Timepieces with celebrities’ names Label Noir, the ultimate personalization’s signature
Timepieces with celebrities’ names Label Noir, the ultimate personalization’s signature
While Label Noir makes personalization a luxury brand, the time when special orders were named after very special customers is coming to mind: Graves and Packard at Patek Philippe, Newman at Rolex.
At a time when spirits are overheating due to the race for end-of-year gifts and the approach of watchmaking fairs, the originality of some people is limitless. Especially if, on the contractor’s side, there is Emmanuel Curti, a top watchmaker who perceives the grains of madness that lie dormant in you. Emmanuel Curti, CEO of Label Noir, has all the answers… He masters all the parameters of personalization, from the external appearance of the watch, the casings, the surface treatments and dial expressions, to the modifications made on a precious calibre. Let’s remember the global buzz he has just orchestrated, thanks to the request of a customer who wanted to modify an authentic classic Milgauss into the first Rolex Tourbillon in history. Behavioural rebellions, offering yourself something unique There are those who have everything, already. Yet they are in need of a breathtaking acquisition, a purchase so different, so unique, that it becomes memorable. This kind of customer, if he is fond of fine watchmaking and fundamentals, certainly already has in his collection a choice of valid, valuable and why not rare pieces, often a little too well acknowledged pieces. Then, he even had to venture here and there towards discoveries and more risky favourites. His ultimate dream? To be at the controls at least once, to be at the origin of a new creation, at the heart of the decision-making process: options of choice of materials, coatings, watchmaking decors and sometimes even functionalities of the mechanical heart of his future watch. When these types of customers are given carte blanche, they tackle real legends, timepieces with mythical names or famous references, they disintegrate them, reshape them, and take them over. 
The perfect order, the one with your name on it There was a time in the history of watchmaking when watchmakers made their timepieces on demand. These orders specified many of the elements that are now part of Label Noir’s palette of possibilities. Sometimes, the wishes of the future purchaser was so extraordinary that the timepiece could, at the time of its delivery, bear the name of its buyer. This was the case with Patek Philippe for Henry Graves Jr. and James W. Packard, two hyper-complications carrying the desires of their instigators. This was certainly also the case for Breguet’s Marie-Antoinette. At the beginning of the third millennium, the practice continues with the brilliant watchmaker François-Paul Journe: his “Sonnerie Souveraine”, his emblematic complication that comes to an end at the end of 2018, has exchanged his reference number for the name of his buyer. And since behind this phenomenon often lie resolute collectors and legend makers, it is worth mentioning the Paul Newman watch, a Rolex which, because its owner was a pilot, actor and famous, has espoused his name forever thanks precisely to these enthusiasts. 
Label Noir: personalization arts based on fundamental’s expertise Personalization has a special place in the pleasure of shopping and offering. It has a vast territory, it allows personal messages, the wanderings of the ego. At Label Noir, this practice comes from a galaxy of companies and skills that are already involved in subcontracting on behalf of prestigious brands: usually hidden craftsmanship that suddenly, thanks to these amazing customers, go from the shadows to the light to the point of becoming the signature of the ultra-luxury. Rolex Tourbillon, behind the successful world premiere. This unique request from a customer made a big buzz. To date, it is the only Rolex Tourbillon watch known. 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 about three months of customization works and a budget exceeding CHF 100,000. https://www.labelnoirdesign.com/en/watches/rolex-milgauss
This was confirmed by Jochen Müller, President of the Diamond and Precious Stones Bourse: “The sector is in crisis, the decline is certainly not due to local reasons.” The lower number of German visitors compared to the previous year was particularly noticeable. Instead, there were more international visitors, particularly from France, Benelux, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Japan, China, USA, Switzerland and Austria, making their way to Idar-Oberstein.
