Limited Edition of 15 Pieces Each
The Vintage Collection is part of Speake-Marin DNA to revive old iconic movements from the past. For its latest novelty, Speake-Marin tackles an incredible movement from the fifties: the Valjoux 88. The use of vintage movements is part of their strategy to develop and to exclusively work with exceptional movements.
Inspired by the Valjoux 23 base caliber, the Valjoux 88 appeared in 1953 with 13 lignes and offered the perfect layout for great chronograph legibility: Two pushers and Three subdials: one for real-time seconds, 30-minute chronograph, and moonphase indicators. In addition, the timepiece has a triple date complication:
Week day displayed in the counter. Month displayed in the counter. Day of the month displayed thanks to the black outlined hand with a SuperLuminova layer.
The sublime Valjoux 88 has been very popular thanks to its pushers equipped with column-wheels, which brings a unique softness when activated. It is a hand-wound mechanical movement.
Although these calibers were produced in large quantities in the second part of the 20th century, they are very rare nowadays. The movement components used for the London Chronograph were stored in a safe for many years and it took time for Speake-Marin to find working pieces. Once checked, the components have been assembled, decorated and controlled within our Speake-Marin workshop near La-Chaux-de-Fonds.
Technical Specifications:
The case, in titanium, measures 42mm. It has an AR-coated sapphire crystal, a sapphire display back, and it is water resistant to 30 meters.
Movement is the Swiss manual-wind N.O.S. Valjoux caliber 88 with 17 jewels, 18,000 vph and a power reserve of 44 hours. Column-wheel chronograph. It features a triple-calendar with moonphase.
Dials can be had in blue or light brown. The dial is done in 3D with two floating black counters 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock and real time 60-second counter at 9 o'clock and a moonphase indicator at 6 o'clock. SuperLuminova on hands and calendar ring/moon. Heart-shaped silver hands.
The chronograph function can be easily read thanks to the red color code, which can be found on the: Hours counter at 6 o'clock; Minutes counter at 3 o'clock; and Central second hands. The silver color is used for the Hours Minutes Seconds function. The subdial at 6 o'clock gives a double indication: 12-hour chronograph function with the red hand, and a Moonphase indication in the two Hemispheres.
It comes on a blue or beige Nubuck leather strap with a titanium folding clasp.
MSRP is 20,950 Swiss Francs.
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