Elite Traveler Fall 2019

elite traveler FALL 2019 et 93

KARSTEN FRÄßDORF Spirograph Sport

It was just three years ago that master watchmaker Karsten Fräßdorf created his own brand in La Chaux-de- Fonds, Switzerland. Now, he reinterprets his first timepiece and brings revolutionary new technology to the forefront. The 45mm Spirograph Sport watch houses caliber 440, which has a one-minute tourbillon visible through an aperture at 6 o’clock. It is also equipped with a new elastic suspension system that is capable of absorbing shocks up to 5,000G. The system is built around the balance wheel so the manual- winding movement looks as though it is flying inside the case. The watch also boasts a rim-free, non-magnetic steel balance wheel held in place by two periphery weights and an arbor that is impervious to temperature changes, thanks to this new construction. In most regulating organs, components expand or contract in different temperatures, affecting chronometric precision. Combined with other innovations too lengthy to detail here, the caliber 440 is a chronometric force. The movement is visible via a sapphire caseback, and a honeycomb motif enhances the dial. $84,000 in stainless steel, Montres KF in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, +41 32 924 9813, montres-kf.com

FRANCK MULLER Vanguard Yachting Anchor Skeleton

ROGER DUBUIS Excalibur One-Off A unique watch, the Excalibur One-Off houses the third caliber made specifically for Roger Dubuis’ racing involvement with Lamborghini. The complicated RD106SQ skeletonized movement is built in a multi-layer ‘V’ shape that emulates Lamborghini’s unique engine geometry. It features two double flying tourbillon escapements, linked with a differential and inclined at a 90-degree angle to compensate more precisely for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity. A double disc at 12 o’clock offers jumping hours, and the minutes are indicated with a single hand that recalls the Lamborghini dashboard gauge that indicates the number of revolutions of the engine. Designed to pay tribute to the Lamborghini SC18 Alston supercar, the 47mm watch has many auto-inspired details, including a function selector inspired by automotive gear switches that allows for setting or winding of the movement. $1m in high-tech carbon SMC (sold), rogerdubuis.com Franck Muller’s oversized tonneau-shaped collection is beloved by collectors and appears in countless iterations, including camouflage, skeletonized movements, flying tourbillons and world timers. To reinvigorate its Yachting watches, the brand added a power-reserve indicator in a motif shaped like a ship’s gauge to the dial, which required reworking and redesigning the movement. Watchmakers took advantage of this opportunity to add even more nautical references both in the movement and on the dial. The bridges of the open-worked, manual-wind, 241-part movement are inspired by anchors and are crafted in sea-blue anodized aluminum. The seconds indication at 6 o’clock is shaped as a compass rose star with red hand. The 44mm watch features an inner chapter ring with the compass points and degrees listed on it. Water resistant to 30 meters, the watch is finished with a sporty, hand-sewn nylon strap. $45,400 in 18K rose gold, Franck Muller in New York, +1 212 257 5015, franckmuller.com