The stunning Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 46mm watch is an amazing feat of technical mastery and acoustical brilliance. The dodecagonal case is crafted in grade 5 titanium, and the watch has no dial so one can see the workings of the movement. The video herein lets you see the hammers and gongs at work –creating stunning music to the ears thanks to the minute and hour repeater. Just 8 pieces of this beauty are being created, and each retails for a smooth $307,000.
Time Capsules — News: IWC opens Flagship Store in NYC — Easily the Coolest Watch Boutique!!
Last week, IWC officially celebrated the opening of its amazing 3000-square-foot watch boutique at 535 Madison Avenue – with a celebrity filled event. The brand also launched the US exclusive Muhammad Ali watch.
This is the world’s first IWC boutique and — wow — is it something! It totally embodies the brand’s diverse personality and is the perfect place to showcase its many watch families. The lobby space is a floor to ceiling two-story-high living room look – complete with full windows on two sides and an expansive 70-foot-plus- high built in black lacquer book case – with a huge center hanging of an origami-like sailboat (reminiscent 
of IWC’s sailing involvements). In this expansive area is a wonderfully comfortable oversized seating formation, and the shelves are lined with sailing books. Next up, there is a pilot’s lounge, complete with shelves of pilot apparel, model planes and more – perfect for perusing the Pilot’s collection of watches. Additionally there is a dive watch room – filled with water and watches, and a unique upstairs gallery space.
In fact, it is upstairs that the brand has on display a host of superb black and white photographs taken by Howard Bingham of Muhammad Ali, and the new Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Muhammad Ali – created to mark the milestone of this opening and to celebrate the brand’s relationship with the Muhammad Ali Foundation. The timepiece is being created in a limited edition of 250 pieces and is exclusive to the US market. The Muhammad Ali timepiece is based on a pilot’s watch from the 1940s. It features a matte black dial, with red SuperLuminova numerals and hands in tribute to Ali who often wore red boxing gloves. The watch caseback bears the official logo of Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday. A portion of the proceeds of sales of the limited edition will be used to support the Sportsman of the Century’s charitable causes.
Time Capsules: News – Girard-Perregaux Unveils The New Face of Tradition – these are really cool watchmakers!
Ines Patoz, watchmakerWhen one thinks of a master watchmaker, one usually envisions a middle-aged man working diligently with loop and old-world tools. In fact, some of today’s finest watchmakers are young – people who enjoy an active lifestyle and yet are passionate about time and time crafting.
Girard-Perregaux wishes to celebrate those watchmakers and to bring reality home to those of us who are fascinated by the work they do. As such, the brand premiers in New York starting tonight – the launch of a luxury watch industry first – The New Face of Tradition, Eight Young Watchmakers and the Art of Making Time. This print and online journal has been curated by Girard-Perregaux and highlights the young watchmakers behind the brand’s famed manufacture. Some of these watchmakers are also rock & roll stars, puzzle masters, skate boarders and even an international alpine horn champion – showing the multi sides of the people behind the complex watches.
Jean-Luc Borel, watchmaker On Tuesday, May 1st Girard-Perregaux will bring its Swiss atelier to the streets of New York City. Four of the young watchmakers featured in this journal will unveil it during a special event at Cipriani Dolci. In addition to the unveiling, the watchmakers will be giving one-on-one workshops to watch connoisseurs and guests for amazing insight on watchmaking and what really goes into creating these exquisitely complicated timepieces. This tour will continue to Beijing, Paris and a few other cities throughout the year. These young talents can be discovered online here.
Jean-Luc Borel, champion alpine horn player
Weekend Sojourn: Orbita Watch Winders Celebrates the Year of the Dragon
The Year of the Dragon, by the Chinese calendar, has the finest brands in the world embodying this mythical creature in jewelry, watches and more. Orbita Watch Winders, is a NC-based leader in watch winder technology, and is the only company to produce automatic watch winders in the United States. Now this 15-year –old company, purveyor of some of the most exquisite boxes in the world, releases this stunning Limited Edition Artisan Red Dragon Box.
Just 100 pieces of this stunning Italian-made box will be created for 
worldwide production. It is designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Miniero and features an intarsia art work meticulously created using hundreds of tiny pieces of inlaid wood. In fact, the puzzle-like assembly requires up to 25 different exotic woods form Europe and Africa to achieve. The end result is this impressive work of art that houses an Orbit 3-watch winder. It retails for $4,995—and is an amazing statement piece. Sometimes, it isn’t always just about the watch.
ATimelyEvent: Madison Avenue Watch Week, NYC
This week, beginning tonight and continuing through May 4, Madison Avenue becomes the epicenter of haute horlogerie in New York City as many of the infest brands on the block open their doors to consumers – complete with a fine schedule of lectures, workshops and special displays.
Collectors and connoisseurs are invited to preview the newest and most exceptional watches – some on view for the first time in America. Join these brands for after-hour receptions and a host of other events. Among the participants: Antiquorum Auctioneers, Asprey, Blancpain, Breguet, Buccellati, Chopard, David Yurman, deGrisogno, FP Journe, Georg Jensen, Girard-Perregaux, Graff, Mauboussin, Montblanc, Porsche Design, Stephen Russell and Vacheron Constantin.
Among the highlights: Girard-Perregaux’s Young Watchmakers workshops (meet eight rock star young watchmakers Monday night for cocktails), Van Cleef & Arpels’ workshops, and Vacheron Constantin’s cocktails and seminars. In fact, for the first time in the U.S., Vacheron Constantin is offering authentication 
and appraisal services for vintage Vacheron Constantin timepieces. On Friday, May 4th and Saturday, May 5th, owners of vintage Vacheron Constantin timepieces may have their watches examined and appraised at the Madison Avenue boutique. An expert from the Vacheron Constantin Heritage Department, Geneva, will be available to examine and authenticate vintage Vacheron Constantin timepieces, and Douglas Escribano, Senior Specialist from Christie’s will provide appraisals. For the first time and specifically for this occasion, Vacheron Constantin will offer an extract from its archives with each authenticated timepiece. These services are complimentary and available on Friday, May 4th and Saturday, May 5th only, from 10 AM – 6 PM, at 729 Madison Avenue at 64th Street. An appointment is strongly recommended.
For more information and to register for free participation in in-store program, go here.
Time Capsules – Product: Ulysse Nardin Unveils Blue Sea
Last year Ulysse Nardin, master at the world’s finest marine chronometers, unveiled the Marine Diver Black Sea – to rave reviews. Now, the brand delves deeper in to the category with the Marine Diver Blue Sea, manufactured in house.
The resolute sports watch is a superbly beautiful dive instrument – with a self-winding movement, 42 hours of power reserve and water resistant to 200 meters. A powerful statement, the 45.8mm watch is crafted in stainless steel that is specially treated with a vulcanized process to give it a blue rubber coating with amazing feel. The exhibition case back reveals the movement, which is also blued. Certain parts of the movement are treated with a stainless blue titanium based alloy and 
some parts were reworked to accept this coating process.
Ulysse Nardin’s wave pattern adorns the strap and dial, while the hour markers and hands are covered with blue luminescent material. The power reserve indicator is at 12:00, date display is at 6: with the small seconds. The watch is equipped with a sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating and is fitted with a unidirectional rotating bezel and screwed crown. Each is individually numbered on the case side and just 999 pieces will be made. If I had the extra approximately $10,900, I would jump on this one!
Time Capsules: News – Audemars Piguet Volcano for Carmelo Anthony
It would be nice, right, if when you celebrate your 28th birthday, Audemars Piguet celebrated with you – the brand obviously knows how to do it in style. Monday night, Audemars Piguet hosted a dinner at New York City’s chic CATCH to honor the New York Knicks player. Of course, many of his friends were also there – Swizz Beatz, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Amar’e Stoudemire, among others.
So, it wasn’t really the people in attendance that we here at Atimelyperspective loved, nor was it the interesting custom-made cake made by Carlos’ Bake Shop (aka Cake Boss). Nope – to be honest—it was the amazing Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Volcano watch that Francois-Henry Bennahmias, President and CEO of Audemars Piguet North America, presented to Carmelo!
This special edition Royal Oak watch (the same watch LeBron James wore when he announced on TV he was 
Photo by Albert Michaels/Startraksphoto.comsigning with the Heat) is a 44mm stainless steel chronograph housing a self-winding movement and accented with an alligator strap!! Bold and beautiful piece retailing for about $25,700.
Notice a similarity in the colors of the volcano and the Knicks?! Ok – so my favorite colors are purple and red—oh- wait—I’ve long past my 28th birthday – but I’m about to celebrate my 28th year in the watch world!!! Congrats to Carmelo Anthony….
Van Cleef & Arpels' Poetic Wish
Five years ago, the brilliant creators and craftsmen at French brand Van Cleef & Arpels began a poetic legacy – a concept of Swiss watchmaking and Parisian design that was destined for greatness. The idea was to create a series of watches called the Poetry of Time, each equipped with superb movement, automatons and superlative decor. The first watch was unveiled in 2007, followed by another in 2009 and a third in 2010.
This year, the newest Poetry of Time story continues with a “his” and a “hers”: the Midnight Poetic wish and the Lady Arpels Poetic Wish. Each of the timepieces is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and technical prowess, as the brand again pushes the limits of timekeeping to new heights. Each watch features three integrated automatons (moving figures on the watch) that, in addition to being ornamental, indicate the hours and the minutes. What’s more, each watch is a superb 5-Minute Repeater – chiming the hours and then the 5-minute periods since the hour melodiously at will. The watches house patented mechanical movements created by famous watchmaker Jean-Marc Weiderrecht and featuring a central opening for the hammers of the repeater mechanism.
On the Lady Arpels Poetic Wish Repeater (which retails for a smooth $495,000), the silhouette of the young woman on the Eiffel Tower – glancing to Notre Dame in the background — moves slowly to the center of the watch to indicate the hour, a second automaton, a cloud, moves horizontally toward her from the other side. When the two meet, the bells of Notre-Dame ring out to strike the hour. A kite then appears from behind the cloud and flies across the sky in rhythm with the musical chimes to indicate the minutes.
On the men’s Midnight Poetic Wish Repeater, a young man stands on one of the terraces of Notre-Dame—glancing toward the Eiffel Tower — and steps slowly towards the centre of the watch to indicate the exact hour. Again, the cloud moves toward him, and the cathedral bells ring when they meet. In this watch, though, a diamond shooting star appears from behind the cloud and flies across the sky to indicate the minutes. When the music is done, the three automations resume their initial positions – theoretically according to Van Cleef & Arpels — just in time to make a wish. This watch retails for $580,000.
Time Capsules – Product: MasterGraff Skeleton Tourbillon
This is one you won’t see often! In fact, just 10 of this amazing MasterGraff Skeleton watch will be made. The spectacular transparent timepiece reveals the intricacies of the open-worked skeletonized self-winding movement with tourbillon. The caliber is housed in a 48mm faceted case built according to Graff’s strict codes of perfection.
For those who aren’t familiar with Graff, this is one of the foremost jewelers in the world – renowned for purveying and producing some of the 
most exquisite diamonds in the world. Thus, it comes as no surprise that this house would produce such a splendid looking watch. The Tourbillon with sapphire crystal bridges and the mechanical movement are visible thanks to the double sapphire crystals that ensure panoramic views. This beauty consists of 164 diamonds totaling more than 21 carats. Even winding this watch is like a magic dance, as the effect of the action the barrels can be viewed from the caseback. The watch is offered in limited editions of 10 each in 18-karat rose gold and 18-karat white gold.
This brand also recently unveiled a MasterGraff Minute Repeater that we got to see, touch and activate recently. The repeater mechanism in the newest watch is one of the loudest in the world, and also a magnificent work of art.
Weekend Sojourn: Moonphase Cufflinks Offer Intriguing Appeal from TF
We all recognize that there are few accessories a man can wear that really tell about himself. While he can drive a great car, that’s usually parked outside during board meetings and evenings out. The watch on the wrist is generally the biggest symbol of personality and individuality – and often a conversation piece. Now, however, TF Est 1968 brings a new dimension to making a personal statement – cufflinks fashioned after the complicated art of watchmaking.
Made in Geneva, this brand focuses on elegance and craftsmanship, and offers tourbillon cufflinks with a balance wheel mechanism that moves much like a tourbillon in a timepiece. Now, the newest series features a moonphase indication – much the same as the stunning moonphase disks found on the finest Swiss watches. The design of the cufflinks emulates a wristwatch, with sapphire crystal and watch case design. The TF cufflinks are air- and water-tight and resistant to shocks .Each pair of cufflinks is individually numbered, and comes in a variety of styles, including steel, goldplated, black PVD. There are even diamond adorned versions. These cufflinks are true conversation pieces and offer sophistication and individuality. They retail starting at $435 and ranging to $1,950 for the diamond bedecked versions. You can see more styles by clicking here.