Tag Heuer Monaco Twenty Four Chronograph honors Le Mans

Tag Heuer has just unveiled the revved up Tag Heuer Monaco Twenty Four Chronograph to honor the 24 hours of Le Mans. To place the watch in perspective one must know the race. Le Mans is the worlds oldest sports car race in endurance racing. The race has been held annually since 1923, close to the town of Le Mans, Sarthe, France hence the name. The race is known as the Gran Prix of Endurance and is organized by the Automobile Club de l'Quest (ACO). The race is run on a circuit of closed public roads. It is a race to test the agility of the drive, the resilience of the car and the endurance of the highest degree for 24 hours.
Tag Heuer is celebrating the Monaco watches 40th birthday with the release of this watch.

Two stripes, one blue and the other orange mark the watch with the color of Gulf Oil. The watch is based on the first square shaped Monaco ,Steve McQueen wore in the 1970 classic hit movie Le Mans. The square chronograph was unveiled the year earlier in 1969. Tag Heuer has released four new Monaco watches. One of the four is the concept watch: Monaco 24.
Inspired by the thrilling adrenaline pumping heart stopping Le Mans race, the Monaco 24 has a few cool features to pride itself. The entire watch is encased in super resilient PVD and is suspended in in an "energy manifold" steel tube housing, similar to the protective cockpit cage of a race car driver. In addition the movement of the watch is insulated with shock absorbing "composite filter" material used in aerospace and racing engineering. The shock absorption ability id incredible, The Advanced Absorption System (ADAS) can protect the watch in case of an impact of 24,000 G equivalent to a 20 meter fall.
The movement is Tag Heuer company Calibre 36 Moving (36,000 beats per hour). The movement is visible via a see-through Sapphire crystal case back. The Monaco 24 is also the first timepiece to utilize a centrifugal system. Three arrows on the annular oscillating weight display its working rotation visible via the case back.
The other three Monaco timepieces unveiled by Tag Heuer in 2009 include the Tag Heuer Monaco Calibre 12, Tag Heuer Gulf and the Tag Heuer 1969 Original Re-Edition.

On the throne at BaselWorld 2009 Hublot Gold King Power

Hublot's latest innovation the Hublot Gold King Power. The watch is named after a new alloy ,"King Gold", developed especially for Hublot and used for the first time in the " Hublot King Gold" Collection. This gold alloy is redder and more resilient with a brilliant intensity. The Case is 48 mm in diameter and is crafted from the new alloy. The Bezel is a striking mix of "King Gold" and black rubber moulding accentuated with 6 black PVD coated titanium raised H shaped screws. The Bezel Lug and lateral inserts are comprised of black composite resin whereas the crown and push-pieces are crafted in "King Gold" and rubber inserts.
The dial is an intricate model of matt black and gold plated microblasted counters and flange; applique gold plated markers and black SuperLuminova transfers. The hour and minute hands are gold-plated. The split second hand is gold plated and black nickel with black SuperLuminova.
The automatic Hublot King Power HUB 4144 calibre is a split second foudroyante which is a chronograph that has a hand that makes one rotation every second, pausing four, five, even eight times to indicate quarters, fifths or eighths of a second. This exceptional movement was developed with La Joux-Perret.
Other features within the movement:
Bridges: Polished, satin-finish with chamfered edges
Screws: Black PVD
Oscillating weight: Tungsten carbide with dimpled surface coated with black PVD
Bottom plate: Sand-blasted; rhodium-plated
Barrel: With reinforced spring
Escapement: Glucydur balance spring
Power reserve: 42 hours

The strap is adjustable jointed black rubber with a "King Gold" and steel gold PVD deployment clasp.
The Hublot King Power is cutting edge and powerful limited to just 500 pieces numbered from 1/500 to 500/500.

Piaget Newest Treasure

The Piaget Emperador Coussin Regulator watch absolutely reeks of sophistication and royalty. Its destiny is most certainly to be worn on the hands of kings and emporers. If you are just starting your voyage into the wonderful world of watches, you may notice this exquisite timepiece is quite different. The large dial has only one hand and displays the minutes, and the sub dial ,situated in the lower portion of the watch, displays the hours. A pie shaped retrograde dial displays the seconds. The difference lies in the fact that this watch is a regulator. In the past a Regulator was a very accurate long case clock, also known as a parent clock, used by watchmakers and observatories to set their watch to time. The regulator was traditionally void of any other complications thereby increasing precision and eliminating confounding factors. The separate hour and minute hands are non-coaxial.
The retrograde seconds counter will count 30 seconds and then swing back and start over. This characteristic adds movement to the watch.
The Paiget Emperador Coussin Regulator encloses its in-house made Calibre 835P hand-wound mechanical movement within a 42.5mm wide 18K rose or white gold case. The movement is a slender 3.92mm and has a power reserve of 65 hours. The dial looks like a velvet cushion on a Victorian chair, available in either royal blue or charcoal gray. The cushion shaped Emperador case is an excellent choice for the housing of the Regulator watch. There is no limit on the production of the Regulators; however, each watch is engraved with the serial number and year of manufacture.

BaselWorld 2009 is open today.

The wait is finally over. Basel world 2009 is open today in Switzerland. Basel world is the largest the largest annual fare for the watch industry. 2087 exhibitors are displaying their latest and innovative collections. Months of intense planning and painstaking preparation has finally come to an end, and the day of unveiling is at hand.


Omega is unveiling its new Omega Planet Ocean Jewelry with brand ambassador Nicole Kidman.


Corum is unveiling a new titanium addition to its Golden Bridge Collection limited edition of 188 pieces.


Rado unveils a True Chronograph Platinum Matt watch. The ceramic case is the hue of platinum with a matt look, a result of a sophisticated coating technique. The ceramic absorbs the light and gets deep grey-brown shades.


Eterna Contessa watches is another awesome collection. A collection exuding elegance and beauty.

These are just a few of the new timepieces on display at Baselworld today. The show runs for the next 7 days with companies from 45 different countries. Over 100,000 are expected to visit the show as well as almost 3000 journalists from 70 different countries. Wholesalers, retailers and watch enthusiasts are drawn to the show to network and make valuable business connections. Spanning 160,000 square miles of exhibition area, this watch and jewelry exhibition is a massive event. This is a chance to meet the CEO's of companies in person, to discuss the latest trends in watch manufacturing and fashion. In the struggling economic backdrop, Basel world is crucial to boost the global economy and elevate hopes for the the horological industry.

Its a bird! Its a plane! No its Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon Watch.

Phew, my imagination is reaching beyond the limits of the outer galactic disk from planetary nebulae. Some Sci Fi mind is definitely at work behind the curtains of Concord. The uncanny resemblance to a space ship is remarkable, and the wait to see this "out-of-this-world" timepiece is just a couple of days away. The Concord C1 QuantumGravity Tourbillon will be unveiled

in BaselWorld from March 26th- April 2, 2009. The exact docking location will be in Hall 1.0/D03. Please excuse any Sci Fi references that filter through, I cannot seem to help myself.

The remarkable sand blasted skeletonized Gravity dial drew inspiration from space exploration. The titanium case is
48.5 mm in diameter and a almost canyon like 22mm in depth. Potentially this watch could turn to be quite bulky to wear, but this is avoided by the highly flexible rubber strap and the super lightweight metals, titanium and aluminum.


The first thing one notices about this manually wound Concord C104 movement is the "green stuff" in a cylinder. It almost looks like a wacky scientist experiment that could explode at a moments notice. In actual fact this liquid is the three day power reserve, a far cry from the traditional dial. Nothing boring or traditional about this baby. The cylinder operates on a pressure system whereby the green-stuff (actually photo-luminescent green liquid) rises and falls in proportion to the amount of power left in the main spring.

As depicted in the image adjacent to this text, a "Quantum Tourbillon" is visible, suspended via cables and attached to a bridge. The bi-axial motion is visible through the dial so that one may perceive the horizontal and vertical movement of the Tourbillon. A Tourbillon was initially invented in 1795 by French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet,to reduce the effect gravity has on a pocket watch. I have a feeling the Tourbillon in this watch is to increase its out of this world experience.
In order to enjoy all the superb complication, the Concord C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon has no less than 5 separate Sapphire Crystals, so that nothing misses the eye.

Other unique features are scattered throughout the watch like the seconds hand which is placed vertically on the side of the watch. The crown is hidden probably at the 2 'o'clock position, but it is on to BaselWorld where the hidden crown shall be revieled. Now the great aspect about this watch is the decision by the watchmakers to make the dial, traditional and simple. If the dial would have been complicated mechanisms like the Urwerks (which I truly love), it would have been too much.
Built from 511 parts and countless of hours in research, development and crafting, this watch is a fascinating plethora of unique components as well as exuding a distinct Sci Fi feel which will attract many watch enthusiasts who relish in high tech luxury mechanical timepieces .

Another luxury watch company goes mobile!

Ulysse Nardin has partnered with SCI Innovations to create a smart phone. We only have a glimpse of this creation as the full extent of its glory will be unveiled at Basel World 2009. What we have uncovered is that the phone, dubbed "The Chairman" is not only smart, but green. "The Chairman" utilizes environmentally- friendly kinetic technology inspired by the winding mechanism of an automatic mechanical watch. I am not sure how this will work as the phone is not strapped to ones wrist, but the mechanics I am sure are fascinating. The phone will be able to operate on any of the global communications networks. The aesthetics of the phone is as intriguing as the inner workings, the partial view in the above image only wets our appetite for more. The phone has an exhibition window in which the guilloche engraved energy-driven kinetic rotor is revealed.

The Ulysse Nardin Smart Phone is a limited edition of 1846 smart phones, the date where ...

In 1846, a young boy of 23 years old settled in Le Locle to create his own chronometers. His name - Ulysse Nardin, and he was a technical genius. He had a wealth of experience too as he had worked under the intense guidance of Federic-William Dubois, a renowned specialist in the manufacturing of marine chronometers and astronomic watches. Although, Ulysse Nardin worked on his marine chronometers 1000 miles above sea level, his heart was at sea...

Tag Heuer has also delved into the phone market with its Meridiist phone and the official launch of its website dedicated to the Meridiist. The seven phone models are introduced to the public, displaying all the phones features and components.

Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewerly Company

This Ralph Lauren watch with the gold stirrup shaped bezel is causing quite a stir among watch enthusiasts. They are eagerly anticipating the arrival of this watch in May 2009. The watches were first unveiled at SIHH in January 2009. This watch is part of a new watch collection carrying the iconic brand name of Ralph Lauren.
This watch is the offspring of a brand new company "Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewerly Company", formed in September 2008, and based in Geneva Switzerland. This company is the partnership between two leading companies, Polo Ralph Lauren and Richemont Group. This new company will design, develop, manufacture and distribute luxury watches and fine jewelry. For both companies this venture is a first. This is Richemont's first such venture with a luxury fashion designer and its Polo Ralph Lauren first venture into the luxury watch and jewelry business.
Ralph Lauren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation said, “I have waited a long time to create and introduce timepieces that I feel exemplify the ultimate in luxury and quality. Richemont shares that understanding and has the global reputation and experience to fulfill these shared goals. I have the highest confidence that this unique partnership will be tremendously successful and an important part of our global luxury accessories strategy.”
Johann Rupert, Executive Chairman of Richemont, said, “I have long admired Ralph Lauren. His impeccable taste, style and attention to detail are unique. These factors, combined with Richemont’s expertise in jewelry and watches has led to a fascinating business venture. Jointly, we aim to create a new luxury business, which I am confident will develop into a world leader. This is an exciting partnership and I am very happy to work with Ralph Lauren on this project. I am very enthusiastic about the timepieces we will be unveiling at SIHH 2009.”
Many people people are speculative about forming a new luxury company in times of economic uncertainty, but the overwhelming enthusiasm to the new watch collection displays positive signs for the future of the "Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Company". It is pleasing to see growth and creativity.
Richemont owns a portfolio of leading international brands. Each brand is managed independently of one another, thus maintaining the unique quality and creativity. Richemont has five distinct areas of operation:
1)High end Jewelry Companies (which also sell watches): Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels.
2)High end watchmakers: Jaeger LeCoultre, Piaget, IWC, Baume & Mercier, Vacheron Constantin, Panerai, A Lange & Sohne & Roger Dubois.
3)High end writing instruments: Montblanc and Montegrappa
4)High end leather and accessories: Alfred Dunhill and Lancel
5)Other businesses: Chloe and 19.5% interest in British American Tobacco.