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Alpina Presents A New Cloud Portal Enabling Smartwatch Customers To Access All Their Data In One Place

03/10/2018

Alpina Presents A New Cloud Portal Enabling Smartwatch Customers To Access All Their Data In One Place

Alpina introduces a new cloud service – storing data securely in one place – to its Horological Smartwatch customers.

As Alpina’s range of connected timepieces has kept growing since its first launch in 2015, the brand wanted to offer its customers a new service to facilitate their data overview and storage. The new SwissConnect cloud portal is the answer to the growing “connected” community’s demand for a secured yet easy access to in-depth data and insights from multiple apps anywhere in the world.

Cloud Portal
The SwissConnect cloud portal is a new service offered to all Alpina Horological Smartwatch customers. It allows its users to access from a simple web page all of their SwissConnect applications data with specific widgets and dedicated dashboards.
The web portal includes the MMT-365 and the AlpinerX apps, SwissConnect Analytics and will also support many new applications in the future.

Alpina customers will be able to check their stats, track their progress and get personal insights about themselves thanks to a personal dashboard.

As the SwissConnect cloud portal acts as a Hub for all connected mobile applications, one login and password are enough to manage all of the SwissConnect data.

Security
The users’ data is securely stored on servers in Switzerland.
Of course, they are fully compliant with Swiss privacy regulations and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Alpina has chosen to host its cloud in Switzerland to offer its customers the best privacy protection.

The brand provides its clients with enterprise-grade controls to manage, govern access and ensure security of personal data housed in SwissConnect cloud. As required by GDPR, SwissConnect enables users to correct, export or permanently delete their personal information from the SwissConnect servers.

Moreover, the data centers are Tier III/Tier III+ and ISO 27001certified. They provide a highly secure infrastructure to host sensitive data. Alpina uses the most secure solution in Switzerland with the same level of security as bank companies, thus ensuring the best protection and privacy of personal data.

Connected Apps
The users are now able to connect external applications like Strava, Fitbit and Runkeeper to export and display data in their preferred mobile application.
Alpina customers will now be able to keep all of their personal data in the same place by importing it in a secure cloud and use their favorite SwissConnect mobile application to display the latter.

The SwissConnect Cloud portal is available now at www.swisscloudportal.com for all Alpina and SwissConnect customers.

To use this new service, users should simply sign-in with their SwissConnect email and password.

Hollywood Star Dev Patel Presents The 4th Filmmaker Award

Editor

30/09/2018

Hollywood Star Dev Patel Presents The 4th Filmmaker Award

During the exclusive IWC Private Dinner held as part of the 14th Zurich Film Festival, British actor Dev Patel presented the 4th Filmmaker Award. The film “Beast” from producer Simon Hesse was declared the winner by the jury. The award, which is worth CHF 100,000, supports outstanding Swiss film projects that are in the production or post-production stage.

Dev Patel achieved his international breakthrough in 2008 with the modern Bollywood fairy tale “Slumdog
Millionaire”. The British actor received numerous “Best Newcomer” awards, including the British Independent Film Award and the National Board of Review Award, for his portrayal of the title role of Jamal. For the drama “Lion”, he won the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Best Supporting Actor in addition to being nominated for an Academy Award. During an exclusive IWC dinner, which took place as part of the 14th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), the charismatic actor was now presenting the 4th Filmmaker Award. “It is a real honour for me to be able to present this award. The Filmmaker Award helps highly promising projects to make it to the big screen and therefore contributes to the diversity of Swiss films,” Patel said enthusiastically.

FOURTH FILMMAKER AWARD GOES TO “BEAST”
A total of 37 projects were submitted – more than ever before. The jury selected “Beast” as the winner. The emotional coming-of-age film tells the story of a teenager called Gabriel who is selflessly and devotedly bringing up his two-year-old son alone. One summer’s night, Gabriel, his friend Joel and Joel’s girlfriend Cory break into the zoo and release a horde of wild animals, in the belief that they are setting them free. This event turns the world upside down for the three youngsters. The film is currently in post-production and is expected to be released in spring 2019. It is being directed by Zurich’s own Lorenz Merz, who has already received multiple international awards, including the Pardino d’argento, for his previous work.

In addition to the Filmmaker Award, producer Simon Hesse also received a Portugieser Automatic (ref. IW500703). “In a smaller country like Switzerland, the film industry is reliant on targeted support. I am really pleased that, with the Filmmaker Award, we are able to contribute to getting this exciting film made,” explains Franziska Gsell, Chief Marketing Officer at IWC Schaffhausen.

FILMMAKER AWARD CLOSES THE GAP
The Filmmaker Award, which comes with an endowment of CHF 100,000, was established by the Verein zur Filmförderung in der Schweiz (Association for Film Funding in Switzerland). This association includes the co-founders of the ZFF, Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri, Ringier CEO Marc Walder and IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr among its members. The aim of the award is to provide targeted support to exciting projects from Swiss filmmakers in the often tricky production or post-production phase. This therefore closes the current gap in film funding.

EXCLUSIVE AWARDS CEREMONY
The awards ceremony took place in an intimate setting on the occasion of the IWC Private Dinner, high above the rooftops of Zurich in the exclusive Haute club/restaurant in the Hochhaus zur Schanze high-rise building. IWC had invited representatives of the national and international film industry, as well as personalities from the world of media, arts, commerce and politics (including IWC brand ambassadors Fabian Cancellara and Patrick Seabase), to the awards ceremony. This year marks the fifth time that IWC has been a co-partner of the ZFF.

Rolex Tourbillon, world premiere performed by Label Noir

Editor

18/09/2018

Rolex Tourbillon, world premiere performed by Label Noir

The ultimate arts of personalization in support of a momentous timepiece

A Rolex Milgauss with the complication of the Tourbillon?

A somewhat crazy customer who wishes to remain anonymous and Label Noir, a creative luxury brand dedicated to ultra personalization. A fascinating cocktail with a backdrop of respect for the fundamentals. In case of an similar request, waiting time is three months!

Unless historical information has never been revealed before, it seems unlikely that Rolex has ever produced a Tourbillon watch in its past. But as some of its enthusiasts do not shy away from anything, CEO of Label Noir watchmaker Emmanuel Curti, has risen upon request to the unbelievable challenge of filling this loophole. The experience has been a success, it is obviously repeatable, within three months.

Historical encounter between two myths

The Rolex tourbillon timepiece unveiled in Geneva at the Swiss Made Restaurant in September 2018 is the crowning achievement of a watch mastery. Worthy of becoming a legend, this watch has been entrusted by Label Noir to the most talented watchmakers and above all, the most faithful to the original watchmaking virtues. Because such myths cannot be challenged without being animated by an immense humility in front of the watchmaking history. This kind of humility goes hand in hand with superior chronometry skills. First there is the Rolex myth, the brand of brands. Then there is the other myth, the tourbillon, a complication invented by AbrahamLouis Breguet that has become the queen of watchmaking highlights.

Surgery of regulating organs, a maximum of original components

What enhances the appeal of the challenge and approach is that at no time did Emmanuel Curtis, watchmaker and CEO of Label Noir, imagine replacing the original Milgauss calibre received from his customer with a tourbillon calibre of a size compatible with the space given. The idea was rather to keep as many original components as possible. Thus it was necessary to rework the watch plate, which still has its factory number. Then, it was necessary to “delicately” tear off the heart of the watch, its birth escapement (the balance-spring pair) in order to implant the “tourbillon cage”, its new regulating organ. Obviously, the operation created real challenges in terms of connections. Micromechanical surgery coupled with a science of finishings since it was also necessary to open a window in the dial while keeping the indexes and other initial inscriptions.

Personalization: desires, sometimes fantasies. Group reputation and reliability

The ultimate luxury brand Label Noir is a signature entirely dedicated to personalization. It is part of the TwentyFirst Luxury Group (Concept Stores Nous, Hadoro), headed by Emmanuel Collomb. It is therefore already used to dealing with all kinds of requests for the transformation of watches. Its entrepreneurial foundation is the result of the specialized know-how of the excellent watch co-contracting industry. Here a customer who wishes to offer a transparent back to his Rolex watch, because he wants to be able to observe its calibre. Between you and me, it’s never a bad surprise because the aesthetics of Rolex calibres are so flawless.

There, another customer, a left-handed one this time, who thinks he would see the push button of his Patek Philippe be moved to the opposite, on the left side of his watch case. He obviously expresses his wish with candor, far from suspecting the incredible micromechanical upheaval with which he confronts the most experienced watchmakers. Finally, there are more and more people who opt for the incredible Label Noir palette of surface coatings. A choice that allows you to modify the appearance of a watch case, including the bracelet, or even the components of its mechanical calibre. Or that allows to add on an iconic dial a Popeye figurine or a specifically designed hand…

Rolex Tourbillon, autopsy of a successful transplant
Basic model in steel, Milgauss, all-steel bezel (not ceramic). On the Rolex calibre reference 3131, 51 components have been removed, 2 components modified and 94 components added. From 28,000 vibrations per hour, the frequency has been changed to 21,600, from 4 to 3 hertz. The thickness of the case has been preserved, including the dial and hands. The flying tourbillon is installed on a ball-bearing. It makes one turn in 1 minute. To date, it is the only Rolex Tourbillon watch known. It is possible to repeat the operation, it takes three months.

Label Noir: personalization in compliance with watchmaking History and its fundamentals. «Marie-Antoinette, Packard, Graves, Newman…»
The first watchmakers used to work mainly on order and therefore in customization mode. This way of doing things is closely linked to the history of watchmaking. Once the creation was finished, they used to sign the dial and added to their first and last names the place where their workshop was located. Other master craftsmen then later brands, when faced with ultra-special orders, also used to rename their works with the name of their future owners…: Marie-Antoinette of Austria was Queen of France, James Ward Packard was an American automobile manufacturer, Henry Graves Jr. was a New York banker, Paul Newman was an automobile driver and an actor. These four figures embody the most accomplished form of the personalization arts. The brand LABEL NOIR appropriates the fundamentals of watchmaking. It rekindles personalization, one of the noblest traditions. Welcome to the heights of the most desirable luxury, that of being able to get involved in the creation of your own watch.

Source: Label Noir SA | Rue du Mont-Blanc 4 | CH-1201 Genève +41 79 613 7293 | info@labelnoirdesign.com | www.labelnoirdesign.com

In 2019, the International Chronometry Competition

Editor

13/09/2018

In 2019, the International Chronometry Competition

Amazing this competition launched by the Swiss City of Le Locle! The mere fact of being nominated is already a triumph! It is to watchmaking what a F1 Grand Prix is to the automotive world. Each watch at the start is already a pinnacle of precision.

Stravinsky stage converted into a scientific platform open to the presentations of the Study Day of the SSC, the honourable Swiss Chronometry Society: in this leading watchmaking centre, Philippe Fischer, President of the Organizing Committee of the International Chronometry Competition, has just officially announced the 2019 edition. Faced with around 800 watchmaking professionals, he revealed the calendar, between March and December 2019, the new features of the regulations as well as the indisputable reasons for participating.

The precision tour in 80 days…

If a timepiece is taking the start of this Grand Prix, this contests, it is thanks to the fact that it has successfully completed the first precision test according to the ISO 3159 standard. What happens next is a mix between a speed and endurance competition, a mountain rally and a triathlon.

During 80 days, participating watches – registration deadline 31 March 2019 – will be subject to a battery of tests and validations: if the results of the first precision test allow it, the ” nominee ” status will be awarded and the name of the watch will be announced during the official launching ceremony of the competition. For the other timepieces, the rest of the operations and the transmission of the results will be done anonymously. Thus, despite the fact that these un-nominated watches remain real mountains of watchmaking know-how and expertise, the organizers are able to guarantee brands that no negative rumours will cause even a slightest damage to their image.

World-renowned Swiss precision: four accredited institutes

In 2019, only watches that satisfy the Swiss Made criteria will be eligible to compete. After the first precision test conducted by the COSC Office in Le Locle (the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing) the nominees’ watches will be exposed at the Timelab Foundation in Geneva to invisible attacks by strong magnetic fields (ISO 764 standard).

From then on, and this time on a trip to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the competing watches will be embarked for 21 days in the intentional horrors of simulated accelerated ageing. This is the famous battery of tests epitomized by the Chronofiable® label, a protocol renowned for the harshness of its treatments. The pieces that will emerge unscathed are heroic watches. Moreover, a third and final chronometry inspection according to ISO 3159 will be conducted this time back in Le Locle, in order to evaluate the impact on the reliability of the “chronofiable” attacks suffered. The fourth accredited institution, the supreme authority, is METAS, the Federal Institute of Metrology, which chairs the Jury of the Competition.

One category, three distinctions

The final ranking will be determined by the results of the watches. Whether they are press release Tourbillon, chronographs or similar to “simple” three hands, the winners will be divided into three shades of excellence each time defined by a lower threshold. This leading group will make the headlines, it will be used for years or even decades as a prestigious trademark. Because if the International Chronometry Competition is not a label in itself, its reputation as a title acquired through measurement and without any hint of human interventionism, remains the most indisputable of signatures. A phenomenon of radiance that begins as soon as the competing watches are announced.

The endorsement of History
As the heir to one of the most prestigious watchmaking traditions, this competition does not allow any human appreciation to interfere. It is the scientific expression of the science of chronometry, i.e. the ultimate quest for precision, the most subtle and successful calculations of which it expresses. Before quartz came to shake things up, these competitions were real highlights in the past. They were as promising as the Universal Exhibitions, which sometimes served as their showcase. Even today, brands still use their aura in their current advertising. They sometimes get thrilled at the exceptional value increases that such titles bring to their historical models in auctions.

The skills of the adjustment in the spotlight, thanks to Le Locle
What better place than the SSC, whose statutes include one of the last adjustment competitions open to students from all watchmaking schools in Switzerland, to launch the 2019 edition of the International Chronometry Competition? Because the precision of the precision is reached thanks to the calibrators, these watchmakers capable of magnifying exceptional calibres. When it started to relaunch this historic event in 2009, the City of Le Locle, City of Precision, was successful in promoting the ultimate virtues of the human hand.

Source: International Chronometry Contest Association

New Hybrid Smartwatches

Editor

05/09/2018

New Hybrid Smartwatches

After raising $8M dollars with ZeTime on crowdfunding platforms last year, MyKronoz pursues its ambition to become the worldwide leader of hybrid smartwatch by unveiling two new models at IFA 2018: ZeTime2 and ZePop.

“With ZeTime, we managed to create a new standard: the one and only hybrid wearable device that perfectly reconciles traditional watch lovers and connected devices intenders” said Boris Brault, CEO of MyKronoz. He adds: “Our strong electronic background combined with our Swiss DNA gives us a significant advantage over the watch and wearables industries to develop consumer centric and nicely designed products. Today, we’re proud to introduce two new models of hybrids to reaffirm our willingness to disrupt a well-established industry, and offer a wearable that people will actually enjoy wearing, from both a design and function standpoint.”

ZETIME2
The second generation of the world’s first hybrid smartwatch with mechanical hands and touchscreen is now set with a full round AMOLED color display and voice recognition feature. Embarking an improved user interface while boasting an increasingly sleek and timeless design, ZeTime2 will undoubtedly become an essential accessory of your daily life.

ZEPOP
Introducing our collection of colorful and pop hybrid smartwatches. Design to fit the vibrant style of the new generation, ZePop will come as an attractive option for all of those looking for a functional and stylish wearable, with an accessible price.

Source: mykronoz.com

Annabel Corlay press@mykronoz.com

French FIS Worldcup Snowboarder Nelly Moenne-Loccoz- Alpina Watches Brand Ambassador

Editor

20/08/2018

French FIS Worldcup Snowboarder Nelly Moenne-Loccoz- Alpina Watches Brand Ambassador

Alpina watches is delighted to renew its partnership with Nelly Moenne-Loccoz, talented alpine two-time vice-world Champion snowboarder

Nelly Moenne-Loccoz – Snowboard cross Champion & watch Enthusiast

Nelly was introduced to the world of alpine skiing at the age of 3, by her father, a ski instructor. Since her very first races in 2000, her parents have been very supportive throughout her career. She quickly grew a passion for snowboarding and swapped her skis for a snowboard. In research of new sensations, snowboard cross became her official discipline. Nelly practices her sport rigorously within the French National Team, in an atmosphere she calls “funformance”, in her words, a happy medium between fun and performance. It’s not surprising once you get to know her outgoing personality. She is part of today’s top world female elite of snowboard cross.

As an engaged and dedicated personality, Nelly is committed to reach podiums. Her innate physical and tactical qualities quickly propelled her to the top of the rankings. Three times Olympic Games participant in 2010, 2014 and 2018, vice-world Champion in 2011 and 2015, Nelly made a sensational season in 2015 by claiming the famous crystal globe in her discipline. Last 2017-2018 season, Nelly finished #3 in the FIS Worldcup Snowboard cross ranking.

As a passionate and generous personality, and appreciating the hand-made work, when Nelly needs to bring back her Alpina timepieces for a revision, she is not simply passing by and dropping off her watches. No, Nelly arrives quite early in the morning, puts on a watchmaker’s blouse on her back, and seats behind a watchmaker’s table in our T1 atelier for the day! Next to our watchmakers, who are more than happy to have a new colleague for the day, they help and train Nelly for her to revise and regulate herself her timepieces.

French FIS Worldcup Snowboarder Nelly Moenne-Loccoz- Alpina Watches Brand Ambassador

With her perseverant and competitive nature, Nelly embodies our brand’s emblematic Alpine spirit. We are very happy to count Nelly as part as of our “Alpinist” family and we wish her all well-deserved success for her next season.

Nelly brings Alpina’s DNA to life and we are very proud to count Nelly as part as our Ambassadors. She embodies the brand’s emblematic Alpine spirit. Nelly Moenne-Loccoz and Alpina are united by their love for Alpine sports and the Alpine universe and identify with the same “Alpinist” values which both believe are the foundations for any sports, professional and personal success.

Source: Alpina Watches PR

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Editor

Alpina Presents A New Cloud Portal Enabling Smartwatch Customers To Access All Their Data In One Place

Alpina Presents A New Cloud Portal Enabling Smartwatch Customers To Access All Their Data In One Place

Hollywood Star Dev Patel Presents The 4th Filmmaker Award

Hollywood Star Dev Patel Presents The 4th Filmmaker Award

Rolex Tourbillon, world premiere performed by Label Noir