R-1969 Archive
R-1969 Limited Edition
The R-1969 allows the wearer to view time on both sides of the watch.
On the front, present time. Hours, minutes, seconds and date display – along with classic chronograph stopwatch registers – appear against a multi-layer, contrast finished black dial with milled, polished and applied indexes and numerals.
On the reverse of the watch and visible in full through the grey smoked glass exhibition case back, we see time as it was measured in the past, in the form of a beautiful new-old-stock Valjoux 7734 hand-wound movement from 1969.
Design
In terms of the aesthetics Pinion designed the R-1969 to reference 20th-century vintage chronographs, but with a 21st-century twist. Hence the ‘Superdome’ double bezel and convex anti-reflective crystal combination and a very wearable, modern yet modest 43mm size.
With the dependability of the Valjoux 7734 movement comes the practicality to wear the R-1969 every day. So for the watch case Pinion chose 316L stainless steel. It’s hard, strong, highly resistant to corrosion and has excellent hypoallergenic properties. As an added bonus it also polishes up to a stunning reflective finish.
New old stock Valjoux 7734
Revered for its ruggedness and reliability the hand wound Valjoux 7734 movement was (and still is) one of the most dependable watch engines of its era.
The movements used in the R-1969 production were all made in 1969 but never assembled or put into a watch. That is, until now.
Hand wound
A hand wound chronograph invites and requires a high degree of human interaction. So the ‘contact points’ become important from an ergonomic and operational point of view.
That’s why Pinion paid particular attention to designing and making their bespoke pushers and crown to provide an affirmative action and wearer feedback.
