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Patek Philippe Celestial Calendar Ref. 5106 Timepiece For Only Watch 2009

Patek Philippe collectors will want to pay attention to this unique watch that has been produced specially for the Only Watch 2009 charity watch auction taking place in Monaco in September. The watch furthers the growing line of celestial themed watches that Patek Philippe is known for. This watch has a few unique touches that you'll want to know about. The about 44mm wide case is done in 18k rose gold while the bezel is done in 22k rose gold which is not standard for watches that often use 18k rose gold for the whole case. 22k rose gold is often regarded as being too soft for a watch exterior, but Patek Philippe knowing the likely life of this watch (in a case) opted for the more pure gold in order to enhance the look of the guilloche engraving on the bezel. The mini rotor in the automatic 240 LU CL C movement is also in 22k rose gold. For all its complications the movement is thin at about 6.4mm thick - making for an overall thin watch. The strap is dark blue alligator.

So what does the watch do? It is funny as the watch is very Geneva-centric - in that the frame of reference for looking at the sky is how the sky appears while in Geneva. Basically the watch tells you what the night sky looks like from Geneva - as opposed to other positions on Earth. It has a lot of information about the sky, as well as the time and date. Looking at the dial you can tell what the sky (position) of the stars looks like as well as the phase of the moon and the position of the moon in the night sky. This tells you the solar time, the passage of Sirius, what is going on with the moon, and shows you a nice sky chart. Most of this information will just look pretty because you can go online to figure out all this information in a more readable manner. This is lovely novelty for novelty's sake, and is just what collectors like - you don't get to look at a delicate golden rendition of the Milky Way online the way you do while gazing at this beauty.

With the fine decoration, complex automatic movement, and unique nature of a one-off Patek Philippe model, I have a feeling that this Ref. 5106 watch from Patek Philippe will go for a hefty price at auction in September, and will likely increase in value a few years from now if recent Patek Philippe watch auction results are any indication.

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

Tags: 2009, 5106, auction, calendar, celestial, only watch, OnlyWatch, patek philippe, PatekPhilippe

Jaquet Droz Quantième Perpétuel Céramique Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

This year has seen Jaquet Droz slowly supplementing their standard Grande Seconds figure 8 watch design style with more traditional watch layout designs. It almost feels odd seeing a Jaquet Droz watch with standard hands. While this Jaquet Droz Quantième Perpétuel Céramique watch does have a standard hour and minute hands layout, the rest of the watch is rather unique. No doubt with assistance from their corporate parent the Swatch Group, they developed this well conceived perpetual calendar watch. The case is ceramic, which is ideal as the curves are gentle and allow for a very good use of the material. Some surfaces appear to be in a matte finish while others are polished.

Two retrograde hands flank the middle of the watch with day of the week and date indicators. The upper subsidiary dial indicates the month, while a small window inside indicates the leap year cycle. In the lower middle of the dial is a subsidiary seconds dial using Jaquet Droz's typically shaped seconds hand with ringed counter-weight. The design overall is very satisfying to the eye. Small elements prevent it from being as legible as it could be. I would have liked the hour and minute hand to be in a different color than the other hands as to make them stand out and be more legible. Also, the layout on the retrograde date indicator will require some mental calculation to determine the date as you'll need to stare at it a bit longer than you'd like to determine the information. Regardless, these are minor points as buyers of watches such as this aren't usually too concerned with factors such as precise legibility. The watch looks very nice, and that is what is important to the target market.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: calendar, ceramique, jaquet droz, JaquetDroz, perpertual, perpetuel, quantieme, watch

The Classicist: The World's Most Beautiful Ferraris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Books, The Classicist

Every year since 1985, German lensman Günther Raupp has photographed the world's most beautiful Ferraris for the exclusive, limited edition official Ferrari Calendar, of which only a few thousand copies are printed every year. He has now selected the best of the best for an incredible book marking the 25th anniversary: Ferarri: 25 Years of Calendar Images from teNeues. The cars in the book span the entire history of the world-famous Italian marque, from the 1950 166 MM Barchetta Touring victorious in the Mille Miglia, to the high-tech supercars of today, including the amazing 275 GTB Competizione (above), which came in 3rd at Le Mans in 1965 and is worth millions.

In his preface to the book, which he considers a sort of "family album," founder Enzo Ferrari's only living son Piero Ferrari writes that Raupp "seizes the spirit rather than simply the form of our vehicles." Enzo himself, to whom the book is dedicated, obviously agreed; the title page is a facsimile of a personal note of thanks he sent to Raupp when the first calendar was published. Raupp himself is an avid Ferrari collector; his favorite is a 1972 Dino 246 GTS, which he has owned for 28 years. He "lovingly handpicked" his greatest work over the decades for this volume showcasing scores of legendary vehicles.

Gallery: Ferrari: 25 Years

The book's cover, showing a 1958 250 Testa Rossa

Tags: Calendar, Enzo Ferrari, EnzoFerrari, Ferrari, Galleria Ferrari, GalleriaFerrari, Gnther Raupp, GntherRaupp, Italy, Le Mans, LeMans, Maranello, Piero Ferrari, PieroFerrari, teNeues

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Charles and Marie Holiday Advent Calendar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I've long been a fan of the selections from Charles and Marie, the popular website specializes in quirky and cutting-edge design from around the globe. For true design junkies they have a holiday treat, an advent calendar (well, more of a box of presents really) to help you count down to Christmas. The 24 gifts are curated by designers Alissia Melka-Teichroew and Jan Habraken. There are two versions, the Luxe Edition ,which includes design objects with a European sensibility, containing several limited edition pieces. and the more inexpensive Cosmopolitan edition. They can be ordered now and the package arrives on December 1. The Luxe version goes for $1800.

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Tags: advent, calendar, charles and marie, decor, design, gadgets, gifts, holiday gifts, HolidayGifts

Handmade Wooden Advent Calendar

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Last year I picked up one of Starbuck's truffle-filled advent calendars, but I usually get my daily holiday chocolate fix from one of the inexpensive advents sold at Trader Joe's. Each day, you open up a little door on the calendar to reveal a chocolate treat and count down the days until Christmas. It's definitely not a luxury item, but the little Swiss milk chocolates are satisfying all the same. More traditional advents don't necessarily have chocolates, but little figurines or toys instead, like this Handmade Wooden Advent Calendar from FAO Schwartz. Crafted in Germany, the calendar is solid wood and is of heirloom quality. Each numbered window reveals little figurines inside the hand-painted house. Granted - it's not chocolate, but it certainly is far more decorative and even at $1,125, it won't prevent you from spending $2 on one of the chocolate ones at TJ's.

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Tags: Advent, Advent Calendar, AdventCalendar, Calendar, christmas, germany, toy, wood

C&M's Holiday Calendar

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services

The holiday season is about giving, but that doesn't mean that you can't give yourself something in addition to all the gifts you might be buying for others and Charles & Marie's Holiday Calendar is like getting your very own secret Santa.

The calendar is a gift-a-day program, where a beautifully wrapped package is delivered to you by courier each day from December 1-24. The program was curated by Wallpaper Magazine's Young Designer of the year 2004, Tobias Wong, and includes a mystery selection of luxury goods - because a secret Santa gift wouldn't be too exciting if you knew what you were going to get ahead of time. The gifts will be from designers all over the world and most will not be available from any other retailers.

Of course, if you're feeling generous, you can also send a calendar to someone else as a gift. It would certainly make the holiday season fun. Price: $1,450 and ordering closes on November 15th.

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Tags: calendar, charles and marie, CharlesAndMarie, christmas, gift, gifts, holiday calendar, marie, present, santa, secret santa