Thursday, October 20, 2011

The gold rectangular square sits over my entire wrist

The name comes from the two rubber belts that are constantly moving to show the time (not jumping). The effect is pretty cool and you can read the time through metal windows. I am a bit concerned about the use of rubber (though I am not sure what other type of material would have sufficed). The reason being that rubber with degrade over a short amount of time as it is always moving. I expect the Dual Tow to require servicing each 1-3 years, whereby among other things, the belts will be replaced. The rollers and structures that they are built on are very interesting. Looking into the movement you see an impossible wonderment of tiny details that boggle your mind with logistical questions on how it was all made. The thin sapphire bridge that connects the chronograph dials (and where the dials themselves are printed) is made on some manner of secret machine. One of the reasons you pay about a half million dollars for a watch like this is because no one else in the world can replicate it. The Dual Tow is a big watch. The gold rectangular square sits over my entire wrist. It would look more odd if it were not curved. The entire case is richly curved, as well as a few of the sapphire crystals on the watch. The sides ones are impressive to gaze through. You can see that the machinery inside the watch is complex, like a little world. A micro mega machine that brings back a child-like sense of disbelief. Though you can't afford the watch on any adolescent allowance. Claret has a very classic sense of aesthetics when it comes to making movements though he is quite advanced in his execution. My opinion is that the man is heavily influenced by classic pocket watch design. The sort of watch making where a plate is likeƂ a canvas - and the machine is built on top of it. This is very much how the French design watch movements. The Swiss are a bit different incorporating the machine with what is holding it together. I see Claret's work like a combination between watch making and architecture. He is as concerned with the visual design and symmetry of the watch, as he is with making it work. He doesn't do the testing that the Germans do, and he does not indulge a sense of efficiency like the Japanese. He is of course an artist, not a bean counter.

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