Christophe Claret : Two highly technical complications…

Margot is Christophe Claret’s first Ladies’ watch complication. It features a mechanism that helps to ‘predict’ one of nature’s paramount questions : “Does he love me ?” A simple press of the pusher at 2 o’clock brings the watch to life. With each press, a petal – sometimes a pair of petals – subtly disappears under the dial in a smooth action, perfectly depicting the delicate undressing of the flower. The eagerly-awaited answer appears at random in calligraphic letters (in French) on the dial at 4 o’clock : Un peu (a little) – beaucoup (a lot) – passionnément (passionately) – à la folie (madly) – pas du tout (not at all)? Pressing the reset pusher at 4 o’clock makes all petals reappear around the pistil and turns the ‘sentiment’ display at 4 o’clock to an ellipsis.

 

With Maestoso, Christophe Claret masters the challenge of equipping a wristwatch with a traditional detent escapement, a mechanism usually designed to run in a stabilized position. Another world first for Christophe Claret ! Enabling the mechanism to operate in all the positions that wearing a wristwatch entails is a feat, pulled off via three patents and additional innovative systems. To prevent the detent from turning over, an anti-pivot cam, integral to the spring balance, works in conjunction with the safety finger. The ensemble is fitted between a mainplate and two sapphire bridges, and pivots on a ball bearing that distributes the load on the escapement. It de facto absorbs the impacts by means of a spring that provides the requisite flexibility. To cope with the risks of over-banking, a flexible thrust bearing fitted on the wheel and connected to the balance absorbs any excess energy. The watch is also endowed with a constant force device, guaranteeing stable energy and amplitude throughout the power reserve. Thus the constant force spring, wound up by the barrel, always releases the same energy at regular intervals, making the torque to the escapement more constant. A stop seconds plays an essential role by stopping the balance when setting the time. Last but not least, Maestoso is equipped with two mainspring barrels, each with two superimposed springs.

 

Maestoso

Cases : white gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium or 5N red gold and anthracite PVD-treated grade 5 titanium or 5N red gold Diameter : 44 mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound (caliber DTC07, 80+ hours power reserve), 301 components, detent escapement in grade 5 titanium, cylindrical balance-spring, anti-over-banking security device  Functions : hours, minutes, constant force device at 4 o’clock  Hands : red ruby and black PVD-treated or black ceramic and anthracite PVD-treated hands with Super-LumiNova Water-resistance : 30m Strap : black alligator and black stitching Limited editions : each edition is limited to 20 pieces

 

Margot 

Cases : white gold, baguette-set (68 diamonds in total, 5.2 carats) or 423 snow-set diamonds with  hands in blued-steel with 3N yellow gold tips or red gold, baguette set (68 diamonds in total, 5.2 carats) or 423 snow-set diamonds with hands in steel with 4N pink gold tips Diameter : 42.5 mm Movement : automatic-winding (caliber EMT17, 72 hours power reserve), 731 components Functions : hours, minutes, “He loves me… he loves me not” (“Effeuiller la marguerite” in French), symbolic ‘colour-feeling’ on the winding rotor  Dial : mother of pearl dial, excerpts from a poem by Victor Hugo Water-resistance : 30m Strap : white alligator leather, white gold or 5N red gold prong buckkle set with pear-shaped diamond Limited editions : each edition is limited to 20 pieces


Brice Lechevalier is editor-in-chief of GMT and Skippers, which he co-founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He has also been CEO of WorldTempus since it joined the GMT Publishing stable, of which he is director and joint shareholder. In 2012 he created the Geneva Watch Tour, and he has been an advisor to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since 2011. Also closely involved in sailing, he has published the magazine of the Société Nautique de Genève since 2003, and was one of the founders of the SUI Sailing Awards in 2009 and the Concours d’Elégance for motor boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2015.

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