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.

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]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is the second most important annual watch show next to Baselworld (held in Basel, Switzerland typically in April). SIHH is held in Geneva, Switzerland, and showcases the new watches from its member brands. This year, a few new faces are among the 17 exhibiting brands that include: Piaget, A. Lange & Sohne, Cartier, IWC, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Baume & Mercier, among many other watch makers who typify distinction in mechanics and design.

Not just anyone can attend this private event, a fact that makes SIHH a lot different than the larger Baselworld show. To be included you need to be specifically invited by the exhibiting brands. At times like this it is good to know people in the right places. SIHH has always been a more gala like event celebrating not only the watches, but the glamour and appeal of the luxury industry and all its participants. If you are invited and flying to Switzerland, getting there is really easy as the show is actually located in a part of the Geneva airport.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The Seiko watch company has a compelling story behind their latest watch the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk launched at Baselworld. The watch has been engineered to withstand the extreme environment of outer space and will be worn on the wrist of Richard Garriott, the sixth private-citizen space explorer, when he takes his trip this fall. Garriott, a video game designer and the son of a NASA astronaut, will pay $45 million for his trip and plant to viisit the International Space Station and become the first private citizen to do a space walk outside of it. He will be wearing the Seiko Spring Drive Spacewalk outside of his spacesuit and so the watch has to be able to survive zero gravity and an environment where temperatures can get as low as negative 22 degrees Celsius. Battery-powered watches aren't viable for space and the spring drive was chosen over a mechanical watch for safety and accuracy. The watch was designed to be light and recesses on the sides of the case save weight. It also has a dial with a Lumibrite treatment for readability. The case is air tight and made of high-intensity titanium. The watch is a limited edition of 100, three will go with Garriott on his October adventure and the other 97 will be available in December and will retail for $25,000.

Every year the watchmakers and jewelers converge on Basel, Switzerland in the spring for Baselworld and the SIHH show. It is the place where exhibitors display some of the most dazzling luxury goods in the world. But this year, fears over the U.S. economy may be dampening the usual excitement.

The show, like fashion shows, is one that looks ahead, trying to sell buyers on the goods they will want in their stores in September and October for the holiday season. Many are already predicting that the Christmas business of 2008 will be bad news for both the U.S. and Europe. The annual event has over 2,000 exhibitors and attracts around 100,000 buyers. According to Jacques Duchene, president of the BaselWorld Exhibitors Committee quoted in National Jeweler, last year was a boom year for Swiss watches: Swiss watch exports reached about $15.75 billion last year which was a 16 percent increase over the previous year, and a rise of more than 50 percent over the previous four years.

In this Reuters article, Rolf Schnyder, the chief executive of Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin is quoted as saying that the slowdown in the U.S. market will generally affect the mid-range products. This reflects the general trend we have seen where luxury consumers at the top of the market are spending but those that are at the lower end of the affluence spectrum are cutting back.

For those who make watches and jewelry, bright spots can be found by looking east. Increased demand in Asia, Russia and the Middle East will likely provide most manufacturers with market growth even if other economies continue on their gloomy course. One thing that I will be curious to see is if the change in consumers will change the products. The big spenders in these markets often have particularly lavish tastes and a taste for diamond and jewel-covered watches as opposed to more subtle watches with elaborate complications. I wonder if in the next few years, the major manufacturers will be shifting their output to attract these customers.

Maurice Lacroix has unveiled the romantic designs in their Starside series in advance of the Baselworld watch show.

The Maurice Lacroix Starside Eternal Moon has a 38mm stainless steel case and sapphire crystals. The watch shows hours, minutes and seconds indication with hands, date indication with central hand, weekday and month indication in windows at 5 and 7 o'clock, moon phase indication with disc at 12 o'clock. The softly beautiful dial is lacquered in pink and black or beige and black, set with 32 diamonds with a metallized sapphire crystal for moon phase indication.

The Maurice Lacroix Starside Magic Seconds has a 38mm stainless steel case with a bezel and crown set with with 65 Top Wesselton diamonds. The movement is the automatic caliber ML161 with 31 jewels and the dial is white mother-of-pearl and silver color or lacquered in dark blue and silver color, set with 30 diamonds.

The Maurice Lacroix Starside Sparkling Date with In-House Complications is a limited edition of 250 pieces. The movement is the automatic caliber ML127 with 30 jewels with special complications module designed in-house by ML. It has an indication of hours and minutes, retrograde date indication with diamond in a shaped window at 6 o'clock, moon phase indication with eccentric disc revealed by a cabochon of moonstone at 3 o'clock. The 38mm case is 8K white gold and the bezel and lugs are set with 82 Top Wesselton diamonds. The crown set with 9 diamonds and the dial is lacquered in purple and black.

[via Time Zone]

Today we are taking a look at some of the gorgeous new watches from Vacheron Constantin. Whether you like complex watches with intricate mechanisms, the retro fantastic or watches that are simply artistic, they have created something for every type of watch lover.

The Masque watches are part of a collection that will span three years with twelve masks, 25 pieces of each. Each timepiece is uses the automatic Calibre 2460G4 movement. The time is read without any hands: by means of four discs that indicate the hours, minutes, days and date in windows, leaving the center of the dial free for the masks. The use of specially-treated glass creates the impression that the masks are floating. Each sapphire crystal has a different tint to show off the color of the mask. The 40mm case is fashioned in white gold for the Alaskan mask, pink gold for the Indonesian mask, yellow gold for the Chinese mask, and platinum for the Congolese mask. There are 25 boxes, each with the four watches representing four different continents (The Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania), for a total of 100 individual pieces.

Does it take some of the fun out of owning a tourbillon watch if no one can see the tourbillon? The Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30 Degree Secret may say tourbillon on the front but it is nowhere in sight. Instead the double tourbillon is on the back, an innter tourbillon angled at 30° and an outer one that rotates every four minutes . The large subdial at the 6 o'clock position shows the four-minute rotation of the outer cage of the Double Tourbillon 30°. The dial also displays the power reserve. The watch uses the mechanical hand-wound movement, GF Calibre 02j. There are front and back sapphire crystals. The watch is done in white gold and just 11 are being made.

After the jump, a look at a very different Greubel Forsey watch where the tourbillon is on full display.

It was inevitable, after all, Hublot has been steadily adding diamonds and gemstones to their Big Bang models for a while now. But the Million Dollar Bang outpaces them all. The watch includes a tourbillon and uses a "mystery" setting so that you don't see the settings, only the stones (493 of them to be precise). A traditional setting is used around the flying tourbillon. The Bunter SA workshop partnered with Hublot on the one-of-a-kind watch which took 2,000 hours to create. The case is 18K white gold and the watch uses a mechanical workshop-crafted movement. Don't get out your wallet for this piece it has already been sold. If you've got a Hublot craving they are introducing a few other new watches, the other are after the jump.

[via Luxury Launches and Time Zone]