nubeo

In Hollywood, "openings" are a big deal. A new movie, show, or even restaurant is a social occasion drawing the eyes of the world. The main allure are the celebrities who join the crowd, and of course what they are wearing is hot topic for discussion. This time it was the opening of Philippe Chow's new dining space simply called "Philippe" in West Hollywood. Mr. Chow is perhaps able to draw even larger, celebrity rich crowds, being well-know as a preferred chef among many celebrities both in LA, and to those who travel to enjoy his popular Chinese and Asian Fusion cuisine, at select Philippe restaurant locations.

A major celebrity and of course athlete, Kobe Bryant showed up at the opening in LA. In addition to enjoying the food, the tacitly announces the release of the Nubeo Black Mamba watch collection. Here he is seen wearing a Black Mamba MVP model with black sapphires around the bezel. The Black Mamba line was designed with Kobe's enthusiastic collaboration. For more details about the watch, you can see a hands-on review of the Nubeo Black Mamba watch here.

The large watch looks well-sized on Kobe's admittedly larger wrists, but the timepiece looks good even on smaller wrists given the clever design of the case. Prices for the Black Mamba watches strap at about $25,000 (more for the black sapphire stone covered models). The new Philippe restaurant is bound to be a hot spot for a while to come, and is located in West Hollywood, in Los Angeles, at 8284 Melrose Ave.

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

Founder of watch brand Nubeo is as much watch maker as he is a jewelry designer. He has a special eye for quality stones, and imbues his special characteristic style into his loud and proud Organika rings. This jewelry is not for the faint of heart, and is a beautiful loud message with a unique style emulating what a sea flower would be if such a thing existed. You can see from the image that the ring is the width of a watch, but meant for your finger.The finger loop is set apart from the "head" so that it can be worn properly. The Organika rings feature a multi-piece construction making them complex in construction and design. The layered look also makes makes it possible to place so many precious stones on the white or rose gold metal construction. Each ring features a multitude of diamonds than either do or do not cover the finger loop.

The shown piece showcases a 13.5mm wide 13 carat aquamarine jewel, and an array of pink sapphires on the "leaves" along with the diamonds. There are also the six spherical cloudy Aquamarine orbs that are pressure set into the ring making for a look you've likely never thought possible. Aside from aquamarine, other Organika rings feature unique gens such as rubelite and morganite. Each is very pretty and only for the right woman. The rings have about 75 to almost 90 carats of precious stones each.

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

It is common for a watch brand to partner with a sports celebrity to design or brand a watch model, but doing so with a basketball star is quite rare, unprecedented even in terms of this much involvement. Why that is, is unclear, as watch companies seem to prefer the likes of tennis and golf stars. Leave it to Nubeo, a relatively new luxury brand started in 2004 and headed by Spain born Ivan Castro to decide Kobe Bryant was a good sports celebrity to partner with and cultivate new marketing and partnership opportunities. The relationship is more than just having Bryant be a brand ambassador which is common. Bryant has commented that he has actively been involved in the style and design of the watch - even the title "Black Mamba" is taken from his court nickname.

Nubeo boasts that it has created the world's most complex watch case (given all the parts), with overall designs of the watches being influenced by Jellyfish and the ocean environment. The Black Mamba is certainly more oceanic in theme than reptilian (as the black mamba is a snake), though the look is certainly futuristic and forward thinking with its organic curves. At least three limited edition Nubeo Black Mamba watches will be made available – each with different amounts of decoration. The most limited in number will be the pictured Black Mamba MVP, which has rings of baguette cut sapphire crystals which have a "Whiskey" color. The 48mm wide case is made from black titanium (with some DLC coating) and ceramic - while black sapphires frame two of the chronograph subsidiary dials on the face. Inside is an automatic mechanical movement of undisclosed origin. The pictured model will go for about $285,000, less for the models without as many sapphires. It is true that the economic status quo does not make it an ideal time for a new luxury watch release, but with limited numbers and niche market appeal, Nubeo (and Bryant) are confident in the Black Mamba's market success.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.