Wyler Geneve Official Timekeeper of the Toughest Race on Earth

The Official Watch of the Dakar Rally is Wyler Geneve Dakar Rally limited edition, a watch capable of withstanding the toughest car race on earth. The 2011 Dakar Rally ran from January 1st to January 16th covering 5976 miles of rough terrain, sand dunes, steep jaw dropping inclines, sharp turns on steep mountain passes, mud, camel grass and harsh unforgiving environments of Argentina and Chile (from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, Chile and the return via the Andes and through the Atacama Desert. There are no pits stops, no smooth race tracks. Too tough to be called a conventional rally, this race is known as a rally rade. 407 teams in cars, trucks and motorbikes revved engines and traversed harsh terrains. These cars are real off-road vehicles, not some souped up pretty car used in rallies. They are built to withstand the sudden jarring of a rocky outcrop or thick gooey mud.
Thus it stands to reason why a watch company such as Wyler Geneve should be the Official Timekeeper of the Dakar Rally. Wyler wristwatches are built with iconic shock absorbing capabilities to withstand the sudden jolting and jarring endured by the Dakar Rally Drivers.



The Wyler Dakar Rally 2011 timepiece is marked with the color of Desert Sand. Wyler is known for its regular use of titanium -a highly resilient and lightweight metal. In fact the entire movement is encased in a titanium holder. But for Wyler that is not enough. The titanium is covered with ultra hardy carbon fiber resin. Titanium screws locks the entire board down to the middle ensuring maximised protection for the movement. Limited to 182 pieces to commemorate the 182 pioneers who were the first to tun the 1979 race from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal. Due to security concerns and potential terrorism threats on the race, which even called teh unprecedented cancellation of the 2008 race. In 2009 the race was moved to South America.
The band is fashioned from non-slip rubber imprinted with the likeness of tire treads.

Wyler Geneve Watches glean watch making inspiration from the suspension system of cars, and judging from the rugged terrains endured by these vehicles, Wyler Watches have learned from the best. Wyler watches are built to achieve maximum time telling performance and to withstand the jarring of high impact sports.

Highly resiliant Wyler Geneve Watches NOW at THE WATCHERY at 70% off.

Weirdest Watch Straps Ever by Artya

Artya watches are always quite creative. This time it seems as though Artya went rummaging through the long forgotten basement of a Museum of Natural History and upended jars of butterfly wings and something else to create its new "Farfalla" collection. "Farfalla, of course, is butterfly in Italian. But it is not the butterfly wings situated on the dials that got my attention. What caught my attention is the watches obviously bumpy straps. Recognize the material. No its not a galuchat strap fashioned from stingray skin -the like of which is used by De Grisogono. This strap is fashioned from something quite different. Something which may very well be cast into a witches brew.
The strap is made from toad skin. Just the thought sends shivers down my spine, but I am sure some people may like the idea. Like the idea very much.
And what of the dial? The dial, as I mentioned before, harbors genuine butterfly wings - hand plucked from the finest butterflies. And the bezel? The one bezel has been subjected to electric shocks giving the watch an eery discolored look. The other bezel bares multiple lacerations - looking very much like a crime of passion.
Artya watches are sculptures; artfully capturing human emotions with unique materials.
Powering these watch specimens are high quality Swiss Automatic Mechanical Movements

Frédéric Jouvenot Helios Timepiece Wins GTE First Super Watch Award

I recently blogged about Geneva Time Exhibition First Ever Super Watch Award - An Award given to an independent watch company, which displays extreme technical innovation and craftsmanship, a time telling application quite unique to the watch making world, and supreme creativity.

So... here it is... Frédéric Jouvenot wins for his Helios timepiece featuring an intriguing time display without the use of hands, numbers or discs.
It surely is a marvel in time telling, but how does it work? The dial of the watch is fashioned like a sun with 12 sunbeams or moonbeams fanning out from the center and meeting the bezel in the 12 hour markers of classic analogue display. Hence the name , Helios, who in Greek Mythology personified the sun. As for the minutes, they are displayed in a central moon, and make one revolution per hour.

The dial follows the passage of the sun, and at noon all the rays are ablaze, then as the sun moves lower in the sky, sunbeams are replaced by moonbeams. By midnight the dial is dark, as all 12 segments are moonbeams. It is at that moment of midnight when a small opening appears in the center of the dial displaying a moon.

Dawn arrives as the rays of light begin to replace the rays of the moon. (see video below)

It is not surprising this variation of time display Wins the GTE Super Watch Award. The idea is unique; the final product displaying the three dimensional dial is exquisitely crafted with PVD color black, rhodium plated or pink. The bold yet enigmatic case is crafted in either white or pink gold or highly resilient TITANIUM DLC. The balance is crafted from black gold.

This watch seems like a mechanical sun dial without the need for sun. A brilliant idea conceptualizing the very passage of the sun.

Frédéric Jouvenot wins a free spot at GTE 2012 plus media coverage in Plaza Watch Magazines.

Actress Diane Kruger Reveals Jaeger-LeCoultre Ultra Thin Lady

At this years SIHH, German Actress and Ambassador of Jaeger- LeCoultre, Diane Kruger, together with the company's CEO, unveiled the new feminine Jaeger-LeCoultre Ultra Thin Reverso. Diane Kruger was quite pleased to be unveiling a watch collection so close to her heart. On her 18th birthday, her mother had offered Diane Kruger, a Reverso of her very own.

The introduction of the elegant timepiece is in commemoration of the Reverso's 80th birthday

In 1931, British Officers stationed in Colonial India would play polo in their spare time. More often then not the crystal of the wrist watches would get damaged during the game.
Cesar de Trey, an influential businessman, who was a close associate of Jacques-David LeCoultre visited friends in India.
A polo player approached him, "Sir, I challenge you to create a timepiece that can survive a game of polo with its crystal intact."

This challenge founded the legend of the Reverso. A Patent for Reverso was filed on March 4, 1931: A watch capable of sliding in its base and of turning completely on its axis to turn the crystal inward.

Over the past 80 years, the Reverso Collection has caught the attention of many watch wearers attracted by the watches elegant charm and aesthetic versatility both for men and women.

The new Ultra Thin Reverso exudes a sensual elegance and quiet seduction.

Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 2 Quadruple Tourbillon

And the success of Greubel Forsey continues with the heart stopping Quadruple Tourbillon P2. This horological machine took center stage at this years SIHH 2011 commanding attention by its powerful presence.

The P2 has four asynchronous tourbillons, comprised of two double tourbillons systems presented head to tail and joined by a spherical differential. The time display is located at the 5'o'clock position. Hours are indicated by a red arrow originating from the Greubel Forsey signature logo. Minutes are marked by a rotating disc. Beneath this display is triple mainspring barrels which allows for a 56 hour power reserve in addition to sustaining the tourbillons. Seconds are discretely displayed at the 10 'o'clock and power reserve at the 11 'o'clock. The tourbillons hold the prominent position on the dials bulging out into the bezel as if the case alone cannot contain their memorizing rotations.

Tourbillons were originally invented in 1795 by Abraham-Louis Breguet to eradicate the effect gravity had on the functioning of the pocket watch. Greubel Forsey has decided to focus on Tourbillons - an extremely complicated function. In a Tourbillon the entire escapement assembly ,comprising of the balance wheel, the escape wheel, hairspring and pallet fork, rotates within a cage.
As Steven Forsey Said, " We chose to concentrate initially on tourbillons as we felt that as there had been relatively little experimentation and innovation in that field in relation to wristwatches, we had a good chance of discovering and contributing something new."

Greubel Forsey has achieved greatness in the horological world by pursuing the science of invention just as the great thinkers of the past centuries.

Click here to find out more about The Scientific Approach of Greubel Forsey.

As a result of the intricate craftsmanship required to create a masterpiece of this calibre, only 11 pieces in platinum and 11 pieces in red gold will be available,

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2011 IWC Portofino Unveiled at IWC Gala Event

In an exclusive SIHH Gala event entitled "A Night in Portofino"(see video below), IWC unveiled the latest edition to its Portofino Collection. The affair was attended by high profile stars such as Australian Actress and Academy Award Winner Cate Blanchett; American Actor, Director, Screenwriter and Producer, Kevin Spacey: Lost Actor Mathew Fox; French Actor Jean Reno and James Bond Director Marc Foster as well as sporting greats including Zinédine Zidane, and tennis star Boris Becker; supermodel Elle Macpherson; and singer Ronan Keating.

A captivating exhibition by renowned photographer Peter Lindbergh transported 900 guests to Portofino , a small Italian fishing village on the Italian Riviera. The entire evening was basked in the allure of Portofino in the 1950's and 1960's and serves as the perfect environment to unveil IWC Portofino's latest addition.

Introduced in 1984, the Portofino collection embodies sophisticated elegance and exceptional craftsmanship. The Portofino 2011 timepieces vary in functions depending on the model. Available in Automatic, Chronograph, Dual Time and a Hand-Wound model with an 8 day power reserve indicated at the 3 'o'clock position on the dial. A slim 18k gold or steel 40mm case exudes a distinguished air reminiscent of the pocket watch.

Presenting Video Footage from "A Night in Portofino"

Must see! Great Footage from SIHH 2011