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Swiss wrist watches in their various guises and elaborations
are both a work of art and an investment into the future.
The best part of elite timepiece ownership is that you may
proudly carry this objet d'art with you wherever your lower
arm goes.
Even
at its most elemental, a conventional automatic
(self-winding) timepiece or a conventional manual-winding
timepiece in stainless-steel, with only an hour and minute
hand for movement complication, the Swiss have a way of
embellishing this most fundamental timepiece with an astute
stroke of the brush.
By adding elongated Roman markers, done in black enamel, or
utilizing raised and applied baton markers in bevel-plated
Rhodium, a transformation of such basic horology to the
next-highest level of artistic craftsmanship seems
effortless in demonstration, yet comes from centuries of
consuetude.
Hour and minute hands made in the form of stick baton, or
possibly half-frosted Dauphine, can be gorgeous. From
gorgeous to spectacular, Feuille, Breguet and Estoril by
name, Gold and blue by color, hands in these three styles
amplify a dial magnificently.
Adding a hobnail or coin-edge bezel and a radiant-wave
Guilloche dial, sliced from the most lustrous of nacre
(Mother-of-Pearl, MOP), to the above timepiece and you have
a masterwork in the offing. Escalated further, with a
movement visible through a sapphire exhibition window, the
special Caliber inside can sport Winchester-blued screws and
a Swan-Neck regulator. An opus is now in mid-composition.
Continuing
with côtes de Genève striping, adding overlapping pearlage
and beveling the plate edges at a 45-degree angle further
cements the regal nature of this opus. Chronometer
Certification (COSC) and various certificates of rarity,
either in gemstone or diamond quality, or in the
manufacturers’ “Limited Edition” exclusivity, solidifies
this majesty. Finalization of horological aristocracy comes
from the attainment of the esteemed Geneva Seal.
The scenario above is often repeated in Switzerland, and
this story refers to a “time only” timepiece in simple
stainless steel. Move to complicated timepieces produced
with cases and bracelets of precious metals, and the
elemental nature of watchmaking grows geometrically.
Timepieces with metals of surgical stainless steel,
Titanium, Gold, Platinum, and in some cases Ceramic, are
found within the walls of ProWorth. You will find a wide
assortment of watches in these metals and ceramics, and they
are all from current productions.
Using
stainless-steel (surgical, of course) as their springboard,
the manufacturers’ next move is into the rarified metals.
Beginning with 18K-yellow Gold, moving to 18K-white Gold,
then finally to Platinum, each Manufacturer saves their
select efforts for the noblest of metals.
From chronograph complications in Valjoux 7750 and Tri-Compax
layout, to perpetual and annual calendars with chronograph
and moon-phase indicators, we pride ourselves on being the
purveyor of such fantastic pieces of mechanical beauty.
In-House movements with Flying Tourbillon escapements,
minute repeaters with cathedral gongs that sound like
vertical carillons, and alarm timepieces with a timbre that
reminds you of your grandfather’s eight-day Angelus travel
clock, are all pieces that ProWorth has carried, and
continues to carry.
Even timepieces with such esoteric movement complications as
Equation of Time are to be found here. Think of it, how many
people walking the earth today know that the true sunset and
sunrise times vary by your place on the planet…? Fewer still
have the tool to calculate this disparity. Here at ProWorth,
we have just the watch for you…!
When beauty or esoterica is not the goal, and robustness
takes center stage, watches made for various able-bodied
activities are in abundance here as well. From SCUBA diving
to international traveling, from piloting to racing in
regattas, ProWorth has the watch for you.
Dive
watches with either a uni-directional inner-rotating bezel
or with an outer uni-directional bezel can be found here.
These manly timepieces come in sizes up to 45 mm (sans
crown) and larger and carry depth ratings of 1000ft/300m or
greater.
Diver cases are solid. They have screw-down crowns. Their
solid casebacks are generally screw on, and their extra
thick sapphire crystals are embedded in such a way as to
ensure a waterproof seal. In most cases these massive tools
have diver-extension links built into their heavy bracelets
in order to be strapped over your wet or dry suit. Some of
the most macho dive watches are equipped with a Helium
Escape Valve for saturation diving.
If
travel is your lifestyle, passion, or simply your career
norm, a GMT (Greenwich-Mean-Time), or a 24-hour timepiece,
may be your preference.
Some GMT (sometimes referred to as “UTC,”
Universal-Time-Coordinated) watches use rotating bezels that
are similar to their diving cousins, with the exception
being that the bezel rotates bi-directionally and is
generally marked in military or “24-Hour” font.
Other GMT’s perform their functions with the use of an added
movement complication or module. The more complicated GMT’s
require the use of outer pushers or inner gearing to
manipulate the advancement or retardation of the 24-hour
function.
In most cases, both the dive watch and the GMT will have an
abundance of the luminescent material Super Luminova on
their thick hands and easily-read markers, making low-light
reading of time effortless. Date windows, some with Cyclops
magnification, are proportioned for easy legibility and for
proper dial balance.
Other complications requiring various mathematical skills
can also be found here. As a pilot, the ability to read a
circular slide rule will allow you to calculate rates of
flow, speed of descent, miles per hour, etc. Some of our
timepieces have these functions. Those that do are just as
mechanical as the movements within, and require a
prerequisite knowledge of the lifestyle you are employed in,
or are attempting to emulate.
Others,
like our Arnold & Sons and our Grahams, allow you to find
your way in this world without the use of modern
battery-powered navigational aids. In fully handmade
mechanical fashion, you can calculate longitude, latitude,
sunrise, sunset, and a host of other useful data.
If a complication that allows a power reserve of seven days
or more is to your liking, we have that too. While seemingly
simple, the 7-day, 8-day, and 10-day Power-Reserve
timepieces are truly important in the world of exclusive
horology and count as one of the seven most important
complications made today.
For
ladies’ timepieces, an array of choices will impress the
most discriminating. Satin straps, mink straps and crocodile
straps of amazing colors are only the beginning. Movements
with complications as serious as their male counterparts,
dive watches capable of depths matching the 100 atmosphere
(1000 ft) of the boys’, and designs that are the most
classic seen, are available here also. If trendy is more
important, both sexes are catered to here as well.
For those seeking a bit more uniqueness, we have a variety
of choices, from Cloisonné enameled dials, Guilloche dials
of various pattern, skeletonized dials, and so on. Diamonds
of Top Wesselton quality and Emeralds and Rubies of flawless
clarity are steadfast offerings from the elite
manufacturers, and we have ample choices at your fingertips.
Once
your decision or decisions have been made, and you have
either begun your collection, or augmented an existing
collection, ProWorth believes keeping your mechanical toys
in shape requires the use of one of our watch winders.
We carry the Orbita and the Scatola del Tempo winders
because we had a choice, and these two manufacturers are
awesome. Bang for your buck makes Orbita the easiest choice
of all in the elite winder world. Swiss servo motors,
spar-finished hardwoods and module tuning that allows you to
customize Turns-Per-Day (TPD) are just the beginning with
these fantastic winders.
Scatola del Tempo is without question one of the most
beautifully-designed winders made today. Italian leathers,
exotic hardwoods and milled finishing that is beautifully
modern are the hallmarks of a Scatola. Adjustability of
modules, and AC-DC versatility, are also common amongst the
majority of del Tempo’s winders.
So, there you have it. There is no way to cover all the
horological bases without losing the audience, so
“Before-You-Buy” thanks you for our chance to elucidate,
while attempting to touch on the topics that will at least
get the thought process started and open the channels of
dialog.
Finally, if there is an object of desire we don’t show on
our numerous pages, please contact us for the availability
and cost of that particular timepiece at 888.615.9900 or
email us here.
Thanks again for visiting “Before-You-Buy.”
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