FP Journe Releases LineSport Centigraphe and Automatique Réserve Watches

FP Journe announces that the Centigraphe and Automatique Réserve are now available in platinum and 18k 6N gold to suit your heavy (precious) metal lovers. In a radical departure from the sporty and interesting titanium case and yellow dial style released last year, the FP Journe adds a more upscale option for those interested in the LineSport aesthetics or functionality, without losing any of the watch’s technical appeal. Impressive achievement.

When FP Journe released the brightly colored yellow LineSport option last year, it did feel a little out of place in its catalog. Granted, I appreciate the titanium case and sporty aesthetic that the yellow dial brings, but it really doesn’t look like an FP Journe. The release of these two gold and platinum watches feels more in line with what we’ve seen from the brand in the past. In terms of size, both watches are 44mm in diameter, the Centigraphe is 10.95mm tall and the Automatique Réserve is 11.10mm thick. Depending on the case material you choose, both watches come with a matching platinum or gold bracelet. While the watches share a similar overall aesthetic, the main difference is the technical prowess of the complications.

The Centigraphe is a unique chronograph powered by the in-house Calibre 1506, a hand-wound movement with an 80-hour power reserve and finished in gold. This chronograph is actuated by a rocker on the right side of the case, rather than the pusher commonly found on most chronographs. Unlike many other chronographs, the Centigraphe is extremely precise and its sub-dial allows you to track 1/100th of a second, 20 second and 10 minute indications instead of the usual seconds, minutes and hours sub-dial. For an in-depth look at this movement and how it works, read David’s first-hand experience with the Centigraphe Souverain.

Compared to Centigraphe, Automatique Reserve is much simpler. Powered by the in-house Caliber 1300.3, a rose gold automatic movement with a power reserve of 160 hours; the Automatique Réserve has its own complications. The Automatique Réserve displays the central hours and minutes with a small seconds sub-dial, as well as a day/night indicator, power reserve indicator and a large two-pane date window. By comparison, Automatique Réserve is certainly more conservative (ba-dum-tiss), and in my opinion, it’s still pretty.

While precious metals are certainly not my thing, they do have an important place in the fake watches review industry, especially now that gold is “coming back” whether we like it or not. No doubt I would have preferred the yellow cousin in titanium case released last year, but I’m not the target market for these pieces either. These technically impressive watches should also be available in precious metals for those looking to dress them up and enjoy the extra weight and lustre that platinum and gold bring.

Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino Watch Hands-On

The Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino, also known as the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Gambler, is another unique creation by Jacob & Co. conceived, designed and produced in a move towards their goal of dominating the field of absurd over-engineering Yet another, interesting, ultra-high-end watch — because such things do exist, and in fact have been for years.

Given that Harry Winston Opus watches dominated the mid-play naughty – widely and rightly considered the original source of haute horlogerie – creations that challenged the established limits of design and function – the early teens were all about Jaquet Droz Musical pieces, big brand complications with perpetual calendar, chronograph and striking mechanism. (A little basic research will make you realize how the value of these things from Audemars Piguet, IWC, Lange and others has fallen off a cliff, sometimes to 25% to 30% of the original retail price.) Why do I so? On the one hand, because I didn’t realize until recently that it was a common “serious complication” and not just a “disposable” lemon, and second, to show that there are so many people who can afford these things that are ready to hit their purchases (or even if they are not ready, they are forced,

Like it or not, the resale value of these once Holy Grail state watches is more than I can tell you about their current demand. Those who can burn six-figure sums (in dollars) when buying a watch have turned to watches that have any one or more of the following: 1) novel, 2) interesting, 3) expressive, 4) unique, 5) Simple appreciation. As with watches, the more boxes you tick, the higher the price in general. Jacob & Co. Astronomia Casino goes to great lengths to tick all those boxes, and then some.

With its – no other words to describe it – absurd thickness of 27.9mm (i.e. an inch, then some!), it’s a watch that’s easy to admire up close…and the other side of the dining table. It’s as discreet as a 1940s Francis Bacon pinned to your head while sitting at dinner, like a sail. Its weight is verified by the multi-layered, multipurpose JCAM29A movement, which includes the Astronomia “vertical movement” with its rotating platform consisting of four rotating arms and a fully functional, fully mechanical roulette complication beneath it .

First, a few words about astronomy. Although Jacob & Co. created many distinct variants of this movement, it is still excellent in terms of its construction and function. Powered by a single mainspring with an impressive power reserve of 60 hours (maybe longer or shorter depending on model variations and added complexity), essentially apart from the mainspring barrel and winding and setting “bow” Each component of the (crown replacement caseback) plays a role in this four-arm assembly.

Four arms with a double axis tourbillon (which I’ll explain shortly as a triple axis tourbillon), a blue magnesium miniature planet Earth, a 1 carat, 288 faceted Jacob cut diamond, which also goes around it Self-rotating shaft, and differential drive sub-dial for the time. These four arms rotate simultaneously on the face of the watch in less than 10 minutes – it is this rotation that adds a third 10-minute axis to the tourbillon.

The time display rotates with this assembly, so to prevent it from being upside down while running around the copy watch face, a differential is required. This allows the sub-dial to remain level, the hands to be driven, and the entire assembly to rotate together.

The tourbillon and rotating diamonds may be impressive, but two of my favorite astronomical achievements are this differentially actuated time display, and the fact that each two opposing arms are perfectly balanced against each other. Here’s some cool “invisible engineering” to keep the movement from being overly strained by the overweight arm that pulls or pushes the precision-running train assembly.

The heart of this astronomy is, of course, its roulette complexity. Press the button at the 8 o’clock position of the case, the roulette wheel is forcibly rotated, and the small white ceramic balls fly. To prevent it from entering the movement, the entire roulette function is set under a piece of sapphire crystal. The functionality of this complication is reassuring every time the button is pressed, and the overall execution of its every detail is as spectacular as it’s damned.

The wheels are made of 18k rose gold with black and red enamel for its 36+1 pockets. As I said, the thickness is 27.9mm, while the case diameter is 47mm. Oddly enough, with the lugs being so short and angled sharply downward, overall wear resistance is another way Astronomia Casino plays with the senses. Seen directly from above, the overall effect is manageable—even on my narrow wrist, which is 6.75 inches in diameter. However, once I start laying the watch flat away from myself, it starts to show off its crazy case construction, topped by a generously curved sapphire crystal. Speaking of which, the strap is a single sapphire crystal strap that, when paired with the skeletonized lugs, provides an easy view of the Jacob & Co. Astronomia casino in action.

As shown here, it is a one-of-a-kind piece. It’s certainly far more fun to play than any traditional grand complication, and even if one isn’t a gambler, the way this movement is constructed is sure to appeal to watch lovers inside.

Low-key yet luxurious platinum watch recommendation

Platinum, also known as Pt in our old abbreviation, as a naturally formed white precious metal, has always been considered one of the rarest and noblest metals. Corrosion resistance and other characteristics have become an indispensable material for luxury jewelry watches. Today, I will introduce three representative platinum watches to you.

Rolex Day-Date Series m228206-0004

Product model: m228206-0004
Watch Diameter: 40mm
Movement type: automatic
Movement Model: 3255
Case material: 950 platinum
Waterproof depth: 100 meters

As soon as we come up, let’s take a look at a fairly representative Rolex day-date type. The original platinum DAY-DATE has two characteristics, one is the aperture, and the other is platinum material with an ice blue disc. The aperture has always been said , Because platinum is too difficult to process, there is no pit pattern, that is, dog tooth ring, but with the watch exhibition a few days ago, the dog tooth ring platinum ice blue plate week calendar was launched, and this statement is gone. The week calendar pictured above was launched at the Basel Watch Fair in 2015, and the dial is very special. For the platinum material, Rolex always uses 950 platinum, the alloy contains 950‰ (per thousand) platinum, and is carefully cast by Rolex’s superb metal craftsmen. The platinum Oyster case has a diameter of 40 mm. It was a new design back then. The platinum bezel is polished and matched with an ice blue dial specially formulated and developed by Rolex. The visual effect is already cold. , It is appropriate to describe it with ice carvings and jade carvings. The bubble mirror date display window is set at 3 o’clock, and the curved day display window is located at 12 o’clock. The watch was also the first batch of models equipped with the 3255 movement that year. As a Rolex movement with 14 patents, it showed an excellent level of precision in terms of precision, power reserve, shock resistance, anti-magnetic, and reliability. The watch comes with a head-shaped platinum bracelet.

Vacheron Constantin Historical Masterpieces Series 82035/000P-B748

Product Model: 82035/000P-B748
Watch Diameter: 40mm
Case Thickness: 8.06mm
Movement model: 4400 AS
Case material: 950 platinum
Waterproof depth: 30 meters

Vacheron Constantin’s theme was classics at the Watch & Wonders Fair last April, for which the brand relaunched the American 1921 watch in a series of historical masterpieces. This watch is known as a crooked neck by watch fans because of its unique shape, but its unique shape is also due to the booming development of the auto industry at that time. A safe and clear glance can tell the time. This is the flagship platinum style in the new series, limited to 100 pieces, each with an independent number, and only available in Vacheron Constantin boutiques. The whole body of the watch is made of 950 platinum, and the visual effect may be large because of the pillow case, but it is actually 40 mm. The dial is rotated 45 degrees counterclockwise in an offset layout, and the crown is placed in the upper right corner. Sandblasted dial with 18K white Breguet needle, black orbital hour markers, small seconds at 3 o’clock, classic and charming. But this disk surface also made Vacheron Constantin work hard. According to the brand, because the bottom layer of the disk surface is actually 950 platinum, sandblasting inert metal on this material requires more exquisite craftsmanship. The watch is equipped with Vacheron Constantin 4400 AS manual winding movement, the movement is also offset, and the full chain can provide 65 hours of dynamic storage. The watch is equipped with a dark blue alligator leather strap. Look closely at the hand-stitched stitching. Vacheron Constantin is also hand-stitched with 950 platinum silk thread.

Blancpain Classic 6656-3440-55B

Product Model: 6656-3440-55B
Watch Diameter: 40mm
Case Thickness: 10.70mm
Movement Model: 5954
Case Material: Platinum
Waterproof depth: 30 meters

Finally, let’s take a look at one of Blancpain’s classic series perpetual calendar moon phase watches. This 6656, launched in 1919, is limited to 88 styles. Unlike the white plate used in stainless steel and red gold, Blancpain For the limited edition, a platinum case with a blue dial is used. 40mm diameter platinum case with iconic double-layer bezel, azure blue dial with sunburst effect, the layout inherits the iconic dial design of the brand’s traditional perpetual calendar complication watches, with various indication sub-dials. Set at 3 o’clock, 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock on the dial, Blancpain’s most distinctive moon phase face display window is at 6 o’clock on the dial, and the Roman numeral scales made of platinum on the dial are all hand-set, look at the scales carefully. They have all made a waist shape, combined with willow needles, to indicate the time combination is more elegant. The watch is equipped with a Cal.5954 manual winding movement, which has a special movement protection device developed by Blancpain for the perpetual calendar watch, which can avoid damage to the movement caused by improper operation. This big complication watch also has a hidden adjuster, which is also a patented invention of Blancpain. The fingertip can adjust the calendar pointer and the moon phase display by pressing the button, which is very convenient and will not affect the overall aesthetics if hidden.

In fact, for a fake luxury watch made of platinum, you may feel that the color is similar to that of platinum at a cursory glance, and then the price is so much more expensive. Therefore, there are many watch friends who define platinum watches as the purest watch. Platinum material is also difficult to process, which directly leads to platinum material. These top brands have naturally become a material symbol of luxury watchmaking. It is often said that it is low-key and luxurious, which is the best synonym for platinum watches. For the models listed above, the platinum material also complements the appearance and the function of the dial, and each has its own characteristics.