BREGUET ACQUIRES AN EXCEPTIONAL TURKISH WATCH AT AUCTION IN BEIJING

The Breguet Museum has acquired an extremely prestigious watch, made in 1808 for a dignitary of the Ottoman Empire, for the sum of CHF 650,000. This represents a record bid for a Turkish-style Breguet watch, and also a record for a pocket-watch auctioned on the youthful inland China market.
This historical piece was ordered in 1807 by His Excellency Esseid Ali Effendi, former Turkish ambassador to Paris of the nation nicknamed “The Sublime Portal”, and a personal friend of Abraham-Louis Breguet. He contributed to the latter’s early awareness of the Turkish market’s significance, especially since Turkey was the only major power still allied with Napoleonic France… One may recall at this juncture that Napoleon’s gift to mark the instatement of Sultan Mahmud II in 1813 was a Breguet sympathique clock covered in precious stones – the most expensive object ever made by A.-L. Breguet, and which is still kept in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

The Breguet N° 1090 Grande Complication watch is a quarter-repeating model with independent grande and petite sonnerie featuring a case and double-case enamelled in the classic Turkish style, along with a dial graced with ancient Arabic numerals – all in an exceptionally good state of conservation. This piece was the highlight of the sale held by Poly Auction in Beijing and generated intense bidding. It will thus now be joining the other Breguet Museum treasures and will be exhibited in a few weeks’ time in Paris in the Breguet Museum located above the iconic boutique on the Place Vendôme.

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Merry xtmas!!!

CHOCRÓN PRESENTA EL NUEVO CATÁLOGO BENÉFICO Ch-2012 “Diez personas 10” Autorretratos.

Chocrón Joyeros reunió a más de 300 ilustres invitados en el emblemático Palacio de la Bolsa de Madrid para celebrar la gala de presentación de su catálogo benéfico 2012, titulado “Diez personas 10”. Autorretratos.
Un año más, diez personalidades de enorme prestigio social y profesional accedieron de manera absolutamente desinteresada a colaborar con Chocrón Joyeros en su esfuerzo por apoyar a los más necesitados, posando ante el objetivo del fotógrafo norteamericano Brian Hallett a cambio de una aportación económica destinada a una Fundación, Asociación benéfica u ONG de su elección.
El actor Imanol Arias, el campeón del mundo Alvaro Arbeloa, la reciente ganadora de un Grammy Latino Niña Pastori, el tenista Feliciano López, la bailarina y Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Artes Tamara Rojo, el diseñador Adolfo Domínguez, la reconocida soprano Ainhoa Arteta, el Chef varias estrellas Michelin Paco Roncero, la prestigiosa presentadora Anne Igartiburu y el conocido periodista deportivo Paco García Caridad aceptaron el reto de hacer su “Autorretrato”, explorando su faceta más personal e intimista que queda plasmada en unas instantáneas absolutamente inéditas.
Las fotos solidarias ocuparán las primeras páginas del Catálogo de imagen de Chocrón Joyeros 2012, que incorporará un vídeo con los momentos más significativos del making of.

Anne Igartiburu fue la encargada de presentar la gala en la que los protagonistas del Catálogo benéfico 2012 hicieron personalmente entrega de sus donaciones a los representantes de las Organizaciones escogidas.
Entre los amigos de Chocrón que no quisieron faltar al evento, se encontraban rostros conocidos como Genoveva Casanova, embajadora de la firma, Imanol Arias acompañado por Irene Meritxell, Xabi Alonso, Álvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Niña Pastori con Chaboli, Ainhoa Arteta, Anne Igartiburu, Aitor Karanka, Paco García Caridad, Remedios Cervantes, Lluvia Rojo, Sergi Arola, Paco Roncero, Darío Barrio, Víctor Ochoa y Angel Martín, entre otros.

THE AUDEMARS PIGUET FOUNDATION LAUNCHES A SCHOOL BOAT ON THE AMAZON

A new boat is crisscrossing the Amazon region of Peru. Funded by the Audemars Piguet Foundation, the Selma Viva (a name that means ‘living forest’) is dedicated to serving the Indian populations living along the river and who are the best guardians of the Amazonian forest.This summer, a group composed of representatives of the French non-governmental organization ARUTAM which will operate the Selva Viva, and of the Audemars Piguet Foundation which is backing the project, tested the boat before it performed its first missions. Eight days of navigation along the Amazon and two of its tributaries, the Marañon and the Samiria, enlivened by encounters with the Cocama Indias living along its banks, served to highlight both the qualities of the boat and the villagers’ expectations regarding its future missions.

A traditional boat equipped with state-of-the-art technologiesThe story of the Selva Viva began in Belem, a poor district of Iquitos, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon region. Amid the floating houses, jobless workers built a large wooden boat of the kind that existed when the city was the hub of the rubber trade.Inside it throbs a sturdy second-hand engine, while the upper deck is equipped with cutting-edge technologies such as GPS, sonar, satellite phone and laboratory instruments, all indispensable means that will enable it to safely accomplish its future missions.

Living along the riverAs the natural guardians of the forest, Indians will find it easier to resist the lure of the city shanty towns if they are better trained in their home villages and can gain additional income from the sale of medicinal plants for which there is strong demand in the city.In this part of the Amazon region where there are no roads, villagers travel to the city once a year to sell their harvest, drifting with the current on hand-made rafts in a journey that can take several weeks, before returning by an expensive taxi-boat service.

TrainingThe main mission of the boat will be educational. With its three decks, four two-bed cabins, a kitchen, a dining room, toilets, laboratory and a study, the Selva Viva will enable specially trained shamans to help the villagers perfect their knowledge and practice of traditional medicine and to safeguard the biodiversity of the Amazonian medicinal plants.

ResearchResearchers will regularly use the boat for missions serving to make an inventory of the Amazonian flora, in order to help in its conservation. They will also facilitate exchanges of knowledge between villages and will enable villagers, who have few opportunities to meet each other due to the extremely long journeys by dugout canoe from one village to another, to exchange their experiences and their needs.

Sustainable eco-tourismThe boat is also available to small groups wishing to experience an adventure far removed from traditional tourist circuits. This aspect of the activity of the Selva Vita will serve to fund the boat’s scientific missions while also facilitating respectful encounters between Indians and tourists.



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THE NEW AMAZING FORCE 4 SHADOW BY OFFSHORE LIMITED

We decided to write about this brand since they are many things you should know about OFFSHORE LIMITED, since the last article we released from them maybe 3 months ago the had presence in 20 countries, now the are in 35, they had around 30 models, now over 50 and the most important thing, is a watch that is reachable for any customer or fashion watch lover and there is not a single new release that is not a major hit on sales, different with amazing new designs and colors.

Lately the watch has being started to be used by many personalities everywhere around the globe and their last model the Force 4 Shadow is absolutely stunning, let take a loo into it.

With a huge 52mm case the Force 4 Shadow is a piece that speaks for itself, definitely a watch for those who like big heavy watches totally diferent to anything available today.

This version is an evolution of his predecessor  the Force 4 (witch it is still available at the market) but with some major changes that makes this version very unique, you will find the smoke glass in all colors witch we really like since we have being able to prove the watch and it is very legible even at night, the dial is decorated with carbon fiber that gives an incredible look combined with the chrono, date and day functions.

At the side of the watch you will find a GMT function like in the Force 4 but this time matching the color of the outer ring in the dial.

Something that really attract our attention is that this brand is ISO certificated, very unusual for a watch brand today but a great detail that speaks of the quality in the manufacture of the pieces, besides that this amazing watch is 10 Bar weatherproof  and contains a Swiss made movement.

We would like to thank Sandra and all her team for doing such a wonderful job and always keeping us close to know about the growth and incredible development of this new born company.

So everyone if you are thinking in any Christmas present or just a watch renewal this is definitely a great choice taking into consideration the quality and design of this pieces for just over 400€.

We leave you with the link to offshore web page where you can see all their models. www.offshore-limited.fr

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GREUBEL FORSEY DAZZLES WITH HIS NEW GMT MASTERPIECE

This timepiece marks a first for both Greubel Forsey and the history of GMT watches. After exploring, inventing, and developing new mechanisms in the world of the tourbillon over the last decade, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have now combined it with a new complication, the GMT, which they have naturally interpreted in their own way.

With this remarkable timepiece, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey have focused their energy on indicating a second time zone, a complication traditionally denoted by GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), the historical reference meridian for navigators. A highly-practical complication and one greatly-valued by connoisseurs, a second time zone is of particular benefit for globetrotting businessmen, frequent leisure travellers and those with family and friends around the world.



True to their philosophy and continuous quest for perfection and innovation, Greubel Forsey have gone way beyond the conventional means of displaying a second time zone. The GMT features a wonderful, three-dimensional temporal representation: A rotating terrestrial globe offering a truly original view of time all over the world. This technical yet poetic marvel provides us with a completely new way of perceiving the different time zones.

Nestled in a prominent position at 8 o’clock, the ‘flying’ globe is ingeniously secured at just one end of its rotational axis – the South Pole – allowing for optimal views of the intricate surface that has been crafted on the strong, yet lightweight, titanium sphere.

While the globe makes one complete rotation every 24 hours anticlockwise – the Earth’s natural rotational direction – the position of the continents can be neatly cross-referenced with the 24-hour, day-and-night indicator on the equatorial chapter ring.

The night-time hemisphere – 18:00 to 6:00 – is indicated by a blackened half of the ring around the globe, while the daytime hemisphere – 6:00 to 18:00 – is indicated by a whitened portion. The latter is superbly enhanced by a lateral window cleverly integrated into the caseband, which lets in light to symbolise daytime on the globe, and reveals more of the southern hemisphere.

So if it is midday in England, the viewer can see at a glance that it is the beginning of the afternoon in Geneva or Rome, that the sun is only just rising on the East Coast of the United States and that the darkness of night has fallen over the Far East. Just one quick glance is enough to know the time anywhere in the world – a longer look and it will be for the sheer aesthetic pleasure of viewing the delightful details on the intricately crafted globe.



The whole movement is housed in a white gold case of 43.50mm in diameter with a height of 16.14mm.

The intuitively interpreted globe is complemented at 10 o’clock by the 12-hour second time zone dial giving a precise indication of the time in a designated second country or city and is easily adjusted using the quick-set, dual-function pusher on the caseband at 10 o’clock.

Cascading clockwise around the dial-side are the main indications comprising a principal hour-minute dial at 1 o’clock, on top of which is a small seconds dial at 2 o’clock, while at 3 o’clock is a sectorial power reserve indicator. The specially developed movement of the GMT features the 25° inclined Tourbillon 24 Secondes cage, one of Greubel Forsey’s major patented inventions. In addition to its superb chronometric virtues and reliability, its compact size allows space for the other complications.

Spatially, the combination of elements on the dial-side is perfectly balanced, with a striking sense of depth offered by the globe and by the Tourbillon 24 Secondes at 5 o’clock which together form a triple asymmetry giving rise to a controlled tension that plays subtly with the circularity of the case, while never totally rupturing it.

Turning over the GMT reveals the beautifully crafted ‘worldtime’ disc bearing the names of 24 cities each representing one of the different global time zones. Aligning the relevant city with the local hour on the outer chapter ring – or inner ring for cities with summer time - sets the dial-side globe in the correct position.

Completing the display-back is a gleaming sun, providing a visual reference for midday on the worldtime disc and radiantly lighting up the movement of this stunning timepiece.

The GMT is reinforced by the hallmarks of Greubel Forsey’s renowned superlative fine finishing and attention to detail. The full range of traditional hand-finishing techniques have been employed including graining, bevelling, polishing, lapping, frosting and flat black polishing – a beautiful demonstration of savoir-faire in the pursuit of excellence.



On the technical side, the movement consists of 436 components, 87 of which are used in the tourbillon cage, which weighs in at just 0.36 grams. Two coaxial mainspring barrels connected in series provide a power reserve of 72 hours and the movement is equipped with a variable inertia balance beating at 21,600vph/3Hz and a Phillips terminal curve balance spring. Plates and bridges are hand-finished, frosted, spotted, bevelled, straight-grained, matt lapped and flat black polished. The dial is in 18k gold and the whole movement is housed in a white gold case of 43.50mm in diameter with a height of 16.14mm. The case is completed by domed sapphire crystals for the dial-side, display-back and lateral window, all treated with antireflective coating. The timepiece is complemented by a hand-sewn black alligator leather strap with a Greubel Forsey folding clasp in white gold.

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DE BETHUNE SPECIAL EDITION FOR ONLY WATCH 2011

Founded in 2002 by Zanetta and Denis Flageollet, DeBethune holds 9 patent registrations, 11 in-house calibres, this amazing brand last creation is this magnificent and beautifully crafted piece.

THE DB2105S FOR ONLY WATCH

What is a watch, if not a “machine” to measure the flow of time? A kind of speed counter for the flux of an

energy of which we know almost nothing, except that it exists and that it is carrying us somewhere...

What is absolute speed, if not that of light, that beyond which there is no more time, nor space, nor perhaps even energy? The logical conclusion is that any approach to watchmaking is in fact a reflection on infinity as we are able to admire it without actually comprehending it: it is an emotion born the dizzying sensation stemming from a reality that transcends our grasp. And this is where a deliberately chosen aesthetic option must express a philosophical choice.

With this DB25 specially created for Only Watch, De Bethune has chosen light as the medium from which to sculpt its conception of the world, of space, and of time. The light of a nocturnal sky studded with gold and diamonds: the infinite realm of a starlit night. Not just any night: that of January 8th 1297, when the stars guided François Grimaldi through the narrow streets of the Monaco fortress. Disguised as a Franciscan monk, he slipped through the darkness to open the gates of this Genoese stronghold for his own troops. 700 years later, on this same rock, his descendant is still the prince of Monaco.

François Grimaldi could still count the 105 stars that Providence had placed in the sky above Monaco: they are all of different sizes, appearing in white gold or invisible set diamonds. Orion and Gemini illuminate this flame-blued dial, of which each proportion and every detail has been arranged to express a perfectly mastered play on light with its shimmering reflections and gentle curves. The convex volume on the outer edge catches and holds the gaze, creating an illusion of infinite depth thanks to the concave center.

The backbone of this concave central mass guides the eye to where the time is read off in a window at the bottom of the dial where the sandblasted silver discs glide by, displaying Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes. The dark glow of flame-blued and hand-polished titanium. The incandescence of white gold and diamonds. The silvery gleam of moonlight. The space-time continuum of cosmic immensity is frozen here on the wrist, for a magical moment spanning the chronological distance between the present and a seven century-old founding event and the present.

Other expressions of light include the mirror or specular polish on the movement that erases the work of machines to reveal only the meticulous labor of artisans, their sense of beauty and their taste for perfection. It is a mechanism worthy of the finest masterpieces of the horological tradition, enriched with a good measure of innovation (the De Bethune silicon/platinum annular balance and other subtle technical features) that so rightly accompany any exceptional watch.

Here some technical specifications of this piece:

Functions: Hours & minutes

Movement DB2105S – mechanical hand-wound

270 components
Mainplate and bridges in bevelled and hand-polished steel with a specular polish reminiscent of the 19th century models made for royalty, nobility and the Chinese emperors.

Twin self-regulating barrel* Silicon/platinum annular balance* Balance-spring with flat terminal curve*

Jewelling: 29 jewels Frequency: 28,800 vibrations Power reserve: 6 days

Case Classic round drum shape, 44 mm in diameter, white gold
Thickness: 12.50 mm
Hollowed lugs
Glass: sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, 1800 Vickers hardness Crown: screw-down at 3 o’clock, setting in two positions

Case back: open with sapphire crystal with double anti-reflective treatment, 1800 Vickers hardness

Dial Depiction of the starlit sky above Monaco on January 8th 1297 when the rock was taken by François Grimaldi. The Orion and Gemini constellations stand out on the flame-blued titanium dial studded with 105 stars – 91 in white gold and 14 in invisible set diamonds. Hour and minute disc at 6 o’clock in pure sandblasted sterling silver engraved with Roman numerals for the hours and Arabic numerals for the minutes. 

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