Any introduction to wristwatches is incomplete without mentioning the Rolex. The century old watch brand has near cult icon status (or is a status icon as most would argue) with it’s signature look which, despite its inaccessibility, is as familiar down the street as it is at a posh reception.
Replicas populate street corners, and one is more likely to wear one of them than the genuine article. But rather than just wear a copy and play pretend, you could always choose to pay tribute instead by getting one of these:
The Moschino Rolex Band, for example, celebrates the excess of bling by making a wristband of Rolex cases while the Internal Rolex does the opposite by encasing a Rolex replica in leather, thus making it non-functional as a timepiece. The hidden watch is meant to transcend typical associations of wealth by silencing the “bling” and isolating the emerging form.
What do you do if your father is the co-founder of the famous Franck Muller brand? Do you follow in his footsteps or do you forge your own path?
Sassoun Sirmakes does both. Only twenty one years old, Sassoun has created his own brand – the Custos. A more high-tech, contemporary watch than his father’s. Retail Price: $7500.
SPARC rx is Ventura’s latest product offering – a watch with an automatic rotating bezel.
When it comes to digital watches, few luxury watchmakers have been as successful as Ventura, the rare brand that has built most of its future on luxury digital watches.
With several design awards under the belt, Ventura’s watches are all about attention to detail, for example, their watches are either created with Titanox, a hardened, scratch-resistant titanium or Durinox, a steel with the same hardening applied. In addition to that, the digital Type is customized and each new watch face involves working the world-famous typographer, Adrian Frutiger.
Prices range from $690 to $4400.
Miss V – I simply love the combination of the dress watch look with the digital aesthetic, especially in the model on the left, the one with the gold plating.
If Home Depot sold watches, these would be it – Stanley has launched a line of wristwatches with built in tools. So whether you’ve always wanted to carry a measuring tape or a screwdriver in your pocket, now you can with these handy gizmos.
Each year, for the last five years, an international jury of watch experts from all walks of the industry gather together and select the year’s best in 10 categories from a short-listed collection of timepieces by the world’s most prestigious watchmakers.
Prix de ‘L’Aiguille d’Or’ (Winner) : Vacheron Constantin, Tour de l’lle
This year, Vacheron Constantin took top prize for their Tour de l’lle which sold for a record $1.5 million in an auction this year. This was the most ever paid for a wristwatch.
&Design, a Japanese design quartet, donned their hoods and raided digital iconography for their two concept watches – Icon and LED. The watches are part of the group’s new design theme – “Characterized Design” that was recently exhibited at 100% Design in Tokyo. The idea behind the theme is to restructure qualities of objects in detail until there is no border between the graphic and the product. No word yet about whether these watches will be produced.
Watchmarker Richard Mille has collaborated with designer Philippe Starck for it’s new watch. Based upon the automatic movement of the RM 005-1 and using the same trademark Richard Mille titanium screw case construction seen in the collection, the watch contains a number of technical innovations that apply cutting-edge materials in combination with a finish reserved only for haute horlogerie. The estimated price is between 90,000 EUR – 120,000 EUR
Richard Mille, Starck, The Richard Mille by Philippe Starck, Automatic Caliber RM 005-1. Unique Model 1/1.
Estimated Value : 90,000 EUR – 120,000 EUR Price Sold: 285,000 EUR
34 of the world’s celebrated watchmakers produced 34 original first edition watches for a charity auction at the Monte Carlo Yacht Show. Called the “Only Watch 2005″, the auction raised € 1,907,000 for medical research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrohy, a genetic illness which affects 1 in every 3,500 children each year.
The most noteworthy watch on auction was Richard Mille’s collaboration with Philippe Starck (RM 005-1) which sold for 285,000 EUR, despite it’s estimate at 120,000 EUR. This marked Starck’s first foray into the haute horlogerie category.
