Audemars Piguet and sports: Golf, basketball, cricket or sky.

Even though when having to relate Audemars Piguet to ssport we would usually think about it Royal Oak Offshore and its connection to the ocean, the luxurious wristwatch company is also related to other sports such as: golf, basketball, cricket or sky.

According to basketball, the company has honoured the dominating championship Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal with its Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal edition.

(Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal)

Audemars Piguet's legendary Royal Oak Offshore proves that this design is one of the greatest in high luxury sports watches. Introduced more than twelve years ago as a variation to their already successful Royal Oak watch collection, Audemars Piguet produced a watch which further expanded boundaries in both luxury and size, paving the way for much of todays current celebration of boldly dimensioned watches, as well as the enthusiastic acceptance of unconventional materials such as carbon fibre or rubber for luxury timepieces. The Offshore watch collection from Audemars Piguet encompasses everything from an automatic chronograph with date, to an automatic chronograph with full perpetual calendar and moonphases. Stunning limited editions such as the Offshore Alinghi Polaris or the Offshore Rubens Barrichello series incorporate innovative materials or technical solutions that are refreshingly unconventional, yet perfectly in tune with the ethic of perfection that Audemars Piguet has pursued as a manufacturer of haute horlogerie since its founding in 1875.

Regarding to cricket, Sachin “Little Master” Tendulkar was Audermars Piguet’s ambassador for years because of its exceptional punch style of hitting the ball.

(Sachin “Little Master” Tendulkar)

According to golf, more than ten ambassadors represent the company like the open champion Cristie Kerr, Nick Faldo, Vijay Singh or Morgan Pressel

(Cristie Kerr)

The Royal Oak Offshore watch line from Audemars Piguet demonstrates Audemars Piguet's ability to cultivate classic designs which continue to captivate watch lovers. Offered in a variety of metals, including steel, titanium, gold, and platinum, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watch collection shows off the immaculate finish work that has long distinguished the Royal Oak watch line.

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Omega's 40th Lunar Landing Anniversary: Buzz Aldrin and the Omega Speedmaster Chronograph.

Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin was born on January 20, 1930. Buzz is an engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first lunar landing. He was the second person to set foot on the Moon, following his mission commander Neil Armstrong.

Aldrin was selected as part of the third group of NASA astronauts in October 1963 being promoted to back-up crew for the mission. According to different NASA accounts, he had originally been proposed as the first to step onto the Moon's surface, but due to the physical positioning of the astronauts inside the compact Lunar Landing Module, it was easier for the commander, Neil Armstrong, to be the first to exit the spacecraft.



Aldrin is a Presbyterian and an active freemason. After landing on the moon, Aldrin radioed earth: "I'd like to take this opportunity to ask every person listening in, whoever and wherever they may be, to pause for a moment and contemplate the events of the past few hours, and to give thanks in his or her own way." He received Communion on the surface of the Moon, but kept it secret because of a lawsuit brought by atheist activist Madalyn Murray O'Hair over the reading of Genesis on Apollo 8.

Buzz Aldrin joined Omega CEO Stephen Urquhart at Omega’s Flagship Boutique in New York last June in order to mark the anniversary of the lunar landing. He spoke about the importance of keeping and active speace tourism programm and, of course, lunar exploration, including artists and writers so that thet can reflect on the experience.

Omega has been an active participant on NASA’s programs and, because of being moonlanding’s 40th anniversary, the wristwatch company focuses on its iconic Speedmaster Chronograph along with President John F. Kennedy (the one who promoted United States’ lunar landing.

Omega Speedmaster Chronograph

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TOP FIVE: Sports Watches at BASEL 2009

HAMILTON Khaki GMT Air Race Watch

Model Number - H77695733

Case - Stainless Steel

Bracelet - Leather

Sapphire Glass

Dial Colour - Black

Movement Type - Auatomatic Cal. 2893-1

Case Width 42mm

Water Resistant to 200m

Swiss Made

Available - February 2010

Price: $1.045

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Longines Weems Second-Setting Watch

Tribute to American captain Philip Van Horn Weems.

Movement: Automatic L699 /ETA A07 111)

Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds, moving central dial to synchronize the second with the radio time signal.

Case: 47.5 mm rose gold

Dial: Lacquered white with silvered opaline central dial and blued steel hands

Bracelet: Brown alligator with Charleston buckle and an extension piece

Price: $3,950.

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Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200M

Created to withstand deep dives.

Movement: Omega Co-Axial calibre 8500, COSC certified.

Case: 45-mm x 54 mm steel with automatic helium escape valve, locking bezel with orange pusher.

Bracelet: Brushed mesh or rubber strap in a choise of black or orange, divers extension with safety claso.

Dial: Lacquered black

Price: $8,800 to $9,000.

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TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M

Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 5 (ETA 2836-2) automatic

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds and date

Case: 43mm steel with rubber-topped unidirectional bezel and six gripping studs, 500 meters water resistace, automatic helium release valve, rose gold case available

Dial: Blue or black with vertical streak effect

Bracelet: Steel or black rubber with driving extension

Price: $2.450.

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Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Diver Titanium

Movement : Automatic UN-26 Caliber, COSC-certified

Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, large date, power reserve indicator

Case : 45mm titanium and pink gold, 200 m water resistance

Dial: Black guilloche with wave motifs and red accents

Strap: Rubber with two elements in pink gold or titanium with matching folding clasp

Price: $18,900

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Watches in Movies: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Pulp Fiction (1994), Rambo (2008) and Push (2009).

Anthony Zimmer (2005)

In Paris, the international police force together with the Russian mafia is trying to chase Anthony Zimmer, a man responsible for laundry of dirty money in France. The only means of reaching Zimmer is through his beloved mistress Chiara, who is under surveillance of the police and the mobsters.

IWC Limited Edition Portuguese Chronograph

Chiara (Sophie Marceau) is wearing a IWC Portuguese

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Agent James Bond 007 is on a mission that includes a media magnate, his former lover and a Chinese agent. Bond gains the helping of Wai Lin on his quest to stop him, but how will Bond feel when he meets up with his former lover, who is know Carver's wife.

Omega Seamaster Professional

An x-ray of an Omega Seamaster from the opening credits.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Harold Crick is your average IRS agent: monotonous, boring and repetitive. One day Harold begins to hear an author inside his head narrating his life.

Timex Ironman

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) wears a Timex Ironman

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega are two hit men up to retrieve a suitcase stolen from their employer, mob boss Marsellus Wallace. Wallace has also asked Vincent to take his wife Mia out a few days later when Wallace himself will be out of town. Butch Coolidge is an aging boxer who is paid by Wallace to lose his next fight. The lives of these seemingly unrelated people are woven together comprising of a series of funny, bizarre and uncalled-for incidents.

Lancet WWI Trench Watch

A close-up shot of the watch worn

Rambo (2008)

In Thailand, John Rambo is living peacefully capturing snakes and transporting people and cargo in an old boat. But when he joins a group of mercenaries to venture into war-torn Burma and rescue a group of Christian aid workers who were kidnapped by the ruthless local infantry unit. Rambo refuses, but is convinced by another member, Sarah Miller, to take them up there. When the aid workers are captured by the Burmese army, Rambo decides to venture alone into the war zone to rescue them.

Panerai Marina Base PVD

Rambo (Sylvester Stalone) wears a Panerai Marina Base in PVD

Push (2009)

A group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities are hiding from a clandestine U.S. government agency. They must utilize their different talents and band together for a final job enabling them to escape the agency forever.

Swiss Navy Chronograph

Bulgari-Bulgari Collection The New Sotirio 2009 and The First Bulgari-Bulgari Moon Phase Ladies Watch

The New Sotirio 2009 collection comes in three versions: an annual calendar, a perpetual calendar and a Tourbillon. In all of them, tradition and modern design, get to be the unified elements for an elegant look. The new Bulgari Sotirio watches are new versions of formal watches, in this collection, particularly without the double Bulgari logo. They emerge like unique pieces featuring manufacture movements, dials finished with exclusive treatments and a distinctive design of their cases. On its 125th anniversary, Bulgari dedicated this collection to Bulgari’s founder, a multicultural pioneer businessman called Sotirio Bulgari.

One of these three special models is the Sotirio Bulgari Tourbillon Quantième Perpétuel. This Bulagari model merges the functions of an automatic Tourbillon function with a perpetual calendar and an innovative display that features double coaxial retrograde hands. It also features a BVL 465 Caliber movement. This movement can be appreciated through its transparent case-back. This sophisticated Sotirio Bulgari Tourbillon Quantième Perpétuel watch is offered in a limited edition of 30 pieces.

Another watch coming from this new Bulgari collection is the Sotirio Bulgari Quantième Annuel model. This wristwatch is equipped with the Bulgari 360 Caliber movement and enriched with by an annual calendar function with 225° retrograde date. It is available in a limited edition of 250 pieces for the 18Kt pink gold case version or 125 limited pieces for the version in 18Kt white gold, both with elegant crocodile leather straps.

Finally, the last of the three new models is the Sotirio Bulgari Date Retrograde, which 150° retrograde module, has been developed and produced by Bulgari. Made for commemorate the Bulgari’s 125th Anniversary, this special tiempiece carries the Sotirio Bulagari’s signature on its flip-over back case studied to reveal the movement. This model is offered in three limited editions of 125 pieces each one: in 18k pink gold, yellow gold and white gold, all equipped with the Bulgari 250 Caliber.

Bulfari 2009: The First Bulgari-Bulgari Moon Phase Ladies Watch.

The new 2009 Bulgari collection resumes the brand's philosophy: exquisite craftsmanship, original design details and technical excellence. This year the Bulgari-Bulgari collection, the icon of the Bulgari watch line, was updated with a new ladies model: the Bulgari-Bulgari Moon Phase. This watch has a unique rotating indicator that depicts the phases of the moon. This complication continuously tracks the movement of the moon and also appears against a background of shimmering mother of pearl.

In this exclusive version, the 38 mm case has the characteristically linear and contemporary design of the Bulgari-Bulgari collection. The white mother-of-pearl dial is decorated with diamond pave and hand-applied markers. This Bulgari timepiece is water resistant up to a depth of 30 meters and it features an automatic B77 Calibre mechanical movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It also marks the phases of the moon and is decorated by Cote de Geneve and Perlage treatments. A white alligator strap with folding steel buckle completes the ultra-feminine appeal of the watch.

The Bulgari-Bulgari line, characterized by the famous double signature on bezel, has been expanded in 2009 with this luxurious model that unites the glamour of diamonds and of mother of pearl with the prestigious watchmaking complication of the Moon Phase. Moreover, this is the first time that Bulgari creates a Ladies model with this complication.

Luxurious Hotels in Movies: Lost in Translation, Casino Royale, The Darjeeling Limited, Pretty Woman and The Rock

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The Park Hyatt Tokyo

The Park Hyatt is one of the top 5 hotels in Tokyo and, because of this fact, Sofia Coppola included it in her film Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The movie is set in this luxurious hotel where the main characters look to discover their true selves exploring themes of loneliness, alienation, existential ennui and culture shock against the background of the modern Japanese cityscape.

Lost in Translation is a 2003 comedy-drama film starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson which was the second feature film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, after The Virgin Suicides. Lost in Translation was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Bill Murray and Best Director for Sofia Coppola. Coppola won Best Original Screenplay.

The Bellagio Resort, Las Vegas

The Bellagio Resort has seen some of the most on-screen time of any hotel. Aside from all of the Ocean’s films, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, you can find the Bellagio in numerous places. Check out Dodgeball, Head of State and Knocked Up to see this great hotel.

Grand Hotel Pupp, Czech Republic

This hotel was the fictional Hotel Splendide in the Bond film Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig. In reality, the Pupp is in the Czech Republic in one of Europe’s leading spa towns. Grand Hotel Pupp is the premier getaway for stress relief near Prague.

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming is the first James Bond novel. It would eventually pave the way for thirteen other novels by Fleming himself in addition to two short story collections, followed by many 'continuation' Bond novels by other authors.

Hotels de Chevaliers, France

In Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited, Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman star in Hotel Chevalier. This short film reveals a long-term relationship between the characters and it sets the groundwork for Anderson’s latest feature. From the beginning, the hotel can easily be seen as one of the luxurious locations in France.

The Darjeeling Limited is a 2007 drama-comedy film directed by Wes Anderson, and starring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. It was written by Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola. The film also stars Waris Ahluwalia, Amara Karan, Barbet Schroeder and Anjelica Huston, with Natalie Portman, Camilla Rutherford, Irfan Khan and Bill Murray in cameo roles.

Beverly Wilshire, Beverly Hills

This Beverly Hills Four Seasons is the location for most of Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts enjoyed all that it had to offer and throughout the film and it has become an icon in this Hollywood city. Roberts, alongside Richard Gere, show the audience why the Beverly Wilshire is the place to stay.

Pretty Woman is a 1990 romantic comedy film. The film centers on down-on-her-luck prostitute Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) who is hired by a wealthy businessman and corporate raider, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) to be his escort for several business functions, and their developing relationship.

Pretty Woman was such a critical success that soon became one of the 1990's highest grossing films, and today is one of the most financially successful entries in the romantic comedy genre, with an estimated gross of $464 million USD.

The Fairmont San Francisco

San Francisco’s iconic hotel since 1907, the Fairmont is considered the White House of the west coast because nearly every president has stayed there. The Rock, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, features this hotel as Connery’s place to stay throughout the film. His $12,000 a night, 6,000 square-foot suite even features a grand piano.

The Rock is a 1996 action film that primarily takes place on Alcatraz Island, and the San Francisco Bay area. It was directed by Michael Bay, director of Bad Boys, and stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, and Ed Harris. It was produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, producers of Top Gun and Crimson Tide, and released through Disney's Hollywood Pictures. The film is dedicated to producer Don Simpson, who died five months before its release.

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TAG Heuer Meridiist

(TAG Heuer Meridiist)

This exclusive design features several functions, such as reversible clock, 1/100 of a second chronograph and incoming call identification. A special OLED technology (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) protected by a sapphire crystal glass offering to its user a new level of refinement in their manner of viewing the time and addressing incoming calls. It also features an exceptional autonomy up to 28 days standby time and 7 hours talk time will providing comfort of use.
The Meridiist features a dual-function: a TAG Heuer switch, which with a touch a polite call rejection process is issued and switches the direction from which the time can be viewed or launches a 1/100th of a second chronograph.
Buyers will be able to choose between a great choice of rubber, calfskin leather and genuine alligator is proposed. The TAG Heuer Meridiist includes high quality (CMOS low noise) digital camera which links human gesture to technology through mechanical refinement. A software maximizing the image quality & colour rendering has been specifically developed. MERIDIIST has a 2 mega pixel camera sensor (1 200 * 1 600 pixels) for standard photo size 10x15cm quality print and 2GB memory which enables to store more than 5000 pictures. A mechanical camera sliding shutter triggers automatically the preview mode.

Technical Data:

Design and finishing
• 316L stainless steel case with hand brushed and polished finishing
• Black PVD - Titanium carbide coating on 316L stainless steel
• Backlit mechanical stainless steel keypad
• Multi function TAG Heuer switch
• 60.5 carats of sapphire crystal glass on dual display screens
• High quality rubber, calfskin leather and genuine alligator back plates
• Dimensions: 112mm x 46mm x 15.5mm
• Weight: 155g

Performance
• Autonomy: 28 days stand-by time, 7 hours talk time
• Imaging: 2 mega pixel high-quality camera sensor
(CMOS low noise) digital camera: 1,200 x 1,600 pixels
• Image quality-maximising and colour rendering software
• Mechanical, automatic preview-triggering sliding camera shutter
• Image formats supported: JPEG, GIF, BMP
• Audio: Music playback (MP3, AAC, AAC )
• Video: Video recording and playback
• End-user memory: 2GB
• USB 1.0 with mass storage for easy multimedia objects
exchange with PC
Network
• Worldwide GSM/GPRS network-compatible for best performance
• Quad-band: covers all GSM countries

Hardware
2 LCD screens
• Front screen: LCD, 240 x 320 pixels, 260k colours, TFT – 1.9’’
• Top screen: OLED, 96 x 16 pixels
• Acoustics: separate earpiece for call mode, loudspeaker for handsfree, ringtones and music playback
• Long duration battery: Li-lon 950mAh

Applications
• Phonebook: up to 1,000 contacts
(multi-entries, Lotus Notes and Outlook synchronisation)
• Messaging: SMS, MMS
• Browsing: WAP 2.0
• PC synchronisation: contacts, messaging, multimedia
• Apps: World clock, alarm, agenda, calendar, currency converter, chronometer, calculator
• Voice recorder
• Client e-mail

Connectivity
• Bluetooth: headset, car kit and data exchange profiles
• Single I/O connector for charging, data exchange
and wired stereo headset via standard mini-USB
• Stereo Bluetooth for audio with compatible devices
• USB connection
• Built-in modem
• Compatible with any operator/SIM card













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Perpetual motion reinvented. Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos 56

(Jaeger LeCoultre Atmos 56)

The world’s only clock movement that runs on thin air has reached its eightieth birthday. The Atmos 561 was created to celebrate this landmark occasion; it is completely balanced and simple according to its design.

Since its invention, the Atmos has embodied the passion of its creator, Jean Leon Reutter. Designer Marc Newson, who has always been fascinated by the Atmos clock, has designed its case as a Baccarat crystal bubble, which brings out its ethereal nature, lends it a futuristic elegance and catapults it into the ranks of today’s great designs. This exceptional clock is being made in a limited series of 888 pieces. The Atmos 561 illustrates the creativity of its designer.

Born in Australia, 44-year-old Marc Newson was the one who, long attracted to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s legendary clock, one day contacted the Grande Maison and offered a design for it. This suggestion was greeted with immediate enthusiasm: Jaeger- LeCoultre accepted his offer. In the Atmos 561 Newson managed to capture, in the staggering innovative power of his interpretation, the very essence of the Atmos clock, which for eighty years has symbolised the dream of quasi perpetual motion.


TECHNICAL DATA:

Movement:
mechanical,
almost perpetual,
Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 561,
crafted and assembled by hand
284 parts
annular balance,
60-second oscillation period

Functions:
hour,
minute,
month,
moon phase

Dial:
metal moon with circular-polished finish
white and black metal moon disc

Hands:
Blued aluminium

Cabinet:
bubble shaped, made by the Baccarat crystal makers

Dimensions:
276 mm x 250 mm x 163 mm
Limited series of 888

Reference: 516 51 01













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