Vulcain to present President Obama with Anniversary Heart Watch

Vulcain, a La Chaux-de-Fonds watch company since 1858, will continue its long standing tradition and award America's 44th , President Barack Obama, with its Anniversary Heart Watch. This Watch will be a custom made Anniversary Heart Model created to mark President's Obama inauguration, and the 150th Anniversary of Vulcain. To look at this watch is to see a watch fit for the President of the United States.

Within the timepiece's stately case is a 157 part Vulcain Cricket V-18, with a 15-20 second alarm complication. The alarm function is activated utilizing the top crown, and the distinctive alarm hand is located on the partially skeletonized dial, revealing portions of the moving gear trains that power the hands. With many skeletonized watches the readability of the hands is compromised by the constant movement; however, on this watch the beveled hour index markers are raised and the minute markers are located on the edge of the dial. The 42 mm wide case is attached to a Louisiana crocodile leather strap affixed with a buckle and deployment clasp.
The watch presented to President Obama will have a specially engraved case back. The watch will be available in steel or 18k rose gold, so it remains to be seen which one will be selected for presentation to President Obama. This watch will join Obama's Tag Heuer Series 1500 Divers Watch and the Chronograph watch -the Secret Service presented to him on August 4th, 2007 for his 46th birthday. To read more about President Obama's Watch click here

Vulcain's tradition began in 1953 when the White House Press Photographers' Association presented Harry S. Trumen (President from December 4th 1945 to January 1st, 1953) with a Vulcain Cricket. The Vulcain Cricket gained the reputation as the "President's Watch." Trumen loved the watch and donned it on many occasions. He particularly like the alarm-complication which reminded him of important engagements he had to attend.

U.S. President Eisenhower (January 20th , 1953 to January 20th, 1961) wore a Cricket before being elected president. President Lyndon Johnson presented the Cricket to more than 200 people. At a Geneva meeting for the United Nations President Johnson gave an order to buy up all the available Cricket's. The Cricket was more than a mere convenient accessory; it was a reliable companion. Bill Clinton received a Vulcain Cricket during his presidency.

What is it about the Vulcain Cricket?

As it is human nature to forget, this alarm function or reminder function was an important tool for man. It is interesting to note, the alarm function is older than the minute hand. Men's wristwatches became quite popular, thanks to Santos-Dumont, as peoples lives became more hectic in the fast paced modern world, they needed to be reminded of appointments. An alarm function was the perfect reminder; however, the wristwatch was quite small in comparable to a larger pocket watch and thus quite difficult to make an audible gong. An alarm function had three problems within a wristwatch case:

1) Audibility

2) Effecting Dust protection

3) Effecting Water resistance

... then in 1947, Vulcain presented the Vulcain Cricket. The Cricket was so loud it was impossible to miss the reminder. Robert Ditisheim turned to mother nature to resolve the alarm audibility dillema. Ever tried to fall asleep while a cricket is chirping its nightly song? Ever put the pillow over your ear to drown out the noise, but still heard its persistant resonance. AHH! Now that is the answer. If a tiny cricket could cause such a noise, than surely a wristwatch could do the same. Robert Ditsheim Incorporated a resonance-chamber like that of a cricket by fitting a two-part back to the watch case. The inner encloses the watch case and serves to generate the sound. A hammer strikes the watch-case which oscillates and produces the sound-waves. The outer case has a twofold function: First it permits the sound-generating inner-back to oscillate freely as it has no direct contact with the wearer's wrist. Second it forms a small space between the inner case back which serves as a resonance chamber. Although many Watch Companies have crafted mechanical minute repeaters, none is quite as loud as the Vulcain Cricket.

The rarest complications integrated in a single timepiece.

In 2002, Patek Phillipe unveiled the most complicated wristwatch ever produced- the double faced Sky Moon Tourbillon. On the reverse side of the wristwatch is a complete representation of the night sky. The breathtaking image of the sky portrays the movement of the stars, the orbit of the moon, the moon phases and the hours and minutes in sidereal time. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) –“the father of modern observational astronomy “ would have been duly impressed.

Patek Phillipe main objective, as with its pocket watch baring the same unity in complications, was not cram the most complications in timepiece but to inspire the horological world with the most complicated and fascinating complications in the small boundaries of a wristwatch:

1. A perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display
2. A minute repeater
3. A Tourbillon
4. The display of a sidereal time
5. Depiction of the night sky with the movement of the stars.
6. The Orbit of the Moon
7. The moon phases.

The Complication that proved to be the biggest challenge was the heavenly display. The heaven is infinite as is time, and to place the display of the heavens within a wrist watch in a clear legible manner is almost impossible except, of course, to the watch making experts at Patek Phillipe. A company founded in 1839 by two Polish immigrants, Antoine Norbert de Patek ,the salesman, and Francois Czapek, the watchmaker, and later joined by Mr. Adrien Phillipe in 1944, a French Watchmaker.
Patek Phillipe deeply rooted in achieving horological milestones, came up with a solution. A solution adapted from Patek Phillipe’s astronomical pocket watches: a moving sky chart on the reverse. The mechanical movement originally developed for the “Star Calibre 2000” was redesigned specifically for the “Sky Moon Tourbillon” and achieved a Swiss patent CH 688 171.

The separate complications are discussed individually below:

1. The perpetual calendar with a retrograde date display

Patek Phillip is the master of perpetual calendars. A perpetual calendar adjusts the date in accordance with the differing lengths of months and leap years. Although in this technological age this does not seem like such a huge accomplishment; however, this is done solely mechanical utilizing a number of intricate parts. The “Sky Moon Tourbillon” displays its perpetual calendar in a unique 270° arc. Each day the date hand shifts one position. At the end of the month whether it is the 28th, 29th , 30th or 31st, the automatic fly back hand jumps to the 1st of the month. The unique mechanism is designed with a highly accurate patented ratchet wheel mechanism as opposed to the more conventional use of cams. On the 1st of the month this highly specialized perpetual calendar mechanism “locks” the date display hand in place to prevent it from rebounding to the 2nd or 3rd month. Four subdials display the additional perpetual calendar information: 1) The days of the week at the 9 ‘o’clock position 2) The month at the 3 ‘o clock position 3)The leap year cycle at the 3 ‘o’clock position 4) The moon age at the 6 ‘o clock position. If the watch is wound on a regular basis the watch need not be adjusted till the year 2100.

2. A Minute Repeater

A minute repeater sounds the hours, quarter hours, and minutes with a gentle chime. This feature accompanies the visionary splendor of the masterpiece with an auditory delight. This function is enabled when a slide on the left of the case is activated. The number of hours is sounded on a low-tone gong, followed by the quarter hours with double strikes on the low-tone and higher-tone gong and then the number of minutes elapsed since the last quarter of an hour on the higher tone gong. The “Sky Moon Tourbillon” has presented the minute repeater in a rare and mesmerizing manner. In the confines of a wrist watch the chime of a minute repeater is often times barely heard. A rich and clear sound is hard to muster, the room must be silent and the sound of the gong striking is likened to a pin being dropped. However in the “Sky Moon Tourbillon” the gong has turned up its volume. With extensive collaboration of the world first class metallurgists of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausine, Patek Phillipe developed an alloy for gongs that make a strikingly resonant sound. This alloy has been refined enabling a gong to be more than one case circumference long. This unique gong has earned the title of the “cathedral gong” as it sounds the hour with a rich tone likened to the reverberating cathedral bells.

3. The Tourbillon

From the very beginning of my watch infatuation, the tourbillion has mesmerized me. It is a good thing I do not own one as it clearly would effect my daily routine. I would miss many duties as I sit and gaze at its rotation. The Tourbillon was invented in 1795 by French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, a century after Newton defined gravity. Breguet reasoned that as a result of the constant position of the vertical position of the pocket watch, the balance spring is confounded by the effect of gravity effecting the accuracy of the watch. This error could be compensated with a tourbillion whereby the escapement, balance wheel, and balance spring is placed in a rotating carriage which turns once per minute on its own axis. In the Sky Moon Tourbillon, the tourbillion, the balance wheel and the fourth wheel are positioned on a single axis. This unique placement is difficult to accomplish but it provides the best functional opportunity to the tourbillion. The Tourbillon is finely crafted from steel, comprising of 69 individual pieces and weighing in total a mere .03 grams.

4. The Sidereal Time.

The Sidereal time is the measure of the position of the earth in its rotation around its axis. In the Sky Moon Tourbillon this feature is indicated by two hands from the center on the reverse side of the watch. The sidereal time is indicated on a 24-hour scale.

5. Direction of the night sky with the movement of the stars.
6. The Orbit of the Moon
7. The Moon Phases

This is a rare feature of a wrist watch and it is indicated on the reverse side of the watch. The canopy of the Northern (or upon request Southern) hemisphere rotates counter clockwise beneath the scratch resistant sapphire crystal case back, portraying the movement of the stars and the moon, the meridian passages of Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky , the moon as well as its waxing and waning moon phases. An elliptical contour indicates the part of the night sky viewed from a specific location. This masterpiece comprises of a gear train specifically built for this complication.

Patek Phillipe has successfully achieved an unprecedented level of precision in its astronomical display.

The “Sky Moon Tourbillon” is manually wound and is comprised of 694 individual parts. Each part is hand finished. Each edge is finely beveled and every single tooth of every gear is carefully hand polished in an additional process using a rotating hardwood disc. The plate and the module with the perpetual calendar are finished on either side with a technique of circular graining – “perlage” The bridges are engraved with Geneva striping. This additional polishing and engraving earn the prestigious Geneva Seal as well as the COSC Chronometer certificate.

The case is available in 18k yellow gold or solid platinum which is aesthetically pleasing. The “Sky Moon Tourbillon” is by no means a small watch at 42.8 millimteres in diameter and 16.25 millimeters in height; however, the exceptional craftsmanship provides a distinctive elegance to the watch. The case is decorated with the engraving of halved Calatrava Crosses. Calatrava Crosses also adorn the middle of the dial. The Calatrava Cross is the brand symbol of today’s Patek Phillipe. The Crosses roots extend deep into the middle ages to the year 1158. It was in that year that a Spanish religious order defended the Calatrava citadel against the moors. Patek Phillipe adopted the emblem of these brave knights at the end of the 19th century.
The crown at the 4 ‘o’clock position winds the movement and sets the hands on the front of the watch. The crown positioned at the 2 ‘o clock rectifies the position of the sky chart and the hands on the reverse side of the watch that indicate the sidereal time. When turned in the opposite direction, this crown corrects the position of the moon and the moon phase display. A setting stylus is used to activate a number of correction button on the side of the case. The button between the 11 and 12 ‘o clock corrects the date and the day of the week, the button between the 3 and 4 ‘o clock corrects the month and the button between the 6 and 7 ‘o clock corrects only the day of the week. The minute repeater slide is recessed in the case on the left hand side. The strap is hand stitched crocodile leather. The front of the dial is crafted from gold, coated with silvery opaline. The hours are indicated by Roman Numerals. The retrograde date display is located between the 2 and 10 o’ clock position with a fueille hand made of blued steel.

This wristwatch is one of the Patek Phillipe’s most complicated wristwatches ever introduced as a regular production. The movements alone take many months to complete and as a result of the intensive production, assembly and meticulous regulating procedures, annual production is limited to two timepieces.

Sonnerie vs Minute Repeater

Quite often Sonnerie will be labeled as a type of minute repeater, although the complications is quite different and should be regarded as a complication in its own right. A sonnerie is known as a clockwatch. Although both watches chime hours or quarter hours, the Minute Repeater chimes at will of the wearer.




The Sonnerie chimes automatically -like a tower clock- at the hour (petit sonnerie) or quarter hour (grande sonnerie). Sonnerie is French for "making sound" or "ring".





Both movements are extremely complex to create, and incorporate a large number of intricate parts. A complicated Sonnerie was built by Gerald Genta in the early nineties. Sonnerie's are quite rare compared with the quite prolific market of repeaters and minute repeaters. The Sonnerie requires a continuous power supply by the mainspring as it chimes automatically on the hour. The Repeaters are powered by a repeater slide and a spring mechanism, the Sonnerie requires a single strike train. In the past the watchclocks that striked at the hours and quarter required seperate strike trains for each (the hour strike train and the quarter), the end-product being a "triple train: clockwatch with three mainsprings.

Although these watches are quite rare, albeit rather pricey, they can be quite annoying striking on the quarter of an hour. However the watches are equipped with a rather clever "strike-silent, or Silence mode. Choosing to use the sonnerie complications means sliding the slide bolt on the case. The watch enters the sonnerie mode and chimes, clear and delicate, at the next hour or quarter. Some clockwatches are crafted with a repeater as well. The repetition function is powered by the second mainspring, and usually is operated by a button rather than the slide. The only setback in this case would be the use of the repeater will deplete the power reserve required by the sonnerie.

The Sonnerie is incredibly beneficial to those who cannot see and thus require the need for auditory time. I am curious if Sonnerie Luxury Watches will make a grander
appearance in the World of Horology.

A luxury watch is time unto itself.

The technological world is moving fast; T.Vs are flatter and clearer, Computers are faster and can store a wealth of information; toys and games light up and spin and flash. As the world turns great minds are finding ways of making products more cost-effective and flashier; churning out products in great identical numbers to be mass marketed.

Let us step off the speeding train of manufacturing, trade and mass production, and enter the world of individuality, craftsmanship and precision. The luxury watch. No corners have been cut to make the luxury watch more cost effective, no detail omitted, on the contrary, attention to the slightest detail takes hours of precise planning and crafting. The complications have been perfected over time, a complication such as the tourbillon - a movement that is said, eradicates the effect of gravity on the watch can take three years from idea to delivery.

In the 1980's Vacheron Constantin focused it's attention on crafting a minute repeater,undoubtably one of the most complicated movement in watchmaking today. The company took apart a 1940's wristwatch, examining each peice with intense precision, and an idea for a new minute repeater began to take form. Vacheron Constantin, hand picked a team of expert watchmakers and engineers and drew up plans. The new minute repeater from conception to completion took four years of hard work, committment and tireless determination. Finally in 1993 Vacheron Constatin unveiled its first piece, the caliber 1755, in honor of the year Vacheron Constantin was founded. This exceptional accomplishment is the final series of the caliber 1755 – that is to be found in the Platinum Les Cabinotiers Skeleton Minute Repeater watch.

This is just one example of a watch crafted to be exceptional. A watch that will travel through time, never ageing, never to be outdone by the passing of time.
A luxury watch is crafted to belong to time, and although it will keep time with precision, time itself will have no impact on it.