The history of Badollet started somewhere near the 1650’s and ever since that period, this brand is still consolidating its reputation as the world’s most prized watch manufacturing brand, mainly focusing on wrist and pocket watches. Luxury and elegance were core values of this brand and just as their motto resounds even today, “innovation with respect for tradition”, the brand continues to show its complete dedication and commitment to the elaborated and elegant design of that period. By aiming only at the best, this brand proposes a neoclassicist perspective to design that seems extremely appealing to the modern man that’s interested in both progress, but also tradition and a sense of history, of heritage. This is exactly what the Badollet brand offers through the new timepieces introduced, innovation with respect for tradition.

        The latest timepiece released by Badollet goes by the name of Observatoire 1872 Minute Repeater Watch and it is a modernly-shaped timepiece characterized by remarkable technical proficiency. The new watch has a sophisticated, yet contemporary design composed by a 44 mm in diameter case crafted from 18 K white gold that shelters a progressive mechanism, worthy of the Badollet’s reputation. The case construction guarantees reliability in case of water diving, the watch having the capacity to resist down to 30 meters deep, without causing the slightest problem to the mechanism inside.

        The technical perfection of the new Badollet Observatoire 1872 Minute Repeater Watch is what attracts the watch connoisseurs to this watch and to the brand as well, because Badollet has become to be viewed as a symbol of proficiency in watch manufacturing. The technical functions offered by this timepiece include a minute repeater, a flying tourbillon and the standard functions of hours, minutes and seconds. All these functions are the result of the manually-wound BAD1655 calibre movement, working inside this remarkable watch. The mechanism can also provide 80 hours of power reserve.

        The touch of sophistication is given to the design of the new Badollet Observatoire 1872 Minute Repeater Watch by its dial that employs diamonds. The skeleton dial makes use of 72 baguette diamonds and 12 sapphires applied tastefully on its surface. The main focus of the dial is the tourbillon cage located at 6 o’clock, followed by the minute repeater, at 9 o’clock.

        The elaborated design that looks extremely refined and sophisticated is completed by an elegant alligator leather strap that can be either matte or shiny. The strap ends in a folding clasp or a buckle made from 18 K white gold, just as the case.

        It is a common known fact that Badollet is amongst the most talked about brands in this industry of watch manufacturing, not only because of its long lasting tradition, but also because of their innovative approach to watch manufacturing. The timepiece introduced by Badollet goes by its name of Badollet Répétition Minute Watch and it’s definitely one of Badollet’s landmark pieces. This amazing timepiece features technical complications that helped the brand win a prize during the first edition of the Concours de l’Observatorie, back in 1872 and that helped propel the brand’s reputation as an esteem watch manufacturer in a highly competitive industry. At the same competition, the top 3 best chronometers were offered pocket watches by Badollet.

        The Badollet Répétition Minute watch provides sporty and complicated design that manages to remain classy and luxurious at the same time. Its case measuring 44 mm in diameter is made of shiny white gold and it is 14 mm thick. The design of the watch seems to approach a masculine look, given the choice of colors, the mixture between white gold and the blue hands, and also completed by the blue sapphires applied on the margins of the dial.

        The dial adds the perfect touch of distinction, because apart from the traditional functions of hour and minute, it also displays in a skeletonized design concept, a touribillon and a Montre a sonnerie. The hands pointing to the hours and minute are made of blue steel, matching the blue sapphires applied as hour markers. The name of the brand appears at 3 o’clock and not at 12 as we’re used to see in most watches. The Badollet Répétition Minute watch was designed to resist to 30 meters water resistance.

        What’s interesting and quite appealing in terms of design about the Badollet Répétition Minute Watch is the way the strap is connected with the case, it’s like there are no lugs, and the strap is simply glued to the roundly shaped case.

        The strap is simple and made of leather, on a black color to assure that air of distinction and elegance, required by a classy white gold case. The strap is also equipped with a folding buckle, providing a unitary look, almost like a leather bracelet accessory.

The work off engraving and sculpture off the bridges, inspired off the Asian scaffolding in bamboo, is off extreme year smoothness. The skeleton join the movement which weighs only 10,5g for has size off 26.5 X 31.5mm one has thickness off 8.6mm. Air, the flying swirl off gauge BAD5600 integrates off has light ultra whole thanks to its out composition aluminum-lithium. Leaf At has frequency off 21 ‘ 600 a/h, gauge BAD5600 has off has 5 day endurance reserve off walk.

      Yew the movement refers to the scaffolding in bamboo, the rectangular box with the purified lines evokes the building. Significant dimensions off the box, 43.2 X 40.2mm, contrast with the translucent dial (ice and bottom sapphire).
Proposed young stag in white gold 150 palladium, the breadth off Bamboo edge, following the example Al Instruments off Badollet Time, to personalize itself according to desires’ off its purchaser: ceramics, sapphire, engraved or crimped, etc With version titanium will like even later one to accentuate the lightness off the chronometer.

      Tight with 30 meters, the Swirl Skeleton “Bamboo” is produced in limited edition. It has bracelet in true crocodile with has loop deploying in white gold 150 palladium.
Through a new skeleton of the bridges pointing out the scaffolding in bamboo, Badollet Bamboo gets rid of all the artifices to preserve only essence and to become symbol of simplicity.

      The work of engraving and sculpture of the bridges, inspired of the Asian scaffolding in bamboo, reveals the know-how of exception, worthy of largest clock making craftsmen. Extreme The smoothness off this skeleton join has great lightness off the movement which does not weigh that 10,5g the modern matters are combined through the aluminum-lithium off which the bridges are made up and the black gold treating plasticizes it, the wheel and the barrel
Proposed here in white gold 18C, the breadth of Bamboo can, like all the Instruments of Badollet Time, to personalize itself according to desires’ of its purchaser: ceramics, sapphire, engraved gold crimped.

      Removed from Al thesis artifices, this Instrument off Time pushes simplicity with its paroxysm by preserving the scaffolding sublimates movement engraved while purifying to the maximum construction.

      This Badollet chronometer is equipped with the gauge BAD5600, mechanical movement with Swiss escapement lever of swirl type. The characteristic of this movement lies in the matter and the shape of its bridges. Out off aluminum – lithium, they were entirely engraved with the hand, representative off the scaffolding off the bamboo standard, and purified to the maximum in order to make year ultra light movement off it. The turntable and the various wheels off this movement are treated in black gold.

      Mechanical movement with Swiss escapement to raise off swirl standard, manual reassembly, reserve off walk off 120H aluminum Platinum and Bridges – standard lithium representing off the scaffolding bamboo.

Badollet Bamboo Skeleton Tourbillon Pictures

    To provide a complete expression to the brand’s iconic neoclassical spirit, Badollet modern timepieces rely on the long watch-making tradition and craftsmanship of the watchmaker’s dynasty and also on the nowadays high-performance modern technology.

    The outstanding neoclassical expression of the Swiss brand projects the 21st century world view and knowledge upon watch-making history and its achievements so far in order to obtain the highest level of excellence.

    Badollet reinvents both the concept of luxury and the relationship with the customer at the same time it is raising the standards for the competitor watchmakers.

    With a 300 years of history and tradition behind it, the Badollet brand has faced decay and bankruptcy in the 1920s, but, after decades of silence it has come back to life due to Aldo Magada the owner of a private investment group from Geneva who has reinvented some of the 1872 models, upgrading them and making them competitive on the third millennium market.

    The 1872 Minute Repeater Badollet Observatoire, although it is not a new edition of the historical model, combines two of the most popular complications: a tourbillon, located on the sub-dial at 6 o’clock, and the minute repeater. The name, Observatory 1872, pays tribute to the model which won first prize in the first edition of the prestigious l’Observartoire competition in Geneva.

    In spite of its classical design inspired by the Badollet old pocket watches, the model features a rather massif 44 mm box which confers it robustness depriving it of the fragility of the smaller similar pieces.

    The design of the dial was conceived to convey the impression of a greater sense of tri-dimensionality, with its two height levels and, in spite of its partially visible mechanism the watch retains a very clean time-perception and time-reading.  The watch’s mechanism uses miniature hammers and gongs to signal the time.

    Unlike the other model of the Observatoire Badollet series, the Chronograph, which uses Roman numerals, the Minute Repeater uses Arabic numerals which give this latest piece a modern touch and a daring distance to the classic stereotype.

    Its ADB 1655 caliber it’s referring to the birth year of the Badollet dynasty and this manual loading caliber, in addition to its two prominent complications offers an impressive three days reserve.

    “In the excesses of society, aim only for the best” seems to be the brand’s motto, and if the watchmaker aims to achieve the highest quality possible it seems only natural that the product’s final price rises to its efforts.  So the 18-karat gold Badollet 1872 Minute Repeater has a base price of $240,000 but it’s the price can grow depending on degree of customization and of the customer’s specific requests up the $350,000.

Pictures with Badollet Observatoire Watch