In his new movie The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone wears the Panerai Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante (PAM332). Panerai will produce only 500 examples of the chronometer-certified special limited edition, which features a split-second chronograph that counts down the 5 minutes to the start of a yacht race.

The DLC-treated Luminor case measures 44mm in diameter, and DLC treatment has also been extended to the three buttons, winding crown and trademark lever bridge which protects the crown and ensures its watertight seal. Waterproof to 100 meters or 10 bar, this watch has a screw-down back plate which is burnished and engraved with the logo of the Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge, along with the edition year and the model’s identifying numbers and production number. The Panerai Classic Yachts Challenge brings together magnificent yachts from days gone by, restored to their former glory and ready to do battle in a series of regattas on an international circuit, with stages in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

The Regatta Rattrapante dial is covered by 2-mm thick anti-reflective sapphire glass and has a black clou de Paris background: a close-knit weave that gives an impression of depth and highlights the two Arabic numbers and the stud hour markers, luminescent like the hands except for the first of the two chronograph markers, which is blue with just a tiny luminescent point on its tip. The tachymeter scale is imprinted into the raised edge of the dial, while the five minute countdown is also highlighted in blue, shown on the minute counter square.

The Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante has automatic OP XVIII calibre movement, 13 ¼ lines in diameter, with double column wheel – distinctive elements of high-quality rattrapante chronographs. The rattrapante or split-second chronograph allows timing of two events starting at the same time, thanks to a second hand that can be stopped and then realigned with the first while the latter continues its course. The third button, at 8 o’clock, stops and realigns the second hand. With its polished decorated surfaces and levers, the Regatta movement also has official C.O.S.C. certification.

The new Luminor 1950 Regatta Rattrapante has a leather strap with burnished buckle bearing the Panerai logo. It comes complete with a spare strap that can be fitted with the tool provided.

The Expandables brings together an all-star tough-guy cast including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolf Lundgren, Steve “Stone Cold” Austin, and Randy Couture. It is in theaters now.

Girard-Perregaux has added a Perpetual Calendar to its classically-styled 1966 collection. The 40mm case houses in-house caliber GP033Q0 with 288 components. The caliber uses the Manufacture’s exclusive Microvar variable inertia balance, which is visible through the watch’s transparent case-back.

The Girard-Perregaux 1966 collection is named in honor of the Neuchâtel Observatory’s Centenary Prize, awarded to the Manufacture in 1966 for its achievements in the field of chronometry. This timepiece features a slightly domed dial with a classic symmetrical layout. Delicate gold leaf-shaped hands indicate the hours and minutes while blued hands mark the day, date and month. The moonphase indicator in gold with blue background appears at 6 o’clock.

This piece is available as a limited and numbered edition of 99 pieces in white gold and 99 pieces in pink gold.

Technical specifications appear below the images, which may be enlarged with a click.

Technical Specifications

Pink gold or white gold case
Diameter: 40.00 mm
Height: 10.74 mm
Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
Sapphire case-back
Water resistance: 30 meters

Girard-Perregaux GP033Q0 movement
Mechanical self-winding
Calibre: 26.20 mm
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations/hour (4 Hz)
Power reserve: minimum 46 hours
Jewels: 26
Functions: hours, minutes, perpetual calendar and moon phases indicator
Balance: Microvar, variable inertia

Alligator strap, ardillon buckle in 18 karat gold

Bremont has produced a bespoke mechanical clock and stopwatch for the Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept Car, a one-of-a-kind design project that was displayed on the Pebble Beach Concept Car Lawn during the recent Concours d’Elegance.

Bremont co-founder Giles English commented, “Jaguar is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of luxury cars and a great British brand. We are very proud to have been asked to make this clock for their XJ75 car and were keen to make something different for Jaguar. As such rather than a quartz clock we have created a beautiful mechanical clock that also has a chronograph function”.

The Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept helps celebrate Jaguar’s 75th Anniversary, and highlights the uniqueness of the XJ. The concept hints at design customization possibilities with this luxury sedan.

Chief Designer for the XJ, Giles Taylor, comments on the project, “Jaguar has a rich heritage of producing beautifully engineered cars with sleek, sporting body styles. As we create modern Jaguars for our future range of customers, the same design principles that underpinned the creation of such icons as E type and the original XJ guide us today. There should be an effortless visual purity with any new Jaguar design, borne from an understanding of the functional and technical aspects of the vehicle, whether sports or saloon. On this basis, our collaboration with Bremont in developing a new clock for XJ75 has been seamless. Our design teams talk a similar language when it comes to clean cut form with a sharp, sporting edge. The XJ75 Bremont clock design has superb functional clarity in its detailing and this is combined with a beautifully crafted outer metal bezel that suggests strength and longevity. It fits the crafted luxury feel of the XJ interior perfectly and all who have seen it so far ask the same question: How can I dismount it and wear it on my wrist?”

Frédérique Constant has partnered with Cohiba premium cigars to create two bespoke wristwatches exclusively for the U.S. and its territories, including the U.S Virgin Islands. The “Frédérique Constant for Cohiba Limited Edition” timepieces will be unveiled at a private VIP reception on September 22 at Club Macanudo in New York City.

Designed as an homage to the Cohiba brand, each of the handcrafted Swiss wristwatches features an ivory-colored dial with tobacco brown Roman numerals in a sleek, rectanguar case with a hand-sewn tobacco brown Croco-pattern calf strap.

Presented in a handsome wood humidor that features a window to showcase the handcrafted cigars within, only a 376 individually-numbered pieces will be available. The steel model (limited to 188 pieces) will be available solely at authorized Frédérique Constant retailers for a suggested retail price of $1,650, and the rose gold-plated watch (limited to 188 pieces) will carry a $1,750 suggested price. Each humidor will contain 25 Cohiba Crystal cigars, handmade in the Dominican Republic.

In 2004 Parmigiani’s Bugatti Type 370 wowed the watch world with its horizontal, engine block-inspired movement layout. Fast-forward to 2010 and its wow time again at Parmigiani. WatchTime attended the launch of the wild new Super Sport, fittingly held during Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend. We have exclusive photos of the launch, the watch, and the latest Bugatti Veyron whose name it shares.

You may enlarge the images with a click.

Genesis, and the Veyron

The story begins in 2009. The last of the original Parmigiani Bugatti Type 370s have been spoken for. Bugatti approached Parmigiani and said “We must do something very special for our 100th anniversary. It’s next year.”

Bringing an amazing new watch to market in one year sounds impossible, and for most watch brands, it would be, but Parmigiani had two advantages. First, some work had already been done on a new movement, so the project did not start from absolute zero. Second, and of greater significance, Parmigiani is one of the very few watch manufacturers in the world that makes every mechanical part in their watches, not to mention their own cases, dials and hands. In fact, they make everything except the crystal and the strap. This means they are not captive to third-party limitations and delivery schedules. They possess the entire means to move as far, and as fast, as their imaginations can take them. On this project, that capability proved decisive.

Parmigiani’s movement manufacture, and the original Bugatti Type 370

Parmigiani put 40 of their best people on the project. The result is the Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport. The name is taken from the latest, fastest, most outrageous Veyron, a car that was outrageousness-squared to begin with. Where regular Veyrons have 1001 horsepower, the Super Sport adds another 200. It leaves F1 race cars in the dust. In June, a Veyron Super Sport captured the world land speed record for production cars at 431 kph or 267 mph.

Generating these face-flattening speeds presented Bugatti’s engineers with, as they say on Top Gear, a series of challenges. For example, the massive mid-mounted, 16 cylinder, quad-turbo engine should have its own nuclear cooling tower, but that is not really practical, so Bugatti opted for 10 radiators. As we shall see, Parmigiani faced a similar series of engineering challenges developing the Super Sport’s namesake timepiece.

A Veyron for the Wrist

Parmigiani’s Super Sport is, as it should be, a driver’s watch. That means it is physically laid out so the time can be easily read by a driver while his hand is on the steering wheel. Most so-called driver’s watches simply rotate the movement in the case to create a more favorable orientation. Parmigiani took a far more extreme, far more difficult tact: the dial is located on the side of a radically-shaped case.

Aesthetically, the case approaches perfection. The shape mimics the best automotive design (or even airplane design), because it looks fast sitting still. A cross-section of the case brings to mind an airplane wing, and the overall shape is reminiscent of the teardrop bodies on those beautiful, early, land-speed record holders. The broad edge creates a plane on which the dial can be oriented so that it faces a driver with his hands on the wheel. The sapphire-covered top of the case provides a window overlooking the groundbreaking power-source beneath.

Like the movement, the case is made by Parmigiani, fashioned from 18k white gold. Two of the lugs are articulated to ensure a comfortable fit. Not one, or two, but six sapphire crystals satisfy even the most ardent horological voyeurs, providing views of the engine from all sides. Any watch associated with the Veyron Super Sport must present compelling aesthetics. Parmigiani’s Super Sport delivers.

World Firsts Under the Hood

Of course the finest examples of the horological arts possess stunning exterior design, but they also incorporate an appropriately sized and shaped movement. At the highest levels, movements and cases are literally made for each other. Most timepieces today use movements that are the wrong shape, wrong size, or both. In a world of size 6 movements in size 12 cases, the Parmigiani Calibre PF 372 inside the Super Sport is entirely bespoke: every part is crafted to the exact size and shape needed not only to do its job, but to create a whole designed for this timepiece.

If you know watch movements, looking at the Super Sport may cause momentary confusion. The design has an M.C. Escher quality. Through the top of the case, you see the plate on one plane, but the time display is on another, then there is the position of the crown… how do they do that?

The manually-wound Calibre PF 372 was designed in two planes to match the contours of the case, and to orient the dial in the “driver’s watch” position. If the watch is laid flat, the movement is at a 30° angle. Parmigiani flips all the mechanical components of the new calibre PF 372 onto a vertical axis, while retaining a lateral time display for the driver.

One of the major challenges this design presented is time setting. Parmigiani solved the problem with a world first – a 90° time-setting system. The dial is positioned perpendicular to the display axis by integrating a system of double pinions with bevel gearing. A slight pressure applied to the crown is sufficient to retract the winding stem from its housing and make it accessible for setting.

At the top of the case, where one might expect to see the time display, we find instead the main plate. The balance and escape wheels are visible in what we might normally call the 6 o’clock position. The power reserve sits at 12 o’clock with a graduated scale representing the movement’s 10 day power reserve. The movement has 10 bridges, and it is made up of 337 components. The movement is entirely fabricated by Parmigiani in-house, and this timepiece enjoys a 10 year warranty.

Turning the watch to view the dial, complexity becomes simplicity. In an homage to the Veyron Super Sport’s exterior finishing, orange hour and minute hands turn above a carbon fiber dial. The Parmigiani and Bugatti trademark logos remind you that you’re wearing something very special.

The Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport shown here is a numbered limited edition of 30 pieces. Its colors and materials compliment the Veyron Super Sport: black-gold finish on the plates and bridges, orange hands and power reserve indications, and a carbon fiber dial and hour wheel. The buyer of the first Veyron Super Sport has the opportunity to purchase Number 1 in this series. WatchTime understands that several Veyron Super Sport automobiles have already been ordered, so Number 1/30 is probably spoken for. Orders are being accepted now, and deliveries will begin in early to mid 2011. Parmigiani can produce only 1 to 2 pieces per month. The USA price is $259,000.

Click here to view images from the official launch of the Parmigiani Bugatti Super Sport

Click here to view images from the official Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport launch at The Quail, plus shots from the Pebble Beach Concours and the Bugatti Grand Prix at the Laguna Seca Historic Races.

IWC has secured another starring role on the big screen, this time in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Watches from Schaffhausen land on the wrists of both lead actors: Michael Douglas as the notorious Gordon Gekko and Shia LaBeouf as the innovative Jacob Moore. The film is the long-awaited sequel to Stone’s 1987 Academy Award-winning Wall Street.

LaBeouf’s character is a well-educated, talented, driven trader with a passion for the finer things in life. He wears the IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar, Ref. IW502303. Gekko, just out of prison and trying to save Wall Street from the financial meltdown he foresees, wears the IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar Edition Kurt Klaus in rose gold, Ref. IW376205.

The film co-stars Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Eli Wallach and Susan Sarandon. Opening September 24.

Click the image below to visit the film’s official website.

Jean-Marie Schaller, CEO of Les Ateliers Louis Moinet, and Don FitzHenry, CEO of Milestone Distribution, have signed a new agreement under which Milestone will distribute Louis Moinet timepieces in the USA. The agreement reflects Louis Moinet’s commitment to strengthen its position in the US through this association with a trusted distributor. Milestone also distributes the Cuervo y Sobrinos and H. Moser brands in the US market.

Below, Don FitzHenry, CEO of Milestone Distribution, and the Rosetta Stone model from Louis Moinet’s Meteoris collection

The United States Tennis Association has announced a multi-year extension of their long-standing marketing partnership with Citizen Watch Company. With the current partnership agreement set to expire following the 2010 U.S. Open, this new five-year extension will keep Citizen in place as a USTA Corporate Champion and as the Official Timekeeper of the U.S. Open through the 2015 event. Citizen has been a partner of the USTA and the U.S. Open since 1993.

In addition to extending the current partnership agreement for the U.S. Open, Citizen will become an Official Sponsor and the Exclusive Timekeeper of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women’s Open tournament, beginning in 2011. Citizen will also maintain its position as an Official Sponsor of Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, the interactive tennis and entertainment festival that serves as the unofficial kick-off of America’s Grand Slam.

“Citizen is one of our longest-standing partners and it is a testament to the power of the US Open—especially in these challenging times—that a corporation of Citizen’s stature has decided to extend our partnership for another five years,” said Harlan Stone, Chief Business and Marketing Officer for the USTA. “The USTA prides itself on maintaining long-term relationships, and we are extremely grateful that Citizen has decided to continue their investment in the U.S. Open and continue to support the growth of tennis.”

Laurence R. Grunstein, President of Citizen Watch Company of America, continues, “Citizen is also pleased to have renewed its longstanding relationship with the USTA as the Official Timekeeper of the US Open. Tennis is among the few sports that resonate strongly with women as well as men, and a majority of Citizen’s customers around the world follow tennis. The U.S. Open, which boasts the widest event attendance worldwide, also broadcasts in more than 180 countries, providing the additional benefit of international exposure. Citizen’s association with the USTA has been great for our brand, and renewing the contract for another five years will enable us to continue to promote our brand on a global basis.”

The 2010 U.S. Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess, a full-day tennis and music festival for children and families, will take place Saturday, August 28. The U.S. Open is the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world with more than 720,000 fans in attendance in 2009. More than 100 million viewers watched the 2009 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel. International broadcasts of the U.S. Open reached more than 180 countries. In 2009, Juan Martin del Potro won his first US Open singles title and Kim Clijsters, who is a brand ambassador for Citizen, capped her return to the game with her second U.S. Open title.

Laurence Grunstein, President of Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc., (left) and Harlan Stone, Chief Business & Marketing Officer for the USTA at the National Tennis Center.

Linde Werdelin announces the launch of its first women’s watch: The White Watch. Based on the popular 3-Timer model, it has been given a softer and more elegant touch while a new strap has been fitted to accommodate smaller feminine wrists.

LW believes the 3-Timer’s design constitutes the perfect model on which to base the brand’s first women’s watch. Starting from the delicate pattern of the dial to the slender, sleek hands and discreet indexes, bearing the minimum luminous material possible and combined with the white color details, The White Watch is designed to complement a lady’s wardrobe. “Women today tend to prefer and wear bigger sized watches and I am very pleased that our designs, although male marketed, are appealing to women as well. Maintaining the brand’s DNA is very important for LW and The White Watch is no exception” says Morten Linde.

While the strap mechanism remains the same, the white calfskin chosen for the new model has a reduced width which allows the watch to sit well on slender wrists. With white as the dominating color the dial and calfskin strap match the details in color on the screws and 24-hour bezel markings.

On the decision to add a women’s watch to the Linde Werdelin collection, Jorn Werdelin commented “It is not our intention to produce a women’s line, but because of the strong market request and Morten thinking that it could be an interesting design exercise, we are launching today The White Watch.”

Look for The White Watch at U.S. retailers in October.

Technical specifications appear below the image, which may be enlarged with a click.

Technical Specifications

Limited to 51 pieces

Size 46mm (w) & 42mm (bezel) by 49mm (l) by 12mm (h) – (Wears like a 42mm)

Movement
ETA 2893 – A2 mechanical automatic with 42-hour power reserve

Case
Steel case with screw-on steel case-back
Screw in crown with LW logo
24-hour bidirectional turning bezel
2.2mm anti-reflective sapphire crystal

Dial & Hands
Black galvanic sanitized dial with silver print
12 rhodium plated applied indexes with Super LumiNova®
Date at 4 o’clock
Diamond cut rhodium plated hands with applied Super LumiNova®

Water Resistance
300 m / 1,000 ft

Strap
White pointed calf strap with steel deployant buckle

U.S. retail price $5,580

Former Romain Jerome CEO Yvan Arpa has joined New York-based Jacob & Co. as COO. During Arpa’s tenure at Romain Jerome, the brand produced some of the most provocative timepieces of the decade, including one made from pieces of the Titanic, another priced at $300,000 that did not tell the time, and the moon dust-laced “The Truth About Roswell”. Jacob & Co. is best known for large, colorful, jewel-encrusted watches often worn by celebrities and hip-hop stars.

Below, RJ’s “The Truth About Roswell” and a classic Jacob & Co. five timezone watch.

In 2006, Jacob & Co. ventured into haute horlogerie (courtesy of now-defunct BNB Concept) with the groundbreaking Quenttin watch, which featured a 31 day power reserve and a vertical tourbillon.

Jacob & Co. is also known for its colorful namesake founder Jacob Arabo, born Yakov Arabov, better known as Jacob the Jeweler. In June, 2008, Arabo was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $2 million for lying to officials during an investigation into a drug and money-laundering operation. A judge later reduced Arabo’s sentence by seven months, citing his charity work.

Recent headlines indicate that Arabo is suing Kenneth Starr over $14 million lost in various investments, and Arabo is pursuing rapper and Hatian-presidential-hopeful Wyclef Jean in court to recover more than $300,000 allegedly owed for items Jean purchased from Jacob & Co., including Rolex and Chopard wristwatches.

Given what Arpa and Arabo have cooked up separately, it’s hard to imagine what these two chefs might prepare working in the same kitchen. A watch than tells the time on 5 planets? Watch cases made from Biggie’s SUV? We should find out at Baselworld 2011. Stay tuned.