Carl F. Bucherer Heritage BiCompax Annual watch with panda dial, black on silver.
Back in late October at the WatchTime New York show, Swiss watch brand Carl F. Bucherer showcased two new watches that are officially entering stores now. We got to go hands on with the two versions of the Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Bicompax Annual watches and broke the news about them here — complete with a video explanation of the watches. We also went hands on with the 1950’s chronograph that inspired these new pieces. Today, we bring more information about these compelling chronographs — watches you may want to consider for the holidays.
The two limited edition 41mm Heritage BiCompax Annual watches include a stainless steel version with panda dial ($7,200) and a two-tone steel and rose gold version with champagne/salmon dial ($11,000). Each has its own merits and one would be hard-pressed to make a decision between the two. For me, the two-tone model is a must-have, but I can see why lovers of the panda would gravitate to this striking dial.
Carl F. Bucherer Heritage BiCompax Annual with champagne dial in two-tone case.
As mentioned, this watch is inspired by a piece the brand made in the 1950’s. That chronograph was a 34mm watch with ergonomic case, chronograph and tachymeter scale. Carl F. Bucherer actually began building its chronographs in the 1940’s and offered several different pieces with various functions and formats. However the bi-compax look — with two smaller dials placed horizontally across from one another on the larger dial — offered a particularly harmonious aesthetic and became the most sought after.
Vintage 1950’s Carl F. Bucherer watch that inspired the new Heritage BiCompax Annual.
Inspired by that watch, Carl F. Bucherer’s watchmakers created the new Heritage Bi Compax Annual watch with certain updates, starting with the automatic movement that powers it. The CFB 1972 caliber offers chronograph minute and seconds counters, annual calendar, grand date and three-hands indication of hour, minute, seconds. It also has a tachymeter scale. It boasts 42 hours of power reserve and the large date display takes into account the different month lengths – 28, 30, and 31 days – needing only one correction in the leap years.
Enlarged by 7mm, each Bicompax Annual is equipped with a double-domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides. There is also a sapphire crystal casebook for viewing of the (similarly updated) automatic movement. Each watch is water resistant to 30 meters and is created in a limited edition of 888 pieces (recalling the year 1888 when the company was founded).
Strap choices include a cognac brown calfskin leather strap for the champagne/salmon dial, or a textile strap for the silver dial panda version.
Carl F. Bucherer Heritage BiCompax Annual comes in two limited editions.
Technical Specifications of the Carl F. Bucherer Heritage BiCompax Annual
Reference Number:00.10803.08.12.01 stainless steel), 00.10803.07.42.01 (two-tone)
Case: 41mm Stainless steel or two-tone stainless steel and rose gold
Movement: Automatic CFB 1972, Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph with 30-minute totalizer, annual calendar, big date display, month display, tachymeter scale, minute rail. 30mm x 7.3mm, 42 hours of power reserve.
Dial:Silver with black subdials for the steel model, rose and champagne for the two-tone version, outer rail minute track, Arabic numerals, luminous hands
Water Resistance:30 meters
Price:stainless steel, $7,200; two tone: $11,000.
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