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This Apple Watch lookalike requires no updates, no charging, doesn't ping notifications, and doesn't have any functions other than telling time. First released in 2016 in a limited edition run of 50 pieces, the Swiss Alp was H. Moser & Cie's cheeky rebuke on the rise of connected watches, a sort of industry insider joke.

At the time of the launch of the original watch, people were questioning the longevity of traditional watchmaking, and whether connected watches would soon take over precious wrist space on collectors. (It had not.)

We all love watches that make a statement, and the original Swiss Alp was an instant success. Since then H. Moser & Cie had developed the collection further, with different versions in white gold and steel, fitted with different complications and dial colours. But this latest release marks the end of the collection. There's a ring of finality to it, as the caseback is engraved with the words "last edition".

The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade

Of course, from afar, the watch looks nearly identical to the Apple Watch. Its case takes direct inspiration from the Apple Watch's rectangular case shape with rounded corners. For its last hurrah, the brand has gone all out to make its final edition even more alike the Apple Watch.

The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade comes with a dial coated in Vantablack, and features no logo or indices to mimic the aesthetic of the smartwatch's dial. Vantablack is the blackest material ever produced artificially, and while Moser has used the material for other Concept watches, this is the first (and last) time it will be used on the Swiss Alp.

The hour and minute hands are also blackened to keep with the aesthetics. And for a final touch, the small seconds at 6 o'clock is designed to look like the "loading sign" we're accustomed to seeing on our daily digital devices.

The seconds are shown by 5-second increments as the shaded disc moves around the openings of the sub-dial. The idea for the sub-dial design actually came from a customer and a fan of the Swiss Alp collection. Edouard Meylan, CEO of Moser, loved the idea, saying that it was "perfectly in line with our philosophy, with a touch of humour and a hint of provocation."

Of course, not being powered digitally, the movement can be viewed via the sapphire caseback. The Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade is powered by the hand-wound HMC 324 Manufacture calibre, beating at 2.5Hz with a power reserve of 96 hours.

Learn more about the watch here.

The post One Last Hurrah: The Moser Swiss Alp Watch Final Upgrade appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Tourbillon has always been Breguet’s prerogative. Present in almost all Breguet’s collections and never weighing more than one gram, it bears testament to the extraordinary watchmaking mastery of the House of Breguet, the guardian of the myth of its creation. The new Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395, latest in the long line of luxury timepieces offered by the Swiss watchmaker, celebrates this mechanical virtuosity with an extra-thin three-millimeter thick skeleton design that makes it one of the finest self-winding tourbillon movements in the world.

An Extra-Thin Movement That Breathes in a New Lightness

The previous creations of Breguet are a testament of extreme finesse and technical feats. But to achieve an extra-thin design, the whole architecture of the tourbillon has to be rethought. Breguet removes almost 50 per cent of the material from this movement, without compromising the build —  a feat of technical craftsmanship that required a series of often complex adjustments.

With extra-thin caliber, the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 is ultra light – the carriage weighs no more than 0.290 grams in total – and equipped with an outstanding power reserve of 80 hours thanks to a high-energy barrel beating at four hertz – a particularly high frequency for a tourbillon. The gold plate and bridges have been hollowed out so as to display the mechanical anatomy of the movement. The challenge of this undertaking lies primarily in removing as much material as possible, while preserving the technical properties of the various different components.

Minimalist Sophistication in its Full Glory

The Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 sits in a fluted case topped with a domed glass-box revealing the movement. The sapphire dial features applied hour markers in blued gold. The hours chapter is made of galvanic growth and the timer is laser-engraved and filled with blue varnish. The sophisticated and minimalist design is rounded off with traditional blued moon-tipped hands and soldered horns in the true Breguet style. Water-resistant to 30 meters, the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 is available with a grey movement in a rose gold case, or with a rose movement in a platinum case.

Learn more about Breguet's Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 at www.breguet.com

The post Breguet goes extra-thin for the latest Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.