1f4 by Dominique Loiseau or the first Dual Automatic Grande Sonnerie wristwatch

1f4 by Dominique Loiseau or the first Dual Automatic Grande Sonnerie wristwatch


One of the biggest challenges when attending Basel is to hear the beautiful melodies among all the noise going on during that week. I was fortunate enough to pick up the one singing Dominique Loiseau’s tale and share some of his precious air.

A contemporary of Philippe Dufour, for whom he has much respect and admiration, Dominique Loiseau has been working at the summits of horological challenges for the last decades. Mostly known to insiders so far, Baselworld 2011 will enter into history as his “going public” year and frankly speaking there are good reasons for that.

Watchmaker in mind and body, he has signed several masterpieces over the years. His most celebrated contributions might be Omega’s “La Rose des Temps” and the invention of the “1735” for Blancpain.

Frustrated by overloaded complicated watches as difficult to read as a page in a phone book, he set out six years ago to invent and craft what he describes as a legible complicated watch. The task was no easy one. Indeed the more functions are packed inside a movement, the more challenging it gets to keep them readable.

Nowadays combining a minute repeater with a grande sonnerie requires skills only available from a few individuals and brands. Add a flying tourbillon and a chronograph to it and there is almost nobody left. Dominique Loiseau went much further than that. In addition to the ones already mentioned, his masterpiece indicates a 2nd time zone, day and night indication. The chrono contains a split second mechanism and the watch displays the equation of time. To round up things perfectly, the 1f4 keeps track of the moon and the calendar, the later in perpetual mode.

Given the amount of functions and their complexity, Dominique Loiseau cleverly solved the equation of keeping things simple to read. Each watch has two sides. Hence using them correctly answers the question. Functionality was another quest Dominique Loiseau subscribed to. There is no use having two sides, if they cannot be accessed easily. The watch features an ingenious flipping mechanism enabling side changes in less than a few seconds. Not only is it invisible but more important it keeps the watch waterproof to 30 meters and is protected by a patent.

case_design.jpg

Reading the functions might seem challenging at first glance but resolves instantly within a second look.

l_1f4_w_side.jpg

On the white side (skeleton dial) the main time is displayed at twelve. The equation of time is set at 10 o'clock. A second time zone at 9 o’clock can be adjusted by the hour and minute over the crown like the main time. The one minute flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock features a shiny plate under it. This reflector rhythms day and night indication. The chronograph minute counter at three o’clock goes with the seconds and split seconds indicated from the centre. Turning of the crown winds the going train main spring. The pusher inside the crown starts and stops the chronograph over a column wheel, while the split second mechanism and reset function are commanded by the pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock. The scale at 2 o'clock indicates the power reserve of the striking mechanism. With this dial side up, all operations are carried out over the crown and the pushers on the right hand side.

l_1f4_b_side.jpg

Aside of the time indication from the centre, the blue side (classical dial) reveals the perpetual calendar in a very traditional disposition, a moon phase at 6 o’clock and the striking power reserve between 10 and 11 o’clock. With this dial side up, the crown on the right enables winding of the sonnerie spring. Pressing on the crown activates the minute repeater mechanism. The pusher at 2 selects silent or strike function of the sonnerie also over a column wheel and the one at 4 o’clock chooses between grande and petite sonnerie.

In the makers eyes, the job would not be finished and the watch of little use if all functions had to be adjusted every now and then. Dominique Loiseau wanted to avoid that by all means. This is why he fitted the watch with a dual automatic winding system, one for the going train, the other for the Sonnerie. And once again, the master solved it with elegance. Two annular-geared oscillating weights provide enough energy to keep the watch alive and very practical for winding boxes when not worn on the wrist. Placed around and on top of each dial, they do not steal space inside the movement and do not add much to the dimensions of the piece. The diamond visible on the white side at 2 o’clock is set on the oscillating weight and moves around with every move. On the other side a blue sapphire assumes the same task. Both oscillating masses wind in both directions.

l_1f4_2_sides.jpg

To my question where he found the name for his piece, Dominique Loiseau compared chess with watchmaking. To construct a complicated timepiece things have to be planned well right from the beginning and the target has never to be left at chance. Arranging more than 891 pieces inside the tight frame of a wristwatch and make them do what they should takes skills similar to the ones needed by successful chess players to win. Everything starts with the first move. Acknowledging the talent needed to play chess, Dominique Loiseau named his timepiece “1f4” after the opening Henry Edward Bird is famous for. The loop is complete when knowing Bird means Loiseau in French.

If you ask me, that watch has everything to reach for the stars.



Additional technical Specifications:


Case
- Created from 18K white, yellow or red (5N) gold or Platinum 990
- Two instantly, secretly and fully reversible dials (World Premiere)
- Case thickness less than 16.64 mm
- Case diameter 45.20 mm
- Water resistance 3 ATM (30 meters)
- 4 push-pieces, 4 correctors and 2 crowns


Movement
- Movement base plate and bridges created from solid 18k white, yellow or red (5N) gold
- Breguet over coil balance spring
- Free sprung balance with weight adjustment
- Movement frequency of 21,600 vph
- Split chronograph lever with special profile to reduce friction
- Squared section gong crafted directly from one piece
- Chronograph functions governed by column-wheel
- 18K white, yellow or red (5N) gold annular oscillating rotors
- Movement handmade and finished of more than 891 parts
- Movement diameter 41.50 mm
- Movement thickness from hands to hands 14.8 mm
- Movement thickness from dial to dial 13.0 mm


Dial
- both dials are made from18K gold


Hands
- all hands are made from 18K gold


Bracelet
- Bracelet attachment with integrated push-piece bar, requiring no special tools (Patented)
- Alligator


Buckle
- made from 18K white, yellow or red (5N) gold or Platinum 990
- deployments buckle (choice of 2 or 3 sections) with ‘Comfort Stake System’ (Patented)

MarkS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2011 04:38AM by MarkS.