Cartier introduced a large selection of timepieces at the Salon Internation de la Haute Horology (SIHH) last month. Apart from the amazing minute repeater tourbillon, the beautiful high jewelry pieces and the skeletonized Santos - the model that really stands out to me is the Cartier Tank Anglaise.

The Cartier Tank Anglaise is a generously sized tank-shaped (rectangular) wristwatch. It is part of the newly revived vintage inspired Cartier Tank series, which also includes the Tank Américaine and Tank Française.

The Tank Anglaise is available in three ladies' and men's sizes, in three colors of gold: white, yellow and pink. The version shown above in the Large (men's model) in an 18K rhodium-plated white gold case that measures 36.2 mm wide by 47 mm in height and 9.82 mm thick. The case and bracelet are both fully polished.

The middle of the dial features a unique 18k rhodium-plated white gold Flinqué engraving, milar to Guilloché, with the key difference being that the Flinqué technique comprises intersecting straight or wavy lines. The men's Cartier Tank Anglaise features a sapphire case back that allows a view into the in-house self-winding movement, caliber 1904 MC. Water resistance is 30 meters.

Retail TBD

Last month at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH ) in Geneva, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled the Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon, a tourbillon wristwatch that is both visually and technically amazing.

In Geneva, I met with Stéphane Belmont, Marketing Director at Jaeger-LeCoultre, and we discussed the historic importance of a tourbillon in watchmaking. As you probably already know, the first tourbillon was developed by Abraham-Louis Breguet around 1795; its purpose was to counter the effects of gravity by mounting the escapement and balance wheel in a rotating cage, thus improving the accuracy of the timepiece's regulating organs. Back then, the tourbillon was used to increase the precision of a timepiece.

The Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon is a technological tour de force in watchmaking. Further proof that the Grande Maison is one of the best watch manufactures in the world.

The Sphérotourbillon has a sophisticated multi-axis tourbillon with an inner rotation that takes place every 15-seconds and an outer revolution that takes place every 30-seconds. The balance wheel is large in diameter and is made of 14k gold, chosen for its heaviness.

The tourbillon carriage is machined from a single block of titanium, for lightness and extreme precision. The stud holder is in aluminum, which is also used for its lightness. Inside the carriage, is a cylindrical balance spring, sourced from A. Lange & Sohne's in-house balance spring production facility in Glashutte, then adjusted and installed by Jaeger-LeCoultre's watchmakers in the Vallee de Joux. The cylindrical spiral (a rare cylinder shaped balance spring - looks like a slinky) makes it possible to reproduce the superb timekeeping performance of marine chronometers.

"The cylindrical balance-spring with its two terminal curves beats with a concentricity impossible to achieve with a traditional balance-spring."

For the first time in a tourbillon, the seconds can be reset via a fly-back button which allows the watch to be adjusted to a precise instance of time. This is possible because of the the dual-wing concept. "The principle behind the revolutionary Dual-Wing concept involves two independent mechanisms, each with its own source of energy (hence the two power barrels), but sharing a common regulating organ." Turning the crown one way winds the barrel powering the time indications, turning the crown the other way winds the barrel powering the escapement.

The home time and date are indicated in the subdial at 3 o'clock, a second 24-hour timezone is indicated at 12 o'clock and the flyback seconds are indicated at 6 o'clock. Gauges at 1 and 5 o'clock indicate the power reserve for each of the barrels.

In keeping with the traditions for high-complications at Jaeger-LeCoultre, the movement features an untreated German silver plates and bridges that will become even more beautiful with age. The movement even features the manufacture's own exclusive finish - côtes soleillées decoration.

Jaeger-LeCoultre somehow managed to fit this horological masterpiece (caliber 382) into a conservatively sized case (42 mm by 14 mm).

Below is a video of Stéphane Belmont discussing the Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon in French, with English subtitles.

Available in either pink gold (shown) or platinum case.

Retail $262,000 (pink gold), $282,000 (platinum)

Earlier this month, during SIHH 2012, German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne introduced a redesigned version of their popular Grande Lange 1.

The original Grande Lange 1 had a 41.9 mm case and overlapping dials. The new Grande Lange 1 has a 40.9 mm case and the dials no longer overlap. (For reference, the Lange 1 has a case diameter of 38.5 mm and has non-overlapping dials.)

Both the current Lange 1 and the now discontinued original Grande Lange 1 have double power barrels. The new Grande Lange 1, however, only has a single power barrel. This allows for a much thinner movement and hence a thinner case. The height of the case is now a mere 8.8 mm high, compared to 10 mm for the Lange 1 and 11 mm for old Grande Lange 1.

The new Grande Lange 1 is available in three variations:

Ref. 117.025 - platinum case with a solid silver rhodie dial and rhodiumed gold hands with a black crocodile strap with platinum buckle.

Ref. 117.021 - yellow gold case with a solid silver champagne dial, yellow gold hands and a medium brown crocodile strap with yellow gold buckle.

Ref. 117.032 - pink gold case with solid silver argente dial and pink gold hands with a red brown crocodile strap and buckle in pink gold.

The new movement, caliber L095.1 - features: 397 parts, 42 jewels, 7 screwed gold chatons, a lever escapement, a shock-resistant screw balance, a frequency of 21,600 vph (3Hz), a precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring, and an in-house manufactured Lange balance spring. Functions include hours, minutes small seconds with stop second function, power-reserve indicator and outsize date.

A sapphire crystal case back allows a view into the exquisite German made movement which is hand decorated, hand assembled (twice), hand engraved (balance cock), precision-adjusted in five positions and features plates and bridges made of untreated German silver.

This year, Lange has taken two of their most iconic timepieces, the Datograph and Grande Lange 1, which some would argue were perfect already, and made them better. Furthermore, they did so while preserving the elegance and proportions of the originals.

Retail $39,300 (gold), $53,200 (platinum)

The big news for Roger Dubuis at the Salon International de la Haute Horology (SIHH 2012) show was the launch of the all new Pulsion collection. The collection consists of a skeletonized flying tourbillon and three openworked chronographs.

All Roger Dubuis timepieces feature immaculately hand finished in-house Geneva Seal movements. In fact, the Pulsion and all 2012 introductions meet the new Geneva Seal requirements. This means that not just the aesthetics of the timepiece will be held to the highest standard, but also the accuracy of the timepiece. And unlike the COSC-certification, the movement must be fully cased up before being tested. This makes it harder to pass (even though the rate variance is slightly higher), however, this is more realistic and therefore a welcome addition.

All the Pulsion cases measure 44 millimeters in diameter, a departure from the larger 46 mm cases that Roger Dubuis is most known for. The chronographs are available in: 18k pink gold, titanium or black titanium, respectively. The skeleton timepiece is available only in titanium.

The chronographs are powered by caliber RD680, a 100% in-house movement which features a column-wheel and vertical clutch. The RD680 is a self-winding mechanical movement with a monoblock micro-rotor. The movement runs at 28,800 vph (4Hz), has 42 jewels, 261 parts and a power reserve of 52-hours. Water-resistance is 100 meters.

The skeleton tourbillon is powered by caliber RD505SQ, a 100% in-house movement that is manually wound and runs at 21,600 (3Hz), has 19 jewels, 165 parts, and a power reserve of 60-hours. Water-resistance is 100 meters.

All pieces come with a rubber strap and folding buckle.

Retail $35,000 (black titanium), $45,000 (black/pink gold), $135,000 (skeleton tourbillon)

At the Salon International de la Haute Horology (SIHH) last week, Audemars Piguet introduced a number of new Royal Oak models in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the famous timepiece the Gerald Genta created in 1972. This model is the Royal Oak Self-Winding 41 mm and is available in stainless steel with steel bracelet (shown below), rose gold with rose gold bracelet (shown above) and rose gold with strap.

Powering the Royal Oak is caliber 3120, a self-winding 40 jewel movement that runs at 21,600 vph (3Hz) and has 280 parts. Glareproofed sapphire crystals front and back. Locking crown. Hours, minutes, central seconds and date functions. Maximum power-reserve is 60-hours. Water-resistance is 50 meters.

Ref. 15400ST.OO.1220ST.01 (steel)

Retail $16,900 (stainless steel), $64,800 (rose gold)

The Roger Dubuis Velvet Amethysts and Spinels timepiece Black Velvet was in my opinion the nicest ladies' timepiece I saw at the Salon International de la Haute Horoology (SIHH) last week.

The Black Velvet comes in a 36 mm diameter black DLC treated titanium case. The bezel is set with 46 amethysts (0.74 cts approx.). The lugs and decor set with 40 spinels (0.50 ct approx.)

The dial is black with a brushed center and white "Roger Dubuis" transfer. The outer edge of the dial has a satin sunburst finish and black Roman numeral transfers with purple filet and black Roman numerals applied at 6 and 12 o'clock. Displays hours and minutes.

The movement is self-winding mechanical caliber RD821, 33 jewels, 28,800 vph (4Hz), 48-hour power reserve. The movement is immaculately hand finished to Poinçon de Genève (Geneva Seal) standards, as well as being certified for accuracy by COSC.

The strap features a black satin finish fabric that perfectly matches with the look of the case, with a black DLC steel adjustable folding buckle. Water resistance is 30 meters. Limited to 188 pieces worldwide. Available in the US at one of 12 dealers.

Retail $35,000

At the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH 2012) luxury watch show last week, seventeen brands showed off hundreds of new timepieces; but only one was the most talked about piece of the fair. The Richard Mille Tourbillon Split Seconds RM 056 Felipe Masse Sapphire.

The RM Sapphire features the typical high-tech, skeletonized Richard Mille movement, but with a never before seen sapphire crystal watch case.

A sapphire crystal is a 9 on the mohs hardness scale, whereas a diamond is 10, so the case will not be prone to scratching. However, due to the makeup of sapphire, it is extremely brittle. If you drop this watch on the ground, the case could easily shatter.

The RM 056 movement is based on the characteristics of the RMCC1 caliber. It is a manual winding tourbillon movement with hours, minutes, split-seconds chronograph, power reserve and torque and function indicators.

To offset the additional weight of the sapphire case, the movement weight was reduced by 20%, requiring more than 400 new parts. The baseplate is skeletonized and uses grade 5 titanium for strength and lightness. A fast rotating winding barrel, balance with variable inertia, function indicator, torque indicator and split seconds mechanism with improved performance are only a small selection of what the Richard Mille engineers did to create this extraordinary watch, a cutting edge timepiece.

"A unique evolution of this tourbillon split seconds Chrono Competition RM 056 Felipe Massa is that its entire case -front bezel, caseband and back bezel- is cut and milled from solid blocks of sapphire, a feat of engineering and a strong visual statement. The production of this sapphire structure took years of research and testing in order to ensure an adequate response to the demands of strength and comfort. This is the first time that such a complex case design has been realized in this material. Sapphire is known as a particularly scratch-resistant material and one of the hardest materials on Earth, with a Mohs rating of 9.0. Made of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) crystals, it is transparent thanks to its molecular composition.

The machining of such components was the biggest challenge faced by Richard Mille, a challenge made all the more difficult as the sapphire machining process is exceptionally delicate. Although extremely tough, sapphire does not allow for even the slightest error during milling and cutting. Creating a case of this quality took over 1000 hours of machining, of which 430 hours were spent on pre-forming the case components and 350 hours on polishing the whole watch case. The cutting tools must be specially designed and tipped with diamond.

For excellent optical properties, bezel case parts have been treated with an anti-glare coating. The tripartite case is water resistant to 50 meters, ensured by two Nitril O-ring seals. The case is assembled with 20 Spline screws in grade 5 titanium and abrasion resistant washers in 316L stainless steel."

The Sapphire is available in a limited edition of only five pieces; and unsurprisingly, all are sold.

Retail $1.65 million