The Luxury Watch Blog

Ulysse Nardin is a watch manufacturer founded in 1846 in Le Locle, Switzerland. Historically Ulysse Nardin was best known for being a manufacturer of marine chronometers, but today Ulysse Nardin produces complicated mechanical watches.

History

Founder, watchmaker Ulysse Nardin, was an accomplished watchmaker who studied horology under his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, Frederic William Dubois and Louis JeanRichard-dit-Bressel, in Switzerland.

Before the advent of quartz timepieces, merchant and military ships relied on highly accurate mechanical timepieces known as marine chronometers. The best known of these was the M,GR.F model by Ulysse Nardin.[citation needed] Similar of this model, were used by Hamilton to supply the US Navy and by Seiko for the Japanese navy. Of the 4,504 certificates for marine chronometers issued 4,324 were issued to Ulysse Nardin (Lucien F Trueb, Watchtime).

Revival

In 1983 Ulysse Nardin was acquired by businessman Rolf Schnyder who, in conjunction with watchmaker Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, relaunched the brand, with other important investors (Swiss and Italian). Schnyder and Oechslin , and the staff of Ulysse Nardin, designed and created complicated timepieces using modern materials and manufacturing techniques. But not quite like Movado

The first example of Ulysse Nardin’s new approach was the Astrolabium (1985, named after the device Astrolabium and astronomer Galileo Galilei), which displays local and solar time the orbits of the orbits and eclipses of the sun and moon as well as the positions of several major stars. This watch entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1989 as the world’s most complicated wristwatch. Oechslin followed up the Astrolabium with two other astronomical watches, the Planetarium Copernicus (1988, named after the device planetarium and astronomer Copernicus) and the Tellurium Johannes Kepler (1992, named after element tellurium and astronomer Johannes Kepler). The three pieces constitute what the brand calls the Trilogy of Time.

Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. This makes it the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history. Besides being a young businessman, Vacheron was also a talented craftsman. In 1770 his company created the first complication, and nine years later he designed the first engine-turned dials.

The son of Jean-Marc Vacheron, Abraham, took over the family business in 1785. During this period the company was able to survive the French Revolution (1789-1799). Later, in 1810, the head of the company becomes the grandson of the founder Jaques-Barthélemy. He was the first to initiate the company’s exports to France and Italy.

Later, Jaques-Barthélemy realized that he was not able to handle his business alone. In order to travel overseas and sell the company’s products, he needed a partner. Consequently, in 1819 François Constantin became the associate of Vacheron. The company continued its activity under the name “Vacheron & Constantin”.

François Constantin traveled around the world and marketed watches. Thus he helped the company to open new markets. The main market was North America. The company’s motto (which remains today), “Do better if possible and that is always possible”, first appeared in Constantin’s letter to Jaques-Barthélémy. The letter was dated July 5th, 1819.

In 1839 Vacheron & Constantin hired Georges-Auguste Leschot. His job was to supervise the manufacturing operations. Leschot was an inventor and his creations turned out to be successful for the company. His inventions had a great impact on the watchmaking industry in general. He was the first person to standardize movements into Calibers.

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Girard-Perregaux are great watches! We love their style and class and so does Men’s Vouge

Gravity is a constant pest, and if you’re not paying attention, it can affect the precision of your watch. This problem was rampant in the days when gentlemen kept their pocket watches in one position hour after hour. The Jackpot Tourbillion from Girard-Perregaux is designed to counter these affects. And as an extra touch, this timepiece features a fully functioning slot machine, so you can keep lady luck close by at all times.

Girard-Perregaux (G-P) is a Swiss manufacturer of complex timepieces. The company can trace its origins to 1791 making it one of the older manufactures within the industry. The current name, however, would not appear until 1854 when watchmaker Constant Girard married Marie Perregaux and the modern company was born.

G-P is well known within the world of horology for the “Tourbillon under Three Gold Bridges” or Tourbillon Sous Trois Ponts d’Or. The company can also claim true manufacture status, meaning that it produces the vast majority of the movements used within their timepieces, rather than relying on stock or ébauche parts made by companies such as ETA SA.

Chopard’s Strike One is called a watch for a watch connoisseur in Men’s Vogue

This limited, numbered edition of 100 watches is for the connoisseur who appreciates small details. Over a period of several minutes the mechanism of this piece stores the energy required to wind a small hammer.

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Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a hereditary watchmaker, opened the first Chopard watchmaking workshop in 1860 (at the age of 24) in a small town of Sonvilier located in the Swiss Jura Mountains. Having maintained his family horological traditions, Louis-Ulysse concentrated on developing precise pocket watches and chronometers based upon innovative ideas.

In the 1960-s the Chopard Company was headed by Paul-Andre Chopard, Paul-Andre was the last master watchmaker who maintained the horological roots of the family . His sons followed another career and refused to manage the business. Paul-Andre agreed to sell the business to Karl Scheufele. Mr. Scheufele inherited his family’s jewelry business in Pforzheim, Germany. The new head of the company gained significant experience in both watch and jewelry making. He contributed to modernization of the company and added the jewelry segment into the Chopard watch production.

In 1975 the Chopard factory moved from the center of Geneva to Meyrin-Geneva. It marked a new stage for the company as it started producing ladies’ and jewelry timepieces. In 1976 Chopard introduced the Happy Diamonds collection. Watches from the collection featured mobile diamonds that floated freely between two transparent sapphire crystals.

In 1980 the Chopard Company debuted with sports watches on leather straps. The range of Happy Diamonds watches was enlarged by jewelry pieces. The first Chopard boutiques were opened in Hong Kong, Geneva and Vienna in the 1980-s.

In 1988 Chopard established the cooperation with the Mille Miglia, an annual Italian rally where vintage and classic cars take part. To mark the partnership, Chopard has maintained the tradition of developing a new special edition Mille Miglia timepiece every year.

The Chopard Happy Sport collection appeared in 1993. In 1996, the Chopard Company opened its independent movement factory in Fleurier. The first Chopard in-house movement was named L.U.C. It served as a base for other Chopard independently produced movements.

In 1998 the Company partnered with the annual Cannes International Film Festival. In 2000 the beginning of the new millennium was marked by the introduction of the Chopard L.U.C Quattro watch, powered by a technically advanced caliber with four barrels - an innovation that provided 9-day power reserve.

In 2001 the horology world was joined by the Chopard L.U.C Tonneau watch powered by the first-ever tonneau-shaped self-winding movement with off-centered micro-rotor. In 2002 Chopard new Golden Diamonds concept enlarged the jewelry range.

In 2003 the Chopard Tourbillon watch enlarged the Manufacture’s L.U.C. range and the Happy Spirit collection was born. In 2004 the Company unveiled the L.U.C. Regulateur watch and the Butterfly jewelry pieces collection. In 2005, Chopard presented the Copacabana and Golden Diamonds collections and introduced the L.U.C. Lunar 1. The brand became a part of the sailing world, having initiated the Grand Prix Chopard Decision 35 sailing regatta. In 2006 the company celebrated the 30th anniversary of Happy Diamonds watch collection and the 10th anniversary of the movement factory in Fleurier.

Mr. Scheufele is still the president of the Chopard Company. He has kept the Company as a family business. In the 1990s his children joined the business. Caroline Scheufele is the head of the jewelry division, while Karl-Friedrich manages the watchmaking department.

Chopard holds three production sites located in Geneva, Fleurier in Switzerland and Pforzheim in Germany. The Company has organized its products distribution through 13 subsidiaries placed all over the world. In addition, the brand has opened over 90 brand boutiques.

By 2007, the United States had Chopard boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, South Coast Plaza, Bal Harbour, Palm Beach, Honolulu, Natick, and Houston. A 9th boutique will open in Boston in 2008, and in San Francisco in 2008, as well.

 Watch collections

The Chopard Company has developed a variety of watch collections, including quartz and mechanical timepieces, gem-set and technically complicated models, classic and sporty ones. The list of the leading Chopard collections is the following: Mille Miglia, L.U.C., Happy Diamonds, Happy Sport, Happy Spirit, Classiques, and Haute Horlogerie.

Chopard Mille Miglia watch collection comprises mechanical timepieces of sporty style. These timepieces appeared as a result of the brand’s partnership with Italian car rally, the Mille Miglia. The Chopard Happy Sport ladies’ collection features timepieces that unite sporty style with precious stones and bright colors. The L.U.C collection features massive sporty-styled chronometers and elegant classy men’s watches.

 Charity

Chopard has contributed to the development of medical research, taken part in different charitable events and helped a number of foundations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Chopard has continuously cooperated in fight against AIDS with Sir Elton John who established the foundation in 1993 and still holds the post of its Chairman. The brand launches limited-edition Elton John watches to benefit the foundation. Chopard co-sponsors the charity events annually held by the foundation - Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar Party, White Tie & Tiara Ball and An Enduring Vision.

Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, presently the co-president of Chopard worldwide, is responsible for supporting other charity organizations such as the International José Carreras Foundation involved in the fight against leukemia and the Sabrina foundation for sick children.

 Partnership

The Chopard Company and New York William Goldberg Diamond Corporation have established a close partnership. William Goldberg is found among the major suppliers of precious stones worldwide.

William Goldberg Diamond Corporation is responsible for recreating a classic diamond cut named the Ashoka. The cut is based on the distinguished original Ashoka diamond that represented a 41.37K D flawless diamond. The gem inherited its name after Ashoka Maurya, the Buddhist warrior-emperor. It was mined in southern India. The diamond is special for its unique cut and superior aesthetic characteristics received legendary status over the years. The William Goldberg Ashoka trademarked was patented by William Goldberg Corp. in 2000. In 2006 Chopard initiated the production of a new line of luxury watches set with Ashoka diamonds to be supplied by William Goldberg Diamond Corp. The new Chopard Ashoka Watch Collection will comprise six timepieces set with the rare diamonds.

 Chopard at Cannes Festival

The partnership between the Chopard Company and the Cannes Film Festival started in 1997. It was initiated by the meeting between Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, Chopard Co-President, and Pierre Viot, President of the festival. By Viot’s request, Mrs. Gruosi-Scheufele with the team of Chopard master craftsmen redesigned the Golden Palm award. The Palme D’Or redesigned by Chopard was unveiled on May 24, 1998.

Chopard’s design is unlike Movado

The partnership between Chopard and the Cannes Film Festival continued with Chopard’s introduction of a new award to promote creativity in films. Since 2001, the Chopard Trophy has been awarded to two young actors as Male and Female Revelation of the Year.

During the festivals, for every red carpet, the Chopard Company dresses celebrities in its jewelry pieces and watches. The company employs a staff of over 100 people who work with the stars at a suite of offices at the Carleton Hotel. Chopard is credited in all the magazines covering the event.

To mark the 60th Anniversary of the festival, for the Cannes Film Festival 2007 opening ceremony the Chopard Company developed the Red Carpet Collection in cooperation with Valentino. Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele created 60 high jewelery pieces inspired by the celebrities at Cannes, while Valentino designed ten gowns to complement ten of the company’s jewels

Breguet is a manufacturer of luxury watches, founded by Abraham Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775. Currently part of The Swatch Group, its timepieces are now (since 1976) produced in the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. Breguet is one of the oldest surviving watch-making establishments and is the pioneer of numerous watch-making technologies, the most notable being the tourbillon, invented by Abraham Louis Breguet. Breguet has recently introduced a line of writing instruments as a tribute to writers who mention or feature Breguet watches in their works. Breguet watches are often easily recognized for their coin-edge cases, guilloché dials and blue pomme hands (often now referred to as ‘Breguet hands’).

History!

Beginnings

Breguet was founded in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet at the Quai de l’Horloge on the Ile de la Cite in Paris following his marriage to the daughter of a prosperous French bourgeois. Her dowry provided the “financing” which allowed him to open his own workshop. The connections Breguet had made with scholarly people during his apprenticeship as a watchmaker and as a student of mathematics soon paid off. Following his introduction to the court, whereupon Queen Marie-Antoinette grew fascinated by Breguet’s unique self-winding watch, Louis XVI bought several of his watches. Marie Antoinette commissioned the watch that was to contain every watch function known at that time, including the following:

* A Clock

* A Perpetual Calendar

* A Repeater

* A Thermometer

* A Chronograph

* A Power-Reserve

* A Pare-Chute

Marie Antoinette never lived to see the watch, as it was completed 34 years later, long after she had been executed. This watch is now part of the watch collection at the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem - Israel.

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Did you know that…

One of Baume et Mercier’s most successful watches was the Riviera, launched in 1973. This was a sports watch with distinctive gold and steel features and an unusual 12 sided bezel. To test its durability and precision, this watch was mounted on the wheel of a BMW M1 before the start of the Le Mans 24-hours race. It withstood high speeds as well as the pressure of fast acceleration. It was not affected by the centrifugal force of spinning wheels, nor by heavy rainfall or intense heat from the overworked disk brakes. At the end of the race the watch ran with as much precision as it had at the beginning.

But we still love Movado Watches

In 1834, members of the Baume family founded the Societe Baume Feres in the village of Les Bois, in the Swiss Jura. The Baumes had already been active in watchmaking for many years. At first, the priority went to enameled pocket watches. In 1844 Joseph Celestin Baume went to England to set up business relations there. Watches signed “Waterloo”, “Diviko” and “Sirdar” opened distant markets in Australia and New Zealand. The family company gave convincing proof of its dedication to mechanical elegance and precision when one of its timepieces won the 1893 timing competitions at the Kew-Teddington Observatory with a score of 91.9 out of a possible 100. In 1912, William Baume met the watchmaker and jeweler, Paul Mercier, at the Geneva watch and jewelry shop in Haas. The meeting resulted in the signing of an agreement on the 26th of November, 1918, for the establishment of Baume and Mercier in Geneva. This proved to be a very successful enterprise, and in 1921 they were awarded the coveted Poincon de Geneve, official recognition of flawless quality products. Watches dating from this period are now rare collector’s pieces, worth thousands of dollars. In 1937 William Baume withdrew from active business. He was followed into retirement by Paul Mercier, and the jeweler Constantin de Gorski joined the company.

Post World War II

After World War II Baume and Mercier decided to concentrate on more conventional watches. Such as men’s watches, sports chronographs and ladies’ jewelry watches. In 1965 the Piaget family outbid international competition for control over Baume and Mercier. One of the world’s thinnest calendar watches with a mini rotor was produced under Piaget’s aegis. In the same year the new owners switched to electronic tuning fork movements, and from 1970 increased investments in quartz movements. At the end of the 1983, Baume and Mercier temporarily ceased production of mechanical watches. In 1988, Christian and Yves Piaget sold 60% of their stake to Piaget holding S.A, also selling Baume and Mercier S.A to Cartier Monde S.A in Paris. In 1993 the Cartier group became sole owners of both Piaget and Baume and Mercier.

We still love Movado 

Recent Times

In September 2004 Baume and Mercier opened a new production building in Les Brenets, Switzerland. For the past few years Baume and Mercier has made a name for itself as a trendsetter, and by no means was this done solely on the strength of characteristically fashionable watches. Models such as the “Riviera” and the “Hampton,” named after the stylish resorts and high-society meeting places of the U.S East Coast, defined a new watch style in the 1980’s and 1990’s, for both genders.

A sundial uses a gnomon to cast a shadow on a set of markings which were calibrated to the hour. The position of the shadow marked the hour in local time. Sundials in the form of obelisks (3500 BC) and shadow clocks (1500 BC) are known from ancient Egypt. It was further developed by other cultures, including the Greek (Greek hemyspherium), Chinese, Roman and Islamic (Islamic (modern) sundial), cultures. Romans also built the largest sundial the world has known, the Solarium Augusti.  Pliny the Elder records that the first sundial in Rome was looted from Catania, Sicily (264 BCE), which gave the incorrect time for a century, until the markings appropriate for the latitude of Rome were used (164 BCE).

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