12 Extraordinary Watches for Bird Lovers

e listed 10 of the most incredible timepieces depicting birds. I chose one brand for each bird; although, I could have written the blog entirely on Jaquet Droz minute or Bird repeaters. Perhaps for some other time.

Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater circa 2015 Cost $520,000

  The Jaquet Droz Bird Repeater has to be one of the most publicized watches unveiled at Baselworld 2015 and for $520,000 this watch is designed particularly for the avid bird fan. Who else would spend a bundle to watch a mechanical mother bird feed here chick, another stretch its wings and another hatch from an egg. To fully appreciate this watch one must view the watch in action.

Van Cleef Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Nuit Oiseaux de Paradis SIHH 2015

The 2015 edition to  Van Cleef & Arpels Poetic Complication flock is this wonderful depiction of a Bird of Paradise.  The champlevé and cloisonné enamel creates a dial brilliant in color and form .  Blue hues, fiery oranges and  deep purple depict the vividness of an untainted forests where Birds of paradise alight among towering trees. The Bird of Paradise upon the dial displays shimmering tail feathers set with three round diamonds.  The movement powering this latest 38mm edition to Van Cleef & Arpels Poetic Complication collection, is a 24 hour movement which changes the scene from flower by day to a diamond moon at night.  This timepiece is limited to 22 pieces.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art L’éloge de la nature collection - Watches & Wonders 2014

Two cranes engraved upon a pink gold plate  fly over a choppy sea of guilloché ripples and translucent Grand Feu enamel. Two provide the wearer or watcher with the full effect of birds in flight, Vacheron Constantin utilized a automatic in-house 237 piece Calibre 2460 G4 movement, which displays the trailing hours and minutes as well as a jumping day and date via four apertures. The case is fashioned from 18k 5N pink gold and affixes to the wrist via an alligator leather strap.  The case back is fashioned from sapphire crystal where one may view the Hallmark of Geneva.

Angular Momentum - Flying  Bird circa 2009

 Now this watch is kind of creepy, reminds me of the last creature to escape from hellish destruction.The creature in fact is a sparrow which ,together with its foreboding backdrop, has been crafted with a Japanese Lacquering method known as Urushi. Urushi lacquer comes from the sap of a Urushi tree, which creates a natural plastic like substance. It is the Urushi Lacquer that creates the intense blackness covering the dial. 

Boucheron Hiniscus Tourbillon circa 2012

 Boucheron mechanical hand wound Hibiscus Tourbillon is  a delicate representation of a hummingbird in mid-flap alighting upon a diamond encrusted bezel attracted by a bright pink hibiscus.  Between bird and flower, a flying tourbillon incorporating a Swiss escapement lever rotates beneath fallen leaves. A flying tourbillon is only supported on one side creating the illusion that it rotating whilst suspended in mid air -  unsupported by any means. A white - almost hazy mother-of-pearl dial -like a sky masked with high cirrus clouds, sets a gentle backdrop for a scene  created from white gold, blue and pink sapphires and diamonds. A dial framed by delicate plant like swirls is placed at the 1 'o'clock position.  A gentle reminder of  Boucheron's flagship boutique at number 26  place Vendôme.

Cartier Ballon Bleu Floral Marquetry Parrot Watch - SIHH 2014

"Polly wants a cracker?" The parrot fluffing its feathers atop a signature Cartier Ballon Bleu dial is so realistic one expects it to emit a shrill squawk and pluck the cracker right out the hands of the giver. Amazingly the soft visage of feathers are crafted from real flower petals. From its face of feathers, a single emerald gleams at its eye against a shimmering backdrop of diamond paving.  Limited to 20 pieces.

MB&F / Boucheron HM3 JwlryMachineWatch - circa 2010

Without the additional owlish getup,  MB & F's HM3 closely resembles an owl or a frog. However, beneath the bejeweled clothes of Boucheron, the mechanical mastery turns into a spectacular spectacle of owlish delight.Clear sapphire crystal enable the clear display of hour and minute upon the cylinders of each eye. The eyes themselves are top with a purple cabochon and surrounded by a ring of diamonds. The owls claws and feather toughs are crafted from 18k white gold. Price $215,000

Chopard Emerald & Diamond Owl Watch- Currently Available

The eyes of an owl truly lend themselves to the face of a watch, especially when a dual timezone is on display.  Chopard ,with its love for the animal kingdom, chose to represent the great horned owl on a silver leather strap around the wrist. Graduated calibré-cut emerald surround two grey guilloché watch dial eyes within a diamond set owl face. Available at Chopard, this limited edition Owl Watch  will make your friends hoot with delight.

Jaeger LeCoultre Master Grand Tourbillon Crane Enamel Watch - circa 2013

Although many watch companies have taken pride in applying miniature enamel paintings to the dial, this timepiece is Jaeger-Lecoultre's first attempt at the enamel art.  The result ,of course, is exceptional. Cranes, a symbol of longevity, nestle amongst bamboos beneath a silver foil moon and white gold  guilloché decorated dial.  A bunch of bamboo stalks are meticulously painted on the sapphire crystal creating a unique depth to the dial. An almost weightless light weight titanium alloy tourbillon cage turning at one revolution per minute. The enamel artistry is framed by a bejeweled bezel and sweeping lugs of 94 baguette cut diamonds weighing in at 8 carats.   The power house of the watch  is the iconic Calibre 978 visible via a sapphire crystal case back.  Limited edition of 8 pieces.

Christian Audigier's Graceful Bird Watch- Currently Available

Since most these watches can run you in the thousands from some of the most prestigious watch brands, I like to post a more affordable bird watch to sway the chances of getting the title of a watch snob - Gasp! Anyway back to business.  I have been monitoring Christian Audigier's watch designs for some time.  The watches and movements are ok.  Nothing to cry home about or set up news crawlers atop Times Square, but they definitely fill a nice affordable watch niche.  The watches exude a youthful energy and pizzazz. The Graceful Bird Watch dial boasts tattoo flash inspired artwork and surrounded by Swarovski Crystal. In addition, Swarovski crystal graces each hour indice. The watch is presented on a gray rubber band featuring Christian Audiger's signature trademark.    Christian Audigier  is a high profile and very prolific French fashion designer residing in the US. Price $225.00

Piaget Limelight Garden Party Watch - SIHH 2011 (Ref. G0A36169)

Piaget's Limelight Garden Party Collection is a whimsical representation of a summer eve surrounded by the chatter of friends, the clink of glasses, the gentle chatter of garden birds and a gentle breeze ruffling leaves.  The diamond encrusted birds, diamond encrusted leaves and berries the birds eat, revolve around the dial in effortless motion. The birds an their habitat are a meticulous composition of 99 brilliant cut diamonds set upon an 18 carat white gold case baring 52 brilliant cut diamonds. The entire scene sparkles against a backdrop of pure Piaget black. The watch is powered by a Piaget 56P quartz movement and secured to the wrist by a black satin strap and secured by a diamond encrusted 18 carat white gold ardillon buckle.If one has a great infinity for birds, take note, this watch is part of a large garden party motif collection of brooches necklaces and earrings.

Harry Winston Premier Feather Watch - Circa 2012

"Birds of a feather flock together"  and Harry Winston has taken this proverb to an entirely new level by perfectly placing feathers upon a dial to create a kaledescope of design and color. Harry Winston always delivers with a flourish.  With the Premier Feather Watch, unveiled at the opening of the Shanghai Pavilion boutique, Harry Winston preens perfection like an exotic male bird showing off its fine plumage to the ladies.   Working with feathers requires exceptional talent and the job goes too ... Nelly Saunier who is one of the few experts who still  practice this rare skill. With an expert touch she hand picked (not hand plucked) each feather spending  7 hours carefully and exquisitely creating the dial. In days gone by feathers were used to decorate refineries most notably the headdress of nobles and aristocrats. The feathers were cut and placed in the perfect position in order to make the best use of the feather's natural  nanostructructually organized tissue to interact with light and achieve an intriguing iridescence. Each dial is intrinsically unique and  framed by 66 brilliant cut diamonds which flow onto Harry Winston signature lugs. he Premier Feather Watch is powered by a quartz movement and water resistant to 30m.
The timepiece is bound to the wrist by a satin strap and secured with an 18k white gold or rose gold buckle set with 29 brilliant cut diamonds. 
Only 8 pieces of these feathery watches will be produced making them much coveted collectors items especially by those who have an affinity to towards fowls.

The Platinum Cartier Crash Squellete

Cartier is ramping up its watch play by utilizing all its wonderful resources to crush competition and focus as much horological attention on a new Heritage Series featuring Cartier's Crash Collection as part of Cartier's Fine Watchmaking Series. In recognition of a great collection, Cartier utilizes platinum as a watchmaking material, which is often the case when paying exclusive tribute to an iconic design. In skeletonizing the design, Cartier adds a unique twist to the timepieces ensemble.
I remember the moment I first laid eyes on an image of a Cartier Crash watch with its indented side and what the dial shape can only be likened to a slightly twisted version of  Edvard Munch's "The Scream". For a fleeting instant, I thought the watch must be a person's play at photoshop until I did a bit more research and came up with some fascinating details.

Cartier describes the Crash Collection as "Created in 1967 in the heart of Swinging London, the Crash watch captures the incredible energy of the city at that time. With its asymmetrical dial, it revolutionized the esthetic codes of watchmaking history. Consistently released in a very limited series, this legendary piece carries the prestige of its rare nature." - Source Cartier Website 

 The inspiration for this watch, though,  is a bit mysterious.  It has been blogged and reblogged by all the big watch blogs, that this watch was inspired by the tragic 1967 accident of the Vice President of Cartier London and that as his car was engulfed in flames, his Baignoire Allongée melted upon his arm as he died. It does seem quite a dramatic story; however, I cannot  verify these facts.

Although the above-depiction does look quite convincing, I still cannot find any proper source of the fiery car crash theory. Of course there is the view that this design was inspired by Salvador Dali's Soft Watch in particular his "Persistance of Memory , which also seems to have no grounds.  In any event Salvador Dali's depiction is that of Surrealism where as the Cartier Crash and what it implies is the epitome of Realism especially if the "Car Crash Theory" is true. My humble opinion anyway.

Of course if the dial shape is so twisted, the movement beneath must follow the same twisted form - and this is where my utmost admiration for Cartier's creativity come into play. With a purposeful lack of symmetry, Cartier has created a beautiful sculpture opposing the laws of nature where symmetry is coveted over lack thereof. The manual wound Caliber 9618 MC beating at 28,800 vph is equipped with a 3 day power reserve,  Just looking at the movement one can deduce that this is not a reworked movement.  This movement was constructed specifically for the Cartier Crash from jump street. The main plate and bridges take on a fascinating form with truly unusual arcs and carves accentuating the perfection and symmetry of the gear train and gear teeth. 

The high sheen of the platinum bezel does well to compliment the matt look of the skeletonized dial. The case size is roughly 28mm x 45mm depending, of course where one decides to take the measurements.

Cartier's signature blue sword-shape hands portray a heightened sense of balance within the bent dial form.  Roman Numerals are forged from the movement plate punctuated by 21 jewels.  Jewels are an essential addition to a watch movement utilized to reduce friction and increase the longevity of the bearings.  Another jewel - a blue cabochon - adds another traditional Cartier touch to the timepiece.

Now as the name Cartier Crash Skeleton does suggest a lack of control beyond the ability of a person,its careful component arrangement; the impeccable satin finishing; the chamfered and polished flanks of the Roman Numerals and the high sheen of the platinum suggests a control of impeccable performance achieved  by Fine Watchmaking at Cartier.  The retail price for this bent beauty is no less than 50,000 euros and a tad more for the editions exhibiting a diamond set-bezel.  Only 67 models of each edition will be produced - in recognition of the year the Cartier Crash came.

SIHH 2015 Begins today and Marks its 25th year!

SIHH is off to a flying start, where 16 exhibiting maisons are showcasing new models for 2015. Unlike Baselworld, this convention is all about watches. Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie Geneve is run by Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie established in Geneva as a result of a rapid increase in watch making brands and resulting products.   Countless brands are releasing fine watch creations and thus FHH has taken on the role of providing information and guidance to the public from watch making specialists.  The FHH is a modern Foundation which for the most part utilizes the Internet for the release of information.
In addition the FHH recognizes that Luxury Watches has evolved from a "social aspiration" into a "cultural aspiration"  The FHH focuses its primary attention on information and training in Horology.
Even after 25 years, there still is a remarkably few exhibitors.  These exhibitors, however, have quite the advantage in being part of an exhibition held so close to the beginning of the year.  Since the holiday season, and now for a couple more weeks, blog sites, and other social networking arenas are flooded with the information about new watches and novelties  unveiled at SIHH.  These 16 brands are now commanding their position in the world of horology - this year 2015.  The press kits are being sent in a flurry of Emails and watch write ups are entering a state of frenzy.

That said, who are the brands - even if you know next to nothing about watches - you are likely to have heard these names around:

A Lange & Sohne Saxonia Dual Time SIHH 2015

A Lange & Sohne - click here for their colorful 2015 debut especially a clever Datograph Perpetual Watch, a Saxonia Dual Time, Zeidwerk Minute Repeater

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research Episode 1 Watch SIHH 2015

Audemars Piguet - This year Audemars Piguet reveals the  perfect chime thanks to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research Episode 1 Watch

Baume & Mercier Clifton Big Date and Power Reserve SIHH 2015

Baume & Mercier - Releases some really elegant timepieces, which is suited at any boardroom anywhere including a really handsome Clifton Model featuring a Big Date and Power Reserve.  In addition its Hampton Collection is 20 years.  Time does speed along - does it not? 

Cartier Crash Skeleton SIHH 2015

Cartier - has crashed the party - not in anyway I or you imagine, but rather with its signature women's Cartier Skeleton Crash Watch.  Although the original inspiration for the idea is up for grabs - the resulting timepiece has always been quite a hit. 

Greubel Forsey QP à Equation Computeur Mécanique SIHH 2015

Greubel Forsey -  Writing about this rather young brand sends me reeling with inferiority  in the shadow of scientific geniuses. 
Now as they say the genre of steampunk is a mechanical alternate world - a place where mechanical accomplishments continued to evolve if the invention of electricity had never occured.  This ,my friends, is Greubel Forsey - who unveiled today the “Computeur Mécanique,”or a mechanical computer.  To all my steampunk friends out there - this is it! This is what happened if electricity was never invented and computers had never come to pass. A mind like Greubel and Forsey spearheading a mechanical revolution. Now enough of my excited caffeine frenzied rant.  Geubel Forsey's 7th invention has a bunch of patents and is a brilliant assembly of 25 sub movements with a  rotating, co-axial coded elements or its "brain" if you like which are arranged in programmable moveable sections.  The complexity of this timepiece goes beyond the usual complication and reaches a realm which has barely been touched by other watch brands.

IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar SIHH 2015

IWC Shaffhausen- heralding its "Year of the Portugieser" releases the IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar boasting two firsts: an in-house movement equipped with an annual calender and a two barrel enabling a seven day power reserve.

Jaeger-LeCoultre - A brand which has risen and risen in mechanical complexity and  reached a pinnacle of horological perfection (one of my favorite brands as you can very well tell)... and to prove my "mechanical complexity point"  the curtain opens - or should I say the heavens open onto the Duometre Spherotourbillon sporting a brand new moon-phase indicator. 

Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum SIHH 2015

Mont Blanc - of fine pens and even finer watches ,pens which are a useful tool when needed and a rather coveted tool in the post office, holds no fascination for me; however, Mont Blanc watches including a new model to their new 2014 line, holds the world on a wrist and that, my friend is fascination for me.
The Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum, holds the worlds view from the North Pole as Peary would have seen it - if he in fact reached that cold cold place and was able to view beyond the snowy covered emptiness. Mont Blanc's new collection depicts 24 cities beyond the bezel, displaying a 24 hour time zone.

Panerai Luminor Chrono Flyback Ceramica PAM00580 SIHH 2015

Panerai - a trendy Italian  brand who has perfected the black and brown look, releases Panerai Luminor Chrono Flyback Ceramica PAM00580.  The case is highly resilient being of a zirconium oxide base.  It apparently is five times harder than steel and resistant to scratches, corrosion and high temperatures.  Come to think of it, the Italian WWII frogmen would have loved this material for their Panerai watches, luckily for them Panerai was quite advanced with the use of Luminescence enabling them to make out the time while they dived in  murky and turbulent waters.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950 Squellete SIHH 2015

Parmigiani Fleurier- how I love this brand. Parmigiani solidified my infatuation with watches and its strong ties to its history.  Although Parmigiani is current in their trends, the ties to vintage versions of itself ,to me, is so much more than a marketing ploy of other brands.  Possibly because the founder, Micheal Parmigiani spent so much time restoring mechanical watches from the much loved Sandoz family collection, and in this formed the bond that became Parmigiani.  Parmigiani's reveals a Squellete version to its 1950 Tonda Collection. a sapphire crystaled dial - The Squellete is exceptionally thin and quite complex and all can be seen via the transparent dial and case back including a micro rotor - small but visible on both sides.

Piaget Altiplano Chronograph

Piaget - A brand firmly fixed into haute -holorgerie has gone quite slender for the party while breaking two records in its wake. Read my blog on the Slim Piaget Altiplano Chronograph

Ralph Lauren Automotive Chronograph SIHH 2015

Ralph Lauren - quite new to the world of SIHH and quite new to the watch world has become an excepted watch brand. Being the only fashion watch brand at the SIHH, I think it does quite well for itself beyond the initial "fashion brand entering the real brand world" skeptism.  Of course it is a joint venture between Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co, and Richmont Group  - and since this is a mostly Richmont affair, Ralph Lauren is quite welcome.  On the other hand the venture could have gone the way of Tiffany and Swatch - but it did not and Ralph Lauren is doing quite well for itself and Richmont. So what's in store for 2015? A sporty, woodsy and seriously trendy Automotive Chronograph which gleans its inspiration from the dashboard of a 1938 Buggati.  Personally I love the elm burl, steel and black combination. Hat's off and awhistle blow to Ralph Lauren. 

Richard MIlle RM-33-01 SIHH 2015

Richard Mille - If slimmness is a Piaget Quality - What is Richard Milles Quality? ..... Got it? Got it? Give Up?   Lightness.  Richard Milles manufactures the lightest watches in the world without compromising the resilience or the precision of the timepiece.  How does the company achieve this remarkable feat?  - well in part by being at the forefront of metallurgy and innovation in watch making materials as well as not worrying about the resulting sales price of the end product.  So in light of this - What is at Richard Milles SIHH exhibition today?  RM-33-01.  A round watch! Richard Mille who is famous for their tonneau case shape has opted for quite a traditional setting.

Roger Dubuis - What does the  first brand to adhere to the new stringent requirements of the Geneva Seal reveal on this first day of the SIHH? One of the most beautiful watches in the world.  The Excalibur Automatic Skeleton Watch - somehow made more beautiful without the tourbillon.

Van Cleef & Arpels -For the SIHH 2015, Van Cleef & Arpels presents a timepiece without the artistic enameling so prolific among most of its timepieces, but rather nine new models from the iconic Cadenas Collection - Read more about the lock shaped watch in my recent Cadenas Blog.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac Year Of  The Goat SIHH 2015

Vacheron Constantin - also fight the "whose the slimmest fight", but what always catches my attention is the new additions to their Métiers d’Art.  This year Vacheron Constantin  dedicates Métiers d’Art models to The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac the Year Of The Goat in 2015. Suffice to say, the Chinese market is huge and still largely untapped - although China has been quite instrumental in mechanical timekeeping. (How could one forget Sun-Song Heavenly Clockwork tower) and a collection dedicated to the Chinese New Year is a clever marketing strategy.  The watch is beautiful with quite a nice caliber 2460 G4 jumping hours movement featuring only four windows displaying the hours, minutes, date and days.  

So there you have it, an oh so brief run down displayed as we speak across 30,000 sq/m in Geneve - the original watchmaking capital of the world.

Cartier ID Two Concept Watch Extreme Innovation

You can look, but you can't have.  Cartier introduced this Concept watch as a sort of icon for innovation in watch making materials, high efficiency,  accuracy, longevity, precision and a 32 day power reserve rather than a product to purchase. The mechanical watch of the future.

This Concept Watch is a Treasure trove of innovative watch concepts which function together in optimal efficiency.

1. Watch Case Material: 

Ceramyst(TM) - i.e. monobloc transparent polycrystalline ceramic - requires exceptional scientific  knowledge to manipulate.  Due to the incredible difficulty of working with this type of ceramic, the Cartier ID Concept watch is the first watch to use this type of case.  The highly brilliant horological team at Cartier Fine Watchmaking created this case in two parts creating an air tight vacuum interior.  The case back  is actually vacuum sealed to the case front To   fused together with the aid of nanoparticles. Nano particles are used around the crown as well. The seamless fluidlike appearance of the case is enhanced by the absence of screws.

2. Vacuum Sealed Inner Chamber.

I asked a  research friend of mine who is familiar with mechanics and such  about the difficulties in sealing the intricate movement within a vacuum.  By the sudden intensity of look accompanied by amazed astonishment it was apparent he was contemplating a mighty complex scenario.  He muttered something about the exorbitant amount of pressure required and the delicacy of the movement and then I am afraid he lost me... I kept nodding in agreement hoping he would not question me as to what was said. I would hate to look ignorant in the face of such brilliance .. or it sounded pretty brilliant anyway.

What is the advantages of placing a movement in a vacuum with 99.5% removal of particles per centimeter? 
The movement especially the escapement is not subjected to friction and thus dramatically increases the energy efficiency of the movement eliminating the need for lubrication.

3. Innovative Movement Materials

Bridges - Titanium bridges treated with DLC - Diamond Like Coating reduces friction; enhances resistance to wear and  increases hardness.

Escapement - Cartier utilizes "Carbon crystal" which requires no adjustment once placed in the case.
Balance Wheel and other components - Carbon Crystal treated with diamond coating to reduce friction and increase durability. 




Mainspring barrel - Amorphous diamond coating further reducing friction between mainspring and barrel.


Mainspring - Fiberglass.  Fiberglass is high in energy conservation, An alloy mainspring will lose 20% of energy in a 24 hour period where as a fiberglass mainspring will lose a mere 1%.
The use of fiberglass improves torque resulting in superior relation between stress and modulus of elasticity.

4. 32 Day Power Reserve 

I have never come across a mechanical watch with a power reserve of more than one month, makes one respect fiber glass a whole lot more.

5. Improvement of Gear Train Efficiency 

 Gear Train enhancements result in an increase in the efficiency of power transferred from escapement to hands.
 



  I have been talking about the Cartier ID Two Concept Watch quite a bit now... and often the response is....
 "Cartier made this watch?"
This is due to the fact that most people view Cartier as an excellent quality watch brand, but no where near Haute Horology or Horlogical Mechanical Machines.  When one thinks of Cartier, one does not think of tourbillons,  perpetual calenders, minute repeaters, sonneries,  they think of exceptional quality precision timepieces crafted in gold or steel, blued hands, Roman Numerals and perhaps diamonds. They think of wedding or anniversary gifts - a display of love and time.  Although this wonderful perception of Cartier will remain, among high end watch aficionado the perception of Cartier is in the process of change.  A change into the realm of innovative precision timekeeping, cutting edge efficiency, groundbreaking mechanical horological technology and extreme complications.

Fallen in love with this watch? To bad you never going to get your hands on it, but now that Cartier has wet your appetite for its high end energy efficient horological masterpiece, they have unveiled the
Rotonde de Cartier Astrotourbillon Carbon Crystal watch, with some (not all) of the neat Cartier ID two Concepts like the cutting edge Diamaze coating. This beauty has a real neat tourbillon doubling as a seconds hand.  The name is kind of galactic like a planet orbiting the sun. (Astro meaning Star).  Although this watch is available, unlike the Cartier ID Concept, it is limited to 50 pieces.

The Man Who Started the Wristwatch Trend

Albert Santos-Dumont had the vision to fly, and was one of the early pioneers of flying. He was a celebrity of his time, flying amidst the wondrous upturned faces of the public. They wanted to be like him to dress like him, he was their icon, their superstar, and anything he wore was replicated by thousands... and so the wristwatch became popular.

Santos-Dumont was born on July 20th, 1873, in the Brazilian town of Palmira, the sixth of eight children. His father was French, an engineer and he owned a coffee plantation in the state of Sao Paulo. His father was known as the " Coffee King of Brazil" as he made a large fortune utilizing latest labor saving inventions of that time.

Santos-Dumont ,as a young child, looked up into the brilliant expansive view of the Brazilian sky and dreamed of flying. His father sustained an injury by falling from a horse and moved the family to Europe. Santos-Dumont who had always been fascinated with machinery bought himself an automobile and later studied physics. chemistry, mechanics and electricity.
Still his dream of flying persisted and he hired an experienced balloon pilot to take him on as a passenger, then he piloted the balloons himself, and then flew dirigible balloons (many people are more familiar with the German Zeppelin like that which docked atop the Empire State Building).
Santos-Dumont built and flew 11 dirigibles from 1898 and 1905. He would cruise along Paris boulevards at rooftop level, landing outside outdoor cafes for lunch.

He won the Deutsch de la Meurthe Prize by flying his "lighter than air"aircraft from Parc Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower in less than thirty minutes, but it was the "heavier than air aircraft" that gained most of his attention. He flew an airplane he built, the 14-bis, on October 23, 1906, in front of a crowd of rapt spectators, 200 feet at a height of 10 feet above the ground. He was awarded the Archedeacon Prize in July 1906 as he was first aviator to fly more than 25 meters.

In 1904 while Santos-Dumont was celebrating his win of the Deutsch Price at the Maxim's Restaurant in Paris, he complained to his old friend ,Louis Cartier, about the difficulty of checking his pocket watch while trying to handle the controls of his aircraft. Santos-Dumont asked Louis Cartier to come up with a different way of checking the time whilst keeping both hands on the control. Louis Cartier and his master watchmaker ,Edmond Jaeger, brainstormed, and soon came up with the first prototype for a man's wristwatch. It was a watch on a leather strap with a buckle to be tied around the wrist. This was not the first time a wristwatch was invented, Patek Phillipe had created a wristwatch in 1868 for the Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, but Patek Phillipe creation was more of a style statement than the need for practicality.

After Santos-Dumont was presented with his wristwatch, he never flew without it, and it was with the Cartier wristwatch that Santos-Dumont, on November 12, 1906, used to confirm that he had broken his own personal record for flying 730 ft in twenty one seconds.

Santos-Dumont was nicknamed "le petit Santos" and the stylish of that time copied Santos-Dumont wardrobe from his high collared shirts to his singed Panama hat to his Cartier man's wristwatch. Santos-Dumont was indeed a trend setter, men are still very much wrist watch wearers; although they have done away with their high collared shirts and singed Panama hats.



To honor Santos Dumont, Cartier has an entire Collection of wristwatches called Santos de Cartier. This collection includes Santos 100, Santos Dumont, and Santos Demoiselle for ladies. The striking square case provides a sense of complete equilibrium as well as practicality.

Artistic Dials

Dials emerge among complications, chronographs and sports watches, vibrant in color and baring works of art worthy of display in many a museums. These dials fuse mechanical craftsmanship with
artistic masterpieces creating horological wonders.

The Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Tourbillon Lac is an extraordinary example of the mastery of mother-of-pearl inlay resulting in a dreamy landscape. The rocky outcrops surrounded by swirling colors are perfectly crafted pieces of mother-of-pearl originating from all the oceans of the world. At the 12 'o clock position, a tourbillon ensures gravity does not hinder the watch's impeccable timekeeping.





Cartier's Le Cirque Animalier Collection captures three dimensional bejeweled animals and contains them within the finest enclosures constructed from hand picked gems. Scratch resistant sapphire crystal ensures the utmost viewing pleasure and
incomparable clarity.








Alain Silberstein adds vibrant primary colors to his dials creating child-like images like pages from an infants hard board book. The Tourbillon D’Art Marine Blue Sea with its congenial date pointing star fish, maritime themed hand indicators and flustered looking fishy is wonderfully unique. Not to be swayed by the preschool presentation, a meticulously crafted tourbillon hides beneath the reeds.







Dimier, a sub brand of Bovet, presents recital 2. In this attractive timepiece flames lick the dial in dramatic curves cut out from the dial to display the Calibre DT7 movement beneath.

Magnificent dials nurture passion for timepieces, and nurture the passion for the movement that lies beneath.

Cartier Captures A Croc

There are a very few watch companies who can create a diamond encrusted crocodile, place it apon a dial, and make the look work. No. Not just work, but absolute mesmerize. Of course you must be wondering about the crocodile. Why would Cartier place a bejeweled crocodile on the dial?
The crocodile is part of the history of Cartier associated with a certain diva, Maria Felix. Maria Felix was a highly popular Mexican actress in the 1940's. It is well known that she adored crocodiles. As legend has it, she strode into a Cartier's Boutique one day and ordered a necklace in the likeness of a crocodile, and if by chance Cartier had difficulty visualizing a crocodile, she had one right ... here. And then much to everyones horrified amazement, she hauled a lively baby croc from her things. Since then she became a creative ally with the house of Cartier. In 2006, four years after her death, she was 87, Cartier created a watch line in her honor - The La Dona Collection.

- Maria Felix wearing her crocodile necklace.

The Crocodile on the black dial is curled around, almost protecting, a flying tourbillon. Sharing the dial with the croc, are two lotus flower resting at the 6 'o'clock position. Cartier's distinctive blued steel hands display the time above Cartier's in house mechanical manually wound movement Calibre 9458 MC which is placed off center to make space for the croc.

If Maria Felix were here today, she would greatly approve of this watch.

Wandering through airport terminals with Watches on my Mind.

Bvlgari BB23GLD Bvlgari-Bvlgari Black Dial Leather Women's Watch

The current time on my watch is 4:30pm. The current time in Spain - last stop before I hit the shores of the USA. My journey was marked with seeing close relatives for the first time in 15 years, and perusing watch boutiques at airport Duty- Free counters.

Cartier has a strong airport presence with Cartier Roadster Watches, Tanks, Pashas and the Santos Collections. Breitling, Omega, Bvlgari and Rolex are also quite prevalent. Swatch watches take up center stage and its position in the airport terminals are framed by towering pillers displaying the latest swatch models. Swatch Watches saved the watch industry and I have the utmost regard for them.

Cartier  Roadster Silver Dial White Gold and Leather Women's Watch 

As I was peering at the Breitling watches, I asked a lovely lady behind a watch counter if she had ever sold the Breitling Emergency watch at the airport. She looked at me with utter disdain.

"No!" she said shaking her head, "What if someone presses the emergency button in here, it would be mayham."

A sudden image of an emergency distress call specifically designed for civil aviation confusing air traffic control entered my mind. She had a point.

The Breitling Emergency broadcasts on the 151.5 MHz distress frequency. However, as of February 2009, the Cospas-Sarsat which operates a satellite constellation that relays distress alerts to search and rescue authorities through a worldwide ground communications network, stopped monitoring the 121.5/243 Mhz frequency's. Breitling has no plans to change the 121.5 MHz frequencies on its Breitling Emergencies as aviation will still monitor the 121.5 MHz frequency especially during a rescue attempt.

After perusing the terminals with my over sized carry on luggage banging against my legs, I sat down and decided to read a perfectly respectable paperback novel. Watches had left my mind for a moment that is until I glanced at a gentleman wearing a Longines Master Collection Retrograde. I closed my book and looked at the watch in all its glory.

With travel, one sees thousands of people and one notices their watches. In addition, watches are crucial during air travel. Cellphones cannot be turned on in the airplane and thus of no use when one wants to know the time.

A good watch is a great travel companion. 

First in House Movement for Louis Vuitton

This is probably one of the most beautiful watch designs I have ever seen. The Louis Vuitton Tambour Mysterieuse. The movement within this luxury watch is Louis Vuitton's first in house movement, making this watch collection a rarity. Louis Vuitton watches are hard to come by; but, the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy or LVMH group owns Zenith, Hublot and Tag-Heuer.

The Louis Vuttion Tambour Mysterieuse manually wound LV115 movement is suspended in the center of the dial between two layers of Sapphire Crystal. One cannot determine how the movement is attached to the crown or the rest of the watch. It is a mystery. Which we will leave unsolved.
The hands of the watch jut out from the edge of the movement adding to the illusion of complete suspension. These watches remind me of Cartier's famous mystery clocks of 1912 where the hands seemed suspended in mid air hence the name mystery. Both Louis Vuttion and Cartier are French Companies founded in Paris in 1854 and 1847 respectively.
The watch is crafted to expose the vibrant palette jewels. The Tampour Case might have been quite bulky except it is tapered providing an elegant unique look. The lugs balance the Tambour case.
Although the manual wind may seem like a burden, Louis Vuitton has crafted the watch with an 8 day power reserve.
Being that the Louis Vuitton Tambour Mysterieuse will cost you about $265,000, you can customize the watch to suit your style. You can choose to purchase the watch with its 42.5mm wide case in red,yellow or white gold or platinum. You can choose either diamonds, rubies or sapphires for your power reserve indicator and have the cut of your choice. If you are looking to purchase this watch anytime soon, you had better hurry and customize your choice. From the time you order until the time the watch is ready to ship, you will have to wait a year, but once the year is up you will have one handsome watch and quite mysterious too.

Cartier's Stunning La Dona Luxury Timepieces

La Dona Collection is a stunning collection of uniquely bold Cartier women's watches. The collection is named after a famous Mexican 1940's actress, Maria Felix. A Diva in her own right, she ignited the screen with her spirited, passionate and quite mischievous personality. The watches in her name are every bit bold and lovely, with a hint of naughtiness. It is well known that Maria Felix adored crocodiles. As legend has it, she strode into a Cartiers Boutique one day and requested that they make her a necklace in the likeness of a crocodile and if they had a problem visualizing a crocodile, she had one right ... here. With that she produced a lively baby croc from her things much to everyones amazement. Since then she became a creative ally with the house of Cartier. In 2006, four years after her death, she was 87, Cartier created a watch line in her honor.

Cartier La Dona de Cartier Ladies' Watch 18K Rose Gold Silver Dial Diamond Bezel

The case is distinctly trapezoidal, different just like Maria. The first watches in this collection were 18-karat white or yellow gold, available with or without a diamond bezel. Later the watch was released with either burgundy, pink or red alligator straps as well as steel. The watch has a Cartier calibre 059 quartz movement, Roman Numerals, sword-shaped blued steel hands.