DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
And now it remains for the Chief Editor to make his wishlist for Christmas. Does he want watches? After all, collecting for more years than he is able to count (his banker tells him its been 28 years since he started to spend every penny he makes on watches…for those of you who are into numbers), he is not really in the market for watches anymore? Or is he? What would be his Christmas prayer?
Perhaps watches. Perhaps not. But in the spirit of giving this Christmastide, I will start with a watch. It is, of course very difficult to choose one. Many beauties were announced this year, many incredibly wonderful watches. My Editor’s Choice is the obvious place to start. I wrote one for SIHH 2017, and two for Baselworld 2017 – with one specifically focusing on the Independents. But in reality, perhaps only one, or two innovations.
The most heavily promoted of the innovations is the Zenith El Primero Defy Lab.It won the Special Jury Prize at the recent GPHG, and it is not only a great advancement in watchmaking per se but also a technological tour de force. So intrigued was I, that we covered the watch several times. First in the reveal from Julien Tornare, then the photographs from the press release, then full coverage on our IG Live of the Asian launch event in Tokyo including an “open kimono” interview with Jean-Claude Biver, and then the hands on with live photographs.
Another interesting innovation is the highly technical Dominique Renaud piece. We received the technical information, but the details are overwhelming, and we have not yet had the time, and perhaps not even the technical depth and ability to understand the blade resonator. Perhaps more later, especially if we can get Dominique to explain to us in Geneva.
But I digress. Back to a watch I would wish for. I must say its a tough choice, for this veteran collector. After musing for a long time, I finally settled for this:
Asaoka Chronograph
My choice is the Asaoka Chronograph. Announced in Baselworld 2017, and limited to only 3 pieces. The watch is totally hand made by Hajime Asaoka. He has made a name as the wonderkid in the AHCI, who is not only self taught, but makes all his watches in his little atelier in Tokyo. I visited him in his Tokyo lair recently, and made this report.
Totally amazing, that a self taught watchmaker can create complicated timepieces in such an amazing beauty is beyond my feeble imagination. Almost the entire watch is hand made by Asaoka. I understand he has recently taken in an assistant, but one who is already a master watchmaker, to help with some of the finishing work. But every watch that leaves the Tokyo atelier is still personally tuned, adjusted and worked on by Asaoka himself.
The chronograph is my choice, over his various tourbillons as I feel a ground up chronograph is a more technical achievement than a tourbillon. The watch features the chronograph works on the […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Peter Chong
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