CADENAS by Van Cleef & Arpels

This very small and original ladies’ timepiece is available in 18K yellow or white gold, set with diamonds or yellow or blue sapphires depending on gold color.

Raw materials and added value

The problems encountered by watchmakers are quite different than those confronted by other industries, for example the automobile industry. In the production of a car, the cost of its raw materials represents a very important factor. A small car requires 600 to 700 kg of raw materials while double that amount is necessary to produce a large automobile. The purchase and storage of the raw material is also a significant investment. The difference in cost is thus obvious. In addition, a small car is usually simpler than a big one in terms of finishing, accessories and comfort.

For watches, unless covered in diamonds, the cost of the material is negligible in relation to the added value in terms of the human labor necessary to produce the finished pieces. The cost of machining and assembling a watch is quite high relative to the size of the object. A small watch is no less sophisticated in terms of finishing or comfort than its big brother and requires the same time to complete it.

Smaller series

One of the main reasons why small watches are more expensive is that they are usually made in smaller quantities. Ladies’ watches are often tied to fashion trends, but even if they are everyday pieces or expensive jewelry items, they are made in lesser quantities than their masculine counterparts. The cases are usually different, although the movement may be the same in both watches.

Paradoxically, it is not the movement that contributes the most to the cost of a watch, but its case. Small-series production of cases in precious metals, or materials which are hard to work with, adds the biggest chunk to the price of a watch.

Manufacturing difficulties

Small timepieces are more difficult to manufacture than large ones for several reasons. It is harder to be as precise with small pieces. The watchmaker must spend more time, take extra precautions and use more expensive tools. A ladies’ watch is not made by simply reducing in a linear manner the dimensions of a man’s watch. The same distances must be preserved between the hands, dial and crystal. Women’s watches are subjected to the same forces and shocks as their masculine cousins but the resistance of the pieces cannot be diminished in proportion to the dimensions for the simple reason that it would reduce their strength.

Let’s take an example of the Eiffel Tower. This immense metal structure is 300 meters high and weighs 7000 tons. If we wanted to make a model smaller by a factor of 1000, i.e. 30 centimeters in height, what would be the weight of our miniature tower? The height is divided by 1000 so the other two dimensions would be reduced by the same factor. The reduction in weight would then be 1000 x 1000 x 1000 or 10003 = 1 billion.

Therefore, we must divide 7000 tons by 1 billion which gives 7 grams. This is the theoretical weight of the miniature tower. However, if we wanted to build it, we could not easily do so. The beams would be thinner than a cigarette paper. The rivets would be smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair. It doesn’t take an engineer to understand that this 7-gram Eiffel Tower would be impossible to make.

Conclusion

The diameter of a feminine watch is about half that of a men’s piece. It follows then that its volume would be eight times smaller (2 x 2 x 2). The volume of the spring is also eight times smaller as is the resulting available energy. However, friction does not diminish in the same proportions. Each parameter varies following its own particular known laws. In the end, the ladies’ timepiece is a compromise which works, but costs more. There are no simple rules when it comes to making a good timekeeper. There is always a list of specifications desired by the manufacturer and the end-product will be more or less successful depending on the skill of the constructor, his experience and perhaps a little bit of luck.

In the world of watches, one thing is sure. The smaller the piece, the higher the price.

Inception

Character: Cobb

Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio

Watch: Oris BC3 Day Date

The A-Team

Character: Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck

Actor: Bradley Cooper

Watch: Casio G-shock Giez GS-1001

Knight and Day

Character: June Havens

Actor: Cameron Diaz

Watch: Rolex Submariner date 16610 (but her stunt double has a Rolex DSSD 16600)

Predators

Character: Royce

Actor: Adrien Brody

Watch: Hamilton Khaki Below Zero

Cop Out

Character: Jimmy Monroe

Actor: Bruce Willis

Watch: TAG Heuer

Character: Paul Hodges

Actor: Tracy Morgan

Watch: Casio

The Bounty Hunter

Character: Milo Boyd

Actor: Gerard Butler

Watch: Omega Speedmaster

From Paris With Love

Character: Charlie Wax

Actor: John Travolta

Watch: Modified Breitling Chronomat

Repo Men

Character: Remy

Actor: Jude Law

Watch: IWC Aquatimer

The American

Character: Jack

Actor: George Clooney

Watch: Omega Speedmaster

The Crazies

Character: David Dutton

Actor: Timothy Olyphant

Watch: Casio

Tooth Fairy

Character: Derek Thompson / Tooth Fairy

Actor: Dwayne Johnson

Watch: Panerai

Question Description: I’m a big Usher and Justin Bieber fan and I was looking at some of thier pics and I noticed they both wear these watches (pic below) and I was wondering what they are called.

Best Answer – Chosen by Voters

Casio G shock watches.

I love g shocks

Dial and hands

The normal ETA 7750 watch

A chronograph consists of a movement with traditional watch functions added stop watch functions.

Caliber 7750 also indicates the date and day of week.

To the above you see the nomal watch functions, hour and minutehand, small secondhand at 9 o’clock as date and day of week.

The ETA 7750 second counter

In the centre of the dial apart from hour and minute-hand another hand called the second counter is found.

This counter indicates the number of seconds in the measuring period.

The number of seconds is read on the number ring, here indicated through lines and index. A total of 60 divisions.

1 round for second counter = 1 minute.

ETA 7750 Minute counter dial

The little hand at 12 o’clock shows the number of minutes in the measuring period.

It means each time the second counter travels a complete round the minute counter hand moves one step froward, equal to 1 minute.

2 rounds for minute counter = 1 hour

ETA 7750 Hour counter dial

The little dial at 6 o’clock shows the number of hour in the measuring period.

When the chrobograph is started the hour counter hand moves in the same paces as the hour hand.

1 round for hour counter = 12 hours

ETA 7750 Date and day of week

In the little window at 3 o’clock the date and day of week are indicated.

Here: Friday the 8.

Functions

ETA 7750 Push buttons

All the functions of the chronograph are controlled through 2 push buttons (green) and (orange).

Orange has 2 functions

START – STOP

Green has the RESET function.

ETA 7750 Crown

The crown has 3 positions(from 1 to 3).

Position 1 = manual winding of the watch

Position 2 = correction of date and day of week

Position 3 = Setting of hands(watch stops)

ETA 7750 Function: START

When we need to measure a specific event we must remember to reset the chronograph hands.

When the measuring period is initiated we push the orange button START.

We see that the second counter hand in centre is moving forward.

ETA 7750 Function: STOP

When the timed event is over we once again push the orange push button.

The push button now has another function which is STOP.

The chronograph hands stop and we can read the result.

ETA 7750 Function: RESET

After we have read the time the chronograph hands are returned to default position (RESET).

Push the green push button.

The hands return to position?

Also known as the basic position.

The chronograph is now ready again.

ETA 7750 Date and day of week function

You can set the date and day of week to respectively a number between 1 and 31 and a day from Monday through Sunday.

First move the crown to position 2. (arrow right).

The date is set by turning the crown counter-clockwise (arrow down). The day of week is set by turning the crown clockwise (arrow up).

On the back of certain Omega Watches limited edition people often can see the words ‘MAISON FONDEE’, and probably engraved with a number 1848 next or under them, Maison Fondee en 1848 above the Omega logo and brand. Many people don’t get it, what does ‘Maison Fondee’ mean? Well, after checked on Google, I got this, it’s French, means ‘House Founded’, and the number ‘1848’ represents the year Omega was founded.

What watch does James Bond wear? For many people, Omega Seamaster Professional 300m watches are the most familiar James Bond watches, truely, in total twenty-two Bond’s movies by now, Omega Seamaster Professional 300m series have shown up in five of them. And no matter the special functions these watches got or the beauty of watches themselves, Omega Seamaster Professional 300m watches really could be considered as the second coolest equipment for James Bond(As to the coolest? Surely are Bond’s cars).

Made of stainlees steel, most of Omega Seamaster Professional watches in 007 movies got 41mm watch case, blue watch dial, bi-directional bezel and sapphire crystal, of course, water resistance up to 300 meters.

But in the two latest 007 movies, Casino Royale in 2006 and Quantum of Solace in 2008, James Bond got new Omega Seamaster editions: the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean. Comparing with Omega Seamaster Professional 300m, these Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean got bigger case and special black watch dial. In Casino Royale, when James first got double o seven identity, he was wearing a 45.5mm Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, and in Quantum of Solace, James got a more impressive Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial Chronograph, which got revolutionary Co-Axial system, 42mm case, black dial and outstanding 600 water resistance.

Detailed Info

1995 Goldeneye

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m (Ref. 2541.80.00)

1997 Tomorrow Never Dies

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m (Ref. 2531.80.00)

1999 The World Is Not Enough

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m (Ref. 2531.80.00)

2002 Die Another Day

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m (Ref. 2531.80.00)

2006 Casino Royale

Omega Seamaster Professional 300m (Ref. 2220.80.00)

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (Ref. 2900.50.91)

2008 Quantum of Solace

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600m Co-Axial Chronograph (Ref. 2201.50.00)

Well, besides jewels themselves’ beauty and rarity, jewels in watches movement has real functional use: reduce friction. Comparing with other materials, jewels(Rubies) have following predominances:

1. As the red variety of corundum, Ruby is the second hardest natural gemstone that human known, only after diamond. Hard, durable, Ruby jewels in watches can withstand high frequency of abrasion and wearing.

2. Due to its high density, Rubies can be made very smooth, let the metal components in watch movement slide much easier.

3. Low heat conduction make Ruby resist temperature changes better than metal and hold lubricant much longer.

And for many people there is another question really puzzled, that is, are jewels in watches the more the better?

Well, the answer for this question is a ‘not really’. Different people has different definitions for ‘good watch’, more jewels just indicate it’s a more complicated movement. But if two watches have same functions, generally speaking, the more jewels used, the less wear there is on the watch parts and the better performance and reliablity a watch will has.

What is a moon phase watch?

Moon phase watch is the watch equipped a special system “moon phase”(yep, that’s how people call it) to display moon stages tracks through monthly cycle. Moon phase, also known as lunar phase, it “refers to the appearance of the illuminjated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases vary cyclically as the Moon orbits the earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun.” As classic design and complication, moon phase watch has become more and more popular among watch funs.

How does a moon phase watch work?

A special gearing was added into moon phase watch’s movement to drive the moon phase dial, which is usually divided into 8 phases, the main four(New, 1st Quarter, Full, 3rd Quarter) and another four in between. The moon phase dial turns at a very slow rate because the lunar month is 29 days 12 hours and 45 minutes. Since only a fraction of the dial is in display, the part that you see is showing the current phase of the moon. Moreover, it has to be set regularly or else it won’t work accurately(basically 24 hours’ inaccuracy per 32 months).

What are moon phase watch’s functions?

Besides being beautiful and watches’ top trend, moon phase on watch has really use.

1. Moon phase has very close relationship with tides. And tides directly influence many aspects of our life such as voyage, fishing, sea farming, oceanographic engineering, marine science experiments even military affairs. Moon phase watch can tell people tides information.

2. In outlying districts, moon is the main illuminantion at night. Use moon phase watch people can arrange their night activities.

3. Moon phases affect our bodies and emotions. You can use moon phase watch to predict biorhythm.

4. Moon phases related with relegions. For example, Islam’s Ramadan.

5. Moon phases are of great help in agriculture planning.

6. It’s said that moon phases might predict natural disasters. Some people believe earthquake, volvanic eruption, and floods often accompanied by special moon phases.

ETA Movement List

ETA 2892 A2

ETA 2892 A2 automatic movement mostly used in top class watches, regarded having same good quality with Rolex in-house made movements.

ETA 2824 2

ETA 2824 2  is ETA movement’s workhorse. Four grades creations available, ETA movement’s representive work.

ETA 2836 2

ETA 2836 2 automatic movement is part of the ETA Mecaline series movements. Adapted noble blood assuring its shining.

Valjoux 7750

Valjoux 7750  is most widely used chronograph movement. The revolutionist of chronograph mechanism.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie, complicated wristwatch of 2009, three different watches got 55 complictions, $2.5 million.

Patek Philippe Ref.5002. Only two pieces are available each year and its order has been placed to 2020, $1.2 million.

Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’Ile, first unveiled in 2005, only 7 pieces would be made, $1.5 million.

Frank Muller Mega 4, accepting order from 2007, last year bagan delivering. $2.7 million.