Yves Rossy: Hublot's Fusion Man

Hublot is a watch company at the edge of its game, creating adventurous bold timepieces. It is little wonder Hublot sponsors Yves Rossy. The picture above was taken many feet above the earth surface where only Mr Rossy, a former fighter pilot and current pilot, and his incredible flying machine rules the sky. The four German built model aircraft engines which provide 200lb thrust each, enable the 110lb foldable carbon wings and Rossy in his 120lb suit to ascend 200ft a minute. Flying at over 300km/h and at a dizzying height of 2000 meters Yves Rossy amazes the spectators.

On September 26th, 2008, Yves Rossy became the first man to fly across the English Chanel, from Calais, France to Dover, UK propelled by his 8ft feet wings and jet pack on his back he glided and steered using his body until he covered the distance of 35 kilometers in just 13 minutes.

The idea of flight is as old as time itself. Which man has not gazed into the heavens and spotted an eagle soaring on the wind and not wished it for himself? I was reminded of Icarus soaring through the clouds. As the legend has it, Icarus's father Daedalus fashioned for he and his son wings and wax to escape King Minos. He was warned not to go to close to the sun as the wax would melt. Icarus being carried away by the euphoria of flight did not heed to his fathers warning and flew close to the sun. The wax melted and his feathers fluttered away. Icarus kept flapping his wings, but without feathers he plummeted to the ground.

FusionMan a.k.a Yves Rossy is at home in the sky, and his exceptional passion and knowledge of flight propels him to push to the extreme. His flying machine is cutting edge technology utilizing materials and pushing the principles of aerodynamics like never before. Hublot's Big Bang watches fuses ancient and high tech materials creating a timepiece of incredible structure, durability and style.

Fusionman man is the perfect compliment to thew vision of Hublot where the adventure of horology has no end in sight. I have no doubt that both FusionMan and Hublot will continue to amaze us with adventures beyond our realm of imagination.

A lady loves Cartier!

Cartier Love Ladies' Watch 18K Rose Gold Silver Dial Diamond Bezel on Black Satin Strap 

With a delicate 23,5 mm dial, the Cartier Love Watch is for a lady of class and distinction. The trademark Cartier Love symbols are imprinted on the 18k rose gold bezel. The bezel thickness resembles a ring. A ring. A symbol of love. The blued hand indicators and Roman Numerals are distinctly Cartier. The timepiece is softened by a strap of smooth black satin.

The Love Collection includes exceptional rings and bracelets. Within the love collection are Love Music, Love Films, Love artists and a Love Charity.

Love Charity by Cartier supports Action against Hunger. With Cartier's committed support over the next three years, Action against Hunger is helping children in the Burmese State of North Rakhina. As a result of Cartier's contribution, 1000 children between the ages of 6 and 10 ,who are severely malnourished, will be cared for by Action against Hunger in their nutritional centers. There they will be provided with intense medical nutritional treatment and health education sessions. Cartier's Love Charity Bracelet helps support Action against Hunger and the constant effort with minority groups whose lives were devastated by Cyclone Nargis in May of2008.

Audemars Piguet spins a magical masterpiece.

Ever glance at something so beautiful, so arresting that your heart seems to leap out of your chest and your mouth drops in a gape of pure wonderment. Well that is what happened to me when I gazed at Audemars Piguet latest creation: the Audemars Piguet Millenary Calcedoine. I will go on to describe various aspects of the watch, but as per the Gestalt perspective, "the whole differs from the some of its parts" We cannot understand the magnificence of the watch when broken down into the description of its parts.

The price is high, but as Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel designer says, "I can be interested in a $20m diamond I will never buy, without desiring the diamond. If you want only things you can afford, it's boring too." The economy may be in a down turn, but can you imagine if companies like Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin stop producing masterpieces what will the world be then? What would we admire and praise? No! These companies must continue producing beautiful masterpieces.

I love the numbers on the dial, they seem to be vanishing like Alice down the rabbit hole, providing the watch with a whimsical touch. Orbits of 395 brilliant-cut diamonds shimmer on 18K pink gold. The in-house Audemars Piguet Calibre 2861 manually wound tourbillon movement is visible both through the front and back.

The luxury watch has a Galuchat strap -Galuchat, refers to sharkskin or stingray skin named after Louis XV’s master leather artisan, Jean-Claude Galuchat, who introduced this exotic material to France during the 18th century.

To the left of the watch face lies the tourbillon. The tourbillon ,was invented in 1795 by French watchmaker Abraham-Louis ,to reduce the effect gravity has on a pocket watch. The effects of gravity on a wristwatch is questionable as well as the actual effect of gravity on a watch movement; however, the tourbillon has become a respected complication coveted for its aesthetic appeal, mesmerising spins and intricate craftsmanship.

If you have a pretty penny to spend and an ultra-luxury watch to buy, place your name on the waiting list and wait. A watch like this cannot be rushed.

Wear your loved one on your watch?

Have you ever heard of a company LifeGem? Iit is a company with quite a unique product. They turn pure carbon derived from the remains of loved ones and turn them into man made diamonds. The concept may sound a little bizarre, but people are buying it.

In fact as reported on LifeGem's website, a lock of hair Micheal Jackson's hair, which was salvaged by his executive producer ,Ralph Cohen, when Jackson's hair became inflamed during a Pepsi commercial, will be transformed into diamonds. John Reznikoff, a highly regarded collector who has hair from Einstein, Lincoln and a host of other famous individuals who have now passed on, and LifeGem are expecting to collect a small fortune for the gems. It is not the first time. LifeGem and Reznikoff joined forces and produced a diamond from Beethoven's locks which fetched Two Hundred Thousand Dollars. Of course they are expecting quite a bit more for a diamond produced from Micheal Jackson's hair. One of the diamond's will be presented to Jackson's family free of charge.

LifeGem had this to say:“We specialize in creating diamonds from locks of hair. Our plan is to give people an opportunity to own a diamond made from Michael Jackson’s DNA,” said Dean VandenBiesen founder of LifeGem. “We are currently evaluating Jackson's hair sample to determine how many diamonds can be created. This will be a limited collection and we anticipate great interest.”
I must say once I got over my initial objections, I found the diamonds to be quite pretty, and the concept intriguing. LifeGem embraces the sensitive issues of loss with compassion. They even have a LifeGem for pets. It seems the website only has diamond rings, but imagine a luxury watch covered with diamonds from a loved one. The timeless factor is endless.

Swarovski Enters a New Dimension

As I mentioned in previous blogs, Swarovski the highly famed crystal company has introduced a line of exceptional watches. Many larger companies begin to manufacture watches in addition to their clothing and jewelry lines; however Swarovski has something new to add to the watch market, its superior knowledge of crystal craftsmanship. The latest in a arresting array of watches is the Oceta Sports Ladies Watch.

The Octea Sports Ladies Watch has a 39mm wide case, which is quite the fashion. The bezel is shimmering with Swarovski faceted crystals lending a light and airy look to the watch. Based on a diver's watch ,complete with a rotating bezel, the Swarovski Octea Sports Ladies Watch, is quite appealing both in look and functionality. The Octea Sports is available in numerous appealing colors such as dark blue, black, pink and magenta. The movement is Swiss Quartz and the watch is available with a rubber or metal bracelet. Priced in $800 range, this watch will looks great in the summer sun.

Corum Golden Bridge for the Ladies

Corum has taken a new position in regard to its iconic Golden Bridge collection by placing the he hand-wound mechanical baton movement horizontally. 2.5 carats of diamonds cluster on the bezel like flood lights illuminating a grand spectacle. And grand it is, the wheels in motion are captivating beneath the exquisitely engraved bridge.
The sultry curved lines of the bezel, perpendicular to the bridge provides exudes a sense of liquidity and elegance. The angled rows of diamonds are set with incredible precision.

As a result of the incredible complexity and craftsmanship required to manufacture a luxury watch with this degree of excellence, only a few Golden Bridge for ladies will be crafted each year. The watches will be available in either 18k red or white gold.

This watch is a true testament to Rene Bannwart, Corum's founder. Since Corum's establishment in 1955, Brannwart vision was to have highly unusual and aesthetically pleasing luxury watches. It was a given that movement of the watches were perfect, it was the perfect design Bannwart sought.

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.