So where are the multitudes of watch collectors of the future really coming from? While the US has a good number of watch collectors and connoisseurs, as does Europe, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, indications are that now China is the new frontier. This is a burgeoning market with a huge population, staggering wealth…
NEWS
Time is being recalibrated for women, but maybe not fast enough. If you see a savvy woman wearing a complicated watch, most likely – up until recently – it is a man’s watch. Except for jewelry brands like Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, the designer brands like Chanel, Hermes and Fendi, or fashion-oriented brands, most…
Time Capsules: News – Omega Launches Ladymatic
Picture the mid 1950’s – a time of what some called the Easy Life … While there were fears of atomic bombs and the start of segregation in America, it was also a time of growth and movement. Playboy (photo of original Ladymatic, 1955)magazine was invented in the 1950s, and the Boeing made its first…
A Moment in Time: Actress Nicole Kidman, Omega Ambassadress
Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman, an OMEGA brand ambassador since 2004, is the face (and wrist) behind the newly launched Ladymatic line of sophisticated mechanical watches just unveiled in Beijing last week. The world premiere, an event exclusive to just a handful of journalists including myself, featured Kidman walking the runway bedecked with a Lanvin…
A Moment in Time: Renaud & Papi’s Giulio Papi
It was in the quartz rage era – the crisis of the mechanical watch – that the young Giulio Papi announced to his father that he wanted to be a watchmaker. The year was 1980, and Giulio Papi was 15. He apprenticed in a class of one-on-one – and got the education of a lifetime.…
Moment in Time: IWC’s Mario Klein
Mario Klein, senior product manager, IWC Schaffhausen The year 2010 is the year of the IWC Portuguese watch. While IWC Schaffhausen has been building timepieces of distinction since its inception in 1868 – the Portuguese is a watch of truly generous scope. This year the brand unveils its biggest launch of Portuguese watches ever with…
A Moment in Time: SPYKER’s Thierry Chaunu
It was just a couple of months ago at the Concourse de’ Elegance in Pebble Beach, CA, that Spyker Timepieces made their official US debut – zooming onto the scene next to the Dutch-made Spyker cars that were reintroduced to the world just 10 years ago after a 75-year blip. While it was visionary…
Around the World: Geneva’s Gem, Patek Philippe’s Museum
A rich recollection of time right in the heart of Geneva, The Patek Philippe Museum is a watch lover’s delight and an absolute “MUST’ stop on any collector’s itinerary in this lovely city. I had three hours there and it was not enough! One must go and be prepared to spend a lot of time…
Around the World: A Look Inside Audemars Piguet, Le Brassus
Internationally renowned for its legendary status as a creator of some of the most complex timepieces in the world, Audemars Piguet owns its own factories in Le Brassus, Switzerland, and is the predominant owner of the famous Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi factory. As such, the brand is always moving forward with new technologies and…
Around the World: Sailing with IWC Sailing and the Portuguese
Recently, when I was traveling with IWC to Portugal for the unveiling of the newest Portuguese watches – the IWC Portuguese Yacht Watch and the IWC Tribute to Portugal – I had a very distinct pleasure that no other journalist can claim. Spending a day aboard a grand sailboat – I realized several things: a) …
Around the World: Audemars Piguet’s Hydroptere Sponsorship
I had the extreme pleasure recently of joining Audemars Piguet in St. Tropez – to go sailing with the brand on its newest venture – L’Hydropte’re. Those of us who know Audemars Piguet know this cutting-edge luxury brand has always been on the fast track. This is especially true with its involvement with new materials,…