Independents

Ginger
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Wandering jump... inspired by the recent acquisitions of my Purist sister

I went to my local watch shop today to drop off the  Ulysse Nardin hi beat chronometer for a necessary oil change.   After all, it has been sealed in the box for 30 years and is not quite ready for use.   Before going I checked the website for new arrivals at the shop and something caught my eye.   When I walked in the owner said, I have something for you - the very watch I was admiring.     Daos has acquired two new independent watches, one that she was able to customize.   I am not yet  so ambitious, and anyway, they don't  make many new ones in smaller diameters.  I am thrilled with this example from the father of AHCI.   

A SS Vincent Calabrese Baladin with the whitened silver dial.    From the website:  The mechanism, invented and patented by Vincent Calabrese, combines digital and numerical displays for a wandering jump hour.   Every three hours, it is not a number but a letter, the initial of the four cardinal points, which will be shown in the aperture.   M for Midi/Minuit/Midday/Midnight, T for Three/ Trois, S for Six, N for Neuf/Nine.

There is more mystical stuff in the description, but actually I think the letters were chosen to solve the problem of the wandering 6 and 9 which could lead to confusion as the go round the dial.

Don Corson in Feb 2008 paid a visit to the shop in Lausanne and I ask a moderator to provide a link to his post (I haven't figured out how to embed one).   A search on this forum will bring up many  discussions  of Mr Calabrese's craft and more technical matters that I am not at present qualified to comment upon.

Please excuse the photos - I am still without a place to set up so these were taken in early evening natural light.   I am in love with the lugs and the dial. 

Happy Ginger