Venezianico pays homage to the legendary Concorde with a new chronograph in a limited edition of just 100 pieces, powered by the hand-restored Lemania calibre 1873 NOS.
Venezianico pays tribute to Concorde, the supersonic passenger aircraft that from 1976 to 2003 made it possible to cross the Atlantic Ocean in just a few hours flight time, breaking the sound barrier and flying from Paris to New York in just three and a half hours. A symbol of an era and a collective imagination that still fascinates today, Concorde remains an icon of the 20th century, thanks to its futuristic design and performance that allowed it to reach Mach 2.04, or 2,179 km/h, at an operational altitude of 17,000 metres.
The new Bucintoro 1976 is the second model in the series "Legacy of Time', which pays tribute to historical achievements. After the 1969 Bucintoro, inspired by the conquest of space and the Apollo missions, this new watch celebrates another epoch-making step, namely the beginning of regular transatlantic connections at Mach 2, an event that redefined the very concept of time and distance.
Venetian Bucintoro 1976: Lemania calibre 1873 NOS
The company recovered 100 examples of this historic hand-wound calibre, which were then restored by Venezianico.
The new Bucintoro 1976 is powered by the hand-wound chronograph calibre Lemania 1873 NOS (21,600 vib/h, 40-hour power reserve). Recovered in 100 examples from private European collections, was brought back to life after 12 months of research and restoration by the master watchmaker from Venezianico, Daniele Zorzetto.
This recovery work, however, symbolises the most authentic side of Venezianico: preserving and bringing to light historical mechanics through an approach that combines engineering expertise and craftsmanship sensitivity. The restoration required complex interventions: the upper bridge, for example, missing in several examples, was rebuilt from scratch thanks to a long process of study and experimentation.
The original 1970s decorations have been reproduced using traditional finishing and inking techniques, giving each movement its period identity and full mechanical authenticity. The movement is visible from the back side, closed with 8 screws.
Several references to Concorde
Standing out above them all is the titanium plaque on the left side of the carrure with the limited edition number, taken from an original Concorde engine blade.
What makes the new Venezianico Bucintoro 1976 unique is the titanium plate attached with two screws on the left side of the carrure, taken from an original Concorde engine blade, supplied by Concorde Collectables and certified as coming from lots 3464 and 3335, the last remaining available. This titanium and nickel alloy has traversed thousands of hours of supersonic flight over the Atlantic, becoming a direct witness to an unrepeatable era. Reworked with handcrafted care, the plaque is engraved in gold with the progressive number of the limited edition.
The ivory dial with the three additional ivory blue counters (for chrono minutes at 3 o'clock, chrono hours at 6 o'clock and continuous seconds at 9 o'clock) recalls the analogue instruments of the Concorde cockpit. The 42 mm case is made of steel and is combined with a 1.6 mm thick anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal.
The ingot indices and hands are SuperLuminova luminescent. There are also several details on the dial that recall the Concorde. Such as the flange with tachymetric scale, on which the three take-off phases (V1-VR-V2) are shown, while the minute counter incorporates references to Mach 1 and Mach 2, symbolising the crossing of the sound barrier.
The hour counter, marked 'Fuel', pays homage to the on-board instruments that monitored the remaining fuel range: Concorde, in fact, consumed around 17 litres of fuel for each of its 100 passengers per 100 km, a number that not coincidentally coincides with the limited editions of the 1976 Bucintoro.
The new Bucintoro 1976 from Venezianico is fitted with a bracelet in Sansovino steel, which complements the Made in Italy leather strap. Water resistance is guaranteed up to 10 atmospheres of pressure (100 metres).
Price4,750 euro.
