Limited Edition Archives - Revolution Watch

Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

Wei Koh — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 11:00:32 +0000

Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

Our latest collaboration with Chopard L.U.C is an 1860 watch executed in a Lucent Steel case combined with an untreated, massive gold guilloché main dial.

Limited Edition

By Wei Koh

Feb 15, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOrneQ4OiYU

Of all the collaborative projects I’ve made in the past decade, it is this watch, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with untreated gold guilloché main dial, that I’m proudest of. Why? To begin with, I’ve always considered Chopard L.U.C to be one of the greatest unsung champions of truly authentic watchmaking in Switzerland. And I’ve always held the greatest admiration for the man behind Chopard L.U.C, my dear friend Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, for his unwavering devotion to quality and true functional innovation, embodied by the understated beauty of his watches. I’ve always believed that the 1860, the very first watch created by Scheufele and L.U.C, is one of the greatest men’s dress watches of all time.

Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

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Why do I love the Chopard L.U.C 1860 so much? For all the same reasons that I admire Scheufele. First, let’s talk about internal content… The in-house movement in the L.U.C 1860, the caliber 1.96, is to my mind the single greatest achievement in micro-rotor movements ever created. In the context of 1997, the fact that it was the world’s first bidirectional winding micro-rotor movement massively improving winding efficiency, and that it came with both COSC certification and the hallowed Geneva Seal was an absolute revelation. Says my dear friend Nick Foulkes, who is also the jury president of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), “The caliber 1.96 was so good that it was an immediate wake-up call to the entire watch industry, that Chopard L.U.C intended to be counted amongst the very best in high watchmaking and that Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was a man who would not compromise on quality, beauty or performance.” Similarly, Scheufele is a man of tremendous internal content. He is a master of el arte de vivir, a multidimensional connoisseur of everything from horology to art, to wine, to automobiles and even sausage dogs, he could hold a PhD-level dissertation on any of these subjects should he wish. But he is, like his 1860 watch, even more importantly the absolute paradigm of perfect manners and discreet elegance.

The untreated 18k gold dial quietly shimmers, giving off an air of understated elegance

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This brings me to the second reason that I adore the L.U.C 1860 so unabashedly. It is an absolute masterpiece of neoclassical design. So much so that Hodinkee’s impeccably tailored chief brand officer, Eneuri Acosta, showed off his recent acquisition in the United States of this incredible Chopard L.U.C timepiece, making the L.U.C 1860 the dress watch of choice for horology’s cognoscenti, including the brilliant Louis Westphalen. A former journalist and now a marketing and business development executive at LVMH-owned Gérald Genta, he once compared Chopard’s L.U.C 1860 to Philippe Dufour’s iconic Simplicity. He explained that both watches are marvels of elegant design at around 36mm in diameter. Both watches are wonderful expressions of pure Zenreductionist, three-handed dress watch charm. Both watches feature guilloché main dials created by the famous Metalem dial manufacturer, which is now owned by Chopard. As Westphalen noted, the L.U.C “wears like a charm.” He remarked that the watch questions the frontier between vintage and modern watches as it is imbued with a classical charm, much like the Patek Philippe ref. 96.

Karl Friedrich Scheufele

Similarly, Scheufele is in both appearance and character the very embodiment of old-world charm and classic elegance. I feel that if Karl-Friedrich Scheufele didn’t exist, the Swiss watch industry would have had to invent him, because no other individual more completely embodies taste and style with classical understatement, gentility and nonchalance than Scheufele. Perhaps it is only a man who grew up driving a Bentley 8-Liter, a non-supercharged version as W.O. Bentley vastly preferred, or a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, and who owns a vineyard that he has pivoted to biodynamism, that could have had the aesthetic sensitivity to create an iconic gentlemen’s dress watch like the L.U.C 1860.

In Steel and Style

So how did this new Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition come about? As always with our collabs, it was through a conversation born out of friendship. Now, I’ve only had the fabled Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) four times in my life and three of those times were because of Scheufele who is, though he would never say it, the Swiss French distributor of the world’s most mythical wine and a man of incredible largess. He and his wife Christine were awarded this role, despite the fact that they had not distributed a wine before, because Aubert de Villaine, the legendary patron of DRC, had been immensely impressed by their discreet elegance after meeting them through Perrine Fenal, the co-director of the DRC and daughter of the equally legendary winemaker Lalou Bize-Leroy.

If I were to make just one statement about the difference between DRC versus anything else I’ve ever tasted, I would simply say, “It keeps going.” Because what you taste on your palate continues to evolve every millisecond in an almost ceaseless journey. As its power begins to dissipate, it also grows evermore delicious and this feeling of ecstasy in retreat from you is both agonizingly seductive and enthrallingly uplifting. The Chopard L.U.C 1860, incidentally, also keeps going. It is a watch that you discover more and more nuances from, the more you wear it. However, unlike wine, its pleasure never dissipates. It is permanent, steadfast and eternal. During one of our incredible wine tastings, I asked Scheufele, “Do you think we could ever make the Chopard L.U.C 1860 in steel?”

The untreated 18k gold guilloché main dial creates a compelling contrast with its Lucent Steel case

He replied, “I’ve always wanted to but never felt the time was right.” He paused for a moment then added, “But now with our shift into Lucent Steel, I think it gives us a reason to do it.” For those of you who don’t know, Lucent Steel is recycled steel that is much more expensive than new steel. It is also harder and brighter. It was first introduced as the case material for Chopard’s Alpine Eagle family in 2019, as part of the brand’s pioneering commitment to ethical luxury. Since the end of 2023, Chopard has been using Lucent Steel in all of its steel watches. The brand has pledged that by 2025, the Lucent Steel components of Chopard’s steel watches will rise to a minimum of 90 percent. He then added one of the best statements I’ve ever heard, saying, “However, I would like to make two changes. The first is to remove the date window. In the context of 1997, a date display was very practical; however, today thanks to the abundance of digital information, it’s not necessary. And I think it [removing the date window] could slightly improve the aesthetics.”

The svelte 36.5mm case stays true to the original L.U.C 1860, while still feeling at home on all wrist sizes today

I closed my eyes and imagined legions of watch devotees around the world standing up and giving Scheufele a standing ovation akin to the one he had received in 2017, when he became the first person to win the top prize at the GPHG twice in a row for two different brands, Chopard and Ferdinand Berthoud. That was precisely the detail that so many L.U.C 1860 lovers had dreamed of for many years! As I was reveling in emotion, he added a second statement that absolutely blew my mind. He said, “Also, I was thinking of adding a hacking seconds function; it has always bothered me that there’s no stop seconds for this watch. It is after all COSC certified. As a true chronometer, it should have this.”

At this point, I had to refrain from throwing myself on the floor and sobbing in delirious happiness. I managed somehow to gather my wits long enough to say to him, “Is it possible to collaborate on a version of this watch?” He replied with five of the most wonderful words I’ve ever heard: “I don’t see why not.”

Best of 2023: Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with Salmon Dial

OK, for those of you that wonder why I’ve had such immeasurable good fortune to collaborate with Chopard L.U.C and the wonderful Karl-Friedrich Scheufele now on three L.U.C 1860-based watches (the second was the Flying T, a stop seconds tourbillon with the caliber 1.96 as its base), I will just say I am immensely grateful for his kindness and generosity. Our collaboration story on this watch began in 2017 when I approached him with a request that at the time had piqued his curiosity. I asked him if he might consider reviving the L.U.C 1860 in a small limited series of 10 watches.

Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

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I must admit my motivation was very personal, as I actually just wanted to own one of these watches myself. But I had also noticed that a younger generation of collectors was just beginning to become interested in smaller sized watches. To me, all the brands that were instrumental in the revival of mechanical watchmaking in the ’90s, Patek Philippe, Breguet, Blancpain, Parmigiani Fleurier and Chopard L.U.C, had one major advantage: they had mechanical movements that could fit smaller cases. Scheufele also thought that it would be nice to reintroduce this wonderful watch to his collection and, with great kindness, he accepted my proposal. Amusingly, we both have to thank his wife, Christine Scheufele, for perhaps the most important decision. We were wondering if we should make the watch slightly larger at 38mm or 39mm in diameter, in accordance with prevailing tastes in 2017. We asked her opinion and she replied, “If you are going to do it, do it correctly. Stay faithful to the original size at 36.5mm.” Once she said it, we both immediately knew she was right.

The untreated 18k gold guilloché main dial creates a compelling contrast with its Lucent Steel case

Upon agreeing to this most recent limited edition, Scheufele asked about the dial. Now this is the thing about the Chopard L.U.C 1860: like the man who created it, there’s so much substance within but it is always combined with a sense of humility and quiet confidence. A case in point is the massive 18K gold dial that undergoes a galvanic treatment in colors like salmon. However, I had always dreamed of unveiling the naked gold material of the dial. With the use of a steel case for the first time, I thought the contrast with a bare, untreated guilloché main would be highly compelling. Fortunately, Scheufele felt the same way and we embarked on the creation of this watch a full three years ago.

Powering the watch is a beautifully finished L.U.C movement based on the legendary caliber 1.96, the world's first bidirectional winding micro-rotor movement

Along the way, it was decided that in order to make financial sense for creating the tooling for a Chopard L.U.C 1860 case in Lucent Steel, the brand would need to launch its own edition. And again because of underlying commercial realities, Chopard would need to present its version of the watch, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with salmon dial, at Watches and Wonders 2023 before we unveiled our watch, which of course I was completely fine with. This is the watch we see today on the wrists of connoisseurs and industry luminaries like Eneuri Acosta. What was interesting to see was that this time around, the 2023 L.U.C 1860 was one of the biggest hits of the year and has become an intensely sought after unicorn due to its rarity. As Chopard explains, “Because of the guilloché main dial, the production time for this watch is very long. At the moment we have a wait-list that is a few years long, which was not the strategy, but is the reality of the demand of the 1860.”

The L.U.C 96.40-L is based on the original calibre 1.96, the world's first bidirectional winding micro-rotor movement

The magnificent 2023 Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel with salmon dial was selected by multiple journalists, including the excellent Tony Traina, as the best watch of the year. He emphatically states, “The best new watch of 2023 is the Chopard L.U.C 1860 … This is about as close as it gets to the platonic ideal of a modern dressy watch.” Sure, it’s taken a bit longer for our collaboration, the Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition, to see the light of day but I think the wait has been well worth it. The watch will be made in a limited series of 50 pieces, which will be sold both at Chopard boutiques around the world and on the Revolution platform. All I can say is the watch is absolutely breathtaking to me. The contrast of the wonderful champagne colored gold with the bright white Lucent Steel case is a stunning combination and one that, like the incredible man who created the watch, is the perfect combination of old-world charm with modern dynamism.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure to work with some incredible people at Chopard on the L.U.C 1860 projects, and I would like to thank all of them as well as the incredible Karl-Friedrich and Christine Scheufele for the pleasure of this collaboration. I would like to also thank Karl-Fritz Scheufele for his passion and input into the watch.

The Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition is produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces and priced at USD 25,200 excl. taxes. Available now.

Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

Ref: 168860-3002

Movement: Self-winding L.U.C caliber 96.40-L; 65-hour power reserve

Functions: Hours, minutes and small hacking seconds

Case: 36.5mm; Lucent Steel; water resistant to 30m

Dial: 18K gold guilloché; applied faceted hour markers

Strap: Matte calfskin grained leather; Lucent Steel pin buckle

Price: USD 25,200 excl. taxes

Availability: Numbered and limited edition of 50 pieces

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FEATURED FROM SHOP

Chopard

Limited Edition

L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition

$25,200.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding L.U.C caliber 96.40-L; 65-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, minutes and small hacking seconds
Case	36.5mm; Lucent Steel; water resistant to 30m
Dial	18K gold guilloché; applied faceted hour markers
Strap	Matte calfskin grained leather; Lucent Steel pin buckle
Limited Edition	Numbered and limited edition of 50 pieces

The post Chopard L.U.C 1860 Revolution Edition appeared first on Revolution Watch.

The Longines Master GMT Gold Is an Old Fashioned Heirloom in the Making

Troy Barmore — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 20:02:24 +0000

The Longines Master GMT Gold Is an Old Fashioned Heirloom in the Making

If any single timepiece could bring back the tradition of receiving a gold watch upon one’s retirement, it might just be the brand new Longines Master Collection GMT, limited editions in gold.

News

By Troy Barmore

Jan 4, 2024

A gold watch used to mean something. Throughout the mid-20^th century, companies used to bestow gold watches upon their most valued, senior employees to mark their retirement. It was a sentimental gesture that, as the century wore on, became less appreciated and as employees began shifting from company to company more frequently, the practice died out altogether. But with the release of Longines latest edition to the Master Collection, the “Winged Hourglass” may just have the heritage, clout and class, to bring the prestige back to gold dress watch.

The Master Collection GMTs feature frosted silver dials, with applied golden Roman Numerals and square date window at 6 o’clock. A 24 hour Arabic numeral scale encircles the dial upon the matching rehaut. The gold hour, minute and second hands are complemented by a thin, minimalist black GMT hand which extends just to meet the hashes of the railroad minute track. Presented in yellow or rose gold with exhibition case backs, and will be produced in just 500 pieces in each color.

Within the 40mm case beats the Longines Calibre L.844.5 automatic movement – an ETA A31.L01 derived flyer GMT which is produced exclusively for Longines. It’s a dependable workhorse movement with a 72 hour power reserve, enhanced by the presence of a silicon balance spring for greater magnetic resistance. This is all to say, it’s the kind of movement that will be an easy, no fuss companion.

Longines Master Collection GMT, and indeed the entire Master Collection series, have classic proportions and classic aesthetics – no quirky or ostentatious design details or gimmicky features. They are the embodiment of elegance for the sake of elegance. Nowadays, it feels as though every other watch manufacture seems to be clamoring to find new ways to re-invent the sport watch wheel – forcing their brand into a conversation about materials innovation or some high octane lifestyle fantasy. It may sound like the musings of some superannuated watch writer, but it’s refreshing to a timepiece which is just elegant for sake of being elegant.

It’s an aesthetic that reminds us that Longines is a watch brand which possess as much (if not more) history, heritage, and prestige as any great Swiss watch brand. Also, lest we forget, these watches are solid 18k gold – no mucking about with gold cap or plating. As a result they elevate Longines’ offerings to a new price category for their Men’s collection. At just shy of $15,000, these are proper, capital ‘L’ luxury watches with a price tag to match. While the vast majority of Longines’ timepieces exist in a much more accessible price category, the release of the Master Collection GMT feels like a bit of a sea change, and a welcome one at that.

Despite the ubiquitous popularity of stainless steel, and along with it other white metals in haute horology, yellow gold still has its place. While still regarded as anachronistic by some, more and more people across younger generations are beginning to acknowledge the sophistication and prestige of yellow gold, embracing what the metal once meant. The yellow gold wrist watch harkens back to a time milestones were marked with grandeur, and companies would express their gratefulness with the gift a gold watch to a retiring employees, 30 or 40 years of their loyalty and dedication now represented on the wrist.

The Longines Master Collection GMT, with its reserved aesthetics, reasonable yet modern proportions, and classical yet functional complication, feels like something a little bit rare – it feels old fashioned. It feels old fashioned in a way that, well, watches should. That is to say, special, like the kind of watch someone will one day inherit and treasure.

Movement: Calibre L844.5 Automatic winding movement with 72 hour power reserve

Functions: Hour with quick set, Minutes, Seconds, GMT hand, Date

Case: 40mm 18k Yellow (L2.844.6.71.2) or Rose (L2.844.8.71.2) Gold, screw down crown, sapphire crystal caseback

Dial: Frosted Silver Dial with gold applied Roman Numerals, 24 hour rehaut, gold handset with black GMT hand, date wheel at 6 o’clock

Straps:Anthracite-grey alligator leather with “soft touch” finish, tongue buckle in 18 ct yellow gold or 18 ct rose gold

Price: USD 14,750

Learn more about the Longines Master GMT Gold Limited Edition here

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FEATURED FROM SHOP

Furlan Marri

Limited Edition

Furlan Marri x Auro x Revo - Flyback Chronographs 3188-A ‘Salmon Flyback

$3,175.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Case	38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m
Dial	Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes
Strap	Italian leather with quick release system
Limited Edition	270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition.

The post The Longines Master GMT Gold Is an Old Fashioned Heirloom in the Making appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Hublot’s New Big Bang Is a Miami Night Club On The Wrist

Troy Barmore — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 23:31:14 +0000

Hublot’s New Big Bang Is a Miami Night Club On The Wrist

With a massive celebration at Queen Miami Beach, a Parisian themed theater turned fine dining nightclub, Hublot unveiled their love letter to Miami – The Big Bang Unico Magic City. Revolution was there with a camera to capture the moment.

Photos by Troy Barmore

News

By Troy Barmore

Dec 15, 2023

Last week, amidst the glitz and glamour of Miami’s annual Art and Design Week, Hublot unveiled the brand new Big Bang Unico Magic City – a tropically colored interpretation of the Big Bang as an ode to the city of Miami. A partially skeletonized dial is accented by vibrant gradients of fuchsia and azure, seamlessly flowing from one to the other like a vivid sunset, all encased in a carbon black ceramic case. Punctuated by a multicolored palm tree subdial and big eye minute counter, the Big Bang Unico Magic City is like a South Beach nightclub on the wrist, in the best way possible.

The New Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic City

The Big Bang Unico Magic City features a 42mm ceramic case, partially skeletonized dial with 80’s synthwave-esque gradient colors of aqua blue and fuchsia, and two strap options to either emphasize the vibrance of the Miami nightlife or play it stealthy with all black rubber. Asymmetrical subdials feature a big eye with date window on one side and a gradient palm tree on the other. Though the beauty is not only skin deep, as the Big Bang Unico Magic City also features a fully integrated, flyback column wheel chronograph with a 72 hour power reserve. Its a love song to the city of Miami, which will be exclusively available in Hublot’s two Miami boutiques and limited to just35 pieces.

In keeping with that theme, Hublot celebrated the launch with a magical evening of fine dining and entertaining at one of the hottest spots in town – Queen Miami Beach.

Natacha Lamour-Nahim speaks on the future of Hublot at Queen Miami Beach

In attendance was North America brand President Natacha Lamour-Nahim, alongside, press, fashion models, influencers, clients and friends of the brand. It was a jubilant celebration of the timepiece itself, but also one couldn’t help but feel a sense of celebration for the brand as a whole, as well as Ms. Lamour-Nahim, who was promoted to her role just this past May. Hublot has been on a steady path of growth in the US over the past few years.

As though the extravagance of the dinner wasn’t spectacular enough, the night erupted into a pulsating afterparty that stretched on into the wee hours of the morning. Let it be known – When Hublot throws a party, they really throw a party.

Learn more about the new Hublot Big Bang Unico Magic City here.

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FEATURED FROM SHOP

Parmigiani Fleurier

Limited Edition

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor "Purple Reign" x Revolution

$26,400.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Self-winding caliber PF703; 48-hour power reserve
Functions	Hours, Minutes, Date
Case	40mm; polished and satin-finished stainless steel with platinum knurled bezel; water resistant to 100m
Dial	Purple; rhodium-plated applied hour markers
Strap	Polished and satin-finished stainless steel bracelet
Limited Edition	Limited and numbered edition of 50 pieces

The post Hublot’s New Big Bang Is a Miami Night Club On The Wrist appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Up Close with Furlan Marri x Auro Montanari x Revolution Swiss-Made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs

Revolution — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 03:47:24 +0000

Being the first Furlan Marri with a mechanical chronograph movement, we also want to focus on the beautiful dials and just the fact of the amount of attention to detail given to individual pieces.

These pieces all come with the elevated inner dial which is brushed nicely to finish, accompanied by the pulsation indicator chapter ring and it compliments the dial depending on the colour you choose.

All of the hands are CNC-ed cut, polished and bent to an amazing degree, this is a statement of Furlan Marri’s quality of craftsmanship and pursuit of perfection.

Three wonderful executions are available:

Salmon Flyback (Ref. 3188-A) is exclusive to Revolution;

Taupe Flyback (Ref. 3177-A) is exclusive to Furlan Marri;

Honey Blue Flyback (Ref. 3199-A) is available for purchase by both Furlan Marri and Revolution.

Or you can choose to pick up the trilogy collectors boxes which include every single example of this limited edition.

Furlan Marri x Auro Montanari x Revolution Swiss-Made Flyback Chronographs are made in 270 examples per reference + 30 trilogy collector boxes (including one of each reference) and they are priced at CHF 2,750 and CHF 8,250 respectively excluding taxes.

The post Up Close with Furlan Marri x Auro Montanari x Revolution Swiss-Made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Introducing Flying Back to the Future: Furlan Marri Swiss-made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs

Wei Koh — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:00:42 +0000

Introducing Flying Back to the Future: Furlan Marri Swiss-made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs

Together with the world’s greatest watch collector Auro Montanari, Furlan Marri launches their first ever Swiss-made mechanical flyback chronographs in a series of three ravishing timepieces, including a special edition for Revolution, priced at CHF 2,750 excluding taxes.

Limited Edition

By Wei Koh

Dec 1, 2023

For the last three years, the world has been swept up in a love affair for one of the hottest microbrands on the planet, Furlan Marri. The Cinderella story of how Andrea Furlan and Hamad Al Marri created their brand during the pandemic through Zoom, which then became a huge critical and commercial success, and in the same year won the Horological Revelation Award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), is now part of contemporary watch mythology. But since the first time I set eyes on Furlan Marri’s Japanese “mechaquartz” powered chronographs, I’ve asked myself one thing: What if this dynamic duo were to apply their unique brand of retro modern design genius to a fully Swiss-made mechanical chronograph?

Well, today I have the answer with not one, but three different stunning timepieces. And even better, this trilogy of time writers took shape with the guidance of one of the world’s greatest watch collectors and the most elegant individual in our community, the inimitable Auro Montanari.

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Rising Stars

Every once in a while, you meet a young person in the watch industry that you know is going to be an important part of the future. For me that person is Andrea Furlan.

Already what he and his partner, the wonderfully affable Hamad Al Marri, have done was unprecedented. They basically overcame the obstacles of the pandemic to conceptualize a watch brand, which went on to an incredible Kickstarter launch that allowed them to self-fund the creation of their eponymous brand. Then, in that same year, because they had perfectly tapped into the zeitgeist of accessible retro modernism better than anyone else, they went on to win the GPHG’s Horological Revelation Prize.

Hamad Al Marri and Andrea Furlan

Anyone that has ever strapped a Furlan Marri chronograph onto their wrist cannot help but smile and be devastatingly charmed by this upstart watch brand, the horological equivalent of the “Little Engine That Could.” Because the design of the watches, their 38mm by 11.3mm in diameter size, led the charge back to classic sizes. Then there was the phenomenal contemporary riff on François Borgel’s chronograph case design made famous by — but not limited to — the iconic Patek Philippe reference 1463. Indeed, one look at Furlan Marri’s close-up image of their “Tasti Tondi” pushers on their Instagram, and I was irrevocably smitten. Finally, the quality-to-price ratio of their watches is the very best in our business.

Andrea is everything you want in a modern watch entrepreneur. He’s profoundly humble and understatedly confident, yet almost shy about his success. He is fiercely intelligent but soft-spoken and relentlessly hardworking. And though he will hate me for saying so, he’s also one of the most brilliant watch designers in our industry.

Auro Montanari

His watches which, when launched, cost a few hundred dollars, have transcended their price position and become the favorite wrist-borne accessories of even the world’s most astute collectors. Furlan Marri’s initial offering was a series of perfectly designed, vintage inflected, undeniably gorgeous yet affordable mechaquartz-driven chronographs boasting amusing sobriquets that one would expect from Quentin Tarantino’s movie characters. These included “Mr Grey,” winner of the GPHG award, “Laccato Nero” and “Tasti Tondi.” The watches simply seduced everyone. Unbeknownst to Furlan, one of the collectors who had developed a penchant for his timepieces was the legendary Auro Montanari, also known by his evocative nom de plume John Goldberger.

Conceptualizing the Watch

I recall two Geneva Watch Days ago seeking out Andrea in IceBergues, a public space rented out to small or independent brands during the major fairs. I asked him one question, “Andrea, would you like to meet Auro Montanari?”

Without hesitation, he replied by carefully placing his watches inside his travel roll and said, “Let’s go.” What you need to understand about Andrea Furlan’s character is that it is conditioned by two things — a relentless pursuit for perfection that enabled him to represent Switzerland at international athletic competitions including the Youth Olympic Games, and a huge respect for the individuals he considers mentors such as Dominique Renaud who, in a wonderfully poetic 360-circle of life, now collaborates with Andrea. As a boy, Furlan waited outside the Basel fair simply to greet industry legend Jean-Claude Biver and show him his drawings. While still a teenager, Andrea interned at Hublot, Chopard and HD3. While in his early 20s, Furlan, already a rising watch designer, moved to China to work as a production consultant. During his time there, he became aware of the high quality production available, which would later allow him to launch his accessibly priced brand. However, he and Hamad both insist on full transparency when it comes to where each component is made and where the watches are assembled.

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By 2021, Furlan was well aware of Auro Montanari’s standing as an educator, collector ne plus ultra and statesman in our industry. As I introduced them to each other, Andrea politely asked if he could take a seat. Auro smiled broadly at him and said with his signature elegant economy of phrase, “I like what you do. I bought two of your watches.” Andrea could not help but smile too. With that, a great and sincere friendship between them began.

At that moment, I had a stroke of inspiration and said, “Gentlemen, would you consider a collaboration project together? What if we could make Furlan Marri’s very first fully mechanical chronographs together?”

Auro replied, “Why not?”

Andrea said, “I need to check with Hamad but I think so — yes.” Later that week, in my Geneva Old Town apartment, the pair, joined by Hamad and I, embarked on our adventure that resulted in the trilogy of watches that you see before you. These are Furlan Marri’s very first Swiss-made mechanical chronographs, and I am absolutely, unequivocally besotted by love for them.

Upping the Design Ante

The first thing you’ll notice about the new Furlan Marri Flyback Chronographs is that they feature an entirely new case shape designed specifically for this project. While the mechaquartz Furlan Marri chronos had stepped bezels, these watches feature a high polished, aggressively concave bezel. The shape of this is echoed in the lovely swooping compound curve of the lugs that race dramatically down to the wrist. Watching Montanari, Furlan and Marri discuss these details was thrilling to behold.

Said Marri, “Good watch design is like good car design. If you look at the master car designers like Pininfarina, you’ll often see this juxtaposition between a smooth organic curve and a sharp straight angle. The dynamic tension between these two creates a sense of velocity and energy to the shape.” This is what we really focused on with this case shape.

It was Montanari that came up with the svelte, curvilinear olive-shaped chronograph pushers used in two out of three of the models. He explained, “These are wonderful and rare styled pushers that no one today is using but [that] were popular with brands such as Breitling and Omega in the 1930s.” The one exception to this is the Revolution exclusive two-tone salmon dial watch, which feature my beloved Tasti Tondi pushers in deference to the very first image I ever saw on Furlan Marri’s Instagram page that made me fall in love with the brand.

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The three different watches each feature different dials. First, there is the aforementioned two-tone salmon and black dial for our Revolution edition that comes with the Tasti Tondi pushers. Then there is a stunning blue dial with gold-colored text and olive-shaped pushers. And finally, a discreetly elegant and very charming taupe dial version with olive-shaped pushers. The salmon dial watch will be sold exclusively by Revolution, while the taupe dial watch will be sold exclusively by Furlan Marri, with us both retailing the blue dial watch. There will also be a small number of box sets of all three watches.

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Throughout the process, Andrea and Hamad pushed themselves to radically elevate the quality of every component, from the case to the dial to the pushers to even the hands. Said Furlan, “We really took this as an opportunity to radically improve our quality. So, for example, instead of stamped hands, we decided to have all our hands CNC machined. This really improved the three-dimensionality, which, of course, made it more expensive to mirror polish them, but the end result was really worth it.”

Swiss-Made Mechanical Caliber AMT5100

The big news, however, is in the engine bay of the watches. Instead of the Seiko V64 mechaquartz movement inside a closed caseback, we now have a Sellita manual wind, column wheel activated flyback chronograph movement, the caliber AMT5100 measuring 30mm by 7mm in thickness.

Andrea said, “I went to Sellita when they were developing this all-new manual wind chronograph movement that would allow us to make a watch that was the classic size we wanted.” The final watch dimensions are 38mm in diameter (46mm lug to lug) by 13.2mm in thickness; these measurements include a domed sapphire crystal on the front of the watch and a sapphire display caseback. For the movement, we opted for Sellita’s highest level of finishing as well as a signature rose gold-plated finish complemented by a blued column wheel. While there is no doubt that Sellita is a purely industrial movement supplier, the finishing lived up even to Montanari’s scrutiny.

The prolific collector and author remarked that it was “not bad,” which I consider to be high praise coming from him. In the end, Andrea, perfectionist that he is, even designed the shape and skeletonized opening for the plate that sits over the chronograph train. He incorporated a micro-engraving of his brand’s slogan, “Crafted with care, designed for details,” on the plate surrounding the column wheel.

Furlan Marri Pièce Unique for Only Watch 2023

To me, this trilogy of mechanical chronographs is only one step in the journey of Furlan Marri as it blazes its inexorable path into its very bright future. One need only look at the incredible pièce unique timepiece for Only Watch that was created by Andrea and Hamad in collaboration with up-and-coming independent watchmaker Julien Tixier, and one of the industry’s greatest technical minds, Dominique Renaud, to understand the ambitions of this small but mighty brand.

The watch in question is not just a perpetual calendar — a complication which automatically compensates for the shifting 30/31-day rhythm of the months and knows that there are 28 days in February except in the leap year and adds it in accordingly. But it is, in fact, a secular perpetual calendar, which knows that the years divisible by 100 are not leap years, and thus it omits the leap day, but the years divided by 400 are leap years, so it adds the leap day back in.

One of the most well-known secular perpetual calendars appeared in none other than Patek Philippe’s incredible caliber 89, created to celebrate the maison’s 150th anniversary. In modern wristwatch history, the secular perpetual calendar has only been successfully implemented by Svend Andersen and Pierre-Michel Golay for Franck Muller’s Aeternitas Mega 4. However, at 39mm by 11.3mm in thickness, the Furlan Marri watch is not just incredibly wearable, but rumor has it that the brand intends to put the piece into production in the near future and make it more accessible than any other watch featuring this complication.

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And that is one of the reasons I am so impressed with Andrea Furlan. I know that he and Hamad Al Marri have a limitless future in front of them. I’d like to think that our project revolving around Furlan Marri’s very first Swiss-made fully mechanical chronographs, made in a series of three stunning watches, will be a nice historical chronicle to the rise of this remarkable brand. I would like to thank the incredible Andrea Furlan, Hamad Al Marri and Auro Montanari for their collaboration. Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure and an honor.

These watches will be available on the Shop from 7 December, at 10PM SGT/ 3PM CET/ 9AM EST. Click here to buy.

FURLAN MARRI × AURO MONTANARI × REVOLUTION FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPHS

Ref: Honey BlueFlyback (Ref. 3199-A); Salmon Flyback (Ref. 3188-A); Taupe Flyback (Ref. 3177-A)

Movement: Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph

Case: 38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m

Dial: Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes

Strap: Italian leather with quick release system

Price: CHF 2,750 excl. taxes

Availability: 270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition

Videos

By Revolution

Up Close with Furlan Marri x Auro Montanari x Revolution Swiss-Made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs

Dec 8, 2023

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In-Depth: The Secular Perpetual Calendar by Furlan Marri x Dominique Renaud x Julien Tixier for Only Watch 2023

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Furlan Marri

Limited Edition

Furlan Marri x Auro x Revo - Flyback Chronographs Box Set

$9,525.00

TECH SPECS

Movement	Manual winding Sellita caliber AMT5100, with rose gold plating and custom bridge for Furlan Marri; 58-hour power reserve; heated blued steel screws
Functions	Hours, minutes, small seconds and flyback chronograph
Case	38mm (46mm from lug to lug); stainless steel with olive-shaped pushers for Honey Blue flyback, Taupe flyback and Tasti Tondi pushers for Salmon flyback; water resistant to 50m
Dial	Taupe, blue, or two-tone salmon and black (Revolution edition); double printed text with pulsations scale, polished applied indexes
Strap	Italian leather with quick release system
Limited Edition	270 pieces per reference + 30 collector boxes (including one of each references) in addition.

The post Introducing Flying Back to the Future: Furlan Marri Swiss-made Mechanical Flyback Chronographs appeared first on Revolution Watch.

Ralph Lauren x Revolution x The Rake ‘SNOW BEACH BEAR’ Watch | Revo Talks

Revolution — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 02:57:33 +0000

Join Wei and Constant as they introduce an exciting collaboration between Ralph Lauren, Revolution, and The Rake – the ‘Snow Beach Bear’ watch! This is a special release that combines the iconic Snow Beach collection from Ralph Lauren with a touch of Revolution and The Rake.

This limited edition collection is inspired by Ralph Lauren’s Snow Beach collection and features the iconic Polo Bear engaged in snowboarding. A notable aspect of this collection is the outfit worn by the mascot, which is a vibrant yellow and blue parka. This parka is a tribute to the one worn by Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan in 1993, adding a nostalgic touch to the design. Ralph Lauren x Revolution x The Rake ‘SNOW BEACH BEAR’ Watch continues the vibrant theme with a blue lacquer dial, white Arabic numerals, and red accents inspired by the mascot’s outfit. The “Snow Beach” lettering and bold contrasting hues on the leather NATO straps complete the complementary design and color scheme. The limited edition also includes a pair of versatile sunglasses featuring the ‘SNOW BEACH’ motif. These sunglasses come with a removable head strap adorned with the iconic ‘SNOW BEACH’ color patterns, adding a stylish touch to the overall design. Ralph Lauren x Revolution x The Rake ‘SNOW BEACH BEAR’ Watch is limited to just 300 examples and priced at USD 1,850 excluding taxes. Available now on RevolutionWatch.com.

The post Ralph Lauren x Revolution x The Rake ‘SNOW BEACH BEAR’ Watch | Revo Talks appeared first on Revolution Watch.

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