venezuela

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine Venezuela Limted Edition Watch

Lots of "watch"attention down on South America. Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and now Venezuela. I feel as though there is some entity out there that reports to the luxury watch world on when certain cultures, countries, or groups have special events - so that someone can make a limited edition watch for the occasion. In this instance, Vacheron Constantin is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Venezuela's independence. This was back in 1810 under the famous General Simon Bolivar. Vacheron Constantin indicates that it was doing business in the region starting as early back as 1835, though sales didn't start in Venezeula until about 1922.

Based on the newer Patrimony Contemporaine, the watch will be highly limited with just 19 pieces made. Ten will be in rose gold, and nine in platinum. The watch features a beautifully made in-house manually wound Calibre 1400 movement, and a very simple, minimalist dial. Special to this watch is the caseback, which includes a special engraving to honor the special anniversary for the country.

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

Tags: limited edition, vacheron constantin, venezuela, watch

Venezuelan Leader Seizes Luxury Resort

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has a habit of acquiring and nationalizing various businesses from gold mines to factories. This week he ordered the "acquisition by force" of a the Hilton Hotel on Venezuela's Margarita island. The resort hotel includes a 590-foot freeform swimming pool, casino, gym and a white sand beach.The hotel also includes the La Scala Restaurant and a bar. It has 280 rooms and 154 time-share suites. The hotel was recently the site of the Africa-South America Summit which was attended by Muammar Gadhafi (who set up his often controversial luxury tent on the beach), Robert Mugabe and others.

A few years ago, the government seized and rebranded a Hilton in Caracas. Now known as Hotel Alba it has been used to entertain Chavez supporters from around the world. The Wall Street Journal quotes Karla Visconti, a spokeswoman for Hilton Worldwide, who said the company "is evaluating how the Venezuelan government's action affects its interest in this hotel." While the Hilton manages the hotel, it does not own it. Last year, a law in Venezuela was passed which referred to the tourism industry as "public interest," setting the stage for nationalization efforts when it comes to hotels and resorts.

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Tags: hilton, hugo chavez, HugoChavez, margarita island, MargaritaIsland, venezuela