The year 2019 is noteworthy for complications specialist Christophe Claret for a number of reasons. Not only is his eponymous brand celebrating its 10-year anniversary, but his Le Locle-based manufacture ? where he’s worked on memorable timepieces for brands like Ulysse Nardin, Harry Winston, Maîtres du Temps, among others ? has also just reached 30 years of continuous production. To commemorate this dueling anniversary, Claret is honoring the occasion the only way he knows how to: with a new watch.
The Christophe Claret Angelico in 5N red gold.
First seen at SIHH in January, the new Angelico timepiece combines a tourbillon with a long detent escapement and a cable-type fusee transmission system. This combination is a first in wristwatch history and was more commonly associated with the usage of marine chronometers in the 18th century. Not only does the Angelico feature this noteworthy first application, it is further complemented by a jumping dual-time display, a day/night indicator, and a power reserve display to showcase its 72 hours of running autonomy courtest of two parallel-mounted mainspring barrels. All of this fits within the watch’s 45.5 mm diameter. The Christophe Claret Angelico in grade 5 titanium.
In the 18th-century, marine chronometers that featured a detent escapement were mounted on gimbals to allow for maximum flexibility which also meant that their construction was extremely sensitive to shocks and lateral impacts making application in ...