Could this mark the beginning of a Fine Watchmaking collection for the Bubble? “The tourbillon was designed for pocket watches. On wristwatches, its function is purely aesthetic. With the magnifying effect provided by the Bubble's domed crystal, a tourbillon has never been as present or as powerful on a wristwatch. This novel approach provides us with a glimpse of the possibility of Fine Watchmaking for the Bubble.” That’s how Jérôme Biard, the CEO of Corum, is unveiling the new Bubble Central Tourbillon.

During the 18th century, Couvet, the native village of Ferdinand Berthoud, gradually became an important centre for the production of clocks and watch tools. At the time when these first industrial activities were beginning to emerge, the young man would find conditions in the Val-de-Travers entirely conducive to the blossoming of his exceptional talents.

Exterior

It is difficult to entirely disassociate the 45mm-diameter platinum case from the movement it houses, given their close interconnections. The rotation of the movement inside this watch precludes the use of a traditional winding and time-setting system operated via the crown stem. The Freak Vision is thus manually wound by rotating its case-back, while time-setting is done by turning its bezel after releasing it via a bolt bolt between the lugs at 6 o’clock. There are no hands or dial as such, since the hours are displayed by an index and the minutes by the 60-minute rotation of the entire movement. The overall result is a unique, understated and ergonomic result, while the various operations relating to winding and time-setting inspire a sense of absolute confidence.

Tailor-made production has long been a powerful social status symbol, a sign of taste and of means. But like everything related to commerce, it is gradually coming within reach of a broader public. The trend is obvious in men’s fashion, where jackets and shirts cut to the wearer’s exact measurements have moved on from being exceptional objects to now-affordable pleasures. Based on sophisticated data systems, workshops located in countries with low manufacturing costs, as well as by reducing the number of options, the so-called “semi-bespoke” approach has conquered the masculine wardrobe. Now comes the turn of the watch. It all began with multiple strap choices, a simple service offered by a number of brands. Not to mention specialists providing leather in a range of colors, shapes, thicknesses, overstitching, cuts and materials on request. The issue of watches’ uniqueness has now been stepped up a notch.

The 2018 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final will take place at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris with Longines as Title Partner, Official Timekeeper and Watch. This much-awaited competition will start on Thursday 12 April 2018 with Round I, followed by Round II on the next day and the Final on Sunday. The participants of this major event have been accumulating the qualifying points during the regional leagues, notably the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Western European League, the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League and the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping China League. The brand will crown the new World Champion and present him, along with the second and third, an elegant Longines timepiece.

During the 2010s, the Swatch Group successively announced its plans – involving varying degrees of imminence – to phase out movement supply to third parties. The countless brands relying on reliable and cheap ETA products would have to accept price hikes and dwindling deliveries of non-personalized movements. Confronted with this decision and its progressive implementation, many brands turned to alternative suppliers. Sellita, in particular, which provides calibers interchangeable with those produced by ETA, took the lion’s share of these transfers. A few more upscale manufacturers such as Soprod and Vaucher lowered their prices to meet demand, which has continued despite the crisis endured by Swiss watches. These replacement calibers deliver more or less the same performance as ETA calibers, which in fact remain available…