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For starters, it features some very exaggerated curves, that end at about a 40mm (by my crude measurement) bottom of the case. So, to be clear, while at it’s widest point it’s 46mm, it drastically lowers by the time it hits your wrist making for quite a unique wear. I never forgot I was wearing it, but it also wasn’t a bother either. Not only did the CIGA Design Blue Planet win an award, in 2021 it won the award, the coveted GPHG Challenge Watch Prize for watches that retail at the more affordable end of the scale. This was against the likes of Oris, Doxa, the ultra-hot Furlan Marri and many others. And, as good as the other entrants were, seeing the Blue Planet alongside them made it an easy decision for the judges.
It almost doesn’t look like a watch
The Blue Planet is the brainchild of Jianmin Zhang, a renowned Chinese designer. Its full name is the CIGA Design Mechanical Watch Series U Blue Planet. As the press material surrounding the watch states, the Blue Planet aims to inspire a feeling similar to that expressed by astronauts upon their first view of Earth from space. This is called the “overview effect”, and it has been known to instill long-lasting aversion to war and feelings of connection with all living things.
It’s Chinese
However, the 15.6mm overall case thickness does make itself apparent in daily wear, and thanks to a floaty stance on the wrist this is a difficult watch to slip under shirt cuffs. Like the previous Blue Planet, water resistance is something of an Achilles heel for the Blue Planet – Gilding Version, with a subpar official rating of only 30 meters. That’s all very well and good and I’m sure the polar bears will be very grateful, but a watch that doesn’t tell the time isn’t much of a watch. With no hands carving up the globe like a great, astronomical pie, how does the owner of one of these watches deign to know if they are late or on time? Quite simply, as it happens, because floating in the Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Antarctica is a compass rose. Follow its direction to the outer edge and there you’ll see two orbiting rings, the outer reading hours and inner minutes.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
While the footprint is pretty much the same as it’s predecessor, and I won’t go back and rehash it (You can read the full review here), the long and short of it is that 46mm has never worn so well. Due to the case shape, it wears much smaller than the size would suggest, and with the Gilding Edition, the case gets the Ceramic upgrade that it deserves. In keeping with the pebble-esque case shape, the black ceramic is actually fairly difficult to work with in this non-traditional shape. It would typically be difficult to get the finishing to look good, but CIGA nailed it. The polished ceramic gives an old-world aesthetic and I love it.
Seeing the planet beneath the fragile-looking crystal, a pretty decent scale representation of the Earth’s atmosphere as it happens, is a stark reminder of just how vulnerable it—and we—really are. The Blue Planet is a more detailed and intricate timepiece than anything Zhang had previously released, so there's the natural inclination to introduce it as a new "halo" product at a much, much higher price point. To many entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses, the sort of recognition that CIGA Design received from the GPHG would warrant a price increase, but Zhang is dedicated to keeping his watches accessible. Zhang won't confirm much about his upcoming plans, but he does tease that future editions of the Blue Planet are on the way. What he promises, however, is that his watches will always remain approachable in price.
CFO for 15+ years at several venture funded companies and at an affiliate of Flex (FLEX) with ~$700M revenues. Repeated success in developing and implementing strategic plans, systems for global growth, joint ventures and building finance capabilities and teams. Investment banker for 10 years including at Salomon Brothers; closed over 15+ M&A transactions and raised $700M+ in capital. Kyle Self is focused on process modeling, scale-up, and safety.
With the help of a translator, we spoke over Zoom for about an hour, which is when I started to unpack and understand just how impactful the recognition by the GPHG has been for Zhang and his company. Chinn left the company in 2018 to focus on a new line, vintage-inspired swimwear brand Sun Becomes Her. Founder Ling-Su Chinn opened her first Planet Blue location in 1995 in Malibu, and eventually expanded across L.A.
The CIGA Design Blue Planet dial is one of, if not the most unique dial I’ve seen in a watch that costs less than $1500. And once you get used to its unique layout and how the time is displayed, it’s an incredibly fresh new way to get excited about the future of the company. If this design speaks to you, you’re presumably open to something a bit unconventional and attention-grabbing, anyway. So perhaps it’s not necessarily a drawback for you that it can elicit a response along the lines of “What the heck is that?
The three-dimensional globe has received an intricate micro-carved decoration that reflects real-world topographic data, replicating the mountain ranges and terrain of different parts of Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. The visible part of the globe display is clearly curved – Flat Earthers need not apply – providing a really interesting depth effect to the entire watch. CIGA Design won the award for combining an interesting design (the globe is engraved to provide topographic detail) with genuinely imaginative mechanical watchmaking, all placed in a relatively affordable package that starts under $1,000 USD. Prior to Calera, William spent twenty years in leadership roles at NRG Energy, Inc and Cajun Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. William held Director roles in Transmission, Operations, Construction, Business Development and M&A, in essence leading efforts in all facets of the business. William Day consults in the areas of government affairs, community relations, business development, project development, project management, construction and operations.
Dr. Powell has been co-inventor on more than 120 distinct patent applications with more than 50 granted, and has received several industry awards. Rakesh Agrawal, Ph.D., is the Winthrop E. Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering in the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT and has received numerous awards and honors. Rakesh spent over 20 years in industry with Air Products and Chemicals, where he held various engineering and managerial positions, including as Air Products Fellow, the highest technical position at Air Products. Patents which have been applied to over 100 operating plants with total capital investments in the billions of U.S. dollars.
Giga Design Watch Best Sale atlantaprogressivenews.com - Atlanta Progressive News
Giga Design Watch Best Sale atlantaprogressivenews.com.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 11:40:07 GMT [source]
And since the Blue Planet is a GPHG winner, I’m apparently not alone in my thinking. I’m thrilled to see such innovation, and with the amount of attention to detail and ergonomics, the Blue Planet has, I really didn’t find any real fault. I never thought I’d be sitting here saying that this is one of the most fun and interesting 46mm watches I’ve ever worn and will continue to wear in the future. CIGA Design uses a proprietary timekeeping system for the Blue Planet. So that means that the brand needed a movement capable of being developed alongside CIGA to accomplish this.
Leonardo serves on the boards of World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Geographic’s Pristine Seas, the funders’ collaborative Oceans 5, and International Fund for Animal Welfare. Remember what I mentioned earlier about the sun that gave the snow-covered mountains of Greenland a golden glow? This refers to the domed inner section of the CIGA Design Blue Planet – Gilding Version, which also plays a vital element in the way that this watch tells time. Unlike other watches, this timepiece does not have regular hands.
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