Top Marques Monaco 2012 Supercars, Luxury Watches and Superboats

If you happen to be in Monaco this evening head down to the Grimaldi Forum for a delightful event filled with visions of luxury supercars, watches and superboats. The 9th Annual Top Marques Monaco 2012 is one of the only prestigious shows to join luxury supercars, watches and superboats.  Of course the idea makes perfect sense, since an arm resting on the steering wheel of a Pagani requires a luxury watch in kind and the same goes for the arm resting on a deck of a Luxury Yacht.  The show runs from April 19th to April 22nd, 2012

Roger Dubuis Pulsion

To accommodate the growing exhibitors of luxury watches, the Top Marques Monaco has increased its watch venue to 2000 square meters at the Espace Diaghilev.
One can delight in a hands on with the new Roger Dubuis Collection including four great models all meeting the new stringent standards required to achieve the Hallmark of Geneve. (read about the new standards here) .
The four models: Pulsion, Velvet, Excalibur and La Monegasque represent the four different worlds: Player, Warrior, Venturer and Diva.
With these models Roger Dubuis is displaying uncanny horological technical advances in mechanics and materials ,such as the super scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass and flying tourbillons, while still upholding the highest quality of traditional watchmaking acquiring both the status of Chronometer and and Hallmark of Geneve.

Fabergé Horlogerie will be on display too - exhibiting the finest of dial artwork comparable to its exquisite Fabergé eggs. The painted art dials and hand-worked guilloché enamel  are reminiscent of the great Romanov palaces and whisper aristocracy and worth. The watches part of the Palais du Temps  Collection  bare names like Alexei Jardin Secret, the Alexei Jardin D’hiver, the Alexei Rotonde, the Alexei Pavillion, the Agathon Palais D’Or and the Anastasia Boudoir, which bring to mind extravagant palace gardens, distinctive Romanov palace architecture and decor and of course, Antastasia Boudoir ,the daughter of Nicholas and Alexandria.

If you lucky you may spot Franck Muller's GIGA Tourbillon. A power house of a watch featuring an expansive 20mm tourbillon and  four large barrels able to store 10 days of power reserve. The skeletonization - a difficult feat in ordinary watches -  displays every component of the movement. Read more about the remarkable movement here.

Top Luxury Brands like CVSTOS, Bakes & Strauss, Longio, Badollet,
Rebellion, Stardust, Baskania and Cresus will be on display as well.

Badollet Ivresse Tourbillon Limited Edition

The Badollet Ivresse Tourbillon Limited Edition is  a beautiful timepiece. Its soft curves and smooth lines evoke a sense of relaxed boldness.

 The entire construction of the timepiece ,spanning 250 hours of development and 420 hours of crafting, polishing, gem setting and assembling, had the wrist in mind.
 
The rectangular case is crafted in 950 platinum (95%  platinum )- a rare metal - tricky to work with due to its high melting point and rapid hardening while cooling, but Badollet has achieved the look of flowing metal like running mercury. The captivating midnight blue dial brushed finish is in complimentary contrast to the circular satin-brushed chapter ring.The Badollet Griffin - a mythological creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle - prevails at the 12 'o'clock position.  The case, created by Eric Giroud, is  53.80mm in length and 30mm in width and sits extremely well on the wrist.

Beneath the captivating case lies a flying tourbillon only visible via a Sapphire crystal case back.
 The movement,  crafted exclusively for Badollet with the highly creative watchmaker David Candaux (formerly from Jaeger-LeCoultre), features cone shaped going train. The watch has a power reserve of 120 hours and is water resistant to 30 meters and strapped to the wrist with an alligator leather strap in midnight blue  -secured with a 950 platinum pin buckle.

Movado Polyplan circa 1930's

This watch is truly a rare find and rare it will remain as only 30 timepieces will be made. The number is reminiscent of the 1930's from where the inspiration of the timepiece came.The Badollet Ivresse Tourbillon brings to mind the Movado Polyplan circa 1930's and a hint of the Concord Dilirium.

Priced around 198'000 CHF

Tag Heuer Link Lady Diamond Starring Cameron Diaz

Tag Heuer is reinventing its image to attract the females.

At Basel World 2012,  Tag Heuer unveiled the  Link Lady Diamond Star - a watch of feminine grace and sophistication with a touch of edgy sensuality kind of like Tag Heuers newest appointed ambassoder for the link lady collection, Cameron Diaz.

 Cameron Diaz of Charlie's Angel , Vanilla Sky and Gangs of New York  fame is a multiple Golden Globe nominee and one of the highest paid female actresses.
On why she agreed to become Tag Heuer's Ambassador for the Link Lady collection.
"I decided to become the ambassador for Tag Heuer for the Link Lady collection because my first watch was a Tag Heuer," she explained.
"I had just got my first diving license and I needed an underwater watch. It was a men's design, too big for my wrist. I bought that when I was 18, with the first money I earned as an actress."

Also Cameron Diaz has an affinity for fast cars.  Telling FoxNews in an exclusive interview back in 2010 -“I love driving, love it. I have been doing it well before I should have,” the 38-year-old told FOX411’s Pop Tarts while promoting her new super hero action flick, “Green Hornet.” “My cousin Johnny would put me on his lap when I was nine and let me take the wheel, or he would sit in the middle and put me in the front seat and let me ... I love speed.”

Cameron Diaz even appeared beside Tom Cruise  on Top Gear testing the speed of a car.

Its seems Tag Heuer and Cameron Diaz is a perfect team - Cameron Diaz elegant and sexy with a passion for fast cars and Tag Heuer elegant and sexy with a passion for fast cars.

Ritmo Mundo Puzzling Timekeeping to Hide Time

Don't be surprise if Ritmo Mundo timepiece brings sudden flashes of childhood party bags and sticky fingers. This is probably due to the fact that Ritmo Mundo fashioned its sliding puzzle watch after the party bag game.  The game slides in and out of a sleeve masking or displaying the watch face. In addition the actual "game" is functional.   The sliding puzzle watches typically sell for $5,500.00 and up depending on the model.
 The Puzzle timepiece ,unveiled in 2010, is a signature Ritmo Mundo timepiece.  The company has added to the Puzzle collection in different color combinations and gem encrustation.  

What is the inspiration for this timepiece?  President and Founder of Ritmo Mundo, Ali Soltani,  found inspiration in architecture "and by the limits which they can be joined" and of course the childhood sliding puzzles.
Timepieces manufactured by California based Ritmo Mundo  have a trendy fashionable appeal with  unique designs making them attractively distinct.  The timepieces exude a definite bold flair influenced by its Italian Origin. Being Beverly Hill based, Ritmo Mundo has attracted a host of celebrities who once hooked become instantly "Ritmotized" - the companies name for it. The string of celebrities donning a Ritmo Mundo timepiece range from Terry 'O Quinn of "LOST" fame to Sylvestor Stylone and Samuel L. Jackson.  Tyra Banks known for her excellent taste in attire wears one too. Ritmo Mundo has licensing agreements with many HBO award winning series like "Entourage" and "Sex and the City".

Beneath all the glitz and glamor of the timepiece beats a very good movement.

The watch is equipped with a Swiss Sellita SW 200 Automatic movement, which by all means is as good as an ETA movement. Sellita is an independent company  founded in 1950  which exclusively assembles Swiss made mechanical watch movements. In 2003,  Sellita decided to develop and produce there own mechanical movements.   The SW 200 was the first movement introduced to the market with excellent results.   Watch companies who want watch movements comparable to the precision and efficiency of ETA movements use Sellita movements. Since 2010, Swatch group, for the most part, has slowed the supply of complete  ETA movements to watch companies not owned by the Swatch Group making it impossible for small privately owned watch companies outside of the Swatch Group to purchase an ETA movement. The Sellita is almost a copy of the ETA 2824.  The main difference is that it has not been around nearly as long as the ETA 2824 and thus has not been naturally tested for longevity.
 ETA has contracted Sellita to make  their movements under the ETA brand. So one may actually be wearing an ETA movement assembled by Sellita. 
Many companies avoid the movement debate by simply stating the movement is Swiss made; however Ritmo Mundo clearly states that the movement within its Ritmo Mundo sliding puzzle is a Swiss Selita SW 200.

Ritmo Mundo uses Sapphire crystal to protect the dial.  An absolute must for watches in this price range.  One must raise an eyebrow to any watch over $500, which uses mineral crystal instead of sapphire crystal.  Sapphire crystal is still the best glass to protect the watch face - its hardness and scratch resistance only  bettered by diamond.

In just 10 years, Ritmo Mundo has achieved great strides in contributing to the watch industry.  One of its most intriguing collection is the Persepolis Automatic Collection which demands a blog of its own; however my own childhood memories of sliding puzzle games fueled by desire to blog about the RITMO MUNDO PUZZLE first.

Bubba Watson Win a Big Boost for Richard Mille

Richard Mille couldn't have chosen a better ambassador than Bubba Watson.  They even went as far as producing a $525,000  RM038 Bubba Watson Watch which  accompanies  him on many  golfing tournaments.

Richard Mille's absolute faith in its choice of golfing ambassador paid off in a big way.  The former golfing underdog, who was  relatively unknown to non-golfers became an instant celebrity in his latest victory over South African Louis Oosthuizen in a dramatic playoff at the 76th Masters.
With this victory Bubba Watson has become an instants celebrity and a "marketers dream." - (Forbes) "Bubba Watson was a bettor's dream" ( USA today).  And a bettor's dream it was for Richard Mille.  Now the limited number of 38 RM 038 ultra light tourbillon Bubba Watson timepieces and all Richard Mille's creations will attract a much wider interest.

Bubba Watson's RM 038 crafted from ultra light-weight tough magnesium-aluminum alloy or AZ91 is a tad heavier than Richard Mille Ambassador and tennis great Rafael Nadel's RM 037 weighing in a just 18 grams and crafted from titanium and lithium alloy. The feature focus on the Bubba Watson Watch is the incredible shock resistance capability in a watch sporting a manually wound tourbillon movement.  The incredible skeletonized structure of the timepiece emphasizes Richard Mille's advanced mechanical expertise and commitment to resilience and timekeeping precision.

Omega's Olympic London 2012 Collection

The Amirillo Sunday News, July 25th, 1948

The Olympics will be back in London come summer 2012 and   Omega will be timing the games for the 25th year.  To commemorate Omega's 80th year as the Olympic Games official Timekeeper, Omega launched an Olympic Collection London 2012.

Three versions of the   Olympic London 2012 Seamaster co-axial chronometer watches are available.

The most sporty looking of the three is a Seamaster chronograph timepiece with a steel case and bracelet surrounding a blue dial priced at  $7,600. The Olympic Logo is emblazoned in steel on the case back.

The second chronograph timepiece is more classical in design. A red gold case and blue dial and strap - currently the most trendiest  color combination. This Seamaster features a transparent case-back revealing its movement.

The third watch is an OMEGA Seamaster 1948 Co-Axial “London 2012″ in steel with a solid yellow gold case back sporting the logo of the  London Olympics 2012.  This watch is priced at $6,800.  This watch is limited to 1948 pieces, representing the last year the Olympics were in London and the  year the Omega Seamaster was launched. The watch is powered by a highly efficient Automatic Caliber 2202, sporting a Co-Axial Escapement for optimum precision and durability.  A silver dial with an hour minute and small seconds sub-dial at the 6 'o'clock is the most formal watch of the three.  A black leather strap is sealed by a matching polished steel buckle.  The Omega Seamaster 1948 is water resistant to 120 meters and is capable of a 48 hour power reserve.




 
At the heart of the first two watches is an Omega 3313 self-winding chronograph movement with a highly efficient column wheel mechanism and Co-axial Escapement ensuring maximum precision. The watches harbor a free sprung balance and display a date,hour,minute and continuous small seconds hand.  A central chronograph hand ensures reliable timing of the races.

Both the Chronograph watches are equipped with a crown which screws into the tube of the case and  locks.  This feature maximizes the water resistancy of the watch to 500 meters.

 

Omega has opted to utilize an outside source to ensure maximum performance, efficiency, precision and reliability ,even in adverse conditions, by having the movement tested by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres or Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. (COSC).  The movement undergoes a battery of rigorous tests in order to achieve the status of chronometer.  After Rolex, Omega is one of the companies which submit the largest amounts of movements to be tested by the COSC.  As an added precaution of authenticity, a serial number ,officially certifying the movement as a chronometer, is engraved into the movement.

The dial of the watches are protected by a domed scratch resistant Sapphire crystal treated with an anti-reflective coating enabling maximum read out against the glare of the sun.

 Omega is the Official Timekeepers at the Olympic Games and has been since Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games and the 1936 Olympic Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany -  when a single Omega technician came to the games hauling 27 stopwatches. In the intervening years , from then till now, Omega's expertise in Olympic timekeeping has increased dramatically.
In this years Olympics all eyes will be on 26 year old Omega Ambassador Swimmer Legend Micheal Phelps winner of no less than 14 gold medals and 2 bronze with Omega timing his progression stroke by stroke.

As far as efficiency, durability and precision goes, these watches are the complete package.  All three timepieces attract  different tastes for different occasions. 

Purchasing a watch commemorating an event adds a collectible quality to the timepiece especially if  manufactured in limited editions.

The Beauty of Blancpain's Villeret Collection

One of the most beautiful luxury watches available is the newest addition to the Blancpain Villeret Collection.  The watch exudes a distinction of excellence. Immediately noticed! Immediately understand! From a company which never manufactured a Quartz Watch.- Read a Luxury Watch Company that Never Went Quartz

Elegant hands sweep across an exquisite blue  flinqué lacquered dial. The endless deep blue like the sky on a still night is created by multiple applications of translucent blue lacquer.  The Arabic Numeral days of the month are indicated by a serpentine hand - its name derived from the shape of a snake. The hours are marked by Roman Numeral.  A extra elongated minute hand ensures precision time display. A retrograde second hand is situated at the 6 'o'clock. A new in-house automatic ultra slim (only 4.57mm) Blancpain Calibre 7663Q is housed within a white gold case. Comprising of 244 components and 34 jewels, the movement has the capacity for a 72 hour power reserve.
 An under lug corrector for  fast date adjustment is very discretely placed at the 5 'o'clock position.
A Sapphire Crystal scratch resistant case-back enables movement visibility.