Patek Philippe Split-Seconds Chronograph 5959 Black (5959P-011)

WORLDTEMPUS - 22 December 2010

With Christmas just around the corner, Warsaw's Sobanski Palace hosted the very first award gala celebrating the Chronos24.pl Watch of the Year 2010 (Zegarek Roku 2010). Six watches were awarded artistically handmade statuettes, which were received by guests hailing from leading Swiss and German manufactures.
Charmingly lit against the backdrop of the first winter snow, Warsaw's city center welcomed guests including representatives of Polish luxury watch distributors to this first annual event, which would not have been possible without Chronos24.pl's partner, the Polish Watch & Clocks Collectors Club, and the main sponsor, MBA Manager magazine.
The evening formally began with an official introduction of the competition and jury comprising editors from chronos24.pl, the board of the Polish Watch & Clocks Collectors Club, and Waldemar Ferri-Szczerbowski (Meeting Art). This event, called to life by Tomasz Kieltyka, CEO of Chronos24.pl, and Dariusz Chlastawa, president of the Polish Watch & Clocks Collectors Club, is the only such event in the still emerging, but highly promising Polish market.

The award ceremony began with the category "Up to 5,000 PLN" (Polish zloty, equivalent to about 2,500 Swiss francs). This prize went to the Oris Oscar Peterson model and was received by Vladimir Kalensky, head of Janeba Time, official Oris distributor and owner of the Oris boutique in Warsaw. The category "Ladies Watch" was taken home by Patek Philippe for the stunning 7071R Ladies First Chronograph. Unfortunately, a Patek Philippe brand representative was not able to make it to Warsaw. Next up was the award for "Classic Watch," an important category for many watch lovers around the world. The prestigious winner here was the Senator Sixties Panorama Date by Glashutte Original. A visibly pleased Andreas Zechner (Polish brand manager) received the statuette wearing the winning watch on his hand - a unique piece made especially for the evening. This was followed by the "Sports Watch" category, which was bly competitive. The magnificent and highly anticipated Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver triumphed. Area sales manager Burhan Ademi collected the statuette while promising the joyful Polish audience that Audemars Piguet would reopen the Polish market. The haute horlogerie "Complicated Watch" category was won by Jaeger-LeCoultre's amazing creation Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire. The brand's representative, Wolfgang Lackner, received the award wearing the mechanical marvel in red gold on his wrist.

 
The two final categories closed the formal part of the evening. The "Public Choice" prize was awarded by readers of chronos24.pl who voted on a dedicated competition website from September 1 to October 30. This democratic choice went to the Omega Planet Ocean Liquid Metal. The prize was accepted by Stanley Bark, president of Swatch Group Poland, who talked about the extreme popularity of the piece all over the world.
The jury chose most important prize of the competition, the Grand Prix of Watch of The Year 2010, from the five winners of the other categories. The Grand Prix went to the Royal Oak Offshore Diver by Audemars Piguet. The memorial plaque was accepted by Ademi and Nicolas Kappenberger, Audemars Piguet's country general manager.
The unofficial part of the evening was spent examining the guests' passion for watches and watchmaking and their admiration of the quality and artistry of mechanical timepieces. Talk easily led to discussing the future of this popular art form, that of the competition, and the increasing development of the Polish watch market.

"This was an exceptional competition and an exceptional night," said Tomasz Kieltyka, CEO of Chronos24.pl. "This is Poland's only annual celebration in which timepieces play the leading role, proving that watching the hours go by can be not only pleasant but also beautiful. Furthermore, the number of representatives of manufacturers and distributors who attended the ceremony is a clear indication of the strengthening of Poland's position on the watch map of Europe. We can appreciate luxury and are more willing to spend on it." -.
The Watch of the Year 2011 is destined to be bigger and better still. We hope you will join us.