Posts tagged #Badollet Ivresse

Insider: Badollet Ivresse. One of the Most Beautiful Blue Dial Watches.

Here we are presenting another one of the watches we reviewed during our meeting with Philippe Dubois, CEO of Badollet a few weeks ago. The Badollet Ivresse was presented at Baselworld 2012 and is a timepiece with one of the most beautiful midnight blue dials we have ever seen in our watch collecting life.

This is a watch that is simple, clean and perfectly balanced. The dial features an applied satin-brushed chapter ring on top of its midnight blue vertical satin-brushed dial and a highly polished Badollet griffin at 12 o'clock that almost appears as if it was floating in the middle of the darkness.

If minimalist German architect Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe were still alive, he would've described this timepiece using his famous quote "less is more". This beautiful timepiece features a 'tonneau' platinum case that wraps around the wrist like a glove. The case measures 53.80mm in length, 30mm in width and 12.30 in thickness and is fitted with an elegant dark blue alligator strap with large scales, safari finished with rolled edges, tone-on-tone stitching and a pin buckle also in platinum.

Even though the rectangular 'tonneau' shape is frequently used in ladies watches, this is a unisex watch that is extremely masculine and top heavy. The beating heart inside this gorgeous timepiece is the Badollet manual-wound calibre 2012. This calibre is a domed movement with cone-shaped going train, flying tourbillon and hanging barrel. The movement provides a power reserve of 5 days when fully wound and is fully visible through the figure eight —infinity shaped— display opening on the solid case back. This calibre, just like all other Badollet calibres is a work of art and a treat to the eyes.

The crown is perfectly flushed against the side of the case in a way where it's almost hidden underneath the watch bezel. This is a clever touch in the design that makes this watch even more elegant and visually appealing.

The wrist presence of this watch is superb and the watch wears very comfortably. Opposed to what one would think, the watch doesn't wear high on the wrist because of its 'tonneau' shape that adapts to the curvature of the wrist. If you want to wear one of the most exclusive watches with a blue dial —since blue dials are so popular this year—, this is a watch that won't disappoint you, granted that you have enough money to buy one.

Sticker Price $220,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Editor & Publisher and filed under Other Brands, Badollet and tagged Badollet Ivresse Philippe Dubois Badollet Badollet Griffin Badollet Calibre 2012 Posts 2013.

Insider: Badollet Crystalball Bamboo. An Exceptional and Very Exclusive Manufacture that Excels in Watchmaking.

Last week we had the opportunity to have breakfast with Philippe Dubois the CEO of Badollet. Not only did we have an amazing conversation with him about his brand but we also talked about the watch industry and where things are heading. Philippe, thank you for sharing such a fascinating morning and afternoon with us.

Badollet is an independent brand with a strong pedigree that, because of its exclusivity and high price range, is only accessible for the ultra elite watchlifestylers. While we were already familiar with the brand before meeting with Philippe, we have never perused a Badollet timepiece before. To be quite frank, it is one thing to see stock images of these watches and something very different to see one in person, peruse it and photograph it. This will be the beginning of a series of reviews of Badollet timepieces that we will be publishing here in the upcoming weeks.

The Badollet name is part of a dynasty of watchmakers initiated by Jean Badollet (1635-1718) a watchmaker that published in 1689 a work entitled "The Excellence of Watchmaking or Small Treatise Describing its Antiquity, its Fundamentals, its Necessity and its Curiosities". Jean Badollet passed on his passion for watchmaking to his six sons. Jean-Jacques Badollet (1756-1843) worked for Abraham-Louis Breguet by supplying him with movement-blanks, gear-trains and trade watches. Jean-Moïse Badollet (1811-1862), the son of Jean-Jacques, established the firm J.M. Badollet & Cie which quickly became renowned for the excellent quality of its chronometers winning the first prize at the Observatory Timing Contest of 1872, second prize in 1873, third prize in 1875 and the first class medal at the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 a.k.a. the Philadelphia World's Fair. After several descendants of Badollet managed the company for almost a century, in 1924 the company was sold to a third party and the long dynasty of Badollet master watchmakers came to an end. Despite this, the brand lived on and in 2006 Badollet was revived by Badollet International S.A.

Badollet timepieces —often called instruments of time by the company— are designed and developed with the buyer in mind and their production is limited to 50 timepieces a year. Their collection is composed of five lines: Crystalball Stellaire, Crystalball Bamboo, Crystalball Chronograph, Observatorie 1872 and Ivresse.

The Crystalball Bamboo is a rectangular watch fitted with a tripartite 18K white gold palladium-coated case measuring 40mm in width, 43mm in length and 14mm in thickness. The case is extremely well finished with alternating brushed and polished areas on the side of the case and even when the measurements really don't portray a large watch, this watch wears considerably larger than its actual size and sits high on the wrist with an amazing wrist presence. The attention to details is immaculate and the overall design of the watch is very masculine and quite timeless. The crown is delicately marked with Badollet's griffin. The lugs are hollow and welded into the case providing another interesting design component to this timepiece.

This timepiece features a skeletonized dial in 18K white gold with a blackened gold-coated brass base, leaf-shaped blued anodized steel hands and a mesmerizing tourbillon cage. The Crystalball Bamboo is powered by Badollet's manual-wound calibre BAD5600 with aluminum and lithium bridges entirely hand-engraved to resemble bamboo scaffolding. The plate and gears are made from blackened gold and the movement provides a power-reserve of five days when fully wound.

This movement is perhaps the most beautiful movement our eyes have ever seen. The intricate work on each of the bridges shows the love for horology and the level of detail obtained by the watchmaker when engraving the bridges is just out of this world. As a side note, Badollet offers ad-hoc personalization where the bridges or other components of the movement can be changed, engraved, replaced with ceramic, sapphire or even encrusted with jewels. All Badollet timepieces can be fully customized and even designed from scratch upon request. What a brilliant product offering for the few that can afford it.

The Crystalball Bamboo, just like all other Badollet timepieces, is fitted with a very elegant safari crocodile leather strap that is handmade, leather-lined, hand-creased, saddle-stitched and available in matte or glossy finish. The strap features an 18K white gold palladium-coated double-deployant folding clasp with a round buckle with the Badollet griffin engraved on it.

If you are ready to take that next step into collecting ultra premium 'haute horlogerie' timepieces then it's time to consider Badollet as one of your next purchases. Tradition, craftsmanship, innovation and exclusivity are some of the values that embody the essence of this manufacture from L'Orient in the Vallée de Joux.

Sticker Price $250,000 USD. For more info on Badollet click here.