design is complemented by an unusual LED time display. The band and case are made from high grade stainless steel.

Available colors:




MK 2 Circuit Technical specs:
Movement LED
Battery Standard Type
Case Material Stainless Steel
Case Finish Brush / Polish
Case Diameter 30.6mm X 50.8mm
W/R ATM 50m
Lens Mineral Glass

Order them here and browse their complete collection.