Hotel del Invalides from above

PARIS – Bell & Ross Time Instruments was on hand for year number 27 of the International Automobile Festival in Paris, France on January 25. The watch maker was there to present the Palme d’Or award and show off its exclusive watch collection.

This year the Festival was held at the luxurious Hotel des Invalides, near the famous Dome of the church right next door. The Festival is held to show off new concept cars from different manufacturers and to celebrate automotive innovation. Bell & Ross were there to strut their stuff along side auto manufacturers with their new exclusive line of watches.

The watch company also unveiled something that France had never seen; a new kind of item thatBell & Ross is not know for, a Harley Davidson. Bell & Ross teamed up with Shaw Harley Davidson and created the Nascafe Harley Davidson bike. The motorcycle has won many Custom Harley Davidson championships in the US and was well received by everyone at the International Automobile Festival.

Award winning Bell & Ross Harley on display at Automotive Festival

The Festival also bring out an exclusive watch collection from Bell & Ross each year. This year the watches were on display and available for purchase to anyone with the inclination to own such a luxurious timepiece.

Of course Bell & Ross was not only there to have fun and show off their award winning Harley, they had an award to present. CEO of Bell & Ross, Carlos A. Rosillo, presented the Palme d’Or to the Red Bull Racing F1 team who took the 2011 Championship title won by German driver Sebastien Vettle. The team’s owner, Dieter Mateschitz met Rosillo on stage to accept the award for his team.

French driver for the Citroën World Rally Team Sebastien Loeb was also presented with an award. Loeb has won the World Rally Championship (WRC) a record eight times in a row.

Rosillo is also a member of the jury which decided on 14 prizes championing the work of companies and people including the Palme d’Or were handed out at the Festival. A little more than 600 people attended the event in Paris.

The event celebrated 2011s innovators in the automotive field. The new years concept cars are unveiled and any new idea that involves automobiles will be brought to the floor. It has become a place where the future of the industry is born each year anew.

Philip Stein luxury watches was founded in 2002 by husband and wife, Will and Rina Stein. Their combined business and watch designer knowledge led to the development and success of the Philip Stein brand. After discovering that natural frequencies had positive health properties, they decided to be the first to introduce a luxury watch that featured frequency-based technology.

Philip Stein Watches with Frequency Technology

So, what is frequency-based technology? Frequency technology was discovered in 1986 by a group of scientists who went on to patent the technology into a “TESLAR chip.” What these chips do is emit a signal that can make the body’s natural defenses stronger through a type of collaboration with its natural electromagnetic energy field. One study by Dr. Anthony Scott-Morley showed that the presence of a “TESLAR chip” allowed the body to obstruct ambient signals within the surrounding environment. Test results of the chip on patients showed positive results in the health field including improvement of sleep and reduction of the effects of stress. Also, the chip showed signs of reducing electronic pollution such as the use of a cell phone.

With this knowledge at hand, the Steins worked to combine a luxury watch that could affect the well-being of a person. Not long after launching their brand, testimonials soon poured in about the positive effects of wearing a Philip Stein watch. What really gave the Steins a major push into the commercial world was an endorsement by Oprah Winfrey who was gifted with a Philip Stein watch by Madonna.

And then came the design! With Rina’s 25 years of watchmaking design, the Steins incorporated distinctive features and beautiful textures to create the Philip Stein watch with Frequency Technology. The now well-known dual time zone dial and the window in the back of the face which shows the Frequency Technology metal disk are a sure sign it’s a Philip Stein watch. If you’ve never had the pleasure of looking upon a Philip Stein watch, be sure to check out their Collections which include:

• Prestige
• Signature
• Classic
• Active
• Bracelet

You can choose by dial color, single or double case, diamond or no diamond case or dial, and interchangeable straps.

We should thank the Steins. What other watch company has taken such steps to promote well-being and health? Who doesn’t want to be more resistant to stress and sleep better? There’s never been a better reason to wear a Philip Stein watch.

Face of the new Bulgari Perpetual Calendar watch

Bulgari has impressed audiences again with the release of their Grande Sonnerie Quantieme Perpetual Calendar watch earlier this year.
Bulgari is often portrayed as a brilliant jewelry maker, and the same holds true for their watches. This new timepiece is no exception. The watch offers the owner all the magnificent extras that has come to be expected from Bulgari. Another fine addition to the Daniel Roth Collection, the Grande Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar has an astounding number of components and took approximately one year to complete.
This model pushes the boundaries on the Grande Sonnerie line  with a new function that will keep the date and provide musical cues on important dates and times throughout the year. The Calendar is set to work until the year 2100.
The watch comes equipped with 923 components and 20 different functions. The Perpetual Calendar function will chime with certain cues throughout the year. Over the course of an entire year, the watch will chime 433,580 during 35,040 activations.
This magnificent piece of craftsmanship was created by only the best and brightest in their profession. Six months of the development process was dedicated to the finishing and decorating of the moving parts alone. It is up to the watchmaker to create each piece in perfect working order or the watch will cease to perform correctly.
The tones the watch produces each day are the most intricate part of the watch. Each time the watch makes a note, tiny gongs are struck within the watch. The watchmaker must be sure that the tones within the casing sound true and accurate. If even one of the tones is off, the entirety of the sound is awful. This is even more evidence of the mastery put into each of these spectacular timepieces.

Tourbillion and Sonnerie of Bulgari Perpetual Calendar Watch

This exquisite piece of craftsmanship is designed with a tourbillion mechanism to ensure accurate timekeeping. It is held in an 18-carot pink gold case with a black alligator leather strap and 18-carot pink gold triple-blade folding clasp. The dial consists of an alternating lacquered finish, opaline anthracite and snailed surface treatment. The watch pops when one notices the sapphire discs in the case indicating the days and months.
Already being championed as one of the 10 most complicated watches every produced, the Grande Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar watch debuted at Baselworld 2011, a watch and jewelry trade show held in Basel, Switzerland. The show is held to explore the new innovations and stunning products from all the worlds top watch and jewelry companies. This watch will truly capture the jealous gaze of anyone with the privilege of witnessing it in person.

The U-PLAY collection is know for it’s interchangeable parts and unique design. The owner can mix and match most parts to make the watch their own. The bezel and straps can be interchanged depending on the occasion or attire being worn. This is one of the many great attributes this GUCCI Watch collection offers.
GUCCI Watches has gone back in time with this collection. The interchangeable bezel was once all the rave in watches, and the elegant GUCCI has brought it back into style. The U-PLAY collection is one of the most intriguing and fun lines that GUCCI Watches offer.
The watch was designed by GUCCI creative director Frida Gianni. The watch comes with a red Guccissima leather strap, with the iconic double “G” pattern appearing throughout. The double “G” also appears on the inside of the strap, giving the entire band an authentic GUCCI look. The bezel is set with the GUCCI signature markings and encased by a bold red outline. The double “G” dial is stainless steel and shines brightly with the the marking of “GUCCI” at 12 O’clock. The “Swiss Made” marking is at 6 O’clock to let the owner know the fine quality of craftsmanship that went into the watch. The hands are slim and tapered, elegant enough for any wrist. The watch is run by reliable Swiss quartz movement and is waterproof for up to 30 meters.
Of course the strap and bezel can be changed at any time, but the red is suitable for a Valentine’s Day gift. The bright red throughout the watch complements the stainless steel dial and will bring a smile to anyone’s face. The gift is perfect for anyone looking to show their love and passion for those most important in their lives.
The watch offers the best in quality and style for a great price. GUCCI Watches has been producing amazing timepieces for some time and this U-PLAY watch collection is no exception. With the versatility and well made craftsmanship you expect from GUCCI, this U-PLAY collection Valentine’s Day watch will become an important piece in anyone’s ensembles.

Alain Silberstein, a French watchmaker reigning from Bescanon on the border of France and Sweden, has a unique take on the concept of building timepieces. A Paris-born artist who originally flexed his creativity as an architect, Silberstein now applies his conceptual foresight to build posh pieces that create an entirely new plane of luxury. Insistent on making a product that will eventually form a relationship with its owner, the artist backs away from the lavish, extravagant style of a typical timepiece and uses his artistic vision to create distinctively exuberant, almost juvenile pieces that are pleasing to both eye and soul.

Silberstein claims to follow three specific principles while creating watches: innovation, quality, and service. The self-started watchmaker who has just come up on 25 years in the industry insists that true branding necessitates a strong correlation between these three values, and that without establishing a balance between them, the product is inherently a disappointment both to its maker and its wearer.

“The stricter we are about these three rules, the more we respect our customers,” Silberstein stated in an interview. “They rely on you because you offer them something very important.”

Alain Silberstein proudly displays one of his creations.

Silberstein equates the actions and duties of a watchmaker to that of any other artist. He compares himself to a painter, believing that if a person is to purchase someone’s painting (or in this case, watch), they will likely purchase another, and that designing a piece that leads to this outcome is not a marketing tool, but rather the noble desire to create something that will foster a connection between manufacturer and consumer, and more importantly, between the consumer and their chosen timepiece. The watch becomes something more than a display case for minutes and hours; to Silberstein, each piece is a private measurement of our precious time on earth, something that is sanctified, and most importantly, something that is personal. The artist of time believes that the purpose of owning and wearing a watch is not simply to accessorize, but to wear a piece of art that allows us to quantify our intimate relationship with time on a private level, while simultaneously sharing it with the world.

“Watches are definitely not normal objects; they are lonely objects measuring our most personal thing, which is our intimate time,” Silberstein says. “We have all the instruments to measure time.  In fact we don’t need to have a timekeeper – our laptop gives the time, our mobile – we have so many objects around us.  Why add another one on our wrist? I think people are looking, more or less unconsciously, to have something very unique, while wearing their own time.  This uniqueness is my guiding path for my creations.”

An Alain Silberstein Krono.

Carrying out his vision took courage in a market laden with Rolexes and other typically opulent watches. The fun and quirky quality of Silberstein watches is incredibly distinct in its market, bearing similarity to virtually no other luxury watch brand. Silberstein’s ability to break free of expectations and other models in the industry is certainly something to be admired.

Those of you not familiar with Michele should certainly update yourselves! Michele Watches was founded in Belgium in 1940 and Maurice Barouh believed “that a watch is not merely a timepiece but an expression of life.” His belief in quality and refinement was passed on to his son Jack, who named the company after his daughter. The company originally started out making children’s watches but after great success decided to expand. The third generation of the family, Michele and Jeremy, have kept true to the beliefs, quality and details their grandfather was passionate about. The launch and success of the CSX Diamond chronograph Michele watch brought the company into the U.S. spotlight.

If you have never seen a Michele watch, attending the trunk show will be a pure delight! Michele watches come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Maybe you prefer diamond cases? Or perhaps the natural mother-of-pearl dial? One of their watch premiers includes the blue-faced Sport Sail Square Large watch with a stainless steel bracelet. Bold, yet subtle. All of their designs are desirable and artistic. They will definitely appeal to those individuals who love fashion as they are recognized as one of the leading fashion brands. The supplies Michele uses for the straps are drawn from many different resources. The collection of straps on Michele watches are known for their blend of quality and color. Michele makes sure their brand is aware of shifting fashion and changes in the industry. These new styles are introduced into their collections through a wide array of materials and designs. This blend is truly a work of magic.

Premier of the Sport Sail Square Large

Michele also allows its customers to customize their own watch. You just select the case you desire and then the strap. Simple! And if you prefer, you can also swap your strap with a different watch case! There is a strap for any event. Here’s just a few:

• Bracelet
• Grosgrain
• Silicone
• Alligator
• Patent Leather
• Stingray

Michele straps come in many colors also. If it’s fashionable, you are sure to find it with Michele. Past trunk shows have closed with many happy customers. Each year, Michele delights with new deco design elements and the same quality. This year shouldn’t be any different. Be sure to attend the trunk show and find out!

Gorgeous Hublot Pink Sapphire

Hublot is leading the way in the world of watchmaking with this brave and bold move. Watch companies are eager to control their own distribution networks and have direct access to customers. Single-brand boutique shops will do just that. Biver is quite certain that those customers looking for Hublot watches know what they want and having a dedicated store that can display all of their watches in one place will not only increase sales but give customers exactly what they’re looking for. Hublot boutique stores will be located in some of the most prestigious shopping spots in the world, such as Place Vendome and Bond Street in London, and Madison Avenue in New York.

Hublot watches are unique and therefore present a niche market. They are recognizable for their futuristic Big Bang porthole design. Their goal is to have an endless stream of product variations. For instance, their line of gemstone beveled watches. These gorgeous stones are gathered from all over the world and include:

• Yellow Sapphire
• Green Sapphire
• Pink Sapphire
• Orange Sapphire
• Amethyst
• Andalusite
• Hematite
• Ruby
• Smoked Quartz
• Spinel
• Topaz
• Tsavorite

One of those stones includes the faceted Andalusite stone which displays red, green, and yellow colors that resemble a muted form of iridescence – simply gorgeous. The alumino-magnesian Spinel is also known as red diamond and shines like one – truly magnificent. The rare orange sapphire exhibits a sunrise color – very striking. Then there is the Tsavorite garnet which is a very vivid green stone that studies show may be 200 times rarer than emerald! Imagine being able to view these magnificent pieces in one boutique store!

The Hublot watch has a unique history which began in 1980 when gold was combined with rubber. This was the first time in watchmaking history that a precious material was combined with rubber. This watch combined polished and brushed gold, a minimalist black dial, and a distinctive black natural rubber strap, all which came to symbolize Hublot. With the company’s “Art of Fusion” concept, Hublot became a major player in the watchmaking world.

And now, with Hublot paving the way with single-brand boutique stores, they are poised to grow their brand, identity and reputation even further.

A few gorgeous Movado watches

Movado’s history is rich in innovation and design. In 1925, they created the Movado Pocket Watch. In 1926, they launched a unique pillow-shaped watch that automatically wound when the case was slid open. The year 1930 led to the Movado Digital Watch which displayed both hours and minutes. And then in 1946, Movado debuted the self-winding Calendomatic wrist watch featuring the month and day. Movado watches began their signature “iconic dot dial” in 1947 with their world renowned Movado Museum Watch. And since then, the Movado design has just kept expanding. The many beautiful “Collections” of today have a wide array of dazzling designs. To name just a few:

• Amorosa
• Bold
• Luno Sport
• Movado Master
• Red Label
• Sapphire
• Series 800
• Serio
• Vizio
• Bracer
• Chronicle
• Sport Classic

With bangles, polished bracelets, chronographs, leather straps and brushed metal chain links, the list goes on and on. There is definitely a watch for everyone!

If you’re looking for confirmation that Movado is top-notch in technology and design, then check out some of the popular magazines such as Marie Claire, Self, Bloomberg Businessweek, InStyle, and GQ. Their stylish designs have celebrities such as Jaden Smith, John Stamos and Blair Underwood showing off their own Movado watches. Movado also has Ambassadors the likes of Derek Jeter, Amanda Seyfried and Wynton Marsalis.

Like color in your watches? Be sure to browse through the “Museum Color Dials” which was introduced in 2007 with a sophisticated new color palette. Also in 2010, the Movado BOLD was launched. It is energized by color with bright accents and high-intensity hues.

So, as you can see, there are many reasons you would want to own a Movado watch. Let’s look at the top 5 reasons:

1. Accuracy
2. Beauty
3. Stylish
4. Classic
5. Wide selection

Movado is a modern classic watch. It is a watch steeped in history and yet able to expand to meet the expectations of today’s world. Movado has style, class, beauty, craftsmanship, and integrity. If you’re looking for a watch that you can trust and admire, there is a Movado waiting out there just for you!

Bvlgari Grande Sonnerie Quantieme Perpetual Watch

The most unique feature of this watch is its perpetual calendar, which has full calendar indications up to the year 2100. The watch has a very complicated making, since it contains such a unique feature, which is probably why it took almost a year to create such an accessory. The watch is made up of 923 parts. This beautiful elegant time piece is also quite artsy with a complicated design. It is said that this watch has already made a place on the list of the top ten most complicated watches to have ever been made.

The Bvglari Grande Sonnerie Quantieme Perpetual watch contains two self-winding barrels. The purpose of the first barrel is to maintain all of the usual timekeeping functions that a watch has. The second barrel is specifically meant to aid the striking mechanism, as well as promising a full 24-hour power reserve in Grand Sonnerie mode. The Petite Sonnerie mode is known for its mechanism which doesn’t repeat the hours once it strikes the quarters.

This chic watch will function properly and will have no need for maintenance until the year 2100. This time piece tracks the months that have 28, 29, 30 and 31 days. 2100 is going to be a leap year so the watch will need to be fixed so it can provide accurate  calendar information till the year 2200, which will also be a leap year.

The one of a kind uniqueness that this watch possesses is due to the fact that it was modeled after a vinyl record player. The case is a beautiful eye catching 18kt pink-gold with a black alligator leather strap and a 18kt matching pink gold triple blade folding clasp.  Another great feature that this watch contains is that it is water resistant in up to 30 meters or 99 feet of water, making this watch ideal for a day of water sports at the lake or that big summer cruise. The physical mechanical beauty of this time piece also makes it perfect for those weekend long business trips as well as meetings. This watch is sure to make you the envy amongst all of your friends with its luxury and punctuality.

Cartier Watch

Cartier watches as part of a new campaign and product offering is providing less ostentatious and less expensive watches than its regular watches in tune with the current market and current economy.

This strategy is winning market share for Cartier particularly with its discreet timepieces such as the brand’s best-selling Ballon Bleu collection. The company expects to have grown by 25 percent in the fiscal year ending in March, 2012 compared to an overall industry growth of 20 percent.

Cartier history

Cartier is a well known French jeweler and watchmaker company that started in 1847. The company still has the name of the family of jewelers who started the company but who lost control of the company in 1864. The Cartier company was one of the first companies to make a wristwatch which was made in 1904 for the Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. The company has a history of serving royal families and received a royal warrant of supplier by King Edward VII of Britain in 1904. The company also sells a variety of luxury items including glasses, perfumes and other accessories. Cartier is also contemplating opening 20-30 more boutiques in 2012 mainly in South America, Asia and Europe adding to the 310 outlets the company already has worldwide.

Cartier Foundation

The Cartier Company also includes the Cartier foundation founded in 1984 as been responsible for redefining corporate sponsorship in France. The foundation has been a very strong voice in pushing the agenda of contemporary art and wants to bring the arts to the largest audience possible.

Mathematics Exhibition

The foundation is currently running a Mathematics Exhibition from October 2011 to March 18, 2012. The exhibition will focus on creating new, original and innovative creations that will be developed in partnership with the Institute des hautes études scientifiques (IHÉS, the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies) and the patronage of UNESCO. As part of this exhibition and partnership, the Foundation Cartier has invited mathematicians and renowned artists to work together and express mathematics in a way that will inspire the intellect and the senses.

There are a number of activities that are being done under this exhibition. One is called the living library in which people can come into a library and rather than check out books, they borrow people for 20 minutes. The people give them a story about their own lives related to mathematics. This activity will take place on Tuesday January 30 –31, February 7 and 14, 2012.