Great video that discusses Audemars Piguet movement design and includes coverage of the new AP Escapement. Video courtesy of Sylvie M. (Audemars Piguet SA)

2009 Baselworld Preview

Spearhead of the Maurice Lacroix manufacture, the Masterpiece line is a skilfully proportioned combination of technology, tradition and modern aesthetics. The skeleton dial, sculpted with a goldsmith's precision, reveals all the workings of the movement, a delicate labyrinth in which the gear-trains have been refined to a bare minimum. The structure of the Chronographe Squelette, a veritable metallic sculpture, transforms the lifeless material into a living mechanism. A model that clearly belongs in this century.

Technical Specifications:

Movement
Hand-wound, Maurice Lacroix ML106-7 calibre, column-wheel chronograph, 18,000 vib/h, 22 rubies, hand-decorated bridges, snailed gear-trains, 42-hour power reserve

Functions
Hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph to 1/5 second

Case
Combination of polished and satin-finished steel, circular or vertical, 45 mm
Convex sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides
Screw-down sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 100 m

Dial
Sapphire crystal with metallised treatment
Small seconds at 9 o'clock, 60-minute counter at 3 o'clock
White Superluminova on rim of minute and seconds counters

Bracelet/Strap
Hand-stitched large-scaled crocodile, black calfskin lining, matching topstitching, with folding clasp

Price Range
(CHF) 10000-19999

Images/text courtesy of SwissTime.ch

The 'T' in the 103T is at first a mystery, but only until the first look down through the massive sapphire crystal into the mechanism below. There you will sense a shape before you see it. A form slowly emerges from the orbital cross and stretches its mesmerising legs: 'T' for Tarantula! URWERK's latest addition to the UR103 collection has a few genetic codes borrowed from one of the most famous members of the world of arachnids.

The Aesthetics. In the classic UR103, the central element is an orbital cross in titanium. In the new UR103T, the titanium cross has been replaced by a completely redesigned structure in ARCAP, a very stable copper/nickel alloy. The dark ARCAP wraps around the hour satellites in a protective embrace - though we can perhaps imagine something more sinister! This new configuration ensures that the numbers on the hour satellites can only be seen when they are required to tell the time while passing the arc of the minutes. With the UR103T, time takes on a different conceptual and even philosophical dimension to that of the open satellite system on the classic UR103. With the UR103T, the past and the future remain hidden - only the present is revealed.

The Technique. The actual mechanism for rotating the satellites has been completely modified on the UR103T. With this model the satellites rotate simultaneously behind the scenes in multiple stages, in preparation for their turn to indicate the time. They actually perform a four-beat 480° pirouette. Each satellite turns four 120° turns in the period between leaving the minute arc and arriving again with a new numeral displaying. The orbital satellite complication is over 300 times heavier than traditional hands, a factor that requires absolute precision in the manufacture of its minuscule components, and in assembling, balancing and regulating the complication to obtain the excellent chronometric performance URWERK demands of its exceptional timepieces.

The Force. The four satellites of the UR103T are made of aluminum and mounted on their own bronze/beryllium Geneva cross. The mechanism is then suspended from the orbital cross structure in ARCAP 40, a material that is light, non magnetic and corrosion resistant, and is mounted on an ARCAP plate.

However, the essential feature of the UR103T is not technical but human, a testament to URWERK's master watchmaker Felix Baumgartner, visionary chief designer Martin Frei and their talented team.

Technical Specifications:

Model : UR103T

Case : Stainless steel treated with AlTiN (Aluminium, Titanium, Nitride)

Dimensions : 50mm x 36mm x 13.5mm (including lugs)

Movement : Calibre 3.03; manual winding; 21,600bph/3Hz Power reserve 43 hours Triple bridges in black ARCAP P40 Time Indication by hour satellites rotated by Geneva crosses

Control Board : Grade 5 titanium, power reserve indicator, 15-minute and seconds dials for precise time-setting, user adjustable fine-tuning screw

This is a video of the manufacture Patek Philippe, and the process they go through to make a timepiece.

(Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)

Looks like Kevin Spacey is wearing the Limited Edition IWC Top Gun watch and George Kern is wearing one of the new IWC Aquatimers.

PRESS RELEASE: Swiss Watchmaker IWC Celebrates SIHH 2009 With Kevin Spacey, Zenedine Zidane, Ronan Keating, And Other Stars

In the company of prominent guests such as Zinédine Zidane, Ronan Keating, Jean Reno and Marc Forster, IWC Schaffhausen celebrated the premiere of its watch novelties on the occasion of the SIHH from 19 to 24 January 2009.

Football legend Zinédine Zidane, Oscar prizewinner Kevin Spacey and Hollywood actor Jean Reno are known for having a weakness for the engineering genius within IWC watches, which are so rich in tradition. And these prominent watch lovers were guests at the SIHH watch fair in Geneva for the first time. A particular sensation this year was the presence of the James Bond director Marc Forster, who joined this illustrious company at the launch of the new generation of Aquatimer diver's watches from IWC Schaffhausen to get an idea of what these professional instruments would look and feel like on his wrist. In the midst of the breathtaking backdrop of the IWC stand at the trade fair - which was decorated completely to evoke the feeling of the underwater world of the Galapagos, using large-screen backlit nature photographs to help create a location with a fantastic atmosphere - these stars let themselves be illuminated about the secrets of these professional diver's watches as well as further IWC novelties.

Dinner reception in an intimate gathering The special ambience of the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices in Geneva surrounded the guests of the Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches IWC Schaffhausen and made them feel at home in a warm, cosy setting. Select business partners and prominent guests arrived to bring their day to a close in a relaxed way with a lively cocktail reception, an exquisite dinner buffet, a bar and musical entertainment. Photographer Michael Muller didn't miss the opportunity to comment on the highlights of his photo series showing the magic world of the Galapagos Islands, images he used to develop an atmospheric backdrop for the IWC Aquatimer watch collection. Football legend Zinédine Zidane, Hollywood actor Jean Reno, Singer Ronan Keating and James Bond director Marc Forster greatly appreciated this congenial atmosphere. Oscar prize-winner Kevin Spacey visibly enjoyed the music of Supertramp saxophonist John Helliwell and his jazz ensemble and spontaneously took the microphone and performed two songs for the enthusiastic audience. Personal contact with these stars instead of a red carpet and a relaxed get-together in a stylish setting helped create the charm of this evening event and gave it an undeniable touch of intimacy. With its original machinery and many of the everyday objects of the era, the Kulturzentrum BFM, a historic decommissioned pump house in the middle of the bed of the River Rhone, set the perfect technical accent and, together with fascinating lighting effects, underscored that engineering is a core value for the IWC watch manufacture.

(Photos by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe)