Tick Talk: A floral Franck Muller dazzler and other new watches

Franck Muller Vanguard Rose Skeleton (left) and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph. PHOTOS: FRANCK MULLER, AUDEMARS PIGUET

SINGAPORE - This is a regular series featuring the latest news in watches and all things horological.

Franck Muller Vanguard Rose Skeleton

This is a collection for those who dig not just bling, but also intricate horological movements.

The iconic tonneau case - in rose or white gold - with the signature Cintree Curvex curve is embellished with diamonds and paired with a hand-sewn alligator strap.

The most striking feature on the watch's open dial is the carved roses, which are then handpainted by a master craftsman.

The "floating" flowers are not mere adornments, but cut from the bridges and the bottom plate to connect the complex mechanisms beneath.

The artisanal handiwork is glorious and the attention to detail superb, with even the tiniest component hand-chamfered and mirror-polished.

The timepieces are powered by Franck Muller's in-house Calibre MVT FM 1540-VS15, equipped with twin barrels to give it a power reserve of four days, and come with different floral arrangements and colours.

Price: $60,700 to $67,100

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph

Available in either 18-karat white or pink gold, the 41mm models are complemented with a black or blue Grande Tapissrie dial respectively. PHOTOS: AUDEMARS PIGUET

Audemars Piguet has dropped two new versions of the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph.

Available in either 18-karat white or pink gold, the 41mm models are complemented with a black or blue Grande Tapissrie dial respectively.

The watches turn heads with their richly textured surfaces - thanks to a traditional hammering method, reinterpreted by Florentine jewellery designer Carolina Bucci using a diamond-tipped tool. The result is a diamond-dust effect, with the tiny indentations shimmering when they catch the light.

These new models are fitted with the brand's fully integrated Self Winding Calibre 4401, a new-generation chronograph movement featuring a column wheel and a flyback function which allows restarting of the chronograph without stopping or resetting it first.

The intricacy of the movement, including the 22-karat pink gold oscillating weight, can be admired through a new sapphire caseback.

Price: $105,700

Hublot Big Bang Unico Berluti Aluminio

Limited to only 100 pieces, the watch comes in a special case with a travel pouch and a shoehorn key ring with the Berluti logo. PHOTO: HUBLOT

One is a disruptive watchmaker, the other a famous men's leather maker and fashion house.

Partners since 2016, Hublot and Berluti have come up with a new interpretation of the iconic Big Bang Unico. With its 44mm integrated case fashioned from titanium, the timepiece is an arresting monochromatic composition of layers and angles with matt, brushed and polished surfaces.

The patinated Venezia leather features prominently in both the bezel and the semi-skeletal dial, where it is held between two pieces of sapphire glass strategically cut to reveal the gears of the Unico movement.

The heart of the watch is the Hublot MHUB1280, a self-winding chronograph, flyback movement with column wheel and a 72-hour power reserve.

The strap is fashioned from burnished Aluminio Venezia leather. Limited to only 100 pieces, the watch comes in a special case with a travel pouch and a shoehorn key ring with the Berluti logo.

Price: $34,500

Swatch X Jose Santos - Artist Special (Crossing Over Yellow And Black Lines)

A limited-edition Swatch Art Special piece, Crossing Over Yellow And Black Lines explores the themes of time, space and movement and their impact on everyday lives. PHOTO: SWATCH

Swatch continues its art-on-wrist trajectory, this time by collaborating with Filipino artist Jose Santos III.

A limited-edition Swatch Art Special piece, Crossing Over Yellow And Black Lines explores the themes of time, space and movement and their impact on everyday lives.

It is the first Art Special watch to use Swatch's latest eco-innovation - Bioceramic, a lightweight and scratch-resistant sustainable material which mixes ceramic and bioplastic derived from castor oil.

Santos - whose works have been exhibited in, among other places, New York, Berlin, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore - takes inspiration from tarmac, the material that keeps people moving from A to B, to create this piece. Featuring bicoloured hands and a crosswalk-striped dial, it is a call to pause and take stock of where one is going and where one wants to go.

Price: $223

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