replica

Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione at Brooklands Auction

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Maybe in a perfect world we could all get our hands on an original Ferrari 250 GTO. Or maybe that would just spoil everything that makes the highly sought-after classic so special. Whichever way you look at it, $18 million is more money than most of us will ever see in our lives. And that's how much an original GTO was estimated to have traded for the last time one sold.

Call this, then, the next best thing. It's a replica, but it's not quite a fake. The owner started with an original Ferrari 330 GT and had it modified to resemble a GTO – specifically the only right-hand drive 4-liter V12 model Ferrari made to compete at Le Mans. Now it's due to cross the auction block on September 25 by Historics at Brooklands in England, where it's expected to fetch a more modest £240,000 ($377,000).

Gallery: 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione

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Tags: 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO, 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione, 1965Ferrari250Gto, 1965Ferrari250GtoEvocazione, 250 gto, 250 GTO Evocazione, 250Gto, 250GtoEvocazione, brooklands, evocazione, ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari250Gto, gto, historics, historics at brooklands, HistoricsAtBrooklands, replica, tribute

Longines Expéditions Polaires Françaises Missions Paul-Emile Victor Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Swiss watch brands are almost universally against replica watches... unless that is, if they make the watch themselves! For 2010 Longines will offer a special edition re-release replica of a watch used by French scientists during a mission to the Arctic in Greenland. This was back in 1947, and they needed the right watch for the job. Two of the members of the Expéditions Polaires Françaises wore these special Longines watches that were made for the excursion. Unique features at the time included luminant on the watch dials, a centrally mounted seconds hand, as well a shock absorber system in the movement. The French team was led by scientist Paul-Emile Victor, whose name is part of the watch title.

The reissue model is very similar to the original. With some differences that help the new version feel more modern, including an ETA 2892-2 automatic movement, as well as an AR coated sapphire crystal. The hands and hour indexes are now coated with SuperLumiNova. At 38.5mm wide in a steel case, the watch isn't exactly large - or pretty for that matter. It does have a certain nostalgic appeal to it, and it is highly legible, but it isn't going to win and beauty pageants. Just a decent retro looking watch with some interesting heritage, that people will likely mistake for a vintage. If that fits the description of the next watch that you want, them look out for this piece from Longines soon.

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

Gallery: Longines Expeditions Polaires Francaises Missions Paul-Emile Victor Watch back

Tags: arctic, expedition, france, french, L2.732.4.76.X, longines, re-issue, replica, watch

Breguet Ref. 1160 Marie Antoinette Replica Pocket Watch To Be In LA & NYC

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Want to check out the Breguet Ref. 1160 pocket watch that you've been hearing so much about? Didn't get a chance to see it while it was at the Breguet exhibit at the Lourve in Paris? Well if you are in Los Angeles or New York City at the right times in October, you'll have your chance to see this amazing replica. No, you won't get to see the original. That is going to be unavailable for the masses to enjoy out side of the vault display in Israel for a while I suspect.

If you are unfamiliar with the story, it is pretty simple and you can Google it for more details, though understand that no one really knows the whole story, so take what you read about the "later history" of the watch with a grain of salt. Breguet was commissioned almost 200 years ago to make the most complex watch in the world for Marie Antoinette. She died before it was completed, but Breguet eventually finished the Marie Antoinette Pocket watch after years of efforts. After passing ownership several times over the years, the watch eventually ended up as part of a pocket watch and clock exhibit at a museum in Jerusalem, Israel. There it was mysteriously stolen in the early 1980s, and just as mysteriously discovered again about 2 years ago. Which leads me back to the replica. Swatch Group (which owns Breguet) owner Nicolas Hayek wanted to make a replica of the Marie Antoinette watch that was faithful to the original. Only problem is that he didn't have the original to model it after. All that existed were some diagrams and photos. Ironically, soon after the replica was finished, the original turned up. I am sure the people who spent the few years painstakingly trying to reproduce the pocket watch were frustrated to say that least - that if they had only waited a bit longer they would have had the original to check out. Oh well!

Breguet is planning a quick tour of the Breguet Ref. 1160 to be shown at the Breguet Boutiques in LA and NYC this month (see details below). The one-off piece is NOT for sale, but you'll conveniently be at a Breguet store if you are feeling up to a new timepiece acquisition.

Beverly Hills
October 14 (10-2 pm)
October 15 & 16 (10-6 pm)
The Breguet Boutique
280 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Telephone: (310) 860-9911

New York City
October 19 (2-6 pm)
October 20 & 21 (10-6 pm)
The Breguet Boutique
779 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10065
Telephone: (212) 288-4014

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

Tags: 1160, boutique, breguet, marie antoinette, MarieAntoinette, pocket watch, PocketWatch, replica

$55,000 Life-Sized Dinosaur

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

If all your child keeps asking for is a pony count yourself lucky, because they could be after one of these. Although this "pet" won't need any food or exercise, it will need just as much room (if not more!). It's a life-sized replica of a Camarasaurus dinosaur, and although it's not really intended as a toy I'm not sure what you would use if for, unless you're building a theme park or something. Handmade of fiberglass and resin, it stands 18+ feet tall and will be quite the conversation piece wherever you put it. But life-sized dinos don't come cheap, and this one will cost you £27,999.99 (about $55,000).

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Tags: camarasaurus, dino, dinosaur, life, life-size, replica, size, sized