Posts filed under Events

Experience: The Breguet Exhibition Chicago. The Largest Number of Breguet Tourbillons Displayed in One Location.

This past Thursday October 24th, 2013, the special Breguet Exhibition of Tourbillons opened at the Tourbillon Boutique Chicago. This is a traveling exhibition with the largest number of Breguet tourbillons —from current collections and museum pieces— to ever be displayed in just one place outside of the Breguet Museum in Paris or their atelier in the Vallée de Joux.

Another fascinating night hosted by our friends from the Tourbillon Boutique here in Chicago —their store carries the largest selection of Breguet timepieces in the Chicago area as well as some very fascinating timepieces that are very hard to find like 'La Musicale' and the 'Grande Complication'.

In addition to the more than 30 modern tourbillons on display, three very special Breguet museum pieces were brought to the store for the exhibition. These included the Breguet Tourbillon No. 2567 with a hunter case circa 1812, the Breguet Perpétuelle No. 5 with Quarter Repeater circa 1794 —one out of six— and the Tourbillon Minute Repeater Pièce Unique ref. 1907BA/12.

After a nice welcome and remarks from Michael Nelson —Breguet's Brand Manager—, this fascinating evening kicked-off on the right note. The exhibition will be on display until October 29th and then it will travel to New York City where it will be on display from November 7th thru the 17th. In the picture below, we can also see Liliana Chen —Breguet's Public Relations Manager— in the red dress.

The evening was filled with appetizing 'hors d'oeuvres', champagne, wine and of course, these unbelievable horological creations that are a treat to the eyes and that without Abraham-Louis Breguet —the father of the tourbillon— would've never existed.

We would like to thank our friends at the Tourbillon Boutique Chicago and Breguet for letting us be part of this fascinating evening. Now, enjoy the rest of the eye candy.

For more info on Breguet click here.

Experience: The Jaquet Droz Master Painter Evening. The Art of Hand Painted Dials and an Unforgettable Night.

This past Monday, we had the pleasure of attending a very exclusive event with Jaquet Droz at the Tourbillon Boutique in Chicago —the only retailer in Chicago that carries the brand and a store where you can find some very special Jaquet Droz timepieces. The event featured a Master Painter straight from Jaquet Droz's 'atelier' in Switzerland and a very small and select group of invitees. Once we saw the very talented and friendly Master Painter in action, we knew we were in for a real treat. Her skills were pure perfection in the art of horology.

During this fascinating evening filled with appetizing 'hors d'oeuvres', champagne and a decadent dinner, we were also able to peruse some fantastic timepieces across the different collections of the brand, including some very special watches and novelties like the Jaquet Droz Perpetual Calendar Eclipse, the new Petite Heure Minute relief Seasons, the Grande Heure GMT, the Grande Seconde Quantieme and even an Erotic Automaton Pocket Watch —not appropriate for anyone under 18—, amongst other timepieces.   

Additionally, we were given the opportunity to experience what is like to paint on a Jaquet Droz dial and further understand why their hand painted dials are such magnificent works of art. Each attendee was given a brand new unfinished dial with the outline of the tiger motif in order to finish it by adding the right colors to it with a delicate brush. At the end of the night, we were all given the dial we individually painted  to take it as a keepsake. As you will see in the last picture, our painted dial —as expected— was nowhere near the perfection of the Jaquet Droz enamel painted dials. 

After painting the dials, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner catered by Gibsons Steakhouse —one of Chicago's top restaurants— paired with great wines. For appetizer Roasted Heirloom Beets with Maine Lobster, for entrée a Roast Gibsons Prime New York Steak and for dessert a decadent Chocolate Flourless Cake paired with a nice Lambrusco dessert wine.

An evening filled with great timepieces, nice people, good food and wines is always memorable; however, this particular night is one that will remain engrained in our minds and hearts as the true watchlifestylers we are. Thank you Jaquet Droz and Tourbillon Boutique Chicago!  

For more info on Jaquet Droz click here.

Experience: A Night with Watch Anish and Seven Friday. What Watchlifetstylers Do.

We are often asked what goes on during a night where two leading watch blogs get together during a watch event. Well, look no further. Here's a photo essay that will give you a glimpse of a wonderful night with Seven Friday watches, Watch Anish and WatchCollectingLifestyle. This was a night filled with Audemars Piguet, Arnold & Son, Seven Friday, Rolex, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Hublot, Jaquet Droz and Linde Werdelin watches amongst others.

All about watches and the good life.

Now Enjoy the Photo Essay!!!

Experience: McLaren Chicago Grand Opening Party. An Evening of Exotic Cars and Watches.

Last Thursday October 10, 2013 we were invited to an exclusive party at the new McLaren dealership here in Chicago. We were pleasantly surprised to see our friends from Geneva Seal at the event with a nice assortment of timepieces on display. Their showcases included timepieces from Bell & Ross, Urwerk, Custos, Franck Muller, Richard Mille, Audemars Piguet, Blancpain and Roger Dubuis amongst others. Some of the timepieces on display that caught our attention include a Roger Dubuis Double Tourbillon, an iced out Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore, an Urwerk UR-103 and a Richard Mille RM016. A great selection of Blancpain timepieces was also being displayed.

Our host Rob Mancuso —owner of McLaren Chicago DBA Mancuso Motorsports—  was nothing but great and he made sure everyone had a fantastic time. Rob is an institution when it comes to exotic cars in Chicago and the Midwest region of the U.S. In addition to this fascinating McLaren dealership, the Mancusos are also owners of LFSC Motorsports —Lake Forest Sportscars— a must see dealership when it comes to racing cars, Aston Martins, Maseratis, Ferraris, Lotus, Bentleys and other fancies that you can think of.

In summary, this was a fascinating evening filled with watchlifestylers, good wine and food and two of our favorite things in the world in the same place, watches and cars. Could we've asked for anything more?  

For more info on McLaren Chicago click here   and for Lake Forest SportsCars here. 

Experience: Vacheron Constantin at the SIAR Mexico 2013. A Fascinating Exhibit with a Watchmaker on Duty.

This time we are bringing you Vacheron Constantin's exhibit at the SIAR —Salón Internacional de Alta Relojería—2013 in Mexico City this past week. This exhibit not only showcased some of the most relevant pieces across Vacheron's different collections, but it also included a few pieces from their museum and a very friendly watchmaker on duty that was working on different movements including a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon and a ultra thin skeleton.

The highlight of this exhibit was the 'Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time' Unique Piece —on display— that sold for $80,000 during the Sotheby's auction that took place on October 1 to benefit the INAH —Mexico's national institute of anthropology and history. This worldtimer complication a.k.a. 'Patrimony Traditionnelle Heures du Monde' is a fascinating timepiece that not only provides the traditional 24 cities/timezones but also 13 special timezones with timezone variations of half hour to a quarter hour.

Additionally, while we were there, we were fortunate enough to run into Mr. Rudolf Knoblauch, Switzerland's ambassador in Mexico. Very Nice meeting you Mr. Knoblauch.

Now, enjoy the pictures and as usual pretend you were there with us. 

For more information on Vacheron Constantin click here.  

Experience: SIAR Mexico 2013. The Fascinating and Sleek Audemars Piguet Suite.

We are continuing our live reporting straight from Mexico City bringing you these images of the Audemars Piguet suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. Opposed to Baselworld or the SIHH, the brands are located within small rooms in a very private setting. Of all booths at the SIAR Mexico 2013, the Audemars Piguet suite is perhaps the most fascinating one and a true treat to the eyes. The design is modern, sleek and minimalist replicating the new look and feel of their boutiques. The suite is composed of three rooms fully decorated with wood, Mies Van der Rohe Barcelona chairs, Hans J. Wegner chairs and the most beautiful screens with images from the Vallée de Joux and the manufacture. Every corner is filled with the Audemars Piguet essence and portraying the values of this haute horlogerie manufacture.

For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.

Posted on October 2, 2013 and filed under Audemars Piguet, Events.

Experience: SIAR Mexico 2013. First Day Live from Mexico City.

As promised, we are reporting live from Mexico City with some highlights of our first day at the SIAR —Salón Intenacional Alta Relojería— 2013. After an exciting press conference with remarks from Carlos Alonso —General Director of the SIAR—, more than twenty CEOs from some of the top manufactures and top personalities of the industry including Mademoiselle Jasmine Audemars, Olivier Audemars, Pascal Ravessoud from the 'Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie' and the Swiss ambassador in Mexico, we can say that our day started on a great note.

These images will show you a little bit of what we experienced today including watchmakers on duty, vintage museum pieces, a wide array of haute horlogerie brands and some amazing caviar and fresh truffle tasting with plenty of Moët & Chandon to wash it down. Tight security with metal detectors, bulletproof cars and bodyguards surrounding the Four Seasons Hotel and the most affluent guests from Mexico City where present during the first day of this amazing event.

Tonight, a Vacheron Constantin 'Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time' Unique Piece —featuring a dial with green and red accents inspired by the Mexican flag— will be auctioned by Sotheby's donating all the proceeds to the 'INAH' —Mexico's national institute of anthropology and history.

By the way, we noticed after taking several pictures of our watch, that the date aperture on it was showing 31 instead of 1 as today is October 1. Perhaps it's time to add a perpetual calendar and quit worrying about adjusting the date. 

Please enjoy the eye candy and stay tuned for more updates in the next days.  

Experience: SIAR Mexico 2013. We are Reporting Directly from Mexico City at the Largest Watch Event in Latin America.

Today, October 1, 2013 is the kick-off of the SIAR 'Salón Internacional Alta Relojería México' at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mexico City. As promised, we will be reporting from the biggest city in the world to bring you exciting content about the most important watch event in Latin America and one of the top five watch events in the world.

There are 40 confirmed brands at the SIAR and the CEOs for most of them will be present at the event. The event kicks-off at 10:30am and we will be providing some updates throughout the day.

In the meantime, here are some images of our arrival into Mexico City yesterday—as you can see, it is one of the most polluted metropolises in the world. After landing, we headed to drop our bags at our host's home and then straight to one of our favorite coffee spots in the upscale neighborhood of Polanco, the Havanna boutique. Havanna is the best selling brand of 'alfajores' from Argentina and its boutique opened four years ago. After grabbing a double espresso macchiato and a dark chocolate 'alfajor' we decided to then head to do some watch shopping. Some of the boutiques we visited include the Omega boutique, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Louis Vuitton, Cartier and Bulgari. We also stopped by the two largest authorized dealers in the city: Berger Joyeros and Peyrelongue Chronos.

After doing some watch shopping, we had to drive around the amazing Soumaya Museum built by Carlos Slim —Mexican mogul and second wealthiest man in the world— to snap a picture for you. The museum is a treat to the eyes and a masterpiece of modern architecture as you can appreciate it the picture.

Then, finally it was time for a well deserved meal at 'Contramar', one of our favorite seafood spots in the heart of the Roma-Condesa neighborhood. We started our meal with an octopus and potato salad, followed by an octopus 'aguachile', a 'pescado a la talla'  and for dessert a perfect 'flan'. After enjoying this amazing meal along with a few Zacapas, we finally decided to put ourselves to rest so that today we could go into the SIAR full of energy.

Stay tuned for the updates throughout the day.  

Posted on October 1, 2013 and filed under News, Events.

Upcoming: Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches. Nineteen Prestigious Brands Participating October 10-13, 2013 in Beverly Hills.

Press Release

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The Rodeo Drive Committee and the City of Beverly Hills will present the Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches from October 10 thru October 13, 2013.  The event will celebrate the largest collection of luxury watch brands and exquisite timepieces on the West Coast.  Craftsmanship, innovation and watch design will be on display throughout the multi-day event.

For aficionados and connoisseurs alike, the Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches kicks-off with a street-wide open house on Thursday, October 10th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  To celebrate the art of watchmaking, twenty distinguished boutiques will feature product launches, exclusive watchmaker appearances, exhibition debuts and a variety of special hospitality. Both men’s and women’s watches will be highlighted and will showcase highly complicated timepieces, as well as other watch trends.

Highlights of the timepieces featured will include: Porsche Design’s P’6752 WorldTraveler, Blancpain Tourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin Jubilee, Hublot’s Big Bang Ferrari Beverly Hills Limited Edition and the Van Cleef & Arpels’ Papillons Extraordinary Dials, Bulgari’s Grande Complication watches for women, three new timepieces from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph line at Westime; and Richard Mille’s RM 52-01, which is released as a limited edition of 30 pieces in nano-ceramic featuring an 18K red gold skull.

“After Switzerland, there is no place on earth, besides Rodeo Drive, where there is such a high concentration of luxury watch brands in a two block area,” says event chair, Adrienne Lee.  “The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches is a unique opportunity for collectors and enthusiasts to view and experience timepieces from the world’s most respected brands in one place.”

The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches will feature twenty acclaimed brands participating on Rodeo Drive, Brighton Way and Wilshire Boulevard. Those participating, include Breguet, Bulgari, David Yurman, Ermenegildo Zegna, Harry Winston, Hublot, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jason of Beverly Hills, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Patek Philippe, Porsche Design, Richard Mille, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Westime. The Rodeo Drive Festival of Watches is sponsored by the City of Beverly Hills, Bulgari, David Yurman, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe, Richard Mille and Westime.  Media partners include The Hollywood Reporter, Robb Report and The Beverly Hills Courier.
 
For more info on the event click here.

Upcoming: 5th Edition 'Only Watch' Charity Auction. September 28, 2013 in Monaco.

The Principality of Monaco will be hosting the fifth edition of the exceptional 'Only Watch' charity watch auction benefiting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Recognized as the world’s first charity watch auction, Only Watch will take place on September 28th in Monaco and will be conducted by the watch auctioneers, Antiquorum. 33 of the world’s leading watch manufactures will each donate a unique timepiece specially created for the occasion.

The proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy – promoter of Only Watch with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show, in order to help finance research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, therefore 250,000 children, adolescents, and young adults around the world.

From September 6th, an international exhibit of the Only Watch collection of timepieces for men and women will travel the world: Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, Geneva and will be concluded by a presentation during the Monaco Yacht Show —September 25th to 28th. The auction will take place on September 28th at 11 am —GMT+1— in the 'Salle Belle Epoque' of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Participating brands include: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Corum, De Bethune, Dewitt, Girard-Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin and Zenith amongst others.

For more info click here.

Upcoming: Madison Avenue Watch Week. April 8-13, 2013.

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For its third consecutive year, the Madison Avenue Watch Week is catching the attention of watch lifestylers and collectors in the New York City area. The fascinating week will take place from April 8th thru the 13th, along boutiques located on Madison Avenue.

Madison Avenue Watch Week is the largest fine watch marketplace in North America, and home to the world’s premier timepiece flagship boutiques. It is a celebration of haute horology for collectors and connoisseurs, featuring artisan demonstrations; new watch previews and launches; discussions with watchmakers; presentations regarding trends in design, manufacturing and mechanism technology; and private VIP sales appointments.            

Participating brands include Blancpain, Breguet, de Grisogono, Girard-Perregaux and Hublot. For more info click here.  

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Posted on April 1, 2013 and filed under Events.

Upcoming: 2013 Calendar IWJG Shows

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The International Watch and Jewelry Guild shows for the remainder of the year are as follows: 

NEW YORK, Apr 22-23, 2013 - Marriott NY Brooklyn Bridge

LAS VEGAS, May 27-28, 2013 - Tropicana Las Vegas

CHICAGO, Jun 24-25, 2013 - Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare

NEW YORK, Jul 29-30, 2013 - Marriott NY Brooklyn Bridge

LOS ANGELES, Aug 19-20, 2013 - Hilton Los Angeles

LAS VEGAS, Sep 16-17, 2013 - Tropicana Las Vegas

MIAMI, Oct 14-15, 2013 - Hilton Miami Downtown

NEW YORK, Nov 18-19, 2013 - Marriot NY Brooklyn Bridge

For more information on the IWJG click here.  

     

    Posted on April 1, 2013 and filed under Events.

    Upcoming: IWJG Las Vegas March 18th & 19th

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    The International Watch and Jewelry Guild will be having their show in Las Vegas next March 18th and 19th at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino.  

    Being a member of the International Watch & Jewelry Guild grants you access to: 

    • Exclusive Trade Shows: 12-14 huge shows every year for members only, held in New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, & Miami Beach in first-class hotels.
    • AA/IWJG Discount Program Access: IWJG Members will receive a 5% discount off the lowest applicable published air fare. Your travel window is: 3 Days before meeting, 3 Days after meeting.
    • Worldwide Network: 5,900 dealers and collectors from 57 countries. Meet many of the world's largest dealers at our shows. See the world's largest collection of fine watches, jewelry, and other fine collectables.
    • Online Pricelists: The world's most complete after-market price guide for vintage, classic, and modern watches. Over 2500 listings, updated monthly.
    • Eight Newsletters per Year: Including show reports, news, and complete pricelist updates.
    • Tables, Security Cases, Lockboxes: Attend our trade shows fully equipped.* Heavy police security is provided at all shows.

    For more info click here.  

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    Posted on April 1, 2013 and filed under Events.