Chanel Mademoiselle Privé

Opening the doors to the intimate world of Gabrielle Chanel, the new jewelry watch collection, MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ, is a showcase for the symbols Mademoiselle dearly cherished and the element she loved to have around her.

MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ, two words found on her design-studio door, at rue Cambon in Paris. Gabrielle Chanel was attached to a poetic language, and the MADEMOISELLE PRIVÉ collection offers unique interpretations in combinations of Métiers d'Art watchmaking techniques and High Jewelry.
 
In the hands of the most talented artist-craftsmen, enamellers, engravers and setters, this collection writes a brand new page in the creative story of CHANEL and becomes a field of expression for excellence in know-how.
 
Camellia
Originally associated with masculine dress, 19th-century dandies wore them in their buttonholes, Mademoiselle Chanel laid claim to camellias for her feminine wardrobe. Today, produced in a wide range of materials and forms the camellia is one of the key symbols of the House of CHANEL, which never ceases re-interpreting it through its watchmaking and fine jewellery collections. Pure, without perfume or thorns and an evergreen that flowers in winter, the camellia became Mademoiselle Chanel’s favourite flower. It can be found on entering her apartment at 31, rue Cambon on the Coromandel screens, in the central chandelier and in a rock-crystal bouquet.
 

 Mademoiselle Privé Watch with Embroidered Camellia
For almost a century, the House of Lesage has been embroidering elaborate designs for all the top names in haute couture and fashion, and continues perpetuating its exceptional know-how. For the very first time in watchmaking, diamonds and fine pearls have been embroidered.
 
Fine pearls stitched with gold and silk threads, rose-cut diamonds, flakes of gold and gold seed-stitch form precious camellias on ink-black fabric.
The tour de force is found in how the thickness of the embroidery fits into the extremely thin watchcase and how the hands turn just above the raised seed-stitch. The small dial surface, 37.5 mm in diameter, requires all the embroiderer’s exactitude and precision and each camellia produced by hand and needle reveals all her freedom and dexterity. Each dial is an exceptional and unique piece.
 
To pay homage to this masterwork, CHANEL has removed the crown and achieved a perfectly round watchcase.
 

 Production steps:
1. Design drawing: the outline of the embroidery is reproduced on tracing paper.
2. "Piquetage”: The design’s outline is perforated.
3. Transfer: With talc, the design is transferred on to the fabric through the perforations.
4. Embroidery: Using pearls, gold flakes, diamonds, silk and gold threads the embroiderer starts work on the design.

Phantom Corsair - 1938

 

The Phantom Corsair is a prototype automobile built in 1938. It is a six-passenger 2-door sedan that was designed by Rust Heinz of the H. J. Heinz family and Maurice Schwartz of the Bohman & Schwartz coachbuilding company in Pasadena, California. Although sometimes dismissed as a failure because it never entered production, the Corsair is regarded as anachronistic due to its futuristic features and styling cues such as faired-in fenders and a low profile.

Design

The Phantom Corsair's steel-and-aluminum body measured just 57 in (140 cm) in height and incorporated fully skirted wheels and completely flush fenders while forgoing running boards. The car also lacked door handles, as the doors were instead opened electrically using push-buttons located on the exterior and the instrument panel.

The instrument panel also featured a compass and altimeter, while a separate console above the windshield indicated when a door was ajar or if the car's lights or radio were turned on. The Corsair's body was mated to the "most advanced chassis available in the United States" at that time, the Cord 810. The Lycoming 80º straight-8 engine-powered Cord chassis also featured front-wheel drive and an electrically operated four-speed automatic gearbox, as well as fully independent suspension and adjustable shock absorbers.

 Though these features from the Cord 810 chassis were all retained on the Phantom Corsair, the chassis was modified in order to accommodate the Corsair's large body. The body measured an impressive 237 in (600 cm) long and 76.5 in (194 cm) wide, enough to accommodate four people in the front row, including one person to the left of the driver.

The back seats could only hold two passengers, however, in large part because of space limitations posed by on-board beverage cabinets.[5][6] Though weighing a hefty 4,600 lb (2,100 kg), the Phantom Corsair could achieve speeds of up to 115 mph (185 km/h) because of its modified, naturally aspirated 190 bhp Lycoming engine as well as its aerodynamic shape.

Production

Rust Heinz planned to put the Phantom Corsair, which cost approximately $24,000 to produce in 1938 (equivalent to about $370,000 in 2010), into limited production at an estimated selling price of $12,500. However, Heinz's death in a car accident in July 1939 ended those plans, leaving the prototype Corsair as the only one ever built.

The Phantom Corsair now resides in the National Automobile Museum (also known as The Harrah Collection) in Reno, Nevada.

In: Wikipedia

Norman Timbs Buick Streamliner - 1948

 Mechanical engineer Norman E. Timbs created this streamliner in the 1940s which in many ways was the ultimate American hot rod. He designed and fabricated much of the project himself which included a custom aluminum body and steel chassis. It took him over two years to finish and the resulting chic roadster was good enough for cover of Motor Trend as well as features in Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Mechanics and Motor Life. 

 

The car was based around a 1947 Buick “Super 8” engine which powered the 2200 lb car to 120 mph. The main chassis was built up from five-inch steel tubes. To offer a smooth ride, a modified 1947 Ford suspension was utilized.

Mr Timbs took 2 1/2 years to create the car at a cost of $10,000 USD. The body was created entirely in aluminum by Emil Diedt for $8,000 alone. The shape was formed by hand over a traditional wooden buck.

MERCEDES-BENZ 4MATIC EXPERIENCE 2014

Marine Diver by Ulysse Nardin

Powered by the self-winding caliber UN-26 and with a power reserve of 42 hours, the Marine Diver displays, in addition to its time functions, the date in an aperture at 6 o’clock and the power reserve in a counter at 12 o’clock. Available in 18 ct gold mounted on a rubber strap, the Marine Diver timepiece is both a highly reliable diving instrument and a fine sports watch that can be worn on every occasion.

Everything about the Marine Diver evokes the marine world in which the Le Locle watchmaker is steeped, starting with Ulysse Nardin’s anchor emblem, proudly displayed at 2 o’clock. The dial, in blue or black, is decorated with a wave-like motif. The same ornamentation can be seen on the bezel. 

The solid case-back reveals an engraving of a boat surrounded by the inscription: “Conquer the ocean.” This embellishes a new case designed for extreme conditions, extended by the lugs with their taut, sleek lines.
 

 In terms of performance, this watch has all the attributes required of a diving watch. Boasting exceptional water resistance to 300 meters, made possible thanks to the screw-locked crown and case-back, it also features a unidirectional rotating bezel, which prevents any accidental adjustment to the dive time. For the same safety reasons, every aspect of the new Marine Diver has been designed to facilitate the reading of its precious indications: The impressive 44 mm face displays large hour-markers and hands with a white luminescent coating and a red stripe, for perfect visibility. 

The small seconds at 6 o'clock are also oversized, offering a reassuring sign that the watch is functioning as it should, even in the water’s murky depths. Lastly, the claw-shaped rubber molding over the crown ensures it is easy to grip.
 
Technical Data.Reference 266-10-3/93
Movement Caliber UN-26 Power reserve Approximately 42 hours
Winding Self-winding
Functions Power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock Small seconds and round date window at 6 o’clock
Case 18 ct gold
Diameter 44 mm
Bezel Unidirectional rotating bezel
Crown Screw-down security crown
Water-resistance 300 m Crystal Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Bracelet Exclusive rubber strap with gold elements and deployant clasp

SPEAKE-MARIN – Magister Tourbillon

Inspired by the Foundation Pocket Watch, the first time-piece to leave the Speake-Marin workshop 15 years ago, which gave birth to the Speake-Marin design and brand. The strikingly unique tourbillon cage generates a technical animation that captivates the eye and assures the highest level of mechanical precision. The Magister Tourbillon with its enamel dial, blued steel hands, platinum automatic micro-rotor, hand finishing and iconic Speake-Marin cage and case epitomizes Speake-Marin’s watch design and swiss watchmaking at its finest and most precise.

Is there any more fascinating sight than a tourbillon as it carves its rotations, completing one revolution each minute. Speake-Marin recognises this prowess and presents the Magister Tourbillon. One of the most demanding mechanisms a watchmaker can attempt, while the tourbillon may have been invented more than two centuries ago to improve timekeeping precision, it is its striking visual aspect that appeals so strongly to this most British of Swiss watch brands. Crowned with the Speake-Marin topping tool logo, the tourbillon turning inside its cage animates the enamel dial, and shows time moving in a most mesmerising way.

Mechanical automatic, SM3 tourbillon calibre. Hours, minutes. Piccadilly case in grade 5 polished titanium or red gold. Enamel dial with tapered Roman numerals. Alligator strap.

Retail price: CHF 65,000 (titanium) / CHF 85,000 (red gold)          Indicative price: USD 76,000 (titanium) / USD 95,000 (red gold)     Indicative price: € 51,000 (titanium) / € 65,500 (red gold)

Movement

Mechanical automatic, SM3 tourbillon calibre, 950 platinum micro-rotor, rhodium-plated German silver bridges, Glucydur balance, 21,600 vib/h, 25 jewels, over 72-hour power reserve

Functions

Hours, minutes

Case

Piccadilly case in grade 5 polished titanium or red gold, 42 mm

Anti-reflective sapphire crystal, front and back

Water-resistant to 30 metres

Dial

Enamel with tapered Roman numerals

Blued Speake-Marin Foundation-style hands

Tourbillon at 6 o'clock

Strap

Hand-stitched alligator leather

Titanium or red gold buckle

New Porsche Cayenne GTS

The new Cayenne GTS announces its outstanding sporting character in its very name. The letters GTS go back to the famous 904 Carrera GTS of 1963. In 2007, the Cayenne GTS became the first Porsche of the modern era to revive the acronym. Since then GTS has stood at Porsche for especially sporty models. At the same time, the new entry-level model with the familiar 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine rounds off the Cayenne portfolio at the lower end of the range.

Porsche drivers like their car to be sporty – regardless of whether it has two doors or four. At eleven percent, the GTS version of the Cayenne makes up a high proportion of the model mix of what is currently Porsche's most successful range, with the four-door sports cars in general long since making a major contribution to the company's profitable growth. At the same time they ensure future investment in the broad spectrum of highly dynamic models offered across the entire portfolio.

It is not only the name of the Cayenne GTS that is resonant. The 3.6-litre V6 bi-turbo engine is the performance-oriented enhancement of the new power unit presented in the Cayenne S. Its consumption is lower and it delivers improved levels of performance. Compared to the previous model with a V8 naturally aspirated engine, power output rises by 20 hp to 440 hp and torque by 85 Nm to 600 Nm, while fuel consumption goes down by up to 0.9 l/100 km. The Cayenne GTS accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, or just 5.1 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package. That's 0.5 and 0.6 seconds respectively less than the previous model. Top speed is 262 km/h. As standard it has a sports exhaust system, which provides the familiarly meaty GTS sound.

Thanks not least to its suspension the Cayenne GTS captivates drivers with its unmistakable lateral dynamics. The Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) damping system has a sporty set-up. With the standard steel-spring suspension the vehicle sits 24 millimetres lower, while with the optional air suspension it's 20 millimetres. Further standard features include the brakes from the Cayenne Turbo with 390-millimetre discs on the front axle (358 millimetres at the back), inclusive of brake callipers painted red in typical turbo fashion.

Other design attributes also turn the Cayenne GTS externally into a sporty vehicle. As standard it has the turbo nose section with large air intakes and the Sport Design package, including more contoured side sills and wheel arch extensions. The latter, like the roof spoiler and lower rear of the vehicle, are painted in the car body colour. The colour black provides some striking contrasts: all lettering is black, as are the 20-inch wheels in the RS Spyder design, the exhaust tailpipes, the bi-xenon headlights' inner apertures and the fittings of the darkened LED rear lights. There's a new feature on the front doors: striking GTS lettering.

The sporting character continues on the inside. Eight-way electrically adjustable GTS sports seats in leather/Alcantara upholstery, including GTS lettering on the headrests, are fitted as standard. Alcantara is the predominant upholstery material used inside the car. The interior GTS package is optionally available in carmine red or rhodium silver with rev counter face, decorative stitching, headrest lettering and safety belts in contrasting colour.

The engine used in the Cayenne, the new base model, is the familiar 3.6-litre V6 naturally aspirated engine, delivering 300 hp. It accelerates the Cayenne from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.7 seconds – 7.6 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package. That's 0.2 seconds faster than before. At 230 km/h, top speed matches the level of the previous model. Like all new Cayenne models it benefits from the general efficiency measures, such as coasting, Auto Stop/Start function and thermal management, as a result of which fuel consumption drops in comparison to the previous model by 0.7 l/100 km to 9.2 l/100 km. That equates to CO2 emissions of 215 g/km, thus 21 g/km lower than before.

Compared to the previous model the new Cayenne also offers more comprehensive standard features. In addition to the new eight-speed Tiptronic S with Auto Stop/Start and coasting functions these also include, for instance, the bi-xenon main headlights with four-point LED daytime driving lights, the multi-function sports steering wheel with paddle switches and the automatic boot lid.

The Cayenne and Cayenne GTS are celebrating their world premiere on November 19th at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sales of both models will start in Germany at the end of February 2015. The price for the Cayenne in Germany is 65,427 Euro and for the Cayenne GTS 98.152 Euro, in each case including value added tax and country-specific features.

Porsche Cayenne GTS: urban fuel consumption 13.2–12.9 l/100 km; extra-urban 8.3–8.1 l/100 km; combined 10.0–9.8 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 234–228 g/km; efficiency class Germany: E–D

Porsche Cayenne: urban fuel consumption 12.3 l/100 km; extra-urban 7.5 l/100 km; combined 9.2 l/100 km; CO2 emissions 215 g/km; efficiency class: D

New Zenith Academy Georges Favre-Jacot

One of the first industrial watch Manufactures in the modern sense of the term was born in a small Swiss village. To fully grasp the revolution such a company represented at the time, it is well worth trying to imagine the winter of 1864 in Le Locle, nestling in the Neuchâtel mountains. Like every other year, the season was far too harsh for tilling the soil and drove farmers to become watchmakers. In 1865, Georges Favre-Jacot, a youthful native of the village barely 22 years of age, founded his watch factory. It was not the first, nor the only one, but it would change forever the way of producing watches. He had spacious light-filled workshops built in a location where they still stand today. They were the first to be fitted with electric lighting and he assembled all the region’s key talents there. Over the years, the factory grew into an international company renowned for the excellence of its production and Georges Favre-Jacot became a captain of industry such as one encounters only a handful per century. Throughout the period the firm remained under his wise guidance, this youthful visionary would consistently instil a unique mind-set into his teams.

Daring is the mother of innovation…

The daring cultivated by a company is a state of mind that must flow from the top down. The “Zenith spirit”, the famous enterprising spirit of George Favre-Jacot, passed on by subsequent generations, became a genetic code nurtured by a whole host of artisans at the height of their powers. The very ones who would enable the Manufacture to set a number of records, including an absolute all-time one: 300 patents, 600 movement variations and 2,333 prizes in the field of chronometry (precision timekeeping).

Innovation inspires artisans…

1969. Six months before humankind’s first steps on the moon, the Zenith master-watchmakers introduced the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph movement. While it was the first of its kind, it was also the most accurate, since it beat at the hitherto unprecedented frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour. The aptly named El Primero chronograph movement has since given its name to an entire Zenith collection and equipped a number of Haute Horlogerie models. While it has now earned the status of an industry benchmark, the Manufacture has never ceased surpassing itself in the demanding field of precision.

Artisans add their own touch of mastery…

The best means of alleviating the loss of amplitude of a movement that is winding down is to compensate for the progressively reduced force of its barrel. Two years of research and development enabled the Zenith magicians to accommodate within the tiny space of a wristwatch a 300 year-old system: the fusée and chain mechanism. The helical shape of its fusée means that the mechanism is able to keep the driving force perfectly stable, even during the letting down of the spring. The chain ensuring transmission between the barrel and the fusée comprises 575 parts and measures 18 cm long. Double links alternate with intermediate links to create a highly complex structure that enables the chain, once rewound, to withstand an over three-kilo traction force. Throughout the power reserve (at least 50 hours), the mainspring transmits its energy to the fusée via the chain which coils around the barrel. By adjusting the variations in tension, the fusée regularises the force distributed to the going train and then to the silicon escape-wheel. The size and the cone-like shape of the fusée stem from particularly complex calculations performed for each of its seven construction stages.

 Mastery engenders daring…

To mark Zenith’s 150th anniversary, the Academy Georges Favre-Jacot offers a magnificent compendium of the multiple skills exercised within the Manufacture. More than a mere tribute, this Haute Horlogerie model testifies to a profound respect for the spirit of the founder without whom nothing would have ever have taken shape.

On the technical side, the Academy Georges Favre-Jacot naturally houses – what else? – a high-frequency hand-wound El Primero 4810 movement. Occupying the entire lower right-hand side of the dial, the power-reserve display between 4 and 5 o’clock topped by the inscriptions “Force constante” and “High frequency”, gives an immediate indication of the movement’s high quality. To its left, the small seconds subdial between 7 and 8 o’clock bears the logo of the Manufacture with the guiding star.

But the feature that immediately catches the eye and will strike connoisseurs is the upper dial opening revealing the fusée and chain transmission, with the barrel between 10 and 11 o’clock and the fusée around which the chain wraps itself located between 1 and 2 o’clock. While the movement takes more than 50 hours to unwind, meaning for the chain to coil around the barrel, a few seconds of winding via the stem are enough to see the fusée and barrel turning counter-clockwise to the running direction in order for the chain to once again wrap around the fusée. Two bridges screwed to the mainplate support the arbors of the fusée and barrel, giving the watch the look of a late 19th century architectural accomplishment. The barrel is engraved with the inscriptions Zenith/Manufacture Le Locle.

The finest talents of the Manufacture were enlisted in achieving this masterpiece logically issued on this exceptional occasion in a 150-piece limited edition. The incredible technical sophistication of the Academy Georges Favre-Jacot is teamed with an equally refined aesthetic approach to its exterior, combining modern lines with perfect proportions, while evoking the brand’s glorious past. The 18-carat rose gold case, along with the brown alligator leather strap, undoubtedly contribute to its noble bearing. The slender bezel rims a grained silver-toned dial crafted according to the finest watchmaking traditions. The hours and minutes hands are blued, while the seven hour-markers are gold-plated and facetted.

Daring, today as in yesteryear

150 years of creations infused with a sense of daring and an enterprising spirit deserve a celebration! 2015 will be a festive year brimming with events that will be announced in due course. Watch this space…

 ACADEMY GEORGES FAVRE-JACOT

·         Fusee and chain transmission linked to the barrel to ensure constant force

·         797 parts

·         Cosc-certified movement

·          150-piece limited edition

MOVEMENT

El Primero 4810, hand-wound

Calibre: 16½ ‘‘‘ (diameter: 37 mm)

Thickness: 5.90 mm

Parts: 222 (+ 575 for the fusée and chain system)

Jewels: 30

Frequency: 36,000 vph (5 Hz)

Power reserve: 50 hours minimum

FUNCTIONS

Hours and minutes

Fusée and chain transmission linked to the barrel

Small seconds between 7 and 8 o’clock

Power reserve between 4 and 5 o’clock

CASE, DIAL AND HANDS

Material: 18-carat rose gold

Diameter: 45 mm

Thickness: 14.35 mm

Glass: cambered sapphire crystal glareproofed

on both sides

Water resistance: 3 ATM

Dial: grained silver-toned

Hour-markers: gold-plated rhodium, facetted

Hands: blued

STRAP AND CLASP

Brown alligator leather with protective rubber lining

Triple-blade folding clasp in 18-carat rose gold