Variety Watches

Watch Tags: Cartier, luxury timepieces, mens luxury watches

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.

Watch Tags: Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Jaeger Le Coultre, Jaeger Le-Coultre watches, Jaeger Le-Coultre webcast, Luxury Watches

There are so many high-end luxury watch brands that it’s impossible to know them all, but one would think that if a watch cost half a million dollars, you would have heard of the brand before, but (most likely) not in this case. It’s not a Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe, Ulysee Nardin, Hublot, etc.

It’s a Christophe Claret Dual Tow watch. You may not recognize his name but he’s been in the luxury watchmaking business for a long time, usually producing watches for others. The Swiss watch maker has been referred to as a genius and is the mastermind behind pieces like Harry Winston’s Opus 4 and Jean Dunand Tourbillon Orbital.

This is the first time in 40 years of watchmaking that a watch bears his own name: the Christophe Claret Dual Tow.

In an interview with Elite Traveler, Claret was asked about the technology and thought process behind his collection. This is what he answered:

“We are using very, very sophisticated computers for the design. In fact the software programs we are using are the same that movie studios use. It enables us to take the design of watches to a level that just would not have been possible before, but we still use the imagination and skill of the human being to create an innovation.”

He also uses a “super fast camera”, which “enables the watchmaker to see the watch operating in intervals of two-tenths of a second or a little bit less. We are one of only two or three companies in Switzerland that has an Ultrasonic Linear machine.” Claret has also invested in environmentally friendly machines and this costs money too.

He goes on to explain that millions of dollars are spent on the development of a watch and that really the only way to make a profit is to make about 50- 60 pieces at the prices that he charges.

The Dual Tow was released in a limited edition of 63 pieces. Each watch can be customized by the buyer through the designer’s website. Starting at $300,000, the price goes up depending on which options you choose. The entire case of the watch is available in either white or rose gold, platinum or PVD coated titanium. The watch itself is large; 42.75mm wide by 48.2mm tall. The lugs move to wrap around your wrist, while large sapphire crystals cover both the front and back of the watch, while smaller crystals allow for side view into the movement. The movement is an ultra complex tourbillon with mono-pusher chronograph consisting of 582 parts alone, and 73 jewels.

Watch Tags: Cartier, Christophe Claret Dual Tow watch, Hublot, Luxury Watches, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Ulysee Nardin

Cartier Santos

The Cartier brand is one of the most recognized luxury trademarks in the world. The name is synonymous with sophistication and luxury design. To truly admire the greatness of their legacy, one should read the history of the grand watch and jewelry Maison. The luxury brand’s overbearing presence in the jewelry, fragrance, accessory and watch industry are undeniable evidence of its massive international success.

The Cartier Company is a subsidiary of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA. Before 1964, the company was owned and controlled by the Cartier family of French jewelers. The Cartier family was renowned as artists of elaborate jewelry, commissioned by royalty from all corners of the earth. The brilliance of their technique and exotic choice of jewel ensembles created such grand pieces as the “Bestiary” (illustrated by the Panthère brooch in 1940, created for Wallis Simpson,) the diamond necklace that Yadavindra Singh Maharaja of Patiala wore in 1904, and of course the famous Santos wrist watch, made for the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont.

The company’s origins lie in Paris 1847, when young Louis-François Cartier took over his master’s workshop. Soon after, the apprentice became one of the most skilled jewelry-artisan of his time. In 1874 son Alfred Cartier took over the company. Although the company basked in success, it was not until Alfred’s sons Louis, Pierre and Jacques took the reins of the company, that the Cartier brand would enjoy such international notoriety.

In 1899 the company decided to expand internationally. Louis Cartier remained in Paris to control the local branch. He has been credited for some of the most famous Cartier designs such as the “Mystery Clock” and the employment of “Tutti Fruti jewels.”  In 1907 Cartier rose to the challenge of making the world’s first men’s wristwatch. The watch was made for the great aviator Santos Dumont, who complained of the impracticality and unreliability of wrist watches. The watch was named after him, and is still in production today.

Inspired by the powerful and newly-born war machines of the western front, Louis designed one of the most famous Cartier watch designs of all time. The Tank series debuted in 1917 and has been in production for more than 90 years.

In 1920 The Cartier Company formed a joint venture with Edward Jaeger. Jaeger would provide movements for the Cartier timepieces on a contract of exclusivity. This venture and the mass production of Cartier watches with trustworthy, precise movements mark the beginning of Cartier’s unstoppable rise to the top of the international watch industry.

Watch Tags: Cartier, Cartier timepieces, Luxury Watches, men's wristwatches, Santos Dumont