Around the Web: The Cartier/Chanel/Tourneau Feud, CNN on Pre-Owned Watches, and More

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, and it is time for our final installment of “Around the Web” for 2013. WatchTime social media maven Alan Loren updates watch aficionados with what we thought were some of the most interesting watch-related stories and news tidbits of the past weeks, culled from the websites of your favorite brands as well as some of the most popular watch blogs and other media. Here’s what caught our eye on the web this week, with updates on Captain Bligh, Tourneau, Cartier, Channel, MB&F, and buying pre-owned watches.

1. Captain Bligh Only Wanted to Return His Watch

Captain William Bligh, of “Mutiny on the Bounty” fame,  had more than personal survival on his mind when first mate Fletcher Christian and part of the HMS Bounty crew mutinied in 1789.  Before Bligh was kicked off the ship, the captain begged his sailors to let him take K2, the ship’s chronometer, with him.  The mutineers did not accede to the request, and instead made off with the chronometer when they fled to Pitcairn Island.

According to a report in the Miami Herald earlier this year, Bligh had taken personal responsibility for the instrument in a note to the British Admiralty in 1787, two years before the mutiny.  The chronometer, which enabled sailors to figure out their longitude, cost $18,000 (US) in today’s dollars, an astronomical sum in the 18th century. So it is little surprise the captain had a vested interest in saving the timepiece for the crown.

The rest of the story is fascinating, and you can read it by clicking here.

Can you think of any watches you might be willing to take a stand for were you in Captain Bligh’s position?  Let us know in the comments below.

2. A Juicy Story from the New York Post

This one has all the elements of high drama;  broken promises, a jilted lover, sealed lips.  The New York Post reports on a donnybrook that’s brewing involving luxury icons Chanel and Cartier and renowned watch retailer Tourneau.

The New York tabloid relates that in 2011, Tourneau asked Chanel to open a stand on the main floor of its flagship Manhattan location.  As real estate in the prestigious store is sorely limited, perhaps it was inevitable that the Chanel display would be placed near that of another iconic luxury brand. In this particular case, it was put directly next to the display of a rival, Cartier.

Oh yes, did we mention that the Chanel display was particularly fetching?

Cartier was none too pleased with the potential threat to its Tourneau business, according to the Post account.  It also allegedly had no qualms telling Tourneau, essentially, “It’s us or them.”

To find out the rest of the story, you can click right here.