To honor the closeness between classical music and haute Horlogère -two ancestral arts still instilling an incomparable emotion-, Girard-Perregaux is associated to of one of the most unusual and prestigious musical event in Europe: the Menuhin Festival Gstaad. Exceptional concerts with international artists will take place until the 8th of September.
In tribute to this 51st Festival, Girard-Perregaux has dedicated a 10-pieces limited edition: Menuhin Festival Gstaad. In addition, the company organizes in its lounge located in the Festival tent, an exclusive presentation of two artists immersed in their work: a Girard-Perregaux master watchmaker and the renowned violin maker Claude Lebet.
There is no denying that Rolex has a certain mystique that goes with its name, and until you own one it is hard to comprehend what it is. So I took the plunge, after reading tons of reviews and literature like this one that I am writing now, on most of the Rolex Professional Collection, such as the Submariner Date, the Explorer 2, the GMT Master 2, the Yacht Master 1and of course, the Sea-dweller. I finally settled for the legendary Sea-dweller (Oyster Perpetual Date, reference 16600, recommended retail price USD$5,350 at the time of this article, August 2007). I took into consideration factors such as the respect this watch commands among the dive watch fraternity, its incredible technical specifications and capability, the classic timeless cosmetic appeal, and also, the rich illustrious history behind it. It sure took me some time to come to this decision, but I have not regretted a single bit. I cannot begin to describe just how excited I felt when I first saw my Z-series Sea-dweller. There it was, sitting in the new design, large and heavy Rolex box. To side-track a little, in my opinion, this new design box that was introduced somewhere in the early 2005 is a huge improvement over the scrawny looking old wooden box that Rolex had been using for the past 20 to 30 years. I feel any Rolex watch sits much safer and look more secured in this huge solid box with a nice soft padded cream interior, compared to the old one. I am not sure what material it is made of, but it feels too heavy to be wood. Could be hardened plastic, I guess.
Want the right wristwatch to go with that new $88,000 Vertu phone on your belt? Check out this platinum watch from Swiss timepiece-maker Ulysse Nardin, a one of a kind (or rather, 99 of a kind) gem that gives you a UFO’s-eye view of the Earth—all for the bargain price of $100,000.
No, it’s not encrusted with jewels and it doesn’t do Bluetooth, but the Tellurium J. Kepler Limited Edition watch (only 99 were made) has something you won’t find on your everyday Timex: a rotating representation of the globe as it might be seen from above the North Pole, complete with a flexible spring representing the terminator between day and night, plus a perpetual calendar that makes a complete rotation once a year. Oh, and it’s water resistant to 30 meters, although I’m not sure how the leather wrist strap will handle salt water.
I know Movado Watches will come out with something like this!
Sarcar produces limited and numbered pieces per year. The Managing Director, Maya Koenig, believes that is the right strategy for the company to continue. She explains: “That’s a perfect reason for us to stay small because that’s how we ensure our exclusivity and focus. At Sarcar, our mission is to create dreams for the most unique and most beautiful timepieces you will ever wish to possess and we then let you bring such dreams to reality.”
Guided by a keen sense of aesthetics, Carlo Sarzano, founder of Sarcar watches, started to conceive jewellery watches which, although naturally functional, were above all distinguished by their beauty and their exclusivity. Sarcar watches thus became known for ‘reflecting inner beauty’. The watch brand carries out strict quality controls at every stage of production and thus is known to offer something really different which also happens to be one of its sales arguments.
TZ: Thank you so much for the opportunity to have this interview. I would like to start with retail. When will the Geneva boutique open and what will it look like?
Thierry Stern: We hope to be open by the end of this year. The entire building has been renovated. Three floors will be open to the public. We plan to organize some exhibits around particular themes. We will also have the entire current collection permanently available for our customers at the Boutique; this is important to us.
We wanted to create three Patek Philippe destinations within Geneva, a Patek triangle if you wish, between the factory in Plans-les-Ouates, the Patek museum, and the Boutique.
TZ: Do you mean that all the watches currently available in the catalogue will be for sale at all times at the Geneva Boutique?
Claude Peny: No, that would not be fair to our retailers. Some difficult to obtain models will not be available for sale. Customers will be able to view the watch, but will have to order and wait for it.
TZ: There have been rumors that you recently purchased the Patek Philippe Boutique on Bond Street in London (that boutique belonged to a retailer), is that true? Is Patek developing a strategy of vertical integration from manufacture to retailer?
Thierry Stern: Yes we bought the Boutique in London, It was an opportunity we could not miss, because that location is important to us.
No, we are not interested in opening Boutiques everywhere. We have a very close relationship with our clients and partners, the retailers. These relationships are important to us.
Malcolm McDowell is known for many memorable film roles, including Mick Travis in O Lucky Man!, Alex De Large in A Clockwork Orange, and Dr. Tolian Soran in Star Trek Generations. Malcolm’s newest film, Gangster No. 1 is in theaters now. What most people don’t know is that Malcolm is also an avid wristwatch collector.
In this inteview with TZ’s Mike Disher, Malcolm talks about watches, collecting, Morgan sports cars, films, and more.
MD: Mike Disher
MM: Malcolm McDowell
MD: Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us today.
MM: It’s a pleasure. I am a great fan of old watches, and a modest collector.
MD: How long have you been collecting writstwatches?
MM: I’ve been collecting since 1979.
MD: That’s about the time you moved to California?
MM: That’s exactly the time I moved to the United States, yes it is.
MD: How did you become interested in wristwatches?
Beijing, August 6, 2007. Omega got off to a flying start in Beijing today as extensive celebrations marking the one-year countdown to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games began. The Swiss luxury watchmaker and Official Timekeeper opened its first three flagship stores in the Olympic Host City, all on the same day and all in highly visible shopping areas: Oriental Plaza, Shin Kong Place and The Place. The Oriental Plaza store is the largest Omega flagship store in the world, underlining the importance to the brand of the rapidly developing China market. Commenting on the occasion, Omega President Stephen Urquhart said, “Today marks a special occasion for Omega and the people of China as we celebrate the one-year countdown to what is certain to be one of the most successful and inspirational Olympics ever.”
Press and media attention focused today on Chinese and visiting VIPS, world-class athletes and performers participating in the festivities, including Mr. Wang Wei, Executive Vice President & Secretary General of BOCOG, Omega Ambassadors and world-champion swimmers Ian Thorpe and Alex Popov, and Yang Yang, the Chinese speed skater and Olympic gold medalist who recently joined the Omega Ambassador family. Also attending were Omega Ambassadors Richie Jen and Simon Yam, both noted artists, fellow Omega Ambassador and renowned international model Qi Qi, as well as the first-ever Chinese Olympic gold medalist, Xu Hai Feng.
Today’s grand opening of the prestigious Oriental Plaza Omega Flagship Store was celebrated with an Olympic theme that paid unique tribute to Chinese culture with a lion dance featuring five lions, each representing one of the five colours of the famed Olympic Rings. Designed by leading Japanese designer Kazuo Adachi, the store carries a nature concept with representations of Time, Sun, Water and Earth, complemented by elegantly designed merchandise and store furnishings. Oriental Plaza marks a groundbreaking design concept for Omega’s flagship stores internationally and offers an elegant and comfortable shopping environment for Beijing’s watch aficionados.
Luxury watch brand Rolex has a new wristwatch in its offering for scientists who work at CERN near the accelerators.
The Rolex Milgauss is shielded against magnetic fields. Of course the Rolex Milgauss is for anybody working near strong magnetic fields. Rolex managed to shield this watch against a magnetic flux density of 1,000 gauss.
Swiss timepiece-maker Ulysse Nardin, a one of a kind (or rather, 99 of a kind) gem that gives you a UFO’s-eye view of the Earth—all for the bargain price of $100,000.
