ARPIEM WATCHES

Racematic TDH "Denny Hulme"

€639,00

or 3 x €213,00 fee-free

The automatic tribute to Denny Hulme, 1967 F1 world champion

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BRACELET:KYALAMI Honey Leather

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The Racematic TDH pays tribute to Denny Hulme. He is one of those drivers who do not need to be in the spotlight to become a star. Denny Hulme is probably the most discreet and overlooked of F1 world champions. Nicknamed “the Bear,” he owed this nickname as much to his physique as to his aversion to long sentences. His rural origins made speaking a struggle.

Two years. That is how long it took him to be crowned in 1967, at the wheel of the Brabham Repco of his illustrious colleague “Big Jack” Brabham. It was a strange season. Straddling the two engine regulations of 1.5 and 3.0 liters, few cars that year were both fast and reliable. Hulme took advantage and won two races and the title. He then joined his compatriot Bruce McLaren, whose F1 program was just beginning.

McLaren also entered prototypes in the lucrative and spectacular American CAN-AM series, the goal being to finance F1 with the revenues from CAN-AM. McLaren exerted an undisputed dominance there with legendary cars until 1972 (and the arrival of Porsche and its mythical 917s…). The series was then nicknamed "THE BRUCE (McLaren) AND DENNY (Hulme) SHOW." 78 races were held during the golden age of the series, between 1966 and 1974; the McLarens won 43 of them, and Hulme 22 on his own. “The Bear” was then at the height of his glory.

Still competing in Formula 1, the repeated deaths of his fellow drivers, in particular Bruce McLaren in 1970 and his teammate Peter Revson in 1973, got the better of his motivation. Increasingly affected and difficult to approach, he left F1—discreetly, as ever—at the end of the 1974 season, after having notched up a total of 8 victories, and returned to his native antipodes where he devoted his energy to maintaining his property by a lake. The passion for driving was still there, and he soon returned to the wheel in Australia and New Zealand, in Touring Car and Truck races. It was thus that, entered in the Bathurst 1000 in 1992 at the wheel of a BMW M3, while driving in the rain, he contacted his pit to say "my vision is blurred." Which, given the weather conditions, surprised no one. His team was more astonished to see him arrive on the starting straight decelerating steadily along the safety rail, until he came to a complete stop. Then silence. Denny Hulme had died at the wheel, carried off by a heart attack at the age of 58. One cannot imagine a more discreet way to die while racing. Such was Denny Hulme, a passionate driver who hated to be noticed and draw attention to himself...

THE ARPIEM RACEMATIC CASE is made of 316L stainless steel. Its characteristics include a near-total absence of magnetism, ensuring it does not interfere with the movement's operation, and a very low carbon content (less than 0.035%) that makes it particularly resistant to corrosion and wear. A water resistance of 10 ATM is provided. The watch's setting crown is screw-down.

THE WATCH is assembled in France in Bordeaux.

DLC BEZEL COATING: The DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating is a material that combines the structure of graphite carbon with that of diamond, with a variable amount of hydrogen deposited in thin layers under vacuum. Its name refers to the diamond qualities found in DLC: wear resistance, durability, and a low coefficient of friction. Due to these qualities, it is used in the design of drilling tools, engines, the optical industry, and, of course, watchmaking. The DLC treatment of the TDH bezel provides it with shock and wear resistance far superior to what would have been achieved with a classic PVD coating.

THE DIAL: the shape of the sub-dials (the "pandas") is inspired by the pressure gauges of 1960s cars. The main dial markers represent the graduations of a tachometer.

THE TRIPLE-LAYER DIAL DESIGN gives the ARPIEM an elegant volume, which also recalls the "sandwich" alloy construction of racing car chassis before the advent of carbon fiber. The bottom layer of the TDH dial features a carbon finish, which modernizes the watch's deliberately retro "look".

THE MOVEMENT: automatic MIYOTA caliber 9132 with power reserve. Mounted on 26 jewels. Frequency = 28,800 vibrations per hour.

THE DOMED SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL: this is the highest quality crystal available on the market. It is actually an aluminum oxide crystal rather than glass. Even though it is produced synthetically on an industrial scale, it possesses the same chemical composition and physical properties as natural sapphire. Its main virtue is its scratch resistance. On the Mohs scale, which ranges from 1 to 10 and assesses mineral hardness, it is rated 9; only diamond is harder, rated at 10. Most minerals found in our everyday objects are between 4 and 7 on this scale. Its domed finish gives the watch its "vintage" appeal.

ANTI-REFLECTIVE TREATMENT: The crystal is treated with 6 layers of anti-reflective coating designed to limit light refraction on the sapphire crystal for perfect perception of colors and materials (the greater the number of layers applied, the lower the light refraction).

THE TACHYMETER: this has been revisited. Indices are usually arranged irregularly on the bezel. On the ARPIEM, they are placed in the style of diving watches, with the speed provided for each 5-second marker on the dial.

CASE BACK: it is equipped with a sapphire crystal, revealing the engraved rotor of the automatic movement.

Story

The Racematic TDH pays tribute to Denny Hulme. He is one of those drivers who do not need to be in the spotlight to become a star. Denny Hulme is probably the most discreet and overlooked of F1 world champions. Nicknamed “the Bear,” he owed this nickname as much to his physique as to his aversion to long sentences. His rural origins made speaking a struggle.

Two years. That is how long it took him to be crowned in 1967, at the wheel of the Brabham Repco of his illustrious colleague “Big Jack” Brabham. It was a strange season. Straddling the two engine regulations of 1.5 and 3.0 liters, few cars that year were both fast and reliable. Hulme took advantage and won two races and the title. He then joined his compatriot Bruce McLaren, whose F1 program was just beginning.

McLaren also entered prototypes in the lucrative and spectacular American CAN-AM series, the goal being to finance F1 with the revenues from CAN-AM. McLaren exerted an undisputed dominance there with legendary cars until 1972 (and the arrival of Porsche and its mythical 917s…). The series was then nicknamed "THE BRUCE (McLaren) AND DENNY (Hulme) SHOW." 78 races were held during the golden age of the series, between 1966 and 1974; the McLarens won 43 of them, and Hulme 22 on his own. “The Bear” was then at the height of his glory.

Still competing in Formula 1, the repeated deaths of his fellow drivers, in particular Bruce McLaren in 1970 and his teammate Peter Revson in 1973, got the better of his motivation. Increasingly affected and difficult to approach, he left F1—discreetly, as ever—at the end of the 1974 season, after having notched up a total of 8 victories, and returned to his native antipodes where he devoted his energy to maintaining his property by a lake. The passion for driving was still there, and he soon returned to the wheel in Australia and New Zealand, in Touring Car and Truck races. It was thus that, entered in the Bathurst 1000 in 1992 at the wheel of a BMW M3, while driving in the rain, he contacted his pit to say "my vision is blurred." Which, given the weather conditions, surprised no one. His team was more astonished to see him arrive on the starting straight decelerating steadily along the safety rail, until he came to a complete stop. Then silence. Denny Hulme had died at the wheel, carried off by a heart attack at the age of 58. One cannot imagine a more discreet way to die while racing. Such was Denny Hulme, a passionate driver who hated to be noticed and draw attention to himself...

Description