Vacheron Constantin encapsulates history.

Vacheron Constantin has yet again incorporated history in four exquisitely finished watches. Vacheron Constantin Les Masques Collection 2008. A company that is two and a half centuries old has a strong link to the past and an even stronger presence in the future. Vacheron Constantin has fused the past with the presents ,and taking into account Vacheron Constantin superior quality, these watches will last deep into future. Juan-Carlos Torres CEO of Vacheron Constantin said, " We have an obligation to encourage centuries-old arts, evolving them into timeless masterpieces for future generations." All Vacheron Constantin's watches have the Hallmark of Geneva which the ultimate recognition of craftsmanship excellence.

These watches are the next in a series called "Les Masques" timepieces which are part of Vacheron's Metiers d'Art watch collection. Three sets of four watches are being released, one set per year. The first set ,released in 2007, (see the video at the end of the blog) was inspired by ancient masks from China, Alaska, Congo and Indonesia. The miniature masks are exact scaled down replica's of the original masks. This remarkable achievement was done by scanning the originals thereby getting a three dimensional image. The dimensions of the image were reduced and master engravers used the prototypes to meticulously carve the tiny replicas. In 2008 Vacheron drew inspiration, for its second set, from masks from Mexico, Japan, Gabon, and Papua New Guinea. These four masks are based on artwork found in the Barbier-Mueller Collection-a collection of over 7000 artifacts from civilizations spanning time and the globe. The entire collection of three sets of four will contain masks from the continents of Asia, Africa, the America's, and Oceania.

Each watch in the set is crafted from different colored metals - yellow gold, white gold, pink gold and platinum. The masks are resting on sapphire crystal. Each watch is engraved with a poem by a French writer Michel Butor. This years models were so intricately designed that even the surface texture of the ancient mask material was taken into account. The rough clay texture of the Mexican mask was reproduced.

• The Japan Mask (1st mask) is based on the Budha's mask stemming from the second half of the 19th century. The original artifact was crafted from lacquered wood decorated with gold and blue pigments. The watch continues color theme and the watch case is gold and the dial is blue.
  

• The Gabon Mask (2nd mask) is a Pipibudze mask made by the Kwele people inhabitants of the equatorial rain forest. This mask symbolized a spirit who came from the realm of dead to help the living. This spirited watch has a white gold case.
  

• The Mexican mask (3rd watch) was based on a piece of a mask-shaped censor, believed to be part of a decorated chimney, from the Mayan civilization dating back to 550-950 AD. The watch case is pink gold.
• The Papua New Guinea Mask (4th watch) which was made from wood, pigments and shells. The watch case is platinum and the striking red mask is set in a gray dial.
  

A Creepy Corum Tale! Not for the faint hearted! Happy Halloween!

That awful clock in grandma's bedroom struck 12. It woke me. Grandma had passed on and papa had sold the clock. Or had he? The clock sounded on and on, louder and louder in grandma's bedroom. I got out of bed, shivering as the cold air brushed my skin. Papa was gone too. He had passed on and now it was just me and the house and the clocks. I walked towards my locked bedroom door, bent a little for I had carried the weight of life on my back for many years.

I felt in the deep pocket of my robe, and pulled out a big brass key. I couldn't see the key in the black midnight darkness, for if I had I probably would have stayed in bed till Halloween had passed. The key was glowing a devilish red. I unlocked the door and stepped into the hall. Grandma's room was across the long drafty hallway. The hallway was silent. Deathly silent. All the clocks lining the hallway had stopped. Suddenly I heard a faint scuttling sound and I had a sudden and immediate urge to head back to bed. Grandma's room was coming to life. I could feel it in the marrow of my old bones.

I had not been in Grandma's room since I was a young boy. I slid the key into Grandma's lock. The key was pulsating a blood red. I could see it now but all sense of reason had left. The key scraped against the lock like the rustling of skeleton bones, and the wind howled. Oh how it howled.

The door flung open with tremendous force splintering its wooden frame. I hit my head against the wall and blacked out. I was forced awake by a bony finger poking at my cheek. I opened my eyes, the bone white skull of a pirate floated just above my head and its hand ,which hovered by its side, clutched the lapel of my robe. The other hand held a glinting sword.

"Come in!" It said. "We have been waiting for you for years and years"
It beckoned to me and as its hand swept through the air dust floated to the ground. My mouth became dry. My heart raced and my legs grew limp.
"Hurry! We want to show you Grandma's collection before its too late"

I placed my hand on the disintegrating wallpaper and I willed my legs into a standing position.

I felt the bony finger poke at my spine. I shivered and entered the smothering darkness of a room unseen in decades. The clock chimed once. A deafening roar. Suddenly a fire flared in the fireplace and a skull roared to life. It tipped its hat and gnashed its teeth. The room became unbearably hot and I feared for my life.
A voice thundered at my back "Leave my place" and the fire vanished leaving a faint green light. A skull in a red Gangster hat floated within view and placed its ringed gnarled fingers around my neck. The skull floated directly in front of my head so that my old pitted nose was nearly touching its nasal cavity. Two cold red fires blazed in each eye socket. I trembled with fear.
"Get out of Grandma's room. Get out. The collection is mine all mine!"
Grandma's clock chimed. It chimed like Grandma's laugh.
Black dots began to mingle with the green choking mist. The deadly hands were squeezing my neck. I spotted something huge and orange swerve in front of me. The bony hands fell away. My neck was free. I bent down wheezing and coughing, swallowing bitter air. I heard a clatter and I looked up. The skull was laying on the floor, its red gangster hat under a dusty stool. Something told me to look up and I did. A huge pumpkin floated above my head. Carved in its thick skin were the numbers 3,6,9,12.

The giant pumpkin descended and gently rolled along the floor, stopping at my bare feet.
" Grandma wishes you Happy Halloween!" it said.
The clock chimed and ....

The sun caressed my face and I woke up. I opened my eyes and stared at Grandma's ceiling. Dust covered cobwebs lazily hung about. I sat up and looked at Grandma's empty dusty room. The frame of a four poster bed leaned against the wall. The only other piece of furniture was an old rickety stool beside the fireplace. Papa was right, he had sold Grandma's stuff.

"There is nothing here!" I said aloud. "It was a silly dream" Except something glinted in the dust. It was a watch with a skull and a red pirates kerchief. I stood up and spotted another watch among the ashes of Grandma's fire place. It was a Corum Bubble XL Corum Samedi. Another watch lay under the stool: A Corum Bubble XL Gangster and beside it sparkling in the mid morning sun was the bright orange Corum Bubble XL. Grandma had left me her collection.

I looked around for Grandma's awful clock but it was no where to be found. I turned to leave Grandma's empty room. The door was still open, leaning oddly against its shattered frame. The key was in the lock. I took the key and then it hit me. My key was an exact image of the Corum key. I shuddered and left the room.

Happy Halloween and Grandma says enjoy the Collection!

Story taken from the depths of my unconscious.

A R.Van Halem original.

The Cartier Tank Luxury Watch Collections

It is awe-inspiring the beauty and design Louis Cartier perceived in a vehicle of War. In 1917 Louis Cartier drew inspiration from the shape and form of the WW1 Renault Tank fighting a brave war on the Western Front and designed the Tank Watch.

The Tank Watch is an icon to the age of modernization where men gave up their stuffy pocket watches for the sleek design of the Tank Watch. Cartier Tank Watches have sleek proportional lines like those on the Renault Tank. Depending on the collections the watch faces are square or rectangle. A tank has blue, sword-shaped hands with silvered opaline guilloche dials. The winding crowns on tanks ,like many Cartier watches are topped with sapphire cabochons. The Tank's Roman Numerals are bold and distinct.

Cartier has released over 250 variations of the Tank over the past 90 years. An earlier model being the Tank Chinoise Watch, 1922 Art Deco inspired square watch with symmetrical cross bars. The Tank Francaise (above) is a newer 1996 version of the Tank fitted with a metal or gold bracelet which looks remarkably like the caterpillar treads of the Renault Tank.

Another exquisite tank masterpiece is the Tank Americaine. Its elongated dial and slim bracelet is perfection in balance and shape.

The Tank is exceedingly popular and has become a mark of refined elegance.

Blancpain's Luxury Watch Absolutely Dripping with Diamonds

480 Baguette diamonds totalling 58 carats. Feast your eyes on this sparkling creation. The Tourbillon Diamants. The brick like arrangement of diamonds are only disrupted by a stunning tourbillon. This shimmering timepiece utilizes the Blancpain Calibre 25A movement, a mechanical self-winding movement made of 239 parts with a seven-day power reserve. The 40mm white gold case is water resistant. This watch is subtly intimidating and priced quite generously for even the deepest pockets- over $1,5 million. However, this watch in all its splendor exudes a gentle glimmering glow.

Corum's Admiral's Cup Collection still in the race!

The first luxury watch that ever caught my attention was a Corum Admiral's Cup watch. I remember being almost hypnotized by the nautical colored flags in place of the hour markers. It looked so "United Nations". I still love the look and a Corum Admiral's Cup Watch holds a very special place in my heart, like an old familiar friend. I eagerly anticipate the new Admiral Cup styles Corum releases each year.
Last year the Admiral's Cup Challenge 44 Regatta, a vision in red gold and rubber surfaced. Even though this is an older model than the 2008 Admiral's Cup Tides 48, I have chosen this one because this luxury timepiece is particularly striking. This timepiece is one of the strongest Corum has produced, inspired by the tough sport of sailing.

Corum has fused 18kt red gold with extremely resilient vulcanized rubber and to titanium accomplished using advanced technological methods. This sporty luxury watch boasts the best fully integrated chronograph movement available with a split-second function. With this incredible complication the Regatta can measure simultaneous events that commence at the same time but are of different durations such as in sailing races.
This Admiral's Cup Solid Gold Watch exudes a definite sense of Royalty. With this spectacular timepiece the nautical flags are embossed on the Bezel. The nautical flags seem to flutter in the gentle breeze as their skippers wait to embark on their competitive journey. The bright red second hand imparts a sense of urgency,in anxious anticipation for the race to begin. Having undergone the rigorous testing of the C.O.S.C this watch can proudly bare the label of a Certified Chronometer. This is a highly regarded certification only extended to the very best of movements.

The Admiral's Cup watches are being introduced year after year, growing in popularity. But what happened to the actual Admiral's Cup race? The race has not taken place in five years. It was canceled in 2001, 2005 and 2007. In 2003 the race took place in Australia, but not since then and no word about 2009. The actual Admiral's Cup is an international yachting regatta. It was organized in 1957 by the Royal Ocean Racing Club based at Cowes, on the Isle of Wright in England. It was a biennial event, happening every odd-numbered years. From 1957 to 1999 the cup was competed between national teams, each having three boats. In the beginning only USA and Great Britain took part, but later other countries competed. The race was highly regarded and in 1971, British Prime Minister ,Edward Heath, captained one of the winning boats.

In 2003 the competition was moved from Ireland to Australia for unknown reasons, and instead of being between different countries, it was watered down to a competition between different yacht clubs. Then the Admiral's Cup fizzled until ...

The Admiral's Cup is a truly inspirational race of endurance and strength and I sincerely hope we have not seen the last of the race. Indeed we do have Corum's Admiral Cup Collection which is a constant reminder of the Admiral's Cup race, as well as being an icon of Corum's success in its own right.

By: Van Halem

Gerald Genta Ladies Tourbillon

Gerald Genta's luxury watches have always intrigued me. They seem originate from a completely different dimension: retrograde displays, windows with jumping numerals, dials made from unusual materials, dial piercings, bold colors, cleverly printed crystals and "out there" case shapes. Gerald Genta spins its magic. A relatively new blip on the Horology radar, Gerald Genta was only founded in the early 1990's' however Genta (the companies founder, a Genevan with Italian ancestry) had a wealth of experience. He was the creative designer behind many noble brands such as Audemars Piguet, Patek Phillipe, Bulgari and Omega. The current owners of the Watch Company has followed Genta's dynamic and unique style. So it comes as no surprise that it is Gerald Genta who has created a Tourbillon Watch for Women.



Tourbillon's are available for Men's Wrist Watches; however, when it comes to the ladies, a Tourbillon is rare. If there is a Tourbillon for women I have yet to see it ... that is until now. Gerald Genta's Arena Tourbillon Snow White is a watch seeming to appear straight out a fairy tale. The Watches Retrograde numerals shimmer in a sea of pure white complimenting the sparkling diamond bezel and pure white band. To me, the Tourbillon has a certain angelic quality turning this watch into a mesmerizing masterpiece of perfection. In addition this watch has a definite retro look to it. A second counter is located at the 6 o' clock position above the beating tourbillon. The Tourbillon is self-wind and the watch entire has 64 hour power reserve. The case is platinum and the pure snowy strap is crocodile leather.

This watch in all its splendor is available soon... for a price.

What luxury watch is he wearing?

I have been writing this blog for quite some time now and I cannot control my urge to look at ones wrist watch. Now if the wrist watch belongs to a friend or a business acquaintance, I may ask, providing the circumstance is just right, "Could that be an Ebel Beluga?" As a result of my genuine admiration resonating in my voice, the friend will undoubtedly remove the fine masterpiece from her hand and give it to me for further inspection.
This very scene I just described happened two nights ago. I was seated at a wonderful dinner table and I was savoring tender moist grilled salmon. A stiff uncomfortable gentlemen was seated across from me and I noticed his watch, I squinted (my eyes are not what they used to be),
"Is that an Omega Seamaster?", I said, absolutely unable to contain my excitement. He looked at me with surprise, his gaze immediately softening.
"Yes it is! How do you know?" So then I explained that I blogged and then I explained how I blogged and finally I explained what a "blog" actually was.
"I dive!, " he said.
"You know the Omega Seamaster is a diver's watch. Water resistant to 300 meters, " he said.

He handed me the watch and as I inspected the screw in case back and crown as well as the luminous hand and dial markers, he related to me his numerous diving adventures.

If the watch belongs to a stranger in front of me at a check out line at my local supermarket, extended squinting and sidelong glances may cause the stranger to become quite suspicious of my intentions, resulting in an inevitable confrontation with the store security personnel. So I am forced to control my curiosity and increase my already vast knowledge of luxury watches so that a cursory glance would be sufficient.

The easiest watch collection to recognize from across a room or in an endless "10 items or less" line is the Movado Museum Watches. The dot at the 12 'o'clock is as conspicuous as a full moon above the Sahara Desert.
The Corum bubble watch collections are also highly recognizable with the thick domed sapphire crystals. Chopard's Happy Collections are a treat to spot with gems that glide across the watch face between two layers of sapphire crystal.
Of course the more pricey unique watches are not hard to miss as they shout "Look at me!" Take for example Girard Perregaux's Opera One Minute Repeater Tourbillon with three gold bridges, you may not recognize the type of watch ,being that it is so unique;however, you will recognize this watch as something special, worthy of a complete and utter fixation.


Van Halem