Through the Bentley GT Racing, Breitling presented a Chronograph version that approached motor racing in a very unique way. It case still preserves it compact lines on its case featuring a combination of fine-brushed and polished finishes on the case and bracelet. The Bentley GT Racing also features a decoration on the caseback with an outline shape of the Bentley Continental GT. The Bentley GT Racing watch embodies all the refinery of elegance and sportsmanship characteristic of Bentley’s design.
Model: GT Racing Production Years: 2007-Current Movement: Breitling 13B Power Reserve: 42 Hours Water Resistance: 100m Bezel: Bidirectional Crown: Screwdown Crystal: Sapphire Diameter: 44.8mm Thickness: 15.6mm Weight: N/A Bracelet: Speed Lug Width: 22mm Watchwinder Direction: Both Reference Numbers: a133363
The GT initials pay tribute to Gran Turismo automobiles, those which most emblematic models still belong to Bentley’s engineers. So as the most powerful ones, like the Continental GT model, with its 560 horses. The GT Bentley Chronograph was created in the same technique and exclusiveness spirit as all of Bentleys Chronographs were created. For its decoration, Breitling chose metallic colours, but in Bentleys tonalities. The Bentley Gt is equipped with a very exclusive and powerful engine: The Breitling 13B Calibre, with Chronometer, day and date calendar certificate. Its tachymeter is a variable one. This is another exclusive feature by Breitling as its triggered through an external rotation of its bezel guarantying a precise lecture of the average speeds.
While Bentley continued working on its most powerful engine , the 6.75 litres one with which Arnage limousines are equipped. As a way of paying tribute to its unique knowledge, Breitling designed the Bentley 6.75 Chronograph, a watch that blends tradition and high precise technology. Its particularity lies on the date different indicators: one for the tens and another one for the units. This sophisticated timepiece was certificated by COSC as it certified its chronometer.
Model: 6.75 Production Years: 2005-Current Movement: Breitling 44B Power Reserve: 42 Hours Water Resistance: 100m Bezel: Bidirectional Crown: Screw-Locked Crystal: Sapphire Diameter: 48.7mm Thickness: 15.6mm Weight: N/A Bracelet: Speed Lug Width: 24mm Watchwinder Direction: Both Reference Numbers: a44362, k44362, j44362
Starting with the concept established with the creating and design f the Bentley Motors Chronograph, Breitling created a watch that gifted with a sportive design: the Bentley motors T.
This special series evocates to the games played in Bentley’s dashboards while it case evocates its exclusiveness with the three most emblematic Bentley’s (the Speed 6, the Continental R-Type and the Continental GT) engraved on its case.
Like the other Bentley Motors, the <> version features a 25B Calibre with 20 seconds chronograph and a variable tachymeter that makes possible measuring mid speeds or the speed reached.
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, the club responsible for staging the world's leading tennis tournament, was founded in 1868, originally as 'The All England Croquet Club' private club first situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon.
1875 was the year inwhich, Sphairistike, the game just introduced by major Walter Clopton Wingfield, was added to the activities of the Club. As a consequence, during the spring of 1877 the Club was re-titled 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club' and so, in order to celebrate the change, it instituted the first Lawn Tennis Championship. A new code of laws, up till now administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club, was drawn up for the meeting and never changed except for details such as the height of the net and posts and the distance of the service line from the net.
By 1882 activity at the Club was almost exclusively confined to lawn tennis and that year the word 'croquet' was dropped from the title (restored in 1899 and known as 'The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club' ever since).
In 1884 the Ladies' Singles was inaugurated and that same year, the Gentlemen's Doubles was started, with the trophy donated by the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club after the end of their doubles championship, played from 1879 to 1883.
Prior to the First World War the facilities at Worple Road were moved to larger premises in 1922: the foresight of building the present stadium, designed to hold 14,000 people, did more to popularise the game worldwide than anything that had happened to date.
The new ground, which many thought would turn out to be a 'white elephant', was financed partly from the accumulated reserves of the Club and partly by the issue of Debentures. Misgivings about the future popularity of The Championships were dispelled when applications for tickets in the first year were such that they had to be issued by a ballot — a system that has been adopted for every Championship since.
Open Tennis The expansion of air travel in the 1950s meant more and more overseas players were competing at Wimbledon and other tournaments throughout the world, but with this new era came an epidemic of what had become known as 'shamateurism — the receiving of financial assistance in excess of amounts permitted by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the authority in charge of the rules of lawn tennis and the governing body of the game worldwide.
The need for reform was evident. The initiative for reform came from the then Chairman Herman David who in late 1959 put forward a proposal to the Lawn Tennis Association that The Championships be made open to all players. The following July the ITF rejected this move and several years followed in which argument persisted at all levels of the game. In 1964 the Club tried to persuade the LTA unilaterally to declare The Championships 'open' but support was not forthcoming.
Records Broken In recent years long-standing records have been broken. In 1980 Bjorn Borg of Sweden became the first player to win the Gentlemen's Singles five times in the post-challenge round era; a feat replicated by Roger Federer between 2003 and 2007. In 1985 Boris Becker, aged 17, became the youngest player, the first unseeded player and the first German to win the Gentlemen's Singles. In 1987 Martina Navratilova of the United States became the first player to win the Ladies' Singles six times in succession and in 1990 she attained the all-time record of nine victories in the event. Pete Sampras of the United States registered his seventh win in 2000 and in 2001, Goran Ivanisevic became the first wildcard to win the Gentlemen's Singles.
The 100th Championships in 1986 were celebrated in a variety of ways, including a special dinner party for those who had made significant contributions over the years, and the formation of the Last 8 Club. 1993 marked the 100th Ladies' Championships and the occasion was suitably commemorated.
The occasion of the Millennium was celebrated on the first Saturday when 64 Singles Champions, Doubles Champions four or more times, and Singles Finalists at least twice, paraded on Centre Court.
Wimbledon in the 21st Century Wimbledon is acknowledge to be the premier tennis tournament in the world and the priority of The All England Lawn Tennis Club, which hosts The Championships, is to maintain its leadership into the twenty-first century. To that end a Long Term Plan was unveiled in 1993, which will improve the quality of the event for spectators, players, officials and neighbours.
Stage one of the Plan was completed for the 1997 Championships and involved building in Aorangi Park the new No. 1 Court, a Broadcast Centre, two extra grass courts and a tunnel under the hill linking Church Road and Somerset Road.
Stage two involved the removal of the old No.1 Court complex to make way for the new MillenniumBuilding, providing extensive facilities for the players, press, officials and Members, and the extension of the West Stand of the Centre Court with 728 extra seats.
Stage three continues. The construction of a new Championships entrance building, housing Club staff, museum, bank and ticket office at Gate 3 has left the Centre Court east side empty and will allow development to provide better facitilies for the public, increase the seating capacity from 13,800 to 15,000 and erect a retractable roof.
Two things convinced Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller of the project's, its beauty and significance as he and the Vacheron Constantin team headed by Juan-Carlos Torres were able to share their common passion for beautiful objects and also the manufacture's philosophy.
Twelve masks were selected from the Barbier-Mueller collection for small-scale reproduction in gold. They repose at the centre of each timepiece in a collection that extends over two thousand years and also four continents.
As Vacheron Constantin understands perfectly well the value of time, the company respected patiently the time needed to create such exceptional pieces. They took plenty of time for questioning, reflection and invention so as to assure themselves that the spirit of this special tribute to ancient societies.
A complete set of the twelve timepieces reproducing the twelve masks - from the limited edition of 300 exceptional timepieces - is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, an exhibition sponsored by Vacheron Constantin and called "A Legacy of Collecting: African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva" in tribute to Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller.
According to these unique timepieces, each wristwatch is equipped with an automatic Calibre 2460G4 movement, manufactured by Poinçon de Genève, through which time can be read without any hands (by means of a set of wheels and gears, four discs indicate the hours, minutes, day and date in windows) leaving in the centre of the dial the masks as the central attraction remaining as sculptures, as silent guardians of ancestral secrets.
Michel Butor's was the one who gave voice to the masks through magnificent short poems in prose dedicated to each mask. The writer's lines rise as mysterious messages that can only be read when the light strikes it from a certain angle. This effect was achieved by vacuum metallization, a sophisticated technological process in which the gold letters are sprayed onto a sapphire crystal.
OCEANIA – INDONESIA
Facial Mask
Island of Lombok, Sasak people Hard wood, traces of white pigments Height: 21.5 cm Former collection of Mathias Komor Inv. 3320-A
I dance the duration the wait patience the resistance to suffering and to evil the slowness of the days and nights stammerings recognition resignation but vigilance the hasty passage of the months and the devouring of the months Michel Butor
ASIA - CHINA
Zangs-Bag facial Mask Tibet region, Tantric Buddhism. 16th-17th century Partially-gilt copper, pigments Height: 22.2 cm Inv. 2504-168
With my ornaments I surround the emptiness opening in your eyes and in your mouth a third eye appearing on the forehead to guide you in your labours in the labyrinth of your lives and those of your children who continue your adventures Michel Butor
AMERICA – MEXICO
Pendant Mask State of Guerrero Mezcala culture (300 – 100 BC) Basalt Height: 12.8 cm Inv. 505-26
At regular intervals during the dance I come and strike the heart whose pulse races at the screams reverberating off the walls that protect us from the ghosts of felines and enemies who venture onto our land Michel Butor
AFRICA – GABON
Ngontang Mask Western Gabon, Fang people Soft wood covered with white kaolin, specks of crystallisation Height: 31 cm Inv. 1019-76
The line of my nose extending between the eyebrows on my forehead and on the other side to my chin across my mouth is like an arrow fi red by a bow towards the celestial heights beyond the clouds or naturally the bird into which your soul changes Michel Butor
Antiquorum announced in Geneva, last June 10th, its upcoming event: the "Important Collector's Wristwatches, Pocket Watches and Clocks" sale prepared to be celebrated on June 27th, 2009 at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. The auction willfeature 479 lots and will bring together a remarkable selection of the finest timepieces by world-renowned watchmakers.
Between the highlights we can find:
Lot 479 / Patek Philippe
Ref. 3974, a 18K yellow gold minute-repeating gentleman's wristwatch with black dial, perpetual calendar, leap year indications and moon phases, estimated between 2,000,000 and 2,700,000 HKD (300,000 and 400,000 Sfr).
Lot 360 / Patek Philippe
Ref. 3450, an 18K yellow gold wristwatch, made in 1982, with perpetual calendar, moon phases and a red dot for the leap year indication, estimated between 1,350,000 and 1,700,000 HKD (200,000 and 250,000 Sfr).
Lot 110 / Horological Machine No.1", No. 15, by Busser & Friends
Tourbillon with 7-Day Power-Reserve Maximilian Busser & Friends, "Horological Machine No.1", Ref. 10.TR41. Made in a limited number, circa 2006. Extremely fine and innovative, oversized, self-winding and manual, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch in the form of an eight, with four mainspring barrels providing 7-day power-reserve and visible one-minute tourbillon regulator.
Estimate: 400,000 HKD - 550,000 HKD
Lot 272 / Grande and Petite Sonnerie, Minute Repeater - Perpetual Calendar (made in 1997 by Franck Muller)
Caliber 97, Grande et Petite Sonnerie Minute-Repeater, Perpetual Calendar Franck Muller, Geneve, "Grande et Petite Sonnerie, Minute-Repeater - Perpetual Calendar." Made in 1997. Unique, fine and rare, astronomic, grande et petite sonnerie minute-repeating, platinum and diamond-set wristwatch with retrograde perpetual calendar, equation of time, moon phases and 24 hour display.
Estimate: 1,750,000 HKD - 2,500,000 HKD
Lot 173 / Piaget Diamond & Sapphire Rocaille
Diamond & Sapphire Rocaille Piaget, Ref. 3259. Made in the 1960's. Extremely fine, rare and elegant, 18K yellow gold, diamond and sapphire-set lady's bracelet watch with an integral 18K yellow gold, diamond.
Estimate: 60,000 HKD - 87,000 HKD
Lot 290 / Vacheron Constantin Platinum, sapphires and diamonds
Platinum, Sapphires and Diamonds Vacheron & Constantin, movement. Made in 1923. Very fine and rare, sapphire and diamond-set platinum lady's wristwatch.
Estimate: 55,000 HKD - 85,000 HKD
Lot 379 / Mirror Image Pair "Farewell to the Beloved"
Mirror Image Pair - Farewell to the Beloved Swiss, Geneva. Made for the Chinese market circa 1830, and attributed to the Frères Oltramare. Extremely fine and very rare, mirror-image pair of 18K gold and painted on enamel, pearl-set center seconds, musical, quarterrepeating pocket watches playing music on the hour or at will.
Estimate: 900,000 HKD - 1,200,000 HKD
AUCTION Saturday June 27, 2009 MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG
2nd Floor, Victoria & Chater Room, 5 Connaught Road,
Central, Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 2522 0111 Fax + 852 2810 6190 Antiquorum Auctioneers (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Suite 1405, 9 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 25 22 41 68 Fax. + 852 25 22 41 38
Session 1: lots 1 - 110, at 11 a.m.
Session 2: lots 111 - 479, at 2 p.m.
In 2008, during Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction a very rare Rolex model called the “Albino” Rolex Daytona produced in 1971. This watch was formerly owned by musician Eric Clapton.
Eric Clapton was born in 30th March, 1945. Eric is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Yardbirds, then Cream and also as a solo performer. He was often considered to be by critics and fans as one of a kind musician, one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Clapton was ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #53 on their list of the Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Even though this wristwatch was supposed to reach a price between $100.000 - $150.000, according to estimations made by watch experts. It was sold for $505.000. Nicknamed “Albino” because of the monochrome silver colour of its back round and subsidiary dial, it wasn’t quite popular between the Daytona models.
(Steve McQueen - TAG Heuer Monaco - Le Mans Movie)
Le Mans is an action film directed by Lee H. Katzin in 1971. Le Mans got to be one of the most well known movies starred by Steve McQueen, it features footage from the actual 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race. It is today still very popular among race fans, with a lot of racing but very little dialogue. During this film the main actor, Steve McQueen, wore a TagHeuerMonacowristwatch, nowrenamedafterhim.
(Steve McQueen - Rolex Submariner - The Hunter Movie)
But, TAG Heuer wasn’t the only wristwatch brand that accompanied Steve McQueen as during The Hunter, released in 1980, he wore the Rolex Submariner date.
(Robert De Niro - Rolex Daytona - 15 Minutes Movie)
Not only Steve McQueen wore Rolex prestigious watches. Robert De Niro, the academy award winner for the Best Actor, wore a Rolex Daytona in a publicity picture for 15 Minutes movie.
(Rain Man, starred by Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise wore a Rolex Day-Date)
Rain Man, starred by Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, is the story of a young that regains or retrieves his humanity through the unexpected love of a brother he never knew he had. During Rain Man, Tom Cruise wore a Rolex Day-Date.
(Robert Redford - All the President's Men Movie)
Robert Redford also wore a Rolex wristwatch. He wore it during All the President’s Men film. It is the story of the two journalists that broke the Watergate scandal. Starred by Robert Redford (as Bob Woodward) and Dustin Hoffman (as Carl Bernstein) playing the role of two reporters from the Washington Post.
Finally, June 11th came by and so the so long promised Antiquorum’s auction was celebrated in New York.
(Steve McQueen)
According to Steve McQueen’s, his 1929 Scott Super Squirrel Bike, the one he owned together with Von Dutch, was sold in $276.000. Not only his bike was sold, but also his personal wristwatch, his TAG Heuer Monaco. The timepiece was sold for $87.000 together with other important wristwatches like The Pour Le Merite Tourbillon 18K yellow gold, which was sol for $156.000.
(Steve McQueen riding his 1929 Scott Super Squirrel Bike)
The auction was such a great success that Antiquorum is getting ready for the next auction, taking place in Hong Kong, next June 27th.
Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon combines a Tourbillon and a slot machine equipped with a striking mechanism incorporated in the elegant Art Deco Vintage 1945 case, now proposed in white gold Bridge and a slot machine.
The integrated movement comprises 502. It features a separate barrel; the lever can be pulled an unlimited number of times without affecting the four-day power-reserve of the watch. This exceptional timepiece is hollowed out and delicately lacquered making of this a very unique piece.
Description: White gold case Dimensions: 43.00 x 43.95 mm Height: 17.30 mm Crystal: antireflective sapphire Case-back: sapphire crystal secured by four screws Water resistance: 30 meters Movement: GPFAY08, manual Caliber: 38.60 x 32.60 mm Frequency: 21,600 vib/h (3 Hz) Jewels: 38 Power reserve: min. 96 hours Functions: tourbillon, hour, minute, slot machine with chime mechanism, small second on the tourbillon Alligator strap with folding buckle
Billionaires’ homes can have different amenities. There’s a wide range of varieties chosen by wealthy people like, for example, Bill Gates lives in a house built into a hillside on the edge of WashingtonLake, near Seattle.
$40 billion.
Its particular amenity is the 60-foot swimming pool with an underwater music system.
Steve Jobs, on the other hand, owns a $3.4 billions Spanish Colonial Style home, set on six acres. Although in 2007, he planed to demolish the historic 30 room Jackling House, he could because of the preservationists in Woodside.
Not very far from Steve Jobs, Lev Leviev owns a very extravagant property valued in $1.5 billion that features gold-plated indoor pool. Neighbour: Ringo Star.
Another particular stone and wood beach house, placed in 5.5 acres, is the one belonging once to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, is the one bought in 1981 by Ralph Lauren. It is valued in $2.8 billions.
Kruse International, a car auction company, listed Jackie Kennedy-Onassis’ BMW, the one she acquired when being married to Aristotle Onassis. The car, a green sedan with tan leather interior and a odometer reading of 65,000 miles, was Jackie Onassis’ favourite car.
It’s a BMW Bavaria 3.0S. Four door Sedan.
Jackie drove it 18 years, from August 20, 1974 till 1992 when she sold it to her neighbour in Peapack Galdstone, New Jersey.
She used this car during weekends when driving to Peapack to go riding and fox hunting at the Essex Hunt Club. During the week the car was garaged in a parking garage on 86th street.
Ferrari is planning to release the successor of the F430, it is going to be called Ferrari F450. It is expected to have more power, better mpg, lower emissions and, for the first time in a Mid Ferrari Engine, it will feature a hardtop convertible. The Ferrari F450 will feature active aerodynamics and a V8 engine with direct fuel injection, between many other impressive characteristics. 2010 is the year of it birth.
2010 Ferrari F450 Exotic Car specs Type: Luxury sports car Drive Type: rear wheel drive Engine: 4.5-liter V8, or turbocharged 4.3 liter V8, or 5.0 liter V8 Horsepower: 520 - 550 Torque: 375 lb-ft Transmission: 7-speed automated manual
2006 MV AGUSTA F4 CC, The F4CC is at the absolute top of the F4 hierarchy. "I decided to put my name to this bike as I originally dreamed of it for myself”, assured Claudio Castiglioni, the Managing Director, referring to the new F4 that now carries his initials CC. To create the F4CC he obviously utilized exclusive materials and the latest technology to attain the highest in performance.
It features: Brembo racing brakes, hand made engine internals, a 1078cc engine. It weighs only 187 kilos and produces 200 hp. Only 100 were made
The main characteristics of the most expensive houses around the globe could be how opulent they are. The most expensive house in the world is the one known as Updown Court, in Surrey (England), which is 50 million dollars more expensive than the priciest one in United States.
This incredible house features:
- 103 rooms
- Five swimming pools
- 24-carat gold leafing on the study's mosaic floor
- Squash court
- Bowling alley
- Tennis court
- 50-seat screening room
- Heated marble driveway
- Helipad.
It also has eight spaces for limousines able to fit in the underground garage.
Watches (Including Pocket Watches in addition to wristwatches), cars, sports (Polo, Golf, etc), celebrities and all kind of information related to first class activities. From watch brand's histories till unique products description: Time stories, Pictures of particular Wristwatches, Lifestyle, Curiosities about Watches and also about their owners and creators. Emblematic personalities. Watches, Jewelery, cars, Luxury Boats, Ships and even technology used in movies. Pictures and descriptions about coming timepieces. With brands like: Tag Heuer,Omega,Cartier, Baume & Mercier, Rolex Chopard, Graham, Breitling, Panerai, Patek Philippe, between many others.
Through the Bentley GT Racing, Breitling presented a Chronograph version that approached motor racing in a very unique way. It case still preserves it compact lines on its case featuring a combination of fine-brushed and polished finishes on the case and bracelet. The Bentley GT Racing also features a decoration on the caseback with an outline shape of the Bentley Continental GT. The Bentley GT Racing watch embodies all the refinery of elegance and sportsmanship characteristic of Bentley’s design.
Model: GT Racing
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