2012 Timezone Watch Of The Year Finalists
The 2012 TimeZone Watch of the Year finalists represent the best timepieces of the year. The winner is chosen exclusively by the TimeZone community, the world's largest community of wristwatch enthusiasts.
A.LANGE & SOHNE LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR
The LANGE 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar reinterprets the perpetual calendar and, for the first time, the Lange tourbillon is not seen on the dial side. Instead, the off-centre dial displays the perpetual calendar through five distinct displays: a newly patented peripheral month ring, a large date, a retrograde day indicator, a moon phase display and a leap year window. Turning the watch over reveals the lavishly decorated movement. This is the first Lange movement with an eccentric weight balance and the month wheel with 48-teeth is now replaced with a sophisticated month ring system that rotates on its own axis once per year.
Movement
ALS Calibre L082.1, automatic, 21,600 vib/h, 50-hour power reserve
Functions
Off-centre main dial. Tourbillon with patented stop seconds. Perpetual calendar with outsize date, retrograde day of week, month ring, leap-year display. Moon-phase display. Day/night indicator.
Case
Platinum, 41.9 mm.
Dial
Solid silver rhodié
F.P.JOURNE CHRONOMETRE OPTIMUM
The Chronomètre Optimum incorporates exceptional components for the first time in one watch: two barrels in parallel, the constant-force remontoire, the revolutionary EBHP High-Performance Bi-axial Escapement (patent EP11405210.3), and the natural dead beat second. The extraordinary technical expertise of this watch advances the art and science of horology towards complete precision timekeeping.
Movement
FPJ Calibre 1510 in 18K rose gold, 44 jewels, hand-wound. Circular graining on baseplate,
Geneva waves on bridges, Polished screw heads with chamfered slots, Pegs with polished rounded ends, 70-hour power reserve
Functions
1 second remontoire at 11 o'clock, very light in Titanium and balanced. Natural dead beat second on the back of the movement. Two mainspring barrels in parallel. Two position crown. Time adjustment in position 2. High performance Bi-axial escapement with arbor and wheels in titanium that functions without oil (inspired by A.-L. Breguet). Off centre hours and minutes. Small second at 9 o'clock. Power reserve indicator at 6 o'clock
Case
Platinum or 18K Red Gold, 40 or 42 mm
Dial
Gold and Silver guilloché clous de Paris
HYT H1
The H1 by HYT incorporates liquid into a mechanical wristwatch. Two reservoirs are located at 6 o'clock. With each passing hour, one reservoir compresses while the other expands, pushing both clear and fluorescent liquids through a tube. The half-moon meniscus marks the boundary where the two fluids meet to indicate the hour. At 18:00, the fluorescent liquid returns to its initial position in a retrograde movement. The minutes, small seconds wheel and power reserve indicator are located in the upper section of the dial.
Movement
Exclusive HYT Calibre, 28,800 vib/h, 35 jewels, hand-wound
Hand-chamfered bridges with "Côtes de Genève" motif, rhodium-plated bellows, 65-hour power reserve
Functions
Retrograde fluid hours, minutes, seconds and power-reserve indicator
Case
Black DLC titanium with satin brushed finish, 48.8 mm
Rubber-clad screw-lock crown
Metal dome at 6 o'clock
Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective interior, screw-down sapphire back
Water-resistant to 100 m / 10 ATM
Dial
Unstructured, black
Fluid hours, luminescent hourmarkers and hands
Regulator at 12 o'clock
Small seconds wheel at half past 9
Power-reserve indicator at half past 2
JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMüTRE SPHEROTOURBILLON
The Duomètre Sphérotourbillon is equipped with a spherical double-axis tourbillon. In addition to the axis of its carriage, the Sphérotourbillon has a second axis inclined at 20° to achieve a three-dimensional rotation movement. The revolutionary `Dual-Wing` concept featured in Calibre 382 makes this exceptional model the first tourbillon watch that is precision adjusted by way of its small seconds flyback system.
Movement
JLC Calibre 382, 55-jewels, hand-wound, 21,600 vib/h, two barrels, 50-hour power reserve
Functions
Hours, minutes and seconds. Flyback seconds, Date, 24-hour reference time or second time-zone, Tourbillon, Twin Power-Reserve
Case
Pink Gold 18 carats, 42 mm
Water resistant to 5 bar
Dial
Crystallised grained, appliqued numerals, feuille hands
RICHARD MILLE RM 056 TOURBILLON SPLIT SECONDS COMPETITION CHRONO FM SAPPHIRE
The RM 056 Tourbillon Split Seconds Competition Chronograph FM Sapphire exemplifies the brand with its modern movement architecture and a case completely machined from sapphire. The movement is not only modern in its design, it also employs cutting edge materials such as titanium in the baseplate, titanium column wheels and even aluminium in the central bridge. The sum of these are an effort to reduce weight. The movement is a split seconds three-register chronograph with tourbillion, which is just about the most complex mechanical movement to make. This sophisticated movement is then paired with a tripartite case cut and milled from solid blocks of sapphire. The production of this sapphire structure took years of research and testing in order to ensure an adequate response to the demands of strength and comfort. Creating the case took over 1,000 hours of machining, including 430 hours to pre-form the case components and 350 hours to polish the entire case. For excellent optical properties, both the front and back bezel are treated with anti-glare.
Movement
Calibre RMCC1, 35-jewels, hand-wound, 21,600 vib/h tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, split-seconds chronograph and power reserve, torque and function indicators. Skeletonised titanium baseplate, column wheels in titanium, central bridge in aluminium, balance wheel with variable inertia, fast rotating barrel, barrel pawl with progressive recoil and 70-hour power reserve.
Functions
Hours, minutes, split-seconds chronograph, power reserve indicator, torque and function indicators
Case
The entire tripartite case (front bezel, middle caseband and back bezel) is cut and milled from solid blocks of sapphire, 50.50 mm x 42.70 mm
Dial
Sapphire with anti-glare coating on both sides, protected by 8 silicon clamps inserted in the outer and inner grooves.
ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL SKY-DWELLER
The innovative Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER features an annual calendar and dual time zones. The local time is read via centre hands and a reference time display in 24-hour format is read via a rotating off-centre disc. The SKY-DWELLER is the first annual calendar by Rolex. The annual calendar requires only one date adjustment a year, when the month changes from February to March. The month display is configured in 12 discreet apertures around the circumference of the dial. The patented bezel-operated control ring allows quick-setting of the date, local time, and reference time from the crown.
Movement
Rolex Calibre 9001, 40 jewels, automatic movement with bidirectional winding via a rotor on ball bearing, 28,800 vib/h, large balance wheel with variable inertia and 72-hour power reserve
Functions
Centre hours, minutes and seconds hands 24-hour display on off-centre disc. Second time zone via independent rapid-setting of the hour hand. Instantaneous annual calendar at 3 o'clock with SAROS system and unrestricted bidirectional rapid-setting of the date. Month display via 12 apertures around the circumference of the dial. Stop-seconds for precise time setting.
Case
18K white gold, 18K yellow gold, 18K EVEROSE gold, OYSTER (monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown), 42 mm
Dial
Sunray finish in ivory, champagne or chocolate
SEIKO ASTRON GPS SOLAR
The Astron GPS Solar is the world's first analog GPS solar watch. The Astron GPS Solar is a highly technical, feature-rich timepiece that can be synchronised to atomic clock precision and is accurate to less than one second every 100,000 years by just one button operation anywhere in the world. When reception is clear, the Astron GPS Solar also automatically adjusts the time once per day. The perpetual calendar is correct to the year 2100. Only Astron offers full coverage of all 39 distinct time zones. All this technology is powered by a high-efficiency solar battery that absorbs light through the dial. Although the case diameter is a sizable 47 mm, Seiko achieves a comfortable weight through the use of a ceramic bezel and either lightweight high intensity titanium, or a stainless steel case paired with a silicon strap.
Movement
GPS Solar 7X52, GPS precision controlled time and time zone adjustment. The watch operates by solar charging and, once fully charged, the watch runs for approximately six months. Magnetic resistant to 4,800 A/m
Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds, perpetual calendar date. Signal reception result indication. World time function (39 Time Zones). Daylight Saving Time function. In-flight/power save function.
Case
High-intensity titanium, high-intensity titanium with black hard coating, or stainless steel, 47 mm
Dial
Black sunray finish with either silver, blue or gold accents