Timeless elegance

Much acclaimed for their craftsmanship, mechanical watches are expensive yet in high demand among watch aficionados.

An auction of vintage Omega watches held last April displayed how serious our obsession with time is. One of the watches of the 300 lots — the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, the most recent of the series of James Bond movies, was sold to a buyer from the UK for 250,250 Swiss francs (Dh783,462).

A 1953 Platinum Constellation Grand Luxe went to a Swiss bidder for 413,700 Swiss francs (Dh1,295,179). Bidders from Italy and Japan also contested aggressively for the watch.

The auction also had two Speedmasters, a watch that has gained iconic status since it became the first model worn on the moon, fetching more than 30 times their current retail value. And 48,500 people worldwide followed the auction via the internet, with one of the third of the lots sold online. This clearly demonstrates that people will go to great lengths to buy a great timepiece.

While connoisseurs and collectors are clued-in, the average person may wonder about what makes watches such as these so sought-after or expensive. It's related to everything from the concept and design of these watches to their manufacturing.

Bernard Richards, founder and CEO, BRM (Bernard Richards Manufacturing), says that it is the philosophy of their manufacturing — from the conception to their realisation — that sets them apart. He says that an expensive product does not necessary mean it is great.

Bernard R. Fleury, Chairman, Vulcain, says that a 'great' watch must reflect various skills of fine watchmaking, both from an aesthetic viewpoint as well as from a technical aspect.

For architect, designer, horologer and CEO Alain Silberstein, a 'great' watch is a wearable kinetic sculpture and a true art piece. "A 'great' timepiece is definitely not just about the 'movement'. A movement is the 'motor' of a watch or the mechanism that handles functions, including moving the watch's hands and changing the date. Watches can have mechanical or quartz movements.

Silberstein says that like luxury cars, the exclusive engine or movement with various innovative functions is important but one should not forget the outer design. "It involves a subtle combination between innovation, quality and service," he says.

For Stephen Urquhart, President of Omega SA (world wide), though, it boils down to personal choice. "It means different things for different people. A watch can convey a statement that a person embodies or aspires to emulate. A person could also want a timeless classic watch that fits their contemporary style while still having a history behind it.

"For a watchmaker, a good watch is one that corresponds to the consumer's needs and reflects the watch brand's core values, and we follow that principle at Omega. In fact, we have a wide range of products that have been designed and created to appeal to a varied range of consumers," says Urquhart.

These explanations zero in on the most important aspect of a great watch and that's craftsmanship. They talk about the values that go into the creation of timepieces. And nowhere is craftsmanship more visible than in mechanical watches.

Mechanical and quartz watches are two different technologies with quartz technology being the more recent of the two. "However, mechanical watches, especially with 'complications', are more like works of art. They have personality and utility and a dynamic, pulsating quality about them. They have emotional value because of the human element involved in its creation," says Urquhart.

"You know you could buy a classic mechanical watch that's 50 years old and it would still work (because it's not battery-run) and be just as elegant in a contemporary setting. A quartz watch though can't be repaired and works until its battery gives out," he says.

The quality, skill and experience of the watchmaker among other important factors don't just affect the quality of a mechanical watch but they also have a huge impact on the price. "Luxury watches are not mass-produced, but are handcrafted. To create and produce sophisticated mechanical movements is time consuming. It takes years from the initial idea to the start of the commercialisation.
Mechanical movements also need the talent and expertise of many people, including designers, engineers and watchmakers," says Silberstein.

Elements such as complications in a mechanical watch can drive up their price and exclusivity. "Complications are added functions to the reading of time such as an annual or perpetual calendar, moon phases chronograph, minute repeater or 'sonnerie au passage' and tourbillon among others. Their value lies in their innovative mechanisms and the new perspective they bring to traditional watch-making," says Silberstein.

Vulcain, for instance, recently created the Imperial Gong, the world's first tourbillon alarm wristwatch. It is an exceptional mechanical timepiece produced in a limited edition of 12 pieces in rose gold and 12 pieces in white gold. Vulcain that produces useful complications also has other interesting complication watches such as the Aviator GMT The World and Aviator Dual-Time Date.

Producer of tourbillons since 1947, Omega has the Central Tourbillon to its credit. Its intricate construction and reduced size make this mechanism popular with serious collectors of horological masterpieces.

This year Omega also introduced the co-axial escapement into the movement in its Central Tourbillon co-axial watch. The co-axial escapement that is exclusive and proprietary Omega technology is among the most important developments in the watch-making industry. It helps reduce friction in the heart of the watch mechanism for improved long-term reliability and accuracy.

Another example of Omega's commitment to excellence is the De Ville Hour Vision. "The calibre 8500/8501 (which is the dimension of a movement) pays tribute to a new and luxurious look for Omega's movements for the third millennium without forsaking the classic aesthetics of the De Ville family. The watch took about seven years to develop and involved a lot of research and fine-tuning, and we are proud of it," says Urquhart.

Haissam Chamsine, Vice President, BinHendi Jewellery, gives other examples of 'revered' complication watches that are popular with collectors. "The Genghis Khan, created by Ulysse Nardin, a company that has a long tradition of making complicated watches, is one of them. The Genghis Khan, retailing in the UAE for Dh1.8 million, is the first wristwatch featuring a Westminster carillon chime with minute repeater, automatons and tourbillon. "With a fabulous design, the watch features a beautiful handmade dial and comprises several complications that are perfectly incorporated in a single watch. One of the impressive features of the watch includes the Mongolian warriors that come to life each time the minute repeater is activated," says Chamsine.

Another great example of a complicated watch is the Quenttin by Jacob & Co, a company that usually makes jewellery watches, says Chamsine.

"This watch is difficult to make and hence created in a limited edition in rose gold and platinum. The Quenttin comprises a vertical mechanical movement with a manual winding escapement that's placed in a tourbillon cage. The cage is positioned vertically, suspended without roller bearings and winds with an integrated key, external hand key or motorised in the box. Vertical disks assembled co-axially make indications of hours, minutes and power reserve. The watch retails for Dh1.6 million," he says.

While watches such as the Genghis Khan and Quenttin is a reflection of skilled craftsmanship, technology and contemporary trends are also affecting the way mechanical watches are being made. "3D computer software is opening doors to further complications. This means we can virtually design high complications in 3D and then use the computer drawings to produce the parts. However, a high-end watch will always require handcrafted finishing," says Fleury.

Luxury watchmaking has also found its way to the crossroads between hi-tech products, materials, processes and traditional crafts such as painting, enamelling and engraving, says Silberstein.

The meeting of old traditions and new materials and processes has also led to the creation of innovative timepieces such as those from BRM.

"We were the first to create modular watches where elements were added to each other as you would find in a car or motorbike's engine. This enabled us to have watches in five or six different materials (such as titanium case, polished stainless steel border, carbon fibre ornaments, rose gold lugs and a sapphire glass) among other features.
All these can be made in different colours with the possibility to be mixed," says Richards.

BRM's watches are examples of how watches are viewed as an extension of one's lifestyle. More than 500 professional race drivers wear the company's watches that are inspired by the sport of car racing.

According to Italo Fontana, creator of the renowned U-Boat watches, there are several trends influencing sports watches. "Innovations go from complicated movements to watch size, better dial reading and more possibilities in the area of depth. Consumers, especially for dive watches, want clear readings and depth details among other functions.
However, ultimately a watch is chosen because of its general characteristics, design and brand," he says.

Fontana says that the hallmark of U-Boat's watches is their design identity and watch size.

Omega's new Seamaster NZL-32 chronograph, which was created for Emirates Team New Zealand as the team's official watch at the America's Cup this year, is also a strong contender for an ideal sports watch. "The watch has great functions, including the 'start of the regatta' function that indicates the 10 minutes before the starting signal (for a race)," says Urquhart. "A special indicator composed of five dots displays this function. The dots gradually fill with a different colour: first they become blue, then red thus marking the elapse of every successive five-minute period. The watch also has a 150-metre water resistance as is a great diver's watch," he says.

Chamsine says that the Porsche Design special watch that retails for half a million dirhams is also a great example of an excellent sports watch. The watch has mechanical and digital complications, including a chronograph, GMT and dual time zone, and is available in a titanium case or with a black PVD coating.

The Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Limited Edition and the Jacob & Co chronograph with five mechanical movements in one case, including world GMT and five time zones, are also exceptional sports watches.

Regardless of the brand, the sport/dive watches and their high-end mechanical cousins are coveted by a growing band of watch aficionados who aren't deterred by their price tags. Their intricate and complex mechanisms have made it difficult to place a value on them that's just linked to money. It's the joy of possessing these expressions of art — which in essence are timeless — that really appeal to connoisseurs.