beijing

Omega Keeps Time in Beijing

Swiss watchmaker Omega is the official timekeeper of the Olympics and they have created the Omega Pavilion on the Olympic Green in Beijing for the Olympics. The Pavillion is 2,500 square meters (nearly 27,000 square feet) over two floors and includes a large exhibition area, boutique and a stage for special events. The opening ceremony for the pavilion on April 4 was attended by several hundred members of the international press and other invited guests and four Omega brand ambassadors, Olympic multiple gold medallists Ian Thorpe and Alexander Popov, speedskater Yang Yang, the first Chinese athlete to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympic Games and shooter Xu Mai Feng who was the first Chinese gold medallist at a Summer Olympic Games.

Omega has 450 professional timekeepers and data handlers in Beijing to time all 302 events in 28 sports at 37 different venues. The Swiss brand's 420 tons of equipment include the many scoreboards and display units used at the Olympic Games.Omega first served as Official Olympic Timekeeper at the Los Angeles 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Omega has created limited edition Olympic versions of some of their most popular watch styles such as the DeVille, some of the collection is shown in the gallery below.

Gallery: Omega Olympic Beijing Watches

Tags: beijing, olympic, omega, timepieces, watches, wristwatch

Ernst Benz Beijing 2008 Limited Edition ChronoScope

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

To celebrate the 2008 Summer Olympics, Swiss watch manufacturer Ernst Benz has created the Beijing 2008 Limited Edition ChronoScope. The watches are the first in a new series that will be released biannually to celebrate the great cities of the world.The 47mm watch has been done in two different dial executions, Noir (Black) and Vermilion (China Red) with both versions limited to only 88 pieces hand-finished in brushed stainless steel. Also an even more limited version of only eight pieces per dial which be available in Black PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coated brushed steel. The dials feature a Traditional Chinese pattern for fire as well as incorporate Traditional Chinese characters for the numerals; with the 8th hour marker done in a contrasting color. The watch comes in Chinese-themed packaging and wiill be available with the choice of either hand-stitched alligator straps: black with red stitching or red with black stitching. The stainless steel version will retail for $5,800 while the Black PVD coated brushed stainless steel version will retail for $6,800.

Gallery: Ernst Benz Beijing Chronoscope

Tags: beijing, ernst benz, ErnstBenz, timepieces, watches

Ralph Lauren's Official Olympics Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports

Ralph Lauren's 2008 Olympics Collection from his Polo line, to be worn by American athletes at the summer games in Beijing next month, is now available in stores. Lauren designed the official Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony parade outfits as well as an assortment of Olympic "village wear" pieces for the U.S. Teams, which anyone may now purchase. The Summer Olympics in Beijing run from Aug. 8 - 24th. Lauren's patriotic, logo-festooned red, white and blue designs are "inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games and in keeping with the time-honored tradition of this historic event." Visit Lauren's site here for more and check out the gallery to see athletes modeling the collection.

Gallery: Ralph Lauren for the Olympics

Tags: American fashion, AmericanFashion, Athletes, Beijing, Beijing 2008, Beijing2008, Olympics, Polo Ralph Lauren, PoloRalphLauren, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, Summer Olympics, SummerOlympics, U.S. Olympic Team, U.s.OlympicTeam

Bejing Hotels Dropping Their Rates Ahead Of The Olympics

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

While workers put the finishing touches on buildings for the Olympics, Beijing hotels are dropping prices hoping to fill empty rooms for the celebration. Many hotels had raised rates hoping for a huge tourism leap before the Games, which start on August 8. The AFP reports that three- and four-star hotels are cutting prices by 20 percent or more. Five star hotels seem to be faring best, earlier this month the Beijing municipal tourism bureau said that they were 70 percent booked while four-star hotels bookings during the Olympics stood at 44 percent and rates for three-star hotels were even lower.

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Tags: beijing, china, olympics, tourism

Voila Watches Beijing Dream

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The latest product to tie in to the Beijing Olympics coming up this august is the Voila Beijing Dream. The elaborated cage like design of the watch mimics the National Stadium (also called the Birds Nest) that will hold the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics. The watch is available with a stainless steel or gold plated case with a strap of Chinese silk brocade. It comes set with .23 carats of diamonds or .72 carats and prices range from 1,490 to 2,190 euros.

[via Watch of the Week]

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Tags: beijing, national stadium, timepiece, voila watches, VoilaWatches, watch

Gucci's 8-8-08 Limited Edition

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

I remember back in 1980, my mother got a Misha bear, the mascot of the Moscow Olympics. Fast forward to this year's Olympics in Beijing and a new more expensive and more fabulous bear, the Gucci leather panda which sells for $1,050. The bear is part of the Gucci 8-8-2008 Limited Edition designed by Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. The collection of eight pieces, of course, includes the new $1,415 I-Gucci watch, the company's first digital watch, which is already on their website. Other special Gucci Limited Edition items include a $3,420 bicycle, a $3,150 Mahjong set covered in red La Pelle Guccissima leather, a pair of $660 men's and women's sports shoes, a $445 sterling silver and enamel necklace inspired by military tags, and two pieces of luggage in La Pelle Guccissima, a leather duffle for $2,795 and a $995 leather messenger bag.

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Tags: beijing, gucci, guccissima, olympics

Samsung Plans Gold Phone For The Olympics

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Those at China's Olympics can keep in touch with a gold phone. Samsung will make a special 18-carat gold-plated mobile phone in China to celebrate the Olympics in Beijing. The P318 phone will be black with gold trim and gold along the bottom half of its back. The phone will only be sold in China and no launch date has been set yet.

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Tags: beijing, cellphone, gold, mobile phone, olympics, phone, samsung

Asia's Most Expensive Suite Drops Price

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

It seems that we may have finally hit the price ceiling for expensive hotel suites. The highest priced hotel suite in Asia can be found at the Pingxi Royal Mansion just outside Beijing was advertised at 220,000 yuan ($28,100), which makes it even more expensive than the Bridge Suite at the Atlantis. Recently, though, the hotel dropped its price by 20% per night ($22,485) because of a lack of customers.

On second thought, we're not too worried about the possibility that this could indicate a drop in the demand for luxe suites, though. More likely than not, this is just a case of overpricing in the first place.

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Tags: asia, beijing, hotel, suite

Mao Portrait for Sale

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

A portrait of Mao Zedong is being offered at a June 3rd auction in Beijing. It was painted in the 1950s by portraitist Zhang Zhenshi and posters of it were circulated throughout the country. Zhenshi was one of the first artists to do a portrait of Mao and this painting is said to be one of his only surviving works. Since the announcement of the auction, the inclusion of the portrait has met with some opposition, with critics citing that its historical value is too great for it to be sold. It is currently owned by a Chinese American and is expected to sell for $120,000-150,000, as other Mao memorabilia has done well at auctions recently.

[Image ChinaDaily]

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Tags: auction, beijing, china, mao, mao zedong, portrait

First Harley-Davidson Dealership Opens in China

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Less than a year ago the first Harley-Davidson dealership hit Moscow, now they are opening in another rapidly growing market, China. The first Harley dealership is located in Beijing. The Globe and Mail describes the scene at the store which is located a 20-minute drive from the center of town. Visitors to the store where very excited to check out the gleaming Harley models and other Harley-themed merchandise. The shop will also offer rider training and organized rides. Unfortunately motorcycles are banned on Beijing's major streets. The bikes are also comparatively pricey and can cost more than the average yearly income in Beijing.

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Tags: beijing, bike, china, harley-davidson, hog, moscow, motorcycle

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