I was blown away seeing this surprising watch from Gerald Genta. Most of the brand's watch impress me, but I this one came out of no where, and likely cost them years of development. I assume once the Arena Metasonic watch is available, there will be very few of them to go around. The watch continues the brand's obsession of watches with a musical twist. Starting in the mid 1990s hey began to great ultra complex minute repeater and striking watches. These two complications either repeat the time to you on command (either exactly or to the nearest 5 minute or quarter hour), or automatically chime at various intervals (such as at "6:00" or when each hour passes). There are many iterations the sonnerie watch, and the most complex of which embody multiple of these musical complications.

This new Arena Metasonic starts with a 46mm wide case made of titanium and other special metal alloys designed to enhance the sound coming from within. One of the hardest parts of making watches such as this is designing the case to carry the sounds as well as possible. There is also the highly stylized construction and technical looking pushers and levers. The manually wound movement is ultra complex, being visible through the dial and caseback behind sapphire crystals. The front displays the off-centered time, tourbillon escapement, and in the lower left hand side you can see the hammers that beat playfully when the sonnerie is activated.

The rear of the watch has more of the fascinating movement and dual power reserves (for the watch and the minute repeater). I have a feeling that you'll need to be winding this watch often. The various sonnerie functions also include a silence mode (no striking unless you want to hear it), and a grande and petite sonnerie option. This chooses between louder or more soft strikes. More details will be released sooner to when the watch is made available. No word on pricing yet. UPDATE. Price has been announced to be about $900,000.

Gerald Genta has however discussed the wild box that will come with the watch. First, it is all automatic and electronic. Gaze inside as a light goes on and the watch comes out of the nether to greet you. To access the watch, you'll need to place your finger on the biometric reader on the box, as this watch is meant for your wrist only. Crazy stuff, crazy unnecessary, and crazy fun.

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

Antiquorum's catalog of watches and clocks to be auctioned off in September is over 300 pages long, and there are some cool ones this time around. Nevertheless, Patek Philippe is bound to be the most desirable brand if past auctions this year have been any indicator. Going for an estimated $400,000 - $600,000 this Patek Philippe Ref. 3939HP watch might be the star of the auction. These conservative estimates will likely be beat.

This watch was uniquely made per a customer request to have a black dial, and a silver dial is also included (not exactly user changeable). The platinum cased watch hides the most desirable elements which are a tourbillon based movement as well as a minute repeater complication (operated with the lever on the left side of the watch). Aside from that the dial is very simple, with elegant Arabic numerals and pomme hands. The subsidiary seconds dial tells most of the story. The watch was originally sold in the year 2000. We will wait until next month to see what the final bid will be for this collectible Patek Philippe.

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

Readers of the Robb Report know that they like luxury watches and tend to include more mainstream and independent luxury brands in their frequent timepiece discussions. As such, in Robb Report's recent "Best of the Best" awards for 2009, they have selected a number of products and services that together make up the ultimate items for the luxury lifestyle. In the category of "Men's Watches" there were five "Best of the Best" winners including this F.P. Journe Répétion Souveraine watch. F.P. Journe certainly falls in the independent category of watch makers in comparison to other winners which include brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin (each part of the Richemont Group). Other winning brands included Patek Philippe and De Benthune.

The Répétion Souveraine watch is unique as being an extremely thin minute repeater watch - with the manually wound movement being about 4mm thick. The watch includes this minute repeater complication as well as the time with subsidiary seconds and a power reserve indicator - all on a very typically styled F.P. Journe watch dial. The level of finish and subtle decoration is what collectors and enthusiasts come to expect from the brand the relishes in its French style while being made in Switzerland. The whole watch is about 8mm thick, which is really a triumph for any sonnerie type of watch requiring space for the gongs and hammers inside of the movement. This winning "Best of the Best" watch goes for about $165,000.

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

Each year's new releases from Audemars Piguet reveal how dynamic the watch maker is. From ultra modern, to ultra subdued, there is no limit to how varied their timepieces can be. In stark contrast to some of the more bold offerings this year, the Audemars Piguet Tradition line - with its attractive 39.5mm wide cushion case - adds a new level of ' complication smoothness' to the classically-styled line.

Greatest in this year's Audemars Piguet Tradition line is this Perpetual Calendar with Minute Repeater watch that is actually a very complex timepiece given the sheer number complications inside. The hand-wound Calibre AP 2855 movement powers the perpetual calendar with a moonphase. There is also the lever on the left side of the case for the gongs of the minute repeater. Pull it down, then active it, and you get a little harmony of gongs and bells that tell you the time if read (listened to) properly.

The case is done in either 18k white gold or platinum, with a variety of finishes on the case. The sides are polished, while the bezel is brushed and the dial is satin finished. The cathedral style hands and hour markers are in rose gold. One of the best features is the font style of the number markers which looks classic at first, but has a unique modern flair if you observe them carefully. Nice to know Audemars Piguet is not exclusively about the Royal Oak line, nice work AP.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.