Since 2009, two very complicated watches had been produced, with mixed success: the first had too much of a baroque style, whereas the second, in spite of a flawless design, was not exclusive enough.
This year, Claret factory presents its third watch. A state-of-the-art product.
I may be driveling, but this 2011 Festival of Bale was a parade, one of complication among other things:
A Patek 5208, club sandwich of complications, an Opus Eleven with an extremely elaborate display, a De Bethune DB28 Tourbillon, the most aesthetic, the Loiseau 1F4, the most complicated.
These watches, beyond their stratospheric prices, trigger a question: what is the purpose of a complication?
If the grand complications are considered as the pinnacle of horology, they embody this field: the pinnacle of uselessness in the era of do-it-all electronics.
Fundamentally, their existence takes its roots in passion, collecting, in other words, in fun.
In essence, even if complications proceed from usefulness (Tourbillon, Repet Minute, Chronographer, QP), their real purpose is the owner’s entertainment.
Consequently, we are talking about the fashionable concept of the playful watch.
That said, the ultimate outcome of the playful watch, to date, was the Jackpot by Girard Perregaux, designed by Claret. He returns under his own brand, with a similar concept of the Casino watch, but this time it is more than a game of chance, we are talking about Blackjack (aka 21), a game of chance but also of strategy.
7 apertures open on as many discs printed with the cards, 3 for the bank (the average values of the cards are higher for the bank), 4 for the player. The system being statistically fair, the bank plays after a simple strategy, inspired by the casinos: the bank goes on betting up to 16 and stops at 17.
The added face values of any hand must not go beyond 21 (faces are worth 10, the Ace 11).
The player is assigned 4 apertures, the goal being to add up more than the bank, without going above 21.
The watch has 3 buttons on its left side; the central one resets the counters; the 10 o’clock one draws for the bank, the 8 o’clock button draws for the player.
It is really fun and entertaining; I might even go as far as to say, it is dangerous!
This kind of timepiece could give you a serious case of gaming fever!
The watch itself got the horologic fever of complication: not only does it feature a Blackjack table; it also offers two more games:
the rotor was replaced by a Roulette (the client can order the watch with an emerald set in the back in front of his own lucky number).
One of the inserts on the right was hollowed to give room for two 1.5mm dice. These are made of gold, for the non-magnetic properties of the metal, preventing the dice to stick together.
The other symmetrical insert opens on the ring-bell hammer: it goes off at each Blackjack drawing, making it unsuitable to play in a community; ideally, this function could be turned off, making it possible to play in any circumstances…
As for its size, it is a little smaller than the bulky Jackpot, but it is still a large watch: 45mm across by 16mm thick.
The timepiece is very innovative, since apart from an overall classic look, many aesthetical features had never been seen before.
I was particularly impressed by the finish of the dial; A decorative deck of cards was cut out from a titanium sheet and placed above the white background constituted by the 7 cards disks, a smoked sapphire glass-pane covering the set.
The effect is stunning, a perfect representation of the “Casino myth” (especially if you think of the trailer of Scorcese’s movie).
The Claret factory is one of the very few that possess the technology and the expertise required to work difficult materials alike titanium or corundum, such as seen in the hands, with their red part made of synthetic Ruby.
On the back of the watch sits the beautiful rotor-roulette, which gives a realistic perpetual movement effect when it spins.
The look and feel of this timepiece is very much in The spirit of Gambling as is displayed in TV or in Poker magazines, where one can see many professionnals players with magnificent Helvetic large watches at the wrist.
The production of this timepiece will be limited to 21 per version set, only 3 versions having been delivered so far…
My only regret, in my absolutist vision of watchmaking, I wish they had pushed the concept further, by proposing an alternative time mechanism as it relates to the game proceeding, like a type of anti-chronograph, to symbolize the fact that time may flow differently during a game.
With this third watch, Christophe Claret confirms its status as a state-or-the-art manufacturer.
The price tag of around 150 K��, would easily pay for a few games at the casino….
Still, undoubtedly it is the indispensable accessory for a few thousand Casino whales, also essential for the classic automaton horology amateurs, and lastly a must for lucky owners of the Girard Perregaux Jackpot watch.
Conclusion: place your bets (I recommend Euro-millions), this watches might go quickly.
