Classic Complication & Beauty In The Maitres du Temps Chapter One Watch

I'd only knock the fact that it is a manually wound watch, but that does give you the ability to really appreciate the movement through the back.For starers I will mention what this watch does have. The movement is large at over 50mm high itself. The watch case dimensions are 62.6mm high and 45.9mm wide. Inside you'll get a tourbillon, cylinder day and moonphase indicators, monopusher chronograph, retrograde date, and retrograde GMT. The case is gold (of course), and the strap is alligator. You can guess only the finest materials from around the globe (or Switzerland) are used. Right now, these are all trivial details to me as I am eager to discuss the looks of this stunning time teller.The gentlemen who designed this watch really put in their heart and souls. For this watch to be so complicated and yet still look so good is a feat in itself. Often times the more you throw in a design, the worse it ends up looking. This is not the case here, as the eye is drawn to the larger shapes instead of the smaller details. When the user requires information, you can easily access the relevant field of the watch, without distraction or visual impingement.New watch brands are appearing more frequently these days, and I am not sure what that means. Have existing brands run their course? Or does starting a new brand give a special value to a watch? The reality is that many brands have the same (or some of the same people) behind them. If you have a good enough team together, maybe it is worth just giving their creations a brand name. Maitres du Temps is just such a brand. Built by a watch distributor combining the aggregated efforts of modern watch masters such as Peter Speake-Marin, Roger Dubuis, and Christophe Claret. Most of whom have brands under their own names. So why combine efforts? The business is competitive, but there must be some allure behind putting great minds together. I haven't quite answered this question yet, but I am very impressed with the first offering from Maitres du Temps (Master of Time), simply titled, "Chapter One."The press materials make a big to do about the "historical achievement" in the combination of these complications all in one watch. That is nice, but honestly it does not get my gears turning. What excites me are the beautiful looks of this watch. What better way to stare at (probably over $100,000) than at such a timeless piece of art. It could be because of the "art watch" kick I am on lately, but more likely this is just a extremely well conceived watch.