Baselworld

Aston Martin Concept Phone from Mobiado

Filed under: Gadgets

Canadian luxury phone maker Mobiado is in Switzerland this week for the BaselWorld watch and jewelry show with the new CPT002 concept phone. Designed in collaboration with Aston Martin, the CPT002 is comprised of a fully transparent sapphire crystal capacitive touchscreen display suspended between two platinum bars that house all the electronics and battery.

Striking though it is, the CPT002 is more than just a pretty face. The tie-in with Aston Martin comes into play as the phone is designed to interface with the car's infotainment system, wirelessly interfacing with social media sites to help you locate the people you're meeting up with or updating them automatically on the progress of your road trip or day at the race track. The built-in accelerometer will also alert the car itself in case of an impending crash, preparing the car's safety systems for the imminent collision.

Impressive stuff, though strictly a concept for the time being.

Source

Tags: aston martin, baselworld, cell phone, cpt002, gadgets, mobiado, mobile, phone

Magrette Baselworld Piece Unique Watch With Diamonds

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Mixing beautiful engravings with diamonds - upping the luxury level to a higher degree, Magrette of New Zealand showed off this one-of-a-kind timepiece totally covered with beauty at Baselworld. The Maori-inspired designs are hand-engraved on the steel case by master engraver Andrew Biggs. This model, known as the "Magrette Baselworld 2010" piece unique (you can read more about it here on Magrette's website), was specially made for a single Magrette customer, but fans of the brand can appreciate the piece, that helps put the unique Kiwi brand in more of a spotlight among the decorated watch crowd.

The watch further has one of Magrette's newer, more updated watch dials with an embossed brand logo and bright LUM-TEC brand luminant. Each time Magrette does a new engraved piece they get nicer. The designs are a clever mix between classic European floral scroll designs and traditional Maori myth and legend images. The 44mm wide steel case has 60 diamonds totaling 1.73 carats - I love how they are arranged as well. I can't wait to see what Magrette will do next. While diamond decorated watches aren't in their standard collection, you could always ask for them to make you one really nicely...

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

Gallery: Magrette Baselworld 2010 Watch

Tags: 2010, baselworld, diamonds, magrette, new zealand, watch

Pretty Looking Vogard Supertraveler & Licensed Pilot Watches

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Vogard makes some highly useful timepieces, but they are also highly nice to look at. Not sure exactly what it is about their quality designs, but they do a good job of staying a boutique brand and have a polished look with a good manly demeanor. I snapped a few images of watches with color combos you might not conceive as being great, but that look mighty fine here.

First is a black cased version of their Supertraveler watch. This version with a PVD coated black steel case must be new. It is fitted with an orangey-yellow reptile strap and looks stunningly good (especially with the black stitching). It is really a solid mix of colors that work together. Then you have one of their "Licensed Pilot" model watches with a blue dial, with some yellow trim mixed with a yellow reptile strap. Note the baby blue stitching meant to match the face - very cool.

One of the best parts of Vogard watches in addition to their looks (easy to read dials, bold hands) is their signature complication). You open a lever on the right side of the watch and then turn the bezel to chance the timezone of the watch. Perfect for traveling. The time zones are all written on the bezel, and you can adjust the watch both "east and west." The GMT hand however is not independently adjustable, and serves as synchronized 24 hour hands so that you can know if it is AM or PM. Prices for the watches is about $7,750 with the straps, and about $8,000 with metal bracelets. Vogard offers a lot of color customization options, which you should certainly take advantage of if you are interested in their timepieces.

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

Gallery: Vogard Supertraveler & Licensed Pilot Watches

Tags: 2010, baselworld, licensed pilot, supertraveler, Vogard, watch

Bulgari Sotirio Bulgari Watch Collection For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Bulgari has had my eye for a while because the company has been making some bold moves. This year it "ate" sub-brands Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta, and last year it started released much more "powerful" designs. That doesn't mean you have to love the designs, but they are certainly strong in the "brand DNA" department. A lot of their new watches for 2010 were actually re-branded, face-lifted Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta watches. Though a few new models did come out and this Bulgari Sotirio Bulgari watch for 2010. Sotirio was the founder of the brand, and in the last couple of years the brand has been releasing watches with his name. Here is a Sotirio Bulgari watch from last year that I talked about. The new watch collection for 2010 changes things up a bit with a more straight forward dial and design. The most interesting elements are in the case design as well as the available metal and gold bracelet.

The case is 43mm wide in steel with some gold or in all 18k gold. Sapphire crystal over the dial and caseback. Inside the watch is an in-house made Bulgari Caliber 168 automatic movement. The movement has a unique Bulgari shaped automatic rotor, and some perlage decoration, but otherwise nothing too special other than the fact that it is in-house made. In addition to the time, it has a date complication that displayed the date around the periphery of the watch. I personally don't like reading the date this way as I find it distracting when attempting to read the time. The prior Sotirio Bulgari watch did have the date on a disc though. For me, the style of the watch is held back, but in a good way. Bulgari was making some wild looking watches for a while that I didn't see too many people buying. While this watch has a lot of Bulgari DNA and a quirky style, it is relatively held back. Part of the reason for this is likely due to Bulgari's cost cutting needs as the brand hasn't been fiscally outstanding lately. Look for the new Sotirio Bulgari watches in Bulgari stores soon.

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

Tags: 2010, Baselworld, Bulgari, Bvlgari, Sotirio, watch

Bell & Ross BR01-92 Radar Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Unveiled last year but finally ready for showtime this year is the interesting Bell & Ross BR01-92 Radar watch. A glance at the unique piece immediately allows you to understand it. The watch dial is done in a manner similar to a radar - using three discs instead of hands with brightly colored indicators on them to serve as the hands. The inner most disc with the green marker is for the seconds, then the middle disc with the red marker for the hours, and finally the outer disc with the yellow marker for the minutes. The cross-hair style indicators are applied to the sapphire crystal and assist with legibility as well as creating that real radar look. While the appeal of the Radar watch is niche, it is a good addition to the Bell & Ross family as a limited edition pieces that will certainly have some appeal.

So why did the watch take a full year longer to be released than was expected? It has to do with the hands and the base ETA 2892 automatic movement. The discs weigh much more than hands and are subject to a lot more friction. As such, it was a complex engineering feat to ensure that the watch was accurate and long lasting. As such, the discs needed to be made as light in weight as possible, with extremely low tolerances for manufacturing deviation. The Radar watch uses the standard 46mm wide PVD black steel Bell & Ross BR01 case. It comes with a rubber strap and is 100 meters watch resistant. Certainly an acquired taste, but with a limited edition of just 100 pieces, I think Bell & Ross will find enough takers. Should be available in stores this summer.

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

Tags: 2010, Baselworld, Bell Ross, BR01-92, Radar, watch

Corum Miss Golden Bridge Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The best part about Corum's Miss Golden Bridge watch is that it isn't just about the cool movement inside. The ladies' mechanical watch has an extremely elegant shape that looks as smooth as it feels. Coming in 18k red or white gold, the case is 21mm wide by 41mm tall. You can see that the case is fitted with four sapphire crystal windows on each side of the case. This is to provide a proper view into the famous Golden Bridge movement done exclusively by Corum. The thin and tall movement is really hard to make, and thankfully easy to love. The movement bridge itself is nicely hand engraved, which contrasts well with the simple polished case. While the watch is hard to read, that is something that you can say about most haute horology women's watches. Two dark-toned skeletonized hands are placed in the middle of the movement.

if the gold case and beauty of the movement at all angles isn't enough for you, drop some extra cash for the diamond studded version with 90 diamonds all over the case. Some say that diamonds sell more women's watches than interesting mechanics - but what happens when you have both as is the case here? Price for the Corum Miss Golden Bridge watch starts in the $25,000 range.

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

Gallery: Corum Miss Golden Bridge

Tags: 2010, basel, Baselworld, Courm, Golden Bridge, GoldenBridge, Miss, watch

Glashutte Original PanoMaticLunar XL Watch For 2010

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The newest Glashutte Original PanoMatic watch has been updated in design to be more streamlined and minimalist. This moonphase version is the PanoMaticLunar XL and further has a trendy gray demeanor to it. If brown is the new hot color to match with gold, then gray is the new hot color to match with steel, white gold, or platinum. As such, this 42mm wide watch comes in steel - finished really well by Glashutte Original.

Inside the watch is the in-house made Calibre 90-02 automatic movement. Functions include a big date, off-centered watch dial with subsidiary seconds, and a moon phase indicator. All in various shades of gray. You can see the movement through the watch's sapphire caseback window. The strap is in charcoal shaded alligator. It is hard to say whether the watch will be a hit. Emphasis here is more on the dial and functions than the presentation or the case. Part of me feels that the case is too simple looking. At the same time, the information delivery on the dial is very straightforward and comfortable. Look for the watch in Glashutte Original boutiques or retailers soon.

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

Tags: 2010, Baselworld, Glashutte Original, GlashutteOriginal, moon phase, MoonPhase, PanoMaticLunar, watch, XL

Breguet Marine Royale Alarm Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This is probably the most aggressively styled Breguet Marine Royale watch to date, and is known as the Marine Royale Alarm for 2009. In addition to bold looks, this is the first Breguet watch in my opinion that could be characterized as a highly functional diver's watch. The main draw of the watch, aside from the lovely design and Breguet heritage, is the alarm complication. The mechanical alarm is specially designed to be optimally heard underwater - a difficult task for alarm watches. This is all done thanks to the Breguet. Cal. 519R automatic movement that uses a central hand to set the alarm - which itself has a specially calibrated chime. A window in the upper center of the dial tells you if the alarm is turned on or not. Other complications include a power reserve indicator, date, and the time of course. The large pusher located at 8 o'clock is used to turn the alarm on and off.

With a great deal of guilloche decoration throughout the watch, the 45mm wide 18k rose gold case has pushers applied with rubber for easier handling. A special claw between the crowns can be used to secure the rotating diver's bezel if necessary as to not accidentally move it. Aside from all of these handy features, the Breguet Ref. 5847BR/32/5ZU is a very capable diver with 300 meters of water resistance. In addition to the rose gold case, a white gold version is available with a dark gray colored dial. If you aren't keen on spending luxury prices for a watch with a rubber strap, you can opt for the alligator band.

With its iconic wave patterned decoration and mixture of Breguet class with diving utility, this new Marine Royale Alarm watch is easily the most interesting and notable sport oriented Breguet watch of the last few years. Price will likely be $30,000 - $50,000 when it is available soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 5847BR325ZU, alarm, basel, baselworld, breguet, marine, royale, timepiece, watch

Damon Dash Designs a Range Rover - With Diamonds

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Celebrity Design

Rap mogul Damon Dash's luxury timepiece and jewelry brand Tiret New York has turned its hand to automotive design with its latest creation, the Tiret Sport Coupe. Just unveiled at watch expo Baselworld in Switzerland, the luxurious 2-door SUV is based on the Range Rover Sport and features real diamond accents derived from Tiret's opulent oversized, bejeweled timepieces by designer Daniel Lazar.

Available by special order at an undisclosed but undoubtedly astronomical price, the car is available with custom watch dial displays derived from Tiret's diamond timepieces, as well as an elegant central clock. A wide variety of color combinations including two-tone schemes is available inside and out in addition to Nappa leather seating and fine wood trim. Exterior modifications include wider flared arches, LED lighting, 22-inch LSE alloy wheels and a full panoramic glass sunroof.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Baselworld, Damon Dash, DamonDash, diamond, diamonds, Range Rover, RangeRover, Tiret, Tiret New York, TiretNewYork

Otium Trigulateur Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Take away some of the incredible glitz in new watch designs at Basel and you find some truly handsome and unique watches like this German Otium Triangulator - a company founded on the concept that each watch it makes will not display time in the traditional manner. Using a modified Swiss ETA manually-wound 6497-1 movement, Otium is able to place three subdials to tell the time (hours, minutes, and seconds) against a perlage polished dial. Design influence is classic race cars, but with an emphasis on luxury. I'd day that the best modern car to pair with watch with is the Dutch car maker Spyker, who has a similar use of colors, perlage, polishing and finely milled metal. While difficult to tell in this image, the three subdials are actually raised a bit like small portholes, really reminiscent of early race car technology and style. The actual layout of the dials is meant to resemble speedometers and accompanying gauges such as a tachometer.

With a 42mm wide stainless steel case and sapphire crystal (top and bottom), the Triangulator watch is available with white or black colored subdials and brown or black Louisiana crocodile straps. The crown has been oriented in a "lefty position" which might make it difficult to manually wind while still on your wrist, unless of course you wear your watch on your right hand. Overall the keen attention to detail and simple good looks of this Otium watch make it a winner in my book.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: 2009, basel, baselworld, german, germany, otium, triangulator, watch

Kudoke Skeletonized Watches To Be Announced At Baselworld

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

There has been a lot of buzz about Stefan Kudoke and the upcoming Kudoke watch line. Reminding me of a more refined and precision cut Krone skeletonized watches, the Kudoke watches are all about appreciating the beauty of a watch movement. Stripped to the bone (no pun intended) this skeletonized look even gets a fair amount of engraving decoration on many of the bridges. Such engraving contrasts with perlage polish, while steel and gold tones play off of one another in this very interesting design. The hands of the watch look as finely cut as the face, but seem to have an artisan look that helps promote the idea that this is still an 'independent' watch. Seeing this timepiece in a 'still' image doesn't allow you to appreciate just how animated the entire piece likely is while in operation. With gears constantly moving the entire timepiece serves to feature the essential aspect of watch making... the watch movement itself.

More details will be available later this month as the Kudoke watch line is officially unveiled at Baselworld. The movements are each skeletonized and decorated by hand. I anticipate the watch line to be in precious metals with comparable luxury pricing.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: baselworld, Kudoke, skeletonized, stefan, timepeice, watch

Swiss Watchmaker Ulysse Nardin to Launch Ltd. Edition 'Kinetic' Smartphone

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Famed Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin has partnered with European firm SCI Innovations to create what's being billed as the world's first hybrid smartphone, blending a high-tech communications tool with a classic and elegant timepiece. Dubbed the Chairman, the luxurious limited edition phone pairs cutting-edge kinetic technology with the pedigree of Ulysse Nardin, founded in 1846. The Chairman will be launched at the Ulysse Nardin booth at BaselWorld in Switzerland at the end of the month, and will go on sale later this year.

While details are limited, we can tell you that the phone will be able to use any mobile phone service provider in the world and includes several components never seen before in a smartphone. A Ulysse Nardin kinetic rotor system has been incorporated into the Chairman's mechanical and aesthetic design. The blue and rose gold phone is hand-assembled under the watchmaker's strictest guidelines, and each bears a numbered plaque.

Tags: BaselWorld, Cell phone, CellPhone, Mobile phone, MobilePhone, Smartphone, switzerland, Ulysse Nardin, UlysseNardin

Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Four tourbillons all work together with a differential to display the mean time between them all. That is the idea behind this Quadruple Tourbillon (also known as the "Experimental Watch No. 2") timepiece from watch novelty maker Greubel Forsey. Even though a watch only needs one escapement, this watch takes a few of them, and then basically rounds them all out (as they each deviate marginally from each other). Using this mean timing, Greubel Forsey indicates that this is of the most accurate tourbillon watches ever. That may be so, but this is a novelty watch if there ever was one. Consider it one of those parlor showpieces for the elite, and that is just fine. These creations are marvels to behold, and stunning examples of luxurious excess and quixotic engineering.

The four tourbillon movements are separated into two cages. Basically, each cage has a tourbillon within a tourbillon. A spherical differential takes all that power and transmits it to the movement in order to tell the time. There is a video located at Greubal Forsey's website showing what is hard to describe in words. The complex movement is manually wound and housed in a 43.5mm wide 18k rose gold case (which has side sapphire windows for more visuals into the movement. The watch dial is made of blackened gold, while the functions include the time with hours, minutes, seconds, and a power reserve indicator (nicely integrated into the subsidiary seconds dial. The larger tourbillon cage has a ring with numbers up to 240. This represents seconds, and counts 4 minutes; the time it takes the large tourbillon cage to make one revolution. Look for the official release at Baselworld soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: basel, baselworld, experimental, Greubel Forsey, GreubelForsey, quadruple tourbillon, QuadrupleTourbillon, timepiece, watch

SAINT-HONOR� Haussmann Lady Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

It is the eye catching design of these new Haussmann Lady watches by SAINT-HONORE that draws my attention. In a nutshell, you have a women's watch with what are normally masculine aggressive looks, and a mix between affordability and luxury. This will be the new trend as the economy continues to take jabs at the luxury industry. The mixture of elements such as diamonds and pink gold plated cases and accents, tenderize the aggressive facade of this 38mm wide watch face, appealing to the right kind of lady.

With a price that is bound to be affordable for the look - due to gold plating and a quartz movement - the Haussmann Lady has a lot to offer if you are drawn to the design. Faces are black or available in mother of pearl, and the strap is available in leather or silk. The latter design is the most intriguing to me, mixing a soft silk strap and a diamond studded face and bezel, with the screw and bolted design of the case. Large hands and number markers continue to mix up the design for a complicated, but surprisingly cohesive look.

Look for the Parisian designed SAINT-HONORE Haussmann Lady watch to be unveiled at Baselworld in April. Prices start at around 300 Euros.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: baselworld, Haussmann Lady, HaussmannLady, Saint Honore, SaintHonore, timepiece, watch

Linde Werdelin SpidoLite Titanium DLC Limited Edition Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The cream of Linde Werdelin's new crop of watches is the limited edition of 44 SpidoLite watch in DLC (diamond like carbon) covered titanium. The dial is partially skeletonized with a view into the newly decorated vintage NOS automatic mechanical movement from the 1970s. It is a real melding of ultra modern style and classic reliability. In what seems like a dreamy relationship, Linde Werdelin is using Svend Andersen to engrave and finish the movements for the SpidoLite watch. You can be sure the decoration process will be impressive.

Retaining the ability to have a Linde Werdelin Instrument attach to the face of the watch, the SpidoLite is a new breed from the impressive luxury sports watch maker. The familiar large case sits comfortably on the one's wrist with one of the industry's best high-grade rubber straps. Other versions of the new limited edition SpidoLite watch include an all titanium version (no DLC coating) and a black DLC coated version with a yellow tint applied sapphire crystal for the ultimate "check me out" look. The SpidoLite watches will be officially unveiled at Baselworld 2009 in April. Prices are around $10,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: Baselworld, DLC, Linde Werdelin, LindeWerdelin, SpidoLite, Svend Andersen, SvendAndersen, timepiece, Titanium, watch