Allegro
A new musical page in the book of haute horlogerie
Following Adagio and Soprano, Christophe Claret presents his latest musical
masterpiece, Allegro. A master watchmaker with 25 years of experience,
Christophe Claret has combined the finest horological complications in
Allegro: minute repeater with cathedral gongs, GMT, big date, small seconds
and day/night indicator. These features are all found in a completely
redesigned movement featuring a unique regulator that was designed and
manufactured in-house. The round case harmoniously blends either red gold
or white gold with titanium. An opening in the sapphire dial reveals the striking
mechanism. The transparent dial allows the wearer to marvel at the
movement’s architecture, featuring Charles X style skeletonized, stepped
bridges. With this new timepiece, the conductor of this musical horological
orchestra from Le Locle proves he is at the zenith of his art.
The beginning
Ever since the day Christophe Claret entered the workshop of a watchmaker
and restorer as a student, he has had an unquenchable passion for
complicated timepieces, especially antique pocket watches equipped with a minute
repeater. These marvels of precision strike the hours, quarters and minutes on
demand. Christophe Claret has continued to study the minute repeater in order to
understand and improve this great complication, which many consider the finest in
watchmaking because it blends musical poetry with technical complexity. In 1989, the
first very caliber bearing the name Christophe Claret was a minute repeater. This
was followed by a series of chiming watches with evocative names like
Adagio, Soprano and now Allegro, the latest in this prestigious musical
series. Allegro honors tradition on the one hand, while the other is resolutely turned
towards modernity and innovation. All this without any technical or esthetical
compromises, and all in respect of the exigencies demanded by Swiss haute
horlogerie.
The movement
Today Allegro sets the tone in the Christophe Claret collection of Traditional
Complications, the first of four collections by the Le Locle-based brand. Allegro is
inspired by Christophe Claret's previous creations while pushing the limits of what’s
possible in watchmaking. The movement has been completely redesigned, from the
plates and bridges through to the inertia flywheel regulating the minute repeating
mechanism, and including the critical heart of the piece: the regulating organ. The
balance, balance spring and anchor have all been developed and manufactured inhouse, proving that Manufacture Claret is one of the very few watchmakers to master
all facets of production.
Allegro's caliber is regulated by a 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) balance, and
powered by a single mainspring barrel − rare for this type of movement − providing a
very healthy 60-hours of power reserve. The minute repeater is activated by a
traditional slide at 10 o'clock on the left side of the caseband. Part of the repeater
mechanism, the rake, is visible through an opening in the lower section of the
sapphire dial. Both hammers – the four-armed balance wheel and repeater inertia
governor – are visible through the display back. For Allegro, Christophe Claret
selected a balance wheel with countersunk screws. Despite being more complex, this
type of balance offers a near perfect inertia/weight ratio, aerodynamic form, and ease
of regulation and balancing. Cathedral gongs, which circle the movement not once
but twice, are a particular passion of Christophe Claret's and considerable emphasis
is devoted to their manufacture using traditional drawn steel, as well as assembling
and tuning. The cathedral gongs also benefit from a patented Christophe Claret
invention that minimizes excessive vibrations resulting in clearer crystalline chimes.
Allegro's movement has no fewer than three patents for: the big date, the balance
micro-regulation, and the gongs. The numbers of the patent are engraved on the
back of the caseback.
Allegro's complications offer several useful features. A GMT/second time zone is
displayed at 3 o'clock on the dial and is adjustable by means of a caseband pusher at
4 o'clock. Complementing the GMT is a day/night indicator. Allegro also features a
big date at 12 o'clock, which is adjusted by a caseband pusher at 2 o'clock and small
seconds are displayed in a subdial at 9 o'clock.
The esthetics
Christophe Claret masterpieces all possess the same meticulous attention to detail in
esthetics as to the technical workings. Allegro's stunning movement - beadblasted
and rhodium-plated nickel silver for the white gold version or pink gold for the pink
gold version - is emphasized by the 45mm precious metal case. A harmonious blend
of red gold or white gold, depending on the version, and anthracite PVD treated
grade 5 titanium, draws in the eye with light that glimmers off of a polished satin
finish. The sapphire dial also intrigues as it plays with different intensities and
tonalities of light: clarity and obscurity, light and shadow.
The hands are crafted from either orange sapphire crystal and anthracite PVD
treated titanium, or sapphire crystal, black lacquer and anthracite PVD titanium.
Through the display back we see the famous stepped and skeletonized Charles X
type bridges. The Charles X style of bridge, so dear to the heart of watchmakers, is
also found on the balance cock, which features a patented regulation system and
shock protection set in a ruby bearing housed in a gold chaton. Completing the
ensemble are a musical bar and a few notes, delicately placed on Allegro’s back
using a metallization process.
Technical specifications
Movement:
Caliber:
Dimensions:
Number of components:
Number of jewels:
Barrel:
Power reserve:
Escapement:
Features:
Functions:
Demand
ALG89, mechanical, hand-wound
movement
- Diameter: 34.00 mm
- Height: 8.20 mm (excluding hands)
520
39
Single mainspring barrel
Approximately 60 hours
- Swiss anchor
- 3 Hz (21’600 alt/h)
- Charles X style
skeletonized, stepped bridges
- Opening in lower dial reveals repeater
mechanism
- Hours, minutes and seconds
- Repeater chimes hours, quarters and
minutes on
- Inertia governor
- Big date
- GMT with Day/Night indicator
Case:
Diameter: 45 mm
Height: 14.11 mm
Water resistance: 3ATM / 30m / 100ft
Materials
White gold and grade 5 titanium treated
with anthracite
PVD Dial in smoked sapphire crystal
Hands in transparent sapphire crystal,
black lacquered and anthracite treated
PVD, tips filled with Super-LumiNova
Hour indices in rhodium treated brass
and minute indices in white lacquer
Crown
Crown in red gold and grade 5 titanium
treated with anthracite PVD
Strap
Black alligator leather with anthracite
stitching
Limited edition of 20 pieces
Case:
Diameter: 45 mm
Height: 14.11 mm
Water resistance: 3ATM / 30m / 100ft
Materials
5N red gold and grade 5 titanium treated
with anthracite
PVD Dial in smoked sapphire crystal
Hands in orange sapphire crystal and
grade 5 titanium treated with anthracite
PVD, tips filled with Super-LumiNova
Hour indices in pink gold treated brass
and minute indices in pink gold lacquer
Crown
Crown in red gold and grade 5 titanium
treated with anthracite PVD
Strap
Black alligator leather with anthracite
stitching
Limited edition of 20 pieces
Case:
Diameter: 45 mm
Height: 14.11 mm
Water resistance: 3ATM / 30m / 100ft
Materials
5N red gold and grade 5 titanium treated
with anthracite
PVD Dial in sapphire crystal with matte,
slate-gray metallization
Hands in orange sapphire crystal and
grade 5 titanium treated with anthacite
PVD, tips filled with Super-LumiNova
Hour indices in pink gold treated brass
and minute indices in pink gold lacquer
Crown
Crown in 5N red gold and grade 5
titanium treated with anthracite PVD
Strap
Black alligator leather with anthracite
stitching
Limited edition of 20 pieces
For enquiries, please contact Miss Helena Hui at +852 9534 0813 or email to
[email protected] or contact Miss Jackie Liu at +852 3583 3300 or email to
[email protected].
Distributed by Trinity International Limited on behalf of Christophe Claret
Tel: +852 3583 3100
Fax: +852 3583 1331
Website: www.3trinity.hk
Email: [email protected]