The Luxury Watch Blog

Diamonds make a beautiful addition to a Luxury Watch. When that watch is a Movado Diamond Watch

It only helps Here look for yourself!

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We have decided that Luxury Watches are great to talk about but a matching pair of Cufflinks always suits a powerful man. Now there are many designs of Luxury cufflinks but one that i feel is quite interesting is X Cufflinks There exciting design and bold appearance are breathtaking. Here take a look

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Today we have two exciting things to talk about. 1. Luxury Movado Diamond Watches 2. We are approaching our 200th post! WOW! How the word of Luxury Watches has changed since we first started and now we are all up to date!

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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

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Gem diamond industry

A large trade in gem-grade diamonds exists. Unlike precious metals such as gold or platinum, gem diamonds do not trade as a commodity: there is a substantial mark-up in the sale of diamonds, and there is not a very active market for resale of diamonds. One hallmark of the trade in gem-quality diamonds is its remarkable concentration: wholesale trade and diamond cutting is limited to a few locations. 92% of diamond pieces cut in 2003 were in Surat, Gujarat, India.[1] Other important centers of diamond cutting and trading are Antwerp, London, New York, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam. A single company-De Beers-controls a significant proportion of the trade in diamonds. They are based in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, England.

The production and distribution of diamonds is largely consolidated in the hands of a few key players, and concentrated in traditional diamond trading centers. The most important being Antwerp, where 80% of all rough diamonds, 50% of all cut diamonds and more than 50% of all rough, cut and industrial diamonds combined are handled.[citation needed] This makes Antwerp the de facto ‘world diamond capital’. New York, however, along with the rest of the United States, is where almost 80% of the world’s diamonds are sold, including at auction. Also, the largest and most unusually shaped rough diamonds end up in New York. The De Beers Company, as the world’s largest diamond miner holds a clearly dominant position in the industry, and has done so since soon after its founding in 1888 by the British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. De Beers owns or controls a significant portion of the world’s rough diamond production facilities (mines) and distribution channels for gem-quality diamonds. The company and its subsidiaries own mines that produce some 40 percent of annual world diamond production. At one time it was thought over 80 percent of the world’s rough diamonds passed through the Diamond Trading Company (DTC, a subsidiary of De Beers) in London, but presently the figure is estimated at less than 50 percent.

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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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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

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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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Breitling is a brand of Swiss watches from the Canton of Jura. The watchmaker offers Certified Chronometers designed primarily for aviation use, though most frequently worn as high-end luxury watches. Breitling’s watches offer aviation functions, though their chronograph functions have become more of status symbols than practically applied tools. They typically have a large face (e.g. the Breitling for Bentley Motors edition has a 48 mm Case Diameter) for better visibility and to allow display of more information on the analog dials. Many other models feature an automatic winding mechanism that is purely mechanical (i.e. using no electronic components). A lot of Breitling watches are equipped with additional functions such as the flyback function, split-second, moon phase, date display and other complications.

All Breitling watches are manufactured in Switzerland and are made from Swiss components. Raw movements are obtained from ETA and Valjoux and are modified in the Breitling Chronometrie Workshops (former Kelek S.A.) before undergoing extreme COSC (Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres) certification.

Quartz models such as the Breitling Aeromarine Colt start at $1,650.00, while typical prices of mechanical, steel cased models are $7,300 (US) for the Breitling for Bentley Motors model. The expense is clearly in the 38 jewel self-winding movement as these steel cased models are more expensive than some of Breitling’s Titanium or Gold models. Some special edition models also include diamonds on various parts of the watch.

Breitling was a sponsor of Team Bentley during their Le Mans 24 Hours campaign, running from 2001-2003. To commemorate this event, Breitling created the Limited Edition Breitling Bentley 24 Le Mans Watch .

The Breitling Navitimer

Breitling Navitimer wristwatch with circular slide rule.

In the 1940s, Breitling added a circular slide rule to the bezel of their chronograph models for use by aircraft pilots. This became the famous Navitimer model. During the 1950s and 1960s, a version of the Navitimer was offered by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association with the AOPA logo on the dial.

In 1961, Scott Carpenter, one of the original astronauts in the Mercury space program, approached Breitling with idea of incorporating a 24 hour dial instead of the normal 12 hour dial. This was needed because of the lack of day and night during space travel. Breitling complied, and produced the 24 hour Navitimer which Carpenter wore on his 1962 space flight. Breitling then proceeded to produce the 24 hour version as the so-called Cosmonaute Navitimer - under both Breitling and AOPA logos.

The Breitling Emergency

Breitling Emergency

The Breitling Emergency version contains a radio transmitter for civil aviation use which broadcasts on the 121.5 MHz distress frequency and serves as a back-up for ELT-type airborne beacons. (For military users, Breitling has equipped the Emergency with a miniaturized transmitter operating on the 243 MHz military frequency.) Under normal conditions-flat terrain or calm seas-the signal can be picked up at a range of up to 90 nautical miles (167 km) by search aircraft flying at 20,000 feet (6,000 m). As of 1 February 2009, the Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System will no longer monitor the 121.5/243 MHz frequency; however, the signal transmitted by the Emergency was never strong enough to be picked up by satellite, and Breitling has announced that, as these frequencies will still be monitored by aviation, particularly during the localization phase of a rescue attempt, there are no plans to modify the signal’s frequency.

We still like Movado Watches 

In an incident that demonstrates how the Emergency can be used to save lives, Reuters reports that two British pilots, Squadron Leader Steve Brooks and Flight Lieutenant Hugh Quentin-Smith, crashed their helicopter in Antarctica and were rescued after activating their Breitling Emergency transmitter watches. The two pilots were in their lifeboat when a Chilean Otter aircraft found them after homing in on signals from their watches.

The Emergency is available for customers who do not hold a pilot’s licence, but they must sign an agreement stating that they will bear the full costs of a rescue intervention should they trigger the distress beacon. The model was heavily advertised by the Breitling Orbiter 3-both Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard were wearing the Emergency. Also, Bear Grylls wears an Emergency with yellow face and rubber strap in many episodes of Man vs. Wild.

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Formed in 1917, Rado initially produced watch movements only. In 1957 the company launched its first collection of watches under the Rado brand. In 1962 the Rado Diastar Original, the world’s first scratch-proof watch, was launched. It has been in production ever since.

In 1983 Rado became part of the SMH group which was renamed in 1998 as the Swatch Group.

Signature

Rado differs from some of the more traditional Swiss watchmakers in that it uses unconventional precious materials to achieve a more futuristic look. Rado has pioneered the use of a number of these materials, e.g., high-tech diamonds, ceramics, lanthanum and sapphire crystal. Many of Rado’s products include the use of steel & gold in harmony with high tech materials to allow for affordability to end consumers while enjoying the scratch resistant material.

Other than the material, Rado watches also look very different from most other makers. The company is more adventurous in constructing the shape of its watches than their competition. Market reaction to this is generally mixed, with some preferring the look of the more traditional makers, and others appreciating the more distinct Rado look.

Ambassadors

Like many watch companies, Rado watches have high-profile personalities that advertise the brand in various ways. However, Rado differs from many other makers as its ambassadors are less recognisable to the general public than usual. Rado even uses this fact itself as an advertisement. According to its website: “To choose a brand ambassador is not an easy task - at least not when a brand is looking for much more than just a popular and beautiful face to represents its values.”

As of 2007, Rado’s ambassadors are:

* Tommy Haas, German tennis player

* Jan, Mexican actor, singer and TV host

* Zhang JingChu, Chinese actress

* Renata Litvinova, Russian film director and actress

* Nobu Matsuhisa, American owner of high-end restaurant chain Nobu

* Shahid Afridi, Pakistani Cricketer

* Lisa Ray, Indian actress and model

* Rachel Tan, Malaysian model, Miss Malaysia Chinese International 2003

Pricing

Rado watches vary in pricing according to model, age and materials but generally a Rado will range from about US$400 for a lower tier model to about US$3,000 for a watch made from the more precious materials.

Trivia

* One of artist Andy Warhol’s last projects was the painting of Rado watches. An example of one of these paintings

* Rado advertises itself as the inventor of scratch-proof watches

* Nepal’s communist leader Prachanda has an affliction for Rado Watches. This is actually taken in Nepal as a welcome sign of normalization. In this case as power corrupted and bought backs to normality a politician, who led Nepal to its bloodiest war ever.

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