Friday, July 22, 2011

Van Cleef & Arpels Whimsical Display of Space for Only Watch Auction

Van Cleef & Arpels Only Watch "From the Earth to the Moon" is a whimsical childlike representation of space. A perfect choice for the Only Watch Auction in Monaco to benefit the research and treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.  A terrible debilitating childhood disease.  The dial of the watch is a display of color depicting bright stars and colorful planets.   A vivid orange and red planet encircled by rings or is it the sun  indicating orbits (I can't tell - my knowledge of astronomy needs some work) command the top of the watch and separate the retrograde hours and minutes.  A tiny rocket ship travels from 0 to 60 pointing to the minutes, whilst a shooting star travels from 1 to 12 indicating the hours.  At their end points, both rocket ship and star shoot back to the 0 or 1 respectively.  The watch is a true retrograde displaying the time in an arc as opposed to the traditional analog dial.  The earth displayed at the very bottom of the watch is a healthy  green and blue planet spilling over onto the bezel.  Mars - The Red Planet takes center stage.  Van Cleef & Arpels uses inlays of jade, agate, meteorite and ChamplevĂ©-style enamel, to achieve true primary colors.  The watch is powered by a JLC Caliber 846 manuel-wind mechanical movement equipped with a unique retrograde mechanism found exclusively in Van Cleef & Arpels Timepieces. 

The Van Cleef & Arpel "From the Earth to the Moon" is part of the exquisite "Poetic Complication Timepieces"

Video of Van Cleef & Arpels Magnificent  "Les Voyages Extraordinnaires"Dials

Thursday, July 21, 2011

10 Good Reasons to Purchase an Invicta Watches

1) Invicta Watches are 91% off the MSRP at The Watchery- if you don't believe me just check out this Invicta Men's Force GMT Maroon Dial with a Maroon Polyurethane & Titanium accented strap from THE WATCHERY

2) Invicta Watches are good quality watches for reasonable prices, and that's not a coincidence - it was the vision of Invicta Watches founder,  Raphael Picard, when he started the company back in 1837 in La Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland.   For over a century Invicta created mechanical automatic timepieces of exceptional craftsmanship and unique design at prices people could afford.  The "Quartz Scare" dealt a powerful blow to the operations of Invicta, and the company went under.  However, just like the resilience of Invicta watches today, Invicta reemerged in 1991 thanks to the descendants of Raphael Picard. They never lost sight of the founder's vision of creating good quality watches for affordable prices.  
Men's S1 GMT Blue and White Dial Blue Polyurethane
3) Invicta combines different watch materials to create 100's of different styles and colors.  The Invicta Men's G-Force displayed at the top of the post, sports a Titanium Case and a bold arrangement of Polyurethane and Titanium.  
4) The dials of Invicta watches are protected by a Flame fusion crystal (Flame-Fusion™ is an Invicta trademark- 2009), which is a cheaper alternative to the more traditional Sapphire Crystal, and has greater scratch resistance than mineral crystal - used in older Invicta models. In addition the Flame fusion crystal is a much clearer window to the time. 
5) Many Invicta watches have a highly efficient lume on the dial hands and hour markers.  The lume is known as Tritnite® only exclusive to Invicta. Tritnite® requires an initial 4-5 hours of exposure to light after which it will maintain its phosphorescent properties with regular light exposures.   In Invicta Luminary Sports Collection luminous tubes or mb-Microtec H3 are fitted into the area's requiring luminescence.  This technology was first used in military operations, with luminescence 100x greater than traditional lume. The luminescence was so bright , soldiers were made to wear a cover over the watch to prevent being recognized as a target. 
6) Invicta Watches are big, some coming in at 58mm like the SEA HUNTER CHRONO, an impressive watch if one has the wrist to wear it. When buying an Invicta, pay careful attention to the size of your watch. For a point of reference most very large men’s watches are 48mm. So if you want a big watch, Invicta's got you covered. 
7)  Invicta Watches are shock absorbent like The GRAND DIVER PRO AUTOMATIC, which  is a mechanical self-winding shock resistant timepiece.So if you are in a situation where you gotto shake rattle and roll, your Invicta timepiece will keep on ticking, just the way you like it.  
Women's Subaqua/Noma III GMT White Leather
Invicta Reserve/Venom
8) Since this is a seriously hot summer, (the thermometer tops 100 F today), the cool refreshing water is a calling, but what about your watch.  I mean you don't want to take off your watch, leave it on the beach and next thing you know its disappeared down a crab hole. NO! You want to swim with your Invicta on your wrist. Invicta sees to this dilemma too, don't you worry. Most Invicta watches are water resistant to 100 meters, although not suitable for diving, is fine for surfing, swimming, snorkeling, sailing & water sports. For serious diving, Invicta Sea Hunter Chrono and Arsenal II Chrono Collections are water resistant to 300 meters, a depth suitable for Scuba Diving. For the Ladies, The LADY SUBAQUA NOMA IV AUTOMATIC (image above)  collection, has a water resistance of up to 500 meters. Many Invicta models are water resistant to 660 feet and some like the Invicta Men's Reserve/Venom  are water resistant to 1000 meters.  

9) Invicta watches, not only are precise time tellers, but are bold and confident addition to ones wardrobe and image - meant to be noticed. I mean just check out  The Men's Lupah Automatic Chronograph Diamond Black Leather $499.99
On sale for 90% off the MSRP.  Now that's an image maker.  The case is Gunmetal ion plated stainless steel (it screams - don't mess with me); dial is sunray gunmetal; strap is black leather, but what is an image without a touch of bling. There are 53 white encrusted diamonds on hour markers and Arabic numerals.

10) Depending on your watch requirements, Invicta sells watches to suit your needs.  
  • Compasses - as available in its Invicta Coalition Forces Collection  
Invicta in Latin means “Invincible”, a name with origins dating back to ancient Rome, and with the message of "invincibility" strapped to ones wrist, the problems of the day somehow seem manageable.