Omega is preparing for the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.

Just 7 days to go until the Olympic Games in Beijing are off to a running start. With a mind-blowing 205 nations competing in 28 sports, this year's games will be non-stop nail-biting, record breaking excitement. From the first pulsating second of the first game, OMEGA will be there, providing the official timekeeping and data-handling for the Olympic games. Omega will maintain a prolific presence, time-keeping and data- handling for 28 different sports at 37 venues. Omega will provide 450 on-site professionals, an incredible 420 tons of cutting edge equipment including 70 public scoreboards, 105 miles of cables and optical fibre, 65 TV generators and state-of-the-art time-keeping and data-handling technology. Omega's equipment is specifically adapted to the requirements of each sports.

Omega is continuing its long standing tradition of time-keeping at the Olympic Games. Since the Olympic games in Los Angeles 1932 where Omega kept time using its chronographs and stop-watches developed by its subsidiary Lemania.

Two commemorate the Olympic games in Beijing, Omega is launching two of the finest collections: the timeless and the Special Collections. The timeless Collection contains a precision chronograph which is reminiscent of the chronograph used in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic games. 6 of the models in this collection have Arabic numbers , the red Omega name and logo, found on earlier models. The collection maintains its incredible feature found in earlier models" five interlocking Olympic rings in the blue, yellow, black, green and red mounted on the counterweights of the central chronograph second hand. This collection of watches is a icon of exceptional innovation and craftsmanship to provide decades of precision instruments for the Olympic Games.

Only a couple more days and the games will begin. Rest assured, Omega will be there, monitoring fractions of a second.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

Citizen's earthquake warning concept watch.

Last year,at CEATEC Japan 2007, Citizen of Japan introduced an innovative concept watch. A watch that can predict an earthquake. Since Japan, like Los Angeles, is prone to earthquakes a watch like this was in order. This watch was developed in part with Rhythm watch, pairing an Earthquake early warning (EEW) receiver and an analog watch. The Seismic Watch works like any other watch that you get from the store, it tells the time, but as soon as the earth becomes restless, the watch will receive a signal from the EEW which will cause the hour hand to speed up, based on the seismic intensity estimation. The minute and the second hands will give the countdown time to the earthquakes arrival.
In addition, an alarm will sound and a built in vibrator will cause the watch to vibrate so that no warning goes unnoticed. Currently this watch will only work in Japan, as it relies on announcements from the Japan's Meteorological Office. Citizen claims that this watch can provide the wearer with a more instant notification than that of cellphone alarms or Email alerts. This prototype is only available in a men's model as the components needed for this seismic watch are quite large. Work is being done to shrink these components to fit into a women's watch.
A target release date is in 2010 with a mere $170 price tag.

Tag Heuer picks up the phone

For the first time in the history , Tag Heuer is entering the world of communication. The Meridiist.
Tag Heuer is scheduled to release its Meridiist Cell phone in September. Tag Heuer has applied its excellence in luxury watch craftsmanship to the Meridiist.

The Meridiist is swiss engineered and hand assembled from a staggering 430 components. The Meridiist is crafted from the same corrosion- resistant 316L steel, used in Tag Heuer luxury watches. The cellphone is protected by unscratchable 60.5 sapphire crystal, 28 days of power reserve ,and 7 hours of talk time. Tag Heuer has added a unique characteristic to the Meridiist, a front independent time unit with a QVGA display screen.

The sleek sophisticated design is changing the way the world views the cellphone.

Coming soon: Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph

Not yet available, a watch of the future. The near future. Audemars Piguet is always on the forfront of utilizing new materials. Now for the first time a concept watch where both the case and the movement is equiped with carbon. This exceptional timepiece ,along with the carbon, forged carbon and amorphous carbon is crafted with ceramics, titanium and eloxed aluminum making the watch both surprisingly light and sturdy. The display is another unique aspect of the watch featuring, a linear chronograph minute counter.

Material outline:

• Forged Carbon ( a carbon fiber that has been placed within a mold, compressed at a high temperature under pressures over 300 kilos per cubic centimeter) is used for the case middle.
• The Royal Oak signature bezel, push pieces and crown are ceramics.
• The ring surrounding the case back is held in place by no less than eight screws and crafted from PVD blackened titanium.
• The materials used to make the movement of the watch is equally unique: The main plate is carbon, the central bridge is green eloxed aluminium. The case back side, the bridges are black PVD in addition to the control and coupling levers. The two power reserve cones, the inserts displayed in the openworked zones at 6 and 12 'o' clock.sport an amorphous carbon coating.
• The tourbillon ,weighing in at just 0.45 grams and comprising of an astounding 70 parts , is exceptionally crafted from two-tone black PVD and steel finish.

Phew, now that was just a partial list of the materials, and I haven't even gotten to the complex rapid-rotation twin-barrel system.

In the end I think that this watches appeal will be in its mind bending aesthetics and it's cutting edge futuristic watch craftsmanship. A piece of the future able to fit in the palm of ones hand or, then again, on ones wrist.

The watch is not here yet, it is still on its journey, so that by the time it does surface, it is perfection.

Romain JeromeTitanic DNA

Romaine Jerome made a huge impact on the watch world when he introduced the Titanic DNA timepieces. Jerome purchased a piece of the hull that was retrieved from the doomed ship, 3840 meters beneath the crashing surface of the sea. Smelting this hull with steel from the Titanic's original shipyard, which is becoming a Titanic commemoration, he integrated the combination into the bezel, case band or dial material of his watches. The oxidized steel is clearly visible. It seems, Romaine Jerome believes that even the small piece of the Titanic's hull ,displayed on each watch, carries the weight of history. The watch is pricey, but no price can be placed on wearing history around ones wrist. This line of watches truly has a past, present and future.

What makes my luxury watch scratch resistant?

A good question! There is nothing more unsightly than a luxury watch with a huge scratch across the face. Luckily most luxury watch crystals (the transparent cover that protects the watch face) are synthetic sapphire. Sapphire is an impressive No. 9 on the Mohs scale of Hardness. This scale is the preferred method used to rank Gemstones and other minerals according to their hardness. The scale is graded from 1 to 10; 1 being the softest (talc) and 10 being the hardest (diamond)
A fingernail is 2.5 and pure gold, silver and aluminum ranges is a mere 2.5; glass is between 5.5 and 6.5 and emerald is 7.5. Both Ruby and Sapphire tie at No. 9.
The rule of the thumb is that any higher digit on the scale can scratch any lower digit. A diamond can scratch just about anything, whereas talc can be scratched by anything.

Sapphire crystal is therefore one of the hardest materials on the earth, and as a result scratch resistant to any material lower on the Mohs scale. Being a whopping 9 means that the crystal is quite protected .However, before you go about testing the watch yourself, remember that since sapphire crystal is so hard, it is also brittle, and can shatter or chip more easily than some of the other watch crystals like Plexiglas or mineral glass. In addition some man made materials used to make simulated stone surfaces for furniture and walls comprise of incorporated silicon carbide. This material ranges between 9 and 10. The watch wearer should be careful not to scrape the watch against this type of wall or furniture, as this could result in a scratch of the watch crystal.

Although your watch is scratch resistant , it does not mean that the watch crystal is necessary sapphire crystal. Some watch crystals are coated with a hard substance that makes them scratch resistant.

As with any luxury watch, good maintenace and care is part of the longevity of your watch. So if you looking to buy a:

TAG Heuer - Cartier - Movado - Ebel - Concord - Breitling - Audemars Piguet - Corum - IWC - Longines - Omega - Vacheron Constantin


... remember this post.

A Collection of Rado

I have decided that I like Rado Watches. Their watches always push the edges in design; they are intriguing and free. Kind of “Let’s do it” attitude. Rado pioneered the use of materials such as Sapphire Crystal and ceramic. The slogans on Rado’s website are quite fitting to their watch designs: “There is no greater power than the imagination, of dreaming and then realizing ones dream.” and “If we can imagine it, we can make it, if we can make it, we will.” No I am not going to get all weepy eyed and sentimental over their watches, but WOW! What slogans to build a company. Their slogans fit their watches. I like that. I like that a lot. Imagine wearing a watch designed on a dream, an innovative dream. I love the power Rado has given to the imagination; they have no boundaries on watch design. No wonder. The imagination has no boundaries. Below are some of my favorites; the watches that could only have been crafted on imagination.

The Rado Cerix humors the naked eye with its angular strap. This watch is distinct. This is the watch that actually hooked me onto Rado.

This is my purple one - the Rado Lantano. Well I do not have one, but I wish I did. The color of this watch invigorates the mind. I love the simple, friendly dial sporting a solid plum dot. This watch will add the finishing touches to an evening dress.

Rado Blue fascination Watch.

Last but not least - the "Carpe Diem" Watch. Meaning "Seize the day". A phrase from the Roman poet Horace. This watch is a Limited Edition work of art.

 Van Halem

Tag Heuer at the races.

Two race cars are wheel to wheel, speeding towards the finish line - the checkered flag. The difference is to the 10,000th of a second, and Tag Heuer's precision timekeeping has named a winner. From 100th of a second in 1916 to a mere 10,000th of a second in this year's Indy 500, Tag Heuer has taken the art of keeping time to a new level. Tag Heuer has produced some of the most innovative time pieces associated with the world of Motor Sports. It comes as no surprise that Tag Heuer has embarked on a remarkable voyage to find the best driver in the world. This is no easy endeavor; however, Tag Heuer is ready for the challenge.
Tag Heuer has hand picked a jury of ex-drivers, team principles, race promoters and journalists to formulate a method to judge and analyze race results on a weekly basis.
Every Monday, these results will be validated by a panel of 8 international motor racing experts. Tag Heuer has selected five categories: Formula One, GP2, Indycar, NASCAR and the World Rally Championship. Taking in account the results of each event, points will be awarded to the first five five finishers. Additional points will be awarded for the fastest lap or the winner of the most legs in the Rally event.

At the end of the year, the driver with the most points will be awarded the Tag Heuer Racing Award.

The Bourne Ultimatum- Matt Damon

Wow! That was a great movie. Jason Bourne, played incredibly well by Matt Damon, occupied the screen with his good looks, and intense energy. The time factor in the movie played an important role. Nothing like the ticking of a watch to turn the suspense into high gear. Bourne is on a mission to find his true identity; he is being chased by the CIA, hopping from Moscow to Madrid to Paris, London, Tangier, New York (Phew!) and all the while he is staying ahead of the game, and outsmarting his pursuers in the nick of time. Through out this movie, Jason Bourne keeps track of time with his TAG Heuer Link Chronograph.

The Tag Heuer Link Chronograph sporting a blue dial, played a spectacular role in this movie, and undoubtedly the movie would not have been the same without it.

Why?

I came across this image as I surfed the Great World Wide Web. It was meant to be in the name of art. ART? Well not art! Arts and Crafts. It was a "when you get bored" type of thing. At first I was horrified; to me, these watches had been silenced and stopped, deadened if you will. And then as I was mulling over this picture, an overwhelming sense of realization appeared to me: The power of the watch is in its movement and its constant gentle precision like the heart beat of a living creature. A watch is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Rihanna "Takes a bow" with Piaget

Rihanna's video "Take A Bow" is continuing to gain international success. I just watched her song on YOU TUBE and to date the video has been viewed an amazing 14 million times. 14 million times. The music video does not begin with Riyanna's face but Riyanna's watch - a Piaget Polo 18 carat gold watch. A couple minutes into the video Riyanna looks at her Piaget watch, and sings "Now its time to go." The crystal clear image of the Piaget's watch fills up the screen for a good three seconds - an eternity in music videos.
Piaget's gold watch makes its mark in this video in what ,I think, is a very clever and striking marketing campaign by Piaget.

Porsche commemorates 60 years

Porsche is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a wide range of commemorative products including top of the line luxury watches. A sleek, sporty watch, the “60 years of Porsche” 911 Classic Chronograph of which only 600 will be produced, is exclusive in its design and technical innovation. The dial is set in a solid steel casing with a date display, split time measurement facility and a tachymeter for measuring speed. The hour and minute hands are luminous for easy reading in darker conditions. The watch displays the jubilee date 1948 -2008, to commemorate the 60 years from when the first Porsche prototype was licensed for use on public roads. Since then Porsche has been speeding ahead.

Think in the box.

Not so long ago, square watches took the back seat in the watch world. Round watches were seen as more versatile and classy, able to portray a sense of style and elegance more effectively than their square companions. Of late there has been a growing interest in square watches to the extent that watch manufacturers are using square cases to launch innovative and sporty designs. Watch collectors and buyers are now looking at square watches to add to their collection.

What could be squarer than the Bell & Ross Collection; my favorite of which is the BR01 cobalt blue. This electrifying watch transports you into the cockpit of a fighter jet with its black background and blue dials. This is perfect watch for one who wants to be at the top of the game, and a passion for flight.

Bell & Ross has torpedoed into the Square market with its square cased Black or White ceramic pieces some sparkling with diamonds.

Another watch I just love is the Formex: I Board Limited Edition. Formax is the creator of the active suspension watch. The ETA 7754, a legendary watch movement, powers the iBoard. The case is PVD coated steel, the Bezel is titanium and it has a ceramic crown at the 3 o’clock position. The 12 ‘o clock pushers are ceramic as well. This aggressive watch screams for action.

A watch that caught my eye is the Jaeger-LeCoutre: Reverso Squadra Chronograph GMT. The unique aspect about this watch is that you can turn the case 180 degrees to protect the crystal from potential damage. Jaeger-Le Coultre was one of the first watch brands to utilize materials such as rubber and carbon fiber in the design of their watchcases. The great thing about this watch, besides from the incredible movements, is the rubber strap. If you love sleek design and an empowering look, but want comfort as well, then this watch is for you.

I was just about to finish writing (its 4th of July – the barbecue needs a tending) when I spotted the Pierre Kunz: Metropolitan Tourbillon. My eyes were riveted to the incredible gold sandwich design case, and the flying one-minute tourbillon cut out at the six o’ clock position. This watch is graced with an impressive movement: A manually wound caliber PK 2102. The Metropolitan has no less than 20 jewels, running at 18,000 vibrations per hour. The dial opening allows one to view the carriage and the balance. The watch face is exquisitely hand decorated with bold edgy numbers. This watch is a true testament to Pierre Kanz’s place in the world of luxury watches.

If your collection is partial to round watches and you want to add some edge or you are looking for the perfect watch, think in the box. You may be very pleased with the outcome.

Movado Group founder Gerry Grinberg

I found an excellent article about Movado Group Founder Gerry Grinberg. Definitely worth a read.
http://www.movadogroupinc.com/company/cuban_frame.htm