I knew that the A. Lange & Sohne Zeitwerk watch had a lot going for it. When it was announced several months ago in May, I was sure that Lange was doing things right. Oddly enough, its parent company Richemont Group did not. Even though the brand has an almost fanatical following and continues to win award after award (for both the company and their products), there was enough tension over profits between former CEO Fabian Krone and Richemont Group corporate to lead to the former CEO's resignation. Shame that Richemont didn't value the skill and determination of the brand.

Like Zeitwerk... I mean clockwork, A. Lange & Sohne has won yet another award for their watches. The result of this year's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève has the Lange Zeitwerk watch winning the "Golden Hand" award. Roughly making it the top watch of the year. Through the various categories, this is the ideal award that any watch maker can strive to achieve for this highly watched annual horological recognition event.

The Lange Zeitwerk watch is a mechanical masterpiece that combines modern and traditional watch making. The dial shows the time digitally via two windows and has a analog subsidiary seconds dial and power reserve indicator. Prices for the watches average about $55,000 - $76,000 (gold and then platinum).

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

I recently mentioned how the Vacheron Constantin Historiques 1921 won the jury prize in Swiss Montres Passion's 2009 Watch of the Year Award. Well this Parmigiani Pershing Asteria watch won the Prix du Public (publicly voted award) for 2009, in the same magazine. I find it so interesting that the editors at the magazine itself would choose such a quirky classic watch, while the public would vote for a thoroughly modern in appearance sport watch - a women's version at that. Of course the Parmigiani Pershing comes in male variants as well.

This is one serious sport women's watch. The 42mm wide case is in white gold with a mother-of-pearl dial - and has all the hallmark features of a diving watch. Inside is a Parmigiani manufacture made 002 Chronograph automatic movement. On the dial there are two charming little features that compliment the easy to read chronograph subdials. At the end of the chronograph seconds hand is (not able to be seen in this image) a small octopus as the counterweight, while the seconds hand/dial for the time itself is a stylized, spinning sea star (starfish).

The luxury watch is also available with various levels of precious jewel decoration. I believe it is a winning watch because the public appreciates its sporty exterior, charming design accents, manufacture made movement, luxurious construction, and modern looks. Quite a departure from what the editors of the Montres Passion magazine took into consideration when giving their award.

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

These are the new Cabaret Soirée timepieces and they come in 26.5mm wide by 36.3mm tall 18k white gold cases with 70 Wesselton diamonds lining the bezel (0.9 carats). Sapphire crystal and caseback for appreciating the hand decorated movement. There are two versions of the watch, both limited to only 10 pieces. The dials of each are lined with solid silver and have rhodium coated gold hands. First is the Ref. 827.029 in baby blue, with a mother-of-pearl dial, matched with the light blue crocodile strap. Then there is the Ref. 827.035 Cabaret Soirée in pink with a rose colored mother-of-pearl dial, matched with a "mother-of-pearl rose" colored pink crocodile strap.

Like all A. Lange & Sohne watches, the Cabaret Soirée watches will have all in-house made movements. These watches have the Calibre L931.4 manually wound mechanical movements with a subsidiary seconds hand and "out-size" date. The movement has 237 parts and a power reserve of 42 hours. Everything on the case and watch is top quality, and you'll be lucky to get one of the only twenty pieces available worldwide.

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

It has been a long road since Q1 of last year when Blancpain teased our eager eyes with the new 500 Fathoms watch. This month the watch will finally see its official release. So far there has been a special one-off 500 Fathoms watch for the Only Watch 2009 charity auction, a limited edition version to celebrate the release of the 500 Fathoms Watch at the Cannes Boat Show, and now the standard watch, that itself seems to be in a limited edition of 500 pieces - at least for the first run.

The biggest change to the final version of the watch from the early renders is in the dial colors (note the nice looking reversal of the colors for the Cannes limited edition). Notice the gray on black sections of the watch? Those gray portions initially shared the same dull green lume color as the four large Arabic numerals. Still, the gray sections are lume covered - so they will glow after being charged by light. There should be lume also in the rotating diver's bezel. Starting with the newer 50 Fathoms watch, Blancpain has has one of the best looking and most durable diver's bezels available, as they are covered with curved sapphire crystals. You also have the optional rubber straps that are uniquely done for the 500 Fathoms watches (seen in the image). Both this and the water resistant canvas strap ought to deal with the 1000 meter water resistance of the watch quite nicely when spending time "in the deep." I have yet to see a brand new metal bracelet for the line. If one comes out, it will look interesting no doubt.

You will finally be able to find the Blancpain 500 Fathoms watches out now where Blancpain watches are sold. It is even a stark departure from their outgoing luxury dive watch line (50 Fathoms and Aqualung). Movement is the in house made automatic Blancpain Caliber 1315 movement with a 5 day power reserve. Price is likely to be over $12,000, but we will see how Blancpain responds to the current stubbornness to pay retail luxury prices.

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

Not that the newer Blancpain 500 Fathoms watches needed improvements, but Blancpain needed to do something to it if it was going to be used as their unique showpiece watch for the Only Watch 2009 charity auction that will be held this month in Monaco at the yacht show. The release of the consumer version of the new Blancpain 500 Fathoms watch is imminent and the final publicity push for it is this special "piece unique" model for the well-watched charity auction. Aside from "1/1" badging all around, the Only Watch 2009 watch will feature a special dial with carbon fiber and specially skeletonized sections with a semi opaque view of the date wheel. The aperture for the date itself is at 6 o'clock.

The special watch shares the 48mm wide titanium case and awesome Blancpain manufacture Caliber 1315 automatic movement. Having a special watch like this is a great way to get attention for the new line as it will become widely publicly available soon after the auction is over. We can look closely to see what price this one-off Blancpain watch will fetch.

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

To most people in the industry, it is obvious that Bulgari is having problems. Sales are hurting and although the economy seems to be rebounding a bit, the recovery of the luxury market usually sits impatiently at the end of the line. To help remedy things, Bulgari has been looking to its past for inspiration on what it can release that will be irresistible to fans of the brand. A new collection looks back to what helped make Bulgari the well known luxury name that it is. This watch is part of the Serpenti collection which is going to be a whole line of watches and jewelry. For women only I believe.

The watch face sits at the end of a wrist wrapping bracelet that is shaped like a series of reptilian scales while the bracelet itself is meant to resemble a serpent. The face has an almost arrow-head style triangular look to with while gold and diamonds make up the hour markers. Inside the watch is a small quartz movement. The Serpenti watches are available in a number of styles and materials. Each made of 18k white or rose gold. Onyx, diamonds, pink coral, and jade all all available as decorations on the pieces. The is certainly retro hearkening back to eras in the 20th century when luxury houses worked to emulate the decadent style of civilizations long past. This could easily be seen as some manner of Egyptian or Babylonian revival series. The Serpenti collection is a stylish and unabashedly bold luxury line from hopeful Bulgari - available soon.

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

Spotting a Louis Vuitton timepiece is a rare occurrence. The brand supplements its ubiquitous luggage and bag products with just a few watches to go around. While the LVMH brand group has watches in their DNA (owning such brands as Tag Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith), the actual Louis Vuitton branded watches are very hard to come by.

A new collection of two-tone Louis Vuitton Tambour watches is available in a chronograph, GMT, and three-hand version with a subsidiary dial. Each are automatics, each contain high grade ETA mechanical movements, and each has the fashion-forward style that the tapered Tambour watch case is known for. In a similar fashion to the Baume & Mercier Riviera, the type of the two-tone pieces creates an alternative look that helps the colors blend in without distraction, but still allows for an attractive case. As such you will see steel and 18k gold playing together in a pleasing harmony.

The new Two-Tone Tambour watches come in a few varieties with men's and women's models. For the men there is a three hand version with a subsidiary seconds dial at 9 o'clock, a GMT model, and the pictured chronograph model. Each with the eye soothing deep yellow hands. I am impressed that Louis Vuitton actually chose yellow gold for the watches, as the "standard" color of gold is hard to find these days in relation to other types of gold such as rose or red gold. Look for these new two tone gold and steel Tambour watches at select Louis Vuitton stores around the world soon. Prices for these models is sure to be in excess of $4,000 - $5,000.

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

Artist George Rodrigue is celebrating his 20th Anniversary in New Orleans with a special limited edition set of prints featuring his famous staring puppy dogs in chrome, blue, and gold on reflective backgrounds. Original Rodrigue works often sell for upwards of $20,000 (see some of his new releases in the gallery below) but each of these prints are priced at only $750. Each of the above designs is limited to 150 original silkscreen prints on heavy chrome paper measuring 35" x 26". Signed and numbered (of course).

Via ForbesLife

Striking a good balance between function and friendly, this attractive new watch from Carl F. Bucherer is the Patravi T-ChronoGrade, but I will just call it the "ChronoGrade." They get to call it that as the hour elapsation indicator for the chronograph is a retrograde indicator. Get it? The watch comes in a stainless steel tonneau shaped case that is 42mm wide by 46mm tall.

I like some of the small details the Carl F. Bucherer does nicely such as the fine beveling on the faceted hour markers and the polishing throughout the watch as a whole. The watch is available with either a silvered or black finished dial and a with a fine leather strap or metal bracelet. The black or brown leather straps are almost aviator in style being thickly padded with contrast stitching (I like the red underside as well).

The ChronoGrade watch contains the CFB 1902 automatic mechanical movement that powers the 6 hour flyback chronograph, annual calendar with big date and the month, the power reserve indicator, and of course the time. This watch is a good way to go if you like a functional watch with a high level of finishing in a classic looking tonneau shaped case. Price is about $13,000.

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

Do you know what happens during a feeding frenzy? Too many people arrive for chow and in the end there isn't enough food for everyone. Compounded with the fact that there is a diminishing amount of food, a real problem can arise. This is what happened with the watch industry. Things were looking so good for a few years that unwise minds thought that either the bubble wouldn't burst, or that they would get in while things were still good. Now people aren't buying as much luxury watches, and the overall industry is feeling the bite and trying to figure out what to do with all the extra unsold watches.

Before getting to the nasty figures, this situation is also a blessing in disguise. The last few years of the watch industry was almost a set-up for disaster. You had too many brands, too little realistic values, and way more watches than we had people to service them. Thus, there was going to be a major problem in a few years anyway. Now companies are realizing that they need to have actual back-end support on the technical and customer service side of things, and they are realizing that consumers are actually interested in the fact that if they pay $100,000 for a watch, it might actually be worth close to $100,000.

So, here are the numbers from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry in brief. Sales in all top 30 markets are down. Here is the damages in some key markets from one year ago. US down 43%, Hong Kong down 22%, Japan down 29%, China down 36%, UAE down 34%, Russian down 61%, and Singapore down 30%. Big hits all around, but remember these are numbers just for Swiss watches.

It may look as though people just aren't buying as many watches these days. This assumption would be wrong. Recall that Swiss watches are for the most part the most expensive watches. Almost all segments of consumers are reducing the amount they are spending on timepieces, but they are still buying watches. Thus, the Japanese and American owned brands aren't doing amazingly, but aren't hurting nearly as badly. Some brands are even likely doing better given the focus on less expensive brands.

The message to watch companies is to focus on value. Make sure a watch demanding $5,000 is actually worth that, and can be communicated well to the consumer. Otherwise they will need to focus on the sub $1,000 segment if they wish to see any retail space in the next few years. Lastly, watch companies must adapt to the times and embrace the Internet as a strong sales, distribution, and marketing channel. They can learn from Rolex, the most powerful watch brand in terms of value, which also spends the most money on advertising. Coincidence? I think not. Estimates see these trends improving over the next few years, but we shall see just how much, and in what way that happens.

Via FHS report (PDF).

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

Interesting that Alfred (A.) Dunhill keeps working with Jaeger-LeCoultre on making timepieces. The first cooperation came with the recent Jaeger-LeCoultre Art Deco Atmos Regulator clock for A. Dunhill, a $70,000 mega-mantle clock using the legendary atmos clock made by Jaeger Le-Coultre. Now comes a more subdued partnership with A. Dunhill designed watches that features Jaeger-LeCoultre movements. This particular timpiece is the newly styled A. Dunhill Facet watch that uses the typical angle cut case and sapphire crystal. It makes for an interesting look, and sapphire crystals such as this are clearly more expensive to produce.

The dial features vertical texturing for decoration and classic Arabic numerals that look like they are done in Times New Roman. The subsidiary seconds dial is inset a bit, helping to add depth to the area. The case comes in either 18k rose or white gold and is 36mm wide by 50mm tall. Inside the watch is a manually-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 822 movement which is rectangular-shaped as you might have guessed. You might be asking why it is that Jaeger-LeCoultre is helping Dunhill, what is essentially a competing brand by providing them with movements. Plus, there is no mention at all of Jaeger-LeCoultre on the dial of the watch. Why is that? Well The latter question I cannot explain, but because both Dunhill and Jaeger-LeCoultre are part of the same parent company - the Richemont Group, the partnership makes sense. This is not the first time the Jaeger-LeCoultre with its movement making skills has been asked to lend a hand. Some of the brand new Ralph Lauren watch brand timepieces also feature Jaeger-LeCoultre movements inside. The new A. Dunhill Facet watches will be available soon for between 3,600 and 6,900 euros.

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

This lime green watch is meant to remind you of spring and summer. I think it would have been cool to call it the Chronoswiss "Springtime" watch. Right? Chronoswiss is a funny watch maker because they are German, and proudly so, but the name of the brand has "Swiss" in it. Funny enough Chronoswiss has not marketed this watch specifically for men or women. This often happens with designs that could theoretically appeal to either sex - the company doesn't know who it will appeal to so it is cautious to indicate that it is for men or women (cause most men will not buy a watch that is meant for women, but I would sport this watch based on the design). The Spring uses the basic Chronoswiss Timemaster case and style. You have the large "onion" crown and an automatic Chronoswiss C.128 movement inside. The dial is quite legible though will actually be more legible in the dark as the green SuperLumiNova will shine bright. Strap is green toned alligator.

Decorating the steel case's bezel are 60 Wesselton VVSI colored diamonds. Nicely cut and large for a quality luxury look. It is a supremely lively facade, and the light green tones feel almost refreshing in comparison to the rest of the diamond watches out there. I also like the bold application of the font on the date disc. Price for the watch will be $9,300 when it is available soon.

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

Pita Barcelona is a cool and funky independent Spanish watch makers who will soon release their long anticipated Oceana diver's watch in a limited edition of just 80 pieces. The watch will be highly customizable, with over 2,300 possible combinations. One can choose from many types of parts and features, including straps, dials, hands, crystal materiel, bezel, and of course case metal. While the limited edition of just 80 may seem low, Pita's statement of "2009 limited edition" might mean that more of the desirable watches will be made in the future. The watches will be available in various styles of steel, gold, and even in platinum. Prices start at about 3,200 euros, and top out at around 17,000 euros for the 950 platinum case version. This is an incredible deal for a platinum watch that usually go for before $50,000 and way up. I cannot definitively say that this is the cheapest platinum watch out there, but is is one of the lowest prices - and as part of an incredible overall timepiece.

Many innovations went into the Pita Oceana's design. Notable is the crownless design and water resistance to 5000 meters. The case is 43mm wide and 18mm thick. The watch movement is based on a heavily modified ETA 2671 automatic, while the overall watch has two patents in the design. The small star-shaped seconds hand is also a "chromatic depth meter." Something about the colors changing as you dive deeper. A very cool looking watch that is totally unique from a couple of master watch makers in Barcelona. Check out the online Ocean customization options here.

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.

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.