chateau

Boucheron Reflet XL Château Latour Millésime 2005 Watch

Now here is a limited edition watch which has a wooden dial made from a 200 year old barrel in oak that was used to mature a very good French wine. That news alone should excite enough people to buy it. Wood is used on watches from time to time with various themes. Often meant to evoke a look similar to sail boats or classic car interiors. Here however the theme is French wine, and Boucheron can only take half the credit for the timepiece. Actually, a little bit less. Inside the Boucheron Reflet XL Château Latour Millésime 2005 is a Girard Perregaux Calibre GP4000 automatic movement.

From Château Latour comes the grand Millésime 2005 vintage wine. Considered quite a special collection, I don't think any of the wine is due to come with each of the 100 watches. The dials of the watches are made from specially selected wood used for the barrels to age the wine that is 200 years old. I like the clever design element where a barrel shape is place in the middle of the dial. That motif is extended to the engraving in the square steel case that is 31.5 x 45mm in size. Is that really "XL?" Of course it is pretty - most Boucheron pieces are. Pricey too, at $14,200 for each of the 100 pieces. Are you sure it doesn't come with wine?

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

Tags: 2005, boucheron, chateau, latour, millesime, reflet, watch, wine, xl

Severin Wunderman's House In The South Of France

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Last December we looked at the London home of the late watch legend Severin Wunderman. The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties reports that his estate has put his French château and its contents up for sale for 18 million euros. Wunderman owned luxury watch manufacturer Corum and was a longtime maker of Gucci watches. He had purchased the 17th-century hunting lodge in La Colle sur Loup in the early 1990s and spent years restoring and decorating it. He died at the chateau last June.

The 16,000-square-foot house has 12 bedrooms and is filled with antiques and artwork including a bronze Salvador Dali sculpture. The 2.5-acre property offers a pool and a gorgeous formal garden. The listing pictures are small but reveal coffered ceilings, stone arches and columns.

Gallery: Severin Wunderman in the South of France

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Tags: chateau, france, real estate, RealEstate, severin wunderman, SeverinWunderman

Christian Dior's French Chateau For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Sometimes it helps for have friends who speak Russian. That's how I found this article which indicates that Christian Dior's French castle is up for sale. A little digging led me to what looks to be the listing for Chateau de la Colle Noire, Dior's home in the south of France.

Dior bought the property in 1950 and spent considerable time and money restoring it. After his death in 1957 it passed through various hands and as of late has been available to rent for weddings. The band Oasis even recorded there in 1999. The castle has 30 rooms with 18 bedrooms and several outbuildings as well as a chapel, tennis court and swimming pool.

[Thanks, Lana]

Gallery: Chateau de la Colle Noire

Tags: chateau, christian dior, ChristianDior, france, real estate, RealEstate

A Bordeaux Chateau, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I don't know a lot about this property so we'll have to let the pictures do the talking. This 18th and 19th Century chateau in France's Bordeaux region has close to 7,000 square feet of living space and is on a five acre park. it has more than nine bedrooms and many large rooms including what appears to be a ballroom with a herringbone wood floor. Stone fireplaces, original wood and plaster details add to the charm. The listing suggests it could be converted into a hotel or restaurant. It is listed at €2,422,000 (around $3.43 million).

Gallery: A Bordeaux Chateau

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Tags: bordeaux, chateau, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, france

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Chateau in Charente, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This beautiful Neo-Gothic chateau is located in the department of Charente, France and close to the Dordogne region. The chateau dates from the end of the 19th Century and has seven bedrooms and more than 10,000 square feet of living space. There are are also several outbuildings on the nearly 15 acre property. The chateau with its graceful arches and stone fireplaces could be converted into a hotel. It is listed for 2,965,000 euros.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: A Chateau in Charente

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Tags: charente, chateau, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, france

Chateau on the Prairie, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Out on the flats of the prairie in Johnston, Iowa, sits this surprising home, a French-styled chateau plunked down into the heart of the midwest. This ten-year-old home presents an elegant exterior with it's tree-lined driveway but inside it's a bit quirky. You've got a sort of country kitchen, a dark wood study packed to the brim with fish and game trophies and antiques everywhere. The first floor public rooms have columns and some charming plaster details but then you've got my personal pet peeve, those round lights inset into the ceilings in the bedrooms which rather destroy the classic effect. The home is 8264 square feet and there are five bedrooms. The exterior includes a private pond and a swimming pool on 4.66 acres. It's a lot of house for not that much money, it's listed at $1.495 million.

Gallery: Prairie Chateau

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Tags: chateau, estate of the day, iowa

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Latest Chateau Mouton-Rothschild Label

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Art

Every year since 1945 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild has had its labels designed and illustrated by different contemporary artists, including many famous names -- Prince Charles did the honors last year (yes, he apparently dabbles in watercolor). This year is no exception, and so for the much anticipated 2005 vintage Italian artist Guiseppe Penone has created the above design, which represents the growth of the vine leaf and an open hand coming in to grasp a glass of Mouton.

Although it's considered quite an honor to have the opportunity to create a label, no payment is made to the artists -- instead they're given cases of Mouton, including (of course) bottles from the year in which their label was used (a value of $170-$800/bottle).

Gallery: Chateau Mouton Rothschild Labels

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Tags: art, Chateau, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, ChateauMoutonRothschild, label, Mouton, Rothschild, wine

McLean Chateau, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I don't have great pics on this one, still it's worth sharing anyway just because I have a weakness for those grand new builds and this is one of the grandest. It is located in McLean, Virginia and is a 25,000-square-foot massive faux chateau. What makes this one really stand out is the huge gold-leaf decorated coffered dome with a giant chandelier which is above a large main staircase with an ornate hand-wrought balustrade.The listing doesn't tell us how many bedrooms there are but it does have a formal dining room that seats 24, a large grand salon, media room, fitness center, wine cellar, library, staff quarters and a huge garage. It is wired with a Creston security system and its own Cad5 fiber optic phone and cable system, emergency generator and a Lutron lighting system. This home is listed at $17.5 million. I'd love to know more about this one so if anyone has any additional info please let me know in the comments.

Gallery: McLean Chateau

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Tags: chateau, estate of the day, luxury real etate, mclean, virginia

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Seine Chateau, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Sometimes, you just need to go to France, even if it is only virtually. After looking at some of the real estate in the United States, the chateaus of France seem like an amazing bargain. Located 34 miles from Paris, this beauty was built on ancient foundations dating back to the 11th century. The home has around 3,000 square meters of space and the property has an orangerie and a church. The home has the type of grand rooms that you feel might need to dress up for. It is listed at 5.5 million euros. After the jump, throw your jeans away and step back in time.

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Tags: chateau, estate of the day, france, luxury real estate, paris, seine

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