The Luxury Watch Blog

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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We have found an exciting coupons on Luxury Movado Watches

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

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

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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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GoldWatches.com is having a Movado Gold Watch blow out sale! Check out the page for more information!

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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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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Baselworld Watch and Jewelry Show is a trade show for the watch and jewelry industry organized annually in the city of Basel, Switzerland. The international show unites about 2,100 exhibitors from over 45 countries, including the leading watch and jewelry brands, as well as companies specializing in precious gems. The exhibitors display their latest products to the industry’s experts, mass media representatives, watch collectors and connoisseurs, just everyone interested in the most recent industry novelties.

Visitors of the show get acquainted with an exclusive range of products. The exhibition area covers more than 160,000 m2 with different halls situated on several floors. Products are divided in specialized sectors placed in six exhibition halls - Hall of Universe, Hall of Elements, Hall of Visions, etc. The Baselworld management takes care of updating the halls’ design.. In 2007 the Hall of Dreams has been entirely redecorated.

Watch and jewelry companies and other brands related to the industry exhibit their products in their own halls. Baselworld also comprises national pavilions. The show provides a thorough market overview and offers the participants a suitable business platform for discovering new opportunities and finding new partners. Baselworld traditionally takes place in spring. The show attracts over 94,000 visitors, with retailers and wholesalers from different parts of the world. Show visitors get surrounded by business and networking atmosphere and become aware of the latest industry trends and innovations.

BaselWorld Village

The event’s participants may also visit the Baselworld Village located in the neighborhood. The ‘village’ provides special facilities, including bars and restaurants, lounges and outdoor areas where partners may discuss their business matters in a cozy atmosphere. The Baselworld Village is open every evening from 6 pm to 2 am during the exhibition. To visit the ‘village’, the show participants have to take a 10-minute journey by taxi, tram or bus.

History

The history of the show dates back to 1917 when there was established the first ‘Schweizer Mustermesse Basel’(MUBA in short) with a special section devoted to watches and jewelery. In 1925 MUBA organized the show which included several watch manufacturers, while in 1931 there appeared the first ‘Schweizer Uhrenmesse-Swiss Watch Show’ in a specialized pavilion. The year 1972 marked an important event in the history of the exhibition - MUBA held ‘Europe’s meeting place’ exhibition which gathered the companies from France, Italy, Germany, and United Kingdom.

In 1983 the show changed its name - it was called BASEL plus two numerals denoting the exhibition year - BASEL 83. Basel 86 included companies from outside Europe, having resulted in the increased number of visitors coming from outside Europe.

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Titan Industries is set to unveil a bigger play with watch and accessories giant —Movado Group— leading to a possible introduction of more international brands like Concord, Coach and Lacoste in India. Sources said Titan which already has a licensee agreement with Movado for Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, is in talks to bring in other market leading brands of the US-headquartered company into its portfolio.

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At the current share price, an investment in watch maker Movado (NYSE: MOV) in 2000 would have netted Fools almost eight times their original investment. And judging by today’s second-quarter results, it could soon turn into a coveted 10-bagger.

Second-quarter sales and earnings came in ahead of analyst expectations, and the stock is up 4% on another down day for the market. Management attributed the results to “the continued customer appeal of our diverse portfolio of brands,” which spans mass-market brands such as Estee Lauder’s (NYSE: EL) Tommy Hilfiger;

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