The IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia however, is much more than that. Based on their timeless classic Portuguese line, IWC created their most complex masterpiece ever. And we mean EVER. Forget the tourbillion with seconde mortes (dead beat seconds). This ref.5041 is capable of showing Sideral (or star time) on the dial at 12 o’clock, and is used by astronomers to keep track of the direction to point their telescopes to view a given star in the night sky. The real treat however, comes to life when you turn the watch around and have a look at the back of this Portuguese masterpiece.

IWC uses the night sky that fits the location of the customer (yes, these watches are being custom made for the lucky few) and is capable of showing between 500 and 1,000 stars. The night sky disc rotates either clock- or counter-clockwise, depending on the geographical location of the wearer (northern or southern hemisphere). Also, the night sky disc is surrounded by a few outer rings, displaying the sidereal time, solar time, time of sunset and rise, and the number of the day of the year (absolute day). Where 1 is the first of January and 365 (or 366 in case of a leap year, like 2012) is the 31st of December.

Will an astronomer make enough money to be able to afford this IWC of 750,000.- Swiss Francs (which is more or less the same in USD)?. We don’t know, but for those who can, IWC Schaffhausen will offer them the opportunity to have the Portuguese Siderale Scafusia customized in over 200 different design options. Besides five different dial colors, there are a variety of strap colors and materials available. The use of platinum, white, and red gold for the case and the watch will be personally presented to the new owner by IWC. The Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia comes in a very large presentation box that has a watch winder built into it as well, for those days you are not able to wear it.

We are pretty afraid that the IWC Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia eventually will not see day light (or night sky, for that matter) much because it is so expensive. We will probably only see them ‘in public’ at watch auctions. That’s too bad for such a brilliant piece of engineering, but understandable.

IWC Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia Specifications

Watch Front
• Case in platinum, 18-carat red gold or 18-carat white gold
• Mechanical movement
• Hand-wound
• 2 barrels
• Breguet spring
• 96-hour power reserve when fully wound
• Power reserve display at 4.30
• Constant-force tourbillon and small seconds at 9 o’clock
• Sidereal time at 12 o’clock
• Sapphire glass, convex, antireflective on both sides

Watch Back
• Perpetual calendar with leap year display and absolute day of the year
• Celestial chart showing horizon, ecliptic and celestial equator
• Indication for day, night and twilight
• Display for sunrise and sunset
• Coordinates of chosen location
• Sapphire glass
• Case height 17.5 mm
• Diameter 46 mm

IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaXP2padNT0

IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia Gallery

IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia

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IWC Portuguese Siderale Scafusia

Would you wear the IWC Portuguese Sidérale Scafusia or keep it in your collection? Leave a comment and let us know!

This week, we only stick to watches. We have picked five watches up to $2500 USD for you to pick as a holiday gift. We, of course, don’t use retail prices here. You know how to get discounts (wink wink). For this article we used the Chrono24 marketplace as a reference for prices on watches.

We are including one vintage or pre-owned watch; just to be sure we have covered all possible scenarios. The vintage watch we selected is the Rolex Datejust, a classic beauty that we’ve spoken about a few times before here at MotoringExposure. A guy who calls himself a watch collector should definitely have one of these ‘mother of all modern wrist watches’ in his collection. We selected a reference 1603, which means this is a Datejust with ‘pie-pan’ dial, stick markers, plexi crystal, engine-turned bezel and a jubilee bracelet. Due to its size of only 36 millimeter, this would also be a perfect gift for a woman.

Our second watch gift suggestion is a brand new TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph, a watch that is very popular in the UK, Australia and, of course, the USA. It is one of the most popular TAG Heuer models, together with their classics (e.g. Monaco). This TAG Heuer ref. CV2010.BA0786 (or Carrera Chronograph) is a classic chronograph with a very modern touch. It measures 41 millimeters in diameter but we are sure most men can handle this size without a problem. Although TAG Heuer carries in-house (caliber 1887) movements in some of their Carrera models, this one has the caliber 16 ticking inside. This movement is based on the famous and solid ETA/Valjoux 7750 that we’ve seen in numerous other watches by a lot of brands.

MotoringExposure chooses a rather unknown brand as an option as well. We are talking Mühle Glashütte here with their Lufthansa watch, which is 100 percent functional, like Germans love. From the famous watch maker town in the east part of Germany, Glashütte, Mühle is probably one of the manufacturers over there that get’s the least attention across the German border. With this 42mm Lufthansa timepiece, Mühle offers a no-nonsense functional timepiece with hours, minutes, seconds and a date feature. The Lufthansa is a lightweight watch despite the stainless steel case (instead of titanium) that comes with the well-known ETA2824-1 movement.

Another big brand label comes to mind – the Breitling Super Ocean in stainless steel. Breitling is in the top three of chronometer certified watches (COSC), where Rolex is number one and Omega is number two. Breitling is ranked third and this Super Ocean also has a chronometer certified ETA movement ticking inside. The Breitling Super Ocean diver’s watch features a uni-directional bezel, sapphire crystal, and a screw-in case back to guarantee the 1500 meters of water resistance. The watch comes with a rubber strap to keep the watch lightweight and easy to use under water. The list price is a bit higher, but you should be able to find one of these watches under $2500 USD.

Our fifth and last $2500 USD suggestion may sound a bit odd, but the ‘regulars’ are something you’d be able to find out yourself quite. We picked the commonly unknown Giuliano Mazzuoli Manometro watch for you. The design is based on a – yes – manometer. This instrument measures pressure and Giuliano Mazzuoli thought it would be interesting to create a watch with the same design. The Manometra has a large 45mm diameter case with an integrated black rubber strap. The dial is very sober in black and white, but the red second hand and red printed ‘12’ bring it to life. Like the Mühle, this watch has an ETA caliber 2824 movement. The [screw-down] winding crown is located at 10 o’clock. A perfect location for a watch as it will not bother you at all.

What sub-$2500 USD watch is on your Holiday wish list? Leave a comment and let us know!

Since last year, we have been mainly focusing on writing about very expensive watches and accessories, but this doesn’t mean that you cannot own a nice watch or winder (for example) under $500 USD. We will keep it ‘horlogerie’ and not dare mention any of the designer watches from brands like Diesel, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein etc.

We selected three watches and three watch accessories, some even way below $500 USD if you are able to do some on-line research on how and where to get it.

First, we would like to start with a watch that has been keeping us busy for the last few weeks. It is a Japanese mechanical diver watch by Seiko – the SNZH53 to be exact. This watch is also known as the ‘Fifty Three Fathoms’, a nod to the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. However, the reference number might come in handy when searching for this watch on-line. It has a mechanical self-winding movement (in-house!) and features a day and date aperture on the dial. It is a great looker, especially the blue version. This watch is a beautiful gift and can be found for under $300 USD on the internet. Add $10 USD for a matching NATO strap; the stainless steel bracelet that comes with the watch is awful. The diameter of the Seiko SNZH53 is 40mm.

Our second timepiece is an Orient Mako XL watch, also a diver with a friendly price tag (290USD). This automatic winding wrist watch is available in a variety of dial colors and is water resistant to 200 meters. This watch has the typical diver’s watch look and feel and is a bit larger than our first watch, 44.5mm in diameter. Both these choices don’t have a sapphire crystal, so be careful with scratches.

Our third and non-diver choice would be the Hamilton Jazzmaster Viewmatic Mens Watch, which can be found for just under $500 USD at websites like Amazon. It is a classic looking 40mm wrist watch that comes with a leather strap with alligator grain. We would pick the silver guilloche dial version with a brown strap! It is also the only watch in our selection that features a sapphire crystal.

Our personal preference? Although Seiko’s hardlex crystals become a bit ugly after scratches appear, we would definitely settle for this one. Beauty however, is in the eye of the beholder.

Besides watches, you are of course able to surprise a friend, spouse, or yourself with great watch gift accessories under $500 USD.

To start with our first suggestion, we chose a $30 USD book – a present that probably suits everybody’s budget. However, this book covers something we think is important for starting watch collectors. It is called ‘Cult Watches’ and that’s exactly what this book is about. ‘Cult Watches’ is written by Michael Balfour, a well known author when it comes to watch related publications. All the classics, or icons as you wish, are covered in this book. The book also features superb photography.

Second is an item that we have discussed numerous times before here at MotoringExposure – a watch winder. One of our personal favorites is the Wolf Designs watch winder for a single watch. You can use a program to set the maximum number of turns (clock wise and counter clock wise) that are perfect for your particular timepiece. Wolf Designs has them in various materials and colors, so if you know your friend well, you should be able to pick something to their likings. Our personal favorite is the Single Watch Winder with 2.7 module, in leather and with a nice wooden frame inside. The winder also runs on D-cell batteries which is very useful if you keep this winder in a safe. Expect to pay approximately $329 USD.

Last, but certainly not least, is something that will definitely be successful when unwrapping it – the Wenger Minathor watchmaker’s knife. The Swiss Army knife manufacturer created a special knife for watchmakers together with Bergeon, a company well known for their watchmaker’s tools. Approximately $180 USD isn’t cheap for a pocket knife, but only the best tools have been used by Bergeon for your watch loving friend. We personally use this watch quite often to open up cases, change leather straps or bracelets, and to resize bracelets.

Our personal preference when it comes to watch accessory gifts? The Wenger Minathor!

What gift are you putting on your wish list? Leave a comment and let us know!

Döttling likes to speak about ‘haute safeology’, a play on the much-used term ‘haute horology’. Looking at their range of products, we can understand why. The finest materials are used to hide and cover the hard stainless steel construction of each high-security safe. On the inside, some of the safes are able to be equipped with winders in order to keep your perpetual calendars running constantly so that you don’t have to spend a Sunday morning to adjust the calendar and time.

The Liberty safes are the latest addition in the Döttling collection. Each Liberty safe is covered by calf-skin on the exterior, while refined Alcantara is used throughout the interior. The fittings of the safe and the framed input unit all feature a high-gloss finish, making this safe a feast for the eyes of every watch collector. The color of the interior, type of exterior leather, and the number of watch winders and drawers are all options the buyer can select when buying this Döttling Liberty safe.

The Döttling Liberty safes do not come cheap, but for the person who already has everything and does not want to buy an ugly (because most of them are) ‘regular’ safe to keep his or her watches stored securely, Döttling is the brand of choice. The entry level Liberty safe is 55cm in height, features security classification VDS1 (also available in other security classes if desired), and starts at a price around 20.000 Euro.

However, our personal preference is the Döttling Colosimo safe. Why? Because it is a neat little safe for watch geeks! The inside of the safe has 32 gold plated gears driven by the external wheel (to open the safe) that will withdraw the 16 radial bolts. The Döttling Colosimo is about precision engineering, just like your mechanical masterpiece that needs to be safely tucked away.

More information can be found at: www.doettling.com

Döttling Colosimo and Liberty Watch Safe Gallery

Safeguard Your Watches In Style

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Döttling Colosimo

What do you think of the Döttling Colosimo and Liberty safes? Leave a comment and let us know!

Every two years (since 2005), the Wirtschaftswoche magazine publishes a list with brands and A. Lange & Sohne has consistently been on top of this list since 2007. Leaving not only other watch brands such as Chronoswiss (Munich) and Glashuette Original (Glashuette) behind, but also car manufacturers such as Maybach, Porsche, Wiesmann, electronic firms like Loewe and luxury boutiques like Wempe.

Germany always has been a serious player in the world of mechanical watches, but it is amazing how fast they marketed themselves (again) after the re-union of East and West Germany. A. Lange & Sohne is probably the best example how such a small brand in a luxury niche market was able to rank themselves in such a short period of time with world renown brands like Porsche.

A. Lange & Sohne is probably the most high-end watch manufacturer in Germany, and introduced their Richard Lange Tourbillon ‘Pour le Merite’ timepiece last year. Only 100 pieces will be made of this model with price tag just below $200,000 each. This ‘Pour le Merite’ features not only a tourbillon, but also a fusée-and-chain transmission, which is – for the watch experts – even a nicer mechanical treat than a tourbillon. However, A. Lange & Sohne is of course most famous for their Lange 1 and Lange 1815 models.

Watchmaker Ferdinand A. Lange originally found this brand in 1845, creating the finest pocket watches in Germany. After the fall of the iron curtain, A. Lange & Sohne rapidly got back to the top of the watch making industry and manufacturers only a few thousand timepieces per year, all in gold or platinum. All timepieces are produced with the same high-grade finish and quality, no exceptions made. A. Lange & Sohne exclusively uses their in-house developed and manufactured movements, assembled and finished by hand. During the last 20 years, A. Lange & Sohne has developed about 40 different mechanical calibers.

More information can be found at: www.lange-soehne.com.

A. Lange & Sohne Gallery

Richard Lange Tourbillon ‘Pour le Merite’

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Richard Lange Tourbillon ‘Pour le Merite’

What is your favorite A. Lange & Sohne timepiece? Leave a comment and let us know!

Last year, Linde Werdelin introduced a spin-off of the SpidoLite (SpidoSpeed’s big brother with chronograph functionality). The watch looks the same, but the construction and production process of the case is even more advanced with the SpidoSpeed. After introducing this impressive chronograph, Linde Werdelin is now announcing the SpidoLite II. This is the successor of the original SpidoLite, which has been on the market for four years already.

At first glance, you might not notice the difference between the SpidoLite and SpidoLite II. But looking closely, you will certainly discover that Linde Werdelin put quite a bit more effort into the skeletonized dial, case and movement. Where they used a customized A.Schild movement before, they now have a partnership with the Concepto manufacture. This movement has been designed and crafted according to the specific requirements of Linde Werdelin. This means that it has been finished with a black gold treatment and that design wise, the rotor is totally aligned with the design of the SpidoLite II case.

The movement is perfectly visible through the sapphire crystal of the case back and some parts of the movement are visible because of the skeletonized dial.

The Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II comes in two different versions, which have mostly to do with used materials and finish of the case. There will be an all-titanium version and a titanium version with anthracite DLC finish. The rest of this timepiece remains the same.

Linde Werdelin’s Titantium SpidoLite II will retail for 9360.- Euro (+/- 13,000 USD) and the Anthracite DLC SpidoLite II will retail for 9960.- Euro (+/- 13,700 USD), including VAT. The SpidoLite II will be available in November 2011.

Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II Specifications

Movement:
Valérien Jaquet Concepto Mechanical Automatic (calibre 2251) / Power reserve: 42 hours / Balance frequency: 28,800 Alt/H / LW designed oscillator

Case:
Three part construction titanium / Number of parts: 32 / anti-reflective sapphire crystal / Back case: see-through sapphire crystal, spider web and subdial engravings / Screw in crown with LW logo

Dimensions:
44mm (w) by 46mm (l) by 15mm (h)

Dial:
Two-part skeletonised black dial / sub-dial for seconds / Hands: three diamond cut blued steel hands

Water Resistance:
100m

Strap:
SpidoLite II textured calfskin strap with ardillon buckle

More information can be found at: www.lindewerdelin.com

Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II Gallery

Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II

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Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II

What do you think of the Linde Werdelin SpidoLite II? Leave a comment and let us know!

Urwerk, renowned for their haute horlogerie timepieces that use satellites to display the time, created a new version of their already existing UR-110 timepiece. With a champagne-colored super nova in mind (SNLS-03D3bb to be precise), Urwerk managed to create a UR-110 timepiece with the same champagne-colored surface, hence the ZrN addition to its name.

ZrN stands for Zirconium Nitride, a high-end ceramic that has been applied to the existing watchcase of the UR-110 model. The ZrN layer is only a few microns thick, but resistant to scratches due to a hardness of 2000 Vickers. Due to a special appliance method of the coating, the color of the titanium watchcase resulted in that of champagne.

Due to the low production numbers, it’s probably a rarity to see an Urwerk in the flesh anyway. This limited edition of 12 pieces is only available through Chronopassion (Paris), Marcus (London), The Hour Glass (Singapore) and Westime (LA). Urwerk decided to use a red numeral for the hour satellite to mark the unique number of 12 pieces. So, number 5 of 12 will have a red hour satellite for displaying 5 o’clock.

As you might recall from the ‘regular’ UR-110, the Torpedo refers to the shape of the satellites.

Just like the regular production UR-110, the functionality remains all the same. There is an oil-change indicator that will let you know when it is time for service at the Urwerk manufacture and a day/night indicator which comes in handy when travelling through different time zones.

The movement of this watch uses their famous twin-barrel system to minimize the wear of the automatic winding system. When you are playing sports such as tennis or golf, you can ‘lock’ the rotor. If you play medium impact sports, like ping pong, you can change the air control inside the watchcase to prevent the rotor from spinning too much.

The price for the Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo has not been announced.

Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo Specifications

Case: Grade 5 titanium with bezel in 316L sandblasted stainless steel treated with *Zirconium Nitride.
Dimensions: 47mm x 51mm x 16mm
Two-position winding crown with cover
Water resistance: Pressure tested to 3 ATM

Movement:
Calibre: UR 9.01 self-winding
Balance: Monometallic
Jewels: 46
Frequency: 28,800v/h, 4Hz
Balance spring: Flat
Power: Single mainspring barrel
Power reserve: 39 hours
Winding system: Unidirectional winding rotor coupled to twin turbines
Finish: Circular graining and diamond polishing
Chamfered and polished screw heads

Indications:
Revolving satellite complication with rotating hour/minute modules mounted on planetary gears
Control Board: Day/Night indicator; “Oil Change” indicator and running seconds

Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo Gallery

Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo

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Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo

What car would you drive while wearing the Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo? Leave a comment and let us know!

Just a few months before Gerald Génta passed away, Patek Philippe introduced a new version of the Aquanaut that has a lot of similarities to the original ‘Nautilus’ design.

Since 1997 the Aquanaut collection has been an important line of the Patek Philippe watch family. It was originally introduced as a younger and fresher version of the iconic Nautilus timepieces designed by the famous Gerald Génta.

The Nautilus already had a chronograph and a calendar (with moon phase) version, while the Aquanaut watches were relatively plain.

For travellers that love high-end sports watches, Patek Philippe created this new Aquanaut with an easy to operate GMT feature. With the two buttons on the left side of the case, one can simply push the upper button to increase the hours and the lower pusher to decrease the hours. Due to the pushers on the left side and the crown guard on the right side of the watch, it becomes very similar to the original Nautilus timepiece, which we love!

The movement is the PP caliber 324 S C FUS and has been developed and manufactured specifically for this Travel Time watch. Like many other GMT watches, this Aquanaut also features a day and night indicator.

There is no question that the initial Aquanaut design in 1997 wasn’t as mind-boggling or as innovative as the original Nautilus was in 1976. The introduction of the Aquanaut was well received, and only seemed to sell in Asia. We suspect that Patek Philippe couldn’t care less of course, as Asia is an important market for the company.

In the end, no matter which type of Patek Philippe you are wearing, you will receive nothing but approval for wearing a timepiece from this manufacturer from Geneva. This has nothing to do with your spending power, but everything with your fine taste for haute horlogerie.

Where the Patek Philippe Nautilus might look a bit outdated in the perception of some watch aficionados, this Aquanaut Travel Time has a fresher appearance due to the rubber strap with a structure that you’ll find on the dial as well, and large luminous numerals and hands. The polished and satinized 40.8mm watchcase is less extreme looking as the Nautilus and only reveals the 1970s design to those who know their icons.

Watch specifications

Brand and model: Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time reference 5164A
Material: Stainless steel
Strap: Tropical rubber strap
Functions: Dual time zone mechanism indicating local and home time
Local and Water Resistance: To 120 m
Movement: Caliber 324 S C FUS, self-winding, diameter 31mm, height 4.82mm, power reserve of 45 hours

Price: $32,700.- USD

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time Gallery

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time

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Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time

What do you think of the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time? Leave a comment and let us know!

I once heard that the entire Jaeger-LeCoultre crew had to learn how to pronounce the word “Duomètre” in an authentic French accent before the big introduction of the Duomètre models started. During an event where the Duomètre was introduced, the first man to ask about this timepiece walked towards the Jaeger-LeCoultre representative and managed to pronounce it as American-English as possible. Now, as the brand’s representative you can do two things: try to correct the potential customer and teach him how to pronounce it in authentic French with the risk of angering him, or keep their mouth shut and just use the same pronunciation as the potential customer did and try to sell the timepiece.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre representative played it safe here.

Besides being a stunning looking timepiece of superb quality and finish, the main attraction for its owner is in the highly complex movement; one that is in place to solve a problem that you probably weren’t even aware of, namely the negative influence of a complication (such as a moon phase) on the accuracy of the movement, and thus time.

Engineers over at Jaeger-LeCoultre came up with a system called “Dual-Wing,” that was introduced in 2007 with the Duomètre à Chronographe. With this system, Jaeger-LeCoultre uses two independent power supplies in the watch. One power supply is dedicated to the complication of the movement, and the other one is used to keep the basic functionality up and running. Both supplies are synchronized through the jumping seconds hand mechanism driven by the escapement.

In the end, the Quantième Lunaire Limited shows time, date, and the age of the moon, made possible by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s caliber 381 movement with its 369 components. An impressive piece of art made possible by using the 178-year experience of the company from Le Sentier, Switzerland.

Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire Limited Specifications

Movement:
• Mechanical manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 381, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand
• 21,600 vibrations per hour
• 50-hour power reserve
• 369 parts
• 40 jewels
• 7.25 mm high
• 33.7 mm diameter
• Two independent barrels

Functions:
• Hours, minutes, seconds, jumping-second, date, moon-phase (North and South), age of the moon, power reserve
• Movement power reserve

Dial:
• Black, matt with appliqués numerals

Hands:
• Hour and Minute: leaf-type, brass, gold-plated
• Seconds: baton with pear-shaped counterweight, gold-plated

Crown:
• 1 crown to start the watch, to wind the watch functions power reserve, to wind the movement power reserve and to adjust the hours and minutes.
• 1 push piece to set the date
• 1 corrector to set the moon phase

Case:
• Diameter 42 mm, thickness: 13.5 mm
• 18-carat white gold
• Welded lugs
• Polished and satin-brushed finishing
• Cambered sapphire crystals, hardness N° 9, glareproofed on front and back
• Water Resistance: 5 atm

The price unknown yet, but the unlimited version was set at approximately $35.000,- USD.

Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire Limited Gallery

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire Limited – Wednesday Watch

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Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire Limited

What kind of occasion would you wear the Duomètre à Quantième Lunaire Limited during? Leave a comment and let us know!