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Watches News

Watch auctions

By now most of us are preparing for the summer break and finally find the time to think about and analyze the state of the market for fine and rare collectors watches. First of all, I can hardly remember an auction season that has been so eagerly anticipated as the series of sales that took place in Geneva this past May. Not only were there really amazing and uber-rare watches on offer (and also many not so good ones…) but for the first time there were four auction houses wanting a piece of the cake. Besides Antiquorum, Christie's and Sotheby's (in alphabetical order), Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo made its debut in the arena.

Let me start with the good news first: in terms of participation, sell-through rates and results, it was one of the most successful and animated seasons ever, with over US $ 60 million of sales and a number of new all-time world-records established. Many insiders who carefully studied the catalogues expected such positive results but a large number of players also wondered if the market was hungry enough to absorb the large number of watches on offer. Also, some observers asked themselves if the absolute number of watches coming to the auction market every season wasn't too limited to properly fill four auction catalogues and hence diluted the quality of the sales.

Then, late April, some two weeks before the Geneva auctions, my dear friend, well-informed market observer and Hodinkee founder Ben Clymer asked openly in an article "Is now the best time to buy a 2499, or the worst?", opening Pandora's box and prompting one of the most animated discussions, on-line and off-line, about the state of the market. Unusually, the four auction houses each offered a Patek Philippe reference 2499/100 for sale, the last generation of the venerable manufacturer's all-time legendary model. Would this be good or bad for the market? Were their enough bidders out there to bid, and to bid bly, on all four of the watches? Opinions varied, with some saying that this is the beginning of the end, while others suggested that it is always good to buy a 2499, regardless of the circumstances.

With delight I can report that all four watches sold, and sold well above their estimates. Antiquorum sold their Tiffany-signed example for CHF 471,750 (estimated at CHF 300,000/500,000). Phillips achieved even more with the Beyer-retailed specimen fetching CHF 533,000 (against the same presale estimate). The next day Christie's achieved a highly appropriate CHF 650,000 (against an estimate of CHF 400,000/800,000) for their mint example and lastly Sotheby's sold their Gobbi-signed example for CHF 382,000 (against an estimate of CHF 200/400'000). Certainly, the four watches weren't identical in terms of condition and completeness but with an average price of over CHF 500,000, one should rather think of all time record levels than crisis! It shows that the appetite for fine and rare vintage watches is greater than ever before and the political turbulences around the world aren't stopping collectors from pursuing their passion. In fact, it is rather the contrary.

Consequently, we have seen at all auctions the same pattern. The greatest pieces were fiercely fought over by the world's leading collectors and dealers while the average (and below-average…) quality struggled to reach the low estimate or even failed to sell. This may appear as bad news - but actually it isn't. As mentioned in my past articles, collectors around the world are very well informed and do their homework before bidding. Since the offerings at the four auction houses weren't at the same level of quality, we have seen mixed results. In terms of performance, we could observe sold-rates going from anywhere around 70% to close to 100%! Also, the different propositions meant that the sale totals and average lot values couldn't be more different: Ranging from less than CHF 7 million (Antiquorum) in global sales with an average lot value of less than CF 20'000 to Phillips with sale totals at some CHF 30 million, averaging at over CHF 140'000 per watch!

The other good news is that we have seen beautiful results across the board, regardless of the maker, model, vintage or price level, showing it is no longer the classic "Federer-Nadal-Wimbledon-style final" between Patek Philippe and Rolex. Certainly, there were some results which stunned the market, be it the CHF 4.6 million paid for the spectacular stainless steel Patek Philippe single-button chronograph (Phillips) or the Audemars Piguet minute repeating wristwatch at Christie's fetching over CHF 600'000. The new world-record for any Rolex ever sold at auction, the ex Eric Clapton "Albino" Daytona selling for over CHF 1.3 million (Phillips) made headlines but the General MacArthur Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso at Antiquorum reaching CHF 87'500 was a memorable moment, too. The pattern is always the same: collectors are seeking quality, expressed by condition, rarity, originality, provenance and freshness to the market.

Also antique (pocket-) watches enjoyed a solid performance with many notable results, demonstrating that we are not only looking at a phenomenon linked to wristwatches.

Certainly, Rolex continues to be the hottest name in terms of audience, as demonstrated by the themed Glamorous Day-Date Auction staged by Phillips where an exceedingly rare example in platinum (Ref. 6612 from 1958) fetched CHF 473'000, setting a new absolute world-record for any Day-Date ever sold at auction. But when looking at the top-ten lists published by the auction houses, one can spot a number of other names, showing that the market is more varied and open-minded than ever before.

So, we have all the good reasons to look forward to our summer holidays and expect an even more interesting fall auction season, as I expect all players (sellers, buyers, dealers and auction houses) will do their analysis and adapt their strategies to this 2015 reality - already understood by some, by others maybe soon.

Richard Mille - The many friends of Richard Mille

When we arrive at the Polo Club Saint-Tropez, Pablo Mac Donough, casually clad in jeans and sneakers, greets us with Spanish-infused English. He confirms that there is nothing surprising about that, but also that things could just as well have gone the other way: until his grandfather's time, and as his name betrays, the Mac Donoughs were a completely Irish family whose members "only inter-married amongst themselves". For the past two generations, however, Argentinian blood has been mingled with these purebred Irish. And in Pablo, the family now has a new champion in the polo world.

King of the media and close friends
Richard Mille's ambassador strategy may be slightly bewildering, given a proven ability to establish a presence at the very top of disciplines that attract intense media coverage: sailing, golf, tennis, cars. It also however encompasses a number of lesser-known talents.
Thus, in total contrast to ultra-publicised Rafael Nadal and his b development in the design of his "RMs", Pablo Mac Donough is completely unknown to the public and admits he "did not in any way take part in the development" of his RM 05. He even adds with a smile: "I am a polo player, not a watchmaker". At the opposite end of the spectrum to the slightly controversial role played by Natalie Portman, the least involved of the brand friends, one might well mention Michelle Yeoh, the wife of Jean Todt, who is also a company ambassador! Clearly an example of shared family tastes. Personal preferences thus remain the predominant factor in these choices, although the business side of things is clearly significant: Richard Mille invests 2.5 % of its turnover in its ambassadors, meaning around 4.5 million euros.

A family affair
Richard Mille remains bly driven by the automobile world, to which the brand is primarily committed, through associations with Sebastien Loeb, Jean Todt, the Princesses Prestige Rally, Le Mans, Lotus F1, Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean to name but a few. This passion for mechanics is not so much fuelled by the brand as by the man, Richard Mille himself, who is car crazy. The company's ambassador model therefore relies on his personal friendships. Nevertheless, even as the brand has developed, Richard Mille has retained these essentially friendly ties with ambassadors.

Since 2012, Pablo Mac Donough has also embodied this esprit de corps. "Richard and I met through a mutual friend who is also a very good Argentinian player" explains the champion. If that was the case, why did the relationship not develop with this friend rather than with Mac Donough?"."Because I am professional and he is amateur. For Richard, that was what made the difference."
And for the Argentinian rider as well it would appear - because in his day, he was also widely sought-after, notably by Rolex with whom he still enjoys an excellent relationship, thanks to his wife who was an employee. One might well also imagine him being approached Jaeger-LeCoultre whose Reverso has embodied the polo spirit for 85 years. Fate however smiled on Richard Mille and the idea proved immediately worthwhile in that Mac Donough's season encompasses quarter-years divided between Dubai, England and Argentina - thus ensuring multiple representations at close quarters on these markets targeted by the brand.

Mutual trust
At the end of the day, discretion is a quality that Richard Mille shares with polo. "I am not as well- known as Rafael Nadal and polo is not as popular as tennis, but Richard Mille is also relatively less known than some brands. We understand each other. I like not being just a number in a big commercial machine" says Pablo Mac Donough.
Under the rays of the setting sun over the Polo Club Saint-Tropez, one could almost forget to talk about his RM 053 Tourbillon. "Oh, there's not much to say," says Pablo Mac Donough. "In the very beginning, three years ago, I lost a watch hand. Richard's team put it back. Since then nothing has ever gone wrong and I wear it every day." That has to be the best possible 'customer testimonial… from a friend.

Auctions - Interview with Edward Dolman

I was lucky enough to work with Aurel Bacs at Christie's and I recognize his particular position in the marketplace. He is an extraordinary expert and a trusted advisor to most of the top watch collectors in the world. So when I found out that he was thinking of setting up his own company I thought we should have a conversation. Because I want to build up an auction house at Phillips that builds on what we have already established and looks at specific areas of the market and attempts to be the best it possibly can.

I am determined to set the highest possible standards and Phillips has just opened a new sales room at Berkley Square in London which has had a similar sort of impact because it gives us a viewing capability that is unmatched by any of the traditional auction houses in London. It is spectacular and it gives an idea of our aspirations and the standards we are setting. We want to offer the best environment for people to sell and buy in.

We are currently developing a spectacular space in Geneva for our auctions and brokerage business, about which we will be making some announcements in the coming weeks. But we definitely feel that an important part of our business will be private brokerage and auctions. What we are hoping is to become the trusted brokerage at the top end of the watch business.

It will be important. We can offer the key watch collectors the best possible service and the best possible access to watches. The brokerage and private sale side of the business will allow us to develop this kind of relationship and give people opportunities that they might not otherwise get. It's a key part of our business plan.

Yes, over the next couple of years, possibly as soon as November in Hong Kong, we will roll out a series of auctions worldwide. The final auction plan will be Geneva, Hong Kong, New York and London.

We have set ourselves some aspirational goals. We want to lead the market in vintage watches but at the high end. We are not about volume and we will be dealing with relatively low volumes but high values. Who knows how we will stack up against our competitors? They may decide to go into a much higher volume, low value business. Actually, you can see that already and we think this is the wrong way to go and we are going in the opposite direction and I think it is the right strategy for us.

I believe generally for Phillips that we need to give clients more choice and I think we will make a big impact.

I am always amazed at how low some of the estimates are and how well they compare with retail. If you look at some of the watches in the Rolex Day-Date sale they are below today's retail price, so to someone thinking about buying a watch this is an interesting alternative to buying from a jewellers. The watch may well maintain its value better than a new watch.

I have a small collection but coincidentally one of the watches I don't have is a Rolex Day-Date, so this is the perfect opportunity for me and there are a number in the sale that I like. Aurel always manages to get a bid out of me somehow.

No, we are allowed to bid but the way we do it is governed in a special way. We have to leave bids in writing before the sale.

Vintage watches - The traps to avoid

The vintage watch market has been experiencing a boom over the past few years. With a multiplication in the number of distribution channels for vintage watches, which can now be purchased at auctions, from specialist dealers or on the Internet, the number of scams has increased proportionately. "The vintage watch business is a jungle, especially on the Internet," says Laurent Ponti, a watch dealer who has been established in Geneva for 13 years. It's a jungle from which you can nevertheless emerge unscathed, with a nice watch on your wrist, on one condition: you respect a few basic principles.

Pleasure above all

There is no point trying to make a good investment regardless. Any respectable dealer will advise you to buy something that you like. "We can never guarantee that a watch that a customer buys will increase in value," Laurent Ponti stresses. Taking the time to determine your own needs and desires is also important, according to Vanessa Chicha, co-founder with her husband Fabien of Iconeek, a website with a showroom in Geneva that specialises in second-hand, vintage and modern watches. "Buying a watch just for the sake of it is pointless. There needs to be an impulse, even if it has to be thought out." Aside from legendary collectors' models such as the Rolex Daytona, the Omega Speedmaster, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso or any Patek Philippe, it is not always easy to navigate your way around a mind-boggling selection of vintage watches. Getting advice from someone in the business, or an expert, is therefore undoubtedly a good idea. "A bit of surfing on the Internet may help you to narrow things down," says Vanessa Chicha, pointing out at the same time that you need to be careful not to be duped by the goods on offer.

The dangers of buying on the Internet
"Before buying a watch, people often say that you need to buy the dealer. In other words, know who you are dealing with." Laurent Ponti advises us to make sure we are well informed about the seller. If he has a storefront, his reputation will often precede him. If it is an online sale, you must be doubly cautious and above all take the time to communicate in detail with the seller. Another misconception that you are bly advised to forget about: that of doing the deal of the century. "There are no good deals on the Internet," Laurent Ponti assures us. In other words, beware of prices that are too tempting to be true. "There are many scams."

Be extra-careful with details

Whether you are buying from a shop or on the Internet, if the seller appears to be a trustworthy person you still need to pay attention to some important elements. Ideally, the watch should come with its original paperwork. This is generally the case for younger watches. For older watches, for which paperwork may have disappeared, we bly recommend that you ask for a valuation. And it is essential to get an invoice from the seller. If the watch is offered for sale by a professional dealer, he will usually check the serial number beforehand. His good relationship with the brands will also allow him to authenticate certain models. But be careful with some details: "Very often dials have been cleaned up," notes Vanessa Chicha. Just changing a single hand could change the watch's value completely. Although collectors may not fall into such traps, the humble watch lover who is drawn in by an attractive price - between 10% and 50% below the cost of a new watch - could very easily have his fingers burned. Keep an eye on the market, take your time and get help… This is the best way to avoid being conned.

Foreword - A quarter-century in resolutely feminine mode

Exuding a free-spirited, independent, impetuous, innovative, welcoming, soft, comfortable and elegant aura for the past 25 years, the SIHH certainly qualifi es for a number of adjectives typically associated with the fair sex. The SIHH will be celebrating its quarter- century in January 2015, and like countless other women, it has left an indelible imprint on the measurement of time.

Women have constantly and variously served as the poet's secret muse, the artist's precious inspiration, the politician's wise advisor or the musician's perceptive shadow. They have occupied a prime role in History, whether in the spotlight or in the background, consistently exercising authentic infl uence, whether deliberately or not. Nor should one forget that women have been, still are and always will be the great civilizing power in the world! Horology is no exception to the rule and its history has been regularly punctuated by women. The latter notably inspired wristwatches and were the fi rst to wear them : from Elizabeth I of England to the dainty jewelry models of the Directory and Empire periods, right the way through to Mercedes Gleitze who swam across the channel with a Rolex Oyster watch on her wrist.

Today, if "woman is the future of man" as the French poet Aragon famously proclaimed in 1952, women's watches are undoubtedly the future of the watch itself. 25 years ago, in taking on the seemingly crazy challenge of creating the fi rst show dedicated to Fine Watchmaking in Geneva, the cradle of the industry, the SIHH endowed Haute Horlogerie with its authentically global dimension. Ever since, year after year, it has been setting the tone for watch trends, catalyzing ceaselessly renewed and perpetuated innovations, expertise and skills. It is endowed with a unique ability to unite, to share, to love and to spread the love. Because the SIHH is feminine to the core !
Fabienne Lupo
Chairwoman and Managing Director of the SIHH

Collectors' watches - Phillips creates a Watch Department

The Phillips Watch Department, based in Geneva, will partner with the firm of Aurel Bacs and Livia Russo. Bacs & Russo, specialising in Fine Collectors Watches, has been established in response to the ever-increasing need for collectors around the world to easily access scholarship, guidance and quality across the board.

The department brings together many prominent figures from the watch industry, including Nathalie Monbaron in Geneva, who will be supported by Virginie Liatard. Paul Boutros has been appointed as strategy consultant and will be Phillips' main representative in New York office.

Phillips will roll out its international Watch auction calendar with two inaugural evening sales taking place in Geneva in May 2015. The first will be a high profile various owners evening sale dedicated to the finest collectors' pieces, spanning two centuries of watchmaking of unique quality, rarity and condition. The accompanying sale will be dedicated to one of the world's most famous wristwatches: the Rolex Day-Date. Phillips will partner with Pucci Papaleo, one of the most eminent scholars in the world of Rolex collector's watches. The inaugural watch auctions will take place in Geneva on Saturday, 9 May at 7PM and Sunday, 10 May at 7PM.

In the following seasons, the department plans to expand its sales calendar around the world, organising sales in flagship premises in London, New York and soon in Hong Kong.

Integral to the department will be a brokerage, based in Geneva, specialising in the highest level of private sales, assisting collectors around the globe outside of the auction season.

Under the guidance of Aurel Bacs, the Phillips Watch Department aims to lead the market thanks to its team of specialists' second-to-none outreach within the collecting community and its uncompromising approach to quality.

On behalf of Bacs & Russo, Aurel Bacs says: "We are immensely excited to be asked to partner with Phillips as their consultants and to work with a department built from scratch. It is a privilege and a dream come true to realize a concept that Livia and I believe should be the answer to today's ever increasing market, composed of savvy and passionate collectors. It is a pleasure to be united with many distinguished specialists from the industry that Phillips has brought together for this new department."

Edward Dolman, Chairman and CEO of Phillips says: "I am delighted to be working once again with Aurel Bacs who has established himself as the market leading expert in this field over the last decade".

Chanel - Lasting luxury in the heart of Parisian culture

The boutique was open for three months ending on September 1, in time to take advantage of the summer tourist season. In a crisp decor bathing in the signature black and white colors of Coco Chanel, the boutique showcased some of the house's iconic models, immortalized by the talents of the photographer Patrick Demarchelier who shot Chanel's most recent publicity campaign titled "L'Instant Chanel."

The boutique offered museum visitors, on their way to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, a chance to admire Chanel's new J12-365, the new Premiere with its triple row bracelet, and the J12 Blue Light, a version of the J12 in white "hi-tech" ceramic and luminescent blue numerals.

"The idea of the pop-up store was a reference to 1987 when we first opened a boutique dedicated to watches on Avenue Montaigne that launched a new era in watchmaking for Chanel," said Nicolas Beau, international director of Chanel Horlogerie. "Our goal has always been to make beautiful watches where mechanics are at the service of aesthetics," Mr. Beau said.

For a brand that places a high value on creativity and aesthetics, the enclosure of Musee du Louvre, one of France's most revered cultural venues, offers the means to combine the experience of a luxury boutique with that of an art museum. For Chanel, it is a means to intimate the association between luxury and cultural heritage, inscribing its luxury products in the long-term tradition of culture.

"The appeal of Chanel's products is their lasting appeal," Mr. Beau explained. "The Chanel no. 5 perfume has been around since 1921. It is not a trend-based product. The same is true of the little black dress and the quilted Chanel bag."

The relationship to art allows luxury products to acquire the characteristics of art by association, including uniqueness, legitimacy and permanence. "Chanel makes products that last and remain desirable," Mr. Beau said. "Few luxury brands have a portfolio of products with an endless lifetime. That is what lives in the Chanel name and was invented by Gabriel Chanel."

Over the years, Chanel has experimented with the idea of connecting art to its luxury products. In 2008, for instance, it commissioned the Mobile Art Pavilion, a 700-square meter futuristic structure designed by the Pritzker-award winning architect, Zaha Hadid, filled with works commissioned from 20 international contemporary artists asked to interpret the brand's iconic quilted 2.55 handbag, the black, stitched-leather purse designed by Coco Chanel in 1955.

Establishing a presence, ephemeral or not, in close proximity to the Louvre, a prime international cultural destination, also enables luxury brands to benefit from the rising trend in cultural tourism.

Last year, the Louvre welcomed 9.3 million visitors making it not just the most visited attraction in Paris, but also the most visited museum in the world, ahead of the British Museum in London (with 6.7 million visitors) and the Metropolitan Museum in New York (with 6.3 million visitors), according to figures published last April by the Art Newspaper.

According to Paolo de Cesare, Le Printemps's president, a luxury goods department in the commercial area of the museum enables tourists to satisfy their two principal reasons for being there, luxury shopping and culture.

The Louvre expects attendance numbers to rise by 30 percent over the next decade, forecasting some 12 million visitors by 2025. Le Printemps du Louvre estimates its revenues to top €20 million this year alone.

A number of high-end watch brands including Chopard, Rolex, Montblanc, Hermes and Parmigiani are already present in the Carrousel du Louvre. With the 2014 edition of the Salon des Belles Montres set to take place in the same venue next November, the list is likely to grow.

Armin Strom - Elementary watchmaking

Building up a brand that is essentially trading on the name of a single person is not an easy process, particularly when that person was renowned for his skeletonisation work, which by its very nature meant relatively low volumes.

Armin Strom the man stood as a reference in the skeletonisation of watches, earning himself a mention in the Guinness Book of Records in 1991 for the smallest hand-skeletonised ladies' watch (12.5mm diameter) and working on hand skeletonisation for some major Swiss brands.

As he approached retirement, however, Armin Strom sought investors to continue his legacy in the form of a brand. But such a brand could not grow on the basis of skeletonisation alone…

Brand building
The transition started in 2006 and the new brand emerged thanks to several fortuitous events. Firstly, it was lucky enough to acquire in 2008 premises that had been occupied by a micro-stamping facility of Rolex, which were thus perfect for installing watchmaking machinery. Secondly, the financial crisis at the time offered a blessing in disguise for the new investors, who managed to purchase "for a song" some CNC machines that had been pre-ordered but cancelled by other brands.

The premises were fitted out between January and August 2009 and, astonishingly, by the end of 2009 Armin Strom had already presented its first in-house mechanical calibre. Today, only five years later, Armin Strom is a veritable brand boasting 12 different in-house calibres and a clearly structured collection, with each line - from the Manual up to the Tourbillon Gravity (the "Gravity" appended to an Armin Strom model means that it is powered by the force of gravity and is thus self-winding) being offered in four "elemental" configurations: Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

The elements
Aside from ensuring an unparalleled consistency of design across the line, the use of the elements offers four highly distinct looks to each line. The "Air" models, suffused with white on the strap and outer "ring" (the watch has no dial, in continuation of Armin Strom's philosophy of skeletonisation), are the most feminine, while the black PVD case of the "Earth" models and black ring with black leather strap, offers the masculine opposite. In between are the more classic designs of the "Water" models, with their stainless-steel case and the luxury touch of the "Fire" models, with an 18-carat red-gold case.

The "lip" at 6 o'clock on the case is also a distinctive trait of Armin Strom and stems from the craftsman's desire to have a space on the watch for personalization. A subtler, yet equally important, distinguishing characteristic is the slightly off-centre axis for the hour and minute hands, which is the brand's way of highlighting the in-house provenance of its movements. Only a company in total control of its own production and unreliant on third parties can allow itself such a discreet luxury.

Just like the much bigger brands whose shadow Armin Strom lives under in the industrial watchmaking city of Biel, the company employs a powerful combination of partnerships and ambassadors in its marketing portfolio, the most significant of which is undoubtedly the brand's association with the Marussia Formula 1 team, which is already in its fourth season.

Despite the communication efforts akin to a big brand, Armin Strom's pretensions remain modest. Its annual production hovers around the 1,000 mark and its latest collections, such as the Racing collection that is hitting the stores around now, are only produced in limited quantities, in this case only 100 units per reference. It's a level of rarity that could be qualified as reassuring for this remarkable niche manufacture brand.

Richard Mille - The Jack Nicholson of horology

Richard Mille calls his watches "a racing machine on the wrist". A tagline undoubtedly inspired not only by his personal interest in fast cars (Mille often races his own 1970 Lola), but also by his interest in exotic materials generally used in contexts such as the F1 industry. Your correspondent would now like to offer an extension to that tagline: "A racing machine on the wrist that makes otherwise reasonable people stop and gawk, want to make friends with you or upgrade your hotel room".

Borrowed feathers
I left the SIHH 2014 with an impressive titanium RM11-01 Roberto Mancini on my wrist, along with a pair of "mechanical" cufflinks, also in titanium. They were obviously not mine to keep, as I do not have Euro 114,500 in my timepiece account, nor the Euro 12,500 needed for the cufflinks (in fact I don't have a cufflinks account at all). Instead I wore the RM11-01 as borrowed feathers - but what borrowed feathers they turned out to be!

Once I got back home I started Instagram'ing this impressive watch and my Facebook account also featured many daily shots of the watch "in action". The response from social media circles was overwhelming. Strangers PM'd me asking if they could pop by my office just to see the watch, and I have a b suspicion that people showed up to my lectures just to get up-close-and-personal with the Richard Mille on my wrist.

The RM11-01 is a thing to behold. The distinct curvex and industrial looking case has been a trademark design of Richard Mille since the first model, RM001, was introduced in 2001. This particular model on my wrist, the Felipe Massa RM11, has been a success ever since it was originally launched in 2007 and can rightfully be considered the most popular of the contemporary range.

Do not however expect any extra attention if wearing the RM11-01 when horseback riding in outer Mongolia, or spelunking in Bulgaria. Richard Mille is not a carpet bomber; his distribution is very focused on key urban markets.

This of course is quite understandable as Richard Mille only produces 3,000 watches a year, and with an entry level of euro 43,000 (for the titanium RM07) to 1.4 million (for the elusive RM05601 with a sapphire case), it is a watch brand for the 1%. Unless of course you live in Dubai, where a Richard Mille is the horological equivalent of the soup of the day on the wrist of the Arab businessmen in their crisp, white disdasha. In these parts of the world a steel Rolex DateJust gets as much attention as last year's second runner-up of Dubai Has Talent. The glitterati of the Emirates get a diamond-crusted Rolex as their first timepiece, and have probably collected a complete set of Patek Philippe Nautilus models by the time their voice breaks.

The Nicholson of horology
A Richard Mille watch is for the guys (and gals) who have been around and who have tried and collected most high-end watch brands already. Their collections are already full of tourbillons, minute repeaters, probably including quite a few made by independent watchmakers, such as Christophe Claret, F. P. Journe and Kari Voutilainen.

Richard Mille may belong to the same crowd of young and indie watch brands, but he stands out. I see him as the Jack Nicholson of contemporary horology due to his laid-back personality and irresistible joie de vivre. His watches more powerfully represent sex, rock n' roll, fast cars and an exuberant lifestyle than anybody else.

Funnily enough the functions of Richard Mille watches are actually met with less interest than those of the competitors in the same price range, even though several of them offer fascinating functions such as a declutchable rotor, torque indicator and G-Force sensor, as well as a E6-B flight computer.

Nobody actually asked me about the functions of the RM11-01. A few asked about the choice of colors and nodded knowingly when I told them the model was named after a famous (former) Manchester City manager who is now managing Turkish Super Lig club Galatasaray. I got the distinct impression the watch could have been right only twice a day, and nobody would have noticed: it's the name on the dial and the lifestyle buzz that gets the pulse up.

But let´s sober up for a moment, ignore the sex appeal, and look at what this watch actually does.

The specs of the RM11-01
The automatic caliber RMAC1 inside the titanium case of the RM11-1 Roberto Mancini offers the standard functions of this model, such as flyback chronograph and annual calendar. Additionally, and in order to meet Mancini's demands, this model also offers a dial design that makes it possible to display football match time based on a two times 45-minute match while taking account of the 15-minute stoppage time.

During each half, a single press on the push-piece at "4" activates the flyback function, zero-setting the chronograph seconds hand which is thus ready to start timing the second half of the match. If extra time is awarded, the watch displays an additional 15 minutes and up to 5 minutes of stoppage time.

Functions and football reference aside, the RM11-01 procured me a somewhat unexpected pleasure while wearing it. I had strangers compliment my watch, floor managers expecting me to throw down a black Amex card to buy half the stock and hotel staff giving me extra attention when I was checking in (not when checking out as I turned out to not splash money everywhere I went). In conclusion, owning a watch from Richard Mille collection is what it feels like to park a slick luxury car outside a crowded cafe and step into it with a leggy blonde holding your hand: all eyes on you. And that thing on your arm.

Richard Mille - SIHH 2014: Tim Malachard, Marketing Director at Richard Mille

You are launching an RM 50-01 in partnership with the Lotus F1 Team and Romain Grosjean. What does this partnership involve?
We have a contract with the Lotus Formula 1 team and with its drivers. We are introducing a watch bearing its name and that of Romain Grosjean at this SIHH, equipped with a G-Force Meter and featuring the new material we are presenting, NTPT. This carbon-based technology stems from the production of sails for racing yachts.

It is still possible to enjoy clear visibility in the world of F1 alongside the all-pervasive presence of Rolex in this sport?
Yes, because our association is with the drivers, to develop products with them - just as we did for Felipe Massa. At that time, his team was partnering another brand, which didn't stop us working together. We are interested in the sportsmen themselves and we have indeed just launched a partnership with Alexis Pinturault, one of the most promising young French skiers, who just won the slalom ski race at Wengen last Sunday.

And what about the partnership with Natalie Portman?
The partnership agreement was signed in 2012, but it took two years to create the watch bearing her name, the RM 19-01. It represents one of her favourite symbols, the spider. We like it when our partners share their emotions with us and tell us what they like.

So 2014 is a year dedicated to women at Richard Mille ?
It's doubtless going to be a big year for women internationally, so we are taking the opportunity to launch several new watches in our ladies' collections. The latter account for 20% of our production, but we think that figure could in time reach 30 to 35%. With our new materials, such as white or chestnut brown ceramics, and our bracelet on the RM 07-01 model, we certainly have some features that are liable to appeal to women.

What's so special about this bracelet?
For the time being, it's intended for ladies, and it meets all Richard Mille criteria - meaning it is complex, extremely well finished and perfectly integrated with our cases and their distinctively curved shapes. Richard Mille has always been very sensitive to wearer comfort.

For the first time, visitors to your booth are forbidden to take pictures. Why is that?
We have always been open to this principle. A lot of people like to take snaps of absolutely everything. Even with a smartphone, you can get impressive results. But some of them are used to feed the fake-watch market and so we want to protect the brand and our clients.

Could you give us a few current business figures?
This year, we will produce about 3,400 watches, compared with less than 3,000 in 2013. Our turnover for 2013 was 123 million Swiss francs and we are aiming for 150 million in 2014. Our average price increases year on year and is now over the 110,000 € mark. We sell what we produce and our order book is full.

What's the geographical spread of your activity?
China represents less than 3% of our turnover, and we want to develop it - that is indeed our goal this year. The rest is pretty well balanced, just as Mr Richard Mille himself has always wished it to be: 40% in Asia, 30% in Europe and about the same in America. We are going to open another 8 to 10 boutiques, including in London, Jeddah, Beijing and Shanghai, after opening several last year in locations such as Las Vegas and Macao.

Collecting - Vintage Value Equation (1)

WORLDTEMPUS - 2 August 2012

Every vintage watch is different. Accordingly, a collector determining the value of each vintage wristwatch comes down to putting values into an equation. And, ultimately, each watch has its own value equation. Knowing how to quantify and calculate the variables in the equation is equal parts experience, education, astuteness, and power of observation. While there is no substitute for experience, there are resources that can speed up the learning curve: an expansive collector's library, bookmarking the best websites, and - frankly - buying and selling as many wristwatches as you can responsibly afford.
As I explained to my wife many years ago (I don't think she believed me, but it's true), "Every time I buy and own a watch, I learn about the watch and learn from the transaction." Don't underestimate the learning also garnered when a watch is sold. You quickly learn which brands and models are the best to collect (which also equates to investing in), and which watches are better left to looking at pictures of.

The first order of magnitude, in establishing the value of a vintage watch is authenticity. While a counterfeit watch has value in the sense that it may (or may not) keep time and may look nice, we are talking pennies on the dollar (and sometimes much less) in terms of comparing the value of a counterfeit watch to its authentic counterpart. Our starting presumption and the first step in the evaluation of any wristwatch must be: is this watch authentic?

For the beginning collector, this is easier said than done. If you are going to be buying most of your watches from an established watch dealer, you can piggy-back on his or her experience and trust that you are purchasing authentic watches. Any dealer worth doing business with will guarantee the authenticity of any and all watches and will put that pledge in writing and offer a lifetime money-back guarantee should a watch turn out to be less than 100 percent authentic. Buying from established dealers allows you to safely spend your money and learn from each watch that you buy. Obviously, the dealer works on a profit, and buying from him or her may mean you are paying more than if you venture out into the wild by yourself. However, in my opinion, the extra layers of protection are worth the premium.
This is where spending big on a watch library before you start spending big on watches will really pay off. There are numerous watch books available, all of which are illustrated with pictures. From coffee table books, magazines and watch annuals to auction catalogs and collector's value guides, each and every book will advance your education. Many of the Italian collector's books are excellent (and expensive, but worth every penny). There are Japanese books and magazines usually focused on Rolex watches that feature amazingly in-depth picture series on the various models and their iterations over time. The Antiquorum auction house offers many, also available on Amazon and eBay. Unfortunately, many of the best books are now out of print. However, my advice is to spend liberally on books. Even after you are an experienced collector, you will find yourself referring again and again to your library. I know I do, every day.

Democratization of information is the essence of the Internet. There is no limit to the amount of learning one can achieve online. Antiquorum's online database of auction results is an educational goldmine. You can study the pictures of watches - each picture can be clicked on to open up a high definition image - and find out both what the experts on staff predicted the value of each watch would be at auction and what the watch actually sold for. Studying these results over time, one can learn which models do best in terms of value and which characteristics most closely correlate with a watch's value. Timezone is a great resource to spend days immersed in learning and DoubleRedSeaDweller is a magnificent website for Rolex Submariners and SeaDwellers. You should explore all that the Internet has to offer in terms of watch knowledge.
However, there is simply no substitute for experience. You should strive to see as many watches as possible "in the metal." Holding watches in your hands, studying them under a loupe, feeling their weight, winding them, playing with their crowns and chronograph buttons, putting them on your wrist, and noticing every last detail is the surest way to know immediately if a watch is authentic and if it is not.

Related stories:

COLLECTING - Vintage Value Equation (1)
COLLECTING - Vintage Value Equation (2)
COLLECTING - Vintage Value Equation (3)

Rolex - Rolex Awards for Enterprise

Revue FH - 5 July 2012

The 2012 Rolex Awards for Enterprise aroused keen interest. Indeed around 3,500 names were put forward - more than double that of recent editions - originating from 154 different countries (126 at the last edition). The average age of participants was down from 46 to 41. The percentage of women meanwhile rose from 23 to 28%, a record high.
Members of the interdisciplinary jury, which included renowned scientists, explorers, environmental campaigners, doctors, educationalists and entrepreneurs, made their selection as follows:
Sergei Bereznuk (51), Russia

The Russian Far East is home to 95 per cent of the remaining population of the Amur, the biggest of the world's tigers (also known as the Siberian tiger), which weighs on average 200 kg. Today, an estimated 350 to 500 of this subspecies (Panthera tigris altaica) roam the frontier region bordering China and the Sea of Japan. Although sustained conservation efforts over recent years have moved the Amur tigers from «critically endangered» to «endangered» on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List, they still remain at risk - mainly due to poaching.
For the past 17 years, Sergei Bereznuk, a staunch Russian conservationist and ecologist, has been working valiantly to save the Amur tiger. Based on his experience since 1995 with a tiger anti-poaching brigade in the Primorsky Krai, the Russian Far East province commonly known as Primorye, Bereznuk is convinced that saving the Amur tiger depends on both the efficiency of anti-poaching measures and the education of the local people, two elements at the core of his Rolex Awardwinning project. Moreover, he considers the Amur tiger as a powerful driver for the general conservation of its ecosystem, the taiga forest.

As director of the Phoenix Fund, a small, environmental NGO that he has headed for 12 years, Bereznuk and his team of six people are carrying out an impressive range of activities to preserve the Amur tiger over a territory of 166,000 km2. These include support of anti-poaching units, awareness-raising among local people, reversing habitat reduction due to fires and logging and resolution of humananimal conflicts, along with providing compensation for damage and monitoring invasive industrial projects in the region.
Barbara Block (54), United States

Large marine predators such as sharks and tunas are essential to maintaining the delicate balance of our ocean ecosystems, but overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution have caused reductions of populations worldwide. Measures advocated by scientists to reverse this decline include the creation of large marine protected areas in the open ocean that preserve feeding and breeding grounds. A major challenge has been to identify the best locations for these sanctuaries, since these species are highly migratory and difficult to follow.
Barbara Block, a professor of marine biology, has developed innovative electronic tagging techniques that enable following fish beneath the sea. In the late 1990s, she helped develop the first pop-up satellite archival tag, a device that detaches itself from the fish on a pre-programmed date and floats to the surface of the sea where it transmits archived data via satellite.
Block's aim is to build the technology that will enable monitoring of these ocean hotspots and to engage the public on the plight of marine predators that roam along the west coast of North America - a crucial prelude to their conservation.
Her team conducts «conservation oceanography» incorporating the latest advances in sensor technology, ocean observing systems and computational methods to provide resource managers and policy-makers with data on the sustainability of both exploited and protected marine predators.
Erika Cuellard (40), Bolivia

The largest of Bolivia's national parks, the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco, boasts the unlikely combination of South America's hottest, driest weather and 70 species of large mammals, including jaguars, pumas and giant armadillos, living in the largest protected tropical dry forest in the world. This harsh and inhospitable environment has been the workplace of Erika Cuellar for more than a decade. The scientist has spearheaded participatory conservation with the indigenous Guaraní people who live on the boundaries of the park. She has worked towards improving grassland management and local capacity building by training local people to take ownership of the conservation of their habitat.
Encouraged by her successes in the national park, Cuellar's sights are now set on the wider Gran Chaco region, which spans parts of Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The Gran Chaco counts a variety of indigenous tribes, nomadic hunters, gatherers, fishing communities, farmers and cattle ranchers as its human inhabitants. The forests and scrublands are also home to 3,400 plant species, 500 bird and 150 mammal species, many of which are unique to the region.
But for more than a century, the Gran Chaco's natural wealth has been systematically eroded. A notable casualty of these man-made factors has been the guanaco, the wild ancestor of domesticated llamas. In 2007, to help protect this species and its habitat, Cuellar devised a course to train members of three ethnic groups native to the Gran Chaco (Guaraní, Ayoreode and Chiquitano) as parabiologists. As native inhabitants, parabiologists are also an influential means of conveying the value of conservation to indigenous communities. Cuellar now wants to extend her approach in Argentina and Paraguay and formalize the model to make conservation a viable long-term local employment option.
Mark Kendall (40), Australia

Mark Kendall is developing an inexpensive and highly efficient way to reduce the annual death toll of millions of people worldwide from infectious diseases. Many of these fatalities can be prevented by vaccines, but the traditional syringe-and needle method - invented in 1853 - is holding vaccines back. First, this method injects vaccine into muscle, which has few immune cells, missing our immune «sweet spot». It is expensive and presents numerous difficulties - with vaccines requiring refrigeration in many countries where electricity supplies are uncertain.
With the «Nanopatch» that Professor Kendall is developing at a cutting-edge bio-engineering research institute at the University of Queensland, in Australia, a host of problems linked to the traditional needle and syringe will be swept away. The syringe-free method developed by Kendall uses an applicator which propels the Nanopatch and its microprojections - painlessly - onto a superficial layer of the skin where target immune cells are most numerous. The process does not draw blood, so the risk of infection is greatly reduced.
The Nanopatch is coated with dry vaccine, so no refrigeration is required. This, together with lower vaccine doses, drastically reduces all costs, including transport. In the long term, Nanopatches could probably be administered by community workers or teachers, thus avoiding the need for medical staff to be present.
Aggrey Otieno (34), Kenya

Korogocho, Nairobi's fourth-largest slum, is home to an estimated 200,000 people in an area of only 1.5 km2, which is troubled by widespread insecurity, substandard sanitation and deep poverty. An estimated 300 women experience postpartum haemorrhage and 200 newborn babies die there every year due to the lack of obstetric medical facilities and a means of getting to hospital, as well as the fact that the local birth attendants need assistance during emergencies. In Korogocho, the maternal mortality ratio is roughly 700 women out of 100,000, compared with 13 out of 100,000 in the United States.
After studying in the United States, Aggrey Otieno returned to the slum, his birthplace, to improve the health of his community by empowering its people. With his knowledge of the area, Otieno, who has gained a well-deserved reputation as a valiant champion of the poor and vulnerable residents of Korogocho, is well placed to drive forward his project to build a telemedicine centre with a 24- hour, on-call doctor and van, thereby helping to prevent many deaths.
Under the auspices of the non-profit organization Pambazuko Mashinani - of which he is founder and executive director - Otieno will use his Rolex Award funds to train birth attendants to recognize when complications are occurring so that they can alert staff at the centre by text message when an emergency arises. These qualified workers and doctors will give instant medical advice and, if needed, dispatch a van to transport the woman to hospital.

Les Ambassadeurs - New Branch Manager for Zurich Boutique

Representing a fine selection of the most prestigious watch and jewelry brands, the boutique located at Bahnhofstrasse 64 has been expertly managed for the last two years by Alberto Soria.

Taking leave of Les Ambassadeurs to realize personal projects, Soria vacated the post, which has aroused quite a bit of interest in the industry. Les Ambassadeurs decided to place its confidence in Forster to carry the torch.

Forster's career path, which began by learning the trade of watchmaker, is rich in experience. Having worked with famous brands such as Rolex and Audemars Piguet, trips and jobs abroad - notably in Singapore, China, Australia and the Caribbean - combine with his proximity to a successful clientele, with which he shares a sensibility to and passion for beautiful objects.
After more than one month spent in the company and benefitting from Soria's support during this transitional period, Forster now takes charge of his brands. Today, he is eager for just one thing: to continue to transmit his limitless passion.

Dive Watch - A Moment in Time

A Timely Perspective - 28 March 2012

Jason Heaton is passionate about diving and has even achieved Rescue Diver Certification. Heaton, who lives in Minneapolis, grew up around Lake Michigan, where there are pristine ship wrecks thanks to the cold water. He has spent years diving in top spots around the world - in water ranging from Lake Michigan to the Honduras, Bonaire, Sri Lanka and even Boston Harbor (a murky site that wasn't his favorite). Heaton has found way to combine his love of diving with real-world dive-watch reviews for a variety of publications. Here he shares his thoughts with Atimelyperspective on what makes a good dive watch.

Jason Heaton somewhere off of Roatan, Honduras, wearing a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving Geographic Navy SEALs in rose gold. "Crazy watch in all respects!""The truth is that you don't really need a dive watch today because there are so many other dive instruments you can use, but there is a saying in the dive world that is critical: 'two is one and one is none'. If you have two pieces of equipment, it's like having one, and if you have one, it's like having nothing because anything can happen to a single instrument. You always need backup, and for me, that's a great dive watch," says Heaton.
Several times, Heaton has had to rely only on his watch when diving. In fact, he refers to a trip in Sri Lanka, where a diving buddy's dive computer died. Heaton lent his computer to that diver, and relied on his watch to track his own time and depth.

Heaton uses his dive watch to track intermediate things he is doing under water, and asserts it's a valuable timing tool, as well. He especially notes that since underwater navigation is tricky, using the watch to time how long you are swimming in one direction, helps you to assess when you need to turn around in order to get back in time before using up air. Thus, says Heaton, the most important feature on a dive watch is a one-way ratcheted bezel for the ability to track elapsed time. Also, in keeping with the ISO dive standards, the watch should be water resistant to at least 100 meters and have minute and hour hands that are distinctively different from each other.
"Additionally, when looking to buy a diver's watch, one really needs to look at the strap. It's the first thing you have to deal with after putting on your wetsuit, so it's good to have a rubber or Velcro strap that fits over the suit, or a quick change bracelet. Divers also want a bezel that's grippy and turns easily enough to set. Luminescence is so important because you need ease of telling time under water, and finally the big clunker watches can get hung up on gear and snagged on things, so a lower profile watch is better."
Among Heaton's favorites: Rolex, Citizen, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Omega, Doxa.

Kobold - Lofty Business

When a Westerner hears the word "Sherpa," he or she immediately associates it with mountain climbing. There is a good reason for this: the Sherpa caste, at home at the foot of Mt. Everest, part of the Himalayan mountain range, makes its living by guiding tourists coming to Nepal to conquer the mountain. This is a dangerous, ungrateful job - but in many cases it is the best way for a member of the Sherpa ethnic group to support its family.

Watchmaker Sherpas

Namgel Sherpa and Thundu Sherpa probably often gratefully pray to their gods since the day that Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Michael Kobold showed up in Kathmandu in 2008, the latter having spontaneously decided to accompany his friend and the Kobold Watch Company ambassador who has been described as "the world's greatest living adventurer" on an Everest bid. Kobold was unprepared to climb, and he had not even reckoned with reaching what's known as base camp (the last acclimation settlement before serious climbers head up the earth's highest mountain, which peaks at 8,848 meters (29,029 feet) above sea level). He made it up much higher before both he and Fiennes had to turn back; it was then he discovered he was officially bit by the same bug that has plagued adventurers the world over.
Kobold and Fiennes returned in 2009 and made it to the summit, with Kobold repeating the feat in 2010 together with his wife Anita Ugyan, who climbed without oxygen. During the three adventurous climbs, the lives of Kobold and other members of his crew - particularly his wife - were seriously endangered. Only by the grace of the Sherpas did they survive, and in his gratitude Kobold decided to make a suggestion uttered by Fiennes in 2008 into reality and invest in an unprecedented venture: training the two Sherpas as watchmakers and having them run a new subsidiary in Kathmandu called Kobold Watch Company Nepal (Pvt.) Ltd as co-owners.

"These two caught on really quickly," Kobold's head watchmaker, Dale Poindexter, said of the Sherpas' ability to learn the complicated techniques involved in mechanical watchmaking during the official opening of Kobold Nepal on March 26. Poindexter trained them for ten months in Kobold's Pittsburgh facility.
Made in Nepal
As manufacturing and crafts only employ 6 percent of Nepal's 27 million-b population, it is safe to say that skilled labor is not one of this country's assets. In fact, Kobold is certain that his venture is a highly motivational one for the people of Nepal, a way for them to imagine a different future. "Newspapers have already written that Nepal, unable to produce even a sewing needle, now has 'watch movements' with hundreds of parts. This is sure to greatly increase the confidence of the Nepalese in themselves."

The "standard" Kobold watch model bearing the predicate "made in Nepal," assembled in the Sherpas' new workshop, which is equipped with exceedingly solid, locally custom-made benches crafted from local wood, is called the Himalaya. It is housed in a 44 mm stainless steel case that was made in the U.S.A. The three-handed dial comes in brown or black and exudes the typical Kobold legibility that is the signature element of this adventurous brand. The automatic movement is a Kobold specialty: Caliber K.2651 is based on a vintage Förster movement from Pforzheim. Kobold is the only company currently using this refurbished and improved movement in serial watches. Water-resistant to 100 meters, the timepiece is protected by a sapphire crystal that is also sourced in the U.S.A. Its rugged, understated elegance completed by an alligator skin strap also crafted in the U.S.A. will allow this watch to be worn in any circumstances: on the mountain or in the city.
To celebrate the opening, Kobold also offered a limited edition of 25 very special watches - which were unfortunately already sold out before the evening of the opening had even come to its exciting conclusion. The Himalaya Everest Edition features a very special dial crafted from a Mt. Everest summit limestone that Kobold plucked from the lofty ground and brought back down the mountain in 2009. A German specialist company located in Idar-Oberstein spent two years ensuring the structural integrity of the beautiful dials crafted from this rock that now forms the mysterious 5 mm-thick face of the Himalaya Everest Edition. Needless to say, each of the 25 pieces is unique in its own way thanks to the natural material.

Last but hardly least
Many colorful and important personages attended the evening festivity, including a handful of ambassadors to Nepal, two top generals of the Nepalese army -who ended up "guarding" the Kobold collection inspected by party guests in the new workshop - several members of the deposed royal family of Nepal, the commander-in-chief of its army and other influential fans of Kobold watches from various countries. They had all attended not only to support the new business but also to hear Kobold's famed ambassador tell stories of his exploits. Fiennes has been entered into the "Guinness Book of World Records" as "the greatest living explorer." This man, previously an esteemed Rolex ambassador for 20 years, is the author of many world firsts as well as gripping books. When he and Kobold summited Mt. Everest in 2009, Fiennes was 65 years old. He is a top celebrity in the U.K. and according to JustGiving.com, the U.K.'s top celebrity fundraiser.
Asked why he gave up the Rolex sponsorship in favor of becoming Kobold's top ambassador, Fiennes replied in his typically direct way, "Gratitude and loyalty." This seems to be a running theme in the world of Kobold, and flows in both directions.

Namgel and Thundu did not seem particularly fazed by any of this hoopla - least of all the celebrity explorer they have guided up their home mountain twice - and exuded a calm, interested outward demeanor throughout the entire event. In the space of the four years that they have known Kobold, the world of the two Sherpas who have climbed Mt. Everest a combined total of sixteen times has become an entirely different one. Though hard to get involved answers from them, when asked if they felt pride at all these accomplishments, the answer was clear: a big smile and an enthusiastic "yes!" accompanied by vigorous nodding. I'm not certain they understand the historic proportions of their actions over the last few years, but they have time to discover it - time mechanically measured by an adventurous Kobold watch that they keep running.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Submariner

The archetype of the diver's watch, the Oyster Perpetual SUBMARINER presented at Baselworld 2012 sports a new look to complement its iconic personality. with its subtly redesigned case and its new bezel and bracelet both benefitting from recent Rolex innovations, this latest generation SUBMARINER is firmly in line with the tradition of the historic model launched in 1953. It sets new standards in terms of robustness, legibility and reliability, strengthening its status as a watch of action with timeless allure.

Ceramic bezel and long-lasting luminescent display

The unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated bezel of this new SUBMARINER is equipped with a black CERACHROM insert made of virtually scratchproof, non-fading, corrosion-resistant ceramic. The graduations are coated via a PVd process with a thin layer of platinum. The sleek black dial harbours large CHROMALIGHT hour markers and hands filled with luminescent material that emits a long-lasting blue glow. This exclusive display offers exceptional legibility in the dark.

The OYSTER case, symbol of waterproofness

The SUBMARINER's 40 mm OYSTER case, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 300 metres (1,000 feet), is a paragon of robustness. The middle case is crafted from a solid block of particularly corrosion-resistant 904L steel. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex watchmakers. The winding crown, fitted with the patented TRIPLOCK triple waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case in a manner akin to a submarine's hatch. It is protected by a crown guard that is an integral part of the middle case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof synthetic sapphire. The waterproof OYSTER case ensures optimal protection for the SUBMARINER's high-precision movement.

Calibre 3130, a superlative chronometer

The new SUBMARINER is equipped with calibre 3130, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all PERPETUAL movements, the 3130 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. Its architecture, like that of all OYSTER watch movements, makes it singularly precise and reliable. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue PARACHROM hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the PARACHROM hairspring offers great stability when exposed to temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.

The OYSTERLOCK clasp, functional and secure

This SUBMARINER is fitted with a solid-link OYSTER bracelet in 904L steel. It features a new-generation OYSTERLOCK safety clasp and GLIdELOCK extension system. The ingenious patented system, located beneath the clasp cover, allows fine adjustments of the bracelet length in 2 mm increments for a total of approximately 20 mm - without using any tools. This allows the watch to be worn over a diving suit up to 3 mm thick and provides additional comfort in any circumstance.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller

The Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER presented at Baselworld 2012 is the latest addition to the Oyster collection, a compelling timepiece of revolutionary design that blends to perfection technological sophistication and ease of use.

With 14 patents - five of which are new - the SKY-DWELLER provides, in an unprecedented and highly original way, the information global travellers need to easily keep track of time: a dual time zone, with local time read via centre hands and a reference time display in 24-hour format read via a rotating off-centre disc visible on the dial; a particularly innovative annual calendar named SAROS - in tribute to the astronomical phenomenon which inspired it - that requires only one date adjustment a year, when the month changes from February to March; and a month display by means of 12 discreet apertures around the circumference of the dial.

A majestic expression of the art of watchmaking and the product of Rolex's exceptional technical expertise, the SKY-DWELLER is as intuitive to read as it is simple to use. Local time, reference time and the date are rapidly set using a highly innovative interface between the case and movement. The rotatable RING COMMAND bezel is the focal point of the interface, allowing the wearer to select the individual functions to be set simply by turning the bezel. Each function can then be adjusted swiftly and easily in both directions by means of the winding crown, which has only one setting position.

The SKY-DWELLER is equipped with a new calibre, the 9001, an officially certified Swiss chronometer entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. The SKY-DWELLER epitomizes the values of precision, robustness and reliability for which Rolex watches are renowned. It bears witness to the creative force of a brand dedicated to its passion for innovation at the service of the wearer.

The SKY-DWELLER is designed for those who place the emphasis on useful functions, effortless manipulation, prestige and elegance above all. Available in 18 ct white, yellow or EVEROSE gold cast by Rolex in its own foundry, this advanced wristwatch features the fluted bezel that symbolizes the codes of the brand. With its stately 42 mm OYSTER case, it is the embodiment of perfect symbiosis between form and function, aesthetics and technology.

With the SKY-DWELLER, Rolex once again demonstrates its wealth of ingenuity by designing and manufacturing a watch that perpetuates the OYSTER's legendary excellence.

Dual time zone and 24-hour display

The combined display of local time via centre watch hands and reference time via an off-centre disc makes the SKY-DWELLER easy to read and endows it with unique aesthetics.

The Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER features a dual time zone that is as intuitive to read as it is simple to use. The display's highly original design endows the watch with an aesthetic identity all of its own.

Reference time via an off-centre disc

Global travellers can read the reference time - the time at home or at their usual place of work - via a rotating off-centre disc visible on the dial. A fixed inverted red triangle points to the wearer's chosen reference time. The disc's 24-hour display allows travellers to clearly distinguish daytime hours from night-time hours in the reference time zone (for example, 10 p.m. versus 10 a.m.). At any moment and in any location, they know if it is an appropriate time to contact someone on the other side of the world.

Centre hands for local time

Local time at the destination is indicated by the conventional centre hour, minute and seconds hands. It can be set very quickly and easily thanks to a mechanism that allows the hour hand to be adjusted independently in one-hour increments both forwards and backwards, so that changing the local hour does not affect the minute or seconds hands or the reference time.

Date change linked to local time

The date change is linked to local time and occurs within a few milliseconds at midnight. Thus, the date displayed in the aperture is always the current date in the wearer's local time zone. Thanks to its innovative display and simple operation, the SKY-DWELLER allows the traveller to adjust the watch to different time zones during a journey, while benefitting from a constant, clear display of reference time.

Saros Annual Calendar

A particularly ingenious patented mechanism inspired by an astronomical phenomenon differentiates between 30-day and 31-day months, thanks to just four additional gear wheels.

The Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER is equipped with a revolutionary annual calendar offering unparalleled robustness and reliability for such a complex watchmaking function. This annual calendar's qualities are attributable to an ingenious mechanism named SAROS, patented by Rolex. Its original design was directly inspired by the astronomical phenomenon of the same name.

Only one adjustment per year

This annual calendar automatically differentiâtes between 30-day and 31-day months. It displays the correct date throughout the year and requires only one adjustment a year - on 1st March, February having only 28 or 29 days.

A system with intelligence

The ingenuity of the SAROS system developed by Rolex lies in its simple and systematic handling of the irregular occurrence of 30 and 31-day months. This intelligent mechanism is based on only two gear ratios and four gear wheels added to the traditional Rolex instantaneous date calendar. Such simplicity ensures peerless robustness and reliability for the annual calendar function.

Planetary and satellite wheels

The Greek term Saros has been used since antiquity to designate an approximately 18-year cycle of alignment patterns between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon that is behind lunar and solar eclipses. This astronomical phenomenon inspired the design of the SKY-DWELLER's annual calendar mechanism. The SAROS system is designed around a fixed planetary gear Wheel (equivalent to the Sun) at the centre of the movement. A satellite wheel (whose centre represents the Earth) engages with the planetary wheel and rotates, orbiting the planetary wheel in one month, driven by the date disc. The satellite wheel is fitted with four fingers (the Moon) for the four 30-day months (April, June, September and November).

Double instantaneous date change

The gear ratio between the satellite wheel and the planetary wheel is calculated in such a way that at the end of each 30-day month - and only in these months - one of the satellite's fingers receives an additional impulse from the date change mechanism. This makes the calendar disc jump two days (from the 30th to the 1st) within a few milliseconds to display the correct date.

Discreet month apertures

The months of the year are indicated in 12 discreet apertures around the circumference of the dial, outside the hour markers: January at 1 o'clock, February at 2 o'clock, and so on. The current month is identified in a contrasting colour.

RING COMMAND BEZEL

The Ring Command Bezel can be turned to any one of three positions to choose the function to be set: date, local time or reference time.

The Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER is equipped with a rotatable RING COMMAND bezel that allows the wearer to easily select the watch's different functions via an innovative, patented interface between the movement and case.

Unrestricted setting

The RING COMMAND bezel can be turned to any one of three positions to select the function to be set: date, local time or reference time. The selected function can then be rapidly adjusted in either direction, forwards or backwards, using the winding crown, which has only one setting position. Unlike traditional mechanisms, this interface developed by Rolex allows unrestricted setting.

A simple and intuitive interface

This simple and intuitive interface is based on a complex mechanical module which consists of no fewer than 60 components and demands state-of-the-art watchmaking and micromechanical expertise. The heart of the mechanism is a double cam and levers that engage various gear trains inside the movement according to the function selected. One of these cams is activated by pulling out the winding crown, the other is driven by rotating the bezel to activate setting wheels located in the middle case of the watch.

An expression of Rolex values

With its innovative interface between the watch case and the movement, the RING COMMAND bezel is the product of Rolex's total mastery of the design and manufacture of all the essential components of the watch. Rolex once again demonstrates core values that have always placed an emphasis on functionality and wearer comfort.

Classic elegance of the fluted bezel

With its iconic Rolex fluting, the SKY-DWELLER is firmly established in the lineage of the models in the OYSTER collection, such as the Datejust or the Day-Date , which have become symbols of prestige and timeless elegance.

Calibre 9001

A certified chronometer, this new high-performance movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex consists of 380 components and is backed by seven patents.

The Oyster Perpetual SKY-DWELLER's calibre 9001 is a completely new self-winding mechanical movement, a pure distillation of Rolex technology. Entirely developed and manufactured in-house, with a total of 380 components and backed by seven patents - four of which are new - it is one of the most complex calibres ever developed by the brand.

A selector wheel on the outside edge of the movement ensures the interaction of the movement and the bezel of the watch to set the functions.

Chronometric precision

Calibre 9001 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. The oscillator has a blue PARACHROM hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive paramagnetic alloy.

Singular reliability

The architecture behind the 9001, like that of all PERPETUAL movements at Rolex, makes it singularly reliable. The oscillator is fitted between high-performance PARAFLEX shock absorbers, developed and patented by Rolex, that offer 50 per cent greater resistance to shocks. It is held firmly in place by a height-adjustable traversing bridge. The SAROS annual calendar and the RING COMMAND setting system are also designed to be exceptionally robust.

Self-winding by Perpetual rotor

Calibre 9001 is fitted with a self-winding mechanism featuring Rolex's PERPETUAL rotor which ensures continuous winding of the mainspring by harnessing movements of the wrist to provide a constant source of energy.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Day-Date II

Gem-set splendour
The majestic 18 ct yellow gold case of the DAY-DATE II originally launched in 2008 adopts a new champagne colour dial set with eight baguette-cut diamonds and two baguette-cut rubies at 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock. It also features a scintillating bezel set with 80 baguette-cut diamonds. The brilliance of precious stones and the glistening lustre of polished gold interact to give this bold and distinctive piece all the nobility it deserves.
Rolex yellow gold
The 18 ct yellow gold of the DAY-DATE II's OYSTER case and the PRESIDENT bracelet is alloyed by Rolex in its own foundry before being shaped in the brand's workshops. Its unique lustre is the result of the extreme care with which it is shaped, machined and finally polished.

The OYSTER case, symbol of waterproofness
The DAY-DATE II's 41 mm OYSTER case, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of elegance. The characteristically shaped middle case is crafted from a solid block of 18 ct gold. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex watchmakers. The winding crown, fitted with the patented TWINLOCK double waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. The crystal, with a CYCLOPS lens at 3 o'clock for easy reading of the date, is made of virtually scratchproof synthetic sapphire. The waterproof OYSTER case allies refinement with efficiency in protecting the DAY-DATE II's high-precision movement.
Calibre 3156, a superlative chronometer
The DAY-DATE II is equipped with calibre 3156, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all PERPETUAL movements, the 3156 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. Its architecture, like that of all OYSTER watch movements, makes it singularly precise and reliable. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue PARACHROM hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the PARACHROM hairspring offers great stability when exposed to temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks. The oscillator is fitted between highperformance PARAFLEX shock absorbers, patented by Rolex, which offer 50 per cent greater resistance to shocks.

Prestige and elegance of the PRESIDENT bracelet
This DAY-DATE II model is fitted with the PRESIDENT bracelet in 18 ct yellow gold with a concealed folding CROWNCLASP. This prestigious and elegant bracelet with solid semi-circular links provides unique comfort and contributes fully to the aesthetics of the watch.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Day Date

When it appeared in 1956, the DAY-DATE was the first wristwatch with a calendar indicating the day of the week spelt out in full in a window on the dial. The DAY-DATE adorned with a new gem-set dial perpetuates Rolex's legendary excellence and displays all the brand's watchmaking know-how and technology.

Chocolate, diamonds and rubies
In an 18 ct EVEROSE gold case of incomparable lustre, this DAY-DATE is fitted with a chocolate colour dial on which the hours are marked by precious stones: eight diamonds and, at 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock, baguette-cut rubies.

Rolex pink gold
The 18 ct EVEROSE gold of the OYSTER case and bracelet is alloyed by Rolex in its own foundry before being shaped in the brand's workshops. The incomparably warm tone of this exclusive pink gold alloy developed by Rolex is heightened by the addition of a touch of platinum. Its unique lustre is the result of the extreme care with which it is shaped, machined and finally polished.

The OYSTER case, symbol of waterproofness
The DAY-DATE's 36 mm OYSTER case, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of proportion and elegance. The characteristically shaped middle case is crafted from a solid block of 18 ct gold. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex watchmakers. The winding crown, fitted with the patented TWINLOCK double waterproofness system, screws down securely against the case. The fluted bezel is a Rolex signature aesthetic feature. The crystal, with a CYCLOPS lens at 3 o'clock for easy reading of the date, is made of virtually scratchproof synthetic sapphire. The waterproof OYSTER case allies refinement with efficiency in protecting the DAY-DATE's high-precision movement.
Calibre 3155, a superlative chronometer
This DAY-DATE is equipped with calibre 3155, a self-winding mechanical movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all PERPETUAL movements, the 3155 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. Its architecture, like that of all OYSTER watch movements, makes it singularly precise and reliable. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue PARACHROM hairspring patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the PARACHROM hairspring offers great stability when exposed to temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.

Comfort and elegance of the OYSTER bracelet
This DAY-DATE model is fitted with an 18 ct EVEROSE gold OYSTER bracelet with a concealed folding CROWNCLASP. Developed and patented by Rolex, this elegant solid-link bracelet offers remarkable comfort and ease of use.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona

A bezel in all the colours of the rainbow
Along with its 18 ct yellow gold case and bracelet, this COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA dons a bezel entirely set with an array of sapphires in rainbow colours. All the nuances of the celestial arc are visible, a delicate palette of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, mauves and pinks. The subtle grace of these fascinating stones meticulously selected, assembled and set by Rolex is magical, endowing the watch with a stunning radiance.
Also gem-set, the case lugs, crown guard as well as the hour markers on the dial participate in the exquisite allure of this variation on the DAYTONA theme.

Exclusive GOLD CRYSTALS counters
Contrasting with the black lacquer of the dial, the reflections of the GOLD CRYSTALS counters blend with the radiance of the precious stones. Crafted from an 18 ct gold alloy perfected by Rolex in its own foundry, these exclusive counters highlight the crystal structure of the gold in a seductive play of reflections and colours. Each counter is a natural work of art, different from every other.
The OYSTER case, symbol of waterproofness
The COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA's 40 mm OYSTER case, guaranteed waterproof to a depth of 100 metres (330 feet), is a paragon of proportion and elegance. The characteristically shaped middle case is crafted from a solid block of 18 ct gold. The fluted case back is hermetically screwed down with a special tool exclusive to Rolex watchmakers. The winding crown, fitted with the patented TRIPLOCK triple waterproofness system, as well as the chronograph pushers screw down securely against the case. It is protected by a crown guard that is an integral part of the middle case. The crystal is made of virtually scratchproof synthetic sapphire. The waterproof OYSTER case ensures optimal protection for the COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA's high-precision movement.

Calibre 4130, a superlative chronograph chronometer
The COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA is equipped with calibre 4130, a self-winding mechanical chronograph movement entirely developed and manufactured by Rolex. Like all PERPETUAL movements, the 4130 is a certified Swiss chronometer, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) tests. Its architecture, like that of all OYSTER watch movements, makes it singularly precise and reliable. The oscillator, the true heart of the watch, has a blue PARACHROM hairspring, patented and manufactured by Rolex in an exclusive alloy. Insensitive to magnetic fields, the PARACHROM hairspring offers great stability when exposed to temperature variations and remains up to 10 times more precise than a traditional hairspring in case of shocks.
The OYSTERLOCK clasp, functional and secure
This COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA is fitted with an OYSTER bracelet in 18 ct yellow gold with the latestgeneration OYSTERLOCK safety clasp to prevent accidental opening. Developed and patented by Rolex, this elegant solid-link bracelet also features the ingenious EASYLINK rapid extension system that allows the wearer to easily increase the bracelet length by approximately 5 mm, for additional comfort in any circumstance.

Cuervo y Sobrinos - Legacy of "bygone time"

In less than fifty years the combination of high quality creations (made in Switzerland) and the Latin spirit of the brand won over the Americas. Various fine watch brands (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Longines) associated their names with Cuervo y Sobrinos (a more prestigious name at that time) to co-produce watches based on Havana time - a legacy of "bygone time". The boutique quickly became so successful that in the 1890s Cuervo y Sobrinos decided to expand its production network, opening branches in three crucial European cities.
While most European luxury product creators expanded their international business to other continents, Cuervo y Sobrinos was one of the first overseas brands to take the opposite path, successfully working on the Continent: in Pforzheim, Germany, where La Casa selected its precious stones; in Rue Mezlay in Paris, where its finest jewels were made, and later, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, where its timepieces were created.
For its select clientele, a visit to La Casa in the heart of Havana was a must on every trip, just like visits to the great jewelers on Place Vendôme in Paris or Fifth Avenue in New York. In the 1940s, the heyday of the brand, prized Cuervo y Sobrinos products weren't simply premium watches but reflected a lifestyle and a way of thinking. After having its name among top watch brands for more than fifty years, the company's business slumped after the political uprisings in the country. The Cuervo family left Cuba for Europe and for nearly forty years the brand lay dormant.

Sotheby's - A Rolex Wristwatch Sells for CHF 170 000

This historical 18K yellow gold automatic centre seconds wristwatch with date and bracelet (ref. 6305/1) was sought after by at least three bidders in the room. After five minutes of competitive bidding, the hammer finally came down with a final price of CHF 170,500/ $171,760, almost tripling the pre-sale estimate of CHF 60,000-80,000/ $66,500-89,000 (lot 132). Presented to the German Chancellor in 1955, this great piece of history has been kept in its original condition by the Chancellor's descendants and appeared tonight for the first time on the market. Engraved on the back with Konrad Adenauer's name, it was accompanied by its original leather folder and a letter dated 16 September 1955 from Rolex's founder Hans Wilsdorf to the German Chancellor.

Overall, Sotheby's autumn sale of Important Watches brought CHF 7,178,475 ($7,231,524). b prices were achieved for highly complicated timepieces and vintage wristwatches. Tracing the development of watchmaking from 1574 to the present day, the sale also confirmed b interest from international collectors for antique pocket watches.

Top ten

Dubois & Depraz - At the Service of Brands

Revue FH - 27 October 2011

Nestled in the heart of the Joux Valley, the firm Dubois Depraz designs, develops and constructs additional movements for watch complications for some of the greatest names in watchmaking, including Patek Philippe, Breitling, Rolex, Omega, Richard Mille, etc. Be it chronographs with multiple indications (with or without perpetual calendar), special mechanisms indicating days, months, leap years, moon phases, sunset and sunrise, the equation of time, tides, timezones, jumping-dials, governors, mechanisms for regattas, watches for polo, as well as minute, quarter and five-minute repeaters, extra-flat mechanisms, etc, the world of complications no longer holds any secrets for Dubois Depraz. Around fifty brands currently employ the services of the firm, which is ready to rise to any challenge thrown down to it.

110 years of history have led Dubois Depraz on the path to their present success. On 1st January 1901, Marcel Depraz set up his first watchmaking workshop in Le Lieu, at number 12, Grand-Rue, over the family baker's shop. Ten years later, with a view to increasing his firm's capacity, he teamed up with his brotherin- law Marius Guignard. Together, they set up a second company: Depraz & Guignard. Marcel's children, Gabrielle and Roger, also joined the family business. In 1937, Marcel Depraz decided to strengthen his two companies and employed his son-in-law Reynold Dubois. Results were not long in coming, with the rapid launch of the 13 3/4 chronograph calibre. This master stroke saw the production of more than 4.5 million movements up to the 1970s. In 1947, the two firms merged under the name Depraz & Cie. In 1956, Gerald Dubois, a young watchmaking engineer and father of the two present-day directors, set up a research and development design office.
Eleven years later the world's first modular chronograph was born, the 11-12 Chronomatic calibre. This invention was awarded the diploma and silver medal at the Brussels Inventors Show in 1969. Meanwhile, Depraz & Cie changed its company name to Dubois Depraz SA.

In the 1970s, despite the economic difficulties, the firm presented another world first, a mechanical chronograph with an analogue display featuring an electronic tuning-fork movement. In parallel, it diversified and embarked on the production of mechanical and quartz chronographs fitted as standard on aircraft and cars. Despite these launches, the crisis proved too b for the partnership between the two directors and in 1979 Gerald Dubois purchased the buildings and continued the adventure alone. In 1983, after several years of research, Dubois Depraz launched the calibre 2000 chronograph which could be adapted to all mechanical or quartz movements. This innovative concept caused a sensation in the watchmaking world and even today remains one of the firm's flagship products (around two million have been manufactured to date).
In 1987, Jean-Philippe Dubois, the current CEO, joined the company. He was followed five years later by his brother Pascal, who was appointed as director. Finally, in 2006, they acquired one of their suppliers, DPRM (Decolletage pignons et roues manufacture), located in Arch (canton of Bern).

In the course of these eleven decades, Dubois Depraz accumulated a huge wealth of expertise that was passed on from generation to generation. Even today the firm holds the secret of certain manufacturing phases no longer used by anyone else in the watchmaking world. An example is «tribofinishing», the process which consists in deburring and polishing pieces in a single operation. This involves turning pieces from one to seven days in sealed cylinders of different sizes, according to the desired end result. The media inside the rollers consist of different materials (copper, ceramic or plastic), special soap and polishing powder. Although the processes of deburring and polishing are widespread in the watch industry, Dubois Depraz's secret lies in the dosing of components and the length of the operation.

Manufacturing secrets alone would be worth nothing without skill, hard work, and the precision and quality of products delivered by Dubois Depraz. Today, 220 people in the Joux Valley and 50 in Arch work industriously under the roof of this independent family business.

George Daniels - 1926-2011

WORLDTEMPUS - 24 October 2011

It was hard to imagine the watch industry before George Daniels, and it will be hard to imagine this place now that he has left it: Daniels was nothing if not an iridescent figure, often setting the tone of good horological taste behind the scenes.
This might be hard for newcomers to imagine today since Daniels only created a total of 37 watches - pocket watches, no less - in addition to a series of 50 wristwatches completed together with protege Roger Smith called Millennium as well as the beginning of the collaborative venture with him introduced last year. As avid followers of horological history will know, the Omega base caliber powering the 50 Millennium timepieces held special meaning. Daniels was, of course, the inventor of the co-axial escapement that is now utilized in every single Omega wristwatch.

A true expert
Though Daniels began his professional life after serving his country in World War II with the proverbial 50 quid in his pocket - just enough to buy his first set of tools, as the story goes - his drive, ambition and enormous talent made him a very wealthy man. Some of his fortune was acquired by buying and selling precious vintage pieces and selling 35 of his own unique pocket watches, but most of it came from selling what was to become his most famous invention to the Swatch Group.
No two of Daniels' creations were ever completely alike. The next watch was always undertaken because Daniels had another idea to try out, another escapement to experiment with or desired other functions. He invented the co-axial escapement in 1975, but did not patent his perfected design until 1980. After a long search that involved talks with both Patek Philippe and Rolex over the course of a decade and a half, Daniels eventually sold the design to Omega, who needed almost another decade to bring it to serial fruition. Though the patent has now run out, no other watch brands use the co-axial aside from Omega and Smith, who has adapted it for use in his own masterfully crafted timepieces, which also contain other traditional elements of English watchmaking.

Personal memories
When I entered the watch industry, I had no idea who Daniels was. I soon read his opus "Watchmaking" (which was recently republished by Watchprint) in order to learn the basics. However, it was only after becoming friends with various independent watchmakers - predominately members of the AHCI - that I began to understand his place in our industry. One year at Basel, one of them even stood in line at the Omega booth in order to get his own copy of "Watchmaking" signed by the master - and couldn't stop beaming at the chance to meet his idol. Tellingly, François-Paul Journe also worshipped Daniels, even going so far as to present him with one of his own watches last year. For my own part, I found myself fairly well in awe in the presence of Dr. Daniels (he was presented with an honorary title later in life). His technical and industry insights and knowledge were eternally enlightening.

George Daniels passed away at his estate on the Isle of Man following complications arising from hip replacement surgery at the age of 85. A funeral is expected to be held on the Isle of Man in about two weeks' time. Fans of Daniels will be pleased to know that a biography written by Michael Clerizo with the current working title "George Daniels: A Master Watchmaker and His Work" is due to be published next fall.
George Daniels, A Master Watchmaker & His Art
FRENCH VERSION (216 Pages • 240 ill. • Format : 29.5 x 29.5 cm. Price : CHF 160.00 • € 140.00).
ENGLISH VERSION (216 Pages • 240 ill. • Format : 29.5 x 29.5 cm. Price : CHF 105.00 • € 93.00).

Success - Instinct vs strategy

GMT Italia - Summer 2011

Amongst the teams competing in the great watchmaking championships, two "dream teams" draw particular attention to themselves. One of them, led by Jean-Claude Biver, is stabled with the LMVH group. The other, under the watchful eye of Georges Kern, is to be found at the heart of the Richemont group.
Both run a brand, while

inspiring others, either directly or indirectly. Both are surrounded by a new generation of promising managers, such as Jean-Frederic Dufour at LMVH, or Alain Zimmermann at Richemont. Both implement their marketing strategies with unfailing efficiency. In both cases, obviously, we are talking about watchmaking, but also (above all?) about business.

At LMVH, annual sales in the watchmaking and jewellery sector added up to close on a billion euro on December 31 last year, showing an almost insolent 29% increase. At Richemont, it took only six months to pass the 900 million euro mark with the watchmaking division alone. Here also, growth was nothing short of incredible: +38% for the semester April to September 2010! Both these captains of industry face huge pressure, stiff competition - including internally - and similar challenges: conquering new markets, managing the supply chain and distribution network, ensuring growth and coherence with the brand values. Even though the demands - and successes - are similar, their style is completely different. There is Jean-Claude Biver's spontaneous, creative marketing. This man shows off his brand, Hublot, in the most unexpected places, maximising opportunities at major events. He is able to evaluate an event and make a decision in just a few minutes, moving onto turf already occupied by his competitors. We saw him flirt with Alinghi before taking over its sponsorship from Audemars Piguet. We saw him on the illuminated referee boards at the last World Cup, as well as lighting up the Vendôme column standing at the heart of the most prestigious location in Paris - and incidentally right in the middle of the logo of Van Cleef & Arpels, a watchmaking colleague and competitor. His brand is to be found on skis, bicycles and even... cheese wheels!

Georges Kern on the other hand, practises business school marketing with unfailing rigour. In his realm, creativity is not paramount, but is channelled and used as part of a long-term strategy. Be it IWC, Baume & Mercier or Roger Dubois, the markets are fragmented, with products distributed on a value pyramid and innovations selected depending on gaps that need to be filled, building the worlds of reference frameworks that accompany each brand down to the last detail. Baume & Mercier is spending this year under the Capeland banner, with its American East Coast flavour, while IWC took up residence in Portofino. Roger Dubois is ticking to casino time and even its USB sticks are shaped like gambling chips. Exuberance vs rigour, instinct vs strategy, the completely opposing style of these two men is apparent on all levels. Take their annual reports on the figures and performance of their brands.

The Richemont Group to which IWC belongs tends not to say too much and prefers to opt for secrecy, much in the same manner as private banks, as if opacity were a measure of power and success. In this respect, the operational style of the group chaired by Johann Rupert is very similar to that of Rolex. Jean-Claude Biver, on the other hand, sends waves of text messages to announce the results of his most recent exhibition, or the signing of a new partnership. At the end of the day, the information that he is supposedly sharing is necessarily only partial, but it is shared with such enthusiasm that it leaves a pleasantly transparent aftertaste.

The numbers are either stifled or proclaimed to the world at large, and the managers themselves also opt for high or low profiles. Jean-Claude Biver pops up all over the place in the columns of the financial press or social magazines.Georges Kern is more discreet, and while he is quite happy to appear next to football, cinema or literary celebrities, as soon as the public is involved, he promotes the brand itself. Asthey say at Richemont, "The brand is the star". So basically we are looking at two very different recipes for creating the same dish - success.

Book - Collecting Rolex GMT-Master

After the great success of the first edition "Collecting Rolex GMT-MASTER wristwatches", now sold out, Mondani Editor has decided to publish a second version which also presents the models produced in recent years, in order to give the information which has become essential today for buying and selling GMT-Master watches and to improve the contents of the preceding edition.

Some of the questions a collector asks himself nowadays are:
- Are the aluminium bezel inserts of the ref. 6542 coeval?
- Is there a way to know if the bezel has been replaced?
- The ref. 1675 in stainless steel has been created with the possibility to fit two bezels: red/blue and black?
Thanks to the in depth study, this edition helps to dispel these doubts.

Only in this book will it be possible to find the first models of the 50's down to the most recent watches. Special attention has been paid to the variations of the bezels, dials and cases - factors which today help determine the value of the watch. "Collecting Rolex GMT-MASTER" is a specific volume about Rolex GMT - MASTER which includes timepieces from the first models of the 1950's to the ones of the last period, including prototypes, military models, bracelets and all case and dial variants.

This edition also offers a widening of those references which have always been desired by enthusiasts and collectors, such as for example the refs. 6542, 1675, 16750 and many others.

For each reference, a detailed sheet is reported, indicating the years of beginning and end of production, the calibre and all the characteristics of the watch (crystal, bezel, bracelet, case back, winding crown, case number with production year, dial, movement, ...).
"Collecting Rolex GMT-MASTER Wristwatches" also offers a widening of those references which have always been objects of desire of enthusiasts and collectors, such as the refs. 6542, 1675, 16750 and many others.

ORDER THIS BOOK
BESTSELLERS AND SPECIALS OFFERS BY WATCHPRINT

Rolex - Gian Riccardo Marini New CEO

WORLDTEMPUS - 4 May 2011

Rolex reported yesterday that a change has taken place at the top of its management. Up to this point, Gian Riccardo Marini was head of Rolex Italy. The 64-year-old had been managing the Italian branch since 2000.
Bruno Meier took over as Rolex's CEO in 2008; before that he was the company's chief financial officer. In Rolex also announced that Daniel Neidhart is now in charge of the foreign branches of the company. Neidhart will fill this newly created position from an office in Hong Kong. Neidhart was previously in charge of Rolex's Chinese distribution.

Perth - The Final Frontier

WORLDTEMPUS - 15 April 2011

For better or worse Australia is not typically a market that garners a great deal of interest from the luxury watch industry. The perception is that it's too far away, consumer tastes aren't sophisticated enough, and there is not enough population. Certainly most of the big names in watchmaking maintain a presence, but the ranges are generally limited and many of the high-end complications never seem to reach Australia's shores.
Nowhere is the effect of this isolation felt more bly than in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. Thanks to the significant distance that separates it from the "big" cities on the eastern seaboard - it takes more than five hours to fly to Sydney - Perth is often left out altogether. While this is not terribly surprising, it does demonstrate an incredible lack of foresight.

Boom Times
Although Perth may be relatively small from a population standpoint at approximately 1.7 million, it is a rapidly expanding city fueled largely by the astronomical growth of the mining industry and China's insatiable appetite for its resources. Thanks to this burgeoning prosperity, there are more self-made millionaires per capita in Perth than anywhere else in world. Indeed, such is the demand that people come from all over Australia seeking work there.
With these favorable factors at play, it is of little surprise that a number of serious collectors call Perth home. What is interesting, however, is that despite being shown little interest from the industry they have still managed to cultivate a sophisticated watch scene that extends far beyond well-known, mainstream brands such as Rolex, Omega and Patek Philippe (although plenty of those are sold in Perth too). While brands may not publicly disclose the information, or perhaps even be aware of it, a number of private collections feature pieces from prominent independent watchmakers.

Have Money, Will Travel
One of the reasons why Perth has such a sophisticated subset of collectors may be its location. Rather than fly across the country to Sydney or Melbourne to view relatively limited collections, wealthy residents of Perth can take a short, four-hour flight and find themselves in one of the most impassioned watch cities in Asia: Singapore. Here they are exposed to a wide range of brands and have the opportunity to handle pieces that will never make it to Australian retailers. They also benefit from having access to extremely knowledgeable staff (arguably some of the best in Asia) who are very well informed about the brands, the products and of course all the latest industry news.

While collectors may be forced to buy some of their pieces overseas, there is a flow-on, word-of-mouth effect for the local market as these individuals often move in wealthy circles and share similar tastes. One day a businessman spots an MCT Sequential One on his associate's wrist and asks where he got it. A passionate conversation ensues and within minutes another Perth resident has had his or her eyes opened to a completely new segment of the luxury watch market he or she never knew existed. This person catches the next plane to Singapore and so the cycle is perpetuated.
Because all these people are buying their timepieces overseas, very few people actually realize that this small but incredibly affluent market exists.
That is set to change very soon, however, with some exciting developments ensuring that the city of Perth will begin to feature prominently on the watch industry's map. While confidentiality prevents disclosure of too many details at this point in time, this will be an event the likes of which the Australian watch market has not seen before. For the time being though, wealthy Perth collectors will continue to travel overseas to spend their hard earned money, leaving Australian brand managers tearing out their hair in frustration.

Rolex - Exploring the Explorer II

WORLDTEMPUS - 25 March 2011

Approximately 40 years ago Rolex introduced a distinct 40-millimeter watch with extreme sports in mind. "Cave explorers did not know if it was night or day," Justin Hogbin of Rolex smiles as he explains the orange 24-hour hand that originally indicated if it was noon or midnight when the Explorer II was launched in 1971.
A steel bezel indicating 24 hours supplemented the bright orange hand that Italian watch collectors have nicknamed "freccione" ("big arrow" in Italian). Freccione remains the loving nickname of the original reference 1655 Explorer II of 1971 to this day.

The Rolex Explorer II has never been the most popular of the otherwise much-loved sports watches by Rolex. It has however been the only model in the sports collection to offer a choice of black or white dial (not accounting for the Daytona range). However, the GMT and Submariner models seemed to overshadow the Explorer, which actually might be a thing of the past now.

Outshining the siblings
The new Rolex Explorer II ref. 216570 has grown in diameter from 40 to 42 millimeters. This growth is actually not very noticeable as both the hour markers and the hands have grown proportionally as well.
Even on the wrist the new Explorer II does not seem oversized compared to the current GMT or Submariner, both of which measure 40 millimeters in diameter. Au contraire: the new Explorer seems to have found its very comfortable place in the sports range of Rolex and will undoubtedly attract new-found attention, which this particular model has not enjoyed for 40 years.

Slightly new caliber
On the technical side, the movement does have a new name, Caliber 3187, however it does not differ much from the former caliber, which bears the name 3185, apart from the blue Parachrome hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers.
The 24-hour hand can be set independently to offer a secondary time zone read. This was not possible on the original model from 1971, but was introduced in 1985 when Reference 16550 took over from Reference 1655. This was the inspiration of this year's best looking new product from Rolex.

Of course, the new Explorer is fitted with the very comfortable updated Oyster bracelet with the comfortable Easylink extension. This five-millimeter extension, which is part of the bracelet clasp, creates a better fit when skin expands during the summer or in a warm climate.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Explorer II

Exploration is a state of mind. It takes courage, resolve and an unquenchable thirst for discovery to always seek to go higher, farther, where no one has trod before. To mountain tops. To the extremities of the poles. To the depths of the Earth. To the edge of volcanic craters.

The watch of adventure
The Oyster Perpetual Explorer model was born of this very state of mind. On 29 May 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest in the course of an expedition equipped with Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches. The Explorer model was created in homage to this historic achievement - and to accompany other such achievements. Since then, Rolex has continuously tested and improved the precision, robustness and reliability of its watches in the most extreme environments on the planet. Pushing technical boundaries to accommodate ever more demanding human adventures.
From polar ice to the magma of the Earth
Another step forward was taken in 1971 with the creation of the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II. With its highly legible dial, the introduction of the date, a 24-hour hand and a fixed graduated bezel, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II opened new horizons for exploration and became the new reference for professional adventurers and explorers of our planet. It proved itself on the wrist of volcanologist Haroun Tazieff and formed an essential part of the equipment of numerous polar expeditions. Its 24-hour display allows speleologists and polar explorers to distinguish day from night, making the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II an indispensable timekeeper.

Rebirth 40 years later
Exactly 40 years after its launch, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II has been updated to reach new heights of dependability. This new model combines technical innovations and a return to aesthetic sources. Its case, enlarged to 42 mm, houses the new calibre 3187 entirely designed and manufactured by Rolex. The movement includes the most recently patented technologies of the brand, such as the PARAFLLEX shock absorbers and the non-magnetic PARACHROM hairspring, ensuring unparalleled reliability and shock resistance. The bracelet is equipped with a new OYSTERLLOCK clasp with safety catch and the EASYLLINK comfort extension link. On the dial, the 24-hour hand has returned to the arrow shape and the orange colour of the original 1971 model. The hour and minute hands are broader and more legible, and, on the black-dial version, their black base blends with the black dial to create a "phantom effect". The luminescent sections of the hands seem to float over the dial - another nod to the historic model.
The "jumping" hour hand can be set independently, providing a GMT function (second time zone), in conjunction with the 24-hour hand and bezel.
With its extremely robust construction, its exceptional chronometric performance and its legendary reliability, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer II is the ideal instrument to push the boundaries of the world. And continually expand your own horizons.

Baselworld - Expectations

WORLDTEMPUS - 22 March 2011

Expect to see hordes of people, nose flat on the doors before the fair opens. These people will most likely rush to Rolex's showcases and Tweet and blog their blurry pictures in order to be the very first to show the new products from the world's most famous watch brand. Even the tiniest changes to existing references will have readers of the online forums and blogs oooohing and aaaahing. Such is the world of Rolex fans - every year.

Rolex
Personally, I can wait for my presentation of the Rolex news, but I do expect to see a new Explorer II. At the very least, there should be a new dial and hand configuration. Rumor has it that this new Explorer II was all set for launching last year, but for some reason Rolex decided to wait another year. We shall see.
I also expect to see an all-steel version of the Rolex Submariner No-Date in the maxi case with ceramic bezel inlay. It would only be a natural evolution for Rolex to add this model to the "maxi case" sports collection.
Breitling
Breitling introduced its in-house B01 movement two years ago, and the famed watch brand has since introduced a couple of models sporting this new movement. I expect to see more models using this new movement, and probably not only B01 and Navitimer models.Patek Philippe
It is always a great pleasure to visit the enormous Patek Philippe stand in Hall 1. Even if you can't get inside for a presentation, the showcases surrounding the outside of the luxurious booth present the horological luxury that Patek Philippe does so well. The Nautilus collection is growing and it would be nice to see a gold version on a bracelet instead of a strap. This goes for the three-hander as well as the complicated models.

Hermes
Thanks to the recent dialogue between LVMH and the Hermes management, I certainly look forward to getting a closer look at the new watches from Hermes. I have never paid much attention to the watches from this company, but the "We are not in luxury; we are in quality" remark made by Bernard Puech, president of the board of directors of Hermes, when LVMH recently purchased 17.7 percent of the shares in the company makes it extra interesting to see if the watches are also part of this "quality."

Bulgari
In one breath, Italian luxury provider Bulgari also became part of the LVMH family when the group purchased 51 percent of the family-owned company. Will the Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta designs still feature Bulgari on the dial or will LVMH break the ties that were such a topic last year? Maybe it is too early to find out, as the takeover is rather recent. But, then again, maybe we can find out.
Either way, this is bound to be an interesting year at Basel. Stay tuned to Worldtempus for the coverage.

Trend - Big Ego Watches

WORLDTEMPUS - 18 March 2011

"If you're shy, you cannot go round with this car. It's a special car for special people. You need a big ego. It's like going out in the evening with a beautiful woman - it's not for everyone," said Daniele Adetto, responsible for the PR of the Lamborghini Countach, talking to Morley Safer of the U.S.'s "60 Minutes" TV show back in 1987.
This powerful Italian car certainly was a spectacular piece of work. Only three left the Italian car factory back in the 1980s each week - hand assembled, of course, it was the hottest car around back then: dramatically low, fitted with a large back spoiler and looking like "a sexy virgin" in white, according to Adetto.
Watching the interview on YouTube, I cannot help comparing the Countach with some of the spectacular watches offered on the market today. These watches look like nothing else, and they are created by people who not only explore creative and innovative high-end horology, but also understand how to communicate it.

The Ego Watches
Wearing a watch like the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Double Tourbillon, the MB&F ReBel, Urwerk's Tarantula, or the ultra-light Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon undoubtedly demands a certain ego.
These watches are the crazy Lamborghini of the 1980s. These watches are the impossibly long-legged Brazilian beauties that leave a fancy restaurant strutting their stuff between the tables - holding your hand. These watches certainly take a certain kind of man with a certain kind of ego. These watches, indeed, are not for everyone, as Adetto claimed of the Lamborghini.
Anyone can buy a Rolex, Breitling or Omega and be an instant member of the luxury watch club. But people wearing one of the more exotic watches mentioned here belong to a very different kind of club. They would probably never wear a Rolex, Breitling or Omega again (however, this is most likely where they started out when they entered the horological scene). These watches are, of course, nice, but they are too commercial for an experienced person in the know. They do not boost the inner horological ego that demands something way out of the ordinary.
Wear with Caution
Remember the movie classic "Cannonball"? Adrienne Barbeau and Tara Buckman starred as Marcie and Jill: two Spandex-clad hotties in a black Lamborghini Countach. Pretty? Yes. Over the top? Indeed!
Just like a Countach driven by the wrong guy will expose him as a poser trying to compensate for losing his childhood sweetheart to Butch the Bully, so an Excalibur Double Tourbillon on the wrong wrist will expose the nouveau riche, the fake enthusiast who does not understand that such extravagant accessories are like every other human endeavor: understatement wins you the respect you deserve. So buy the RM 027, but wear long sleeves. Indulge in the Tarantula, but only wear it in the company of friends. And in the name of everything that's holy, don't drive a Countach AND wear a ReBel at the same time.

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Antiquorum - Auction in Geneva Achieves CHF 7,006,275

Geneva - Antiquorum's weekend sale of « Important Vintage and Modern Timepieces » held on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of November at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva, realised CHF 7'006'275 with 80% of the lots being sold. This concludes Antiquorum's autumn auction season with a total of CHF 15'922'890.
In addition to the 339 online bidders, there was a substantial presence in the room as well as numerous telephone bidders. Attendance came from around the world , including Germany, Italy, the United States, Romania, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Singapore and Canada.
"We are very satisfied by the results achieved this weekend in Geneva, in particular with the impressive price obtained for the Everest Rolex of Alfred Gregory", said Julien Schaerer, Managing Director & Auctioneer. "This demonstrates the great interest of collectors for timepieces that not only have historical significance, but also bear great emotional value."

The top lot of the auction was the extremely rare Patek Philippe Ref. 2499, in Pink Gold (lot 643), which sold for a remarkable CHF 1'082'500. Other Patek Philippe timepieces achieved very good results, including the Ref. 3450 (lot 252), acquired for CHF 212'500 and the Ref. 866/75 in yellow gold (lot 636), with enamel hunting scene on the case back: "Departure of the pack at daybreak" that reached CHF 92'500.
The Rolex Ref. 6098 (lot 621) worn by Alfred Gregory on Everest during the successful expedition of 1953, drew a lot of attention and excitement among the collectors. After fierce bidding in the room against the phone and internet, this watch of enormous historic significance sold for an exceptional CHF 145'300, more than 5 times its high estimate.
Another timepiece of great interest, the Quarter-Repeating Navette-Shaped Ring Watch (one of only two known examples) given to The Emperor Napoleon I. (lot 466), reached a remarkable CHF 92'000.
Girard-Perregaux wristwatches also obtained notable results including the "Opera Two, Tourbillon, Carillon 'Westminster' Minute Repeater with Tourbillon," No. 2, Ref. 99740 (lot 548) that achieved CHF 182'500. The "Vintage 1945 Collection Prestige Set Unique" (lot 547), comprising four exceptional platinum wristwatches, sold for CHF 112'900.
"Superb complicated modern wristwatches made both by the renowned Manufacturers and the independent artisan makers draw increasing interest amongst a new generation of collectors, seeking exclusive and limited series watches", commented Etienne Lemenager, Director & Watch Expert.
Omega aficionados were thrilled by the important collection of 40 Limited Edition Omega Speedmasters, property of a private Italian collector. These timepieces evoked great enthusiasm among bidders and achieved the exceptional result of CHF 223,250, with 100% of the lots being sold. Some of the highlights included the "Speedmaster Professional" Apollo XIII Ref. 3450022 (lot 12) which sold for CHF 9'375, the "Speedmaster Professional" 999 Galaxy Train Ref. 3571.50 (lot 25), made especially for the Japanese market which attained CHF 10'000 and the "Speedmaster Professional" Ref. 3570.40 (lot 27), another limited edition for the Japanese market, was acquired for CHF 8'750.
Finally, the Panerai "Luminor" Ref. 6152/1, made for the Italian military frogmen circa 1950 achieved an outstanding result of CHF 100'900.
"The Italian bidders have proven once again that they are key players within the European market continuing their traditional great interest for vintage wristwatches, in particular for Patek Philippe, Rolex and Panerai timepieces", said Thomas.

Results

Antiquorum - Edmund Hillary's family feud over watch sale

swisster.ch - November 12, 2010

Hillary's son and daughter obtain a legal injunction, saying the timepieces consigned by their stepmother for bids rightly belong to them, while the New Zealand government also expresses concerns.
A New Zealand court is blocking the planned auction in Geneva this Sunday of Rolex watches originally owned by the late legendary mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary as members of his family feud over who owns them.
Antiquorum has advertised several of the luxury timepieces consigned for sale by Lady June Hillary, widow and second wife of the late adventurer, who died in 2008.
But a high court from Hillary's native country granted an injunction this week at the request of lawyers acting on behalf of the climber's son Peter and daughter Sarah, who claim they own the watches.
In addition, the New Zealand government said it regards the watches of national cultural importance.
The injunction instructs Lady Hillary to ask Antiquorum to withdraw them from sale.
The auctioneer continued on Friday to include the watches in advertising for its weekend auctions on its website.
An Antiquorum representative could not be immediately reached for comment.
The collection is part of a group of 643 "important modern and vintage timepieces" to be sold under the hammer by Antiquorum during a two-day sale this weekend at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

One of them is a Rolex "Oyster Perpetual" chronometer dating from 1953 that was presented to Edmund Hillary in India after his descent from Mount Everest in honour of his achievement the same year.
At the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have climbed the summit of the world's highest mountain.
Hillary subsequently wore the watch on a trans-Antarctic expedition from 1955 to 1958, the first overland crossing of Antarctica and the first expedition to reach the South Pole since British explorer Robert Scott in 1912.
"It has immense historic significance," Antiquroum says in its online catalogue, noting that the caseback is engraved "Sir E. Hillary".
The watch is valued at between 10,000 and 20,000 francs.
Another timepiece in the collection is an 18-carat yellow gold Rolex bought on May 29, 2003 by Hillary on the 50th anniversary of the day he reached the summit of Everest.
Its estimated value is between 8,000 and 10,000 francs.
Among the other Rolexes are ones bought by Hillary to commemorate the 20th anniversaries of the Everest climb and his attempted ascent of Himalayan peak Cho Oyu from the Nepal side in 1952.
The estimated value of the watches is not in the upper reaches often seen at Geneva auctions.
The headline watch in Antiquorum's weekend sale, for example, is a rare Patek Philippe "pink gold" wristwatch valued at between 800,000 and 1.2 million francs, and the auction house says it has sold 49 watches valued at more than a million francs.
But the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage said at least one of the Hillary watches has legal protection under the country's Legal Objects Act.
According to press reports from New Zealand the government wrote to Lady Hillary's lawyers on Friday to inform her of the watch's protected status.
Under the country's law, protected objects cannot by exported without the permission of the culture and heritage ministry.
However, its is not clear whether the injunction has any legal bearing in Switzerland.
It is possible that officials New Zealand government may have to contact Bern in order to intervene.
Hillary's son and daughter said their stepmother put the watches up for sale without asking them, according to a report from the New Zealand Press Association.
Peter Hillary said it was "very sad" he and his sister had had to take court action to stop Lady Hillary from going ahead with the sale, but it was the straw which had broken the camel's back.
"There have been a number of very significant items from the Ed Hillary collection that do belong to Sarah and I, that have been disposed of inappropriately," he said.
"I believe that it has been stopped for the time being and we are hopeful we can preserve these legacy items," Peter Hillary added.
"They, along with a lot of other items, are of great significance to this family and I would suggest in some respects to New Zealand, in terms of being important items from the Ed Hillary collection."
Neither Lady Hillary nor her lawyer were available to the press for comment.
June Hillary married the climber in 1989 after his first wife and one of his two daughters died in a plane crash in Nepal in 1975.

Antiquorum - Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

Among the 643 timepieces, Antiquorum is extremely proud to be offering for sale an extremely rare Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 as well as the personal collection of Rolex watches of the legendary 20th century explorer Sir Edmund Hillary. Previews are to be held in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Geneva.

The highlight of the sale is the extremely rare Patek Philippe Ref. 2499, Third Series, made in 1971 and sold on June 14, 1972. This 18K pink gold wristwatch with round button chronograph features a 30-minute register, perpetual calendar and moon phases. It is accompanied by a Patek Philippe box and the Extract from the Archives.
Antiquorum experts are also delighted to present the personal collection of Rolex watches that belonged to Sir Edmund Hillary. These exceptional timepieces have been consigned for sale by Lady Hillary and all had special significance for Sir Edmund.

The earliest model in this collection is a Rolex, "Oyster Perpetual, Officially Certified Chronometer", reference 6084 dating from 1953. This watch was presented to Sir Edmund Hillary by Rolex Bosecks, Calcutta, India after his descent from Everest in honour of his achievement. It was then worn by him during the Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1955-1958 - the first overland crossing of Antarctica and the first expedition to reach the South Pole since Scott in 1912 - and as such it has immense historic significance. The caseback is engraved "Sir E. Hillary".
Also part of the collection, the Rolex "Oyster Perpetual Date, Superlative Chronometer Officially Certified", REF. 15238. This 18K yellow gold tonneau shaped wristwatch with date was purchased by Sir Edmund Hillary on the 50th Anniversary of the day he reached the summit of Everest, 29th May, 2003. It is accompanied by the original Rolex certificate to Sir Edmund Hillary and a letter of authenticity.
Naturally the collection also includes both the Rolex Explorer I, reference 1016, made in 1972 - the 20th Anniversary of Sir Edmund Hillary's attempt to climb Cho Oyu from the Nepal side in 1952 (Estimate: 4'000 - 6'000 CHF) and the Explorer II, reference 1655, the so-called "Steve McQueen", made in1973 and bought by Sir Edmund Hillary to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of his ascent of Everest.

In addition to Sir Edmund's collection of Rolexes, Antiquorum is delighted to offer the Rolex "Oyster Perpetual, Precision", reference 6098 that was worn by Alfred Gregory on Everest during the successful expedition of 1953. Alfred Gregory was the official expedition photographer and this watch has been consigned to Antiquorum by his family. This watch is of enormous historic significance and is likely to present the only opportunity to acquire one of the original Rolex watches that were on Everest in 1953. The caseback is engraved "A. Gregory - Everest 1953" and the watch is accompanied by the Ice Axe used during the Everest expedition, 5 original photos taken by Alfred Gregory during the climb, service letter by Rolex Geneva and a letter of authenticity from Alfred Gregory's wife.
Also offered at auction, the Patek Philippe Ref. 3450, Third Series, made in 1985. This very rare, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch features perpetual calendar, moon phases, Roman numerals for the leap year indication. It comes with a wooden fitted box, setting pin, Certificate of Origin and instruction booklet.
Of interest for the Audemars enthusiast is the Audemars Piguet "Jules Audemars - Repetition Minutes a Quantieme Perpetuel," Ref. 26063 PT., made in 2009. It is an extremely fine and rare, astronomic, minute-repeating, platinum wristwatch with perpetual calendar, leap year indication and moon phases. It is accompanied by the original special fitted wooden box, a piano-shaped wooden box to amplify the sound of the minute repeater, certificate and warranty.
Another timepiece of great interest is the Quarter-Repeating Navette-Shaped Ring Watch - One of Only Two Known Examples - A Gift to The Emperor Napoleon I. made circa 1810. This exceptional timepiece is attributed to Antoine Rochard, Geneva, the mainspring is signed Marchand and the case engraved "a L'Empereur N". This extremely fine and exceptionally rare, 18K gold, pearl and rose-cut diamond-set ring watch with virgule escapement and visible balance, is one of only two known examples of a quarter-repeating ring watch of navette shape.
Antiquorum experts are also pleased to offer a collection 40 Omega Speedmaster limited editions, property of a private Italian collector, including the "Speedmaster Professional" Apollo XIII Ref. 3450022, made in a limited series of 999 examples to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo XIII mission in 1995. This stainless steel chronograph bears the Apollo XIII emblem on the subsidiary seconds dial at 9. It comes with the original box, warranty, certificate, instruction booklet, Apollo XIII patch, extra links and booklet.
AUCTION PREVIEWS
The timepieces of this auction will be on view as follows:
SHANGHAI
Tuesday November 2: 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Antiquorum Shanghai
Room 4106B, Bund Centre Office Tower,
222 Yan An Road East,
Shanghai 200002, China
Tel.+86 21 6335 1268

HONG KONG
Thursday November 4: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers (HK) Ltd.
Suite 704, No. 9 Queen's Road Central,
Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 2522 4168

ZHUHAI
Saturday November 6: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Gemdale Eton
No. 298 Jinyi Road, Xiangzhou District
Zhuhai
Tel. + 852 2522 4168

GENEVA
Wednesday 10 to Friday November 12: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday 13 & Sunday November 14: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Antiquorum's Showroom
2, rue du Mont-Blanc
1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel.+ 41 (0)22 909 28 50 - Fax. +41 (0)22 909 28 60
Email: geneva@antiquorum.com

AUCTION: Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces
Saturday, November 13
Session 1: lots 1 - 252 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 14
Session 2: lots 253 - 643 at 2:00 p.m.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhône
Salon Saint-Gervais - quai Turrettini 1, 1201 Geneve
Tel.+ 41 (0)22 909 00 00 - Fax +41 (0)22 909 00 10

Arcadia - Rebirth of the Brand

Swiss watchmaking has continued to reinvent itself throughout the centuries as Swiss craftsmen, inspired by their passion and love of tradition, strive to enhance their precision expertise.
Maison Bunter, one of the leading specialists in major complications and jewel-setting, has been fired by such passion for some 155 years. Today Bunter is proud to present Arcadia: an innovative watchmaking concept that rises to the challenge of reviving one of the greatest emblems of Switzerland's watchmaking heritage.

During the 19th century the Arcadia brand was the symbol of Swiss watchmaking excellence and the standard-bearer of the celebrated Fleurier Watch Company, whose creative approach would inspire generations of watchmakers. Now, after falling victim to the 'quartz revolution,' Arcadia, and its incredibly avant-garde models, are being reborn under Bunter President Claude Sanz - a passionate devotee of watchmaking history.
This new adventure, imbued with unfettered imagination, offers a fresh approach to communicating the values of traditional Swiss watchmaking around the world.

HISTORY
1858 - 1970 : Arcadia
In the early 19th century Swiss watchmaking - hitherto a craftsman's activity - enjoyed one of its earliest industrial booms.
Thanks to Edouard Bovet, one of the first watchmakers to target the Far Eastern market, the number of watchmakers in Fleurier (a village in the Val-de-Travers near Neuchâtel) more than tripled inside 30 years.
Jules-Samuel Jequier, who was born in the village in 1835, chose to devote his life to watchmaking from an early age. He joined Bovet in 1856 after training as a jewel-cutter and, thanks to his enthusiasm and entrepreneurial zest, rose swiftly through the firm's ranks.
Later, helped by his five sons, Jules-Samuel Jequier founded the Fleurier Watch Company, a manufacturer devoted to jewel-cutting and designing watch calibres. The growth of the watchmaking industry would inspire the Jequiers to launch a number of different watchmaking brands.
Among them: Arcadia.

rcadia was founded in 1858 and became the flagship of the Fleurier Watch Company. The classically-inspired Fleurier brand enjoyed great renown among connoisseurs of quality watches, epitomized by names like Breitling and Rolex.
Arcadia watches displayed amazing creativity for the time.
This avant-garde brand produced some particularly stylish collections, typified by some of its early 20th century models - symbols of Swiss ancestral tradition imbued with modern, indeed contemporary, vision.
But the arrival of quartz was to be the downfall for many Swiss watchmakers, who failed to realize the importance of the 1970s electronic revolution. Swiss mechanical watches were left behind by cheap, mass-produced, electronic watches from abroad. The resultant economic crisis lasted 15 years and threatened the entire sector, coming close to completely destroying traditional Swiss watchmaking.
Many Swiss watchmaking firms were forced to close, taking with them the brands which had underpinned their success. Arcadia was no exception and, over a century after its launch by the Fleurier Watch Company, sank into oblivion.

2010 : Rebirth of Arcadia
Arcadia represents the crowning glory to an exceptional career and the fulfilment of a dream for a man to whom watchmaking is far more than a job. Claude Sanz cuts a unique figure in the watchmaking world: a trained geologist and mineralogist, as well as an expert in setting and mechanical complications.
Nearly forty years ago Sanz acquired Bunter, a firm specializing in the cutting of industrial stones and rubies needed for watchmaking. Today, thanks to their mastery of invisible settings and de luxe, made-to-measure projects, Bunter are recognized by all the pre-eminent Swiss watchmaking firms.
For Sanz, work is a passion: a passion for timepieces, for horological savoir-faire and for watchmaking history. It is also a dream... one he has secretly entertained for many years, to blend his skill and experience with the launch of a watchmaking brand that would write the final chapter of a story that began 35 years ago.
"When you make watch components, you inevitably think about creating your own brand," says Sanz.
But his ambition goes further. As a keen historian, he dreams of pursuing the mission of a Swiss watchmaking firm in the purest mechanical tradition - albeit one adapted to the contemporary era.
In the 1990s Claude Sanz learnt about the incredible story of the Fleurier Watch Company and its star brand, Arcadia. He was fascinated by this forgotten watchmaking venture, and promptly decided to take over the Arcadia brand - which had fallen into the public domain - and revive its century-old traditions. "Arcadia calibres were highly innovative for the time, and the Fleurier Watch Company was considered an international ambassador of Swiss watchmaking," he explains. Today the industry is witnessing a return to small mechanical movements, so Arcadia is perfect for the 21st century! It's the start of a whole new adventure.
The Arcadia renaissance is underway. With Bunter's structural and technical support, Claude Sanz has set about renovating each Arcadia calibre in the purest watchmaking tradition, inserting them into modern cases with sleek designs, made using the latest avant-garde technologies and materials.
A combination of the richness of the past and the boldness of the future, Arcadia aims to showcase and perpetuate an exceptional, time-honoured, heritage on the international scene - and restore the prestige of a watchmaking symbol that was the pride of Switzerland for over a hundred years.

AC01 : Transcending tradition
With its modern, virile look, the first re-edition of the Arcadia collection strides confidently into the 21st century - while retaining the utmost respect for watchmaking's greatest traditions.

This can be seen in the powerful design of this audaciously restyled retro model. While retaining its DNA - rounded shapes for the watch and displays within a tonneau case - the Arcadia AC01 has been entirely redesigned in line with today's technical codes. This new design approach is one of extremes: the watch combines harmonious volumes with aggressive elegance, with visible screws and push-pieces reworked to appear part of the case.
The watch is made from such avant-garde materials as titanium (for the case), carbon (for the split-level dial), and anti-allergenic technological fibre (for the strap), married to watchmaking functions that evoke the awesome savoir-faire of the Fleurier Watch Company: the hour-and-minute display in the centre of the dial is surrounded by four skillfully juxtaposed sub-dials with original, extra functions (including chronograph, date and 24-hour time-zone index). The automatic movement, with 18-carat pink gold rotor, can be admired through a transparent case-back.
Watchmaking tradition transcended! The watch is edited in a limited series of 275, and offered for sale with a revolutionary concept ideally suited to the era of new technologies: much in the manner of an iPhone or iPad, all data linked to the model (guarantee, aftersale service, orders for further timepieces) is entered on a USB key given to the owner and activated on-line at time of purchase.
Another novelty: each Arcadia model comes with a travelling case in supple, ultra-resistant neoprene for easy transport and maximum protection.

Rolex - Crowns Tom Kristensen as New Ambassador

WORLDTEMPUS - 22 June 2010

A world's first—this was the remark from Rolex's management when Danish Rolex retailer, Klarlund, invited a few select journalists from Scandinavia, Germany, and Switzerland to salute the "King of Le Mans," Tom Kristensen.
Danish driver Kristensen has no less than eight Le Mans victories listed on his automotive resume, which is two more than legendary driver Jacky Ickx, who ended his career with six Le Mans wins.

Kristensen's position as a natural choice to enter the exclusive club of Rolex testimonials moved Klarlund to stage the intimate gathering celebrating his new official position as ambassador.
Rolex has never before made an official announcement when "knighting" an ambassador, which is the reason for the remark from the Rolex management. Klarlund was only able to convince Rolex to celebrate this occasion in the presence of the press thanks to the retailer's long-standing relationship with the Genevan watch brand.

"Not only are we proud of Tom Kristensen's victories, we are also very proud hosts of such a rare and special occasion," Klarlund managing director Stig Andersen told Worldtempus after presenting the new ambassador with a Rolex Daytona Everose, one of Rolex's gifts to its new sporting face. The other Rolex that Kristensen will receive is a Milgauss outfitted with a green sapphire crystal. These watches not only suit the "King of Le Mans," they are also timepieces fit for an icon of our time.

Christie's - Sale results

SFr.6,259,000, $5,708,833, €4,393,192
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, ref. 1527
Estimation: SFr.1,500,000-2,500,000
Buyer: Swiss Private Museum
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, ref. 2499
Estimation:SFr.600,000-900,000
SFr.963,000 , $878,352, €675,929
Buyer: Anonymous
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold full calendar wristwatch, ref. 96
Estimation: SFr.600,000-900,000
SFr.723,000, $659,448, €507,473
Buyer: European Collector
SFr.723,000, $659,448, €507,473
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold hinged single button chronograph wristwatch, manufactured in 1924
Estimation:SFr.400,000-600,000
Buyer: European Private
SFr.675,000, $615,667 ,€473,782
Patek Philippe - an 18K pink gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, ref. 1518
Estimation: SFr.500,000-800,000
Buyer: European Collector
SFr.603,000, $549,996 , €423,245
Patek Philippe - a stainless steel chronograph wristwatch with two-tone silvered dial and luminous hands, ref. 530, manufactured in 1942
Estimation: SFr.500,000-700,000
Buyer: European Private
Patek Philippe - an 18K pink gold dual time zone wristwatch, ref. 2597 Estimation: SFr.350,000-500,000
SFr.555,000, $506,215 , €389,554
Buyer: Asian Collector

SFr.531,000, $484,325 , €372,708
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold perpetual calendar wristwatch, with moon phases, ref. 1526
Estimation: SFr.300,000-500,000
Buyer: European Collector
SFr.459,000, $418,653, €322,172
Patek Philippe - an 18K gold automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch, ref. 3448
Estimation: SFr.250,000-350,000
Buyer: European Collector
SFr.447,000, $407,708, €313,749
Rolex - 18K pink gold triple calendar chronograph wristwatch, ref. 6036 Estimation: SFr.200,000-300,000
Buyer: European Private
_________________________________Geneva - With nearly 370 watches offered, Christie's "marathon auction" in Geneva achieved an outstanding total of $21,099,940 / SFr.23,133,363 / € 16,237,307, far exceeding its pre-sale total estimate of 13 to 18 million Swiss francs and selling 96% by value and by lot, with a record attendance of 831 bidders from 5 continents.
The Top Lot of the sale was a unique Patek Philippe chronograph wristwatch, ref.1527, which sold for $5,708,833 (SFr.6,259,000 / €4,393,192) against an estimate of SFr.1,500,000-2,500,000 and became the new record price for any yellow gold watch ever sold at auction (pictured above right.) The blockbuster event of the European auction season of haute horlogerie, Important Watches - Including A Connoisseur's Vision Part II, confirmed once more Christie's undisputed global leadership in the market of fine collector's watches.
Aurel Bacs, International Co-Head of Christie's Watch Department , commented: "The extraordinary results Christie's achieved today in Geneva with Important Watches - Including A Connoisseur's Vision Part II reflect the passion of an increasingly broad audience of watch lovers and collectors. We are proud to announce that following the success of last November's sale of A Connoisseur's Vision Part I, the second part of the most important private collections of Patek Philippe wristwatches in the world ever offered at auction, now also become the most expensive one ever sold. As with the Part I sale, 100% of the lots were sold with a combined total of almost SFr.16 million, led by the Mona Lisa of all watches, the unique Patek Philippe chronograph wristwatch, ref.1527, which sold for an outstanding $5,708,833 (SFr.6,259,000 / €4,393,192) to a Swiss private museum. Throughout the sale, the room was packed with buyers from all over the world, and an additional 250 bidders participated online via Christie's LIVE™. European bidders were fiercely challenged by international collectors, especially buyers from China. I was also pleased to see b competition for the very first example of the book 'Ultimate Rolex Daytona', scheduled to be released in the Fall, which sold SFr 43,750, with proceeds to benefit the Red Cross. HK" Although wishing to remain anonymous, the consignor of "A Connoisseur's Vision" Collection declared: "I cannot help but express all my gratitude to Christie's and their extraordinary Watch Team in Geneva for the amazing work they did to study every single piece of my collection and to make a wider group of international watch lovers aware of the importance and sophistication of Patek Philippe vintage watches. I started buying watches in the 1970s, at a time when these amazing objects appealed to very few collectors and even fewer scholars were exploring this charming field. In my opinion wristwatches are the most beautiful wearable item created in the 20th century and I am sure that pieces such as the unique Patek Philippe reference n.1527 will be on show at decorative arts museums, alongside the specialized institutions that currently buy them for their collections."

Rolex - Basel 2010

WORLDTEMPUS - 20 March 2010
It could have been an uneasy herd of impatient fans prior to a rock concert about to start for onlookers that did not have an interest in horology, but just happened to stroll by Hall 1 in Basel. However the impatient herds of bloggers, collectors and journalists did not wait for a big-ticket name in the music business to go on stage, but for a ditto in Swiss horology, Rolex, to reveal its novelties.
Every year watch related websites start discussing what the leader of Swiss watch making might introduce of novelties once the doors open. Yet nobody knows for sure, since Rolex is as secretive with their novelties as their Oyster-cases are waterproof.

This year, however, the introduction of a steel Submariner with maxi case and ceramic bezel insert was not much of a surprise. Such is the evolution of Rolex. Gold first, then steel/gold and now steel. The "aaaaahhhh" reaction did arise though, when the first impatient souls reached the mirror polished exhibition windows on Wednesday March 17th, when Baselworld opened its doors. The surprise reaction was due to a green dial and ditto ceramic bezel version of the Submariner of steel that paired up next to the black version at Rolex's impressive stand.

Green may not be a colour embraced as joyfully by everyone as the Irish on St. Patrick's Day. This could be why Rolex decided to introduced a 39 millimetres version of what could easily be considered as one of the best looking models of all time, the legendary Explorer. A watch famed by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay's Mt. Everest exhibition in 1953. Both of them wore Rolex Oyster Perpetuals, creating yet another achievement for the Swiss watch company who used the world as a laboratory to test its watches under real conditions, since the young Mercedes Gleitze swam across the English Channel, wearing a Rolex Oyster, in 1927.

The clean military look of the Explorer has not changed. But the new size of 39 millimetre - which is three millimetre bigger that the earlier version, ref. 114720 - is a perfect reason to rediscover a watch that has too long been considered too small for men and too masculine for women. This said, many women might just embrace this new size Explorer, as big watches are still popular on female wrists.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Date Just Lady

Fresh, refined and elegant. Fitting descriptions of the gracefully feminine new Rolesor models in the Oyster Perpetual Datejust Lady 31 mm collection.
An ode to passion and sensuality, these delicate gems for daily wear are an invitation to share in their carefree youthfulness. They celebrate with brio the marriage of their materials — precious stones, 18 ct gold and 904L steel — and colours.

Wide range of dials
These new Lady 31 mm models in yellow, white and Everose Rolesor are available with a wide range of dials and decors. The floral motifs on the dark rhodium, and champagne and pink dials are produced using an electroforming technique, a very subtle deposition of material that reproduces the design with extreme precision. These visually attractive motifs give pleasing volume to the dial.

Fluted and gem-set bezels
The Oyster Perpetual Datejust Lady 31mmis available with either a fluted bezel or domed bezel set with 24 or 46 brilliants, reflecting the slightly rebellious and mischievous side of the pieces with a hint of intrigue.

Gem-set 6 o'clock hour marker
The gem-set Roman numeral hour marker at 6 o'clock adds a fascinating, singular touch to a watch that makes every minute an escape from time.
The timeless lightness of this Lady 31 mm should not obscure the extreme precision of its mechanical self-winding movement with a Perpetual rotor.
The lady can thus return at any time to the world of the present and live the moment to the fullest.

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date

The quintessential divers' watch, the absolute reference in its genre, the Submariner has expanded its horizons far beyond the element of its birth in 1953, while denying nothing of its aquatic origins.
At home in the depths of the oceans, a universe in which it remains the basic instrument of every diver, it long ago conquered terra firma, as the watch of action.
Waterproof to 100, 200, then 300 metres as it successively evolved since its launch, the Submariner has always been the symbol of Rolex's supremacy in waterproofness.

New features
Timeless and impervious to the elements, it is today available in a steel version sporting new features. Its 40 mm case in 904L steel, synonymous with robustness, waterproofness and corrosion resistance, boasts a new rotatable bezel fitted with a practically scratchproof black Cerachrominsert — or green for themodel with the green dial — with platinum graduations.
Penumbra and soft light
As much in its element in the penumbra of the ocean floor as in the soft light of sophistication, this new Submariner Date offers exceptional legibility thanks to hour markers and hands coated with luminescent Chromalight. Its mechanical movement equipped with a Perpetual rotor and a Parachrom hairspring pledges increased chronometric precision and reliability. Its unidirectional rotatable graduated bezel allows the safe reading of dive time.

A power of seduction that never goes out of style
This new model is no stranger to comfort. The Rolex Glidelock clasp allows for fine adjustments of the bracelet length. On land as at sea, watch and wearer are bound by the emotional charge deriving from the Submariner's irresistible power of seduction.

REFERENCE (CASE / BRACELET): 116610 LN / 97200
Case
Diameter: 40 mm
Material: 904L steel
Bezel: unidirectional rotatable 60-minute graduated
with black Cerachrom insert, platinum graduations
Winding crown: Triplock
shoulders to protect the crown
Crystal: sapphire, Cyclops lens with anti-reflective coating
Waterproofness: 300 m (1,000 ft)
Movement
Calibre: 3135
Self-winding: Perpetual rotor
Date: instantaneous change and rapid setting
Oscillator: frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 beats/hour)
Parachrom hairspring with Breguet overcoil
Precision: COSC-certified chronometer
Power reserve: ~48 hours
Dial
Hour markers: luminescent Chromalight
Hands: luminescent Chromalight
Bracelet
Material: 904L steel
Type: Oyster
Clasp: Rolex Glidelock

Rolex - Oyster Perpetual Explorer

So many attempts were necessary before Everest was finally conquered. It was 29 May 1953 and the heroes of the day, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay, were wearing Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches. So many expeditions all seeking to achieve a proverbially impossible dream, motivated by the simple desire to meet a challenge: "Because it's there…"
In praise of perseverance
The direct descendent of this fascinating chapter of human adventure, the Explorer persists in expressing man's irrepressible need for achievement. It continues to precisely embody perseverance, experience and creativity, and celebrate so strikingly the relationships between technical developments, experience in the field, thought and action.

The world as a test laboratory
The Explorer is the incarnation of the privileged relationship that has always existed between Rolex and the outside world. Since the late 1920s, Rolex has been using the world as a laboratory to test its watches under real conditions. In this pioneering spirit, it equipped numerous Himalayan expeditions whose observations have had a direct impact on product development.
A 39 mm case
Faithful to its heritage and unique identity, the new Oyster Perpetual Explorer exemplifies that strength in today's world, imparting a new elan to the sober and elegant lines which have long established it as an icon. Crafted from a block of 904L steel with exceptional anti-corrosion properties, its slightly larger 39 mm case offers a bolder look and added comfort for the wearer.

New heights in precision
Equipped with a self-winding mechanical movement featuring a Perpetual rotor, a Parachrom hairspring and Paraflex shock absorbers, it reaches new heights of chronometric precision and resistance to extreme conditions. A reliable and robust timekeeping instrument.

Rolex - 50th anniversary of Piccard's bathyscaphe deep dive

50 years later, this deep dive into uncharted waters not only remains an unmatched record but constitutes a milestone in underwater exploration and in increasing awareness of the need to better protect the oceans.

Fifty years ago, Rolex and the bathyscaphe Trieste made history when US Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, accompanied by Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard, piloted the US Navy vessel to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the heart of the Mariana Trench, some 200 miles off the island of Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Strapped to the outside of the Swissdesigned submersible was a Rolex watch. A third-generation Rolex prototype of the Deep Sea Special was specifically engineered to withstand the tremendous pressure that would be encountered, approximately eight tons per square inch, at a depth of over 10,900 meters (35,000 feet) in the Challenger Deep.
When the Trieste and her intrepid crew of two surfaced over eight and a half hours later, they had completed the deepest dive ever undertaken by a vessel - manned or unmanned - and the Rolex Deep Sea Special was in perfect working condition. "Happy to announce that your watch works as well at 11,000 meters as it does on the surface", Piccard wrote in a telegram addressed several days after the dive to the Rolex headquarters in Geneva.
Their successful voyage to the still deepest known place in the Earth's oceans not only set a record that has never been broken, but also constituted an important milestone in the exploration and knowledge of the underwater world, an environment that was little known at the time despite its crucial role for man and his survival on earth.
Nearly seven miles below the surface, Walsh and Piccard used the light from their mercury vapor lamps to witness something never seen before: marine life at the very bottom of the ocean, previously believed to be unsustainable under such pressure and in the total absence of light. A discovery that astonished the global scientific community and contributed to increasing awareness of the need to better preserve our oceans.
Protecting the "blue heart of the planet"
"We are very dependent on the natural systems that sustain us. If we take care of the ocean and the rest of the natural world, we're really taking care of ourselves", said Sylvia Earle, the pioneering US marine biologist and Rolex Testimonee who has dedicated her life to the protection of what she calls the "blue heart of the planet".
Walsh and Piccard's achievement brought Rolex and its extraordinary technology into the public consciousness for its scientific value. Moreover, special notice of the feat was also taken by the elite diving community who would come to treasure Rolex watches as essential tools of their trade. In water, Rolex is in its element and the name of its iconic waterproof wristwatch, the Oyster, is no accident.

In the years following the Trieste's "deepest dive", the Rolex Submariner was the watch of choice for the US Naval School for Deep Sea Divers and for the US Navy's SEA-LAB program which also provided robust developmental testing, in advance of the Rolex Sea-Dweller's introduction in 1967.
From the creation of the Oyster in 1926 to the utmost test of its prowess in Mercedes Gleitze's 1927 English Channel swim, on to the introduction of more and more sophisticated waterproof models since then to the present, Rolex has continuously sustained its commitment to being at the forefront of manufacturing watches that resist water and are ultimately compatible with water-related activities and underwater research.
Rolex milestones include: the Submariner created in 1953, originally waterproof to a depth of 100 meters and today to 300 meters (100 feet); the Deep Sea Special prototype of 1960 that withstood the pressure at Earth's deepest point; the Sea-Dweller presented in 1967, waterproof to 610 meters (300 feet) and featuring a helium valve to protect it during deep dives; the 1978 Sea-Dweller 4000, waterproof to 1,220 meters (4,000 feet); the revolutionary Rolex Deepsea of 2008, waterproof to 3,900 meters (12,800 feet).
The world's most noteworthy exploits
Rolex has always been proud to be associated with some of the world's most noteworthy exploits: Sir Edmund Hillary's ascent of Everest, Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier, Roger Federer becoming the champion of champions in tennis, the many victories of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, the legendary "Big Three" in the golf world, the triumphs of sailors in major races like the Rolex Sydney Hobart, to name but a few.
The integrity of these champions and their achievements go hand in hand with the outstanding quality and precision of the Rolex watches they were wearing and the well-earned reputation of the company that stands behind these exceptional timepieces.

Christie's - Geneva auction Top Ten

"With a total of SFr. 19,032,388, nearly twice its pre-sale low estimate, the Geneva Important Watches Sale achieved the highest result for any watch auction offered in 2009 worldwide, selling 97% by value and 94% by lot.

In a thrilling atmosphere, almost 900 bidders from 5 continents competed enthusiastically in the room, as well as on Christie's Live and by telephone. The extraordinary performance of this Christie's sale confirms the undisputed leadership of the company in Geneva and in the international Watch market.

A Connoisseur's Vision, a collection of ten Patek Philippe watches was 100% sold, totaling SFr.5,835,600 and nearly doubling its pre-sale low-estimate. Nine world record prices have been achieved for numerous models manufactured by Rolex and Patek Philippe.

Top Ten

Lot 84 - Patek Philippe. An 18K gold perpetual calendar wristwatch, ref. 1526
Estimate: SFr. 1,000,000-1,500,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 2,400,000 ($ 2,773,065, € 1,847,781)
Buyer: Swiss Private Museum
Lot 159 - Patek Philippe. An 18K gold single button chronograph wristwatch, 1924
Estimate: SFr. 200,000-300,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 939,000 ($ 934,305, € 622,557)
Buyer: Swiss Private Museum
Lot 161 - Patek Philippe. A platinum wristwatch, ref. 3448/100, with extra dial
Estimate: SFr. 500,000-800,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 783,000 ($ 779,085, € 519,129)
Buyer: Swiss Private
Lot 219 - Patek Philippe. An 18K pink gold perpetual calendar wristwatch, ref. 2438/1
Estimate: SFr. 500,000-800,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 711,000 ($ 707,445, € 471,393)
Buyer: Swiss Private
Lot 335 - Patek Philippe. An 18K gold wristwatch, black enamel numerals, ref. 1579
Estimate: SFr. 300,000-500,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 675,000
$ 671,625
€ 447,525
Buyer: American Private
Lot 47 - Rolex. An 18K pink gold wristwatch, ref. 6062, with gold bracelet
Estimate: SFr. 250,000-350,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 597,000
$ 594,015
€ 395,811
Buyer: European Collector
Lot 380 - Patek Philippe. A stainless steel wristwatch, ref. 1579
Estimate: SFr. 400,000-600,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 591,000 ($ 588,045, € 391,833)
Buyer: Asian Private
Lot 218 - Patek Philippe. An 18K pink gold wristwatch, ref. 1436
Estimate: SFr. 350,000-550,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 507,000 ($ 504,465, € 336,141)
Buyer: Swiss Private
Lot 85 - Patek Philippe. A stainless steel chronograph wristwatch, ref. 1463
Estimate: SFr. 300,000-500,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 459,000 ($ 456,705, € 304,317)
Buyer: European Private
Lot 160 - Patek Philippe. An 18K gold wristwatch, ref. 2499/100
Estimate: SFr. 250,000-350,000
Purchase Price: SFr. 435,000 ($ 432,825, € 288,405
Buyer: American Private

Antiquorum - The World's Most Complicated Timepiece

Antiquorum's upcoming 35th anniversary sale on November 14th & 15th in Geneva is rapidly approaching and collectors can look forward to bidding on a wide variety of spectacular timepieces. Highlighting the auction is the world's most complicated and highly coveted timepiece - the famous Patek Philippe Calibre 89. In addition, there will be over 300 exceptional modern and vintage timepieces offered in the Antiquorum sale to be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Geneva. Prior to the auction, clients can preview these outstanding watches in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Geneva.
Lot 364

Antiquorum is delighted to offer the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 from the Matsuda Collection - the world's most complicated timepiece with a total of 33 complications - in our 35th anniversary sale on November 14th and 15th. As this extraordinary timepiece is rarely seen at auction, this is an exceptional opportunity for collectors to acquire one of the most important timepieces in existence. Only four unique models of the Calibre 89 were ever produced; one each in yellow, pink and white gold and one in platinum. The present Calibre 89 in yellow gold was previously sold by Antiquorum in our April 9, 1989 sale of "The Art of Patek Philippe" to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Patek Philippe; while the Calibre 89 in white gold was sold in our 30th anniversary sale on April 24th, 2004.
Lot 361

Moreover, for the Patek aficionado, there is a Patek Philippe "Officier Repetitions Minutes," Ref. 5029. This exceptional timepiece was made in a limited edition of 10 examples in 1998 to commemorate the inauguration of the new Patek Philippe manufactory in Geneva. Sold September 25th, 1998, it is a very fine and extremely rare, minute-repeating, self-winding, 18K yellow gold chronometer wristwatch.
Lot 335

Another incredible Patek Philippe timepiece being offered is the Patek Philippe Ref. 2497 with luminous black dial. Produced in 1955 and sold on June 8th, 1962, this outstanding timepiece is an extremely fine and equally rare, center-seconds, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with perpetual calendar, and moon phases.
Lot 362

Additionally, a Patek Philippe "Minute Repeater", Ref. 3979 will be on the auction block. Made in 1998, it is a very fine and rare, minute repeating, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch.
Lot 185

Also included in the November sale is the Patek Philippe Ref. 3990. This exceptional and rare watch was produced circa 2000 and is now no longer in production. It is a very fine and important, astronomic, water-resistant, platinum and diamonds gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, perpetual calendar, moon phases and sapphire crystal back.
Lot 187

In addition, there will also be a Patek Philippe Ref. 1463 with pulsometer scale offered in the upcoming sale. The exquisite watch was produced in 1953, and sold on March 7th, 1955. It is an extremely fine and very rare, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch with round button chronograph, 30-minute register and pulsometer scale graduated for 15 pulsations.
Lot 358

Furthermore, a Patek Philippe Ref. 1436 retailed by Tiffany will be amongst the highlights in the November sale. Made circa 1969, it is an extremely fine and rare, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with square button, co-axial split-seconds chronograph, 30-minute register and tachometer.
Lot 352

Also for the Patek Philippe enthusiast, there is the Patek Philippe Re. 2481 with tropics cloisonne dial. This remarkable timepiece was produced in 1954 and sold on October 2nd, 1956. It is an extremely fine and equally rare, center-seconds, 18K pink gold wristwatch with cloisonne enamel "Tropics" dial.
Lot 278

Fans of Richard Mille will want to bid on the Richard Mille "Tourbillon RM0003". This superb timepiece is a two-time zone, 18K white gold wristwatch with visible one-minute tourbillon regulator.

Lot 298

Another rare and sought after timepiece included in the sale is the Audemars Piguet dress watch retailed by Gubelin. This superb timepiece is a 18k white gold and enamel watch with perpetual calendar, minute repeater and split second second chronograph.
Lot 346

An additional extraordinary watch with cloisonne dial offered is the Rolex Ref. 6100, "Galleon Cloissone Dial." Produced in 1952, it is an exceptionally rare and fine, center-seconds, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with cloisonne enamel galleon dial .
Estimate:****

Auction Previews:
The timepieces of this auction will be on view as follows:
• SHANGHAI
November 3 & 4:
10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Antiquorum Shanghai
Room 4106B,
Bund Centre Office Tower,
222 Yan An Road East,
Shanghai 200002, China
Tel.+86 21 6335 1268
• HONG KONG
November 6 & 7:
11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers (HK) Ltd.
Suite 1405, 9 Queen's Rd. Central,
Hong Kong, China
Tel. + 852 2522 4168

• GENEVA
November 12 to 15:
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Antiquorum's Showroom
2, rue du Mont-Blanc
1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel.+ 41 (0)22 909 28 50
Auction:
First Session: Saturday, November 14 (lots 1 - 187) begins at 3:00 p.m.
Second Session: Sunday, November 15 (lots 188 - 364) begins 3:00 p.m.

Exhibition - Counterfeit Rolex with the head of Saddam Hussein

30 juillet 2009

VOIR LA GALERIE-PHOTOS

La galerie du Jeu de Paume a Paris propose actuellement et jusqu'au 27 septembre une exposition intitulee « Planete Parr. La collection de Martin Parr ». Organisee par la Haus der Kunst a Munich, en collaboration avec le Jeu de Paume, elle presente pour la premiere fois la riche collection de livres photographiques et de photos de Martin Parr, accompagnee d'une partie de sa collection d'objets heteroclites, ainsi que de quelques-uns de ses travaux recents, notamment les series «Luxury» et «Small World». Ce photographe, membre de la fameuse agence Magnum, se presente lui-même comme un « collectionneur, un editeur et un photographe », et joue ironiquement sur le cliche de l'Anglais extravagant aimant a accumuler toutes sortes d'objets divers.
Ben Laden en montre de poche
Outre le plus grand paquet de chips du monde, des theieres a la gloire de Margaret Thatcher ou un slip orne du portrait de Barack Obama, le sieur Parr a recolte une incroyable serie de garde-temps. Montres-bracelets, montres de poche, horloges, reveils, usurpant ou non le logo d'une marque celebre ou le fameux Swiss made, tous ont pour point commun de celebrer sur leur cadran une personne ou un evenement historique. Le visiteur pourra ainsi admirer des reveils commemorant les exploits de Gagarine ou divers modeles aux couleurs de Mao, de Staline ou même de Barack Obama. Certaines de ces tocantes meritent sans conteste la palme de l'originalite, comme cette montre de poche a l'effigie de Ben Laden ou cette horloge chinoise en forme de raquette de ping-pong. Une vitrine entiere est consacree aux montres a l'effigie de Saddam Hussein. Certaines, provenant vraisemblablement d'Irak, sont tout a sa gloire. D'autres, conçues apres le 11 septembre, vehiculent le propos inverse, notamment celle sur laquelle un montage photographique represente un corps de rongeur surmonte de la tête de Saddam et de ce slogan : « captured like a rat » ! La montre, objet de propagande par excellence qui permet d'afficher son opinion dans cette vitrine miniature qu'est son cadran, provient ainsi des deux côtes de l'histoire. Il en va de même pour les tapis de priere musulmans ornes des tours jumelles percutees par les avions et estampilles « made in Afghanistan » qui sont ici exposes face a des bibelots aux couleurs de l'aigle americain exaltant les slogans va-t-en-guerre de l'ere Bush.

Ironie britannique
Le dialogue entre photographies et objets nous tend ainsi un miroir de notre epoque, revelant les tendances de nos modes de vie contemporains. Comme le dit Martin Parr lui-même, « Ce travail ressemble a une epitaphe pour une periode sur le point de s'achever, faite de croissance excessive, de parade et de luxe ostentatoire. C'est une opportunite de jeter un regard retrospectif sur cette periode de nos vies. » Un regard qui n'oublie pas neanmoins la distance et l'ironie « so british » !
www.jeudepaume.org
www.martinparr.com

Haute Horlogerie - South America, a small but steady market

HH Magazine - # 29, July-August 2009

To judge by its depiction in what Americans call "B Movies", South America would either be a jungle where cigar-smoking drug lords shoot at each other or an endless carnival where women in bikinis dance on a beach while their boyfriends play football. Though one may, in fact, run into scenes like this at some locations, the sub-continent is really made up of many different countries that represent a small but steady portion of the Haute Horlogerie market.
Brazil, the "B" in BRIC (the acronym for "Brazil, Russia, India, China", the four most rapidly-developing economies in the world), is both the largest and most populated country. Whereas most South Americans tend to calculate any local price in terms of its equivalent in US dollars, Brazilians prefer to think in terms of their own currency. Maybe it's because they're the only ones who speak Portuguese or, more probable, because they are the most powerful in terms of their economy (their many FIFA World Cup wins also contribute to their national pride, by the way).
Brazilians have a rich tradition in jewelry, and their top brand, H. Stern, has worldwide reach. The Haute Horlogerie market, on the other hand, is relatively less developed. It is, however a larger market for the sport elegance and sport technique segments: Brazil is Rolex's ber market in the area, and at this point, the brand making more progress seems to be Breitling, who has recently opened a local branch. And even with the ongoing crisis, other well-established names like Omega also manage to show reasonable numbers.

Read more...

Chronicle - Only one watch!

22 June 2009
- www.fratellowatches.com
I don't consider myself a collector of watches, I just 'collect' what I will actually be wearing. I had a modest collection of new & vintage Omega watches in the past, but I traded most of them for watches that would actually see some daylight every now and then instead of the inside of a safe.
For me, this results in buying 'iconic' watches most of the time. True classics in terms of design, movement, history or a combination of all these aspects. For example, these icons include the Omega Speedmaster Professional, Rolex GMT-Master and (recently added) the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Michael Balfour wrote a nice book about iconic timepieces called ' Cult Watches'. Of course, some people may think differently on what an iconic timepiece may be. I can imagine that there are watch aficionados who consider an Ikepod Cunningham or a Bell & Ross BR01 to be cult watches as well.

Anyway, in the 10 years I have been buying or collecting timepieces, I always envied the people that just have one watch. Like the guy in the Patek Philippe advertisements, having a nice Patek Nautilus ref. 5711/1A, wear it almost a life time and then pass it on to the next generation (or someone else you love or care for). And in the beginning, I actually thought that an Omega Constellation would be my perfect "only watch". Or my Speedmaster Professional. Or my Rolex Sea-Dweller. Although I was able to wear a timepieces for months in a row, it turned out that I kept rotating timepieces from my collection (or buying new/other ones).

On some of the online watch forums, contributors tend to write about their latest acquisition as being their exit watch. By exit watch, they mean that they finally found their "only watch". Of course, after a while you see the same contributors adding a message that they bought something else or something new. To quote Michael Corleone in The Godfather part III, "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."
Let me tell you this: There is no exit watch. At least, not for us watch addicts. An Omega Speedmaster Professional could be a perfect only watch. Or a Rolex GMT-Master. Or an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. For a lot of people, they probably are. But we are spoiled. We complain about having no date on a Speedmaster Professional, the Royal Oak being a scratch magnet, the GMT-Master for not being as water resistant as a Sea-Dweller. It is rubbish. Normal people probably don't even come up with these lame excuses.
Would finding a new passion be a solution (or an excuse to only have one watch)? I guess not, because as soon as the word 'collect' comes in, you are lost… It doesn't matter what the subject will be.

Rolex - L'Oyster Perpetual Datejust II Rolesor

Created sixty years ago, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust Rolesor is the world's most recognized and recognizable watch, if not the standard-bearer of an art de vivre. Impervious to the vagaries of fashion, it remains eternally modern. And the new Datejust II Rolesor for men and the Datejust Rolesor 36 mm for ladies, with gem-set bezel, are the proof.
Subtly redesigned over time, the Oyster Perpetual Datejust Rolesor, archetype of timeless luxury, embraces all the latest watchmaking innovations to meet the most demanding technological requirements.
The history of this must-have masterpiece of contemporary watchmaking is rooted in the rich heritage of Rolex timepieces. It is the fruit of the Oyster, the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch entirely designed and manufactured by Rolex in 1926. The movement of the watch receives its energy from the Perpetual rotor, the first self-winding mechanism with a free rotor, created in 1931. The Datejust made its debut in 1945, its name inspired by the date displayed in a window on the watch dial.
The Oyster Perpetual Datejust Rolesor is the hallmark of the Rolex brand. Precise, waterproof, self-winding, this officially-certified Swiss chronometer with date display is crafted with only the noblest of materials and assembled with the greatest of care.

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Longines PrimaLuna Quartz 34 Diamond Arabic (L8.114.0.16.6)

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Panerai Luminor 1950 3 Days Chrono Flyback Automatic Acciaio (PAM00524)

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Panerai Ferrari Scuderia GMT (FER00009)

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Breguet Classique Automatic Ultra Slim Silver Dial Black Leather Men's Watch 5207BB129V6

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Hublot Big Bang Red Magic Automatic Chronograph Men's Watch 341CI1123GR

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Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Automatic White Gold Unisex Watch 26250BC.OO.A002CR.01

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Tissot Pinky Black Dial Stainless Steel Ladies Watch T0842101105700

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Montblanc Star Chronograph UTC Automatic Stainless Steel Men's Watch 107113

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Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Manual Wind Diamond Pave Ladies Watch 79376BC.ZZ.9144BC.01

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Baume and Mercier Clifton Silver Dial 18kt Rose Gold Black Alligator Leather Men's Watch 10060

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Rolex Datejust Champagne Dial Automatic Yellow Gold Ladies Watch 179138CRP

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Rolex Datejust Mother of Pearl Diamond Dial 18kt Pink Gold Automatic Ladies Watch 80315MDPM

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