Here we are again after the forced break due to the 10-day stay in Switzerland (no less than eight people from our group visited the two watchmaking fairs, Basel and Geneva).
Countless novelties seen, people met and interviews collected, which will be featured in future issues of L'Orologio and Chrono World.
Here, I will note the ones that impressed me the most.
I begin with Breguet's La Tradition Tourbillon. An unquestionably beautiful watch, with the two most important components prominently displayed on the dial: tourbillon and conoid (i.e. the spindle and chain mechanism, which until now had only been used by Lange in a wristwatch). Photos are not yet available, but will be the subject of an in-depth analysis in one of the year-end issues of L'Orologio...
Second, but only in alphabetical order, is the Duomètre à chronographe by Jaeger-LeCoultre, which we have already talked about at length and which is even more beautiful in person! Innovative is its use of the foudroyante function as a start/stop system for the chronograph functions, without any kind of coupling, therefore, thanks to the use of two separate barrels and two separate trains of wheels for the time base and for the chronograph (in the photo, the calibre 380 movement).
Finally, in third place (also in chronological order, since we visited its exhibition outside the Salon on our penultimate day), I place the Centigraphe by F.P. Journe (pictured): a chronograph designed and developed to be used exclusively as a tachometer. Strictly mechanical, by measuring times with the resolution of one hundredth of a second, it allows the speed of the fastest and slowest vehicles on the earth's crust to be measured: from the rocket to man (when he moves on foot...)
The last two models are also indicative of the trend of the year: the chronograph. After a small setback in the years of the tourbillon (which, by the way, is not at rest... All the manufacturers now have one in their catalogue), it is making a strong comeback, with new solutions in terms of both technique and design.
 |
 |
