As though such a dive watch needed any beautification to begin with? IWC thought otherwise and has now crafted one of its new popular Aquatimer Chronograph watches in gold. This is the IWC Ref. IW3769 and it represents that large demographic of fully capable dive watches that you'd never want to get wet. Unless you find yourself suddenly in a James Bond style action-filled chase that ends up in the ocean, you are going to baby this watch.

All rose gold cased watches such as this feel good in the hands being hefty and solid - just what a good diver's watch should feel like. Aside from rose gold, the case has the sapphire crystal covered bezel, and rubber for parts of the crown and pushers, and for the strap. You also get IWC's special quick release strap that was first seen on the 2009 aquatimer watches. The watch is 44mm wide by 15.5mm thick. Only water resistant to 120 meters though, so don't get any deep diving ideas.

Powering the watch is an IWC in-house made caliber 89360 automatic chronograph movement that I really love. Not only does it have a long-lasting 68 hours of power reserve, but it also has a 12 hour chronograph in a bi-compax array. It does this by have two hands in the upper subdial, making it count both the hours and minutes. IWC typifies the chronograph hands by making them in red. Really a fantastic layout from a popular movement that IWC uses in a few watches. The back of the watch has a sapphire caseback window showing the movement. Nothing is better for "everyday excess" than a luxury dive watch with an in-house movement in my opinion .

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

You might have heard the saying "a sales person is born, not made." There is a lot of truth to that. Good sales techniques often don't rely on too many particular skills or knowledge of a product. Hell, sometimes they don't even rely on there being a good product. If you are an honest and straightforward person who is interested in really helping out the consumer - you'll make a terrible sales person.

Finding a good sales person is tough, because they are either in high demand, or often times their personalities makes them... less than reliable. A good sales person can effectively help erode logic and focus from an unwilling consumer and get them to purchase not on principle, but on emotion. And there are people out there who train others on how to do this. Only the most manipulative and shiestiest survive. You are good if the consumer doesn't even know they are being sold.

It is no secret that luxury watches have been hurting, bad. Estimates say that luxury watch sales in the US are down at staggering 42% or more from when times were "good" a few years ago. A recent story in the Wall Street Journal discusses how Richemont Group brand IWC hired sales consultant Jean-Marie Brücker for their Beverly Hills boutique store. His role is to train the sales people on proper selling techniques for items whose values aren't always on par with their price. Being a watch fan, I am not saying that watches are necessarily overpriced given their complex construction and typically low volume, but the price of entry for most luxury watches is intense to heart-stopping. Plus, if you are of the "I am so rich I don't care segment of the population" the sales people only need to be good enough to keep you in the store while you are looking around - so they don't have to play the "let's evade the matter of price" game.

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I got a nice chance to play with these larger IWC Ingeniuer watches recently and boy do they make an impact. The mechanical prowess you feel from handing the case is intense, even though they have "basic" calibre 89360 automatic flyback chronograph movements inside (love that the top subdial is used for minutes AND hours). I jest because the movement is manufacture made by IWC and is quite impressive. At 45.5mm wide (and 14.5mm tall), the steel, 18k rose gold, or platinum cases are hefty and well sculpted. Attached to the case are alligator straps. The Big IWC Ingeniuer that can be obtained in platinum has got to be one of the heaviest watches out there without a bracelet, and I love it. The dials are really easy to ready and the action of the chronograph pushers is pleasing. There are some sharper edges on the back of the case, but it is not a big deal really.

With a "scientific watch" heritage, the Ingenieur watch line has come a long way with the pictured style being the dominant look of the watch line today. It really isn't for every man, but enough people are going to love the technical, though luxurious look and personality of the watch. It can easily be dressed up or down, and is the perfect type of watch that you can rely on for decades, or generations for that matter (with proper service). The slate gray or white colored dials have nice contrasting subdials and enough decoration to make you feel good about your aggressively styled luxury Swiss watch. Available now.

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

The results of this study details the perception of wealthy buyers towards luxury watches. An LBSI survey asked individuals with $2 million or more money in investable assets about various brands and IWC was rated "best of the best" out of 33 competing luxury watch brands. IWC earned tops scores for luxury, value, as well as being recommended to others as a good luxury watch brand. IWC, part of the Richemont Group is one of many luxury brands under the company's umbrella. Two and three on the list of best brands were Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.

It is important to understand that the results of the survey does not mean that IWC is the best luxury brand, but merely that it is perceived as such by the population surveyed. This is thanks to effective marketing and brand positioning, as well as the user experience owners have had with IWC watches. Buyers of luxury watches expect their watches not only to look nice, but be reliable and free from defects. This means that overall IWC owners were happy, likely repeat customers - more so than those of comparable brands. Other key factors that surveyed consumers indicated about IWC was they they appreciate the classic yet unique looks of IWC watches, as well as the rareness of the brands overall character. This either speaks to the difficulty in finding a brand with this blend of traits, or that IWC watches are in fact difficult to find.

Luxury watch brands each have their fare share of positive and negative qualities - but IWC has apparently succeeded in winning the most amount of hearts for its target demographic. They are in fact excellent timepieces, and now I know that I am not the only one that feels this way. The pictured watch is the IWC Grand Complication perpetual calendar watch in 18k rose gold.

Via National Jeweler.

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

This IWC presents a first (in my knowledge) complication for watches. This is the first perpetual calendar with a "big" date and month display. I really like how this looks on the face, having the two large display windows polarized horizontally on the dial. While it is easier for me to read the month as a three letter abbreviation, this style will be more convenient when you write out the date in the European style: "25/8/09," as for us Americans, we will have to switch around the numbers in our head. While this Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar watch does not display the day of the week, if you aren't aware of that, you've got other problems. Instead, there is a tastefully small leap year indicator at 6 o'clock, and a full 12 hour chronograph to satisfy you. The chronograph combines both the hours and minute counter into one dial (with two hands) in the 12 o'clock position. This is one of the most simple looking, complex watches out there.

The watch comes in a limited edition of 500 with pieces in 18k rose gold or platinum. The newer Da Vinci style tonneau case measures 44mm wide by 16mm tall. This watch has an automatic in-house IWC caliber 89800 movement that has 474 parts (very complex) and a massive power reserve of 68 hours. Knowing this will help you justify the price of this beautiful IWC Da Vinci watch, which is likely to be $40,000 plus.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Last year the watch loving public was delighted to see the Vintage collection from IWC that included a vintage styled Aquatimer watch, closely resembling the first Aquatimer watch from 1967. This was easily the best of the new Vintage line watches in my opinion, and still looks great a year later. This year IWC has taken the entire new IWC Vintage line and added 18k gold (white or rose gold) versions of the 44m wide case to the strong lineup.

This is the rose gold IWC Vintage Aquatimer on a honey alligator strap. The look is about as beautiful a retro diver watch as you can get. The internal rotating bezel is controlled via the top crown on the right side of the watch, which is screwed down. Inside is an IWC manufactured 80111 calibre automatic movement with Pellaton winding system and integrated shock absorbers. Sapphire crystals (antireflective) are on the front and rear of the watch. This true diver's watch is water-resistant to 12 ATM. Price likely $15,000 - $20,000 for the gold versions of this highly desirable IWC Vintage Aquatimer watch. Perfect for actual diving or otherwise.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Banking heir David de Rothschild has some pretty interesting ways to spend his time. The latest project for the ecologist and member of the prestigious English family involves something we all see in our everyday lives, plastic bottles. De Rothschild is no stranger to roughing it (he founded Adventure Ecology) but he takes his adventuring spirit to new levels by planning to travel the Pacific Ocean on a raft made out of recycled plastic bottles. While on the raft, dubbed Plastiki, he plans to explore the "Eastern Garbage Patch," a mass of trash in the ocean estimated to be twice the size of Texas. Sponsoring de Rothschild is the luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen. The watch company is surprisingly green, it has become certified as a climate-neutral business and is cutting its CO2 emissions by 50 per cent.

[via W Magazine]

Wine and watches make a luscious if perhaps odd pairing but many wealthy people are ardent collectors of both so why not combine passions. Hart Davis Wine and IWC Watches are hosting a wine and watch pairing event on September 11th from 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. at the Newberry Library in Chicago. Watch expert Michael Friedberg of the International Watch Company will present the unique IWC collection while guests enjoy Bordeaux wines from the 2000 and 2003 vintages, including 1st Growths Château Haut-Brion and Château Mouton-Rothschild. The event costs $150 per person.

It's a good thing San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker has two wrists. Not only did he just pick up a custom Piaget watch as a gift from his new bride Eva Longoria but he is also in the new ad campaign for Swiss watch brand IWC Schaffhausen. Hopefully, Parker won't run afoul of the same type of watch endorsement trouble that befell Charlize Theron when she was sued by the Raymond Weil watch company for wearing a rival's watch at a red-carpet event. It would be a shame if he didn't get to wear his new Piaget too.

You are most likely familiar with Antoine de Saint Exupéry as the author of the children's book "The Little Prince" but he was also an adventurer and pilot. Watch company IWC Schaffhausen celebrates the man known as Saint-Ex with a special edition of their mechanical Pilot's Chronograph. The Special Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry has a brown dial (yes, another brown watch) and offers special protection against magnetic fields. The case-back has an engraving of the man himself. The edition is limited to  1,931 watches, 1,630 in stainless steel, 250 in rose gold, 50 in white gold and one platinum watch which will be auctioned for the benefit of the "Vol de Nuit /Vuelo Nocturno" association which takes care of neglected children in Argentina.

This watch may not look like anything special but for watch collectors it's a prized possession. This December, Europastar reports that IWC Schaffhausen held their annual auction and sold the Big Pilot’s Watch. The watch is one of 1,000 made by IWC in 1940. The watch eventually sold for $42,900 to a U.S. bidder and the proceeds go to the Laureus Foundation, which helps socially disadvantaged children through sports activities.

Famed German tennis champ  Boris Becker has endorsed a limited edition watch named after him and produced by IWC Schaffhausen. The stainless steel watch is limited to only 250 pieces and has a dark green dial and crocodile strap to symbolize the greens of Wimbledon. The watch has a mechanical chonograph and a convex sapphire crystal. Becker became the  youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a teenager in 1985 and the watch has an engraving of Becker as champion on the case back. Becker currently plays on the Senior ATP Tour and is a "watch enthusiast." The watch can be found for $7,300 online.