Audemars Piguet has introduced the new Ladies' Jules Audemars collection, an elegant collection of white or pink gold models with a 29 mm case,silver-colored or white mother-of-pearl dials and moiré satin straps. Each has an hour circle punctuated with Roman numerals and the centers feature either a spiral flinqué or diamond-pavé motif and small seconds at 6 o'clock. The pink gold watches have chocolate brown straps while the white gold watches have satin straps in black or midnight blue. The watches also have a sapphire crystal caseback. Explore the classic beauties in the gallery below.
Luxury Italian watchmaker Panerai is debuting four new models in its Ferrari branded collection in London at the British International Motor Show (BIMS) this week. Panerai began producing the collection for Ferrari in 2006; the entire range is on display to the public for the first time at the show, which began Wednesday and runs through Aug. 3rd.
The four new models are: the Ferrari 10 Days GMT, approx. $18,000, from the Scuderia Collection; the Ferrari 8 Days Chrono Monopulsante GMT Classic, approx. $21,000, from the Granturismo collection; the Ferrari 1/8th Second, approx. $21,000, a Special Edition; and the Ferrari Chronograph, approx. $57,000, a Special Edition. The entire collection now comprises 19 models.
Hermes Paris has just posted a 12.8% increase in sales for the first half of the year and also announces plans to unveil 15 new or improved retail posts in the coming months. Further proof that what doesn't go out of style is worth investing in, the brisk sales at Hermes are mirrored in the vintage market, as well -- fashionistas hungry for rare silk scarves and enamel bracelets are in constant bidding wars on eBay. (Don't get me started on my recent loss of a safari-themed bangle from the early '80s. Damn you, iris1680!) A nice point of entree to the luxury brand? Perfect-for-summer scent "Un Jardin en Mediterranee," the eau de toilette equivalent of a stroll through Mediterranean gardens. At least until you justify that new Birkin.
The Backes & Strauss Regent 1609 AD limited edition watch packs a little history into a gorgeous package. The watch is named for the year when English astronomer Thomas Harriett made the first drawings of the moon . To celebrate the event the watch features a moon-phase indicator decorated with a 17-star constellation delineated in diamonds. The waches are produced in collaboration with Geneva's Franck Muller Watchland, which manufactures the movements and completes assembly. The watch also features a diamond set in the crown as well as on the bezel and lugs.
The Regent 1609 AD is currently on display in the Harrods Fine Jewellery and Watch Room opposite the de Beers boutique, until it is officially launched in October 2008. This is the first limited edition watch from Backes & Strauss and it is limited to 219 pieces (in two sizes) and available in different diamond combinations (from £17,000).
Jeweler Boucheron has put snakes on phones, now they are putting frogs on watches. The Boucheron Bestiaire is a limited edition of just eight pieces. The 18K white gold watch measures 42mm and is water resistant to 50 meters. The dial is white mother-of-pearl and the movement is a manual-wind Tourbillon with 17 jewels, beating at 21,600 bph. It is available in two versions, one with 282 rubies, sapphires and multicolored tsavorites (total weight of 7.7 carats), and another version with 195 rubies, sapphires and multicolored tsavorites (total weight of 3.3 carats.).
Need more Boucheron animals? Check out their Extravagant Bestiary, a stunning collection of 26 jeweled pieces featuring snakes, frogs and other animals rendered in precious metals in gemstones.
Jaeger-LeCoultre has teamed up with actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio on the new "Time to Care" program, which will benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Fund at the California Community Foundation. Two special timepieces will be sold in the fall of 2008 and all the proceeds will go to DiCaprio's fund.
The first unique piece for sale will be a one-of-a-kind Master Compressor Extreme Lab, worn by DiCaprio to the premiere of his documentary as shown in the picture above. This piece will be the first watch in the Extreme Lab series to be delivered anywhere in the world, and is valued at approximately $300,000. It will be engraved with Leonardo DiCaprio's signature and is crafted in carbon fiber and titanium. It has an automatic tourbillon, two time zones, a pointer-type AM/PM indication at 12 o'clock and a patented jumping date display between 15 and 16 linked to local time. The watch features the first mechanical movement to operate without any lubricant and it is resistant to extreme temperatures of -40 degrees to +60 degrees Celsius.
The second unique timepiece for sale will be a one-of-a-kind edition of the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 valued at approximately $400,000, It will contain the first-ever spherical tourbillon and will be the first watch in the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 series to be delivered anywhere in world. The platinum watch also contains a 50-hour power reserve. It is fashioned from over 371 parts and was specially created to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Jaeger-LeCoultre this year.
The watches will be sold at the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Boutiques in Boca Raton and Beverly Hills which are scheduled to open summer and fall of this year, respectively.
On July 16, Sotheby's in London is staging a stunning sale of Important Watches. The top lots are all of course Patek Philippes, but there are some prime timepieces from the likes of Rolex, Panerai and Cartier as well. Leading things off pricewise is an exceptional platinum minute repeating perpetual calendar tourbillon Patek with retrograde date, phases of the moon and a black dial, est. $700,000 - $900,000.
From there prices drop dramatically and there are some deals to be found. We're particularly fond of this 1945 steel Patek chronograph with register and tachometer, est. only $50,000 - $80,000. On the Rolex front there's a rare 1972 stainless steel Submariner made for the British Royal Navy, est. $50,000 - $70,000, and a stainless 1983 Daytona cosmograph, est. $28,000 - $36,000. Also worth noting: an oversized Panerai limited edition white gold dual time zone Radiomir, est. $11,000 - $17,000. See the gallery for pix.
While I was in Las Vegas at the JCK Jewelry Show, I checked out the Ducati watches from Binda and fell in love. I'm a sucker for anything Ducati anyway but really integrate the Ducati aesthetic very well, sticking to a red, white, black and gray palette and integrating a rugged motorcycle-ready look.
The watch at left is from the Ducati One Collection and has a Swiss made ETA 2824 automatic movement and a 42mm case in black titanium. The dial is reminiscent of a motorcycle wheel while the texture of the rubber strap looks like a tire tread. It sells for $1,175.
The watch on the right is from the Desmo Collection. It as a Swiss made Ronda 5030 quartz chronograph and the 44mm case is stainless steel.The water-resistant watch has a case back with eight screws and stainless steel screws on the bezel with a stainless steel and red screw crown. It sells for $1,095.
Shown above are the latest watches from Dior. On the left we have the newest design from John Galliano for Dior, the Christal Midnight Blue rubber watch. The watch has a 33mm stainless steel case and a blue mother of pearl dial set with 36 diamonds. The bezel is set with 90 diamonds and the bracelet is stainless steel set pyramid-cut, scratch proof blue sapphire crystal. The watch is a limited edition of 500 and sells for £3,150.
On the right is the latest La D creation from Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of fine jewelry at the Dior house. This watch has an 18K rose gold case with a mother of pearl dial and an 18k rose gold in-set spiral of 55 pink diamonds. The bezel features 76 diamonds and the band is a black satin strap. This watch is a limited edition of 15 and sells for £14,900.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Luxury Italian watchmaker 
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On June 19 in New York, 
