SKORPYO LUXURY CLUB

It helps to have a sibling who cares enough to share. In the case of Chopard, its magnanimous kin comes in the form of Chopard L.U.C., the company’s younger division that prides itself on creating timepieces with technical prowess.

Pair the artisanal gem-setting of the former with the mechanical finesse of the latter, and one gets a watch that dazzles on both aesthetic and technical fronts, as exemplified by the Imperial Tourbillon Full Set.

At first glance, what astounds is the utter lavishness of the watch, which features a white gold case thoroughly blanketed by brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds. The effect is heightened by the House’s exquisite snow-setting technique, which leaves no visible traces of metal between the stones.

Get past the glitter, however, and one finds that the watch has plenty more to offer. The timepiece’s superbly poised tourbillon complication at 6 o’clock, held in place by a decidedly exotic and Arabesque bridge, is powered by the highly technical, hand-wound L.U.C movement.

Besides driving the tourbillon mechanism, which corrects gravitational errors for better timing regulation, the movement features top-notch technical attributes such as COSC certification that guarantees top-rate chronometric precision, and the proprietary four-barrel Quattro technology for nine-day power reserve.

Admittedly, it is the blizzard of diamonds on the Imperial Tourbillon Full Set that Chopard fans will first find irresistible. But for those who know better, it is the watch’s mechanical might that makes it a true keepsake.

For 2012 IWC is again issuing a watch in tribute of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a French author and avid aviator. 
This year is the sixth IWC Pilot’s watch to commemorate Saint-Exupery — the watch, Ref 387805,  is cased in red gold and produced in a limited edition of 500 copies.  
The flyback chronograph has a beautiful tobacco-colored dial with sunburst pattern on it. 
The chronograph hours and minutes are nicely contained in concentric subdials at the top of the dial. 
The back of the watch is decorated with a special engraving representing the last plane of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the Lightning P-38. July 31, 1944.  
Also, it appears that IWC is individually numbering each piece — hopefully this is a broader decision by the brand to move away from the “One of XXX” format that we have seen recently on recent limited edition models from the brand.

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Boxing seems to be the sport flavor of choice for many watch brands in 2012. You know it is serious when Hublot gets into the game. Their focus now is on a limited edition set for the World Boxing Council (WBC). The game Hublot is playing is pretty interesting actually. Hublot will produce 12 unique King Power "Knockout" WBC watches. As I understand it, each will look unique and be associated with one of 12 "legendary" boxers.

Each of the watches will be auctioned off for charity, and the winners will get the watches presented to them by the boxers themselves. It would be more fun if it also included a few round in the ring with them. Tyson is on the list!

The 12 legendary fighters associated with the Hublot limited edition boxing watch are as follows: Lennox Lewis - Julio Cesar Chavez - Mike Tyson - Sugar Ray Leonard - George Foreman - Marvelous Marvin Hagler - Tommy Harns - Roberto Duran - Oscar de la Hoya - Evander Holyfield - Jeff Fenech - Larry Holmes

The King Power chronograph based watch is unique for NOT having a skeletonized dial. It is 48mm wide in 18k King gold. Clearly the green and gold tones are meant to match the WBC belt that is given to the best fighters. On the rear of the watch is a graphic that looks like the front of the noteworthy belt. The auction for the Hublot Knockout WBC watches will be in Las Vegas in September 2012.

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Presented by Hublot at BaselWorld 2012, the “US$ 5 MILLION” watch – the most expensive watch of the fair – has been sold to The Hour Glass Singapore.
It will be showcased first in the Hublot boutique in Marina Bay Sands, and then in the Hublot corners at The Hour Glass boutiques.

It is a unique piece, an exceptional and incredibly rare feat. And a completely different approach was used for its creation. Unlike an Haute Joaillerie piece, where the design and technical construction are created to "emphasise and serve" stones which have already been selected, the opposite approach was adopted. The diamond cutters started with a design and then found the diamonds which best matched the complex construction of the case, dial and bracelet. Cutters and setters then employed all of their expertise to resize them to ensure a perfect fit.

First challenge: to develop the design of the Big Bang, whilst retaining its graphic codes to ensure it cohesively integrates more than 3 carats of diamonds. Once the technical design was finalised, then the diamonds had to be found and combined. It took one year for the largest stones which came from all four corners of the world, and the same for the 1276 others. Every stone was individually selected to ensure that all were of a consistent quality and colour. They then had to be resized, one by one, to make them a perfect fit for the watch. A renowned "master cutter" from New York with over 40 years' experience was responsible for single-handedly cutting the largest GIA-certified stones to ensure they all had the same cut "signature".

It was a lengthy process to complete: 14 months of work for all the different disciplines combined, including 7 months' work for 12 cutters, and the same for the 5 setters, with all the major specialists working on the piece full-time. A total of 1282 diamonds, more than 100 carats of baguette diamonds, a dazzling expression of the work of the best craftsmen in their field.

This watch can be considered as a veritable collection of diamonds. Like a collection of paintings. Each was individually chosen in relation to the others to create a harmonious whole. This is the most precious watch ever created by Hublot and its long-standing partner, Atelier Bunter in Geneva. The diamonds selected by Hublot are all of the highest quality, graded A VVS in clarity and Top Wesselton in colour.

A diamond watch worth $6.8 million has made its global debut at the Doha Jewellery and Watch Exhibition (DJWE), currently under way in the Qatari capital.

Mouawad, the legendary jewellery and watchmaker with 121 years of history, has chosen Qatar as the location for the very first unveiling of its latest one-of-a-kind creation, the Snow White Princess Diamond Watch.

The watch will be on display at the Mouawad booth throughout the show, which runs until February 26.

Seen for the first time anywhere in the world, the diamond-studded wristwatch is crafted from 18K white gold and meticulously layered with 233 colourless diamonds of varying sizes. It has a total of 106.93 carats, a statement said.

“Mouawad is renowned for creating one-off items that use only the world’s finest gemstones and precious metals. The Snow White Princess Diamond Watch is a unique timepiece that combines our passion for the highest quality gemstones with the 121 years of experience in design and craftsmanship,” said Pascal Mouawad, co-guardian of Mouawad.

Visitors of the exhibition were also dazzled by the presence of Natalie Glebova, an international model and former Miss Universe at the Mouawad booth, wearing some of the jeweller’s statement Haute Joaillerie pieces.

Mouawad is exhibiting a hand-picked and extensive selection of its pieces, from its Boutique Collections Lava, Rosette and Flower of Eternity, to the one-of-a-kind and exquisite Haute Joaillerie sets that have helped build the Mouawad name over generations. Handcrafted with the finest and most unique diamonds and coloured gemstones, these exquisite, timeless sets have been seen on major celebrities and royalty from around the globe.

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The principal piece in the collection is a model in pink gold set with diamonds that underline its strong design, priceless expertise, refined jewellery and seductive grace.

In conceiving its latest watchmaking world, ROGER DUBUIS has taken its inspiration from the example of liberated women. Its objective has been to capture the essence of a heroine and find the best way to express its vision of a muse. The Diva is a complete character: she is elegant, passionate, with the voice of a goddess or a dream silhouette. Eminently feminine, eternally admired, she transcends the senses. Her world pays homage to talent and beauty and ROGER DUBUIS has drawn on her power of seduction to create models that are simply sensational. Unmistakably feminine and unarguably appealing, these are watches with spirit and edge.

The first models in this ladies’ line, the Velvet watch in pink gold and set with diamonds, catches the eye and awakens the curiosity with a subtle, brilliant line encircling the case: the extended Roman numerals appear to hover between the central barrel and the circle, creating a trompe l’œil on two levels. In the foreground, the brushed centrepiece carries the ROGER DUBUIS name while around it a brushed sunray effect contrasts with the black transferred Roman numerals. The numerals at 6.00 and 12.00, however, are applied in pink gold.

More info to: www.rogerdubuis.com

You're looking at the most interesting Hublot in a good while.  The King Power Unico GMT is a little bit Girard-Perregaux ww.tc and a little bit Urwerk 103.  The watch uses rotating satellites to display several timezones at once, though the indication is made via small red lines on the outer dial.  The movement itself is pretty impressive, if not a little confusing, but then again, most world-timers are a little tricky to read. 

The Hublot King Power Unico GMT will be available in black ceramic or 18K rose gold, both sized at 48mm.  These will hit the market sometime in early 2012. 

 

The perfectly-poised panther dashes through the hours, bringing feline agility to this round watch.

Playful and powerful, the hero of the Cartier Bestiary tames the movement to the beat of its bejewelled oscillations.

In the grand tradition of watchmaking secrets, this ladies’ complication watch is a true feat of high-tech invention.

The oscillating weight of the watch has been inverted and takes the dramatic form of a panther set with diamonds.

Cartier complements the functionality of the weight with a stylish House motif: a three-dimensional panther secretly linked to the calibre, making the big cat seem to prowl all the way around the inky mother-of-pearl dial.

The panther stealthily patrols the hours one by one within a bezel set with multiple rows of diamonds.

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Rainbows are coming from the new Graham London Swordfish Booster Iris iridescent-colored watches ... green, purple, blue, pink, it is impossible to state the  exact colour!

The multitude of colours is hypnotic. The iridescence of the Swordfish Booster Iris, similar to the most beautiful natural wonders, is eye-catching. Do you know what Iris means in Latin? Rainbow.

This rainbow effect is not due to pigment but interferences of light. It means that light waves interfere with one another on a surface refracting parts of the  spectrum which create the iridescent colors. You have probably already seen it in a soap bubble or in an oil stain on a wet pavement but it results from a high-technological process.

The change of colours is also due to the extremely complex composition of the layers’ oxide. The 48mm steel case and components have been placed in big vacuums producing plasma reaction.

This unique coating contains multi-layered structures that provide thin-film interference. The thickness across the surface causes changes of colours in reflected light. Iridescence adds a new dimension to “surface”.

The nanometer-scale coating is a very fine process which has been developed exclusively for Graham London and makes every watch a piece of art.

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Originally inspired by the refined geometric forms of Art Deco, the Avenue collection is an ode to New York City – its long thoroughfares stretching their slender silhouettes off into the distance, its soaring, vertiginous aerial architecture. The teeming city has always fed Harry Winston’s creativity.

Newcomer in this iconic collection, Avenue C Large varies its geometry by playing with straight lines and curves, asymmetry and contrasts.

Harry Winston Avenue C Large uses the mirror effects of skyscrapers, with its dial set with 156 baguette-cut diamonds (7.5 carats).

As a frame of light, the 7.8 carats case reflects the beauty and the brilliance of each diamond.

Unrivaled, the glittering bracelet in white gold, set with 260 baguette-cut diamonds (19.5 carats), extends the brightness of the watch to infinity.

A total of 34.8 carats embodies a unique style, which is the culmination of efforts and skills between gemologists, designers and craftsmen, working together to create incredibly beautiful timepieces.

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