Text: Lisa Epifanova EVERY YEAR IN SWITZERLAND APPEARS FROM TENS OF NEW HOUR BRANDS. AND MOST OF THEM SURE THEY HOPE TO GO INTO HISTORY AND MAY BE (AND WHY WOULD IT NOT?), REMAIN SUCCESSFUL PRODUCERS AND HUNDREDS AFTER YEARS LATER. SHOULD BE LIKE ON THOSE WHO ALREADY HAVE SUCCESSFUL. SO, BEFORE YOU THE MOST CULTURAL CLOCK MODELS THAT HAVE PRAISED IN THE XX CENTURY AND TODAY ARE BEST SELLERS.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
The futuristic development of the legendary watchmaker Gerald Genti even today looks as if he had just been born - so bold, avant-garde and at the same time harmonious design of the model. Royal Oak was first introduced in 1972, when the quartz revolution was raging in the world, and Swiss watchmakers needed to oppose the cheap Japanese quartz. The answer was a massive waterproof 8-sided case, which laid the foundations of the sport de luxe style. The case was a monolithic safe - round nuts with a slot screwed onto the screws from the back. He reliably protected the mechanism from all natural elements, making the Royal Oak watch invulnerable. The bracelet was also integrated into the case. The first model in a large at that time 39 mm case with an automatic caliber 2121 with a frequency of 19 800 pc / h cost an amount unthinkable for the 70s - 3300 Swiss francs. Audemars Piguet itself almost nearly turned off the production of the new model at first - it seemed so unusual to customers. But literally a year later the company was inundated with orders. Two years ago, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the legendary collection, the manufactory introduced 8 limited models, including the elegant Royal Oak Extra-Thin.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Usually, when it comes to the Blancpain brand, it is immediately recalled that the manufactory has the proud title of the oldest in Switzerland, counting the foundation from 1735. Some, however, have the feeling that between the ancient and modern history of the brand a huge gap of a hundred years gapes. But this is not so. It was in the middle of the twentieth century that Blancpain introduced one of the most legendary and “coolest” watch models not only in its own, but also in the general watch history. In 1952, factory engineers created a fundamentally new building with an additional chamber into which a mixture of air and helium was pumped. Thus, the mechanism could work accurately at a 90-meter depth. The ministries of defense of the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Scandinavia and even the United States acquired Fifty Fathoms as equipment for submariners for their elite unit Frogman. This watch was equipped with the expedition of Jacques-Yves Cousteau during the filming of the film "World of Silence", which received the Golden Palm Branch "at the" Cannes Film Festival. Nowadays, the water resistance of watches has grown, reaching 300, 500 and even 1000 meters of immersion, but the design of the 60s has remained unchanged.
Cartier tank
Tank - without exaggeration, the most famous watch of the twentieth century. Legend has it that Louis Cartier saw the outline of a future watch, watching from the balcony a Renault FT-17 tank creeping along the street. "Tank watch with a 9-line mechanical caliber in a gold case; the case has parallel vertical rails for attaching a strap; a brushed silver-plated or guilloche dial with Roman numerals, an hour-and-a-half marking in the form of a closed square and blued steel hands”; a crown made in the form of a pearl and decorated with cabochon cut sapphire; leather strap. From now on, consider these features to be the hallmarks of the Tank watch (from the Cartier archive, 1919). Since then, many versions of Tank have appeared, and each has found fans. In 2013, the Tank MC version appeared, for the first time equipped with the manufactory caliber Cartier 1904 MC.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
The idea of Reverso was brought from India by the watchmaker-salesman Cesar de Tre, where he met officers of the colonial troops who were fond of playing the polo. Upon learning of de Tre's occupation, they complained to him about the insecurity of the glass of the watch dial during the game. Upon returning to Europe, the merchant discussed the problem with Jacques-David Le Cultres, who was fired up with the idea of creating original watches, “shifters”. The solution was invented by the French designer of the company Jaeger-LeCoultre Rene-Alfred Chauvet. In 1931, he patented a case consisting of two parts - a rectangular capsule with a clock mechanism and a rectangular container. The upper and lower sides of the container had a slide along which the capsule mounts could slide. Thus, the owner of the watch could at any time move the clock capsule to the left, flip it 180 degrees and lock it in the “back case on top” position. By the way, Jaeger-LeCoultre shared a patent with his then partner Cartier, and a year later he introduced his own "changeling" - Tank Basculante. Manufacture celebrated the 80th anniversary of the collection with the release of the Reverso Tribute to 1931 replica.
Officine Panerai Radiomir
Many still argue with foam at the mouth of what this watch really is - a unique Italian military artifact or a product of the efforts of marketers. Indeed, the story of ordering the elite submariners from Gamma Force to the little-known family company Guido Panerai & Figlio, which in 1936 launched the first experimental batch of diving watches, sounds too romantic. And even if we agree with skeptics that the Italians actually bought the watch from Rolex, there is a documented fact that it was the Panerai experts who patented the Radiomir powder: a mixture of zinc sulfide, radium bromide and mesotorium, which made it possible to read the clock under water. Be that as it may, in 1995, Sylvester Stallone, who came to Rome to shoot the film "Daylight", without any advertising hint, bought this watch in one of the local shops, and since then his fame as "the most courageous watch on the planet" continues grow. Today, the brand equips its famous pillow-shaped cases with watch-sandwiches dials in-house calibers, including tourbillons, and among the “paneristy" besides Sly you can see Hugh Grant, Bill Clinton, David Beckham and the top model Heidi Klum.
Omega speedmaster
In 1957, Omega introduced the first Speedmaster, equipped with a caliber 321. This watch played a decisive role in the history of progress of the twentieth century. In 1965, Omega won the NASA competition for the title of official supplier of space equipment, and in July 1969, the Speedmaster on the hand of Buzz Aldrin was the first among the chronometers to land on the moon, measuring the time spent on the satellite: 15 minutes and 28 seconds. Since then, the clock has remained a mandatory part of all US space manned programs. The design of the chronograph with a black dial and luminescent counters remains virtually unchanged, although the model has been greatly improved. In 2014, in honor of the 45th anniversary of the moon landing, the Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 45th Anniversary Limited Edition was released, limited to 1969 copies. The watch is equipped with a 1861 caliber with manual winding.
Patek philippe calatrava
The cross of the Order of Defenders of the Castilian Fortress of Calatrava, disbanded in 1873, was acquired by partners Adrien Philippe and Anthony Chapek, and in 1898 became the official symbol of the Patek Philippe brand. True, he did not come up with any practical application until 1932, when the brothers Jean and Charles Stern bought the company on the verge of bankruptcy. And in the same year they released a completely new Calatrava watch, which has become at all times a symbol of prestigious classics. The Calatrava design was based on the constructivist style of the Bauhaus society with its worship of functionality. The very first Calatrava Ref 96 model is a simple circle, three straight arrows, clear marking. The Stern brothers claimed to have created Calatrava for the sole purpose of showing time. Moreover, the creators gave a firm command to all the heirs: do not change anything in the design, it is perfect. In 2013, Patek Philippe released the original version 5227 with three central hands and a date in a 38 mm rose gold case with a hinged back case reminiscent of a pocket watch.
Rolex oyster
Cosmograph Daytona When it comes to Rolex Oyster, the first thing that comes to mind is the athletic British Mercedes Gleitze and her famous swim across the English Channel on October 14, 1927. But, firstly, the young athlete wore those watches not on her hand, but on her neck, and secondly, it was a desktop imperfect and outdated model, which is now difficult to find even her image. A completely different watch comes before your eyes - the Cosmograph Daytona, perhaps the most iconic chronograph of the 20th century, born in 1963 and named after the race track in Florida - it was there that in 1935 Sir Malcolm Campbell accelerated to 485 km / h by car Bluebird and with Oyster watch on hand. On this model, Rolex tested all the technical achievements of its time - a three-leaved waterproof case, buttons with locks, a tachymeter scale, an acrylic welt (later replaced by a ceramic one). The chronograph gained worldwide fame in 1972, when actress Joan Woodward presented the 6264 model with a white dial and black counters to her husband Paul Newman, who was interested in car racing. And although the actor was never the brand’s face, cosmographs literally dared from the shelves. And the 24-hour race at Daytona today is known only as the "Rolex race."
Tag Heuer Carrera
In 1969, it was not only the quartz movement that was invented. At the same time, several Swiss manufacturers presented the result of many years of development - the first self-winding chronograph mechanism. One of them, called Caliber 11, was installed in the model of the brand Heuer (even without the TAG) Carrera - one of the most fashionable, beautiful and popular chronographs of its time. Its design was invented back in 1950 by the 20-year-old heir to the family manufactory, Jack Hoher, inspired by the famous transcontinental race Carrera Panamericana. It would seem that he changed a little: increased the counters and shifted the second scale from the dial to the internal welt. But the watch began to look bigger, clearer and more dynamic. And with the advent of an automatic movement, the collection rightfully established its title as a professional racing watch. Democratic and concise TAG Heuer Carrera is chosen by a variety of people - from Leonardo di Caprio to Barack Obama. Nowadays, the collection has become a field for technical experiments of the manufactory. In 2014, the premiere of the new Carrera chronograph, equipped with the first fully manufactured CH 80 caliber.
Zenith el primero
The first automatic self-winding mechanical chronograph operating at a frequency of 36,000 pc / h, which allowed it to measure time segments up to 1/10 of a second, and today remains the greatest invention of 20th century classical mechanics. He just had no luck with the year of release. Not only has Seiko introduced its quartz Astron, but several other brands have made their own cheaper and simpler automatic chronographs. So I even had to forget about the proud name El Primero for a while - until 1975 the chronograph was released under the dry name 3019 PHC. And then the line was generally discontinued. And this story would have remained only in the archives, if not for the valiant Zenith worker Charles Vermo, who hid the blueprints and managed to save some of the equipment from disposal. So in 1981, El Primero's production was safely restored, and Rolex became the first customer of the miracle caliber, installing it in the new Cosmograph Daytona in 1989. Then Zenith resuscitated the release of its own El Primero models, which, having survived several design experiments, nowadays returned to the classic style of the 1970s. And in 2013, extreme Felix Baumgartner made a parachute jump from the stratosphere with El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th on his arm.
