Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/175878
New Dimensions WITH CHICAGO'S BURGEONING TECH SCENE GAINING EVEN MORE MOMENTUM, AN ADVANCED NEW BREED OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL TIMEPIECES IS THE PERFECT FIT. BY ROBERTA NAAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD/BIG TOP STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF URWERK; STYLING BY TERRY LEWIS (OPPOSITE PAGE) T he digital screen is king these days—especially in Chicago, where more than 1,600 start-ups have made us the Silicon Valley of the Midwest—and everywhere we look the time is displayed in full digital glory. Electronics gurus predict an onslaught of smart watches that will not only tell the hour, but also sync with phones and computers and (say some) will doom wristwatches to the dustbin of history. Thankfully, visionary thinkers in the world of wristwatches have another take. Leading brands are pulling out all the stops when it comes to innovative watch design and are unveiling true works of art and architecture for the wrist. Not only are these masters turning to high-tech materials, they're also unveiling unconventional, multidimensional watches that are stopping people in their tracks. Unlike traditional watch designs, which focus most of their artistry on the two-dimensional surfaces of the dial and case, these explore the third dimension of depth to create arresting, architectural timepieces. "We don't necessarily need wristwatches anymore," says Richard Mille, owner of the brand that bears his name and one of the first to venture into the world of 3-D wristwatches a dozen years ago. "So the answer is to make watches emotionally exciting. They should be artistic technical expressions of creativity and usefulness." This new species of timepieces demonstrates a deft blending of classical watchmaking and futuristic design. Many of the multidimensional watches appearing on the market today incorporate the most sought-after complications, such as tourbillon escapements and perpetual calendars. In Urwerk's UR-210, the brand offers a function where the wearer can control the power reserve of the watch in its final two hours via a complex system that calculates the difference between the consumed and generated energy of the mainspring. There is also variety in the world of multidimensional timepieces. Some brands focus on creating watch cases that are architectural works of art, while other brands are building additional dimensions under the dial, thanks to the use of various layers and spherical elements such as globes or multiple tourbillon escapements. In part, this new frontier has come to fruition thanks to advances in the technology, microtechnology, and materials used in watchmaking. Today, cases can be cut exactly to any angle thanks to high-precision CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines, and the mechanical movement can be reworked to tell time in different ways thanks to the genius of master watchmakers and strong R&D teams of engineers, scientists, and craftsmen. In fact, during the past decade more and more 3-D watch types have cropped up on the market thanks to the brands' daring spirit and consumers' enthusiastic response to those pieces. Still, these will never be high-volume watches; this is not a trend for the masses or the faint of heart. OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: From Richard Mille, this RM053 Pablo Mac Donough Tourbillon watch ($620,000) was made for the Argentinean polo player whom it is named after and features an "armored" case crafted in titanium carbide with two raised arcs for viewing hours and minutes. The seconds run with the tourbillon cage on the left viewing window. It is created in a limited edition of just 15 pieces. Swiss Fine Timing Atelier Jewellers, 645 N. Michigan Ave., 312-337-4700; richardmille.com From Jacob & Co., this Epic SF24 ($95,000) is crafted in 18k rose gold and From Urwerk, the new UR-210 ($175,000) features orbiting hour satellites to mark the hours and a 3-D retrograde minute hand. Geneva Seal, 112 E. Oak St., 312-944-3100; urwerk.com "The people who buy these types of watches are people who think outside the box," says Leonard Goldberg, manager of Chicago's family-owned Geneva Seal watch store. "They want innovative technology and cuttingedge designs; they think in a different way." Generally these sci-fi-inspired timepieces are made with high-tech materials like titanium, aluminum, carbon fiber, and even proprietary alloys that come to the watchmaking world from other arenas, like the automotive, aviation, or medical fields. Due to the complexity of their movements and cases, the watches are produced in very limited numbers, often take months to create, and generally command prices well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But they are an adventurous investment, and one that helps propel innovation in the watch industry. According to Goldberg, the typical buyer is someone who already owns several timepieces and is looking for a high-tech watch that is forwardthinking rather than flashy. "They want to stay under the radar with a unique piece. They buy these watches because of the materials used, the design, the different methods of telling time. It's a whole package that you look at and say, 'Wow, I've got to have that.'" For more watch features and expanded coverage, go to michiganavemag.com/watches. MA features an open-work dial to view the time in 24 cities around the world on a fold-down 3-D cylinder. The watch houses a caliber JCAA02b with exclusive world time SF24 module. Geneva Seal, 112 E. Oak St., 312-944-3100; jacobandco.com This Harry Winston Histoire de Tourbillon 3 ($657,200) is crafted in white gold and Zalium and houses a 479-part mechanical movement with three tourbillon escapements rotating on different axes. The hour and minutes are displayed on rotating disks. Harry Winston, 55 E. Oak St., 312-705-1820; harrywinston.com MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 102-103_MA_SS_TimeHonored_October13.indd 103 103 9/17/13 11:58 AM