Independents

I was wondering if anyone owned or happened to know anything about the Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph:

www.voutilainen.ch

The transparent (!) ceramic balance, and the escapement in general, looks very unusual indeed. Couldn't find any discussion of this using the search engine. It really looks incredible.

Thanks a lot, Moses, to bring this Chrono into light.

The finish if the movement looks great, and some parts are really original.

What about the base used for it?

Lemania?

I would like a lot to see pics of the dial, because from what I see on the only pic on the KV Website, it is really interesting.

The movement, and the case with these lovely lugs.

Best,

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2009-05-10 11:34:47

"Spring made of composite carbon fibre in an ultra-fine balance in the shape of a quartz disk. In order to obtain the required amplitude and frequency, this transparent disk, whose density is very low, is made heavier by the addition of small rings of tantalum and gold, attached to curved strips, which, in the case of thermal compensation, retract, thus reducing the inertia when necessary."

Not sure if true and if so, if applicable to this piece.

.

is the creator of the "Carbontime balance." Hopefully that will help your search.

In addition to being a watchmaker crafts cases by hand, some of which were used in Kari's decimal repeaters.


Bill


This message has been edited by WHL on 2009-05-03 17:06:44

with the use of silicium and diamondsil becoming more common in escapements, hairsprings etc there should be a use for it in the balance wheel itself. only time will tell.

Graham

Hello dear all,

Kari Voutilainen's landmark is the use of NOS calibers that he improves and modifies so as to implement them in classical but modern timepieces.

The exception in his collection is the Chronograph Masterpiece which is powered by an "in-house" movement, inspired (as annouced by Kari himself) by his favourite vintage calibers. His experience as a vintage timepiece restorer is never very far when he imagines and developpes new models !

The special balance wheel of the Chronograph Masterpiece was developped with Gedeon Livingstone and his company Carbontime. This really is of the utmost advanced technology within a quite classical looking watch.

Kari also used Longines caliber for one of his creation : the Chronometer 27. This is fitted with the Longines 360, a movement specially developped in the 60s for time measuring contests. It was early put into retirement due to the declining interest toward these contests and only 95 pieces were ever produced. Kari was lucky enought to find 15 pieces and decided to build the Chronometer 27 rectangular watch around these calibers. Why rectangular ? Simply because the Longine 360 is a rectangular shape caliber !

The "Observatoire" wristwatch is based (should say "built around") the Peseux 260, another time measuring contest movement, never used in any production watch.

Last but not least, his fantastic decimal repeaters were developped and produced on the basis of a Louis Audemars caliber (for the Decimal Repeater Masterpiece Nr 6) and LeCoultre Calibers (for the Decimal Repeaters Masterpiece Nr 7 to 10).

Hoping I was not too long and boring with these informations taken "from the mouth of the horse'.

Best regards.

 

Philippe M

 

 

Seems that KV sums the Best Of the Horological History.

Didn't know that KV used a chronometre movement from Longines for the " Chronometre 27 ".

Thanks a lot, and stay close to the Horse mouth!



Best,

Nicolas

Hi Philippe,

Thanks for the info.

Do you know how Gideon's balance assemble performs compared to something "normal"?  I remember reading about it in the HJ a few years ago but I haven't seen any more news.  Is anyone else usng them?

Cordialement

nick

It will be interesting to see if Kari's chrono production pieces really will have Gideon's Carbontime hairspring and balance.
I know that Kari made at least once watch with them, but last year at the BHI 150th anniversery celebration Gideon spoke about his carbon fiber hairspring and the balance assembly and was not very convincing, for me at least.
I am sure that if it doesn't work perfectly Kari will never deliver one.
Don

Thank you, Philippe,
though I've to  admit that I've a hard time with this  magic word "inspired by "......

When I first  heard about Kari's "new in house"chronograph movement I was very excited - when I actually saw the first one in Basel, I was as much surprised to
see a very nicely  finished chronograph movement ,......but somehow it looked very  familiar.
I'm sory, but to me this is a Valjoux 13''' caliber - heavily re-worked but still a  Valjoux ( to avoid any misunderstanding,
I'm speaking of the basic design of the Valjoux 13'''  caliber family, basic wheel train,  main pivoting points of chrono components and levers,  etc....).
As much as Patek's older 13''' chrono caliber is a Valjoux base or their more recent 12''' are Lemania based - also heavily  re-worked.
It might be a question of defining the word "in house" - but if that's already in  house, why not call the Peseux and Longines based models in house as well.


Perhaps  I've missed something - but I don't see any good reason to walk the same path as so many of the big houses marketing departements have shown.
, 
Of course, I'd be glad for any correction if I've been mistaken in my observations - and I'd be glad to stand  corrected.

Best  regards
Suitbert

 

Hello Walter,

I have discussed the matter with Kari (not strictly speaking discussed as this was Email exchanges).

As a matter of fact the layout of the caliber 25 is very similar to the Valjoux 13'' as Kari finds this basis technically interesting.

But the a Caliber 25 is not a re-worked Valjoux : the caliber 25 components are produced by Kari and his team as per his own quality criteria and then assembled in Môtiers.

The "in-house" input of Kari is not mainly on the design but on the making.

This is very consistent with his philosophy that is to use the legacy of the watchmakers of the XXth century (or even older) and to go further (if possible) in the watchmaking art.

One can find the same with Vianney Halter (his Antiqua, Classic and Contemporaine were developed on a  layout similar to the one of the Lemania 8810 while the Trio is inspired by the Peseux 7001). Even the Simplicity by Master Dufour is inspired by an existing caliber (Lecoultre, if I am correct).

To be frank, I find more interesting a top quality making with a very classical technical design than an average (or worse) making with a freak design.

As I said during my conference in Belles Montres Show in Paris on last november : "Designing and making a watch that looks like a kite and saying "I did it myself" is not enough to be an Independent".

IMHO, a real (or valuable) Independent shall gather 2 criteria :

- mastering his art which is MAKING watches

- basing his creation on strong (even if arguable) points of view about the related aspect of horology.

IMHO, Kari gathers the above.

Best regards

 

Philippe M

 

 

 

 

Dear fans,

 

Please let us know how we can order Kari's timepieces. I heard that there is a long waiting list.

 

Thanks.

 

John

Thanks for your questions.  I find posts of this nature much more useful than just reading praises all the time.  At the very least, it's educational, especially when there's a lively debate.  Cheers.