Icelink, purveyor of six timezone rectangular diamond-heavy watches has found a rather interesting new ambassador, good old St. Nick. That's right, the brand has released a press releasing saying that they have "signed an exclusive deal with Santa Claus." They say that starting this year Santa Claus will fly back and forth across the skies of all the continents with the 6Timezone Santa Snow watch on his wrist. The 6Timezone Santa Snow replaces the diamonds of the Snow watch with rubies. We hope Santa is being well-paid for his promotional abilities and donating his proceeds to needy children.
In Geneva on Monday, Christie's is staging a stunning sale of Important Watches. Top of the timepiece heap is a fine, large and rare stainless steel chronograph by Patek Philippe made in 1941, one of Patek's rarest chronograph models, which could fetch up to $1 million. There are several extremely precious Patek Philippes in the sale, including an 18K gold dual crown world time wristwatch made for Tiffany & Co. in 1963, est. $500,000 - $760,000; and a large and rare 18K pink gold chronograph with a pink dial from 1941, est. $425,000 - $850,000.
Also included are several superlative Rolexes, including a very fine and rare stainless steel automatic triple calendar wristwatch with moon phases from 1953, est. $127,000 - $212,000; a stainless steel chronograph with pulsometre scale and a black dial from 1941 (above), est. $127,000 - $212,000; and an atimagnetic stainless steel triple calendar chronograph from 1960, est. $100,000 - $150,000. See the gallery for pix.
Ducati and Swiss watchmaker Binda have released two new timepieces stemming from their collaboration that my colleague Deidre Woollard first wrote about last summer.
Styling of the Ducati One (right) is strongly influenced by the iconic Italian-made motorcycles, with several design characteristics reflecting engine and construction details, down to the tire tread strap.
The name of the second model, Desmo, is derived from the Desmodromic control system featured in all Ducati motorcycles. The steel and titanium chronograph, influenced by racing bikes, is water-resistant.
Postage stamps have featured some of the best art and most beautiful designs over the years, and now your favorites can be yours to enjoy for longer than just the time it takes to send a letter. P.S. Collection by Arjang & Co. is now offering two new timepiece collections that are inspired by some of the most popular U.S. postage stamp designs: the Love series and the holiday series.
The watches range in price from $95-$135 and feature Japanese movement, soft sheepskin and nubuck straps, a space on the back for engraving, and every one is stamped with the official insignia of the United States Postal Service.
Browse the gallery below and tell us which one is your favorite!
Every luxury watch brand has knock-off versions, in varying degrees of quality and effort, but if you want a timepiece that can't be copied then the Quai de L'ile by Vacheron Constantin is for you. The Qaui de L'ile is named after the watchmaker's historic address in Geneva and has a laundry list of high-tech features that are said to make the watch "counterfeit-proof." Some of the most interesting are tiny words printed with special inks like those used to make money, laser engravings on the dial so small they can't be seen without a magnifying glass, and layers of invisible markings that only show up clearly under UV light (you can almost see one, a sun symbol, in the picture above between the 1 and the 2 on the dial).
The Vacheron Constantin Quai de L'ile was just launched last month and, depending on features, is priced between $29,000-$60,000.
You've probably heard of Curtis & Co. watches. They've been seen on everyone from 50 Cent to Paris Hilton, to Stuart Scott on ESPN. They list famous wearers here, on their "Awristocrats" page.
Their collections all start with the words "Big Time," and include Air (in blue with black casing at right), Ice, Hers, and Limited Edition pieces like a gorgeous rectangular watch celebrating the new golden age of Dubai.
Are these watches "Big Time?" Yes. Each watch has a beautifully crafted face, multiple first-rate functions, and there is an extensive selection of straps in different colors and textures. Curtis & Co. makes exquisite and stylish watches for gifts or to be seen wearing.
In celebration of their 100th anniversary Rolex is offering an updated and upgraded version of their original Day-Date timepiece called the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date II. Features include a bigger 41mm face (up from 38mm), a Super-President bracelet, Crownclasp, and your choice of 18 kt yellow gold, Everose gold, platinum, or (if you're really feeling spendy) a white gold version with 8 diamonds and 2 baguettes set into the dial.
The five versions of the Day-Date II all have their own individual personalities so choosing your favorite will be a little more complicated than just picking a favorite color. $20,000 and up.
Swiss watchmaker Frederique Constant is celebrating its longstanding sponsorship of events for enthusiasts of Austin-Healey sportscars with a new limited edition timepiece inspired by the classic British marque.
The Austin-Healey automatic watch (right) has a two-way winding system activated by movements of the wrist. The turning rotor is visible through the sapphire glass on the back of the watch, which comes on a hand-stitched leather racing strap. A high quality miniature Austin-Healey car in a luxurious wooden box will accompany each $1,795 timepiece.
"Our Healey sponsorship is a celebration of the appealing classical design and excellent engine performance of Austin Healey cars," says Frederique Constant Geneva CEO Peter Stas. "These are the same core values we emphasize at Frederique Constant."
A piece of a 2000 year-old lunar meteorite is part of the mechanism inside the one-of-a-kind Louis Moinet Magistralis watch. The 18K gold watch has a movement that includes complications such as the minute repeater, perpetual calendar and mono-pusher chronograph. A striking mechanism hammers out the hours, quarter-hours and minutes. The movement was created 100 years ago and beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour. Even the case is complex involving 90 pieces that include a pressure-controlled striking mechanism lever. The presentation box includes an original of Louis Moinet Traite d'Horlogerie, the second edition, dated 1856, a book on watchmaking techniques with illustrations of watch movements hand-drawn by Louis Moinet. The watch costs one million Swiss Francs (around $862,000).
For the last few years, watchmakers have been on a record pace, cranking out new complications and editions as fast as they could to catch the eyes of the watch-hungry public. Now one of them, Swiss watchmaker F.P.Journe is taking a breather. The company has announced they will not be holding their annual salon in its Manufacture in Geneva in 2009 as the company has decided not to launch any new watch creation. The company launched new watches in their elegant Souveraine line in 2007 and 2008 and François-Paul Journe has said he wishes to "concentrate his forces" on these watches. It's not known if this decision is related to the general downturn in luxury spending.
The Carousel Volant by Blancpain has become the first wristwatch displayed in the Forbidden City. The timepiece was first displayed in the Palace Museum in Beijing's Forbidden City during a unique donation ceremony. The Palace Museum has a Watch and Clock Hall that has a collection of over 1,000 mechanical timepieces from the 18th and 19th Century but this is the first modern timepiece in the collection.
The watch which is called the Blancpain Qiankun Carousel, is done in 18K gold and the half-worked opaline dial shows the Yin and Yang symbol.The 43.5 mm case has a special design on the back with the words "The Palace Museum" and "Piece Unique." Under the sapphire crystal you can see the oscillating weight which was specifically designed for this piece. The Carousel is similar to a tourbillon and completes a full rotation in 60 seconds. Close up pics of the watch front and back showing the intricate detail are in the gallery below.
Now that's a phone. The $2,000 Motorola Aura is here, and lookalikes are bound to follow.
The Aura has the world's first circular display with 16 million colors and a 300 dpi resolution. The lens isn't just scratch resistant, it's Grade 1 62-carat sapphire crystal. The casing is stainless steel, coated with PVD coating (like on a luxury watch), and it rotates open with the help of 130 precision ball bearings.
All the usual technologies (2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Open Source browser) are included in this sleek, attractive 47.60 x 96.87 x 18.55mm phone.
Blackberries are for assistants.
Just in time for the holidays, you can order one now to be shipped out December 4th.
New items from France have been added to Horchow's very exclusive Estate Collection.
For the uninitiated, The Estate Collection is a smattering of one-of-a-kind collectibles from all over the world. The beautiful item you see at right is an iron scale from France, circa 1900. It just sold for $850.
There are still more beautiful new French items available, including candlesticks, serving bowls, and more. See the gallery below for items still available at time of post, and be sure to snap up anything you like right away; you're not likely to find items from The Estate Collection ever again.
Gallery: French Antiques Available from Horchow's Estate Collection
Fine watches and exotic cars are a natural combination, both have a tendency to make the heart beat a little faster. DuPont Registry has combined the two with the duPont REGISTRY™ A Buyers Gallery of Fine Watches, which features 44 pages of more than $1,500,000 of watches back dropped by exotic vehicles. The photos include lots of what Publisher Thomas L. duPont calls "Mega Watches" those that measure 44-47mm for men and 37-40mm for women. While I've had some interesting conversations with a friend lately about the inflation of watch size, there is no denying that big watches allow room for lots of complications and large movements. They also command attention.
I'm generally not a fan of the IceLInk 6Timezone Snow (which sells for $290,000) shown above but I must admit it takes on a new charm draped across a red taillight. Two more pictures from the guide are in the gallery below.
Apparently not everyone is feeling the bite of the recession. A European mogul has commissioned luxury Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin to create a one-of-a-kind $6.5 million timepiece that will instantly become one of the world's most expensive watches. The design, which may take years to complete, will be many times more precious than Vacheron's Tour de l'Ile timepiece (above) created for the company's 250th anniversary in 2005. Only seven examples of the Tour de l'Ile timepiece, billed as the "world's most complicated double-faced watch", were made for an astounding $1.5 million apiece. A few more commissions of this sort and the luxury watch industry will have nothing to worry about.
You've probably heard of Curtis & Co. watches. They've been seen on everyone from 50 Cent to Paris Hilton, to Stuart Scott on ESPN. They list famous wearers 
Swiss watchmaker 
New items from France have been added to Horchow's very exclusive 
