Japan gets a lot of special watches that we never see here - though these are usually made by Japanese watch makers. Once In a while you get Japan only watches from Swiss makers such as Tag Heuer, and I wonder why Tag Heuer thinks no one else would want one. This special Carrera watch with a black mother of pearl dial is a perfect example. Not only is the watch a handsome, but more decorated rendition of the classic Carrera watch look, but it is simply enough to be appreciated by more markets. Notice that the dial is all black mother of pearl with a slightly matte black disc as part of the hour marker ring. The look is superb and something different from Tag Heuer - that to my knowledge has never utilized any type of mother of pearl on a man's watch.

Aside from this dial difference, the limited edition Tag Heuer Carrera Black features the same 44mm wide steel case and Tag Heuer Calibre 16 automatic chronograph movement as the rest of the modern Carerra watches. I've always loved bracelet of this watch that has mirrored certain Omega watch bracelets and features satin and polished steel finishes. Eventually Tag Heuer will upgrade the aluminum bezel (they look great but can be easy to scratch). Although Japan, like other Asian countries, is known to prefer smaller watches, I enjoy seeing the popularity of a 44mm wide model just as this there. 600 of these black mother of pearl Carrera watches will be available - in Japan only starting in July.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

I recently spoke about how the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grand Sonnerie watch and set (the most complex wrist watch in the world that comes with two other watches) was going to arrive in a safe as the presentation box. Well here is what that safe is going to look like, and there will be only 30 of these made. Each safe will be specially made by the German luxury safe company Doettling. Trust me that this is not even the most impressive watch safe that they have done. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica set safe will be made to look like a travel chest, but don't expect to move the 1,800 pound, six foot tall safe around with you easily.

Inside the safe is a watch lover's dream. Well, if you only own a handful of watches that is, and they are all happy being around Jaeger-LeCoultre branding. The innards of the case don't let you forget who "inspired" this horological refuge. The three watches in the Hybris Mechanica collection are prominently displayed in lit cubby holes, while eight watch winders flank the exhibit. The rest of the safe is reserved for other things, but you'll have to include them in between all the books and observation equipment that Jaeger-LeCoultre throws in the mix. Look at the pictures in the gallery and you'll notice various magnifying glasses as well as tools for your watch, plus other items likely hidden about.

The whole experience is pretty impressive for the select few who not only can afford the this ultimate trio of complex wristwatches, including the Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie (26 complications with a total of 55 complications for all three watches), but who place their orders now and can think of a suitable place in [one of] their homes for heavyweight safe to "live." The Jaeger-LeCoultre Hyrbis Mechanica watch set will cost you between $2.5 - $3 million depending on the exchange rate. The first of the 30 sets will be delivered in the fall of 2010 with the final orders being finished in 2014.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com

More news from the Only Watch 2009 unique watch auction. While there are many unique watches that will be available I make it my mission to mention what I think are the best. Here is a "dandy" watch from French Chaumet. I really believe they need to re-think the title of this watch. No fellow man that I know would want to invest in a watch that is known as the "Dandy." Not even a dandy man. That might have worked 200 years ago. I have a feeling Chaumet does very poorly with this watch in Italy where machismo is the predominant style for watches. Despite the odd nomenclature, the watch is a great looking timepiece. Chaumet has taken the Dandy watch case and created a unique looking jumping hour complication with a subsidiary seconds dial all shaped nicely into the case. There is a "racing stripe" that goes down the middle side of the case and into the case as well. It is an interesting design cue and well played.

The watch is in solid 18k rose gold, as are the hands and hour markers on the dial that has a sunray pattern and is in black lacquer. The case is 40mm wide and has a Bovet style crown placed in the top of the case (there is a black onyx cabochon crystal in the crown as well). The watch has a Chaumet CP-12V-III automatic mechanical movement. Although it is a fashionable and unique watch, I like the design a lot a find it comfortable to ready. Too bad there will only be one of these watch available, ever. If you have your heart set on it, plan on being at Only Watch 2009 in Monaco on September 24th.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

More bad news from the hard hit watch/jewelry world. This time it's jewelry manufacturer and watchband seller Speidel. The Rhode-Island-based company filed for receivership last week and all the employees have been laid off . The company's assets will be put up for the sale in the next 90 days. JCK Online reports that the company's largest creditor, Sovereign Bank, is owed $4.4 million.

Speidel also owns the watch repair company Providence Watch Hospital which is now also in receivership. The Providence Journal reports that people who have left items for repair will be notified about how to claim their pieces. The company employed seven watchmakers and five technicians who serviced 55,000 timepieces a year.

The German-born Pope gets a German-born watch. Recently, watch company Erhard Junghans gifted Pope Benedict XVI a shiny new Tempus Automatic watch with an enamel dial and a fine automatic mechanical movement. The watch company has been around since 1861, which is apparently the year that the previous Pope was born (I jest).

The watch was presented to the Pope by a German politician, Volker Kauder, who presides over the electoral district where Erhard Junghans is located in the Black Forest region in Germany. The watch was specially engraved to commemorate Kauder's visit to the Vatican and was described as a personal gift to Pope Benedict XVI. It is unclear whether the gift is directly from Kauder himself or as part of a joint gift from Erhard Junghans as well. The watch brand is more or less unknown in the US, and is a higher-end brand from the more basic named "Junghans" brand in Germany.

The gifted timepiece is the stainless steel version of the Tempus Automatic watch that is 42mm wide with an automatic mechanical movement inside and a display caseback. The white enamel dial has black lacquer Roman numerals on the dial and is priced at about 1,900 euros. The watch is also available with a black colored dial, and also in a limited edition 18k rose gold model that goes for about 7,800 euros. It will be seen whether or not the Pope will wear the new watch, but if so, will make for excellent PR for the watch brand.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

What interests me is that this watch is not a limited edition. In fact, it appears as though very few non-limited editions watches come out of the house of Audemars Piguet. This is not the first time forged carbon has been used on a watch for Audemars Piguet, who themselves were not the first watch maker to use carbon as a case material for watches. In fact various military spec watches such as Traser have been using carbon watch cases for years. They aren't exactly as fancy looking as the complex-to-make Audemars Piguet forged carbon cases, but they are equally light, and also very strong. What Audemars Piguet has brought to the table is likely their fanatical desire to "make things perfect" - having a carbon case look as though it was milled like metal. The bezel and caseback of the watch are not carbon. The bezel is a brushed and polished ceramic, while the caseback is blackened steel. You have ceramic again used as the strap connector links.

The "non initiated" who aren't watch enthusiasts won't be able to appreciate all that goes into this watch as it appears merely "nice." There are no visual clues that the case is so hard to make in this instance, and you have no idea that inside the watch a brand new Audemars Piguet in-house made caliber 3126/3840 automatic mechanical chronograph movement. The movement even has a solid gold rotor, also hidden from view. Watches like this are meant to impress the owner, and the few people they encounter who are aware of what the watch really is all about. The dial of the watch is Yellow-Jacket chic with the typical "Mega Tapestry" pattern on the dial that most Royal Oak Offshore watches receive. The tachymeter scale on the chapter ring is in yellow with black numerals while the strong looking Arabic hour numerals also enjoy the pleasant yellow hue. The crown and pushers are covered with natural rubber. Last is the sculpted alligator strap with deployment clasp and yellow contrast stitching. Certainly not love at first site for all watch lovers, but I have a feeling a few of you out there are taken by the bold looks of this watch - especially to match your yellow shoes. Price for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Forged Carbon watch is probably in the $35,000 - $50,000 range.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

These are not likely to be the most expensive quartz movement based watches out there, but they are up there. Priced between about $112,000 to $215,000 these jewelry watches for women don't even have fine mechanical movements. To a degree this makes sense given their small stature and life in a jewelry box or safe unless taken out for special occasions, but for me this is in contradiction to what haute horology is about today.

Swiss watch maker Carl F. Bucherer did a nice job designing this colorful Alacria Royal limited edition collection of lady's watches. They are colorful like candy, made of 18k gold covered with diamonds and either traditional blue sapphires, orange sapphires, emeralds, or rubies. The colored gems are placed in two parallel slight arches on the dial as well as on the bracelet. The shape on the dial looks somewhat like an hourglass - which makes sense on a watch. As for jewelry watches these are nice, though it makes sense that each of the four watches will be limited to just 25, because as the "Royal" name states, the price of these watches will likely keep them in the hands of ultra privileged only.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Pierre Kunz could be another luxury watch brand that will fall victim to "the crisis" or as the luxury watch industry is less than affectionately referring to the current economic downturn. I reported a while ago that Franck Muller was about to cut a large number of jobs. Looks like things are worse than expected at the company who owns watch brand Pierre Kunz, among a couple of other more boutique brands - Pierre Kunz being the most well known. According to the Tribune De Geneve, Franck Muller can "no longer support its young brands." It is unclear whether this means Franck Muller operated brands like Pierre Kunz will cease operation, be sold, or be "consolidated" somehow.

Pierre Kunz has some innovative and beautiful models under its catalog including the pictured G703 T STR Tourbillon and the Infinity Looping Black Steel watches. They have even announced new watches recently. In instances where a brand is highly marketable but its parent company does not have the funds to continue to support it, there is often an interested outside buyer who will save the small manufacture. It is unclear in today's economy how likely this is for Pierre Kunz. Other Franck Muller brands likely to kick the bucket are ECW, Rodolphe, and Barthelay.

Via WorldTempus (in mostly French).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Patek Philippe collectors will want to pay attention to this unique watch that has been produced specially for the Only Watch 2009 charity watch auction taking place in Monaco in September. The watch furthers the growing line of celestial themed watches that Patek Philippe is known for. This watch has a few unique touches that you'll want to know about. The about 44mm wide case is done in 18k rose gold while the bezel is done in 22k rose gold which is not standard for watches that often use 18k rose gold for the whole case. 22k rose gold is often regarded as being too soft for a watch exterior, but Patek Philippe knowing the likely life of this watch (in a case) opted for the more pure gold in order to enhance the look of the guilloche engraving on the bezel. The mini rotor in the automatic 240 LU CL C movement is also in 22k rose gold. For all its complications the movement is thin at about 6.4mm thick - making for an overall thin watch. The strap is dark blue alligator.

So what does the watch do? It is funny as the watch is very Geneva-centric - in that the frame of reference for looking at the sky is how the sky appears while in Geneva. Basically the watch tells you what the night sky looks like from Geneva - as opposed to other positions on Earth. It has a lot of information about the sky, as well as the time and date. Looking at the dial you can tell what the sky (position) of the stars looks like as well as the phase of the moon and the position of the moon in the night sky. This tells you the solar time, the passage of Sirius, what is going on with the moon, and shows you a nice sky chart. Most of this information will just look pretty because you can go online to figure out all this information in a more readable manner. This is lovely novelty for novelty's sake, and is just what collectors like - you don't get to look at a delicate golden rendition of the Milky Way online the way you do while gazing at this beauty.

With the fine decoration, complex automatic movement, and unique nature of a one-off Patek Philippe model, I have a feeling that this Ref. 5106 watch from Patek Philippe will go for a hefty price at auction in September, and will likely increase in value a few years from now if recent Patek Philippe watch auction results are any indication.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Cartier jumps on the DLC (diamond-like carbon coating) bandwagon, but with something a bit different. They use something called ADLC for this new Santos 100 Carbon Chronograph watch model. ADLC is apparently a superior form of DLC which is known as "amorphous diamond-like carbon" coating. According to Cartier, ADLC is thicker, less prone to finger prints, and overall more "Cartier." No, I just made that last one up, but it is something I can almost hear them saying. At this point I don't know enough about ADLC to comment so I would consider the improvement over normal DLC to be less than substantial, otherwise everyone would be using it. Aside from the use of ADLC coated steel, the fabric strap takes this formal watch to a new sporty level - and the 18k rose gold bezel and other accents looks great against the black on the classic looking Santos design.

The Cartier Santos 100 Carbon Chronograph uses the Cartier automatic 8630 movement that is laid out with unique widely placed subdials - something you don't see very often. I like how the hands are relatively bold for a Cartier timepiece, as it is almost strange not seeing them in blued steel. It appears that Cartier retained the crown cabochon crystal - with maybe an onyx as opposed to a sapphire on this watch. Overall the style is a real hybrid between functional sport watches and the formal good looks that Cartier is so well known for. An interesting watch with 100 meters of water resistance that will appeal to enough people I am sure. Price will retail at 22,700 euros.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The re-released Omega Seamaster Ploprof watch was a big hit with collectors who lusted after the original Ploprof watch of the 1970s. So it makes sense that Omega's contribution to the Only Watch 2009 auction represent this iconic timepiece - but in gold. It is ironic that was is essentially a very dedicated diving instrument should be milled in 250 grams of solid 18k red gold. This watch will help you sink when diving. For this one-off timepiece you can clearly see the note on the dial of "1/1 Only Watch" There will not be any more of these to go around. Plus, as the watch will be up for auction it is anyone's guess right now at how much it will go for. Aside from being in red gold, the Only watch version of the Seamaster Ploprof is nicely done with a white dial, bezel, and rubber strap. Like the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, the bezel is covered with a sapphire crystal to protect it but keep it legible.

If you aren't familiar with the Ploprof watch functionality, allow me to cover it briefly. The 2009 (including this model) version of the watch is water resistant to 1200 meters, has an automatic helium escape valve, and a button (gold and white ceramic) at about 2 o'clock that is meant to release the rotating diver's bezel. The watch is over 55mm wide and 17.5 mm thick. The hands and hour indicators on the watch are also in red gold. Inside the watch is the Omega Calibre 8501 automatic movement that has been Chronometer certified. The individual who purchases this timepiece will no doubt be the envy of many, and few will just laugh of them for the ludicrous nature of the watch as some may see it. The Only Watch 2009 auction will be held in Monaco on September 24th this year.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The results of this study details the perception of wealthy buyers towards luxury watches. An LBSI survey asked individuals with $2 million or more money in investable assets about various brands and IWC was rated "best of the best" out of 33 competing luxury watch brands. IWC earned tops scores for luxury, value, as well as being recommended to others as a good luxury watch brand. IWC, part of the Richemont Group is one of many luxury brands under the company's umbrella. Two and three on the list of best brands were Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

It is important to understand that the results of the survey does not mean that IWC is the best luxury brand, but merely that it is perceived as such by the population surveyed. This is thanks to effective marketing and brand positioning, as well as the user experience owners have had with IWC watches. Buyers of luxury watches expect their watches not only to look nice, but be reliable and free from defects. This means that overall IWC owners were happy, likely repeat customers - more so than those of comparable brands. Other key factors that surveyed consumers indicated about IWC was they they appreciate the classic yet unique looks of IWC watches, as well as the rareness of the brands overall character. This either speaks to the difficulty in finding a brand with this blend of traits, or that IWC watches are in fact difficult to find.

Luxury watch brands each have their fare share of positive and negative qualities - but IWC has apparently succeeded in winning the most amount of hearts for its target demographic. They are in fact excellent timepieces, and now I know that I am not the only one that feels this way. The pictured watch is the IWC Grand Complication perpetual calendar watch in 18k rose gold.

Via National Jeweler.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Watches like this come around pretty often - a richly designed uber sports watch with a wild design and limited value retention. Sort of like a monster truck version of a watch. Lots of glamor and show stopping looks, but once the engine stops what is the lasting appeal? I am not trying to say anything negative about Rebellion, as the watches are of high quality, but I am asking a question about whether watches like this make any sense in today's watch market. This timepiece might be the definition of "ultra niche." This is because there are many watches trying to compete for the position of bad-ass very expensive sports watch, and just so many people willing on shelling out $100,000 a few times year for a watch from a newer brand (actually, I am not sure what the price is for the Rebellion watch, but it will be minimum $20,000, and will go up from there if I had to guess). Or you could go with Rebellion's statement on the watch that is, "The RE-2 demands respect - and it gets it!" Yea, thanks for the assurance, Rebellion.

This is the second Rebellion RE-2 Flyback Chronograph watch, though I think it might share the same name as the first that was released last year, so consider this the 2009 model. The dial and case have been updated and refined. The dial is arguably improved, you get new Rebellion signature screws on the case, a larger crown and new chronograph pushers, and Rebellion claims the watch is overall easier to use. Inside the 46mm wide stainless steel watch is a calibre RE-2 automatic movement with an engraved solid gold rotor and a column wheel based chronograph. The movement has the time and date, as well as the obvious 12 hour chronograph. In terms of complex looking dials, this one is actually relatively easy to read - despite what is cosmetically "going on." The strap is rubber and there are more natural rubber accents on the case itself, such as on the crown. I do like how the sapphire crystal is uniquely shaped and melds with the overall look of the case - a nice touch. It isn't a bad looking watch per se, but is it the right watch for the job?

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

This interesting timepiece will arrive in three varieties showing different parts of the world. There is the pictured model showing Asia and the nearby areas, another version focusing on Europe and Africa, and a third version focusing on the Americas. This is another "we can do it" watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre who just recently announced the Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie, which is the most complex watch in the world. While the Tourbillon complication is complex in this Grand Master Tourbillon Continents watch line, the focus is on the artistry on the dial.

The dial starts with a machine engraved plate where the continents are outlined, and the vertical texturing is applied within the body of the land masses. The plate is then hand painted with enamel in a champleve technique to apply the various colors in the most delicate of manners. I am almost oversimplifying the process, but you get the idea. The bodies of water are done with a raised wave-like texture that is likely extremely tough to do. Compass symbols line the bezel and double as hour indicators for the hands of the watch. You can see the tourbillon (also the subsidiary seconds dial) through the window at 6 o'clock as part of the Jaeger LeCoultre Calibre 978 manually wound movement. Sapphire crystals cover the top and back of the watch. The Grand Master Tourbillon Continents watch really succeeds in creating a visually stunning map in a technique that few companies can be said to have mastered. Each of the three versions will be limited to 20 pieces in three materials that include 18k white, yellow,or rose gold. Not sure about price but more than likely over $100,000.

Via WatchTime.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Porsche Design has long since evolved from an automotive design studio into a company offering a wide range of highly desirable products, sold worldwide through their own dedicated stores, along with special design work for other companies as well. But all the while they haven't forgotten their roots. As if to demonstrate just that, the studio has launched a new collection to compliment the new Panamera four-door grand touring car from their automotive sister-company. The collection includes all manner of clothing and accessories for men, women and children, as well as a line of Swiss-made timepieces and a set of fitted luggage. The latter is made of lightweight aluminum and polycarbonate, designed to fit in the trunk space of the new Panamera and available in the same exterior colors to provide a fresh take on the traditional soft-sided fitted luggage offered by other luxury automakers.