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Frederic Jouvenot Helios Watch Hands-On

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 08:01:31 +0000

One of the best mechanical watches for 2011 shown at the GTE (Geneva Time Exhibition) was clearly Frederic Jouvenot's masterfully creative and well-executed Helios watch. The talented Mr. Jouvenot - a young and ambitious watch maker - was nice enough to show off the watch to me himself. I was dazzled by just how different, yet easy to read it was - and for about 50,000 Swiss Francs you too can have one.

An element of the watch that isn't totally new is the case. Frederic Jouvenot (FJ) debuted this case on his previous watch, the Frederic Jouvenot Automatic Chronograph Evolution. It has a great feel to it being 44mm wide in titanium. It is available in brushed and polished titanium, or in DLC black coated titanium. My choice (and the one on my wrist) is the DLC model - looks awesome with the gold-toned "sunbeams" which are made out of aluminum for strength and weight savings).

What impresses me most about the Helios is that in addition to it being an innovative way of telling the time, the design itself has a very good looking presence to it. This is one of the most interesting looking unorthodox timepieces when just seeing it on the wrist. This is thanks to the deep, highly detailed dial that has a beautiful radial symmetry to it. People like to go off on how symmetry isn't as important as "balance." There is some truth to that, but a watch like this shows just how powerful good symmetry is.

The Helios starts with a manually wound mechanical movement that uses a rotating disc for the minutes and spinning conical cylinders for the time. The movement has a power reserve of 45 hours. The little video I took and posted should help explain exactly how it works. When the cones are flipped over to their gold side, they represent an hour to be counted. The watch on my wrist for example would be about 11:34. That is because 11 of the cones are gold and the centrally mounted minutes disc is pointed at "34." See how simple that is. The cones are made of aluminum, and gold colored on one side, while black on the "off" side.

As you can see, you can adjust the watch in both directions, and the result is flawless. While not the same concept really, the theme is in the same class as the previously discussed Ludovic Ballouard Upside Down watch. If you are a sun-worshiper I can think of no better watch if want a high-end piece from an independent watch maker. Even then, at a price of 49,860 Swiss Francs, limited to just 144 pieces - the watch isn't cheap, but in my opinion represents a pretty solid value for what you are getting.

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Sickly Spectacular Goldvish And Frederic Jouvenot Revolution Mobile Phone + Watch

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:02:57 +0000

$48,000 phone. Just saying that along with the pictures ought to be enough, but I will elaborate. This is the Revolution phone, which really doesn't imbue a lot of the things I associated with being 'revolutionary,' though the price + concept might cause your head to 'revolve' Exorcist style. The company that made the phone is called Goldvish. Which is basically just "goldfish" is you are American.Â Unlike other uber luxury mobile phones with built-in watches (Mobiado), the Goldvish Revolution inserts a very nice (and removable) Frederic Jouvenot Chronograph Evolution watch as part of the device. Frederic Jouvenot is a relatively new brand that I discussed here. This is the first time I have seen a quality independent watch company place their watch in such a device. Either this connection raises the credibility of Frederic Jouvenot watch, or reduces it.

The watch is directly taken out of the Frederic Jouvenot Chronograph Evolution watch known by its front facing automatic movement. The concept is pretty cool, and if you clicked on the link above you can get to know the watch more. I would imagine that all the craftsmanship of the watch adds maybe $10,000 to the price of the Revolution phone. The section with the watch is removable from the phone itself. The watch is the coolest part of the Goldvish device, and once removed, takes this luxury device from Bollywood glam to Mumbai slums glam (somehow that analogy just seems to make sense in my mind).

The Goldvish Revolution phone itself is nothing special aside from having a ridiculous amount of diamonds and gold on it. If your eyes can stand the sparkle, the phone is a decently shaped device probably worth $100 or so. Then you have all the precious gems and gold which just add commodity weight without much engineering prowess. For about $48,000 you get an unlocked GSM phone that will make a hell of a desk clock in a few years. The Revolution phone model FJ-ACE-001 will be available as a limited edition of just 9.

A F 800 silver continental pocket watch enamel gilt spares repair o o vertu

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Sothebys Magnificent Silver gilt Objects Vertu Rosebery Rothschild 11 Feb 1999

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Bonhams British Continental Silver Vertu London 2009

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NEW Les Annales de La Vertu Ou Histoire Universelle

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Vertu Quest Crocodile Case

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Sothebys Coll Weinberg Antique Ceramics Vertu Nov 2006

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Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.

Frederic Jouvenot Automatic Chronograph Evolution Watch: Rotor On Front

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:47:24 +0000

Precious little is known (to me) about then new Frederic Jouvenot watches. I would know a bit more if I was able to properly read French, and because all the press information is in a PDF... good luck trying to get me to put all that into the Google Translate tool. Good thing that a picture is worth a thousand words, because these images say a lot. The new watches will be released soon - in Basel if all goes according to plan. You can see that they are all based around the same theme and movement, but in these images there are at least two cosmetically different models. There is a distinct retro feeling from the watches. Watch maker Frederic Jouvenot is young at about 31 years old and wanted to create something new (as all young watch makers who branch-off from larger brand often do). His new movement inverts the rotor of an automatic movement and places it on the front of the watch.

From a mechanical level, the watch is nothing totally unique. A thirty minute chronograph in a bi-compax orientation makes for a n attractive dial as well as mechanical movement view in the back. The tough part of this watch was not placing the rotor in the front, it was doing so in a way that did not look silly. On that level the watch is pretty clever. I like how the rotor is carved away to give the chronograph counters an unobstructed view when the watch is in a vertical position. Further, the rotor is placed behind the main hands as to never obstruct them. Rich perlage polishing makes up the dial face which is available in different colors.

The case itself is 18k rose rose, with at least one version featuring black gold accents (like the bezel). My favorite case is the one with the large skeletonized lugs, reminiscent of 1970's watch designs with that modern twist. The lugs on the 44mm case have that integrated look and just match up well with all the polishing all over the case and dial. This watch is like two steps away from being a blingy watch, almost, but not quite. I can see how the wrong crowd will mistake the automatic movement rotor on the face of the watch for Frederic Jouvenot's take on "wheel spinners" forÂ watch. As for the name of the watch, it is pretty silly, "Automatic Chronograph Evolution." Come on... really? Lets get with the time and give it a name that isn't merely descriptive. "Yea, I know it is an automatic chronograph, but what is it called?!" Hopefully at launch there will be a new name as well.

The focus of this watch is to resolve one of those watch enthusiast dilemmas. "I like the convenience of an automatic watch, but I also like looking at an unobstructed movement." When you invest in an expensive mechanical watch, you wish to view the hand decorated and assembled movement as much as possible. The movement itself reminds me a lot of what you see in the back of an Omega SpeedMaster Moonwatch. Do you agree? This limited edition line will start with a line of just 88 pieces. This is enough to judge if there is enough interest in the brand to move forward with more models. I can't wait to see some actual images of this pretty handsome looking watch that does a good job of getting the "front mounted rotor" right.Â The mixture of gold, black, and red trim is very tasteful and utterly masculine. There will be a lot of interested people in Mr. Jouvenot's watches. Their biggest rival right now in terms of functions and appearance is Perrelet, so we will see how the two compare. I look forward to seeing more soon.

See Frederic Jouvenot and Perrelet watches on eBay here.

Perrelet Dual Time GMT Chronograph A1010 11 SS Diamond Bezel $16500 NIB

US $7,900.00

Perrelet Power Reserve Ref A 1017 1 Sunburst Dial Roman Numbers $4400 NIB

US $2,200.00

Perrelet Day Date Power Reserve Grey Dial $4150 NIB

US $2,200.00

Perrelet Calendar MoonPhase Sapphire Diamond $13300

US $6,650.00

Perrelet GMT 24 Hour Steel Cushion Case $4975 NIB

US $2,700.00

Perrelet Cushion Ladies Automatic MOP Dial Deployment Buckle A2006 $2700 NIB

US $1,200.00

Written by Mr. Ariel Adams - aBlogtoRead.com, trusted independent watch media.