Thanksgiving is a holiday initially intended to celebrate a good harvest, and to be thankful for what one has in life. In today’s world, it is a day not only for giving thanks, but also for football and food – and for kicking off the holiday shopping season. We here at ATimelyPerspective would like to wish everyone celebrating today a Happy Thanksgiving. It hasn’t been the easiest year, but it has made me recognize how thankful I am for love, family, health, friends, people who help people, and so much more. Enjoy the holiday.
Weekend Sojourn: Hurricane Sandy Lingers, Watch Brands Reach Out
Exactly three weeks ago, Hurricane Sandy ravished the tri-state area. In New Jersey today, families who own beach houses at the Jersey Shore are allowed to visit their town, assess the damage, do what they have to do and leave in a few hours’ time. I know families who have lost entire homes at the beach; my in laws own a beach house and today we find out what happened there. This is a tough time. It is a time that has made us realize how hard-hit the southern states have been by hurricanes we witness on television but feel so far removed from, and have had no idea what they leave in their wake. We know now – the power outages, the darkness, and — in this region—the cold. Entire food banks that feed the poor are empty, as so much food was spoiled in the weeks of darkness. The effort to help others, to offer food, warmth, shelter – is enormous.
Many large and small companies are reaching out, as well, to help where they can. This, of course, includes certain watch and jewelry brands. While some are donating and helping anonymously, a few have made their contributions known. Among them: TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Links of London.
TAG Heuer recently announced its support of the NY CARES’ Hurricane Sandy Relief effort. Hublot designated a day in November, wherein 25 % of the proceeds of al watches sold in the brand’s 7 SUA boutiques that day would go to support Hurricane victims. Links of London joined forces with the newly formed Feed NYC to support local relieve in New York – providing
emergency meals and other relief. A percentage of proceeds from the sales of its FEED Green Leaf Cord bracelet will be donated directly to the FEED NYC Relief Fund. Other brands donated but have kept their efforts quiet. Thank you to the watch brands who track our times – good and bad – and help.
Time Capsules: News — Audemars Piguet Ambassador Novak Djokovic Victorious
Earlier this week, Audemars Piguet ambassador and tennis great, Novak Djokovic put a firm stamp on his position as world number one with a stunning victory over Roger Federer in the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Djokovic won with a performance of incredible grit and determination adding the season-ending title to his Australian Open victory and top ranking.
It took him two hours and 14 minutes to win two sets in a game filled with dramatic swings. This is the second time he has won the ATP Finals. For Djokovic, retaining the year-end top ranking felt comparable to his amazing achievements of 2011, when he won three of the four Grand Slam titles and racked up a 43-match winning streak.
Recognized for his role as a UNICEF Ambassador and for his work with the Novak Djokovic Foundation, he was honored the same night with the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award of the year. The charismatic Djokovic embodies Audemars Piguet’s philosophy, “To break the rules, you must first master them.”
Defining Moments are rare and valuable: they can change the course of life. In his Defining Moment video, Novak describes his incredible return against Roger Federer at the semi-final in Flushing Meadows, New York in 2011. Djokovic – when not on the court – wears an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
Time Capsules: Product – Hublot F1™ King Power Austin
Formula 1 racing officially returns to the U.S. on November 16th-18th in Austin, Texas, for the U.S. Grand Prix at the new Circuit of the Americas. In celebration, Hublot, Official Watch of Formula 1, has created the F1 King Power Austin – a limited edition timepiece featuring high-tech materials directly inspired by F1, including the carbon and titanium bezel with a perforated effect recalling a brake disc. Available as a limited edition of just 250 numbered pieces, this watch features a strap made from black Hornback alligator leather, accentuating the refined and powerful style of the black and red chronograph watch. It is equipped with a sapphire crystal with with anti-reflective coating, bezel lugs and lateral inserts in black composite resin, and crown of titanium and rubber. The caseback is openworked to enable viewing of the automatic winding HUB4100 mechanical chrongorpah movement. Racing inspired, the watch should be capturing hearts of auto- and watch-lovers across America – and is attainable to those with an extra $25,200 to slap down.
Video: Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils AMVOX7 Chronograph in cooperation with Aston Martin
Cars and watches have always enjoyed a certain love affair. Both are precision oriented mechanics with a thirst for high performance and cutting-edge design. Jaeger-LeCoultre is one brand that has associated itself with cars for years – specifically with the much-loved Aston Martin brand. In fact, Jaeger-LeCoutlre now celebrates the eighth anniversary of the partnership between these two brands, and they are celebrating with the release of the AMVOX7 Chronograph. This is the first vertical-trigger chronograph equipped with a radial power reserve display on the inner bezel rim of the watch.
Crafted in a new ergonomically shaped Grade 5 titanium case inspired by the prestigious British car maker, the AMVOX7 Chronograph was developed fully in house by Jaeger-LeCoutlre. The caliber 756 offers 65 hours of power reserve and consists of 335 parts. The black open worked dial features a grille representing the radiator grilles of Aston Martin Vanquish cars. AMVOX watches are already being worn by sports stars such as tennis player, Feliciano Lopez, and race car drivers Adrian Fernandez and Darren Turner.
View the newest video of this AMVOX7 Chronograph:
Time Capsules: Commentary – Veterans Day and Marines Wrist Armor
Today marks the official celebration of Veterans Day in America – a time for Americans to celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of all veterans. Formerly known as Armistice Day, it was originally set as a legal U.S. holiday dedicated to world peace and to honor the end of World War 1 (which officially ended 11/11/1918). Established legally in 1938, the day was changed in 1954 from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to celebrate all those who fought in both World Wars, the Korean wars, and – as we now know – wars ever since. Having had a father who served in the marines, an uncle who served in the Army, a father-in-law who served in the army and a host of friends who served in our forces, I am proud and honored to salute veterans everywhere.
For those who are proud enough to want to sport the armed forces on their wrists, take a look at “Marines Wrist Armor.” The US Marine Corps watch brand is the only officially licensed watch brand from the U.S. Defense Department, and it offers a wide range of products utilizing the most durable materials possible. These rugged new watches featurea Marines logo on the dial, and a USMC crown protection system. Straps range from bracelets, to silicone rubber with a unique USMC design, or water resistant leather or heavy woven nylon. All watches in the collection are water resistant to at least 200 meters, with the dive watches going to 300 meters. They also offer Swiss Made SuperLuminova or Tritium gas tubes on the hand and dials for maximum visibility even at night. In addition, they feature K1 anti-reflective, shatter-resistant mineral crystals. They retail from $195 to $395.
Time Capsules: Product — 6 Strikingly Complex Timepieces
In an unusual move, today we bring you a rare inside look at some very complex and beautiful watches via an article written by Atimely Perpsective founder, Roberta Naas, and appearing this month in a host of Niche Media publications. This one is from Gotham Magazine:
Complicated watches are the epitome of masterful watch building and a favorite with New York’s timepiece collectors and aficionados. Not merely striking on the wrist, each of these timepieces holds hundreds of tiny parts in its complex mechanical movement and offers a wealth of functions that go above and beyond the norm.
Read more and view some stunning photography of these six great watches here.
Trend Report: Alarm Watches
Today’s busy travelers have developed a fascination with mechanical alarm watches – using them in place of wake-up calls in hotels, or as a reminder to take medicine, pick up a child, or run to a meeting. These highly functional watches house extra mechanical mechanisms that make it possible to sound a tone at a pre-set time.
Long a function reserved for clocks, the alarm sound was finally miniaturized and perfected enough to fit into a wrist watch just about a century ago. Eterna Watch Company patented the first alarm wristwatch in 1908,
though it didn’t go into production until 1914. Vulcain, often referred to as the U.S. “President’s Watch,” brought its first mechanical alarm wristwatches into production in 1947. They were the first mechanical wristwatches loud enough to wake a person. Aptly calling the collection the Cricket, Vulcain enjoyed great international attention when President Harry Truman donned the watch in 1947. This marked the beginning of the heyday of mechanical alarm wristwatches. In that same era – in 1958 — Jaeger-LeCoultre released its first automatic alarm watch – the Memovox (which has since become an icon for the brand), and several top Swiss watch brands launched alarm watches, as well.
Today, just a couple of handfuls of watch brands build mechanical alarm wristwatches, as there are a host of issues involved in their creation. One of the most difficult challenges to overcome in the making of an alarm wristwatch is establishing a loud enough, and long enough, sound. Some brands offer alarms that sound for 10, 15 or, as in the case with Vulcain, 20 seconds. Other brands focus on overcoming
other obstacles. Breguet, for instance, has succeeded in creating an alarm watch – the Marine Royale — that works underwater at depths of up to 300 meters – a useful tool to remind divers when it is time to resurface. Additional obstacles in the building of mechanical alarm watches come into play in the form of how many alarm signals one can program at a time, and how far in advance one can set the alarm. Glashutte Original has developed a system for its Senator Diary watch that enables the wearer to set the alarm function as far as 30 days in advance.
Time Capsules: Product –Longines Releases New Ladies Diamond Conquest Watches
Longines has unveiled its newest Ladies Diamond Conquest models that combine diamonds with the strength of ceramic in black and white. The beauty of the line lies in the balance between performance and elegance. Each watch is crafted in steel and accented with ceramic on the bezel and bracelet, and each is set with 54 Top Wesselton VVS diamonds around the inside of the bezel and on the dial. The Ladies Diamond Conquest models have a screw-down case back and are water-resistant to 5 bar.
Time Capsules: Product – Hautlence Unveils Avant-Garde Watch Line
A brand we really love here is the technologically innovative Hautlence. We’ve written about it many times before, and about its concepteur and developer, Guillaume Tetu. The brand is all about invention and sophistication, and is known for its creative approach to displaying the time. Now, this Neuchatel watch brand rises to a new, ultra-contemporary concept with the Avant-Garde collection. This new series represents Hautlence’s first ready-to-wear line. Heretofore each and every piece was a complex watch, singularly crafted over a long period of time.
Still created in Hautlence’s Atelier d’Horlogerie contemporaine, the Avant-Garde collection consists initially of three models that offer the brand’s signature approach to time display. Each watch features two multi-layered dials that create a play of
depth and transparency – revealing the architectural balance of the watch. Within there is a transparent sapphire dial, the upper face of which features a transfer logo and luminescent minutes and indexes. The lower face includes an area with metal coating from highly polished rhodium or rose gold. Beneath that is a lower base dial in silvered opaline or honeycomb to offer a lightweight sense and feel. Luminescent numerals and indexes guarantee easy readability and reinforce the 3D effect of the jumping hours, retrograde minutes and subsidiary seconds.
The case of this watch is crafted in steel and titanium covered by black DLC on some models. The watch houses the Hautlence in-house manual-wind mechanical movement which uses the Hautlence connecting rod system. The first three models being offered include the Avant-Garde HLRS01 in rose gold, titanium and steel; the Avant-Garde HLRS02 Blue in titanium and steel case and the Avant-Garde HLRS03 Orange Honeycomb with rubber straps. For Autumn, three new models come into play with colorful straps in mixtures of alligator and leather– offering an ultra-modern aesthetic to the bold timepieces.