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Azimuth Watches

Posted Jul 5th 2008 2:02PM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


Azimuth is a relatively new watch company, founded in 2003, but they already have created a variety of intriguing designs. Their designs span the watchmaking spectrum from their Militare - 1 collection which are inspired by the pilot watches from World War II, to their angular and quirky Gauge Mecha-1 BMF designs. My favorite has to be the SP-1 Mechanique concept watch. The so-called spaceship watch has a rendition of Earth as seen from space which rotates every sixty seconds. It has a jumping hour display powered by a Unitas 6497 movement. It has a rotating disc which is at the base of a minute hand. The dial is decorated with small dots to resemble stars and the 45mm stainless steel case is capped by a domed sapphire crystal.

Gallery: Azimuth Watches

Azimuth Round 1 Bi-RetrogradeChrono Gauge Mecha -1 BMFGauge Mecha- 1 BMF

Breil Milano Opens New York Store

Posted Jul 3rd 2008 11:06AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


Italian accessories company Breil Milano has opened a new flagship store at 148 Spring Street in Soho, New York City. The stores is one in a series of flagship stores which Breil Milano is opening luxury cities. It evolves from the new monobrand boutiques recently opened in Berlin (February 2008), Florence and Barcelona (April 2008) .

The New York store is located in a historical building but the boutique has a modern contemporary style which combines warm color tones with bronze and green tints. The entire left-hand wall is covered by original tiles by Dutch artist Edwin Vlassenroot who also sculpted lampshades in copper.A more private space has been created at the lower level where jewelry and watches are available to the public. The next stores are planned for Rome and Milan.

[via National Jeweler]

Richard Mille for Boucheron Watch

Posted Jun 25th 2008 9:02AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the House of Boucheron jewelers, the company has commissioned a variety of special commemorators of the occasion. To start with, they have opened a new store on the rue du Rhone in Paris to showcase the firm's famous designs.

The company has also created unique objects in collaboration with international brand names such as Vertu, jewelry designer Harumi Klossowska, la Maison du chocolat and Richard Mille. From Mille comes the Hommage à Boucheron RM 018 timepiece, in which the gear-train of the movement is manufactured from precious and semi-precious stones. The tourbillon watch has a case and movement produced by Richard Mille and features the precious and semi-precious stones selected and elaborated by Boucheron. The 18K white gold watch is limited to 30 pieces and each piece will have a different combination of stones.

Maitres du Temps Chapter One Wristwatch

Posted Jun 18th 2008 9:02AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


The first watch from new brand Maitres du Temps is the Chapter One and it's practically a book unto itself. The new brand was founded by Steven Holtzman the ex-distributor of Roger Dubuis in North America and will showcase designs from Christophe Claret, Roger Dubuis and Peter Speake-Marin.

Their first model is the Chapter One which is thickly stuffed with complications including a tourbillon, mono-pusher chronograph, retrograde date, retrograde GMT, and two rolling bars at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock, indicating the day of the week and phase of the moon. A small window between the day roller and tourbillon allows a peek at the gyrating tourbillon cage. The watch is done in an 18K red gold case and has some pretty hefty dimension, 62.60 mm x 45.90 mm

[via Time Zone]

Gallery: Maitres du Temps, Chapter One Watch

Patek, Rolex, Cartier & Panerai at Bonhams Watch Sale

Posted Jun 14th 2008 12:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions

On June 19 in New York, Bonhams will auction off a selection of Fine Watches including this beautiful platinum Cartier pocket watch, estimated at $7,000 - $9,000. While overall the timepieces featured are of less importance than in some of the mega-auctions we told you about recently, there are still plenty of valuable and beautiful pieces to be had here. Also on the pocket watch front, there's a rare 18k gold open face minute repeating perpetual calendar version with phases of the moon by Patek Philippe, est. $80,000 - $120,000.

Also included in the sale: A Patek 18k gold self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases and leap year indicator, est. $25,000 - $35,000; several examples of the coveted "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" Rolex Explorer and a rare 1960 stainless steel anti-magentic Oyster chronograph, est. $40,000 - $60,000; and a limited edition titanium Panerai Luminor, est. $10,000 - $15,000.

Gallery: Bonhams Watch Sale

18k gold cushion cased Patek.Limited edition titanium Panerai Luminor.Rolex anti-magentic chronograph.Patek 18k gold open face minute repeating perpetual calendar pocket watch.Patek Philippe 18k gold self-winding perpetual calendar.

Icelink Bikini Watch

Posted Jun 2nd 2008 3:03PM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


Diamond-laden watch brand Icelink has launched something a little lighter for summer. The latest version of their six-timezone watch is called Bikini and features 12 brilliant diamond stars set into the intersection of the hours and places on the steel case. The watch has a bracelet exchange mechanism so the band can be easily swapped out. The retail price of the 6Timezone Bikini starts at $8,500.

Pre-Owned Luxury Purveyor's McQueen Rolex & More

Posted May 19th 2008 11:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions

A million-dollar Patek Philippe may be out of your price range, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on acquiring a classic and highly collectible timepiece at auction. A less expensive alternative to the marquee sales at Sotheby's and Christie's comes in the form of Portero.com's eBay-style luxury watch auction, ending Wednesday. Portero, which means "gatekeeper" in Spanish, has established itself as the most reliable online pre-owned luxury purveyor by absolutely guaranteeing that everything they sell is 100% authentic - an important safeguard when shopping for secondhand big-ticket items online.

The company, which just announced the strongest first quarter results in its history, features several important timepieces in its most impressive watch offering to date. Take for instance this beautiful 1974 Stainless Steel Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II, known as the "Straight Hand Steve McQueen" after the super-cool actor who popularized it - one of our favorite vintage Rolexes of all time. At Antiquorum's record-breaking $8.5 million Rolex auction last month one just like it went for $40,000, but with less than three days left (as of time of writing) the current bid on this one is only $19,000, so there's a chance to score a really good deal. See the gallery for more lots including watches by Patek Philippe, Ulysse Nardin and Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Gallery: Portero.com Watch Auction

1963 Rolex Oyster Perpetual MilgaussJaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Geographic AutomatiquePatek Philippe Perpetual Calendar PlatinumPatek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 18k White GoldUlysse Nardin Sonata Cathedral Dual Time

The Classicist: Panerai Past & Present

Posted May 13th 2008 9:07AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist


Photo by Éric Sauvage and Nils Herrmann

Officine Panerai, founded in Florence in 1860, makes some of the most coveted wristwatches in the world. They only produce a limited number of timepieces every year, and there's usually a long waiting list for new models costing several thousands of dollars. The company is credited with perfecting the world's first underwater watches in the thirties; many have imitated its oversized style and the numerous devoted Panerai collectors around the globe are known as "Paneristi." Since 1996 the company has also produced a line of watches for Ferrari and serves as the marque's official timekeeper. An impressive new slipcased volume, called simply Panerai, about to be published by Flammarion, details the fascinating history of these beautiful watches.

Early on the company became the official supplier to the Marina Militare (the Royal Italian Navy), initially providing optical and mechanical instruments. In 1910 they began experimenting with luminous materials to make the instrument dials visible in the dark. In 1936 the Marina Militare asked Panerai to develop a wristwatch suitable for use by commandos under extreme conditions. Thus was born the oversized, water-resistant, luminous dial Radiomir, production of which began in 1938, cementing a place for Panerai in the pantheon of the world's great watchmakers.

Gallery: Panerai: Past & Present

Radiomir Panerai, 1940s.Wrist depth gauge, 1940s.Luminor Panerai prototype, 1956.P.2002 detail of the movement train.An artisan carries out the

Continue reading The Classicist: Panerai Past & Present

Museum-Quality Pateks Worth Millions Up for Auction

Posted May 11th 2008 8:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions, Men's Style

A one-of-a-kind, oversized 1930s Patek Philippe chronograph that belonged to dashing Italian racecar driver Count Felice Trossi is expected to fetch close to $2 million at Sotheby's in Geneva today. Famed Fiat chairman Gianni Agnelli probably copied Trossi's habit of wearing his Patek over his shirt cuff, the better to keep time while winning the Italian Grand Prix, which Trossi did in 1947. These day's Trossi's name lives on mainly for automotive enthusiasts; his legendary one-off 1930 Mercedes-Benz SSK, now known as the "Count Trossi", is the star of Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection.

The sale also features several other Pateks including some extremely rare chronographs. Meanwhile, Christie's will stage it's own Important Watch auction in Geneva tomorrow, featuring two of the most important antique one-off Pateks ever to go ion the block: a stainless steel perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and a platinum perpetual calendar with sweep centre seconds and phases of the moon. Both are estimated at an astounding $1.4 million - $2.4 million.

[via Men.Style]

Gallery: Patek Philippe Auctions

18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph.Platinum perpetual calendar.Stainless steel perpetual calendar.18K gold openface keyless lever tourbillon pocket watch.Stainless steel chronograph.

The Hardest Watch in the World?

Posted May 9th 2008 11:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces


Avant garde Geneva-based watchmaker Urwerk produces what they claim is the world's hardest timepiece, the 103.08 TiAlN, the Wealth Bulletin reports. That stands for Titanium Aluminum Nitride, a coating less than 4 microns thick and much lighter than gold and platinum but much, much harder - more than 5 ½ times harder than steel, in fact. Nearly indestructible, the watch is practically immune to scratches, shocks, oxidation and even acids, they claim. Theirs is the first timepiece ever to use the coating.

Shown here in rose gold, the limited edition watch will run you about $70,000. The slanting sides of Urwerk's signature "orbiting hour satellites" allow you to see what time it is without turning your wrist. The company, which launched in 1997, has been doing revolutionary things to timepieces, yet their inspiration goes back several centuries. The name is an homage to Ur, an ancient city in southern Mesopotamia, one of the earliest known civilizations in the history of the world. Take a look at some of their other designs below.

Gallery: Urwerk's Wild Watches

UR-202 White Gold.103 Blackbird, Ltd. edition of 10.201 Pt Black, Ltd. edition of 10.103 Edition Spéciale.103 White Gold.

Eric Clapton's Rolex Sells for Record-Shattering $505,000

Posted Apr 27th 2008 2:02PM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Auctions

The other day we reported on the world records set at Antiqorum's recent $8.5 million Rolex auction, where the top-priced timepiece fetched $248,000. At Sotheby's Important Watches auction on April 23, however, that record was shattered by the sale of an ultra-rare 1971 "Albino" Rolex Daytona that formerly belonged to rock & roll icon Eric Clapton. Eclipsing its pre-sale estimate of $100,000 - $150,000, the Daytona went for a whopping $505,000 including buyer's premium.

Though the total proceeds from the Sotheby's sale, $6,588,451, were far less than Antiquorum's, the Clapton sale set a record for the Daytona and was the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for a Rolex watch. This model is known as the "Albino" because both the background and subsidiary dials are in a monochrome silver color, as opposed to the usual contrasting variations found on more common examples.

The second through fifth highest prices paid at the Sotheby's auction were all for Patek Philippes, ranging from $445,000 - $217,000. The sixth highest was also a Rolex, a so-called "James Bond" 1959 Submariner, which brought in $211,000.

Gallery: Sotheby's Important Watches

Little Kualala, Namibia.Pool deck, Little Kulala.Patek Philippe. A Large Gold Automatic Perpetual Calendar, $301,000.A. Lange & Söhne Ltd. Edition Gold Tourbillon with Power Reserve, $145,000.Singita Sweni lodge, Sweni River.

Most Valuable Patek Philippes on Exhibit

Posted Apr 26th 2008 7:02AM by Jared Paul Stern
Filed under: Timepieces, Events

Patek Philippe, maker of the most coveted watches in the world, is staging an unprecedented exhibit of the most valuable timepieces from its collection here in the U.S. The exhibit, featuring hundreds of items including priceless pieces from the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, is on display at Tiffany & Co.'s Fifth Avenue flagship through Saturday evening; next month it travels to the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons in Los Angeles, running from May 16 - 18.

With Patek Philippes fetching record prices at auction, this is a rare opportunity to view timepieces that the likes of Christie's would kill to get their hands on. The exhibits culled from the company's 169-year history include rare pocket watches and the first Swiss wristwatch ever made.

[via Men's Vogue]

Gallery: Timeless Patek Philippe

An early example of a wristwatchTonneau WristwatchAstronomical WristwatchClassic Gold Men's Watch

LVMH Picks Up Hublot

Posted Apr 25th 2008 6:00AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces


Luxury behemoth LVMH has a new watchmaker in their growing watches and jewelry unit. They have announced that they will acquire Switzerland's Hublot watch group from the founder Carlo Crocco and a firm controlled by Jean-Claude Biver, who's managed the brand since 2004.

LVMH already owns several successful watch brands including TAG Heuer, Zenith, Dior Montres and Louis Vuitton watches. LVMH has announced plans to increase the brand's profile in Asia and Japan and expand retail distribution. Currently the watches are sold in 300 stores worldwide. Hopefully they won't dilute the brand too much, part of Hublot's power is that that they do a particular type of big beefy watch, the Big Bang, so well. The Hublot fans on the Time Zone Hublot forum definitely are excited about this move for Hublot.

Watches for Wine: Magrez Gives Wine Journalists Cartier Presents

Posted Apr 24th 2008 7:02AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: Timepieces, Wine


Wine tycoon Bernard Magrez has run afoul of journalists by offering them what looks to be a classic bribe. Decanter reports that Magrez and his partner in wine, French actor Gerard Depardieu hosted journalists at a press lunch at the Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris on March 26. At the end of the lunch, journalists were giving a press kit and a box that contained a Cartier watch worth $2,641.

After what must have been some interesting moments of desire versus ethics, many of the journalists decided to either donate or return the watches. Magrez told Decanter he wasn't trying to buy good press, he was just using the watch as a way to commemorate the special occasion. The French website Backchich certainly isn't buying that. In their article titled The Advantages of Being a Wine Journalist, they feature a cartoon of a woman dressed in sparkling jewelry with a note pad and a glass of wine. My French is a bit rusty but I the caption roughly translates to this wine is rich and generous just like Mr. Depardieu.

$300,000 "Day&Night" Watch Doesn't Tell the Time

Posted Apr 23rd 2008 6:02PM by Rigel Gregg
Filed under: Timepieces


One of the first releases in the DNA of Famous Legends collection by Romain Jerome was the Titanic DNA watch, featuring oxidized steel salvaged from the real Titanic. The collection is rapidly expanding with several different models now available featuring everything from rust to jewels, but perhaps one of the most noteworthy is the "Day&Night" watch. It doesn't tell the time, it just tells you whether it's day or night.

It may seem like a silly idea but it's really just a reflection of the times -- watches are less and less about actually telling the time (we all have cell phones and PDAs for that now) and more about style and luxury. The Day&Night watch sells for $300,000 and the first lot sold out in just 48 hours. Apparently there are a lot of people looking to know whether it's day or whether it's night -- from their watch.

Gallery: DNA of Famous Legends Collection

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