Archive for April, 2008

The Patek Tourbillon

Friday, April 25th, 2008

What is left for a manufacture to do after it has broken almost all records in the domain of horological complications? Patek Philippe built the most complicated portable mechanical watch ever made (The Calibre 89), devised the world’s most ingenious ensemble of complications (the Star Caliber 2000), and crafted the most fascinating Grande Complication wristwatch with astronomical indications (the Sky Moon Tourbillon). The answer is simple: It reasserts its leadership by combining challenging complications in a way that has never been attempted before. The result is the Ref. 5101P wrist chronometer with a power reserve of 10 days and a tourbillon.

A closer look reveals a few cues that point to the remarkable personality of this watch: The dial has a 10-day power-reserve scale, displays the discreet inscription “Tourbillon”, and bears the individual serial number of the movement. Once again, Patek Philippe transcended boundaries with the Ref. 5101P “10 DAY TOURBILLON” by fitting two mainspring barrels plus a tourbillon in the compact space of a rectangular form movement.

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The Top Four Watch Makers

Friday, April 25th, 2008

Once upon a time, long before the wristwatch was invented, the best clocks in the world came from England. The trouble was that they were rather big. This did not matter if their function was to act as a ship’s chronometer but it did get slightly awkward if, like all fashionable men, you tried to keep one of these clocks in your waistcoat pocket.

And then, around two hundred years ago (give or take a century) along came the Swiss and everything changed. Among the pioneers were names such as Breguet, who invented the tourbillon, and Blancpain (of which more later). Many of the first Swiss watchmakers were originally farmers who lived in the small valleys high in the Jura Mountains near the French border. They appear to have had two rather significant characteristics: they were good with their hands and they were very bored during the long winter months. Anyway, it was here that the Swiss watch industry was born. The clocks which came out of the Vallée de Joux were both accurate and relatively small. The snag was that they still needed a decent waistcoat pocket in which to live.

It was only during the First World War that the Swiss started to build watches which could be strapped onto a man’s wrist and not sit in his pocket. This new idea was an immediate hit with the army officers on both sides of the battlefield. Which, in case you wondered, is why even today there is a type of wristwatch case which is invariably referred to as an Officer’s Watch?

Everything in Swiss watchmaking industry went swimmingly for the first six decades of the twentieth century. So swimmingly, in fact, that Rolex invented the oyster case which allowed the wearer to go swimming in his watch. But then, in about 1965, the slurry hit the air-conditioning. The fiendishly clever Japanese invented the quartz watch mechanism. This device had two killer characteristics. First of all it was extremely cheap to produce. Secondly it was extremely accurate. Indeed it was far more accurate than any of the expensive, complicated and delicate Swiss watches which were powered by tiny clockwork motors.

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Scratch Proof Watches

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

How are watches scratch proof? Well not all watches are.  However  some include a Sapphire crystal and here is what it does.

Sapphire crystal is a very hard transparent material commonly used for “scratch-proof” watch glasses.

Made by crystallizing aluminum oxide at very high temperatures, it is chemically the same as natural sapphire and ruby, but without the small amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium or chromium that give the gemstones their colors. Sapphire (whether natural or synthetic) is one of the hardest substances, measuring 9 on the Mohs scale, a system for rating the relative scratch hardness of materials. (Diamond measures 10, the highest rating, and the hardest steels are 8).

Recently some high-end cell phones and PDA models have screens of sapphire crystal.

Synthetic sapphire is difficult, but not impossible, to scratch. In particular both diamonds and man-made materials that incorporate silicon carbide are harder than sapphire.

Look here to see Gold Watches with Sapphire Crystal

What is Movado

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

You always here us ranting about Movado but who really are they? Here is some company history for you!

The company is most renowned for its Museum watches that feature a black clock face with a single gold point at twelve o’clock. This is the minimalist look made famous for Movado by American designer Nathan George Horwitt in 1947. Horwitt intended his design to be evocative of a sun dial, with the dot representing the sun at high noon. This most recognizable look of a Movado is a simple hour and minute hand, with a solid background and a single depressed circle on the 12:00 mark. The Museum Dial, Movado’s signature design, has no markings on for minutes or hours (although some of Movado’s other designs now do). Many refer to this design as the “boss’s watch” because the boss doesn’t have to be on time (hence the vague display of time).

In addition to its design, Movado watches tend to be regarded for being light weight. Most Movado styles include the use of sapphire crystal, which is highly scratch resistant and thus used by most watchmaking companies.

The company supported the construction of a public clock which was designed by the architect of the name Philip Johnson, located outside Lincoln Center in New York City. In 2006, Movado celebrated its 125th year of watchmaking. With its watches set in museum collections around the world, the Movado Company has made its mark of success on the world. Its frequent publicity in famous magazines and other publications furthers this success.

Currently, Movado watches utilize both quartz and automatic movements in their timepieces. The Movado Group, Inc. also markets other watch brands: Concord, Ebel, ESQ Swiss, Coach Watches, Hugo Boss Watches, Tommy Hilfiger, Juicy Couture, Lacoste Watches and RALCO.

Movado Watches On Sale

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Here we have some exciting Movado Watches On Sale

Enjoy the savings!

Hot Gold Watches

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Dear Readers! We invite you to checkout some Hot Gold Watches that found today! The summer heat is coming but these are already on fire!

Luxury Watches

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

In order to understand Luxury Watches we must also look into Luxury Goods

Certain manufactured products attain the status of “luxury goods” due to their design, quality, durability or performance that are remarkably superior to the comparable substitutes. Thus, virtually every category of goods available on the market today includes a subset of similar products whose “luxury” is marked by better-quality components and materials, solid construction, stylish appearance, increased durability, better performance, advanced features and so on. As such, these luxury goods retain or improve the basic functionality for which all items of a given category are originally designed.

There are also goods that are perceived as luxurious by the public simply because they play a role of status symbols as such goods tend to signify the purchasing power of those who acquire them. These items, while not being any better (in quality, performance, or appearance) than their less expensive substitutes, are purchased with the sole purpose of displaying wealth or income of their owners. These kinds of goods are the objects of a socio-economic phenomenon called conspicuous consumption and commonly include luxury cars, expensive watches and jewelry, designer clothing, yachts, and large residences such as McMansions, urban mansions and country houses.

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Geneve Italy Sale

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

The Week is Sale week and we have manged to find another watch sale. All prices have been slashed on Geneve Italy Watches.

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Luxury Movado Watches On Sale

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

We have found an exciting coupons on Luxury Movado Watches

You can save 5% on all items using Google Checkout.

Luxury Watches on Sale

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

We have found many exciting discounts on Luxury Watches! We will list them as we find them.

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