Audemars piguet Genève, “Jules Audemars –Grande Sonnerie Carillon” 2002 limited edition

Audemars Piguet Jules Grande Sonnerie Watch.

The minute repeater carillon is a mechanism of great complexity that strikes the hours, quarters and minutes on request. These indications are obtained by 3 hammer strokes on different gongs: a low pitched one for the hours; a high pitched one for the minutes and one intermediate pitch (the one that allows for a carillon effect on the quarter hours). Striking power is calculated to achieve subtle balance and, if this balance gets to be too strong, it would muffle the sound. But in case of being too weak, the sound would be inaudible. Audemars Piguet developed the first minute repeating mechanism for a wristwatch in 1985.
Repeater movements consist of tiny parts manufactured to extremely fine tolerances. During movement assembly, the watchmaker has to hand-finish many of these components to arrive at the desired result.
While minute repeaters chime hours, quarters and minutes on 2 gongs with 2 hammers, the present watch, part of  “Jules Audemars” series, will chime the quarters with 3 hammers on 3 gongs, adding a further tone to the “dingdong” enchanted connoisseurs are so familiar with.

[Source: Audemars Piguet and Antiquorum’s Magazine]

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Classic Collection, Audemars Piguet Contemporary Collection, Audemars Piguet Ladies Collection, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak End of Days Offshore, Audemars Piguet Watches, Luxury, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Timepiece, wristwatches

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “End of Days” Offshore Wristwatch

The End of Days is the king of the Royal Oak Offshore Audemars Piguet Chronographs. Arnold Schwarzenegger wore it in the movie “End of Days” and made of the wristwatch the collectible timepiece it is.
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger was born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of the state of California.

Schwarzenegger began weight-training at fifteen. He was awarded the title of Mr. Universe at age 22 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest a total of seven times. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent face in the bodybuilding sport long after his retirement, and has written several books and numerous articles on the sport.

Schwarzenegger gained worldwide fame as a Hollywood action film icon, noted for his lead role in such films as Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. He was nicknamed the “Austrian Oak” and the “Styrian Oak” in his bodybuilding days, “Arnold Strong” and “Arnie” during his acting career, and more recently the “Governator” (a portmanteau of Governor and the Terminator, one of his film roles).

As a Republican, he was first elected on October 7, 2003, in a special recall election to replace then-Governor Gray Davis. Schwarzenegger was sworn in on November 17, 2003, to serve the remainder of Davis’s term. Schwarzenegger was then re-elected on November 7, 2006, in California’s 2006 gubernatorial election, to serve a full term as governor, defeating Democrat Phil Angelides, who was California State Treasurer at the time. Schwarzenegger was sworn in for a second term on January 5, 2007. In May 2004 and 2007, he was named as one of the Time 100 people who help shape the world.

In 1998 Arnold Schwarzenegger, long time collector of watches, visited Audemars Piguet’s headquarters in Le Brassus (Switzerland) in Vallée de Joux. It was then that the collaboration between the legendary watch manufacturer and Schwarzenegger began. One year later, the film “End of Days” was introduced with the Royal Oak Offshore timepiece being worn by Arnold. The collaboration continued and the establishment of an on-going charitable partnership between Audemars Piguet and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now the 38th Governor of the State of California, begun.

In 2007, Audemars Piguet and Governor Schwarzenegger introduced no less than three timepieces to their collection of limited-editions. Arnold’s After-School All-Stars, the charity founded by the Governor in 1993, includes a Royal Oak Offshore “Arnold’s All-Stars” Chronograph with date and small seconds, a Jules Audemars Chronograph & Perpetual Calendar and a Jules Audemars Dual Time power reserve. The proceeds from the sales of just these three timepieces are expected to raise nearly $1.5 million for the charity.

After-School All-Stars provides comprehensive after school programs that are fun for kids and also keeps them safe and helps them achieve success in school and life by improving kids’ lives by nurturing their minds, bodies and spirits through programs that incorporate independent learning, academics and enrichment activities. After-School All-Star serves 35,000 youth annually through after school and summer programs in 15 cities across the country.

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Filed under: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak End of Days Offshore, Audemars Piguet Watches, Luxury, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Timepiece, Watch, Watches, wristwatches, Wristwatches in Movies

Madoff auction welcomes bids on wristwatches like: Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, Blancpain, Piaget, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, IWC and Jaeger LeCoultre.

(Bernard Lawrence “Bernie” Madoff)

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Bernard Lawrence “Bernie” Madoff was born on April 29, 1938. He is the former Chairman of the NASDAQ stock exchange and the admitted operator of the Ponzi scheme that might be “the largest investment fraud in Wall Street history”.
In March 2009, Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 felonies and admitted to turning his wealth management business into a massive Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of investors of billions of dollars. Madoff said he began the Ponzi scheme in the early 1990s. However, federal investigators believe the fraud began as early as the 1980s. The amount missing from client accounts, including fabricated gains, was almost $65 billion. The court appointed trustee estimated actual losses to investors of $18 billion. On June 29, 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison, the maximum allowed.
Madoff founded the Wall Street firm Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC in 1960, and was its chairman until his arrest on December 11, 2008. The firm was one of the top market maker businesses on Wall Street, which bypassed “specialist” firms by directly executing orders over the counter from retail brokers.
On December 10, 2008, Madoff’s sons told authorities that their father had just confessed to them that the asset management arm of his firm was a massive Ponzi scheme, and quoting him as saying it was “one big lie”. The following day, FBI agents arrested Madoff and charged him with one count of securities fraud. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had previously conducted several investigations into Madoff’s business practices since 1992, which critics contend were incompetently handled.
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Madoff lots are 196-299 & 301-386.
U.S.Marshals Service
National Forfeited Jewelry Auction
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 10 AM
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During the auction conducted live on Saturday, November 14th at the New York Sheraton Hotel & Towers and online simulcast utilizing http://www.proxibid.com., many of Madoff’s belongings were auctioned. And so, his wristwatch collection. Between the wristwatch brands he was a fun, like Rolex, there were many Cartier, Ulysse Nardin, Blancpain, IWC, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Piaget and Bulgari’s expensive watches.
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Some of them, the most expensive Rolex and some from other wristwatch brands:
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234
ROLEX: Gents 18kr vintage Rolex chronograph wristwatch; silver/white dial w/ black sticks & Arabics; 36.10mm round case; Black stitched crocodile strap (tang); Serial 66658 (1936); professionally restored.
$23000 – $26500

235
ROLEX: Gents 18ky vintage Rolex Oyster chronograph wristwatch; Monochrome motif; gold dial w/ luminous sticks & Arabics, 3 gold sub-dials; 35.1mm round case; Brown stitched Alligator strap (tang); 17 jewel Rolex Genève mechanical winding mvmt; Case 4048; Serial 58105 (1935). Note: Professionally restored.
$54000 – $58000

236
ROLEX: Gents st.steel & 18kr & 18ky vintage Rolex Oyster chronograph wristwatch; rose gold bezel, yellow gold crown; white dial w/ black sticks & Arabics; 34.6mm round case; Brown stitched Alligator strap (tang); 17 jewel Rolex Genève mechanical winding mvmt; Case 3668; Serial 146583 (1940). Note: Professionally restored.
$60000 – $63500

237
ROLEX: Gents 18ky vintage Rolex O.P. “Monoblocco” chronograph wristwatch; aka “Prisoner Watch”; domed plastic crystal; black dial w/ rose tri-sticks & Arabic numerals; gold hands; polished bezel; 35mm round case; dk brown alligator strap (tang); Model 3525; 17 jewel Rolex mechanical winding mvmt; Serial 380223 (1945).
$75000 – $87500

248A
WATCH: Gents st.steel Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT wristwatch; black dial w/ luminous Arabic numerals; syn saph crystal; date at 3 position; dual-time at 11 position; 37mm round case; Black stitched leather band w/ tang buckle; Automatic mvmt; Model 203-22; Serial No 978.
$1500 – $2000

250
WATCH: Gents st.steel Blancpain Leman chronograph flyback wristwatch; white dial w/ white sub-dials (3); syn saph crystal; date at 6 position; 38.2mm round case; brown alligator strap w/ deployant buckle; Automatic mvmt; Model 2185-1127-53B; Serial No 294.
$4000 – $5200

251
WATCH: Gents 14kw Piaget Gouverneur Automatique chronograph wristwatch; light blue dial w/ matching sub-dials (3), Arabics; syn saph crystal; date at 6 position; 34.2mm round case; black alligator strap w/ 18kw Piaget tang buckle; Automatic mvmt; Model 12978; Serial 810797.
$4500 – $5800

253
WATCH: Gents 18kw Patek Philippe Annular Calendar wristwatch; black dial w/ silver Roman numerals; date at 6 position; 3 black sub-dials; syn saph crystal front & back; 36.95mm round case; black alligator band w/ 18kw deployant buckle; Model 5035G; 35 jewel Patek Philippe automatic mvmt, Cal. 315/198, Serial 3059777.
$12500 – $15600

254
WATCH: Gents 18ky Audemars Piguet Huitieme chronograph wristwatch; crème colored dial & sub-dials (3); date at 3 position; gold hands; 40.4mm round case; dkBrown alligator strap w/ 18ky AP double deployant clasp; Automatic mvmt; Serial C54966.
$6000 – $8000

258
WATCH: Gents st.steel IWC Portuguese chronograph wristwatch; silver dial w/ rose gold markers; 40.9mm round case; stitched brown alligator strap w/ tang buckle; Automatic mvmt; Model IW3714-01; Serial 2697455.
$3000 – $4000

264
WATCH: Gents 18kt rose gold Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duo wristwatch; Night/Day dials; brown crocodile strap w/ 18kr deployant buckle; Mechanical, winding mvmt; Case 270.2.54; Serial 1961500.
$4000 – $5100

Metropolitan Ballroom
New York Sheraton Hotel & Towers
811 Seventh Avenue
New York City, NY 10019

The auction was conducted by:
´Gaston & Sheehan Auctioneers

[Source: CanadaEast]

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Watches, Bernand Madoff, Blancpain, Blancpain Watch, Blancpain Watches, IWC, IWC Watch, IWC Watches, Jaeger Lecoultre, Jaeger Lecoultre Watch, Jaeger Lecoultre Watches, Luxury, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Madoff, Mens, Patek Philippe, Patek Philippe Watch, Patek Philippe Watches, Piaget, Piaget Watch, Piaget Watches, Ref., Rolex, Rolex 2009, Rolex Accuracy, Rolex and Sports, Rolex Watc, rolex watches, Timepiece, Ulysse Nardin, Ulysse Nardin Watch, Ulysse Nardin Watches, Watch, Watches, wristwatches

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore Collection Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello Limited Edition

(Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello)

The Audemars Piguet’s popular Royal Oak Offshore collection was produced as a limited edition tribute to celebrated Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello with only 1,650 pieces. It maintains the Royal Oak Offshore’s durable design with an anti-shock ceramic bezel, engraved case, push button operation and is water resistant to 100m. It’s available in titanium, platinum or 18k pink gold cases.
Rubens Gonçalves “Rubinho” Barrichello was born on May 23, 1972 in São Paulo. He is a Brazilian Formula One racing driver. Following the management buy-out of the Honda racing team, with whom Barrichello competed during the 2008 season, he was confirmed for 2009 as Jenson Button’s team mate in the new Brawn GP team. Barrichello came in third in the 2009 championship, and will leave Brawn to race for WilliamsF1 in 2010.
Barrichello has scored the fourth highest points total in Formula One history. Barrichello drove for Ferrari from 2000 to 2005, as Michael Schumacher’s team-mate, enjoying considerable success including finishing as championship runner-up in 2002 and 2004. Schumacher’s retirement at the end of 2006 made Barrichello the most experienced driver on the grid, and at the 2008 Turkish Grand Prix he became the most experienced driver in F1 history.
As a young, aspiring driver, Barrichello looked up to the late Ayrton Senna, and when he joined Formula One, Senna in return considered him his protégé. As of the 2009 Formula One season Barrichello is the only driver left competing in Formula One to have raced against Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

References:
26286RO.OO.D002CR.01

Movement: Calibre: 2326/2840, self-winding

Case: 18-carat pink gold with titanium pushpieces and crown protector; ceramic medallion bearing the inscription

“Royal Oak Offshore Limited Edition Rubens Barrichello”, “R. Barrichello – 257 – New Grand Prix Record” and adorned with the Rubens Barrichello logo;

Water resistant to 100m

Bezel, push pieces: Ceramic

Crown: Titanium with ceramic insert

Dial: White, partially open-worked, with exclusive “Méga Tapisserie Racing” motif

Strap: Crocodile leather with exclusive AP folding clasp; titanium attachments

Functions: Hours and minutes; small seconds at 6 o’clock; central chronograph with sweep seconds hand, 30- minute and 12-hour counters; tachometric ring; date

[Source: Audemars Piguet]

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Watches, Driver Rubens Barrichello, Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello, Luxury, luxury watches, Rubens Barrichello

Audemars Piguet: The Royal Oak Carbon Concept

Carbon fibre has been the preferred material for high-performance applications that demand sturdiness. Formula 1 race cars, America’s Cup yachts and, even aerospace vehicles, have fully leveraged the material’s technical properties: strength and lightness.
Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet is a pioneer according to the use of carbon fibre for function as well as form. The Royal Oak Carbon Concept is surprisingly light thanks to materials such as forged carbon, amorphous carbon coatings, ceramics, titanium, and anodized aluminium, which forms the watch’s green central bridge. The absence of a dial provides a full view of the hand-wound Caliber 2895 movement’s key components: the tourbillon carriage—comprising more than 70 parts yet weighing a mere 0.45 grams—and the column wheel, which is the chronograph’s nerve centre. Audemars presents a novel twist on the 30-minute chronograph with a linear minute counter consisting of two columnar scales, with tens of minutes on the left and single minutes on the right. Tiny windows that correspond to each numeral mark elapsed time by changing from white to black. The wearer shifts from winding to time-setting by adjusting the stem.

Technical data:
Movement
Calibre: 2895, hand-wound with tourbillion
Total diameter: 151/3 lignes (34.60 mm)
Casing-diameter: 33.80 mm
Thickness: 12.01 mm
34 jewels
384 parts
Power reserve: 237 hours
Cadence of the balance:
21,600 vibrations per hour
Finishing: hand-polished bevelling, sides hand-drawn with a file, matt surface, sapphire-blasted
Carbon mainplate, eloxed aluminium bridges
Case
Forged carbon
Ceramic bezel
Caseback ring in black PVD-coated titanium
Diameter: 44 mm
Total thickness: 15.85 mm
Sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistance: 100 m
Display
Integrated onto the movement
Graduated dial ring with luminescent hour-markers and white minute markers
Openworked luminescent hour and minute hands
Strap
Hand-sewn alligator leather with large square scales,
AP folding clasp in titanium
Functions
Hours and minutes
Linear chronograph minute counter with central sweep seconds hand
Power-reserve indication
Selection indicator

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Watches, Important Pocket Watches, Interwatches, Interwatches eBay feedback, Interwatches on eBay, Luxury, Luxury Jewels, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, NEW, Ref., Sports, Timepiece, Watch, Watches, wristwatches

Watches in Movies: Undercover Brother, Collateral Damage, In the Electric Mist, Traitor and The Thomas Crown Affair

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Undercover Brother (2002)

Even though Anton Jackson, an African-American man, seems to be harmless he is a secret agent working in the all-black Brotherhood (the entity that levels the playing field against the all-white establishment).

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(Anton Jackson -Eddie Griffin- wears a Breitling Counterfeit)

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Collateral Damage (2002)
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Firefighter Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio “The Wolf” Perrini. Frustrated with the official investigation and desiring justice, he takes this matter into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia.
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(Gordy Brewer -Arnold Schwarzenegger- wears a Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore)

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In the Electric Mist (2009)
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New Iberia Lt. Dave Robicheaux is trying to link the murder of a local hooker to New Orleans mobster Julie (Baby Feet) Balboni-back in his home parish as co-producer of Hollywood director Michael Goldman’s Civil War film.
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(Dave Robicheaux -Tommy Lee Jones- wears a Breitling wristwatch)
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Traitor (2008)

Samir Horn (Don Cheadle), a devout American Muslim, and a former U.S. Army Special Forces expert in explosives, has been mysteriously showing up on the FBI’s radar for being in the area of terrorist bombings. FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) heads up the force investigation to link Horn to these bombings. Clayton is able to question Horn after he was arrested in Yemen for attempting to sell explosives to an Islamic terrorist group. Clayton must capture Horn (after he run away from prision) before he strikes his next target.
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(Omar -Said Taghmaoui- wears a Breitling wristwatch)
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(Iqbal -Elias Zarou- wears a Rolex President wristwatch)
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.The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

A bored multi-millionaire struggling to find new challenges arranges for the theft of a Monet painting from a museum. This sets a sexy insurance investigator after him, but unexpectedly the two fall in love.
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(Thomas Crown –Pierce Brosnan– wears a Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duo)
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Filed under: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Watches, breitling, Breitling Watches, Breitling Windrider, Collateral Damage, Eddie Griffin Breitling, Elias Zarou Rolex President, In the Electric Mist, Jaeger Le-coultre Reverso, Jaeger Lecoultre, Jaeger Lecoultre Watch, Jaeger Lecoultre Watches, Pierce Brosnan, Pierce Brosnan Jaeger-LeCoultre, Pierce Brosnan Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Duo, Rolex, Rolex 2009, Rolex and Sports, Rolex President, Rolex Watch, rolex watches, Said Taghmaoui, Said Taghmaoui Breitling, Schwarzenegger, Tommy Lee Jones, Tommy Lee Jones Breitling, Traitor and The Thomas Crown Affair, Undercover Brother, Watches in Movies

Watches in Series: Entourage, Burn Notice, Bizarre Foods, Biography and The X-Files

The X-Files (1993-2002)

The X-Files is an American cult science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. It first aired in September 1993 and ended in May 2002. The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans (e.g., “The Truth Is Out There”, “Trust No One”, “I Want to Believe”) became pop culture touchstones in the 1990s.

Vintage Omega
This vintage Omega was seen in the season six episode “Arcadia”.

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Biography (1987-)

Popular Arts and Entertainment Network series which profiles the lives of notable figures in the history of entertainment, sports, arts, science, politics and warfare. The show is notable for its in-depth research, which often provides viewers with little-known information about well-known people.

TAG Heuer Super Professional
Hunter S. Thompson wears two watches in his episode of Biography. Even though the upper one is unidentified, the second one is a TAG Heuer Super Professional with a gold bezel.

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Bizarre Foods (2007)

Andrew Zimmern hosts a program on The Travel Channel called “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern” in which he claim that he will apparently eat any creature that can be captured and served up for him, alive or dead.

TAG HEuer Formula 1
Andrew Zimmern wears a Tag Heuer Formula 1 with red dial and red rubber band

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Burn Notice (2007)

Burn Notice is an American television series broadcasted on the cable television channel USA Network since June 28, 2007. The show follows the life of protagonist Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan), a covert operative who has been “burned” and tries to find out why.

Panerai Ferrari Chronograph
Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) wore a Panerai Ferrari Chronograph.

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Entourage (2004-)

Entourage is an American comedy-drama that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 created by Doug Ellin and chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood, California. The show completed its sixth season and is renewed for a seventh.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) receives an Audemars Piguet as a gift.

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Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Watches, Biography, Bizarre Foods, Burn Notice, Entourage, Luxury, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Omega, Omega Watch, Omega Watches, Panerai, Panerai Watch, Panerai Watches, tag heuer, Tag Heuer in Movies, Tag Heuer Watch, tag heuer watches, The X-Files, Timepiece, Watch, Watches, Watches in Series, Water resistant, wristwatches

Audemars Piguet and Sports: golf, basketball, cricket or sky

Even though when having to relate Audemars Piguet to ssport we would usually think about it Royal Oak Offshore and its connection to the ocean, the luxurious wristwatch company is also related to other sports such as: golf, basketball, cricket or sky.

According to basketball, the company has honoured the dominating championship Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal with its Royal Oak Offshore Shaquille O’Neal edition.

(Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal)

Audemars Piguet’s legendary Royal Oak Offshore proves that this design is one of the greatest in high luxury sports watches. Introduced more than twelve years ago as a variation to their already successful Royal Oak watch collection, Audemars Piguet produced a watch which further expanded boundaries in both luxury and size, paving the way for much of todays current celebration of boldly dimensioned watches, as well as the enthusiastic acceptance of unconventional materials such as carbon fibre or rubber for luxury timepieces. The Offshore watch collection from Audemars Piguet encompasses everything from an automatic chronograph with date, to an automatic chronograph with full perpetual calendar and moonphases. Stunning limited editions such as the Offshore Alinghi Polaris or the Offshore Rubens Barrichello series incorporate innovative materials or technical solutions that are refreshingly unconventional, yet perfectly in tune with the ethic of perfection that Audemars Piguet has pursued as a manufacturer of haute horlogerie since its founding in 1875.

Regarding to cricket, Sachin “Little Master” Tendulkar was Audermars Piguet’s ambassador for years because of its exceptional punch style of hitting the ball.

(Sachin “Little Master” Tendulkar)

According to golf, more than ten ambassadors represent the company like the open champion Cristie Kerr, Nick Faldo, Vijay Singh or Morgan Pressel

(Cristie Kerr)

The Royal Oak Offshore watch line from Audemars Piguet demonstrates Audemars Piguet’s ability to cultivate classic designs which continue to captivate watch lovers. Offered in a variety of metals, including steel, titanium, gold, and platinum, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore watch collection shows off the immaculate finish work that has long distinguished the Royal Oak watch line.

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Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Watches

Patrizzi & Co New York: Important Pocket Watches, Vintage and Modern Wristwatches on June 4, 2009.

Two sessions offer outstanding pocket watches, vintage and modern wristwatch, with NO buyer’s commission and simultaneos Internet bidding.

Gerald Genta (Lot 292) –
Estimate: $ 400,000 – $ 500,000

On June 4 in New York, Patrizzi & Co Auctioneers will present “Important Pocket Watches, Vintage and Modern Wristwatches” comprised of some 290 timepieces of outstanding quality, provenance and rarity. The auction follows two highly successful Patrizzi & Co auctions in Europe — the Davide Blei Vintage Rolex Collection, which was held March 22 in Milan and totaled more than $3.7 million with 114 timepieces, and the April 19 auction in Geneva with sales totaling over $6.7 million with 80% of the 263 lots sold.

Patek Philippe (Lot 196) –
Estimate: $ 80,000 – $ 100,000

Patrizzi & Co was founded last year by Osvaldo Patrizzi with the purpose of bringing transparency at an auction. He also achieved fully integrating online communications with the traditional auction format and, most importantly for Patrizzi & Co’s clients, eliminated fees and simplified the auction process.

Rolex (Lot 291)
Estimate: $ 40,000 – $ 60,000

NO buyer’s commission: This represents the saving to buyers of between 20–25% of the hammer price, which most other major auction houses currently charge.

Vacheron Constantin (Lot 247) – Estimate: $ 3,000 – $ 4,000

Five-year guarantee of authenticity: This guarantee eliminates what is often perceived to be the “risk factor” in buying important pieces via the Internet and includes an accurate and very detailed description of the quality of the piece(s) being purchased.

Patek Philippe (Lot 208) –
Estimate: $ 100,000 to $ 150,000

A choice of catalogs: Clients have a choice of purchasing a special commemorative catalog or a digitally printed color catalog or downloading their own personalized version of the online catalog onto their personal computer or new generation e-Book.

Vacheron Constantin (Lot 249) –
Estimate: $ 1,500 – $ 2,200

Auction
Thursday, 4 June 2009, 10:30 a.m. (lots 1 – 100) and 2 p.m. (lots 101 – 293)
Patrizzi & Co, 595 Madison Avenue, 6th floor, New York

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Filed under: Auction, Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Watches, Important Pocket Watches, luxury watches, Mens, Patek Philippe, Patek Philippe Complicated Watches, Patek Philippe Watch, Patek Philippe Watches, Patrizzi and Co New York, Rolex, Rolex Movements, Rolex Watch, rolex watches, Vacheron Constantin, Vacheron Constantin Watches, Vintage, Watch, Watches, Womens, wristwatches

Joseph Bonanno’s Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève Watch

Joseph Bonanno, Sr. (1905-2002) Joseph Bonanno was born in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, Italy, to Salvatore Bonanno and Catarina Bonventre. In 1906, the 26-year-old Salvatore took his young wife and one-year-old son to the United States. At age 26, he became one of the youngest bosses of a crime family, as well as an influential member of the “Commission”, a nation-wide organisation formed in 1931

Bonanno is said to have been one of the models for the character “Vito Corleone” in Mario Puzo’s novel The Godfather. Both Bonanno and Corleone wanted their sons to succeed them, and both allegedly wanted their crime families to stay out of the narcotics rackets (although many of the soldiers and associates of the Bonanno crime family were dealing in drugs, most known was later Boss of family Carmine Galante).

Joseph Bonanno’s Patek Philippe & Cie, Genève was given to Joseph Bonanno Sr. by Charlie “Lucky” Luciano in Palermo, Sicily, in 1957. It’s No. 966280, case No. 302352, Ref. 1516. It was produced in the late 40s. 18K yellow gold wristwatch with a 14K yellow gold brick link bracelet. The watch has been authenticated by Joseph Bonanno’s daughter Catherine Bonanno Genovese, in a document included in the lot.

Joseph Bonanno, Sr. died in Tucson, Arizona on May 12, 2002 at the age of 97, of natural causes.

This watch was sold for $36,000 in the last Antiquorum’s auction in March, 4^th and 5^th in New York.

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Filed under: Antquorum Auction, Audemars Piguet Watches, Joseph Bonanno, Mens, Patek Philippe, Patek Philippe Watch, Patek Philippe Watches, Womens

Worldwide Cult Watches

According to the Baselworld 2009 Daily News Magazine, there are very few timepieces that can be worn an entire lifetime and then passed down to the next generation without going out of fashion.
An example of this is represented by Rolex as it is a watchmaking company that focuses on the improvement of the existing watches in order to have perfect results by modifying the movements.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona

The Cosmograph Daytona is an example of a watch that became a cult, like the Submariner Date. This year, during the Baselworld, Rolex introduced the Submariner Date in a yellow rolesor case, featuring a new unidirectional rotatable bezel in yellow gold with a balck Cerachrom disc and a 120-notch anti-reverse click sys¬tem. Waterproof to a depth of 300 metres, the Oyster Perpetual Submariner Date is chronometer-certi¬fied and bears a high quality manufacture movement.

Rolex Submariner Date

Another cult watch par excellence is the Monaco from TAG Heuer is another example of a watch that turned into a cult. It was first presented 40 years ago when the watch appeared in a square case contrary to the presumed rules of horlogerie. The Monaco became a fixed feature of the TAG Heuer collection.

The TAG Heuer Monaco

Omega Speedmaster Professional is not only a cult but also the watch that first reached the moon!

Omega Speedmaster Professional

According to women, their favourite cult watch is represented by the Happy Sport from Chopard because of its charming design concept.

The Chopard Happy Sport

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Filed under: Audemars Piguet Watches, Baselworld, Chopard, Omega, Rolex, TAG, tag heuer

The History of IWC

IWC began when Florentine Ariosto Jones, an American engineer and watchmaker, decided to travel to Switzerland and found the “International Watch Company” in 1868. With a highly-qualified Swiss crew and the most modern machines from overseas, he expected to make high-quality mechanisms and watch parts for the American market.

Later, he met Johann Heinrich Moser, a watchmaker and a manufacturer from Schaffhausen that made pocket watches for, among others, the empire of tsars. Moser, a pioneer in the industry, had just installed in Schaffhausen a hydraulic station run by the Rhin waters. This station provided cheap energy but to very few people. It was just what Jones needed and he settled the company IWC there.

Jones, besides being an excellent businessman, was an excellent watch designer. His first mechanic pocket watches with “Jones caliber” presented exceptional characteristics.

Some years later after its foundation, the ownership of the “American” watch factory was taken by Swiss hands. At the same time the philosophy of the product “Probus Scafusia” (the confirmed excellence of Schaffhausen) would arise maintained unalterable till our day.

Johannes Rauschenbach-Vogel bought the company in 1880. Four generations of the Rauschenbach family owned IWC, with varying names. Only a year after the sale, Johannes Rauschenbach died. His son, Johannes Rauschenbach-Schenk, was 25 years old when he took over the IWC company and ran it successfully until his own death on March 2 of 1905.

The manufacture showed IWC’s spirit of innovation already in 1885 with the first pocket watches with digital indication according to Mr. Pallweber patent. Soon, IWC developed pocket watch mechanisms that even today and once revised would reach the precision of a chronometer. Nowadays these IWC watches are extremely rare and sought after collector’s items.

After the death of J. Rauschenbach-Schenk in 1905, his wife, two daughters and their husbands, Ernst Jakob Homberger (director of G. Fischer AG in Schaffhausen) and Dr. Carl Jung (psychologist and psychiatrist), became the new owners of IWC. Following the death of his father-in-law, Ernst Jakob Homberger had a considerable influence on the Schaffhausen watchmaking company’s affairs and guided IWC through one of the most turbulent epochs in Europe’s history.

During the 1930’s, IWC presented the first watch especially designed for aviators with antimagnetic mechanism. In 1940 the Big Pilot’s watch marked another important milestone for IWC. Towards 1948, the Mark 11 appeared armored against magnetic fields. This protection would be later used by the Ingenieur and nowadays by many IWC watches.

Hans Ernst Homberger was the third and last of the Rauschenbach heirs to run IWC as a sole proprietor. He had joined his father’s company in 1934 and took control of IWC after his death in April 1955. In 1957 he added a new wing to the factory and in the same year set up a modern pension fund for the staff. He bought new machines to meet new demands and continuously brought his production technology up to what were considered the very latest standards.

Nearly the end of the forties, during the hard competition among Swiss manufacturers to create the first automatic mechanism that allowed to wind up the watch both sides, IWC was right ahead. IWC’s patented automatic spring has not been improved to our days.

The IWC 1955 Ingenieur equipped with it was the most advanced of its time. Edmund Hillary climbed the highest mountains with it. Today it has become a classic object of desire for collectors.

The Yatch Club or the Ingenieur SL from the sixties and seventies were even more robust. The growing popularity of water sports made IWC launch the Aquatimer in 1967. It was water-resistant to 200 meters and had and internal revolving ring to indicate the time of immersion.

1969 saw IWC present its first quartz wristwatch. The Da Vinci quartz watch was fitted with a Beta 21 caliber movement. Due to an industry crisis, IWC avoided heavy investment in this technology and went back to produce what it was best at – mechanical movements of great technical refinement.

In 1978, IWC introduced the world’s first titanium watchcase and bracelet, which at the time was thought impossible because of the difficulty of working with titanium which required an oxygen-free environment. Today, IWC manufacturers the world’s most sophisticated bracelet system using a solid pin held in each bracelet link by a push-button lock on the underside of each bracelet link – allowing the pin to be totally locked in regardless of any damage.

Today, IWC is most famous for its Pilot line of watches whose design was inspired by World War 2 and the Portuguese line of watches. They have approximately 390 employees and since 2000 IWC have belonged to the watch division of Richemont SA.

Filed under: Audemars Piguet Watches, IWC, IWC Watch, IWC Watches, luxury watches, Mens, Watch, Watches, Water resistant, Womens

Corum Tourbillon and Classical

The Corum Tourbillon and Classical collection, as the name suggests, is devoted to the most elegant and complicated watches. The current collection is comprised of the Corum Classical Billionaire Tourbillon, a diamond and sapphire covered masterpiece of watchmaking, the Corum Golden Tourbillon Panoramique with its tourbillon movement floating between sapphire bridges, and the skeleton dialed Corum Classical Skylight Skeleton.

Filed under: Audemars Piguet Watches, Corum, Corum Tourbillon and Classical, Corum Watch, Corum Watches, luxury watches, Mens, Watch, Watches, Womens

Audemars Piguet Case Dating and Identification

Model identification

Every Audemars Piguet watch has a movement number engraved on the mainplate, generally next to the balance, and a case number which is engraved on the outside of the case-back. In the example picture: Number 25 is the sequential number of these particular model/reference. D67746 is the case number, sequential across all watches manufactured by Audemars Piguet. There is no certain way to tell the age of an Audemars Piguet , but certain estimates can be made with the case number: there are 100,000 watches with the same letter, and AP manufactures 20,000 watches a year (VERY aproximately) so that the letter of the serial number changes aproximately every 5 years. A known fact is that production of the F series started sometime in 2004. In the example watch with case number D67746: D started in 1994, plus 1 year per 20,000 on the case number will make this watch a 1997-98.

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Ladies Collection, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Watches, luxury watches, Mens, Watch, Watches, Water resistant, Womens

Audemars Piguet Case Dating and Identification

Model identification

Every Audemars Piguet watch has a movement number engraved on the mainplate, generally next to the balance, and a case number which is engraved on the outside of the case-back. In the example picture: Number 25 is the sequential number of these particular model/reference. D67746 is the case number, sequential across all watches manufactured by Audemars Piguet. There is no certain way to tell the age of an Audemars Piguet , but certain estimates can be made with the case number: there are 100,000 watches with the same letter, and AP manufactures 20,000 watches a year (VERY aproximately) so that the letter of the serial number changes aproximately every 5 years. A known fact is that production of the F series started sometime in 2004. In the example watch with case number D67746: D started in 1994, plus 1 year per 20,000 on the case number will make this watch a 1997-98.

Filed under: Audemars Piguet, Audemars Piguet Ladies Collection, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet Watches, luxury watches, Mens, Watch, Watches, Water resistant, Womens