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Jaeger Le-Coultre Gets Live for SIHH
The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is the biggest event in the luxury watch industry and now it’s about to get bigger. Jaeger LeCoultre has announced that for the first time ever, if you can’t be in Geneva to attend this event, you can still be part of it by joining Jaeger’s webcast which takes place January 19 at 10:15AM EST.
For fans of luxury watches, this is how you can see in real time the new watches and collections that Jaeger will be unveiling.
It’s hard not to notice that the watch industry, one which has been around for hundreds of years and prides itself on doing things the old-fashioned way (many luxury watches are still hand-assembled) is changing gears and joining the online world. All watch brands now have websites, some undoubtedly better and more interactive than others, Facebook pages, iPhone applications and even Twitter accounts, but this webcast is, I believe, the first of its kind.
If you would like to submit questions for a Q&A session with Stéphane Belmont, Marketing Director for Jaeger, sign up here.
Jaeger- LeCoultre was founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre and is known for producing over 1,000 different calibers and who for years, was the backbone behind brands like Cartier, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
Men’s Watches Worn by Female Celebrities
The list is long and by now we all know that one of the biggest luxury watch trends to come out of 2009 was that of women opting for larger watches i.e.: men’s watches.
Celebrities are the ones that really drew our attention to this trend, as men’s watches were gifted to girlfriends and seen on the wrists of everyone from Rihanna to Fergie.
In addition to being a talented singer, Rihanna is a fashion icon, so everything she wears is always duly noted. In one of her top videos she wears an 18K-gold Piaget Polo watch with a 38-mm case. Due to the nature and message of the song, the watch serves a double function, exuding her independence as a woman, which I think is why a lot of women prefer men’s watches. They do, as I wear one also, give you a sense of empowerment. Anything a man can do a woman can do (better). Isn’t that a famous quote?
To accommodate this new trend, many watch brands have stopped classifying their collections as “men’s” and “women’s” but rather just go by name and size, so as not to accidently insult anyone.
Other female celebrities that love men’s watches include the Olsen twins, who even on their tiny wrists, have no qualms about wearing a Rolex Daytona , Sienna Miller goes for a Rolex as well and Fergie choose a large size Cartier Ballon Bleu (as does Usher).
They say fashion trends come and go and eventually circle back to what they were years ago. I think it’s safe to say that for now and a good while to come, the new woman’s watch is simply a man’s watch.
Baume Mercier Ambassadors
Evangeline Lilly made her fame starring in the “Lost” series and of course, we all remember David Duchovny from the wildly popular “X-Files”. In addition to being talented actors, both are also Baume Mercier Ambassadors.
The ad campaign that B&M runs for itself is titled Baume & Mercier & Me. Many other luxury watch brands hire high profile celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tiger Woods, and Maria Sharapova, among others to represent and promote their watches, but not B&M. And given the recent Tiger Woods drama, it’s obvious that it’s not always necessarily a good thing to have a super famous face behind your brand. Baume chose these two ambassadors because while “internationally recognized, while remaining totally authentic and profoundly human.”
According to the official B&M website: “this campaign enables Baume & Mercier to convey, in an authentically committed manner, the three values forming the essence of its brand identity : proximity, authenticity and creativity.”
If a brand has big enough pockets, they can pretty much hire whomever they choose; it’s not uncommon for celebrities to earn millions endorsing a single brand, but that’s not the case with Lilly and Duchovny. The agreement is more along the lines of a pro bono partnership with Baume sharing profits with causes that the actors support.
The newest Baume & Mercier watch set to debut at the 2010 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) show this month in Geneva, is the Classima Executives XL Chronograph Complete Calendar. With this watch, Baume delivers a difficult combination of complete calendar with moon phase indication.
Wrap It Up with Raymond Weil
The countdown to 2010 is in full effect. What better way to celebrate the New Year with a new watch? A new year, a new you, a new watch. Brillant idea.
Raymond Weil watches are great, stylish timepieces that will last a lifetime. With a wide selection of collections for both men and women, and reasonable prices to go with them, you can’t go wrong wrapping up 2009 with one of them!
Founded only ion 1976, Raymond Weil (RW) has come a long way in its short (for luxury watch brands) existence. It is one of the last family owned brands around and with this comes a dedication to detail and perfection. The motto is “independence is a state of mind” and each of their watches really shows this.
From the men’s collections, you have the Don Giovanni, Freelancer, RW Sport and Tango (among others) from which to choose. Check out this Sport Chronograph and see what I mean; cool, hip, sporty and handsome, all wrapped up in one.
Women’s watches include the RW Spirit, Tango and Toccata among others.
Although Charlize Theron is no longer one of RW’s spokespeople, she’s still pretty to look at. Watch her here
Panerai Radiomir Titanium 47mm Limited Edition Watch
Panerai is the king of oversized, cool watches and here comes another. 
The Special Edition Radiomir Titanium 47mm. Based on a design from the 1930’s, the dial features what’s called a “California dial”, which is where the top half the numerals are Roman and the lower half are Arabic. It was in 1934 when the Radiomir collection, to which this particular model will belong, was crated. The dial itself, like many Panerai watches, is simple; there are no words, logos or partnership branding.
Panerai is only making twelve of these timepieces, which automatically means they will become collector’s items, especially among those that consider themselves Paneristi, cult-like fans and followers of Panerai watches.
This Italian luxury watch brand is pretty much solely responsible for creating and popularizing large, oversized watches and this limited edition Radiomir does not disappoint. At 47mm the case is made from titanium, which is the new, light-weight, cool material from which to craft a watch. The hands on the dial are made from rose gold and covered with lume, while the subsidiary hands are classic Panerai style. The lugs can be removed if the wearer wants to switch straps and on the turnip shaped crown you will notice a tiny bit of branding. The watch runs on a hand-wound the Panerai caliber OP XXVII that is visible through the caseback of the watch. With a grand price tag between $25,000 – $30,000 the watch will only be available at select Panerai boutiques; it can be assumed that the original store in Florence which was founded in 1900 and still stands will carry it.
Bell & Ross BR-S Ceramic Phantom
Bell & Ross doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel so to speak, or in this case, the watch. They simply take what works and make it better, cooler, more unique.
The Bell & Ross BR-S Ceramic Phantoms are great examples of this. Using the popular Phantom watch model, the brand jazzes this new collection up a bit and it’s pitched as a woman’s watch.
The square-shaped case is made almost entirely from ceramic and measures 39mm (yes, made for a woman) and looks almost exactly like the men’s version of this watch, known as the BR-01 and BR-03. These latter collections have a military feel to them, but these new BR-S pieces are more elegant and slimmer with smaller crown and lugs (again, made for a lady) and the glossy finish of the ceramic gives them a certain glow.
The bracelet on these new women’s watches is new as well. Made from ceramic, each link is thin and rectangular in shape. The glossy finish compliments the entire watch and a folding, two-button “deployante” clasp is integrated within its structure. Like Michele watches, these Bell & Ross ones come with interchangeable straps such as rubber, glossy patent leather, and alligator straps.
The collection consists of four designs, an all white, all black and both with diamonds. Each runs on a quartz crystal movement, powered by a battery with about a 2 year life span. The dials, hour hands and minute markers are easy to read and each of the hands are painted with luminescent pigment for better visibility in darkness.
Three New “Auto Watches”
They’ve come to be known as “auto watches” – luxury watches that are born from a partnership with a luxury automobile brand or racing event. The thinking goes that if someone can afford to drive a high end, limited production automobile, that person is also game to buy the specially made, limited edition watch that “goes with” the car.
This is not a new concept; TAG Heuer and Porsche Carrera have a partnership, as do Breitling and Bentley, Tissot and Nascar, and others. Here are three newcomers:
Jaeger-LeCoultre and Aston Martin
Only 300 pieces of what’s to be called the AMVOX3 Tourbillon GMT will be made. The watch will feature a round case made of ceramic, a first for this watchmaker. It will run on the automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988 tourbillon movement, “driving two time-zone displays with more than a glimpse of the tourbillon mechanism. Most remarkable of all is the openworked dial, giving a full view of the ruthenium-coated bridges and baseplate.”
EDOX and Koenigsegg
Only 30 of these hand-made Edox-Koenigsegg Chronograph watches will be made. “The outstanding visual feature of this timepiece is the pair of hinged ‘doors’ that protect the crown – imitating the gullwing design of the Koenigsegg CCR sportscar.”
Hublot and the Automobile Club de France
A limited edition series of men’s and women’s “drive” chronographs by Hublot for the oldest automobile club in the world will feature the colors of the ACF. “The skeleton dial, which reveals a section of the movement, is surrounded by a black ceramic case and bezel.”
Most likely watch and automobile aficionados will see more of these “auto watches” at the BaselWorld show in March of 2010.
Michele Watches Given Away on Ellen Show
It was a high point for Michele watches as well as for everyone that was in the audience for the Ellen DeGeneres Show, commonly known as “Ellen.”
For 12 days during December there is a different give away each day for members in the audience and a few days ago, the crowd scored when Ellen announced that everyone in the audience would get a $2,000 Michele watch! On her wrist Ellen had a white women’s watch from the Tahitian collection (see image below) and offered to the audience were white, black and pink watches, all sporty chronographs with 200 hundred diamonds.
This is better than any watches sale any day!
These are truly funky and fashionable watches and the crowd roared with enthusiasm. The bands and cases are made from ceramic, giving the watch a very cool look and quite similar to the much higher-priced Chanel J12 watch.
Michele watches are made for women, with women in mind. The company is a family run business and was named after one of the daughters.
The Michele brand offers a diverse and extensive collection of women’s watches, for all different moods and scenarios. One of the best things about them is that there is just as big a selection of straps, so that you can easily change the look of your one watch by using different straps.
“A Cocktail and a Breitling Watch Please”
There are all sorts of crazy marketing gimmicks and when it comes to Las Vegas, craziness on any and all levels is taken to new heights. So, although this may sound way out there, supposedly it is true.
CityCenter is the newest city within a city to come into existence on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s 16 million square feet encompass everything from casinos, to hotels, restaurants, shopping and of course, nightlife galore.
Haze Nightclub in CityCenter’s centerpiece ARIA Hotel has come up with a cocktail called the “Haze 75” which is geared toward high-rollers. At a cost of $25,000 what could possibly make this drink so special? It’s prepared with Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac and Grand Marnier 150 year and comes with two Breitling watches – presumably one for “him” and one for “her.”
Nor does the marketing pitch talk about what kind of Breitling watches these may be, but in a town where anything is possible, perhaps it is true that $25,000 will buy you two luxury watches.
Whether Haze Nightclub can count on anyone actually purchasing this cocktail is another story; they must be banking on the notion that people do crazy things in Vegas, especially after a few drinks.
As for the watches, Breitling typically makes men’s watches. Their collection for women is more limited and due to their complexity in design and having so many visible functions on the dial, they may not be that appealing toward women. However, there is no doubt that they are quite the luxury watch; Breitlings have become quite the status symbol due to the fact that they’ve been worn and seen on many celebrities.
The World’s Most Pointless Men’s Watch?
Luxury watch companies are always trying to think of some new angle with which to pitch their watches; it’s hard given that a watch can really only do so much. However, the Swiss company Horus has come out with a new watch called the Ultramarinum Marine watch that promises to give its owners “the power of time”.
What does this mean? Well, by pressing a button the wearer can adjust the seconds, minutes and hours; making them “follow the pace of his or her choice and then return to the current time at any point.”
What? Who has the time to play with time? Well, Horus is betting that millionaires do and this makes sense given that the cost of this men’s watch, in U.S. dollars is about $664,000. Horus is hoping that the illusion of being able to control time appeals to a millionaire’s taste. For example, if someone is sunbathing and wants to pretend that time has slowed down; that the world has stopped moving, this person can (on his / her watch) stop time. When it comes time to snap back to reality (find out if it’s time to flip) he / she pushes a button and the time returns to normal.
The design f this watch was inspired by the 1920s steam yacht the SS Delphine, which in the eyes of Kat Hannaford, the contributing editor of Gizmodo, makes it “clearly aimed at yachtsmen.” However, anyone knows that when you’re out at sea, the idea of manipulating time is not a smart one.
Perhaps the Ultramarinum Marine will appeal to rich owners of yachts who never really leave the harbor. After all, this watch is only available for purchase in Horus boutiques which happen to be located in Montreux, Switzerland, Monaco and Abu Dhabi.
Andre Grossmann, the founder of Horus, defends his masterpiece saying “It took four years to create this breathtaking time-piece. We used avant-garde materials and revolutionary technologies to create a watch with a time-control system. I am really pleased to be able to offer people the possibility of controlling time. That, for me, is the very essence of true luxury. What could be more precious than time?”
The watch itself is made from teak and titanium and the mechanism inside includes 45 rubies. It is water resistant to 100 meters and shockproof. The strap is made of canvas and leather. The speeding up and slowing down mechanism is controlled by “a marine tourbillion function”.