TimeZone.com 2008 Watch of the Year

There were 6 finalists for 2008 which were attached in the picture above.
The F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain has barely edged out the JLC Reverso GyroTourbillon by 10 votes out of 920 votes.My vote went to JLC as i have seen the gyrotourbillon once and it was amazing!(eventhough square watch is not my cup of tea)However,the reverso is a classic must have from JLC.It's the same like Patek Philippe Calatrava and the moonwatch by Omega.It will completes your collection by having each of such watch.

Here are the winner for 2008:F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain

This manual wind movement in this revolutionary chronograph is the first to measure elapsed times as short as 1/100th of a second. The flying seconds hand at 10 o'clock goes around the dial in one second against a scale marked in hundredths of a second, making it theoretically possible to time an object moving at 360,000 km/h. On the dial at 2 o'clock, the hand goes around in 20 seconds and the time scale is marked in seconds. The outer tachometer scale shows the speed against odd numbers of seconds - 1, 3, 5, etc. - while the inner scale corresponds to the number of seconds. The third dial, at 6 o'clock, where the hand goes around in 10 minutes, has a similar tachometer scale with speeds corresponding to 20 second markers. Thus a kilometer travelled in 3 minutes 40 seconds corresponds to a speed of 16.4 km/h.

The chronograph is started, stopped and zeroed by a rocker at 2 o'clock on the side of the case, rather than the conventional 2 pushers - an ergonomic solution that has been granted a patent. The rocker turns a column wheel which activates the levers in the start, stop, and zero sequence in the conventional way. A second patent has been granted for the ingenious configuration of the mechanism, which effectively isolates the chronograph from the timekeeping function. This ensures that the amplitude of the balance is unaffected while the chronograph is running.

Flying Seconds - The high-speed flying seconds driven by the escapement, rotates 360 degrees in one second, jumping in tiny 1/16th second increments. A wheel, mounted on the fourth wheel of the movement engages a pinion carrying the flying seconds hand. This means that the flying seconds is driven by both the going train of the movement, working off the barrel, and the chronograph train, working off the barrel arbour. An unexpected feature of this arrangement is that the flying seconds hand can be stopped anywhere along its one-second journey, even between two 1/100th second divisions, enabling an approximate fractional reading.

"The Centigraphe is a unique creation," says F.P. Journe, the man behind the watch brand bearing his name. "In order to create this watch, I had to forget everything ever done in terms of chronographs in order to redesign on a blank sheet of paper." The concept was inspired by Jean Todt, a well-known figure in the Formula One racecar world. "I realized that there was nothing serious enough in mechanical horology to time today's racing cars to the 100th of a second." The result is Centigraphe.

and my voted went to this piece of art:

Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso GyroTourbillon 2

The three-dimensional motion of the extraordinary spherical tourbillon in this timepiece continues to draw the attention of collectors and enthusiasts. The inner carriage of the tourbillon completes a full turn in 18.75 seconds, while the outer one performs a more conventional one-minute turn. When JLC first unveiled their spherical tourbillon (a world's first) several years ago, it took the industry by storm, and several companies have since attempted to follow. JLC continues to innovate and to push the limits of haute horlogerie each year, and this extraordinary piece continues in that tradition.

A key feature of this timepiece is the cylinder-shaped balance-spring with end curves. This innovation represents a breakthrough in the field of accuracy and paves the way for a level of rotating precision that is unprecedented for a timepiece designed to follow its wearer's movements. The watch also contains a 50-hour power reserve and is crafted in platinum. The Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 contains over 371 parts and was specially created to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Movement: mechanical manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 174, crafted, assembled and decorated by hand, 50-hour power reserve / 371 parts / 58 jewels / 11.25 mm thick
Spherical tourbillon:outer carriage: aluminium, 60 seconds for a complete rotation. Inner carriage: 18.75 seconds for a complete rotation. Balance: inertia = 12,5 mg.cm2, 28,800 vibrations per hour. 100 parts
Functions: Front: hour, minute, seconds indication on the carriage of the spherical tourbillon, 24 hours / Back: power reserve
Dial: transparent mineral glass with Reverso numerals
Case: 36 x 55 mm x 15.8 mm, security bolt preventing accidental case opening, transparent glareproofed sapphire crystals front and back, water-resistant to 30 metres

and the Rolex Deep Sea came as the second runner up:

Rolex Ref. # 116660 DeepSea

CASE ARCHITECTURE AND WATERPROOFNESS: Waterproof to 3,900 metres (12,800 feet), the Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA required the design of a case with a unique architecture, the RINGLOCK SYSTEM. This innovation patented by Rolex consists of a combination of three distinctive features: The high-performance ring set inside the middle case of the watch between the crystal and the case back, the high-performance nitrogen-alloyed stainless steel ring withstands the pressure exerted by water on the crystal and the case back. The middle case is made from 904L steel. To resist pressure, the synthetic sapphire crystal is slightly domed and substantially thicker than the crystals of other Oyster models. The case back is made of a titanium alloy, an extremely resistant stainless material. It is held in place against the high-performance ring by means of a 904L-steel ring. The helium valve is made of high-performance stainless steel. Its size is adapted to the dimensions of the case to achieve optimal waterproofness. The helium valve is a safety feature, which, during the decompression phase, releases the gases that infiltrate into the watch during caisson dives. Indeed, between dives at great depths, professional divers use pressurised caissons in which they breathe high-pressure gas mixtures, notably containing helium, a very volatile gas that penetrates into the watch. As the diver resurfaces, the helium valve prevents damage to the watch. The Triplock winding crown, equipped with three seals and screwed onto the case, completes this ingenious waterproof system.

DISPLAY AND LEGIBILITY
The bezel The Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA has a unidirectional rotatable bezel with a 60-minute graduated black CERACHROM disc that allows the diver to precisely track his dive time. The movement The Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA is the calibre 3135; it also features a PARACHROM hairspring with high resistance to shocks and magnetic fields. Certified as a chronometer (COSC), the movement has a 48-hour power reserve. The bracelet can be adjusted for wear over a diving suit up to 7 mm thick thanks to a double extension system: Fliplock extension links, and the new GLIDELOCK clasp, allowing fine adjustments. Each Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA must pass Rolex's rigorous waterproofness tests. To this end, special equipment has been developed with the help of COMEX (Compagnie Maritime d'Expertise), a world-renowned French company specialising in underwater engineering and hyperbaric technologies.

FUNCTIONING THE UNIDIRECTIONAL ROTATABLE BEZEL
The Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller DEEPSEA allows a diver to safely track his dive time thanks to the unidirectional graduated bezel featured on the watch. At the beginning of a dive Once in the water, before beginning his descent, the diver turns the bezel to align the triangle on the graduated bezel to the minute hand, thus indicating the start time of his dive. During the dive The dive time can be read against the graduated bezel. Since the DEEPSEA bezel turns only counterclockwise, any accidental rotation can only have the effect of shortening the dive time.

all picture and spec reviews are borrowed from Timezone.com