Monday, December 31, 2007

THEWATCHERY.COM MORE THEN DOUBLES LAST YEARS SALES

Contrary to this article, http://www.thewatchery.com/ more then doubled its sales from last year, check out our website for gorgeous watches, and incredible prices.

Online Holiday Jewelry, Watch Sales Down from 2006 Levels

Jewelry and watches, just last year the darlings of the e-commerce world, have fallen from its perch as one the fastest growing holiday sales categories.
Andrew Lipsman, an analyst with comScore, Inc., said jewelry and watch sales growth has dropped from 2006 record levels. The company, which measures digital data, doesn't publicly release sales figures and so far it isn't releasing sales percentage growth for the category.
"However, I can tell you that 'jewelry & watches' actually saw a year-over-year sales decline," Lipsman told JCK.
In 2006, the "jewelry & watches" category grew 66 percent year-over-year, the biggest gain among all categories tracked by the Reston, Va.-based company. This high growth rate may have been one reason the category didn't perform as well in 2007, Lipsman said.
"The declines are likely a function of two things," he said. "First, jewelry & watches saw an unusually strong 2006 holiday season, meaning that any year-over-year growth this year is being calculated off a high base; Second, in an uncertain economy, consumers are likely to pull back on the purchase of luxury items, and jewelry & watches certainly falls under that domain."
The "flowers, greeting cards, & gifts" category, tracked by comScore , was down 19 percent, Lipsman told The New York Times.
The "video games, consoles & accessories" category saw a 129 percent growth year-over-year as of Dec. 16, by far the biggest gain among categories tracked by comScore. Other category that saw large year-over-year growth as of Dec. 16 are:
* Furniture, Appliances & Equipment, 63%* Event Tickets, 29%* Consumer Electronics, 24%* Apparel & Accessories, 17%
The figures from comScore excludes travel, auctions, and large corporate purchases.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Pricey Watches Enjoy Boom Amid Overall Sales Slump


The boom of mobile phones, MP3 players and blackberries _ all of which are automatic time-adjusting gadgets _ has been taking a toll on the popularity of wristwatches over the years, but a new consumer trend is giving hope to the once-fading business.Luxury watches, local retailers say, are enjoying brisk sales lately, which are pushing up the high-end market to new heights.


Various department store-operated multi-shops specializing in wristwatches say sales of timepieces over five million won have seen about a 20 percent increase since last year.Lotte Department Store's specialty shop Chronodigm said sales of watches over 30 million won have jumped 30 percent since last year and the figure amounts to more than 20 percent of the shop's total revenue.Likewise, Hyundai Department Store's The House of Fine Watches, which retails timepieces ranging from five million to 170 million won, said its last two months' sales totaled 300 million won.


Why the splurge? Watches not only make a fashion statement, but a status statement, experts say.``Sporting pricey watches is a subtle and fashionable way to show off your financial status,'' said Kim Hye-ran of Swatch Group Korea. She added that the lavish consumer trend is apparent within the Swatch Group _ comprised of various price-ranged brands, including the economical Swatch and high-end Breguet and Omega.``Brequet pieces are priced around 10-20 million won and Omegas at around three million won are selling strong even in times of the industry-wide slow down,'' she said, admitting that a worldwide dip in watch sales resulted from the introduction of various time telling devices


A survey by Seiko Watches in Japan said that the number of people aged between 16 and 29 wearing wristwatches dropped almost 30 percent since 1997.A similar downward trend has been witnessed here pushed by the large number of cell-phone owners, but retailers don't seem to mind it as much thanks to the heavily-priced pieces.``Those getting hurt by this trend are the mid-ranged watch sellers,'' said Kim, explaining that people these days either want to buy a ``really nice watch'' or just use their mobile phones to tell the time.




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Study Finds Luxury Consumers Use Social Networking Sites

hink social networking sites are just for teens and tweens who post party photos and lists of favorite bands? Think again. A new generation is flocking to Internet-based social networking sites – and they may well be the adult consumers most likely to make a luxury purchase.Over 40 percent of luxury consumers visited a social networking site, such as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, etc. in the past three months.

This is the most surprising finding of a new survey by Unity Marketing about how luxury consumers are using the Internet. It is based upon a survey conducted in October among 1,074 affluent consumers who made at least one luxury purchase in the past three months (average income $150,200 and age 43.6 years)."This study shows the method behind Microsoft's 'madness' in paying $240 million for only 1.6 percent of Facebook. It isn't just kids visiting the social networking sites like Facebook anymore. Even middle-aged affluent consumers are networking online," says Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience."Young affluents, those 40 years and under, were the most active social networkers, but even one-third of the over 40 year old consumers reported visiting a social networking site."Internet exerts a powerful influence on luxury consumers' purchasesThe research study also found that over half (52 percent) of the luxury consumers of home luxury products and 46 percent of buyers of luxury fashion, fashion accessories, cosmetics, jewelry and watches used the Internet in support of their recent luxury purchases. "The Internet has a powerful influence on luxury consumers in terms of their spending. For example, those customers who used the Internet for home luxury purchases spent 11 percent more on their homes, while those who used the Internet for their personal luxury purchases spent 12.5 percent more on average buying fashion, jewelry, watches and cosmetic products. "They used the Internet both to research purchases, especially to compare prices and read other customers' reviews, as well as to make purchases.

The research also shows that they will visit a retailers' website to 'browse' before they head out to the store. The lesson is that luxury marketers and retailers which offer their customers a website get a significant return on investment in terms of more spending," Danziger says. Many websites give luxury consumers what they are hankering forWhen it comes to the features that luxury consumers value most in the Internet, the convenience of shopping at home is right at the top of the list, along with having a wide selection of merchandise available online. They also are passionate about the tools that the Internet gives them to compare prices and evaluate product features. It saves them time and makes shopping less of a chore.The many pluses of Internet shopping make up for any minor inconveniences, such as shipping and handling charges and delays in receiving the merchandise.

Other issues, however, are more of a hindrance to luxury shoppers. Some 35 percent of luxury consumers are very discouraged from using the Internet because of difficulties in returns and exchanges. And 21 percent are uneasy about making big ticket purchases, for example kitchen appliances and jewelry, online. "When asked what features were most important for a luxury shopping site to offer these luxury consumers, they were adamant about three features – in depth product information and specifications, detailed product pictures and a flexible return policy. They were far less concerned with company or brand news, lifestyle content or a store locator," Danziger says. Luxury travelers make the absolute most of the InternetLuxury travel is the one category where the Internet has most penetrated the luxury market. Commenting on the research, Danziger says, "Luxury consumers are maxing out the capabilities of the Internet in terms of their luxury travel. Over 90 percent of luxury consumers used the Internet in support of their travel planning in the third quarter. Over 80 percent made travel reservations online and researched travel destinations. More than half (56 percent) visited a website to see what other travelers have to say about their destination."Danziger concludes, "This study shows just how important the Internet is as a resource in support of the luxury consumers' lifestyle. Its value as a shopping venue is without question, but for marketers and retailers its role in influencing and informing the shopper can not be ignored. So when making investment decisions pertaining to the Internet, marketers need to carefully measure its power in advertising, promoting and building the company's brand and not just take into account the cash flow resulting directly from Internet purchases."

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

History of BVLGARI Watches

The Bulgaris descend from an ancient family of Greek silversmiths whose activity began in the small village of Epirus, where Sotirio, the founder of the family, made precious objects in silver.
In the mid-19th century Sotirio emigrated to Italy where in 1884 he opened his first shop in via Sistina in Rome.

With the help of his sons Costantino and Giorgio, in 1905 he inaugurated the shop in via Condotti, which still today is Bvlgari's flagship store. Pay a virtual visit inside the Bvlgari flagship store in Rome, Via Condotti.
During the first decades of the 20th century, the two brothers developed a passionate interest in precious stones and jewels, gradually taking over their father's role.

During the 50's Bvlgari moves away from the strict disciplines of the dominant French school to create its own unique style.

The 1970's mark the beginning of Bvlgari's international expansion with the opening of their first overseas store in New York, and in Paris, Geneva, and Monte Carlo.

Today Bvlgari has 155 stores throughout the world. In the early 1990's, Bvlgari Parfums is established in Switzerland marking the Group's entry in the high-class perfume market.

On July 17th ,1995 the Bvlgari Holding Company S.p.A. is quoted on the Italian Stock Exchange Telematic system and the International SEAQ in London.
In 1997 Bvlgari introduces its first collection of silk scarves, characterized by an original design and top quality manufacturing. The first collection of Leather bags and Eyewear are launched in 1998, while table and giftware complete Bvlgari's diversification program in 1999.

Today, Paolo Bulgari and Nicola Bulgari, respectively Chairman and Vice-Chairman, together with their nephew Francesco Trapani, Chief Executive Officer, manage the company's development with the intent of better serving an international market, while remaining fine and prestigious jewelers.


Visit our webstie at www.TheWatchery.com to check out all the amazing Bulgari, and other Luxury brand watches
we carry or give us a call at 1-866-843-9282 for mor information.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

History of CHOPARD Watches

Intent on producing pocket watches and chronometers of stature, Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded his company in 1860, and the brand has continually turned out masterpieces. Just about a century into its legacy, Chopard was purchased by jewelry entrepreneur Karl Scheufele in 1963.

It was his vision to unite his jewelry company with watchmaking under one brand and to propel both areas to greater levels of accomplishment in design and technology.
In 1975, Scheufele built a production facility in Meyrin-Geneva, marking a new era for the brand.

In 1976, Chopard unveiled the now-famed Happy Diamonds collection to the world, and in the 1980s the brand launched the Gstaad collection of timepieces. In 1988, Chopard teamed with the Mille Miglia as an official partner and began creating the annual special-edition Mille Miglia watch—an icon of vintage automobile racing.

In the early 1990s, Karl and Karin Scheufele’s children became integral players in the family business. Caroline took over the jewelry design and Karl-Friedrich headed up the watch division. In 1996, the brand established itself as a complete Manufacture with the opening of a movement factory in Fleurier. The L.U.C movement made its debut that year and was the impetus for other movements to come.

In 1999, Chopard unveiled the L.U.C Sport 2000 collection, and a year later presented the L.U.C Quattro watch—equipped with a new caliber with four barrels and nine days of power reserve—in 2000. Chopard presented the L.U.C Tonneau in 2001. Chopard is also a major supporter of charitable causes and is a devoted patron of the arts. In 2001, Chopard began supporting the Elton John AIDS Foundation, creating limited-edition Elton John timepieces whose sales would benefit the foundation. Chopard is also intimately involved with such high-profile events as the Cannes International Film Festival.

Chopard’s collections of ladies’ jewelry and watches are amazing and inviting. From Happy Diamonds to Happy Sport with free-flowing diamonds, from the 1950s-inspired chic La Strada to the innovative Pushkin and Ice Cube collections, rich colors, seductive shapes and innovation are prominent driving forces.

With creativity at an all-time high, Chopard has grown at a faster rate than the market as a whole while preserving its independence—a rarity amongst watch and jewelry companies today. Caroline’s exquisite designs continually impress and excite the senses.
All of Chopard’s magnificent jewelry is created with the utmost attention to details. Each stone is hand picked and every design is completed by painstaking hand-craftsmanship. From gem selection to setting and polishing, master jewelers work long hours to ensure smooth, sensual finished pieces.

For the past decade, Chopard jewels have glistened on the necks and wrists of celebrities from all corners of the earth.
Partnering with the Cannes International Film Festival, Chopard is jeweler to the stars for 12 days each year at this exciting gala of heady days and wild nights. In addition to adorning the stars as they parade down the red carpet, Chopard produces all of the Palme d’Or trophies in its own workshops

Visit our website on http://www.thewatchery.com/
or give us a call on 1-866-843-9282

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

History of MAURICE LACROIX Watches

The name Maurice Lacroix stands for decades of experience in the production of high-quality watches. In 1961, Zurich-based Desco von Schulthess AG acquired an assembly facility in Saignelégier, a town in the Canton of Jura, where it produced private label watches for the national and international market. In 1975, the company laid initial foundations for its successful corporate history by introducing its first watch under the name of Maurice Lacroix in Austria. The brand was launched on the Spanish market a year later and, after another four years, the company founded its own sales organization in Germany. Then, two decades after launching its first watch, the company successfully entered the US market in 1995. In the fall of 2001, Maurice Lacroix S.A., previously a division of Desco von Schulthess AG, became an independent legal entity, thus generating ideal conditions in which to achieve its ambitious international growth targets.

Today, Maurice Lacroix, which has a total of 250 employees worldwide, is one of the most successful Swiss watch brands, both nationally and internationally, and is represented in more than 4,000 specialist shops in 45 countries all over the world. The company, one of the few independent Swiss watch manufacturers, has already established itself as a market leader in Germany in the upper middle-price segment, while in the USA the brand is one of the most dynamic in the industry.

Over the years, Maurice Lacroix has made significant investments to expand Queloz SA, a case manufacturer that it acquired in 1989, and its assembly facility in Saignelégier, and has made every effort to continuously keep the technology up-to-date. Investments were not restricted to infrastructure but were also made to optimise all internal processes. The assembly facility - together with the training and information centre opened in 2001 and the extension completed in January 2002 - is currently one of the most modern in the industry. The company thus put itself in an ideal position to use these state-of-the-art ateliers to design and put together its watches with a great deal of passion and precision. Around 150,000 top-quality timepieces now leave the Saignelégier facility each year and are distributed to customers all over the world.

In spite of the rapid change and growth, one thing has always remained the same - the company's love of design, perfection, and fine materials. Maurice Lacroix is particularly proud of the crown jewels of its collections - the classic, mechanical "Masterpiece" watches. The experience Maurice Lacroix has gained from this precise art of watch-making is also incorporated into the "Milestone", "Intuition", and "Sphere" collections. At the same time, the company is continuing to promote its proven classics, "Miros" and "Pontos". At the beginning of the new millennium, Maurice Lacroix has established a milestone with its diverse product portfolio and its new, independent communications campaign. The watches from Maurice Lacroix, which are set to be the classics of tomorrow, epitomize progressive, innovative technology, high-quality materials, and a design characterized by pure simplicity.
Check out http://www.thewatchery.com/ to see the Gorgeous
new collection of Maurice Lacroix watches
or give us a call at 1-866-843-9282.

In digital age, trend turning toward high-end watches

Juan Smith was 10 years old when he got his first Swatch wristwatch, the colorful, plastic, timekeeping staple of 1980s youth fashion.
"I wanted one in every color," said Smith, 36, of Pleasant Hill. "I thought I was someone important. Now, I can't for the life of me get my 7-year-old daughter to wear a watch."
With daylight-saving time officially wrapping up at 2 a.m., millions of Americans will turn their clocks and watches back one hour. But as the popularity of automatic, time-adjusting mobile phones and MP3 players continues to soar, fewer people need worry about the retro ritual of manually resetting their clocks.

A survey by Seiko Watches in Japan concluded that the number of people there between the ages of 16 and 49 wearing wristwatches fell from 70 percent in 1997 to 46 percent in 2006. And with more than 50 percent of American teenagers owning their own mobile phone, sales of wristwatches in this country declined by 10 percent, from 2005 to 2006, according to the Donegar Group, which tracks fashion merchandising.
"This may lead to a perception that most Americans no longer buy and wear watches," said Jean-Louis Van Den Bosch, a watch expert for nearly 30 years. "The fact is cell phones can give you the time, but a watch is a status symbol. And you can't bring a sports car into the boardroom."

The decline in necessity and popularity of former must-have style items such as custom cuff links, expensive cigarette cases and lighters has freed up disposable income for accessories like watches.
Van Den Bosch, of Julianna's Fine Jewelry in Corte Madera, said that while sales among teens have slowed, the Swatch Group, which owns more than 20 brand-name watch labels including Omega (007's wristwatch) and Tissot, has done a better job lately selling watches in the $1,500 to $5,000 price range. The Swatch sport watches of the 1980s, which are still available, retail from about $60.
Temple University business Professor Ram Mudambi has studied Swatch and its business practices for decades.
"Bottom line: The margins on Swatch brand, even in its heyday, were never as large as those on the company's luxury lines," said Mudambi, who is also Temple's Perelman senior research fellow at the Fox School of Business. "Swatch and the luxury lines probably contributed about equally to company profits in the late 1980s and early '90s, with Swatch falling and the luxury lines rising since then."

Maria Mendoza, who works at a small watch shop in downtown San Francisco that sells timepieces ranging from Fossil to Swiss Army, said teens who formerly sprung for a $100 watch are now scooping up models as pricey as $1,200.
Van Den Bosch said that although just 3 percent of Americans own watches that retail for at least $300, they are the same men and women who typically own several of the most expensive kinds of timepieces.

This is true for Lars Dittmann, shopping with his wife in downtown San Francisco, who said he habitually wears his blue-faced Citizen model.
"It has long been a habit for me to flip my wrist for the time," said Dittmann, 37, who received the watch as a gift from his father. I have three other nice watches at home, but I wear this one because of its value to me."

Just as there is no shortage of mid-range and luxury watches flooding the market, there is no shortage of watch advertisements, either. Celebrity spokespeople for Tag Heuer include golfer Tiger Woods, tennis star Maria Sharapova and actress Uma Thurman, whose advertisements are prominently featured in glossy fashion magazines, men's publications and newspapers.
Male collectors frequently see their watch purchases as investments, as the value of high-end watches often increases over time. Robert Saenz, who works at the Tag Heuer counter at Bloomingdale's in San Francisco, said he counts newly minted college graduates among his loyal customers.

"Guys come to me and say they want understated elegance," Saenz said. "Men look for quality, versatility, durability and style."
When men reach their 30s and 40s, Van Den Bosch said, they typically become interested in brands such as Rolex, Breitling, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Girard-Perregaux. Sales for such watches, he added, have only increased since the emergence of mobile phones and iPods.

But it's women who seem to be purchasing more watches in the $200-$600 range, incorporating them as fashionable accessories, noted Judy Phuong, of Coach, in the Village at Corte Madera. "Ladies can wear them casually, but they can also dress them up," she said. "Some of our most popular watches can be worn on the same arm as bangle bracelets and then worn separately as well."
Some aficionados, such as Alex Howard, 25, have come to view themselves as collectors.
"In high school I mostly used a clock to tell the time, and later my cell phone," she said. "In the last couple years, I wore a chubby bracelet-style watch. Now I have moved on to more elegant, versatile models."
One telling sign that wristwatches are making a comeback was the number of attendees wearing them at the recent opening-night galas at the San Francisco Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall. Many of the best-dressed patrons wore jewel-encrusted cocktail watches every bit as sparkling and eye-catching as their timeless earrings, necklaces and minaudieres.
"What we are seeing is a return to the classics," said Giles Marsden, director of Tiffany & Co. in San Francisco. "Cocktail watches with beautiful diamonds will never go out of style."

Friday, November 2, 2007

Timeless Object

Nonfunctional Watches:
The chief function of a watch, you might assume, is to tell the time, accurately. But watches can do other things too. Some years ago, for instance, there was a trend toward watches with calculators built into them, although that didn’t last. Also there’s the aesthetic factor. The look of a watch might sound more like a matter of form, but style has its functions, too.

The watch is an interesting product category through which to examine the function of style, because mere time-telling isn’t a very powerful selling point these days. A majority of Americans now own mobile phones, and like many other portable gadgets we now tote, these omnipresent devices tell the time quite well. And indeed, according to Experian Research Services, watch sales overall have fallen significantly since 2001. But within that wider trend is a significant countertrend, which is the popularity of what can be broadly described as special watches — luxury-brand watches, high-design watches, vintage watches. Watches, in other words, that give you something more than the time of day. Or maybe even something other than the time of day.

Consider, for instance, the Uno, from Botta, the German watch brand. It has only one hand. This item, which sort of suggests what time it is, can cost almost $1,000. Another example is the 900 Abacus watch, a $150 object featuring a tiny ball that rolls around a completely blank face; if you stand still and position the watch horizontally, the ball supposedly moves to the appropriate spot on the edge of the face where the numbers would be. Then there’s the NOW Watch, which has no hands or numbers, just the word “Now” where the time should be. Or the Timeless Bracelet, designed by Ina Seifart: a link-style watchband with a traditional foldover clasp, it has no face at all, just an open spot where you would expect to see one.

There are other examples, but you get the idea. I ran some of these by Jonah Berger, an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His research often touches on the connections between certain product categories and identity. Not surprisingly, some categories (like clothing and cars) are more “identity relevant” than others (like bike lights or dish soap). And sometimes the product element that’s most useful in signaling identity is something “afunctional.” This can mean some obvious aesthetic component like color, but it can also refer to things that “actually make it harder to do what you want to do,” Berger says — like sporting sunglasses indoors, or wearing impractically baggy jeans, donning a scarf in the summer or riding a fixed-gear bike with no brakes. He also points to the extra-rarefied examples that sometimes pop up in couture runway shows: a shirt with two collars, or three sleeves, etc.

Counterfunctionality is precisely what makes such things effective identity markers. Berger hit upon the category’s appeal while looking into “product abandonment” — that is, the way that certain consumers drop trends when certain others pick up on them. Those particularly interested in expressing difference might be drawn to something the masses are less likely to “poach” — even if that’s because it’s annoying or inconvenient. “Most people want a watch that tells time, and they want to be able to see indoors,” Berger continues. “So to do the opposite is a good way to separate yourself from the masses.” In other words, it’s not that a watch with one hand, or no hands, has no value. It’s that the value it has is unrelated to the telling of time.
This, in fact, is what makes a useless-seeming watch potentially more valuable — in identity terms — than, say, regular jewelry. If the Timeless Bracelet didn’t have an empty space where the face should be, it would just be a bracelet. “It has more value because it’s missing its functional component,” Berger suggests; a thing that’s more of a comment on watchness than a watch “provides more information” about the person wearing it. And actually, most of the examples above come from cool-spotting blogs that specialize in ferreting out stuff that makes the consumer seem like more of an individual. The absurd-sounding Abacus watch with its little rolling ball might make you “miss appointments” but it’s likely to “get some attention,” commented a writer on one such site, JoshSpear.com. “Sweet.” And really, if you’re the alpha-consumer type who craves such a watch, surely you tote a mobile to tell the actual time — and to call whomever you’re meeting to explain that you’ll be late. Again.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Jewelry to Benefit from Luxury Spending Boom Through 2012

RAPAPORT... Jewelry and watches are set to become the next “must have” luxury item as global spending on luxury products is expected to grow by 70 percent over the next five years.

According to British research company, Report Buyer, global luxury brand spending will hit GBP 225 billion ($465 billion) by 2012, from its current level of GBP 131billion ($271 billion.)

“As wealth increases across the globe, the demand for luxury products will accelerate with the market, boosted by high demand from emerging economies, wider demand from mature markets and new channels,” Report Buyer reported in a statement.

The study forecasted that watches and jewelry would become the second largest sector after fashion and clothing. Clothing currently has a 44.3 percent share of the market, but is expected to begin losing share as other product sectors increase, the report concluded.

“Brands have been producing new high-end pieces in both jewelry and watches which is stimulating interest,” the company found. “Additionally the high intrinsic value of jewelry and watches, because of the high cost of their components, makes them an attractive luxury investment to a wide range of consumers – not just the fashion conscious or ultra-rich.”

The report showed that growth will be most stimulated by wealthy consumers in fast growing economies, and that the Asia Pacific region, including China and India – but not Japan – will nearly triple in value by 2012 as newly wealthy consumers seek to underline their status with top end goods.

“The (AP) region will account for nearly a quarter of global spending at GBP 57 billion overtaking the Americas as the second largest market,” Report Buyer noted. Including Japan, it added, the region would have a 36.2 percent market share by 2012, just behind Europe’s 36.4 percent as “the most valuable market.”

One factor contributing to the rising demand has been luxury retailer’s use of the Internet, where many brands have introduced transactional websites over recent years, and more will follow, the report explained. “This will enable brands to access consumers beyond their reach via traditional channels, and generate new revenue streams. This channel is also highly suitable for accessories, watches and jewelry, where fit is not an issue,” Report Buyer said.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

The portrait of Ulysse Nardin

Founded in 1846, Ulysse Nardin was named after its founder, Ulysse Nardin, an accomplished watchmaker. Nardin first trained in horology under his father, Leonard-Frederic Nardin, and perfected his skills under the tutelage of Frederic William Dubois and Louis JeanRichard-dit-Bressel, two master watchmakers whose fame extended beyond the mountains of Neuchatel, Switzerland.

In 1983, Ulysse Nardin was purchased by Rolf W. Schnyder, its current President. At about the same time, Schnyder also discovered Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, a scientist, inventor, historian and watch-maker extraordinaire. In a unique relationship of professional cooperation and personal friendship, Schnyder and Oechslin created timepieces that had never before existed.
The Ulysse Nardin collection is in the proud tradition of quality and mechanical innovation. Its consistent excellence had also been recognized by the award of 18 international gold medals and 4,300 first prizes in chronometric excellence.

In its over 150 years of history, Ulysse Nardin had been widely respected as a specialist in marine chronometers. Among the most reliable and accurate ever made, Ulysse Nardin’s marine chronometers are still sought by collectors around the world, and have seen service with the navies of some 50 countries.

Today, Ulysse Nardin continues to develop and produce specialized timepieces of the highest technical level in limited editions. Using the company’s patented inventions, these often include complications offered by no other watchmaker, such as the renowned Trilogy of Astrolabium, Planetarium and Tellurium; the Jaquemart Minute Repeater and the Hour Striker San Marco.
Ulysse Nardin was also responsible for the revival of the craft of cloisonné watches in the 1980s, when this art was thought to be extinct.
We have the Greatest selection of Ulysee nardin watches on our website, along with 100's of other luxury watches for every occassion, Visit us at http://www.thewatchery.com/
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Monday, October 29, 2007

Baume and Mercier on the big screen....


Catherine Zeta Jones is starring in a new movie: No Reservations and Baume & Mercier was the watch of choice for her role.
She wore two different watches, one for work and one for leisure: the ladies stainless steel Riviera, as seen in the advertisement, and the Diamant on a black strap.
The advertisement for the movie covers billboards and buses for miles in New York, according to Baume & Mercier officials.
At The watchery we have a huge selection of Baume and Mercier and Hundreds of other Luxury, wether you are looking for an every day watch or a classy watch for leisure, We have it!
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Thursday, October 25, 2007

INVISIBLE HAND

How Top WatchmakersIntervene in Auctions
Luxury Timepieces GetPumped Up in Bidding;'It's a Bit Dangerous'
GENEVA -- In the rarefied world of watch collecting, where Wall Street investment bankers and Asian millionaires buy and sell at auctions, a timepiece can command a higher price than a luxury car. At an April event here, a 1950s Omega platinum watch sold for $351,000, a price that conferred a new peak of prestige on a brand known for mass-produced timepieces.
Watch magazines and retailers hailed the sale, at an auction in the lush Mandarin Oriental Hotel on the River Rhone. Omega trumpeted it, announcing that a "Swiss bidder" had offered "the highest price ever paid for an Omega watch at auction."
What Omega did not say: The buyer was Omega itself.
Antiquorum sometimes stages auctions for a single brand, joining with the watchmakers to organize them, in events at which the makers often bid anonymously. This is a technique of which Patek Philippe and other famous brands, as well, have availed themselves.
"It's an entirely different approach to promoting a brand," says the cofounder of Antiquorum, Osvaldo Patrizzi, "Auctions are much stronger than advertising." Mr. Patrizzi worked with Omega executives for two years on the auction, publishing a 600-page glossy catalog and throwing a fancy party in Los Angeles to promote the event. "We are collaborators," he says.
But now there's ferment in the world of watch auctions. First, they're starting to raise ethical questions, even within the industry. "A lot of the public doesn't know that the biggest records have been made by the companies themselves," says Georges-Henri Meylan, chief executive of Audemars Piguet SA, a high-end Swiss watchmaker. "It's a bit dangerous."
More unsettling, Antiquorum's Mr. Patrizzi, who essentially founded the business of watch auctions, is under fire by the house he cofounded. Its board ousted Mr. Patrizzi as chairman and chief executive two months ago -- and hired auditors to scour the books.
The business of auctions for collectibles is not a model of transparency. The identities of most bidders are known only to the auction houses. Sellers commonly have a "reserve," or minimum, price, and when the bidding is below that, the auctioneer often will bid anonymously on the seller's behalf. However, the most established houses, such as Christie's International PLC, announce when the seller of an item keeps bidding on it after the reserve price has been reached.
Omega's president, Stephen Urquhart, says the company is not hiding the fact that Omega anonymously bid and bought at an auction. He says Omega bought the watches so it could put them in its museum in Bienne, Switzerland. "We didn't bid for the watches just to bid. We bid because we really wanted them," he says. Omega's parent, Swatch Group Ltd., declined to comment.
Through the auctions, Swiss watchmakers have found a solution to a challenge shared by makers of luxury products from jewelry to fashion: getting their wares perceived as things of extraordinary value, worth an out-of-the-ordinary price. When an Omega watch can be sold decades later for more than its original price, shoppers for new ones will be readier to pay up. "If you can get a really good auction price, it gives the illusion that this might be a good buy," says Al Armstrong, a watch and jewelry retailer in Hartford, Conn.
Niche watchmakers have used the auction market for years to raise their profiles and prices, mainly among collectors. As mainstream brands like Omega embrace auctions, increasing numbers of consumers are affected by the higher prices.
Omega and Antiquorum got together at the end of 2004. The watchmaker was struggling to restore its cachet. Omega once equaled Rolex as a brand with appeal to both collectors and consumers, but in the 1980s, Omega sought to compete with cheap Asian-made electronic quartz watches by making quartz timepieces itself. Omega closed most of its production of the fine mechanical watches for which Switzerland was famed, tarnishing its image.
A decade later, Omega tried to revive its luster by reintroducing high-end mechanical models. It raised prices and signed on model Cindy Crawford and Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher for ads. When this gambit failed to lure the biggest spenders, Omega turned to a man who could help.
Mr. Patrizzi, 62 years old, had gone to work at a watch-repair shop in Milan at 13 after the death of his father, dropping out of school. He later moved to the watchmaking center of Geneva, at first peddling vintage timepieces from stands near watch museums.
He founded Antiquorum, originally called Galerie d'Horlogerie Ancienne, in the early 1970s with a partner. At the time, auctions of used watches were rare, in part because it was hard to authenticate them. But Mr. Patrizzi knew how to examine the watches' intricate movements and identify whether they were genuine.
At first, prominent watchmakers were wary. Mr. Patrizzi approached Philippe Stern, whose family owns one of the most illustrious brands, Patek Philippe, and proposed a "thematic auction" featuring only Pateks. The pitch: Patek would participate as a seller, helping drum up interest, and also as a buyer. A strong result would allow Patek to market its wares not just as fine watches but as auction-grade works of art.
The first Patek auction in 1989 featured 301 old and new watches, with Mr. Patrizzi's assessments, and fetched $15 million. Mr. Stern became a top Patrizzi client, buying hundreds of Patek watches at Antiquorum auctions, sometimes at record prices. The brand's retail prices soared. Over the next decade, the company began charging about $10,000 for relatively simple models and more than $500,000 for limited-edition pieces with elaborate functions known in the watch world as "complications."
Patek began promoting its watches as long-term investments. "You never actually own a Patek Philippe," ads read. "You merely look after it for the next generation." Mr. Stern says he bid on used Patek watches as part of a plan to open a company museum in 2001. Building that collection, he says, was key to preserving and promoting the watchmaker's heritage, the brand's most valuable asset with consumers. "Certainly, through our action, we have been raising prices," he says.
Auctions gradually became recognized as marketing tools. Brands ranging from mass-producers like Rolex and Omega to limited-production names like Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta flocked to the auction market with Antiquorum and other houses. Cartier and Vacheron Constantin, both owned by the Cie. Financière Richemont SA luxury-goods group in Geneva, have starred in separate single-brand auctions organized by Mr. Patrizzi.
"Patek opened a lot of doors for us, but we also opened a lot of doors for Patek," he says.
Brands began to vie for his attention, sending Mr. Patrizzi watch prototypes to assess and, they hoped, occasionally wear. They hired his assistants at Antiquorum as their auction buyers, cementing ties. "He was a kind of spiritual father for me," says Arnaud Tellier, who worked under Mr. Patrizzi before becoming Patek's main auction buyer and director of the Patek museum.
Friends describe Mr. Patrizzi as a rare intellectual in a market with many coarser types. Guido Mondani, a book publisher and watch collector who met Mr. Patrizzi two decades ago, says he was charmed by the auctioneer's encyclopedic knowledge of watch history. Mr. Patrizzi began advising the publisher on which watches to add to his own growing collection, and wrote volumes on collectible watches that Mr. Mondani published.
Mr. Patrizzi discovered a rare defect in a Rolex Daytona owned by Mr. Mondani: Its dial was sensitive to ultraviolet rays and could change color. The result was a sensation in the collector's world, with the price of what became known as the Patrizzi Daytona reaching nearly 10 times its retail price. Last year, Antiquorum auctioned Mr. Mondani's Rolex collection for about $9.4 million at current exchange rates.
Mr. Patrizzi himself amassed a collection of antique cuckoo clocks and grandfather clocks, which grace his home in Monaco. He recently built an Alpine chalet near the chic French village of Megève and filled it with clocks dating as far back as the 15th century.
When he spoke to Omega executives at the end of 2004, Mr. Patrizzi felt that an Omega-only auction might be what the brand needed to revive its image. There was one problem. Antiquorum couldn't vouch for the authenticity of watches that are mass-produced; since they are worn more, their watch movements have often been opened and tampered with in the course of repair. So in an unusual arrangement, Omega agreed to guarantee the authenticity of all watches sold at the auction, and refurbish those needing it beforehand. Omega supplied vintage timepieces from its own collection for the sale.
To build interest, Mr. Patrizzi and Omega officials traveled to 11 cities, hosting events such as a flashy party at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel with celebrities such as actors Charlie Sheen and Marcia Gay Harden. Antiquorum and Omega joined in publishing the huge, glossy auction catalog. When the sale, dubbed "Omegamania," took place in April, it was shown on jumbo screens at the BaselWorld watch fair and streamed live on the Internet for online bidding.
It brought in $5.5 million. Besides the $351,000 platinum watch, Omega outbid collectors on 46 other lots, including many of the most expensive. Mr. Patrizzi estimates Omega bid on 80 lots in all, out of 300.
A Singaporean collector, told of Omega's role, called it "heinous." Melvyn Teillol-Foo, who bid over the Internet and bought a few pricey watches, added: "If it turns out they bid against me and got me to $8,000, I would be ticked off."
The auction is boosting retail demand just as Omega is introducing pricier models, says a Seattle retailer, Steven Goldfarb. He says his top-selling Omegas used to be $1,400 models, but Omegas costing three times that are selling now. "Customers are conscious of the fact that an Omega watch sold for $300,000," he says. "They have no idea who bought it."
But just as Mr. Patrizzi basks in one of his big successes, his position in the industry is at risk. On Aug. 2, as he vacationed during a traditional holiday time for the industry, Antiquorum's board met and voted him out as chairman and chief executive of the auction house he cofounded. Mr. Patrizzi, who owns a minority stake in the firm, says he learned of his ouster from lieutenants who were locked out of the company's Geneva headquarters the day of the meeting, and later fired.
Named interim chief was Yo Tsukahara, an executive at ArtistHouse Holding, a Tokyo company that owns 50% of Antiquorum. ArtistHouse then formed a different Antiquorum board. Mr. Tsukahara hired auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers to scour Antiquorum computers, financial records and inventory. Pricewaterhouse wouldn't comment.
Mr. Patrizzi's "thematic auctions" for a single brand of watches weren't an issue, Mr. Tsukahara says in an interview. They were a "win-win situation," he says.
Mr. Patrizzi's relations with ArtistHouse had been worsening for a year. One issue was his resistance to adopting more rigorous accounting in compliance with the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Mr. Patrizzi opposed an ArtistHouse push to replace Antiquorum's accountants, according to Leo Verhoeven, a Patrizzi ally and an executive at Habsburg Feldman, a Geneva company that owns 43% of the auction house.
Mr. Verhoeven adds that when Mr. Patrizzi stuck to the watch industry's summer holiday schedule of mid-July to mid-August, he caused a timing issue for ArtistHouse, which landed on a Tokyo Stock Exchange list for companies that don't report earnings promptly enough. Mr. Tsukahara blames the delay on Antiquorum, saying that auditors were unable to account for several high-priced watches during an inventory check, forcing ArtistHouse to write off their value.
Mr. Patrizzi denies watches were missing. Giving Mr. Patrizzi's version, Mr. Verhoeven says two watches were consigned to retailers and two were sold in private sales that hadn't yet been booked because of an accounting backlog. Messrs. Patrizzi and Verhoeven say they have sought preliminary injunctions in a Geneva civil court challenging the legitimacy of Mr. Tsukahara's newly created board.
Mr. Patrizzi says that days before his ouster, he sensed trouble was brewing. The line of antique cuckoo clocks on the wall of his Alpine chalet went "a bit out of whack," he says. "One was 10 minutes too fast. Another was 10 minutes too slow. I said, 'Oh God, something is about to happen.'"

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Pleasures Of a Luxury Watch

Purchasing a luxury watch that is a good investment.
Many people consider luxury watches an extravagance. To them it makes little sense to spend thousands of dollars on a Rolex or a Cartier, when there are essential payments to be made. The same is true about cars. They say why spend 90,000 dollars on a brand new sports car when a sedan or a station wagon in 9,000 dollars would do just as well. After all, they both have four wheels, an engine, a steering wheel and a gas pedal and they take you where you have to go.
However, luxury watches are different! They serve many purposes. They are precision instruments that are fine-tuned for perfect accuracy, and give you the right time all the time. That's their purpose, no doubt. But luxury watches adorn the stylish and fashionable wardrobe. It's a matter of style. Some people feel naked without a belt, others feel absolutely desolate and deserted without their luxury watches. And it is not about time only. Even if they are surrounded by scores of digital clocks, cell phones, microwaves and other time-telling devices they are ill at ease without their luxury watch.
Aside from their functionality and sharp looks, luxury watches also confer a sense of status on their wearers. A stunning Rolex or Breitling can denote great taste and class every bit as much as a Jaguar or Mercedes. In fact, with the premier foreign car manufacturers diluting their brands with 30,000-dollar versions of their classic autos, one could argue that some luxury watches are a greater status symbol than some high-end vehicles.
To buy a luxury watch you need a discerning eye. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, and only a true connoisseur can tell the difference. They have a flair for style and quality. They choose their watches with as much care as they would choose a home to live in. They compare brands, quality and prices. They consider various factors such as mechanisms, escapements, complications, dials and many more aesthetic factors like watch bands and bezels. They enjoy looking at various brands as much as they love buying the watch that's close to their heart.
So if you want to add some style to your life, think of buying a luxury watch. For one thing, it's easier to carry around than a luxury car!


VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://www.thewatchery.com/ WHERE YOU CAN FIND A HUGE SELECTION OF LUXURY WATCHES.
OR FOR MORE INFORMATION GIVE US A CALL
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Monday, October 8, 2007

Movado Gold Watches

The Watchery.com has recently acuired a vast amount of Movado Gold Watches

Thewatchery.com is selling these gold watches at below wholesale cost!

Visit www.thewatchery.com today for the best prices and best selection of Luxury Watches.

Friday, August 31, 2007

A Raymond Weil unveiling


NABUCCO is the new exclusively masculine mechanical collection that was unveiled by RAYMOND WEIL at the BASELWORLD 2007 International Watch Fair. This chronograph is the first model by the Geneva watchmaker to come with an imposing 46mm case, water-resistant to a depth of 200m that incorporates a high-tech material: carbon fibre. A sturdy steel case 46mm in diameter. A black dial with check effect. A central zone in relief struck into the dial plate and adorned with 3 screws around the subdials. An appliqué figure 12, and 11 polished and nickelled appliqué indexes with luminescent highlights for optimum legibility day and night. All with the latest contemporary colour scheme.
That's the new look NABUCCO with its unique charisma! With its innovative form and original design, this mechanical self-winding chronograph, carved in steel, displays a 30-minute subdial at 3 o'clock, an hour-counter at 6 o'clock, and a 60-second subdial at 9 o'clock. The date, at 4:30, can be set by a separate push-button on the case at 10 o'clock. The NABUCCO is powered by the Valjoux 7753 tri-compax chronograph movement in line with the standards of high-quality watchmaking (28,800 vibrations per hour – 46-hour power-reserve) and water-resistant to 200m thanks to its crown, push-buttons, screwed-down case-back, and 2.5mm double-sided anti-glare sapphire crystal. There is a striking contrast between the steel and the carbon fibre – a resistant but ultra-light high-tech material used here on a RAYMOND WEIL model for the first time. The firm yet highly flexible bracelet gives the NABUCCO incomparable aesthetic appeal. Each link is worked to help the interplay of polished steel, brushed steel and carbon fibre. The bracelet incorporates the RW signature folding-clasp with double push-piece security, and fits snugly to the wrist for perfect comfort and ergonomics.
The independent family watchmaker has pursued perfection in every detail to make the NABUCCO collection one of unparalleled symmetry and coherence. The carbon fibre on the case echoes that of the bracelet, whose check effect, typical of the material, can also be found on the dial. The fluted push-pieces recall the design of the crown, flanked by a polished steel protection system. RAYMOND WEIL plays on the contrasts between circular/vertical brushed/polished steel on the case, bezel and bracelet. The back of the case harbours the new Brand monogram struck into the steel. The screws on the dial match those to the sides, used to fix the carbon fibre plates.
We carry a large selection of Raymond Weil Watches.
check out our website for more details
NOT ONLY THAT....
As part of our Raymond Weil special promotion, we're giving away a FREE Raymond Weil watch with every purchase of in-stock* items over $3,500.00!To claim your free watch, just spend a total of $3,500.00 (on one, or several watches). At checkout, you will be able to choose from the above selection of beautiful Raymond Weil watches valued up to $1,095.00!In addition, if you buy any watch, from any price range, you will be eligible to purchase from the following selection of Raymond Weil watches at 80% off the retail price! That's a bargain that you just don't want to miss! This highly- discounted watch selection will appear at checkout. You'll be able to choose from a large selection of diamond-encrusted, chronograph and colorful watches to suit your taste.So go ahead, enjoy the Special and take advantage of this amazing opportunity!

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Zenith's Open Sun Dial

The Chronomaster Open Sun Dial offers a special glow through its homage to the solar calendar and featuring the El Primero 4021 Caliber beating at a rhythm of 36,000 vibrations per hour and measuring time to mere tenths of a second. Available in rose gold, it is available in either 40 or 45mm. Appliquéd numerals on a white gold dial add an elegant touch to this timepiece. Its functions include hours and minutes in the center, a small seconds hand at 9 o'clock with a 3-branched hand and a power reserve indicator from hour axis. The case comes in 18-carat rose gold with 18-carat rose gold push buttons and crown. Its curved sapphire glass has antireflective treatment on both sides and it is water resistant to 30 meters. The handmade black alligator strap lined with silky Alvazel calfskin completes the look. The Chronomaster Open Sun Dial starts at $18,400.
SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR A SELECTION OF MAGNIFICENT ZENITH WATCHES:

TAG in 'The Departed'(2006)


Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) wears a TAG Heuer Link

Visit our website to see our huge collection of gorgeous, luxury Tag watches.
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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

$100K Watch shows the earth from above


Want the right wristwatch to go with that new $88,000 Vertu phone on your belt? Check out this platinum watch from Swiss timepiece-maker Ulysse Nardin, a one of a kind (or rather, 99 of a kind) gem that gives you a UFO's-eye view of the Earth—all for the bargain price of $100,000.

No, it's not encrusted with jewels and it doesn't do Bluetooth, but the Tellurium J. Kepler Limited Edition watch (only 99 were made) has something you won't find on your everyday Timex: a rotating representation of the globe as it might be seen from above the North Pole, complete with a flexible spring representing the terminator between day and night, plus a perpetual calendar that makes a complete rotation once a year. Oh, and it's water resistant to 30 meters, although I'm not sure how the leather wrist strap will handle salt water.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Instyle Look of the day pick TheWatchery.com - KATIE HOLMES in Alaia

Jul 18, 2007

Our Pick

KATIE HOLMES in Alaia

Holmes played peekaboo at the N.Y.C. premiere of Hairspray in an Alaia minidress with a cutout back. She accessorized with ruffled satin pumps from Roger Vivier and a rose-gold Cartier watch.




Click to see the Look of the day!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Maurice Lacroix Memoire 1


Maurice Lacroix announces the Memoire 1. The Memoire 1 will be the first mechanical watch with a memory function. The Maurice Lacroix Memoire 1 has a simplistic dial with two hands. One for the minutes and one for the seconds. A disk to indicate the hours. An indication at 3 o’clock reveals the cool secret of Memoir 1: By pressing the button integrated into the crown, the mode changes from “Time” to “Chrono”. The hands and the hours disk immediately change their positions. If their previous function was telling the current time, they are now available for the precise measurement of time intervals. When the button is pressed once again, they all return to their positions for telling time.

Even when the chronograph is running, it is still possible to shift back and forth between the two modes without losing the information provided by one or the other function. Maurice Lacroix will officially introduce the Memoire 1 at the BaselWorld 2008.

Monday, July 2, 2007

WATCH THIS, THE SLEEPTRACKER

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS THE SLEEPTRACKER
doesn’t come in a fancy package, nor does it contain any sort of add-in accessory. Of course, I didn’t expect either of these things. It is simply a watch. The box basically lets the buyer know what features they can expect out of the product. On the back there is an interesting chart that shows the typical adult sleep pattern. Seeing this changed my mindset from believing that the product was a gimmick, to thinking that is just might be the real thing.
The watch itself is actually very basic in its presentation. Don’t expect to turn heads by wearing it. Don’t get me wrong, as it doesn’t look bad – just average. There are four buttons on the watch – Mode, Set, Glo, and a fourth that is unlabeled. This fourth button can be explained as a “down” or “minus” button. It is used when setting the time, to reduce the number shown. Now, the action takes place on the back of the watch. There is a tiny area that you can see is what will monitor your sleeping state, letting the alarm know when to sound.



SETTING UP THE SLEEPTRACKER
The SLEEPTRACKER came with batteries already installed, so all I needed to do was program in the time and date, along with my preferences. Here is how it went:
Alarm: While this sounds self-explanatory, it really isn’t. The SLEEPTRACKER’s goal is to wake you up and the most optimal time for your body to not feel tired and sluggish. The time that you set on the alarm is actually the latest time that you want to wake up. I set mine to wake me up no later than 6:00 AM.
Window: The window setting allows you one of four choices - :00, :10, :20, or :30. Let me explain this one as well. The window setting is basically the number of minutes before your alarm that you will allow the SLEEPTRACKER to wake you up. Since it monitors your sleep pattern for the optimal moment to wake you, you need to give it a window of time so that it can choose the point within that given time period that you are most awake. I set mine to wake me up whenever it felt best within a 30-minute window. The earliest it would wake me would be 5:30 AM, and the latest was 6:00 AM.
To Bed: The To Bed setting is the time you expect to go to bed. The SLEEPTRACKER starts to monitor your sleep pattern thirty minutes after the time you specify in the To Bed area. I set this to midnight, which meant the SLEEPTRACKER would start monitoring my sleep at 12:30 AM – whether I am in bed or not.
Data: As the SLEEPTRACKER monitors your sleep through the night, it saves the times that you were the most awake during the night. You can review this information on the Data screen. It doesn’t really help you much, but it is interesting to take a look at your sleep pattern.

USING THE UNIT
Okay, this is the easy part for a change. The only thing that the SLEEPTRACKER needed to do to be a success were:
Tell the time
Wake me up without me feeling sluggish or overly tired within my specified window
Monitor my sleep data correctly
Now, I had no doubt that the SLEEPTRACKER would perform just fine as a digital watch, which it did. Setup was simple, and after it was done, I could tell the time and date. However, this watch sells because it wakes you up like you have never been woken up before. I went to bed that evening at the time that I told the SLEEPTRACKER that I would be in bed by. During the night, my baby woke up crying, which in turn woke me up. I remember getting up at about 2:10 AM to calm him down and get him back to sleep. In the morning, I heard the alarm go off. I checked the watch, and it was 5:47 AM. Oh, and yes – I felt perfectly awake and satisfied with the amount of sleep I got. I didn’t feel the need to hit a snooze button of any sort.
After I got up, and did the toothbrush thing, I checked the sleep data. It was very interesting to see the times that the SLEEPTRACKER had recognized as my light sleep/awake moments. Most intriguing though, was that it marked 2:11 AM as one of those moments – right after my son woke up crying!
The truth is, I have been testing this watch for about a week now, and there was just one morning that I was not awakened by it. It was a morning that I simply stayed up way too late to even hear the alarm. That is the thing though. The alarm is not loud – it is audible only because it usually goes off when you are in a light sleep mode. If it doesn’t recognize an optimal time within your window, then it just goes off at your designated alarm time. If you are too tired at that point, that is your problem







Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Time for a bit of fun

A watch with a slot machine? That, and another that keeps track of four major stock markets, were the highlights of the Girard-Perregaux 2007 collection, unveiled recently in Geneva.
THIS year, Girard-Perregaux created a stir when they introduced a very interesting watch – the Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon. This combines a Tourbillon and a slot machine, complete with a striking mechanism in perfect proportion with the Vintage 1945 case.

This watch was extremely popular at the recent Salon International Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) held in Geneva, and journalists clamoured to pull the lever to try to hit the jackpot!
Yes, you can really make the reels spin on this watch. It works by pulling a handle at the side of the case which is connected to a rack. By doing this, the rack slides up, and when it reaches its highest point, it starts the reels spinning and slowly slides back down. Stoppers then come into action to halt the reels one by one and this synchronically activates the striking mechanism. Out of the 125 combinations, only one represents the jackpot: three bells in a row.

Although this watch is a lot of fun to play with, only a select few will be able to afford it – it costs a whopping RM2.1mil.
According to Stefano Macaluso, vice president of Girard-Perregaux, the brand just wanted to create something different for a change.
Girard-Perregaux is a very classic brand, so something very different for us would be to create something fun,’’ says the 32-year-old.
When it comes to brand direction, Macaluso says they are starting on a new advertising campaign (already running now) which is fashioned around the concept of “waiting”.
“The watchmaking field is very competitive, you see very aggressive campaigns. It’s important for us to be more personal.
“Our concept is a simple one. (There is) A classic luxury environment ... we decided to introduce many elements and items of quality which you need time and skill to develop. People need to be connoisseurs in order to recognise (valuable) items. For example, the red grape turning into Bordeaux wine, or the time it takes for a piece of coal to turn into a diamond. Time matters and this is the same for the GP watch – it takes time to make one.’’
And, according to him, that is why Girard-Perregaux prides itself on making watches only for the select few.

Of course it wasn’t all fun and games with the collection: Another watch that generated interest and required some explanation as to how it works was the ww.tc-Financial – the world’s first chronograph to indicate the different times around the world and when four major stock markets (New York, London, Hong Kong, Tokyo) open for business.
“It looks complicated, but it’s actually very simple,” assures Macaluso. “This watch is targeted for people working at the stock exchange.”
It works courtesy of two mobile disks around the dial. A 24-hour ring is synchronised with the hour hand. A second disc can be adjusted with the crown at 9 o’clock and it displays the name of 24 cities and the periods when the four bourses are open for business.

Another timepiece worth a mention is from the BMW Oracle Racing collection. The Laureato Regatta Tourbillon chronograph with countdown mechanism was designed specifically for yachting competitions. One hand is dedicated to the countdown of the ten minutes preceding the start of the race, enabling the remaining time to be read with precision in the zone situated between 9 and 12 o’clock. Then the counter at 1 o’clock takes over the calculation of the duration of the race. A single pusher is used to operate the various functions.
Other watches in this collection include the Laureato USA 98 (this series uses a whole range of materials such as titanium and vulcanised rubber) and there’s also the first feminine adaptation, the Laureato USA 98 Lady, which is set with diamonds. For a more classic style, there is the 1966 Full Calendar with a round case that houses a full calendar, enabling the display of the date, day of the week, month and phases of the moon.

Girard-Perregaux is a partner of the Monte-Carlo Historic Rally, the legendary car road race that takes place in Monaco biennially. The brand has dedicated a limited series watch collection to this event and the models for this year are the Richeville Chronograph “Monte-Carlo 1954” and the Fly-back Chronograph “Monte-Carlo 1970”.

We have an incredible collection of Girard-Perregaux watches on our website http://www.thewatchery.com/ or give us a call on 1-866-843-9282!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

How country of origin still affects luxury brands

A recent study found that when it comes to consumers ages 18 to 24, a brand's country-of-origin is unimportant. This came as a surprise to some marketers who believed that products could use their country of origin as a significant brand differentiator, as in luxury categories such as Swiss watches and French perfumes. The study suggested that, in the online world, geographic boundaries are less relevant than they once were, particularly to younger consumers. In fact, the publication Advertising Age recently discussed whether the days of flag-waving are numbered and whether marketing tactics like the 'Heartbeat of America' are becoming less important. Now, New York-based customer engagement and loyalty research consultancy Brand Keys has drilled down into its Customer Loyalty and Engagement Index to identify which categories are most influenced by partisan positioning. It found that the top five categories that are still heavily influenced by a 'country of origin' positioning are: wine, luxury automobiles, watches, vodka, and bottled water.

Visit us at http://www.thewatchery.com/ to see our huge selection of luxury watches.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Omega in Apollo 13 (1995)

There are a number of great Omega Speedmaster views in this movie as many of the characters wear one, including Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks), Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon), who are pictured here.











The Omega story begins in 1848, with its founder Louis Brandt, hand assembling pocket watches put together from parts made in the local La Chaux-de-Fonds. Louis Brandt passed away in 1879, leaving the company to his two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar, who moved the company to Bienne in January 1880.
The name OMEGA made it’s debut in 1894, as it was used as the name of one of the Brandt brother’s watch movement calibers.
Both Brandt brothers died in 1903, placing the fate of the company in the control of four people, the oldest of which, Paul-Emile Brandt, was only 23 years of age.
Following a merger with Tissot in 1930 a new parent company, SSIH, Société suisse pour l'industrie horlogère SA, Geneva, was created. This group eventually grew to over 50 companies including, Lanco, Lémania and Hamilton. Eventually SSIH became the third largest producers of finished watches and movements in the world.
During this period Omega produced some of its most collectible vintage watches Omega is famous for today.
Omega Constellation watches, the Omega Speedmaster chronograph, the Omega Seamaster waterproof sports watch and Seamaster Diver watches were all developed during this period. Omega also made a name for itself proving military watches and pilots watches during World War 2.
Through an economic crisis in the 1980’s the company merged with another large Swiss conglomerate, ASUAG, makers of Swatch, Longines and Rado, to create a new company ASUAG-SSIH. Eventually this pairing fell on hard times and the company was taken over by a private group and renamed SMH, which still exists today.
To get your own Omega or choose from many other luxury watch brands.
For more information give us a call 1-866-843-9282.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Buying a Watch...?

If you are looking to buy a watch then there are a few things that you need to think about before making that purchase. In this article, we will detail some of the things that are important when buying a watch such as pricing, quality, water-resistance, and other watch buying issues.

Budget, Budget, Budget...
The first thing you should consider is the pricing of the watches that you are considering and your own budgetary constraints. Why even look at a $5000 Rolex if you can't afford it? (OK, so it's fun to just look and dream!) Set your budget realistically and give yourself a range of pricing to work with. Maybe your price range is $100-$200, $700-$800, or maybe the sky is the limit. Give yourself limits and your watch buying experience will be much easier and pleasurable.

Examine the Quality
There's no better industry than the watch industry in examining the fact that the higher the quality, the higher the price tag! Why are some watches much more expensive than others? There are a myriad of reasons which include:
The craftsmanship that goes into the watch while being made. (The movement and parts that makes up the internals of the watch.)
The materials that the watch is made out of. (A gold-plated watch with diamond bezels is going to be more expensive than a stainless steel watch!)
The actual strap or bracelet can be made of many different materials which range in price from a few dollars to thousands of dollars.
The prestige of the watch also can have a large effect on the price of the watch.
Examine the components that make up a watch and make sure that you are buying the highest quality materials that your money can buy.

Form over Function?
Another thing that has to be considered is what function is the watch going to be used in. Obviously common sense is your major guide here; don't buy an elegant dress watch that is jewel-studded and use it in sporting activities! Figure out what you do on a daily basis and buy the watch that fits your lifestyle best. Or, better yet, some people buy watches for different purposes in their life. For example, a person may buy a high fashioned Rolex watch for their nights out on the town or business entertaining and buy a much less expensive durable watch for their everyday use in life. Make sure you buy a watch that fits your lifestyle.

Maintenance
You should also consider the maintenance requirements on any watch that you are considering to buy. In general, mechanical watches should be cleaned and serviced every 3 years by an authorized service center. Quartz watches, which are battery operated, should be fully serviced whenever a battery is replaced every 2 to 6 years depending on the battery type. Remember to always have your watch serviced by an authorized retailer or service center.

Water Resistance
Water resistance is always a concern when buying a watch and there are a few things you should keep in mind when examining this vital element inherent to watches. The first thing to note is that water resistance is measured in "bars" and watches are tested at different levels of bars for varying lengths of time. Obviously, people who are scuba divers or jet pilots can experience much higher levels of pressure than the average person so these occupations need special types of watches for what they do. Here are some guidelines to use when evaluating water resistance:
30m/100 ft - Rain Proof/Shallow Still Water
50m/165 ft - Swimming Activities
100m/330 ft - Light Scuba Diving in shallow waters
Over 100m/330ft - Heavy duty deep water scuba diving

The Extras
Another consideration when buying a watch are the extras that can be included on a watch. Some common extras that watches have are built-in calendars, chronograph (stop watch functionality that is not digital), multiple time zone timekeeping, moon phases, built-in alarm, scuba dive functions, and there are a few others. Determine the features you need and don't need and choose wisely.

Educated Buying Decision
Last of all, do some whole-hearted comparison shopping to make sure that you are getting the best price and the highest quality watch for what you are paying. We Garauntee that on www.TheWatchery.com. Take a look at our huge selection of luxury watches, and for more information give us a call at 1-866-The-Watch.