The Quai de l’Ile was launched in 2008 to much acclaim thanks to the collection’s numerous possibilities for customization, its state of the art security printing with passport, client service, fine workmanship and avant-garde design. Now the brand has unveiled an alternative Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar with a new in-house movement and even more options to choose from.

This latest Quai de l’Ile is equipped with a brand new 2460 QRA automatic retrograde annual calendar that has been entirely developed and produced in house and is stamped with the prestigious Geneva Seal. The annual calendar is one of the most useful complications available as its date only needs to be modified once a year in February, unlike simple calendars that require regulating at the end of each month. Coupled with a retrograde date, these two features take the Quai de l’Ile to an exciting new level .
The main functions of this new model include: Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock, retrograde date, months, phases of the moon (that only need correcting every 122 years), 40-hours power reserve and a stop second for precise setting. The cushioned case has increased by 2 mm to 43 mm and its middle section comes in seven different parts that can be chosen in rose or white gold, or a combination of both. There is also a vast selection of dials to chose from, including the version photographed here, which has a vertically satin finished inner dial and opaline outer ring. There are many other customization possibilities available that raise the amount of variations to a staggering 700.

The security of each piece remains an integral part of the Quai de l’Ile concept, with an ink printing of a sun between four and five o’clock (inspired from the clock on the Tour de l’Ile in Geneva’s Place Bel-Air) that can only been detected under ultraviolet light – definitely something that will put the counterfeiters off, especially when they discover that each timepiece comes with its own passport that uses the same security technology as the Swiss passport too.
This new Quai de l’Ile Retrograde Annual Calendar is being presented for the first time at the SIHH this January – so make a note to stop by and take a closer look.

Source: Europa Star December - January 2011 Magazine Issue