![]() ![]() ![]() Below is the list of brands the Fondation deemed worthy of being partners – in their estimation the epitome of fine watchmaking – and the others that met the criteria. In addition to Tudor and Longines, surely the most controversial omissions, snubs include Baume & Mercier, Frederique Constant, Bremont, Alpina, Harry Winston, Bulova, Raymond Weil and Porsche Design. ![]() Alongside Tudor, Longines is no longer within SIHH’s requirements of “Fine Watchmaking” like Tudor. High profile Council members who helped make the decree include Aurel Bacs of Phillips Watches, Ben Clymer of Hodkinkee, William Rohr of TimeZone, and Wei Koh, founder of The Rake and Revolution Magazine. Choosing the brands “will significantly further understanding of Fine Watchmaking and give it greater prominence in the world,” the Foundation states. ![]() They lead the way with avant-garde products that reflect centuries of tradition.” Only 64 luxury brands qualify, of which 28 have become partners with the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. UnqualifiedĪccording to the Foundation, “Fine Watch brands meet the criteria set out by the Cultural Council. Tudor is no long recognized by SIHH to be in the “Fine Watchmaking” industry. Nonetheless, many watch enthusiasts may take issue with the fact that while the likes of Bulgari and Chanel and many lesser-known brands made the cut, Tudor and Longines were deemed unworthy. No mere offhand edict, the report was painstakingly compiled with input from a prestigious “Cultural Council” of experts who evaluated each brand based on his or her area of expertise. The evolution continued when the brand combined the two functions in 1999 with the Jules Audemars Tradition d’Excellence No.1 wristwatch, which paved the way for the development of the first chronograph tourbillon movement in 2003, and the first flying tourbillon with flyback chronograph in 2020.As we just told you, SIHH parent the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie has just released an explosive report dubbed the White Paper on Fine Watchmaking that declares only certain watch brands qualify as examples of Fine Watchmaking. Since then, there have been several notable developments in this field, including the world’s first selfwinding tourbillon wristwatch by Audemars Piguet in 1986-still one of the smallest and lightest examples in the world. The tourbillon escapement was first patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1801. This is achieved by mounting the escapement and balance wheel of the timepiece within a cage that is constantly rotating at a slow rate (typically one revolution per minute). The tourbillon complication, meanwhile, increases the accuracy of a wristwatch by countering the effects of gravity that can skew the most delicate mechanisms and reduce their performance. The world’s first selfwinding tourbillon wristwatch was created by Audemars Piguet in 1986, and is still one of the smallest and lightest examples in the world. This required the miniaturisation of the complications-a highly complex task that demanded the utmost skill. “The watchmakers had to keep the musicality, the beauty, and the function of the watches, despite the fact that they are extremely small,” Vivas says. It’s like a clock, chiming by passing every quarter of an hour.” The grand sonnerie is an addition to that. By rewinding the mechanism, the user will hear the hours, the quarters, and the minutes. Audemars Piguet’s Heritage & Museum Director, Sébastian Vivas says: “The minute repeater is telling the time with a sound. The evolution from chiming clocks to pocket watches (in the 16th century) and then to wristwatches (which became popular in the early 20th century) produced unique demands, resulting in the development of chiming complications first with the minute repeater, and then the grande sonnerie. “The minute repeater is telling the time with a sound. ![]()
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