WSJ

One of the most successful places that a watch company can experience press in print media (as opposed to online where people like us are king) is in business magazines. England's Financial Times regularly covers aspects of wrist watch news, and our own Wall Street Journal is known to sometimes do stories on particular brands. In the WSJ Magazine's September issue, there is an article discussing the new Girard Perregaux Vintage 1945 watch. You can see the image above that I took myself modeling the sleek looking classically styled timepiece while at the watch store Lussori. Even the hands in the case are curved!

The most important innovation in the watch is just how curved it is -almost impossibly so. Girard Perregaux must have worked overtime to get the little manually wound movement to even work. The case literally wraps around your wrist, and I find it quite comfortable. The relatively modest size and thin nature of the watch is a great departure from other larger watches that we have been seeing lately.

Not only is the watch smaller, but Girard Perregaux made a point to make the entry level steel version of the watch (seen above in rose gold) actually entry level priced for the luxury brand, starting at about $8,000. Not cheap, but "value priced" from the boys at GP.

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

Free online real estate estimates, such as the Zestimates provided by Zillow.com, are a boon to many home buyers. They provide fast, hassle-free estimates of homes all over, with the intention of giving shoppers an idea of what's available before they even head out to look in person. According to the Wall Street Journal, however, Zillow isn't quite as reliable as it seems to be, given the fact that it gives prices down to the dollar, not just round-number estimates. For instance, it listed a 7,600-sq. ft. home in Fall City, WA at $661,756, but the home sold in January for over $2.5 million. The Northbrook, Il. house pictured was pegged at $450,000, but sold for nearly double. And the errors can go the other way, as well, with an El Cerrito, CA house selling for $80,000, though its estimate was over $500,000.

Zillow tries to keep things as accurate as possible, of course, but the bottom line is that it is best to take their estimates with more than a grain of salt just in case the 5% error you are expecting turns out to be 50%.

We talk quite a lot about yachts here, as they are one of the most luxurious things that money can buy. This week, the Wall Street Journal took a look at some of our favorite ships, dubbing them McYachts(subscription req'd), due to the constant competition among enthusiasts for the biggest and best boats with the most luxury features. They also put together a convenient pricing guide, defining how much you can get for the amount you're willing to pay. Keep in mind this is just a ballpark, but it's a good place to start if you're thinking of getting into the game.

• $2 million - 60-ft yacht with two staterooms, a salon and a dining area
• $20 million - 140-ft yacht with 3 decks above water, 5 staterooms and an aft deck
• $50 million: 190-ft yacht with 4 decks above water, a sky lounge and an elevator
• $75 million - 250-ft yacht with a gym, pool, helicopter pad and garage (helicopter may or may not be included; pilot extra)
• $194 million - 450-ft yacht with a theater, spa, salon and a wood burning fireplace, in addition to everything listed above and a good deal more.

After sending out correspondents to 12 stores of 5 different luxury department store chains in 6 cities across the country, the Wall Street Journal reported its findings yesterday, comparing how the stores stacked up in terms of service, product selection and their "extra touches." Bergdorf Goodman came out on top, winning the "best overall" rating. They had the shortest wait time for staff help, the largest selection of high-end, ready-to-wear designer apparel, excellent restrooms and even a DJ that will download music onto your iPod. Barneys got a nod for their insightful staff and number of new designers. Neiman Marcus was praised for their huge catalogue selection. Nordstrom, though only half its stores carry all their luxury brands, had one of the best shoe collections as well as easy returns. Saks has refreshing water bars and ultra-attentive staff.