All posts in September 2012

Jaeger-LeCoultre Replica marked the year by launching the Geophysic 1958, designed for scientists, engineers and others in technical professions. The Geophysic 1958 Replica Watch was equipped with antimagnetic protection, luminous hands and water resistance.

The new replica watch closely follows the design of its predecessor. The shape of the case, with its sloping bezel and straight lugs, recall the original model. The dial looks very similar, too, with its long hour and minutes markers, cross hairs and dagger-shaped hands. The steel version we tested has numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9, as did one version of the original dial.

The dial on the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic 1958 Best Replica Watch is easy to read,although the luminous dots at the hour markers are rather small for nighttime legibility. The crown also looks similar to its predecessor: a slightly rounded, logo-free polished dome rarely seen these days. Some modern updates include the sapphire crystal and a larger case – 38.5 mm compared to 35 mm.

The caseback notes that the replica watch is a limited edition and that it is water resistant to 100 meters. The alligator strap is nicely finished. It has a varnished top layer and an even, machine-sewn seam. It is lined with bison leather, which does not readily show signs of perspiration or wear and feels smooth against the skin.

The  Cle de Cartier Replica Mysterious Hour watch takes everything the Cle is, and turns it up to 11. While it may not have been blindingly obvious at first, what made the Cle really stand out was its balanced, beautifully proportioned look – and the Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch further evolves on that by playing with the rule of thirds and other basic rules of design and geometrics.

As its name implies, the Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch features Cartier’s “mysterious hours” indication which may have been around for a long time, but somehow, here, just utterly fails to show its age. The funny thing is that when compared to the – rather numerous – other pieces from the brand which comprised this funky time indication, this Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch may be the first piece where it feels and looks as though it was an integral component of the design, and not a gimmick that stands above every other part.

The Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch comes in either pink gold or palladium and is 41mm wide. I believe this small amount of extra size was necessary to accommodate the wider movement. The case is still pretty thin at just 11.25mm. Interestingly, from a case material perspective, the Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch in 18k pink gold as well as 950 palladium. For those craving a bit more “bling,” there is a full pave diamond version – also in palladium.

The Cartier Cle de Cartier Mysterious Hour replica watch was one of our absolute favorites from Watches & Wonders 2015 because, while it managed to pack some impressive technical details, that didn’t stop it from being a beautifully wearable and elegant dress-replica watch. Both in terms of tech specs as well as the coherence of its aesthetics – this is the “RS” model in the Cle range of watches.

What’s left of the “dial” is essentially a satin-brushed, ruthenium-toned ring around the edge and the two anthracite sub-dials. There’s a rehaut printed with a minute chapter ring as well. In my experience, legibility isn’t the strongest suit to get a skeletonized watch, but that is less of an issue in the case of the watch. The usage of pink gold applied hour markers and pink golden baton-shaped palms, both filled with lume, should provide sufficient legibility in most lighting conditions. The “Audemars Piguet” logo is printed on the surface of the sapphire crystal on the front, and this gives it a nice floating effect.The sub-dials are easy with white printed white and text baton-shaped hands. The sub-dial in 3:00 suggests chronograph minutes and the one at 9:00 shows continuous moments. 1 possible issue with legibility must do with the chronograph seconds hand, which can be black with a lumed white tip. Between how thin the hand is and also the color, reading the chronograph elapsed time might be more awkward than people may like. It’s not easy to say for certain until we get our hands on a physical case of this watch.I’ve left the situation and bracelet description to the last because those are a few of the most recognizable aspects of the watch. This is the same Gerald Genta layout that is popular among several collectors however with 44mm by 13.2mm case measurements. This is a fairly large watch with a broad bezel on both front and back. All the straight lines and sharp angles additionally give it a bigger look. There are the obvious visual differences in both substances but what I find interesting is that titanium is generally a light material with high tensile strength, while gold is a dense but soft material. What this means is that the experience of wearing each variation should be substantially different, and I personally find this interesting.

Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak Frosted Gold last year to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the first ladies’ Royal Oak, yet the watch garnered significant attention from a male audience despite being aimed squarely at women. In fact, at SIHH earlier this year, AP boss Francois-Henry Bennahmias was wearing a prototype men’s Royal Oak ref. 15400 with the same frosted gold finish. As anticipated, the prototype has made it into production – in a limited edition, no less.

That “frosted” decoration is the result of a collaboration between the Le Brassus watchmaker and Florentine jeweller Carolina Bucci, whose signature technique involves hammering gold with a diamond-tipped tool to create minute indentations on the surface. The result is a fine, tactile and sparkly finish – a decidedly modern approach that mimics the look of gem-encrustation without the jewels.

Understandably, applying this jewellery technique to the angular lines of the Gérald Genta-design came with its challenges. The team had to ensure that the finishing would neither alter the clean lines of the hallmark octagonal bezel nor the fluidity of the bracelet. Consequently, the finishing has to be applied by hand to individual components one at a time. In effect, this hand-finishing technique ensures that each watch is different.

The Frosted Gold watches were originally only available in 33m and 37mm versions for ladies, which were equipped with a quartz calibre and the automatic cal. 3120 respectively. Now the 41mm Frosted Gold for men is powered by the in-house cal. 3120 automatic. It is available only in white gold with a blue “Grande Tapisserie” dial.

Price and Availability

The Royal Oak Frosted Gold for men (ref. 15410BC.GG.1224BC.01) is a limited edition of 200 pieces, and is priced at US$55,000.

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