breitling
A fresh addition for the men's Baume & Mercier Riviera watch collection for 2009 is an elegantly sporty selfwinding model with date. The new Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Automatic watch features a boldly sized 45mm case in brushed stainless steel distinguished by smoothly integrated crown protectors. Classically inspired yet casual, the black dial displays luminous Roman numeral hour markers, and polished skeleton hour hands. A semicircular window at 3 o'clock shows the date. Powering the Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Automatic watch is the ETA 2892A2 caliber, a selfwinding mechanical movement which has established a long and enviable track record for both reliability and timekeeping precision. Frequency of the smooth glucydur balance is 28,800 vibrations per hour, and power reserve is 42 hours. The caliber mainplate is adorned with circular graining, while bridges and central rotor are decorated with an elegant Cotes de Geneve pattern. The Baume & Mercier Riviera Magnum XXL Automatic watch is fitted with a flat sapphire crystal, and a rubber strap with a stainless steel security buckle. Crown and caseback both screw down, assuring water resistance to 200 meters. In commemoration of Ferdinand A.Lange, who launched Germany's A.Lange & Sohne 165 years ago, the brand has issued a special edition Tourbograph “Pour le Merite."Limited to just fifty timepieces, this reedition comes in a new honeycolored gold case that features the first minute tourbillon with a fuseeandchain transmission. This mechanism provides constant torque and was typically used by the firm in early precision replica watches and marine chronometers. The watch also features a rattrapante chronograph, wihich is activated by a push piece at 10 o'clock, and a 36hour power reserve indicator. So complex is this watch that it took eight years to develop and only one timepiece a month can be produced. Just the chronograph and rattrapante mechanism alone contains 136 individual pieces. The planetary gearing that ensures the watch continues to run during manual winding consists of thirtyeight parts which have to be accommodated in the interanl diameter of the fusee, no easy feat at just ten millimeters. The number of parts on the chain alone is 633.