Nice Gens and their prices!

[caracarnj]

Some interesting stuff I read:

PIAGET'S moving tourbillion cage is this year housed in their Polo case and offers a choice of New York or Paris sights on both the dial and on the sides of the case. Check out the Statue of Liberty and New York's skyscrapers that are shown off here.

Roger Dubuis goes to the other extreme, as if to tell us that less can sometimes be more, in this Flying Skeleton Tourbillon they call the KingSquare02.

Breguet, will no doubt delight their many Russian, Arab and Rapper fans with this high-jewellery version of their popular tourbillion watch christened the Classique 1808. Pink gold and no less than 706 diamonds on the case contrast nicely with the steel tourbillion carriage and black rhodium dial.

There is another rendition sans glitter and bling, in the tonneau lines of Breguet Heritage line. It makes its considerable presence felt with a platinum case which is curved along both lengths - no mean feat with this notoriously tough metal. Engine-turned dial is standard for the brand, and sits just beneath hour markers carved out in silvered gold.

Franck Muller aims to please this year with a manually-wound tourbillon which throws in a big date window just below 12 o'clock, the day of the week in a 9 o'clock sub-dial, and a second time zone across from that.

Elsewhere, talk over the past year that the Richemont luxury group had bought the production resources of Roger Dubuis has been confirmed, and the first tangible result has been swift to follow.

In Geneva this year, Richemont's flagship brand Cartier introduced its first watch to bear the Geneva Seal of horological excellence associated with Roger Dubuis timepieces. This large 46mm flying tourbillon is nevertheless unmistakably Cartier, housed in a pink gold Ballon Bleu case with signature blue cabochon crown, and a stylised Cartier 'C' - the sharp side of which reports the passing seconds as the tourbillon makes one complete revolution per minute.

Stablemate A Lange & Sohne breaks new ground with a tourbillon version of their rectangular Cabaret watch which offers a stop-seconds feature not normally associated with tourbillon watches - for the rather awkward reason that it would take a lot of energy to set the tourbillon cage once it's been stopped. Lange technology allows them to stop the balance wheel inside the cage, rather than the cage itself.

Richard Mille has something else in mind. His version, called the RM020, is more square than round, and comes with a tourbillon and a 10-day power reserve.

It's intended to swing from the waist with the help of a massive chain of titanium to match the central case band. Indeed, it looks like something that David would borrow to slay Goliath - if not for the fact that he would probably love it too much to throw it at an ogre!