In just ten years, Chopard has been able to establish a powerful and definite masculine image for its mens watches and producing elegant male timepieces such as the Chopard Imperiale Chronograph. Chopard has managed to follow a path of success in both completely different directions. The feminine side of Chopard is in the ultra competent hands of Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele and Karl-Friedrich is active in establishing a successful male image. One of his responsibilities include developing a watch series to be presented at the yearly Mille Miglia (1000 mile car race) in Italy in which he is an enthusiastic participant. Karl quite aptly is a collector of watches and classic cars. He is also the supervisor of Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2006. This particular production init is able to develop watch movements entirely within its walls and currently produces a collection of precisn mechanical self-winding movements (equipped with a micro-rotor), and hand-wound movements (with four barrels), complications such as tourbillons or perpetual calenders as well as the cutting-edge chronograph movement which was presented last year. This year Chopard presented its L.U.C Regulator, the exceptional product of ten years of research and development.
In 1997 Concord unveiled its 18 gold La Scala collection, perfectly geometric- an art deco inspiration. Jaeger- LeCoultre's Reverso Grande Taille utilizes pure geometric shapes an art deco icon.
Art Deco swept through a changing era: old Victorian petticoats were flung away for a modern streamlined form. Women cut their hair, hemmed their skirts and skipped away from prohibitions. It was the roaring twenties. Lines were straight, mathematical and geometric. Products were made with the consumer in mind, aerodynamic cars and boats, sleek with sharp pristine angles. The heavy frills made way for clear lines. In the United States, Art Deco influenced building architecture (The Chrysler Building), cars, fashion, furniture, subway stations, jewelry and watches. Watches of the 1920's an 30's were mathematically geometric in design, and drew inspiration from modern clean cut shapes. Art Deco was more than just an art it was an entire movement lasting from 1925 to 1939, sandwiched between two world wars.
Art Deco was advertised in 1925 as the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Moderns (the International Exhibit of Decorative Arts and Modern Industries), in Paris, the worlds most influential artists and designers met to share their visions of design for the future. The event basked in international attention, it was "the event" promoting the evolution of design. Culminating from this movement was the Art Deco, then known as Style Moderne and in 1968 coined Art Deco. Today Art Deco is sometimes referred to as retro modern or vintage modern. "Retro" is a Latin Prefix meaning "backward" or in "past times", the modern of the then, the modern of the twenties. Whatever the term used, the look is still refreshingly edgy and undoubtedly modern.
Since 1998, Wynton Marsalis has been an ambassador for Movado. He is said to be the best jazz musician and trumpeter of his generation. As I am writing this blog I am listening to his incredible trumpetering, and as always I am amazed at his incredible agility and talent. He knows the trumpet like no one I have ever seen. Not only is he one of the worlds top classical trumpeters, he is a brilliant composer, a tireless advocate for the arts, and a inspirational educator.
When we are greeted with great talent like Wynton Marsalis, it is only natural that we are curious. To be the best in a world of good is to reach the stars. Wynton was born, on October 18, 1961, to Ellis and Doloris Marsalis in New Orleans where the sound of jazz envelopes the city. He was the second of six sons. One of his brothers is autistic. He was drawn to music from an early age, and he was good at it. Better than good. At 8 he began performing traditional New Orleans music, and incredibly when he was only 14 he was invited to perform for New Orleans Philharmonic. Throughout high school, he was a member of a number of bands including the New Orleans Symphony Brass Quintet. On weekends he played in a jazz band as well as a popular funk band, the Creators. He was music to the core. AT 17 he became the youngest musician ever to be admitted to Tanglewood's Berkshire Music Center. Even though he was very young, he was awarded with a prestigious award from the school, the Harvey Shapiro Award for an outstanding brass student.
In 1979 he moved to New York to study at Julliard, and he became playing in gigs in the Big Apple. Talent like Wynton Marsalis cannot be kept under wraps for too long, and soon enough people were talking. In 1980 he joined the Jazz Messengers where he had the opportunity to study under the master drummer and band leader, Art Blakey. Art Blakey taught him how to bring an intensity to each and every performance. In the following years, he was invited to perform with Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Sweet Edison, Clark Terry and many other jazz greats.
Marsalis formed his own band, performing 120 concerts every year. He continued for 10 years perfecting his talent and determining how best to give his audience. In essence, in these years he gave a new vitality to jazz and rekindled the publics interest in jazz. It seems he had his work cut out for him, but during this time Marsalis spent as much time composing as playing. He created major compositions for the New York City Ballet, Twyla Tharp for the American Ballet Theater. He also had an affinity for Classical Music and his debut recording of classical trumpet concertos won him a Grammy for "Best Classical Soloist with an Orchestra" He has performed with the New York Philharmonic and countless other orchestras. Marsalis has won nine Grammy's , in 1983 winning a jazz and classical Grammy in the same year and doing the same in 1984. In 1997 he became the first jazz artist to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music. He is a teacher and spokesman of music and has received honorary doctorates from universities through out the US.
On March 20,2001, Wynton Marsalis was named United Nations Messenger of Peace by Secratary General Kofi Annan.
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, Wynton heeded the desperate calls of his fellow citizens and organized organized the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief concert (produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center) thereby raising and distributing over $3M to musicians and cultural organizations crushed by the hurricane. In addition, he headed an organization called the Bring Back New Orleans Cultural Commission. In which a plan was set in place to revitalize the city’s cultural base. Since Katrina, Wynton has been a constant advocate for Hurricane Katrina survivors, to bring hope an will as well finding resources to rebuild New Orleans culturally, socially and economically.
Wynton Marsalis has just released a new book , "“Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life,”.
In 2001 Movado unveiled a unique watch known as the Elliptica selection. A significant breakthrough design. The case is gracefully curved to fit the contours of ones wrist. The winding stem is at the 12 ‘o clock position. The numerals 3, 6, 9 and 12 are in the traditional spaces on the dial. The remaining numerals are lined up at the top and the bottom of the watch.
The Movado Elliptica embodies the essence of Movado, the simplicity in displaying time, as well as a curved case, reminiscent of Movado's revolutionary Polyplan Watch created in 1912. The 1912 Polyplan Watch was a design breakthrough, the entire watch movement was constructed on three separate planes to fit the curved case. Today's Elliptica utilizes the contoured case which provides the utmost watch wearing comfort.
Who knew a single gold dot could attain such a remarkable presence in the world of watches. The dot represents the sun shining at noon and for Movado and its gold dot the sun has never set. The Movado Museum Watch. Since 1960, Movado has redesigned the cases and bands and even colors of the gold dot and its face, but the unwavering dot whether concave or flat remains in place. A gold dot at the 3 'o'clock position would be perceived as wrong and a gold dot at the 6 'o'clock position would be turned facing the other way. The dot shall remain as Nathan George Horwitt had designed it in 1947, at the 12 'o'clock position.Movado Aprezi ladies watch in 14 karat gold. Movado Artiko Ladies Watch. A dazzling tribute to the Movado style.
The Movado Bareleto Ladies Watch is a gorgeous piece of jewelry that tells the Movado time. The Movado Dolca Ladies Watch with a mother-of-pearl dial is a perfect gift for mothers day. I know mothers day is ways away, but a watch like this does not have to wait till mothers day. The exquisite bracelet is in perfect harmony with the watch face and the gold dot.
One of Chopard's most popular collections is the Mille Miglia. The collection encompasses a large array of different styles. The watches are Automatic with a precision Chronograph and a Tachymeter. A Tachymeter is a scale on the bezel which gives the speed of a moving object, in conjunction with the second hand. A Tachymeter takes a value determined in less than a minute and converts it into miles per hour. Perfect if you needed to know your speed on a lengthy race like the Mille Miglia. The Mille Miglia Collection is named after the Mille Miglia race or One Thousand Miles, originally an open-road endurance race which sped through some of Italy's most scenic landscapes, twenty four times from 1927 to 1957. The race was abruptly brought to an end when Alfonso de Portago blew a tire at high speed ,in a Ferrari, near Mantova. After the dust cleared Alfonso was killed and so were his navigator and 11 spectators. In 1982 the Mille Miglia endurance race was reinvented as a road rally rather than speeding cars on open roads. Now perfect timing is the essence, and competitors from around the world race their vintage cars dating from 1927 to 1957. It has become a meeting place for the rich and famous and passion driven individuals who wait all year to battle over 1,600 miles of exquisite Italian Roads. The Mille Miglia is widely known as "the most beautiful car race in the world" and Chopard , luxury watch brand, is the official timekeeper and one of the main sponsors.
In 1988 Chopard started its partnership with Mille Miglia and became the official time keeper. Chopard merged the world of car racing and timepieces with its powerful collection of sports watches, aptly labeled Mille Miglia. These precision sports watches are a representation of the world of car racing. The watches impart a integral sense of the road with its dials fashioned like the gauges of a race car. The black and red boldly stitched band, resemble the seats of the race cars.
The Watch Collections and the Name of Italy's One Thousand Mile race are perfectly synchronized in time.
