Vacheron Constantin Quai de l’Ile Collection

January 8, 2009, Hong Kong- Vacheron Constantin hosted an exclusive gala dinner at the Ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel to celebrate the launch of the Quai de l’Ile collection, a unique dimension in the world of Haute Horlogerie.

In attendance were more than 250 watch enthusiasts and watch journalists from the region, who were invited to share in Vacheron Constantin’s genuine passion in watch-making and experience the innovative personalization service that extends the boundaries in timepiece excellence and exclusivity.

Prior to the gala dinner, guests were attracted by the triptyches in the foyer, a special touch screen device that enables the guests to experience in essence the ultimate luxury provided by the personalisation service of the new collection. With the Quai de l’Ile line and its revolutionary case comprising seven main parts, clients can choose from three metals, three dials and two movement finishings to create timepieces that best represent who they are, in an infinite number of possible combinations.

Stepping into the Ballroom, guests were immersed into a trendy, urban atmosphere that was designed and furnished especially to match the contemporary metropolitan themed Quai de I’lle Collection. Vacheron Constantin created one of the largest indoor video systems seen in Hong Kong for the launch of the new range of models, turning the room into an urban environment that allowed the audiences to travel around the world of Vacheron Constantin and learn more about the diverse experiences depicted by the new collection. The themes of urban, contemporary, stylish, high-tech, security and personalization were woven into a tapestry of moving images to create a conceptual detailed world for the guests to indulge themselves in.

Vacheron Constantin created a large scale innovative content to install a state-of-the-art high resolution video system using 12 high quality video projectors for the images to be displayed through, giving everyone in the room a 270^o view of animation, which surrounded the guests in a beautiful ambience. As the night evolved, the images moved from creative interpretations of Vacheron Constantin to the watches themselves. Sometimes abstract modern art, sometimes real, the images provided a constant, rich visual feast. A moment is taken to celebrate the launch of the new Quai de l’Ile range intended to wow the audience as images appear from within a 3D world demonstrating the innovation of the extraordinary watches of Vacheron Constantin. As the night progressed, the last video of a spectacular night scene brought the audience to the finale.

The multilayered design of the new collection is reflected in the elegant long dining tables, where the detailed graphics of the face and bezel of the watch are printed directly onto several sheets of glass that in turn are stacked to achieve a multilayered effect, mirroring that of the actual timepiece glass. This treatment spectacled the new models in extreme close-up so that the detailing of the various faces and bezel options are showcased in a larger than life fashion, whilst retaining the spirit of the multilayered nature of the piece.

Mr. Marc Guten, International Director of Vacheron Constantin, excited about the launch of the latest collection welcomed all the guests with a warm speech that led to the unveiling ceremony of the new collection, “Vacheron Constantin has always favoured the creation of timepieces with a unique character. It is not by accident that Vacheron Constantin has come to symbolise the ultimate in luxury that is represented by the personalisation of timepieces. It is the spirit and with respect for those values cherished by Vacheron Constantin, and because we have mastered the technology we are able to offer a concept of personalisation. It is my honour to see everyone here tonight to witness the launch of our latest invasion, Quai de l’Ile comes with a security system that is revolutionary. Flouting technical constraints, Vacheron Constantin has pushed the demands of security to their very limits by creating semi-transparent dials that are an innovative combination of the world of watch making and the most sophisticated and secret Security Printing technologies. Quai de l’Ile represents a new and truly pioneering concept in the field of Haute Horlogerie.”

This resolutely contemporary watch offers customers the opportunity to create their own personalized watch by choosing its components from a large selection of options. With the most advanced technology, customers can easily compose and order their own personalized Quai de l’Ile models at designated Vacheron Constantin retail locations worldwide. First, the personalized watch is envisaged and designed by the future buyer with the aid of an interactive tactile screen developed by Vacheron Constantin and a set of material and colour samples. It then enters its production cycle in Geneva and will be delivered within a few weeks, as agreed on beforehand with the client.

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BREITLING NEWS - BREITLING THE BOOK

The comprehensive new reference work on Breitling

A specialist in chronographs and technical watches, Breitling has also shared the finest hours in the conquest of the skies. For the very first time, a magnificent new publication tells the detailed story of this grand adventure so inseparably entwined with that of modern times. Based on new historical research and enlivened by more than 450 images, including numerous original documents, Breitling The Book is destined to become a must-have reference work for brand lovers, as well as for devotees of watchmaking, chronographs and aviation.



Breitling The Book describes 125 years of passion for chronographs, reminding readers of the crucial role Breitling has played in the technical development of this type of watches – from the first pocket watches created by Léon Breitling from 1884 right the way through to today’s “instruments for professionals”, and along the way the invention of the first independent pushpiece in 1915, the separation of the “stop/start” and “reset” functions in 1923, the invention of the second independent pushpiece in 1934 and the first selfwinding chronograph in 1969.



The account also highlights the close links between the brand and the aeronautical world ever since the era of the great aviation pioneers. A combination of words and pictures provide a chance to discover the famous onboard chronographs that gained Breitling a special place in airplane cockpits from the 1930s onwards and enabled it to accompany the boom in airline transport by becoming “official supplier to world aviation”. Not to mention the numerous wrist instruments intended for aviators, including the famous 1952 Navitimer that quickly became a cult model for pilots the world over.



Published at a time when Breitling has taken a decisive new step by launching its own mechanical chronograph movement, this book also outlines the chief characteristics of the new Caliber B01 which represents the culmination of a longstanding quest for excellence, performance and independence.



Past, present and future thus unite in a shared momentum fueled by “the chronograph spirit, the Breitling spirit”.



Written in a lively tone, extremely well documented and presented in an original and pared-down graphic design style, Breitling The Book is available in five languages: French, English, German, Spanish or Italian. It can be ordered via the [http://www.breitling-the-book.com/] www.breitling-the-book.com website, as well as from authorized Breitling retailers.





Breitling The Book by Hervé Genoud

336 pages, bound, 24 x 30 cm

450 black/white and color illustrations



Available in French, English, German, Spanish and Italian.




[http://www.breitling-the-book.com/] Order online










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Zenith: 40th Anniversary of the El Primero Movement

El primero, 40th Anniversary.

Developed in 1969, El Primero is a masterpiece of innovation. Its perfect integration enables a movement that occupies very little space to be reliable and accurate: the position of each plate, each gear and each component is optimized.

(Chronomaster Open Anniversary)

El Primero is the only chronograph movement capable of measuring short periods of time with 1/10th of a second accuracy by using a balance that oscillates at 36,000 vibrations per hour. This absolute accuracy means that the movement passes the tests of the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute).

(Class Open Anniversary)

El Primero features a pearly, angular and planished decoration. As a symbol of its excellence, its calibre requires a total of nine months of work. It also needs 5 to 50 separate operations per piece, demands 50 separate grinding operations for the bridge dimensions. Then, more or less twenty watchmakers are actively involved in making one movement and no fewer than 18 different metals are used.

Two special series: The Originals and New Vintage 69

In 2009, Zenith celebrates the 40th anniversary of the El Primero, created in 1969. And so, in order to celebrate this occasion, Zenith launches two special series: The Originals and New Vintage 69.

(Defy Classic Open Anniversary)

The El Primero calibre for these Anniversary series has been named the 469 in acknowledgment of the year in which it was created. This automatic Date Chronograph movement features 278 components and 31 rubies.

« The Originals » is faithful to the vintage design, but with a subtle twist for the counters which meet and almost touch at the centre of the dial.

(New Vintage 1969 - Pink Gold)

« New Vintage 1969 » comprises models also inspired by the original model. The El Primero Anniversary logo on the dial at 7 o’clock is engraved on the transparent sapphire back of the case. The dials are unusually crossed by a band of light.

(Port Royal Anniversary)

The pieces of the New Vintage 69 collection will all be available, during 2009 only, in a limited and numbered series.

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2009 Audi RS6 Sedan: Racing-inspired direct injection and dry-sump lubrication

The new Audi RS 6: The confidently superior sports sedan from quattro GmbH

• Twin-turbo V10 producing 426 kW (580 hp) and 650 Nm of torque
• A wealth of high-tech for superior performance



Details on Audi’s new four-door M5-eater, packing a direct-injected, twin-turbo’d V10 putting out 580 hp and 479 lb.-ft. of torque. The new sedan is able to sprint to 60 in 4.5-seconds on its way to an electronically-limited top speed of 155 mph. The duo of turbos huffs 1.6 bars of boost into the dry sump-equipped 5.0-liter V10, with peak torque arriving at 1,500 RPM and maximum horsepower available at 6,250 RPM.




Drivers are allowed through a six-speed tiptronic transmission to choose between automatic or manual mode by reducing shift times by one-tenth of second and sending power to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. According to the Dynamic Ride Control, it reduces pitch and roll, in order to provide three damper settings – sport, dynamic and comfort – all of which can be activated through the revised MMI system.




The New Audi RS6 is fitted with 19-inch wheels, wrapped in 255/40R19 rubber and framing 390mm front discs clamped by fixed, six-piston calipers in front and 365 mm rotors, gripped by single-piston calipers in the rear.




The S-line package includes 18-inch wheels and a sports suspension that drops the ride height by 30mm, six gasoline engines and four oilburners will be available, including the 170 hp, 2.0-liter gasoline TFSI four-pot, a 290 hp, 2.8-liter FSI V6, a 350 hp, 4.2-liter FSI V8 and the new, supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Audi’s diesel offerings range from 2.0- to a 3.0-liter TDIs.



Like all Audi RS models developed and built by quattro GmbH in cooperation with AUDI AG, the RS 6 is the embodiment of power, elegance, exclusivity and perfection. The interior is adorned with the finest of materials such as carbon fiber, aluminum, piano lacquer, leather and Alcantara in tried-and-tested Audi quality.



The new Audi RS 6 rolls on 19-inch alloy wheels shod with 255/40 tires. Up front, six-piston fixed aluminum calipers – painted black and decorated with RS badges – clamp down on 390 millimeter brake disks. The rear brake disks measure 365 millimeters in diameter. The rea

The rare axle features single-piston floating brake calipers. The floating steel disks feature large cooling ducts and axial perforations for enhanced performance and less weight.











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Joseph Bonanno's Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève Watch

Joseph Bonanno, Sr. (1905-2002) Joseph Bonanno was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy, to Salvatore Bonanno and Catarina Bonventre. In 1906, the 26-year-old Salvatore took his young wife and one-year-old son to the United States. At age 26, he became one of the youngest bosses of a crime family, as well as an influential member of the "Commission", a nation-wide organisation formed in 1931

Bonanno is said to have been one of the models for the character "Vito Corleone" in Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. Both Bonanno and Corleone wanted their sons to succeed them, and both allegedly wanted their crime families to stay out of the narcotics rackets (although many of the soldiers and associates of the Bonanno crime family were dealing in drugs, most known was later Boss of family Carmine Galante).

Joseph Bonanno’s Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève was given to Joseph Bonanno Sr. by Charlie “Lucky” Luciano in Palermo, Sicily, in 1957. It’s No. 966280, case No. 302352, Ref. 1516. It was produced in the late 40s. 18K yellow gold wristwatch with a 14K yellow gold brick link bracelet. The watch has been authenticated by Joseph Bonanno's daughter Catherine Bonanno Genovese, in a document included in the lot.

Joseph Bonanno, Sr. died in Tucson, Arizona on May 12, 2002 at the age of 97, of natural causes.
This watch was sold for $36,000 in the last Antiquorum’s auction in March, 4^th and 5^th in New York.

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Worldwide Cult Watches

According to the Baselworld 2009 Daily News Magazine, there are very few timepieces that can be worn an entire lifetime and then passed down to the next generation without going out of fashion.
An example of this is represented by Rolex as it is a watchmaking company that focuses on the improvement of the existing watches in order to have perfect results by modifying the movements.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The Cosmograph Daytona is an example of a watch that became a cult, like the Submariner Date. This year, during the Baselworld, Rolex introduced the Submariner Date in a yellow rolesor case, featuring a new unidirectional rotatable bezel in yellow gold with a balck Cerachrom disc and a 120-notch anti-reverse click sys¬tem. Waterproof to a depth of 300 metres, the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date is chronometer-certi¬fied and bears a high quality manufacture movement.

Rolex Submariner Date

Another cult watch par excellence is the Monaco from TAG Heuer is another example of a watch that turned into a cult. It was first presented 40 years ago when the watch appeared in a square case contrary to the presumed rules of horlogerie. The Monaco became a fixed feature of the TAG Heuer collection.

The TAG Heuer Monaco

Omega Speedmaster Professional is not only a cult but also the watch that first reached the moon!

Omega Speedmaster Professional

According to women, their favourite cult watch is represented by the Happy Sport from Chopard because of its charming design concept.

The Chopard Happy Sport

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Mahatma Gandhi Zenith Pocketwatch

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in Porbandar, India.

He is commonly known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi or "Great Soul", an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore. In India, on the other hand, he is known as Bapu (bāpu or "Father"). He is officially honoured in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Gandhi was a prominent political and spiritual leader of the Indian Independece Movement and an inspiration to Martin Luther King between many other major figures till nowadays. He was named by the Time Magazine as the second most important man of the 20^th Century (after Albert Einstein). Mahatma means “Great Soul” and, being coherent with such an honorofic tittle, he was a pioneer of “Satyagraha” meaning the resistance to tiranny through mass civil disobedience and total non-violence through which he led India to independence from Britain.

According to the past March Antiquorum Auctioneers’Catalogue, Mahatma Gandhi’s Pocketwatch was later given to his grandniece, Abha Gandhi. Accompanied by Gandhi’s sandals, bowl, plate, glasses, images of Gandhi and letters of authenticity from Ghita Mehta

The watch’s brand: Zenith, movement No. 421357, case No. 49529. Made circa 1910. Historically Important, it is a pocket watch with alarm function and Arabic numerals. Its diameter is 49 mm and its thickness 16 mm. It was sold in $2,096,000 in New York, between the 4^th and the 5^th of March, during Antiquorum’s auction.

The Sandals: Gandhi apparently gave the sandals to a British military officer in Aden in 1931 during his trip from Bombay to London.

The Bowl / Plate: The bowl and the plate (thali) were also gifts that Gandhi bestowed upon Abha, his grandniece.

The Glasses: His pair of glasses were given to Colonel H. H. Shiri Diwan Nawab, Sir Muhammed Mahabat Khanji, the 3rd Rasul Khanji, Nawab Sahib of Junagadh, by Gandhi, most probably at his Ashram in Ahmedabad in the 1930s.











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The Most Searched Watches - TOP Brands

According to the World Watch Report an annual market study prepared by IC-Agency that focuses on the top 5 luxury watch companies, the twelve most luxury brands are (in alphabetical order): Breitling, Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, Ebel, Girard-Perregaux, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, Omega, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Tag Heuer.

In relation to this market study, the two most searched models are the Omega’s Seamaster and the Rolex’s Datejust.

(Omega Seamaster)

The Omega Seamaster wristwatch is water proof to 120 meters, it is used for all types of sports activities. The Seamaster line combines advanced technology with exclusive precious materials like: tantalum, titanium or pink gold - available with mechanical or quartz movements.

(Rolex Datejust)

Rolex’s Datejust, on the other hand, was introduced in 1942 with two additions: a sweep seconds hand and a date disc visible though and aperture in the dial at 3. The first Datejust was a seminal one, a model and a design that would last for the next 50 years. This model is still the most beautiful of the Datejusts.


As for eBay, between the most searched watches, we can find the Mint Vacheron Constantin, the Moser IWC Chronograph Repeater Antique, the Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox Alarm, The Vintage Rolex Double Red Sea Dweller, the Vintage TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph or the Omega Big Blue Diver.

(Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox Alarm)

(Vintage Rolex Double Red Sea Dweller)

Even though search volume for counterfeits products is a constant, for the first time I the last five years, since 2008 it started decreasing. "Demand for counterfeit products evolves as markets mature on the Internet. As Internet penetration rises, so does the share of searches relating to pre-purchasing activities for authentic roducts," explains Flavio Quaranta, Associate Partner at IC-Agency.












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Barack H. Obama’s Jorg Gray JGC6500 Chronograph Watch

Even though from the nineteeth till 2007 Senator Barack H. Obama’s used to be closed to a TAG Heuer Series 1500. This watch can be observed in the pictures during his election campaign.

(TAG Heuer Series 1500)

During the signature of his first act as President of the United States of America, he reveals a chronograph with balck dial. It is a quartz movement chronograph produced in Swiss by a single company directed by Jorge Gray. The reference number is: JGC 6500 and its indicative price is 325 dollars, when it doesn’t have the Secret Service sign.

(The 44th President of the United States
Barack H. Obama, January 20th 2009)

The Jorge Gray JGC 6500 Chronograph Watch is a classy black-on-black chronograph sports, a polished and brushed stainless steel case with an Italian Buffalo leather strap.

(Jorge Gray JGC 6500 Chronograph Watch)

Complications
12-hour main watch with luminous seconds hand
24-hour indicator inset dial at three o-clock position
Continuous seconds indicator at six o-clock position
Chronograph minutes (stop-watch) at nine o-clock position

Case Materials
Solid stainless steel case
Water resistant to 10ATM
High-impact scratch resistant crystal face
Screw-back access

Movement
Miyota Caliber OS-20 movement
Manufactured by Citizen Watch Company
Durable quartz movement accurate to within seconds per month

Measurements
41mm across the dial
47mm from top to bottom lugs
13.5mm thickness


Barack H. Obama and his wife, the First Lady Michelle Obama, during the Mid Atlantic Inaugural Ball in Washington Dc, in January 20th, 2009.







Barack H. Obama and Joe Biden in the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois .












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The Smallest Mechanical Wristwatch Movement

The smallest mechanical wristwatch movement ever made was the Jaeger - LeCoultre '101' wristwatch introduced in 1929.



Featuring 98 parts, measuring 14mm x 4.8mm x 3.4mm, and weighting only 0.9 grammes (including the dial and hands), It remained available until 1950s approximately.

BREITLING NEWS - CHRONOMAT B01

The ultimate chronograph












A powerful, unique and quintessential design, masterfully reinterpreted. A selfwinding chronograph movement entirely developed and crafted in the brand workshops. A stunning presence on the wrist distinguished by a blend of strength and elegance. Breitling has created a highly exclusive version of its leading Chronomat model, which is asserting itself more forcefully than ever as the benchmark in the field of mechanical chronographs. Equipped with the very first 100% in-house chronograph movement, the Chronomat B01 majestically heralds Breitling’s grand entrance into the selective circle of genuine watch movement manufacturers. Designed to guarantee maximum precision, reliability and functionality, it represents the culmination of the long-running quest for performance characteristic of Breitling "instruments for professionals". Crafted with extreme concern for details, this flagship luxury model is bound to delight devotees of fine timepieces born to accomplish great feats. Chronomat B01: the mechanical chronograph has a new name.