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Monochrome Tuesday: Reviewing the Patek Philippe Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph

A few years ago, Patek Philippe introduced a new Ref. 5980/1A with a white dial (for laymen: that’s the Nautilus Chronograph). We at Monochrome Watches were a bit surprised to discover, at Baselworld 2014, that Patek had already discontinued the steel 5980/1A model  and replaced it with a steel Nautilus Chronograph with a second time zone, like the one in the Aquanaut Travel Time Ref. 5164.

 

Patek Philippe 5990 Nautilus

That means that the 5980/1A-019 (the white-dial Nautilus Chrono) will have been in production for only two years. Since we’re talking about Patek here, productions numbers are rather low, and this reference is now a very rare bird which we expect to become very collectible. Although the other steel 5980/1A models are not as rare (but super-rare compared to a replica Rolex Submariner, for instance), we would not be surprised to see their prices climb now that the demand can no longer be fulfilled at Patek boutiques but only on the secondary market. But now, let’s take a look at the newbie in the Nautilus family, whose additional second-time-zone function works just like the one in the aforementioned Patek Philippe Aquanaut Travel Time, introduced in 2011 (see here).

Patek Philippe ref.5990/1A - live

On the dial, we see the chronograph register at 6 o’clock, and, similar to that on the Aquanaut Travel Time, it features a pointer-date, now positioned on the upper part of the dial. The date indication is connected to the local time, which is your travel destination. When traveling, it can be adjusted both forward and backward, to follow the date of the time zone where you are. To the left and right on the dial are two small apertures, which indicate day and night in both the local time zone and the home time zone. The chronograph pushers – to start, stop and reset to zero – are located on the left-hand side of the case, just like on the Nautilus Chronograph Ref. 5980/1A. Where the old 5980/1A had a 60-minute and 12-hour register for measuring elapsed time, the new ref. 5990/1A has just one 60-minute counter. While you won’t be able to measure how long that intercontinental flight took anymore, the new subdial is cleaner and easier to read. And with the additional pointer-date register, that’s a good thing.

Patek Philippe ref.5990/1A - wrist

On the left-hand side of the case are two pushers for changing the local time zone when you’re traveling. Design-wise, Patek Philippe did very well here, because these pushers look like the typical “ears” of the Nautilus case. However, adding them forced Patek to change the model’s typical two-part case for a more traditional three-part case. Although the entire case construction has changed, the diameter is still 40.5 mm and the case is still water-resistant to 120 meters. Also the overall case thickness is not much greater (the official data is not provided) than the 5980’s thickness of 12.6 mm. When we saw the first images, we “feared” the best quality replica watch would be too thick and too busy on the dial. After trying it on the wrist, we’re convinced that our fears were groundless.

Patek Philippe ref.5990/1A - wrist - angle

The movement of the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph, Caliber 28-520 C FUS, starts with the same base caliber as its predecessor; however, now it has an additional module for the two time zones (called “FUS”) — again, the same module used in the Aquanaut Travel Time. The retail price in Swiss Francs is CHF 47,000 (about $57,300), just a few thousand more than the steel Ref. 5980/1A. That’s still a lot of money, but we’re glad that Patek didn’t set the price even higher. Despite the fact that the Nautilus Travel Time Chronograph is a great addition to the Nautilus collection, I will miss the 5980/1A, because of its sportier look. I still consider the 5980/1A to be the Magnum Opus of luxury sports fake watches. Check here for our extensive review of the Nautilus 5980/1A.

Our conclusion? In terms of size and comfort, the new 5990/1A is more or less equivalent to the 5980/1A. However, in terms of functionality, the new 5990/1A is superior to the older 5980/1A and we believe that this is exactly the type of swiss replica watch that many of Patek’s customers — with their daily business-travel life — are looking for.

Omega’s New Watch Certification: What Makes It Different?

In December, Omega and METAS, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology, held a joint press conference in Geneva to announce a new collaboration. Starting in 2015, Omega cheap replica watches that are badged “Master Co-Axial” will be officially certified by METAS, using a new testing system. But what does this mean for Omega, and for watch certification systems in general? Let’s take a look.

At the December Press Conference, held at the Cité du Temps in Geneva, Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek was joined by Omega President Stephen Urquhart and Christian Bock, the director of METAS, to discuss the new system.

Omega and Metas Press Conference

The new certification represents a higher standard of accuracy. Omega watches will now be certified for not just consistent timekeeping but also for antimagnetism and water resistance. METAS, which describes itself as “the federal centre of competence for all issues related to measurement and for measuring equipment and measuring procedures,” will become the impartial regulating body to ensure that Omega’s manufacturing standards meet the brand’s promises. Going forward, all Omega Master Co-Axial calibers will be tested to meet certain standards. Each movement must continue to function when exposed to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 Gauss. Each finished watch must also continue to function when exposed to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 Gauss. The high quality replica watch must keep consistent time, between 0 and +5 seconds/day, when tested at different temperatures and in different positions. Finally, each watch must be tested to ensure it achieves its stated power reserve and water resistance.

Omega Seamaster Master Co-Axial Chronometer

Omega’s move to develop a new certification system with METAS is significant for several reasons. For the last several years, Omega has been at the lead in developing new measures to protect top quality replica watches uk from magnetic fields. With the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss, the brand has produced a cheap replica watch movement that can keep time consistently even after exposure to some of the most intense magnetic fields a person is likely to encounter. (Note: You can read WatchTime’s review of the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss in our January-February 2015 issue or download it directly from our online shop by clicking here.)

The key to Omega’s design innovations is the use of antimagnetic materials inside the movement. Whereas the common solution to magnetism has been to shield the movement inside a soft iron Faraday cage, Omega’s antimagnetic watches use silicon balance springs which will not respond to magnetic fields at all. Since Omega has been publicizing its accomplishments in antimagnetic watchmaking, the new certification allows the brand to make this engineering achievement official, as a standard that can be confirmed by an impartial observer.

Another reason for the new certificate is COSC. For years, the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres has been the gold standard for the watch industry. This independent Swiss body tests uncased movements for timekeeping accuracy, and is the only institution in Switzerland that can sanction the use of the term “chronometer” on a watch dial. Omega has long been a major supporter of COSC. Of the 1.69 million discount fake watches COSC certified in 2013, more than 447,000 were for Omega, making it the second biggest chronometer producer after Rolex.

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However, in recent years an increasing number of watch brands have sought other standards of quality or have formed their own, often believing that COSC certification is too lenient. To pass the COSC test a watch movement must maintain accuracy between -4 and +6 seconds per day; however, a movement’s timekeeping can be affected during the casing-up process or when the rotor is affixed on an automatic – and all of this occurs after the COSC test has been completed. Since the new Omega testing will be performed on both the movement and on the finished watch – and since it has a narrower allowance, not permitting the swiss replica watch to lose seconds, only to gain – it should provide a higher standard than COSC. Omega will continue to certify its chronometers with COSC over the coming years, but the number of movements receiving COSC certification will decrease as more and more Master Co-Axial calibers receive the new METAS certification.

The new certificate will also have far-ranging effects on how and where Omega manufactures its luxury fake watches. While testing will initially occur in Omega’s current facilities, the brand has plans for a new factory with a dedicated testing site. Testing will be performed and checked onsite according to METAS specifications. Omega is also making it easier to get information on watch testing than before. The owner of a certified Master Co-Axial Omega will be able to log onto a site using the watch’s warranty card. There, the specific results of the individual watch, as well as the testing parameters, will be readily available. At the press conference in December, Hayek and Urquhart were encouraging about the fact that any brand can contract with METAS for an impartial certification system. While Omega has provided its particular standards for the Master Co-Axial movements, other brands could follow suit. Hayek expressed hopes that this development may lead to more widespread innovation. “This would benefit the entire industry – not only in Switzerland but in China and Japan and in other countries with a history of innovative watchmaking,” Hayek said.

Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss - frontOmega Seamaster Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss - back_560

 

Time Chimers: 4 Notable Minute Repeaters from SIHH 2015

It is not uncommon during the SIHH watch fair to hear the popping of Champagne corks and the clinking of glasses in the luxuriously appointed halls of Geneva’s Palexpo. This year, guests also heard the pleasant chiming of several new minute repeater best quality swiss replica watches from the exhibiting luxury watch brands. Here are four repeater watches from SIHH 2015 that caught our eye — and ear.

The A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater is the first Lange watch to combine  jumping time displays for the hours and minutes with a 10-minute interval repeater. The simple, legible dial belies the complexities of the movement and its chiming mechanism.  Since the time can be read quickly (jumping hours are displayed in a window at 9 o’clock, minutes are on two discs of different heights at 3 o’clock, and small seconds at the bottom of the dial), the wearer can then turn his attention down to the bottom of the dial, where the two black-polished steel hammers for the minute repeater are readily visible on either side of the seconds subdial. When the pusher at 10 o’clock is pressed, the hammers strike the gong encircling the dial. The hours hammer, with a lower pitch, is on the left side; the higher-pitched minutes hammer is on the right. Ten-minute intervals are signaled via a “double tone”: the higher pitch is hit with the lower one immediately following. The maximum duration it takes to strike out the time (at 12:59) is approximately 20 seconds. For more detail on the Lange Zeitwerk Minute Repeater.

A Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater soldier 560

To develop its prototype Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept RD#1, the luxury watch brand from Le Brassus partnered with the École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), a Swiss organization dedicated to the study of acoustics. The result of their intensive sound research program is, according to AP, “the first chiming watch so acoustically considered as to become a sound concept in its own right.” By applying the principles of stringed instrument making to the development of the watch’s chiming mechanism, the brand has created a repeater discount fake watch with a significantly enhanced sound transmission. The movement features a brand-new, almost silent striking mechanism regulator, along with a column-wheel chronograph and a tourbillon.For more on this year’s Royal Oak Concept.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research

While not truly a “grand complication” in the strictest sense of the term (it lacks, for example, a chronograph function), the Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Grand Complication was nevertheless regarded as one of the most impressive debuts at this year’s SIHH. This is in part because of its astounding thinness (the 45-mm platinum case is just 12.6 mm thick, while the skeletonized movement, Cartier Caliber 9406 MC, is a mere 5.49 mm thick) and also because of its incorporation of several major haute horlogerie functions, which include a flying tourbillon and perpetual calendar in addition to a minute repeater. The bottom of the dial showcases the minute repeater, which is equipped with an inertia-free fly wheel, with its hammers and gongs on display thanks to the openwork of the movement.

Cartier Grande Complication soldier 560

Jaeger-LeCoultre has created many minute repeater watches over its long history, but this year the grande maison from Le Sentier rolled out its first repeater in a ladies’ collection, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater, a timepiece that is striking in more ways than one. The high quality swiss replica watches gets its name from the ivy motif on the white gold, blue-enameled dial, which features diamonds in a snow setting on the curling ivy leaves — symbolizing, JLC says, the evening of winter’s first frost in the Vallée de Joux. The bezel, lugs, caseband, crown, and push-piece are also diamond-set, making for a total of 548 diamonds, including 255 on the dial. Inside the 39-mm case is the new automatic Caliber 942A, whose innovative repeater mechanism is fitted with two patented trebuchet hammers that strike two crystal gongs connected to the sapphire crystal. The mechanism is also equipped with a silent regulator to reduce peripheral sounds. The repeater is activated by a single push-button rather than a traditional slide, and features a security system that ensures that the movement will not be damaged if the push-button is inadvertently activated while the repeater is already in motion.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater