The minute repeater, the Mount Everest of watchmaking
Written by admin on January 31, 2010 – 6:51 pm -Jack Forster ForbesLife Magazine In some quarters of the Russian Orthodox Church, church bells are still believed to have almost supernatural powers. Traditionalists contend that they can keep demons at bay, for instance, by sanctifying the area in which they are audible. For this reason, bells are still christened with holy water and anointed with holy oil. Timepiece connoisseurs feel a like reverence for the minute repeater and sonnerie, watches that chime the time on tiny gongs fitted inside the case. Of all complicated watches, they are the most challenging to make. In fact, chiming watches defy horological history, which in broad strokes is a story of decreasing manual labor and increasing automation. Today mechanical watches can be made... more
Tags: audemars piquet, IWC watches, patek philippe
Posted in Audemars Piquet, IWC, Men's Watches, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Vintage Wristwatches, Wristwatches | No Comments »
Vintage Watches: A Timeless Investment Choice
Written by admin on October 29, 2009 – 5:00 pm -By: Carolin Schober, CNBC Correspondent As investors continue to ponder whether the recovery in markets is sustainable, some may find that this is the time to put their money in an asset class that lasts. The downturn has hit the luxury watch market hard. Luxury watch exports from Switzerland, where many of the premium brands are manufactured, have seen a decline of 25 percent over the past 9 months and the slump in demand was especially severe for watches made of precious metals. However, the picture for "retail" luxury watches seems to bear little resemblance with the "collectible" luxury watch markets for brands such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger Le Coultre or Vacheron Constantin. Sales of luxury collectible watches have been more resilient... more
Tags: audemars piquet, breitling watches, Omega, omega chronograph, Omega Speedmaster, patek philippe, swiss watch, swiss watches
Posted in Audemars Piquet, Bedat & Co, Breguet, Breitling, Bulgari, Bulova, Cartier, Girard Perregaux, IWC, Ladies Watches, Longines, Men's Watches, Omega, Patek Philippe, Pocket Watches, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Vintage Pocket Watches, Vintage Wristwatches, Wristwatches | No Comments »
Vacheron Constantin Kallania awarded best High Jewelery watch in Vogue Jewels Awards 2009
Written by admin on October 7, 2009 – 8:48 pm -At the Vogue Jewels Awards 2009 in Madrid Spain, the exceptional haute joaillerie ladies timepiece "Kallania" from Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin claimed the prize in the Best Jewellery Watch category. The Kallania, debuted by Vacheron Constantin at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) exhibition in January of this year, is already considered a spiritual successor of the venerable brand's mythic Kallista diamond watch--a unique creation of the gem-setters art introduced thirty years ago which quickly established itself as the world's most expensive wristwatch. The cuff-styled Vacheron Constantin Kallania, crafted entirely from 18-karat white gold displays a glorious canvas of 186 bead-set emerald cut diamonds across... more
Tags: swiss made, swiss watch, swiss watches
Posted in Ladies Watches, Vacheron Constantin, Wristwatches | No Comments »
