By Norma Buchanan on March 07, 2010

TIME TEST: Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Time Test Kid

How much do you know about the various quality seals and certificates awarded to watch movements these days? Find out by taking the WatchTime test. As always, the answers appear at the bottom.

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By Joe Thompson on March 01, 2010

The Man Behind the Brand: George Graham

George Graham

Sixteen years ago, two young men born and raised in the Swiss watch town of La Chaux-de-Fonds and working in the watch industry teamed up with the notion of getting their own watch brand. The question confronting Eric Loth and Pierre-André Finazzi was which brand? The Swiss names they wanted, they couldn’t afford. The French brands they could afford, they didn’t want.

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By Mark Bernardo on February 21, 2010

Geneva Unconventionals

Geneva Time Exhibition

Every year, Richemont Group’s luxury watch brands, plus a handful of large, independent brands, exhibit their new watches at SIHH in Geneva’s labyrinthine Palexpo Center. This year, 38 small, independent watch brands put on their own show called the Geneva Time Exhibition (GTE) at the International Geneva Conference Center, in the heart of downtown, near the famed Place des Nations.

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By Mike Disher on February 15, 2010

Vacheron Constantin La Symbolique des Laques: 600 Years In The Making

Bambou et Sparrow

At SIHH, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the new Métiers d’Art collection, La Symbolique des Laques. The collection combines two ancient arts: watchmaking and maki-e. Vacheron, which dates to 1755, joins with Japanese maki-e masters Zôhiko, founded in 1661 and together, their more than 600 years of history combine to produce these masterpieces of functional art.

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By Mike Disher on February 08, 2010

Trivia Quiz: Brand Ambassadors

Trivia quiz

How well do you know your brand ambassadors? Grab a pencil or fire up your word processor and find out. We’ve assembled 20 ambassadors and 20 watch brands for you to match up. Some are current, some are from days gone by. Some are well known, others are more obscure. As always, the answers appear at the end. Good luck!

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Cartier, Patek Top Sellers At Patrizzi & Co. New York Auction

Cartier platinum tank watch

Patrizzi & Co. opened the 2010 season on March 9 in New York City. Sales exceeded $2 million and two-thirds of the 161 lots sold. The top price of $250,000 was paid for a 1929 gold and nephrite Cartier Comet table clock featuring grande sonnerie chimes—the most complicated mechanism ever made by the company. A Patek Philippe Celestial ref. 5102 wristwatch brought $180,000, and a platinum Louis Cartier Art Déco Tank watch produced in 1929 set a world record at $135,000 – well above the presale estimate.

Azimuth Xtreme-1 Collection

Azimuth Sea Hum GMT

Azimuth and Mexican explorer Fernando Alberto Lozano Andrade have collaborated to create the new Xtreme-1 series of three watches: the Sea Hum GMT, Sea Hum 3TZ, and the Deep Diver. Fernando has previously climbed two volcanos: 19,400 foot Licancabur in Chile-Bolivia, and 16,500 foot Popocatepetl in Mexico. This year he will climb the 22,608 foot Ojos del Salado volcano on the Argentina-Chile border and dive in its crater lake. If successful, Fernando will set a world record for high altitude diving.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Online Auction Benefits UNESCO World Heritage Site

JLC Geophysic Chronometer

Jaeger-LeCoultre presents its second online auction, taking place from March 18, 2010, to benefit the UNESCO World Heritage Center. This year, the Manufacture is offering an iconic and unique timepiece: one of the two vintage 1958 Geophysic Chronometers Model E168 tested by professional climber Stephane Schaffter and his team during their recent Geophysic Expedition to the Himalayas.

12 Faces of Time Book Signing At Baselworld

12faces_150

Author Elizabeth Doerr and photographer Ralf Baumgarten will be signing copies of Doerr’s new book Twelve Faces of Time during Baselworld. Joining them will be 11 of the watchmakers featured in the book: Philippe Dufour, Vianney Halter, Felix Baumgartner, Thomas Prescher, Volker Vyskocil, Paul Gerber, Beat Haldimann, Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, Kari Voutilainen, Roger Smith, and François-Paul Journe. The signing will take place March 20 and 21 at 2 p.m. at the Messeplatz, directly in front of Hall 1.0, in the book hut run by Watchprint.

H. Moser Perpetual 1 Takes Top Award

H. Moser Perpetual 1

H. Moser’s Perpetual 1 collected one of Germany’s most prestigious awards when more than 10,000 enthusiasts voted it the winner of the Goldene Unruh (Golden Balance) in the category for watches priced above 25,000 euros. The award is presented by WatchTime’s sister publication Uhren Magazin in partnership with the popular German magazine Focus. Ten watches in each of 5 price categories are presented and the winners are selected by popular vote by readers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

IWC and Parmigiani Go To The Oscars

Taylor Lautner

Top Hollywood celebrities wore IWCs as they made their way down the famous red carpet Sunday night. Taylor Lautner wore the Portuguese Chrono Automatic, Quentin Tarantino wore the Big Pilot, and Robin Williams wore the Pilot’s Mark XVI. Parmigiani Fleurier once again co-sponsored Sony Pictures Classics’ pre-Oscar celebration in Beverly Hills on Saturday night. Guests included Best Actress Nominee Carey Mulligan for “An Education” along with Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. Parmigiani is an active partner of Sony Pictures Classics events; this is the third Oscar event Parmigiani has sponsored for the independent film company.

Jon Omer to Head DeWitt North America

Jon Omer

DeWitt has announced that Jon Omer has joined the company and that he will lead all DeWitt activities in North America, including Mexico and the Caribbean. Prior to joining DeWitt, Mr. Omer served as vice president at Harry Winston where he reorganized distribution and grew sales. Mr. Omer also oversaw Bulgari’s growth in North America for more than 10 years. Mr. Omer is Chairman of the American Watch Association and on the Board of Directors of the American Watch Guild.

Breitling for Bentley Masterpiece: A Tribute to “W.O.”

Breitling Masterpiece

Each year, Breitling creates a unique piece named Bentley Masterpiece: a mechanical magnum opus combining tradition, performances and the finest craftsmanship. This year at Baselworld, Breitling will unveil its new, one-of-a-kind Grande Complication pocket watch dedicated to the Bentley’s founder. The 2010 Masterpiece combines two sophisticated complications: a perpetual calendar displaying the date, day, month, leap years and moon phases, and a minute repeater.

Awards Keep Coming for Lange Zeitwerk

Lange Zeitwerk

The members at TimeZone.com have voted the Lange Zeitwerk “Watch of the Year”. About 800 watch enthusiasts took part in the poll. This is the Zeitwerk’s ninth award since May, 2009. Last week, Lange’s latest iconic model took second prize in the category “Watches over 25,000 Euro” in Germany’s “Goldene Unruh” (Golden Balance) awards given by WatchTime’s sister publication Uhren Magazin in cooperation with Germany’s Focus magazine. More than 10,000 people cast votes in that competition.

Hublot Announces New U.S. and Latin America President

Beatrice de Quervain Blanchard

Hublot has announced the appointment of Beatrice de Quervain Blanchard as U.S. President. De Quervain Blanchard will join Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver and Managing Director Ricardo Guadalupe to oversee the U.S. expansion strategy. At Hublot, de Quervain Blanchard will focus on gaining market share through a diverse marketing program that will include the opening of new boutique stores, a strong wholesale network and newsworthy communications initiatives.