The Charm of DeLaneau

DeLaneau is a passionate luxury watch company transforming a timepiece into a piece of art. Established in 1949 in Bienne Switzerland, Delaneau creates rare beauties. DeLaneau is little over half a century old, and thus moved its offices to a location steeped in centuries of watchmaking. Delaneau wanted the best and this historical 18th century residence in the center of Geneva's old town had the best in watchmaking techniques. The best stone setters, engravers, finishers, master goldsmiths and watchmakers as well as fine jewelry craftsman. Delaneau is one of the only companies that boasts an in-house enamel workshop whose superior craftsman have perfected the secrets and mystery surrounding this complicated art form.

Delaneu has focused on Mechanical Watches for women. Since quartz watches flooded the market in the 1970's, mechanical watches were reserved for machine loving men. Women's watches, although smothered in diamonds and gems, mostly kept time with a quartz movement. DeLaneau realizes that a women too can appreciate the deep tradition and brilliant craftsmanship of mechanical movements and thus has created thrilling mechanical movements for women.

The power behind DeLaneau is CEO and artistic director, Christina Wendt-Thevenaz. She is passionate about women's timepieces, and every luxury watch is inspected by Christina before it leaves the door. Christina wants each watch to be a woman's treasured item, a constant companion, that will be on her wrist throughout her life. Only a few hundred pieces are crafted a year, each piece a sculptor, crafted by an expert watchmaker. The collections are quite unique and breathtaking. The Fauna Collection includes a timepiece displaying the bowed head of a white horse, another displays the vivid green of a leopards eye, and yet another the shimmering colors of a butterfly in flight. The Flora Collection contains a timepiece with the enigmatic orchid. The Lotus Collection is my favorite as the timepieces themselves breath the mystic and ancient symbolism of the Lotus Flower. The Tourbillon Collection is truly captivating, defying gravity, not only in function but also in rare beauty. The Angel Heart Collection seems to stem from a place between reality and fantasy. Within these collections are Amazone Timepieces. DeLaneau has created a jumping hours collection which has captivated the World of Horology.

For a moment, if you can look past the dazzling exterior of DeLaneau masterpieces, you would be pleased to know, the movement tracking the time is of superb quality and extreme precision. DeLaneau caters to the individual and if you desire a creation of your own, DeLaneau can provide you with a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

The Hidden Message in a President's Watch

A message hidden from sight for over 150 years. A message engraved on a movement beneath a watch case. Stories told from one to another; from generation to generation, blur around the edges so that the story itself becomes questionable. This was the case with the message engraved on the movement of Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch.
Abraham Lincoln - (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States who succeeded in leading the country through a period of grave conflict within its borders, the American Civil War, thereby preserving the Union and ending slavery.

In 1861, Irish Immigrant and watchmaker, Jonathan Dillon, was working in a Washington D.C. watch repair shop when Lincoln's watch was brought in for some minor maintenance. He began meticulously repairing the timepiece as the news of the attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina came in. The first breath of the Civil War. Dillon, moved by the news, engraved his name, the date and a message about the current time on the movement of the watch. He told his children about the engravings. Fifty years later, a 84 year old Dillon, related the story to a New York Times Reporter later the wording of his message: The gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a president who at least will try.

At least those were the words he thought he had written.

Dillon had closed the watch case and sent it back to the White House in good working order. Lincoln never knew of the message and Dillon passed on in 1907. In 1958, Lincoln's Watch was given to the Smithsonian Institution. They never knew of the tale. The old watch no longer worked and the watch case remained closed, year after year until now ...

Dillon's great great grandson, Douglas Stiles, a real-estate attorney in Waukegan, Ill remembered and old family legend he had heard as a kid around the dinner table. He wondered if their even was an engraving on the watch. He did a bit of research and discovered the 1906 New York Times article from 1906, which had the interview with Dillon. However, he still was not convinced, Dillon had been interviewed so long after he had actually engraved the watch, maybe it had been just a thought. Last month, Douglas Styles, notified the Smithsonian Museum and immediately their interest was peaked.
This morning in a small conference room on the first floor of the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, Lincoln's Watch lay like a small time capsule waiting to be opened. The watch was old and had not be opened for years, and the task required the hand of an expert watchmaker, George Thomas. The anticipation mounted as reporters and museum employees viewed the watch via a video monitor.
"The moment of truth has come. Is there or is there not an inscription?"George Thomas said as he carefully removed the case with tiny tweezers and pliers. Suddenly the inscriptions of Dillon were uncovered and a legend sprang to life.
However, the big surprise came in the wording. The wording was not what Dillon himself had remembered.
Douglas Styles read the inscription etched on the metal plate beneath the dial.
It read: "Jonathan Dillon April 13 - 1861, Fort Sumpter was attacked by the rebels on the above date." Another part reads, "Thank God we have a government."

As Douglas Stiles was digesting the confirmation of an old family legend he said,
"My gosh, that was Lincoln's watch," he said, "and my ancestor put graffiti on it!"

Lincoln's pocket watch was one of his only valuable possessions which he brought from Springfield Ill. The watch has gold case and it is stamped as coming from the George Chatterton jewelers in Springfield, Ill., where Lincoln was known to shop. The watch, Thomas said, would be the equivalent to a timepiece costing "$5,000 or more" today.

Lincoln wore this watch everyday through tumultuous upheavals never once knowing that his watch bore the writings of a Irish immigrant watchmaker who sat at his workbench on Pennsylvania Avenue.

ESQ by Movado

ESQ Aston Men's Watch Stainless Steel Blue Dial

Shortly, Movado Group Inc. will be announcing the new name for ESQ will be “ESQ by Movado”. ESQ Swiss was launched in 1992 as a name brand whose quality watches were affordable and at the same time aesthetically appealing and exceptionally durable. The ESQ watches are made by Movado with cutting edge materials including ceramics and carbon fibre.

The latest ESQ creation, the ESQ Fusion Retrograde Chronograph, is a watch wearers dream. The profile of the watch is fashioned with the majestic curve of a suspension bridge in mind. The case in convex for absolute comfort. The watch is crafted from high tech materials such as carbon fiber, stainless steel, hard rubber and scratch resistant Sapphire crystal. In some models, a ultra light aluminum is integrated in the timepiece. Extra attention has been used in crafting the watch strap which is fashioned from stainless steel with titanium or ceramic. Both materials are highly resilient. A pleasing feature on this watch is three retrograde dials which provide for easy reading. In a retrograde dial, the numbers form a line or in this case a semicircle. In retrograde watches the hand jumps back to the starting point once it has reached the end of the line. The watch is Swiss quartz precise as well as being water resistant. This is a great sporty watch made by Movado Group.

By adding the name Movado to ESQ, ESQ will carry the name of Movado's long history and excellent craftsmanship.

Just like the legend of the company this JeanRichard women's watch has a magical whimsical air about it. (Click to Read the legend of Daniel JeanRichard) This gorgeous timepiece is the Lady Small Seconds watch. It is part of the JeanRichard Bessel Collection ( "Les Bressels" being the birthplace of Daniel JeanRichard) which was unveiled in 2005. To me the watch conjures up fairies with fragile wings sharing air space with butterflies and fireflies. The image is not far fetched at all, as the dial design is sprinkled with delicate flowers floating in a fairytale mother of pearl grey violet pond. Amongst the flowers is a lotus flower which turns, marking the seconds.

It is no surprise JeanRichard chose the Lotus flower to drift on the pond like dial. The Lotus flower grows in muddy water, its roots embedded the lake bed, and rises above the surface to bloom in all its exquisite splendour. At night the flower closes and sinks underwater, and then at dawn it rises and opens again. There are over 300 types of Lotus Flowers. The lotus is mentioned in ancient writings. In Ancient Asia it was a symbol of purity, its unfolded petals like the expansion of ones soul. Other symbolism of the Lotus flower include the purity of heart and mind and represents long life, health, honor and good luck.



The dial is elegantly framed with a bezel lined with 58 diamonds. An additional 12 demands mark the hours. The date aperture is placed adjacent to the 3 'o'clock and its bold red numerals are immediately visible. The sapphire crystal cabochon only adds to the soft look. The rhodium (an element within the platinum group metals- PGM) plated hands are perfect in shape and shimmer. The scratch resistant Sapphire crystal is quite rounded above the 10.75mm timepiece providing for an appealing accessory on a women's wrist.


The watch may look like a whimsical addition to a fairy tale, but its impeccable craftsmanship, precision and functionality is anything but. This mechanical watch is powered by a JR1000 automatic movement. The alligator strap is available in either black or white with an additional lotus flower motif on the strap deployment

The Lotus Flower has a unique trait, it can regulate its temperature within a narrow range. The watch exudes a sense of magical mystery just like its Lotus.

Cartier unveils a unique skeleton watch

The Cartier Santos 100 Squelette Watch was unveiled at the SIHH 2009. It is a watch unlike the other. Cartier broke watch boundries and delivered and icon. Cartier brings skeleton to a whole new dimension. The skeleton dial and Roman Numerals are integrated in the very framework of the watch.

The watch is cased in Palledium. Palledium is a rare metal. It has a lustrous sivery-white appearance. Palledium is part of a group known as platinum group metals (PGMs) which includes other elements such as platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. These metals share commen chemical properties; however, Palledium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense. It is an excellent material for a watch case as it is incredibly tarnish resistant, resistant to chemical erosion and intense heat.

The Palledium case is 46.5mm x 55mm. The entire movement is visible. Every part is finished and polished to perfection.

The Santos 100 is equipped with the 9611 MC skeleton movement manufactured exclusively by Cartier. This movement is designed for a complete visual thrill whereby nothing is hidden behind a well placed dial. There is no dial to display the time, but the movement itself so the movement becomes the display. The watch is manually wound as an automatic movement will conceal part of the watch. The fascinating aspect of this movement is that its very shape has been designed to include bridges shaped as large Roman Numerals and to utilize the entire space the Palledium case provides. As you can see the watch has two barrels, thus the 9611 MC caliber can reserve sufficient energy for 72 hours. The balance wheel can be seen pulsating at the 7:30 position.

The Santos Watch is named after Santos Dumont who required a watch that could be viewed with convenience while he was flying his plane. Click here to read this truly fascinating story of Santos Dumont and how he popularized the wrist watch.

The Effect of the Economy on Luxury Watches.

When the economy was great, my interest in finances was somewhat vague, but now it has become something of an obsession. I constantly check the Dow Jones to see whether the market is up or down - mostly down, and the minutes before 4pm ,when the market closes, my eyes are glued to the screen watching the numbers change. So naturally I am always scanning the net to find articles about the current economic situation and luxury watches. I came across an article on Portfolio. com titled "Tough times for Luxury Watches" which I found well written and a good read. Click on the title and you will be able to read the full article.

The article states quite a bit of statistics regarding the downturn of mid range luxury watches. The downturn in the economy left an entire army of watch buyers in a quandary, your stock brokers, your mortgage brokers, lawyers, real estate developers, construction workers suddenly found themselves scrambling to pay the bills, regular bills like the phone and electric. Who could think of buying a luxury watch?
But there are dreams and just because the bank balance is dwindling the dreams don't stop, as Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel designer, voiced in a January BBC interview.

"I can be interested in a $20m diamond I will never buy, without desiring the diamond. If you want only things you can afford, it's boring too."

"It's great to see things you may not buy - because you don't have the money - but it is very ugly to think they shouldn't exist because you can not buy them."

(Watch depicted Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Joaillerie Ladies' Manual Wind Watch 18K White Gold with Diamonds Q2673301)
People will not succumb to frivolous spending, but spending wisely, and although at this present moment the spenders have halted to rethink their past spending habits, they will reorganize and begin to set money aside for that which they want. The thrill of having a luxury watch strapped to ones wrist does not fade with the passage of time, but only increases so that when one purchases an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak or a Cartier Tank or a Concord La Scala the satisfaction is ten fold.

(Watch depicted Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Men's Watch Automatic 18K Rose Gold White Dial on Brown Leather Strap 15300OR-OO-D088CR-02)

Last week I took my son to the doctor to have his yearly shots. I noticed the Doctor had on an exquisite Cartier Tank. I admired it and she said, "I had wanted a Cartier Tank for the longest time, and finally I bought it."
In these troubling times with CEO's getting hammered for travelling by private jet, people are feeling guilty about spending large sums of money. However, there is no substitute for a good watch, especially a good Luxury Watch which will last a lifetime. The trick is to channel your money wisely and in doing so you will be able to afford a luxury watch. Buy a luxury watch and feel good about yourselves, feel that even in this economy you can gain self confidence, and confidence is a much needed trait around about now.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the above issues.

Omega begins counting down to Winter Olympics 2010

Omega Speedmaster Date Chronograph Automatic

Omega marks the one year count down to the Vancouver Winter Olympic 2010 opening ceremony. The ceremony was attended by Omega president Stephen Urquhart, Swatch group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. IOC President Jacques Rogge and John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC)

Spectators cheered as cheered as the Omega Countdown Clock reached precisely 365 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes and 0 seconds.

chronographs manufactured by its subsidiary Lemania. Since then Omega was a pioneer in cutting edge time keeping in the field of sports.
It is little wonder that Omega has the edge in sports watches.

Omega Speedmaster Date Chronograph Automatic Men's Watch Stainless Steel Black Dial 3210.52