Omega, the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games, is auctioning off a one-of-a-kind limited edition watch set in a bespoke black walnut trunk (above) that's expected to fetch up to $1.5 million. Known as the Unique No. 8 Collection and based on the Chinese concept of "lucky number 8", the rare and unique item is being offered at Sotheby's in Hong Kong today, with proceeds going to The Chinese Athletes Educational Foundation (CAEF).
The set is comprised of the eighth numbered piece of each of the 32 Limited Edition wristwatches in the Omega Beijing Olympic Collection, plus three Olympic Split Seconds Chronograph 1932 pocket watches, also numbered 008 in their limited editions of 100 pieces. The watches, including a set of split seconds open-faced chronographs in 18k yellow, white and red gold, are presented in a striking black walnut pagoda-style eight-drawer tower with intricate carving and a lacquered finish, paying homage to traditional Chinese architecture. Truly the ultimate Olympic collector's item.
Alpina, the Geneva-based high precision sports watchmaker whose history dates back to 1883, has just introduced their very first underwater timepiece. The Alpina Extreme Diver 1000 Meters (above) employs similar technology and aesthetics as their line of mountain climbing watches such as the Avalanche Extreme Regulator, made for conquering the heights of the Swiss Alps. It's heritage however goes back much father.
From pocket watches, early wristwatches and timepieces commissioned for military use, Alpina, whose enthusiasts were known as "Alpinists," evolved its first sports watch, the steel Blockuhr, in 1933. This early model became the Alpina 4 in 1938. The "4" stood for the four major qualities of an Alpina sports watch: 1. Anti-magnetic, 2. Waterproof, 3. Anti-shock, and 4. Stainless steel. The sports watches were a tremendous success, and at its height in 1958 the company exhibited 1000 different models.
A few months back The Classicist wrote about the illustrious history of Officine Panerai, the watchmaker founded in Florence in 1860 and former supplier to the Royal Italian Navy. That history lives on in the form of Panerai's 1950 models, based on vintage designs but incorporating modern technological advancements. For the first time, Panerai is now offering one of the most elegant models, its Luminor 1950 Tourbillon GMT (above), in titanium, making it an extremely precious timepiece indeed. The watch features a six day power reserve; vertically rotating tourbillon; crystal window on the reverse revealing the movement; and an alligator strap with a titanium clasp. Only 150 of these watches are being produced at a price of $122,000.
Harrison Ford, a long time board member of Conservation International has partnered with Hamilton watches to create the Khaki Conservation watch. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the watch (4,000 units to be offered from mid-November to the end of December) will go to support Conservation International.
The Khaki Conservation is a 42mm stainless steel watch in Hamilton's Khaki series and has a Swiss automatic GMT movement which can be seen through its see-through case back. The watch's second time zone highlights locations of CI projects, from Colombia to Indonesia.The signature of Harrison Ford and the Conservation International logo are engraved on the caseback window. And no fancy watch box here, it comes in corrugated recycled cardboard packaging. The watch sells for $1,195.
The Alfex Happy Moments watch is for the sentimental women. The watch, which uses the 1019 quartz movement by Ronda, has an open calendar and a small star-shaped seconds counter. It has a stainless-steel case with a sapphire crystal and an integrated reflector highlighted with a real diamond. Using a crown located at 2 o'clock, the reflector can be turned and the diamond locked on the selected hour you want to remember or to the current time in your preferred city. No one will know what the setting is except for you. It comes with a white, black or chocolate-colored dial, with matching leather wrist band.
Former Antiquorum chairman Osvaldo Patrizzi has struck out on his own with a new auction house specializing in vintage watches. His first sale has been announced for November 18 at the Hotel Richemond in Geneva. He's starting out with some impressive pieces, the top one being the Breguet No. 2807 shown above. It is an 18-karat gold and enamel astronomical, equation-of-time pocket watch. The watch is one of an edition of three created by Breguet and is the earliest of the three and the only one known to still be in its original condition. Sold to General Yermoloff in 1817, it is expected to sell between $1,400,000 and $1,850,000. Also on the block will be several other rare Breguets, a Vacheron Constantin extra flat minute repeater and a Patek Philippe Ref. 1518.
One thing I've learned after spending time with serious watch collectors is that their obsession is only limited by their wallets or what their spouses might let them get away with. For serious Piaget aficionados there is the Piaget Collector's Trunk created by luxury trunk maker Pinel & Pinel. It is made of poplar wood covered with cowhide with palladium-electroplated brass with mirror-polished finish. It holds 51 watches and there is a movement integrated into the center window to wind automatic watches. It comes with a travel case that holds three watches. "Essential collector's tools" and a remote control to switch the lights inside on and off are also included. It is available in 20 different colors of leather for both the inside and the outside and can be personalized with an engraved plate. Custom trunks take three months to create.
Derek Jeter's collaboration with Movado has resulted in four new watches sporting Yankees-style pinstripe design. The fanciest model in the Special Edition Series 800 Chronograph Watches is the Limited Edition Movado Series 800 Derek Jeter Chronograph in 18K rose gold. It is a series of 10 pieces and has a 47mm case with sapphire crystals on both sides and an alligator strap. Jeter's name and team number decorate the edge of the caseback, and the 18K central winding mass has his number on it. It sells for $25,000.
There is also a version in black PVD-finished "Performance Steel" and 18K rose gold with a black strap in kevlar-reinforced "XtremeResin". It retails for $7,700. Two Special Edition Series 800 Derek Jeter Chronographs in Performance Steel have a matching steel bracelet, blue or black stripe-textured dials with silvered subdials, and battery-powered ETA quartz chronograph calibers. They sell for $1,700.
Movado will donate $100,000 to Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation, which works with kids to inspire them to avoid drugs and alcohol and "turn 2" education and a healthy lifestyle.
Movado has also done a similar series with Tom Brady and though I will always be a Boston girl (and a Boston sports fan) at heart, I have to admit Jeter's watches are more stylish.
Baume & Mercier has introduced three new beautiful William Baume watches in rose gold cases and gentlemanly gray guilloche dials with alligator straps. Each watch has a sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters.
The William Baume Tourbillon has a 43mm case and uses the manual-wind WB-T002 movement with Tourbillon complication at the 9 o'clock position. It is a limited edition of 10 pieces.
The William Baume Retrograde has a 41mm case and the movement is an automatic caliber LP3533 with big date and retrograde seconds complications. It is a limited edition of 178.
The William Baume Ultraflat measures 41mm x 5.8mm and the manual-wind movement, caliber T001 is just 2mm in height.
Actor Edward Norton is joining Charlize Theron as a face for Breil Milano. Norton will appear in the Breil Milano men's ad campaigns until 2010. WWD reports that he was photographed in Los Angeles by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, who also did Charlize's most recent Breil Milano ads. The ads will debut next month.
Nkiru is an Ibo word that means "looking ahead," and founder Steven Richardson follows that motto when thinking up his newest and latest limited edition timepieces. Unisex in appeal and forward in design, many of his designs have the inner workings of the watch not only clearly visible to the wearer but also bejeweled and presented in unexpected ways.
With the trend these days leaning towards watches for fashion rather than necessity these beauties are sure to find a lasting place in your wardrobe.
We first covered this Glam Rock Miami Beach Automatic timepiece last fall and now we're on to this pretty member of the Miami Collection -- the Python, in brown. Glam Rock gets an animalistic update from a multi-toned python strap, shown here in brown but also available in blue. Of course it features the expected "Glam Rock" logo in the face center and the buckle, plus luminescent black hands and diamond trim totaling 0.30 carats. This Miami Collection member is definitely one of the more neutral and versatile, without giving up any bling. $2,095
Vacheron Constantin has revealed the latest in their Explorer series of watches. The two new models celebrate Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus (previous models were devoted to the Chinese admiral Zheng Hé and Magellan). The enamelled dial is made of two parts that partially overlap. The top part features a map of the explorer's journeys and the bottom part shows twelve hour numerals traversing a 132° minute scale on the lower part of the dial. The case is 18K gold and measures 40mm and the movement is the automatic Vacheron in-house caliber 1126AT, with 36 jewels, beating at 28,800 bph and with a power reserve of 40 hours. There are 60 watches of each explorer.
The DeLaneau Amazone Jumping Hours watch devotes such a small amount of its dial to actually telling the time it hardly seems like a watch at all. The 42mm case is 18K rose gold and has 639 diamonds weighing 3.7 carats. The dial has 163 baguette diamonds totally just over 10 carats and the floating leafy flower design on top adds another 342 diamonds weighing 1 carat. It has a crystal is sapphire and it is water resistant to 30 meters though I can't imagine why you'd wear it anywhere near water. The movement is the automatic DeLaneau caliber DEL1608 with jumping hour complication and has 21 jewels and a power reserve of 54 hours.
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