Swiss luxury watch brand Hautlence has announced a new agreement under which New York-based Totally Worth It will distribute Hautlence timepieces in the U.S.A. and Canada. Launched in 2004 and based in Neuchâtel, Hautlence produces innovative and imaginative timepieces in small numbers. Totally Worth It distributes several niche brands in North America.

Alexis Sarkissian, founder and chief executive officer of Totally Worth It, said in a media release: “Rarely opportunities arise to represent exceptional brands such as Hautlence and for experienced professionals to distinguish themselves and grow while providing personalized service to the trade and the most demanding collectors.”

Sarkissian is a former former president of Roger Dubuis with twenty years of watch industry experience. His goal is to represent “the best brands that will create passion and reaction from retailers, consumers and press.”

Hautlence – the name is an anagram for Neuchatel – was born out of the founders’ frustration with what they saw as a lack of original thinking in watchmaking. Like MB&F, Hautlence openly and proudly works with a select group of about 50 outside collaborators, known as “the College.” You can learn more about the brand at its official website: www.hautlence.com.

The Hautlence HL08. Technical information appears below the image.

TECHNICAL DATA

Movement
Hand-wound, manufacture-made HL08 caliber with jumping hours and retrograde minutes, 24 jewels, 21,600 vph, Côtes de Genève, hand-chamfered bridges, individually numbered and engraved with 3N varnish, 40-hour power reserve

Functions
Jumping hours, retrograde minute and small seconds

Case
Polished 18K white gold, 43.5 x 37 mm
Sapphire crystal with chamfered corners
Engraved sapphire crystal
Water-resistant to 30 m

Dial
Black opaline
Intermediary plate with skeleton segments divided into separate 10-minutes zones, hour and seconds frames
Jumping-hour disc in tinted semi-opaque mineral glass
Black small seconds disc

Bracelet/Strap
Hand-sewn Louisiana alligator with 18K white gold buckle

Other versions
HLc03: Round case with jumping-hour and retrograde-minute functions, dial can be personalized, 41mm

Limited Edition of 88 pieces.

Each year luxury Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre releases a few so called "jewelry watches." These rare creations for both men and woman are experiments in (often) excess, and design. This is where to look if you prefer your watches diamond covered, but also where you'll find some beautiful artistic creations. For 2010 one of the haute jewelry watch from Jaeger-LeCoutlre is the Master Tourbillon Wild. In an 18k rose (also in white) gold case, the piece is really quite stunning. Decorated with diamonds on the bezel and the lower edges of the case and bezel, it fees like a building outlined with lights. The art deco style motif on the dial feels like an abstract cityscape to me. The buildings emanating from the tourbillon in the center. More diamonds decorate the ring around the tourbillon aperture, in addition to other places on the dial. Inside the piece is a in-house made Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 978 automatic tourbillon movement. Likely sized for ladies, this is a rare and beautiful creation.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Tourbillon Wild, Art Deco Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JaegerLecoultre - Watch - Tourbillon - Switzerland - Watches

Automotive-themed timepieces have been well received in the world of horology. We have earlier told you about the Bugatti Galibier GT concept watch designed by French designer Fabien Cacheux, featuring a tachometer that indicates the hours. The Silver Arrow Concept watch is the latest from the designer, which draws its inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS. The concept incorporates a whirl, a power reserve, and a tachometer needle’s three star-shaped reflecting the emblem of the brand. The case is mounted on a machined titanium neoprene bracelet that opens and closes like the butterfly doors of the Mercedes.

But, that’s not it - the two buttons (Open/Close) surrounding the ring opens, and close the car remotely much like the Aston Martin AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watch.

Via: Luxury Issues/Fabien Cacheux

Automotive-themed timepieces have been well received in the world of horology. We have earlier told you about the Bugatti Galibier GT concept watch designed by French designer Fabien Cacheux, featuring a tachometer that indicates the hours. The Silver Arrow Concept watch is the latest from the designer, which draws its inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz AMG SLS. The concept incorporates a whirl, a power reserve, and a tachometer needle’s three star-shaped reflecting the emblem of the brand. The case is mounted on a machined titanium neoprene bracelet that opens and closes like the butterfly doors of the Mercedes.

But, that’s not it - the two buttons (Open/Close) surrounding the ring opens, and close the car remotely much like the Aston Martin AMVOX2 DBS Transponder watch.

Via: Luxury Issues/Fabien Cacheux

With the exquisite offerings from the Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time collection, telling time will become a fun filled activity. The collection features two of the most unique and stylish timepieces ever: Tambour Spin Time GMT and the Tambour Spin Time Joaillerie. The Tambour Spin time GMT is a chic accessory for men in white gold. Boasting of a leather strap and self winding movement, this timepiece is sure to add style to your look. And as its name suggests, the fun angle is brought about by the rotation of the stems that display the hours. Powered by the caliber LV 119 this innovative timepiece displays the jumping hours in a unique new way. The simultaneous rotation of two of the twelve visible staffs (current hour/next hour) enables this unique display of time. At the end of each staff is a cube alternately showing a numbered or neutral side, the latter being engraved with the famous and historical Louis Vuitton “V”. The creative mechanism gives this watch a unique appeal. The timepiece also features GMT, a date window at 4.30 and the LeVel Up system. The yellow GMT hours hand also function to display a second time zone. The Tambour Spin Time Joaillerie is a delicate timepiece in 18 ct white gold for women. Driven by the self winding calibre LV 96, this timepiece doubles up as a jewel courtesy the shimmering diamonds incorporated in its design. The timepiece displays the hours in diamonds and the minutes with a hand designed to resemble a pen nib. The dial is either set with black and white diamonds or finished in a deep black lacquer. The timepiece comes with a white alligator strap for everyday use, or a black lizard skin dress version. Both stunning creations, they are definitely the most stylish timepieces I have come across in a long time. [WatchProsite]

To celebrate its continuing relationship with Austin Healey Owner Clubs around the world, Frédérique Constant introduces two new limited edition boxed sets. Each set includes a Healey Chrono-Automatic wristwatch, combined with a unique mechanical, handmade Stoptimer. The Healey Chrono-Automatic wristwatch is available in two finishes: elegant rose gold plate with chocolate dial and leather strap, and sporty stainless steel with silver dial and brown leather strap.

Frédérique Constant has been the annual Official Timing Partner of Healey events around the globe since 2004, including the Second European Healey Meeting in St. Moritz, the Healey Le Mans Challenge, the Healey Challenge Heidelberg, and the 34th International Austin Healey Challenge 2009, organized by the Austin Healey Clubs of America and Canada.

This edition is limited to 1,888 sets in each finish. The Healey Chrono-Automatic measures 43mm in diameter, and it looks much richer than its price might suggest. The steel set lists for $2895, while set with the the rose-gold plate Healey Chrono-Automatic wristwatch retails for $2995.

You may click the images to view larger versions.

If you want to buy yourself a Hublot watch but think it's too big for your wrist, then why not test it before rejecting it outright? At the Baselworld 2010, the watchmakers débuted their revolutionary “WatchTester” which was duly used 38,000 times. Crafted by artisan metalworker Xavier Dietlin, people simply need to slide their arm into the showcase and to try out the models without wearing them. You can check out four different sizes to pick from. Source

Executive terminations in the USA aren't usually very newsworthy - nor in Europe for that matter. But in Japan where the historic sentiment was "job for life," the outing of a CEO by the board is a big deal. Especially when the termination wasn't even disguised as "resignation." 72 year old former top executive of Seiko Koichi Murano (not the man in the picture here) was removed by the board recently for flat out doing a bad job. From the outside it is almost impossible to determine exactly what Mr. Murano did improperly (for likely a long period of time), but it was enough for his dismissal to be referred to as being due to "dogmatic, and tendentious" management of the company. For a Japanese brand to remove someone for being inflexible and likely highly bureaucratic is saying a lot. I actually am proud of Seiko's move. When something doesn't work properly you fix it. Seiko made no cover-up of its management musical chairs, and I think the move speaks positively of them from a public relations perspective and for brand confidence.

While I didn't meet Mr. Murano during my visit to Seiko, I did meet his replacement, 52 year old Shinji Hattori (the man in the picture). A high-level executive Seiko himself, Mr. Hattori will now oversee that entire (complex) entity that is Seiko. Seiko lost money last year - likely due to the highly depressed watch industry, but remains one of the top watch makers in the world. Comparatively speaking, they didn't lose that much money though. Mr. Hattori will be responsible for modernizing Seiko a bit in terms of marketing, sales, and distribution, I am sure. I can't say much else about him, but at least he isn't a "dogmatic manager." A year from now we will see how things work out for the major Japanese company.

Via Financial Times.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Seiko Fires CEO In Rare Japanese Corporate Move originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 04 May 2010 07:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seiko - Japan - United States - Financial Times - Watches

Montblanc presents the chronograph in its seminal form and makes it state of the art with a silicon escapement. Nicolas Rieussec registered the world’s first chronograph for a patent on in 1822. That first “timewriter” is reflected here with disks that turn beneath motionless hands, as the chronograph’s inventor intended. Rieussec sought the ultimate in accuracy and reliability, and this limited edition is true to that history with a movement in which the lever and escape wheel are fashioned from silicon.

This piece will please those who love history as well as those who want the latest in technical innovation. Like microprocessors for computers, certain movement components can be etched from paper-thin silicon wafers. The DRIE (Deep Reactive Ion Etching) method combined with silicon’s inherent properties offer optimal conditions for manufacturing tiny movement components. Silicon is 60% harder and 70% lighter than steel, highly resistant to corrosion and entirely nonmagnetic. When silicon is processed by the DRIE method, the resulting surfaces need no further processing because they’re already absolutely smooth and scratch resistant. These attributes significantly improve a watch’s rate and long-term reliability. The lever and escape-wheel must be alternately accelerated and halted 28,800 times each hour. This makes it clear how important it is to reduce the masses of these components. In a watch with lever and escape wheel made of steel, the escapement alone absorbs more than 60% of the energy. Reducing the mass by 70% means that the escapement requires significantly less energy, so more power is available to maintain the stability of the balance’s amplitude and to lengthen the power reserve. And silicon’s inherent hardness reduces wear and improves long-term reliability.

This hand-wound movement indicates the hours and the minutes, displays the current date via a rotating disc and a motionless hand, and indicates the chronograph’s functions on a counter for 60 elapsed seconds at the 7 o’clock position and a counter for 30 elapsed minutes at 4 o’clock. The chronograph is operated by pressing a pusher in the flank of the case at the “8”: this button acts via a column wheel to trigger the start, stop and return-to-zero functions. The nearly wear-free vertical coupling allows the chronograph to remain permanently switched on, if desired. The remaining power reserve is displayed on the back side of the watch, where it can be viewed through the sapphire crystal.

The 43mm case is 18K red gold. The knurled red-gold crown bears the Montblanc emblem. Montblanc’s first wristwatch with silicon components will be available in October in a strictly limited series of 25 individually numbered pieces. The European MSRP is 28,000 euros.

Dutch sportscar-maker Spyker, having recently completed the takeover of Swedish automaker Saab from General Motors, is gearing up to launch their own watch line. The collection will be officially launched at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this coming June, but a few details have already been released.

Geneva-based timesmiths Expressions d'Artistes International will be crafting the collection, which will feature examples encased in steel (starting at €8,000) and rose or white gold (at around €20,000). Chronographs, power reserve meters and date indicators will be included amongst the complications featured, while the design will borrow trademark Spyker styling elements from the machine-turned metal finish from the cars' dashboards to the Hulshof leather featured on the bucket seats and wrist straps. An additional range of special editions will be offered to existing Spyker owners, featuring their cars' Vehicle Identification Numbers.

Filed under: Timepieces, Wheels

Spyker Watch Collection by Expressions d'Artistes International originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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