Press release
In his quest to create a mechanical and functional timepiece suitable for everyday wear, Guy Ellia has added a new string to his bow, a new complication: Les Heures Universelles.
Housed in a round, 50 mm-diameter case and available in black, grey or red gold, a Frédérique Piguet calibre mechanical self-winding movement achieves the singular feat of simultaneously displaying the local time, a second time zone with a day-night indicator, and a large date aperture.
The “2009 vintage” Jumbo Heure Universelle by Guy Ellia is a complicated timepiece. It epitomises fine watchmaking yet is practical enough for everyday wear, particularly for globe-trotting lovers of exquisite mechanical movements.
This work of art is set off by an eye-catching dial. Its open centre partially reveals the calibre's inner workings, while at 5 and 6 o'clock, two discs display the date in a large aperture using a read line. The hours and minutes hands rotate on the same axis as that used for the second time zone. A blued hand works in tandem with the cityselection disc.
The disc, which is set in motion by a pushpiece located at 2 o'clock, rotates under a blue sapphire glass and displays the city corresponding to the second time zone selected in the aperture located a 12 o'clock.
Despite its complicated dial, the Jumbo Heure Universelle is a very simple watch to operate and read. For men on the move…
WATCH CASE
Main dimensions
Diameter : 50,00 mm
Case thickness : 11,00 mm
Finishing
18k solid matte gold case,
for a total weight of black gold : 82,90 g
white gold : 82,90 g
red gold : 79,25 g
Matte back case with a sapphire glass, deep mechanical engraving
Black gold : bridge - dial with black pvd treatment
White gold : bridge - dial with white rhodium plating
Red gold : bridge - dial with red gold treatment
Characteristics
Sapphire glass, thermal countershock marking
Openwork back case with a sapphire glass
Water-resistant at 3 atm (30 m)
Alligator strap, wide case / buckle : 26 / 20 mm ;
length 1 of 6h / 12h : 100 / 60 mm
length 2 of 6h / 12 h : 115 / 75 mm
length 2 of 6h / 12 h : 130 / 90 mm
18k solid gold folding buckle,
for a total weight of : black gold : 16,00 g
white gold : 16,00 g
red gold : 15,20 g
MOVEMENT by F. Piguet Caliber PGE 1150
Main dimensions
Cage of movement : Ø 36,20 mm
Movement thickness : 6,24 mm
Indications
Hour and minute
24 time zones indication
Grande date
Day / Night
Functions
The black hands indicate the main time.
The blue hand displays the time in the city which is selected into the aperture of the blue sapphire disc. The push button (positioned at 2 o'clock) is used to select the city of the second time zone. A pressure on this button leads to rotate the cities disc of one step in the anticlockwise direction. At the same time, the blue hand recedes to indicate the time of the new city selected.
The disc positioned between 11 and 12 o'clock is the Day-Night indicator for the main time.
Settings by using a 3 positions crown stem:
1) Crown pushed in allows manual winding.
2) Crown on the first position permits to set the main time.
3) Crown completely pulled out on the second position and then a pressure on the push button (positioned at 2 o'clock) allows to correct the time of the second time zone according to the eventual time lag due to summer / winter time.
