Wall Street

Shia LeBeouf Wears IWC Watch In Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Movie

IWC watches are displayed on the wrists of the two main characters in the new Oliver Stone movie, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Wasn't this movie supposed to come out already? I think it got pushed. The infamous Gordon Gekko has Michael Douglas wearing an IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar watch in rose gold, while lead Shia LeBeouf is also wearing an IWC perpetual calendar timepiece. Only his character Jacob Moore is wearing an IWC Portuguese Perpetual Calendar in 18k white gold (model ref. IW376205). I guess they both really like knowing the precise date.

Probably too ritzy for his character in real life (maybe he bought the watch after making the money), the Portuguese Perpetual Calendar combines the classic look of the famous Portuguese models, with the intricate complication of IWC's very popular 7 day power reserve automatic perpetual calendar with the date, day of the week, month, leap year, year indicator, power reserve indicator moon phase indicator, and the time. Like I said, the case is in white gold, just over 42mm wide, and retails for $38,800. Check out IWC watches in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps when it hits theaters soon.

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

Tags: IWC, jacob moore, money never sleeps, perpetual calendar, portuguese, shia lebeouf, wall street, watch, watchspotting, wear

A Sign of the Times

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The owner of the Wall Street sign just auctioned at Christie's New York is one happy man. Preferring to remain anonymous, he says he is pleased with the sale as the sign is a piece of Wall Street history. "I am hopeful that the sign will ultimately end up back at the Museum of American Finance," he says. The auction house's estimate for the iconic sign marking the intersection of Wall and Broad Streets was $60,000-$80,000. The final bid, received by telephone from an Asian collector, was $116,500. Luxist helped boost the auction price according to the owner with our early posting on May 18, long before most of the media. The sign, probably dating from somewhere between 1890 and 1920, used to stand in front of the original J.P.Morgan and Co. building in the Financial District.

Tags: Christies, iconic Wall Street sign, Museum of American Finance, Wall Street

Wall Street Panic Becomes Street Art Project

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

It's been a rough few weeks on the stock market, the ghosts of September 2008 seem to be haunting the Street. Now there's some art to go along with that feeling. Artist Michelle Rogers has created an urban poster project placed on Broad Street beside the New York Stock Exchange entitled "My God, My God...The 3 Stock Traders." The artist will present large poster reproductions of her oil paintings of stock traders "in panic mode" directly at what she terms "the scene of the crime".

Rogers took her inspiration from no less than Venetian master Titian's portraits of figures looking up to the heavens in fear. Rogers' stock traders also appear to be gazing skyward in similar poses but they are looking at screens watching numbers tumble. The art makes a strong statement, "I want the Wall Street guys to know, that they are not the masters of the universe and to accept that they have caused great pain in the world and they need to make it right" - said Rogers on her website. The project was also exhibited during the 53rd edition of the Venice Biennale on the Grand Canal.

Rogers is an Irish artist who has created many powerful paintings including "9-11 Memorial," a tribute to those lost on September 11. Other paintings have explored issues of war and conflict.

Tags: art, art posters, michelle rogers, street art, wall street

Wall Street Icon at Christie's Sale

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Wall Street is still the center of wealth and ambition in this country although its reputation has dimmed somewhat recently. If you are an antiques collector or American history buff, you have a chance to own an iconic piece of Wall Street at a Christie's sale. On June 22, Christie's will auction off a cobalt-blue porcelain street sign, framed in wrought iron. It stood on the corner of Wall and Broad Streets and dates somewhere between the 1890s and the 1920s. Christie's estimates that the sign could sell between $60,000 and $80,000 but some serious antique collector could easily win this prize with a much higher bid.

Before being consigned to the Christie's sale, the antique sign was on loan to the Museum of American Finance where its temporary home (appropriately) was next to a market fluctuations exhibition. Leena Akhtar, Exhibits and Archives Director, would love to have it back and both she and the consignor hope some generous new owner will agree to loan it once again to the museum.

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Tags: americana, auctions, christies, finance, Wall Street, wall street sign

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Andaz Wall Street Housewarming Party

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events

Usually a "soft launch" is a quiet affair with friends and employers gathered for a big round of encouragement smiles, trying menu items and testing out drink concoctions. Someone forgot to tell that to Hyatt, who gathered a crowd of 300 to toast their highly anticipated new Andaz hotel in Manhattan.

Andaz is a new boutique concept from the hotel giant with locations in West Hollywood and London. Andaz Wall Street is the first in New York, with another on Fifth Avenue to open this spring. The Wall Street location officially opened to the public on Jan. 18.

At the housewarming, the restaurant, Wall & Water, was packed to the gills as guests gathered around marble "bars" for tastings of smoked salmon, arugula salad, grilled scallops and other bites being cooked before their eyes in the dining room.

Downstairs at Bar Seven Five, guests could try a choice of several different drink concoctions including a signature bourbon drink served flaming. Instead of a traditional bar with mixologists working their magic on one side and guests on the other, the lounge is laid out with a series of square-marble islands that break down the wall between guest and server, giving the bar an air of a high-end kitchen. Alchemy, a duo behind several successful New York speakeasies, designed the cocktail menu with an appropriately hip retro flair.

At right, Dr. Oz's daughter, Daphne Oz, with Lily Cowles, Natasha Lennard and Elizabeth Cordry.

Tags: andaz wall street, AndazWallStreet, bar five seven, BarFiveSeven, hilton hotels, HiltonHotels, new york hotels, NewYorkHotels, wall street, wall water, WallStreet, WallWater

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AIG Building To Become Luxury Condos

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Earlier this year, NY Post reported that AIG was trying to earn around $100 million by selling its 66-story Art Deco headquarters at 70 Pine Street in Manhattan (it actually sold to Young Woo for $150 million). Now it seems that the real-estate developer might have gotten a great deal. Young Woo will be turning the top 40 floors of AIG's 66-story headquarters near Wall Street into condo units. The Wall Street Journal does the math which shows that even including renovations and other costs the units could generate about $600,000 in profit each. This of course is providing that the Manhattan real estate market doesn't dip too much further down and eventually comes back up. Given that it will likely take the developer a while to prepare the condos for occupation and work up a snazzy marketing campaign, the timing might be ideal.

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Tags: aig, condominium, condos, manhattan, new york city, NewYorkCity, nyc, wall street, WallStreet, young woo, YoungWoo

New York City Cigar Shop Highlights

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

new york city cigar shop

Cigar Aficionado readers know that there are some great lounges in Manhattan, though I hope they didn't suffer through that absurd video shot to accompany the article. The article did hit the major attractions, but there are some other hidden gems that only the devout locals know about. If you're looking to sit down and enjoy a cigar in the city, you have plenty of choices – take advantage of them!

Even with the smoking ban, there are more cigar shops and lounges than even most New Yorkers realize. In addition to the major stores like De La Concha and Davidoff Madison Avenue, boutique hand-rollers dot the city, and they are worth a visit from time to time.

So, the next time you set out for the quintessential Manhattan smoke, mix it up. Hit the major shops, but also stop by the places that are off the beaten path. You'll enjoy the experience.

Gallery: De La Concha Avo Campanero Dinner

Guests sit at a table during the three-course meal

A guest prepares to enjoy the Avo Campanero

Tags: cigar, cigar shop, cigars, CigarShop, columbus circle, ColumbusCircle, manhattan, new york, new york city, NewYork, NewYorkCity, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, smoking ban, SmokingBan, timewarnercenter, tobacco, wall street, WallStreet

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Even Dubai Feels Wall Street's Pain...

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

In a global marketplace, even Dubai isn't protected from the economy's frosty embrace. Although real estate giants don't anticipate a market crash in this tourist hot spot it has certainly slowed the rush to invest in Dubai down a bit. There may be a positive note in this unpredictable market as some believe the speculators or "flippers" will get weeded out and bring more stability. I don't pretend to understand everything about the effects of our economic issues but it's certainly disconcerting when Dubai is feeling the strain.

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Tags: dubai, economy, global market, GlobalMarket, market, TIME, wall street, WallStreet

The Changing Face of Wall Street

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

It used to be that Wall Street was strictly business but as Portfolio mentions in their article on the new Wall Street, the Lower Manhattan financial sector is now home to more and more residences and retail storesLuxury apartments have been popping up in the area at a rapid rate. Twenty-one new residential buildings opened in 2007 and there are another 35 projects planned.

Some luxury retailers in the area now include Hermès, Thomas Pink, and Tiffany & Co. names you'd generally associate with the more traditional New York shopping areas of Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue. And the harbinger of high-end residential, a Whole Foods market is set to arrive soon.

This could be good news for Lower Manhattan which is becoming less dependent on financial services at a time when banks and other financial business are cutting back on jobs. Although it's perhaps not great news for the luxury retailers hoping that Wall Street's financial titans would simply hop down the street, fat bonuses in hand. The changing tone of Wall Street is also luring some other types of businesses such as marketing and real estate firms to the area helping to create a more diverse neighborhood. In 1993 47% of the jobs in the area were in financial services but by 2006 the number was down to 30% and is likely to fall further. Wall Street will remain New York's financial mecca but it's nice to see that sea of dark suits and gray buildings getting a little more color.

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Tags: expire-images2009-4-22, manhattan, new york, wall street, WallStreet

Wall Street's Small Bonuses Could Put a Crimp in Luxury Spending

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Those who cater to the high-end luxury shoppers in New York don't just have the Christmas season to worry about. They are now waiting to see how the Wall Street bonuses will be spent. Bonuses seem to be down so far this year, a tough one in which many banks cut jobs as they dealt with losses caused by fallout from the subprime mortgage market. Reuters say that headhunters have reported that payouts for some of the most successful fixed income traders this year were flat to down 5 percent and some were down 10 percent to 20 percent.

This could be bad news for the real estate and art markets as well as luxury retailers including jewelers and auto dealers. Even those who did get a healthy bonus may not be in a shopping mood. Many in financial services are also fretting over job security and may put their bonus money into savings rather than celebratory spending.

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Tags: affluence, bonuses, luxury spending, spending, wall street, WallStreet

The Lavish Plans For 75 Wall Street

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

The former downtown headquarters of JP Morgan Chase, 75 Wall Street, a rose-colored brick tower, is making the switch from office building to luxury condos and a hotel. The building will be home to an Andaz hotel, the recently announced new luxury lifestyle arm of Hyatt. The 250-suite hotel will take up the lower part of the building while the upper 24 floors will be home to 350 condominiums. The Rockwell Group, an architectural design firm, will be reconfiguring the interiors and public spaces.

The residences will have loft-like layouts from studios to three bedrooms. There will also be duplex penthouses with custom library walls, fireplaces and terrace with wet bars. Other details include large picture windows, 10-foot ceilings, white marble baths, cerused oak flooring and an overhead storage system to maximize space. Amenities such as room service, catering, housekeeping and concierge service are also planned. The tower will also feature Club 75, a lifestyle area that will house a fitness center, massage treatment rooms, media room and game room. On the 42nd floor rooftop there will be a solarium, lounge, sandy beach, hot tub, hammocks, grills and a lounging area with a fireplace and a kitchen. Completion is set for 2008.

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Tags: andaz, condo, hotel, hyatt, manhattan, new york, NewYork, wall street