Weekend Sojourn: Enjoying Martha’s Vineyard

Just recently, thanks to Alpina, I had the great experience of flying (in a private Cessna jet) for the day to Martha’s Vineyard, MA, for a nice tour of this famed island and lunch before flying back. If one has never experienced it, it is well worth the visit.  The Vineyard, as it is commonly called, is an island off the South of Cape Cod in New England (including the smaller and also-famed Chappaquiddick, surrounding the Ted Kennedy incident) known for being an affluent summer colony. It was the base setting for the famous movie Jaws –and its ocean and bays are alluring.

Consisting of a land area of 87.48 square miles, it is the largest true island of the US East Coast, as it is not connected to the mainland by a bridge or tunnel. Ferry, boat or air strip are the only ways in or out of this seaport island that is rich with streams, nature and beauty. From Edgartown to Oak Bluffs, there are a host of wonderful small shops lining the streets of the c harming coastal towns. Oak Bluffs is home to many historical and national landmarks. The center of town offers the unusual experience of a once major Protestant village (now multi-denominational) consisting of more than 400 colorful gingerbread-style cottages offering uniquely preserved Gothic style architecture, stained glass windows and Victorian influences like nowhere else in America.  Outside of this village, in the more coastal town, one can find the nation’s oldest operating platform carousel, the Flying Horses Carousel. It is one of two known carousels built in 1876 by Charles W. F. Dare. Further along the islands, boats, lighthouses, more wonderful shopping, restaurants nestled alongside famous places like the Black Dog and all sorts of inns and quaint hotels to make summering in the Vineyard pleasant.

A Timely Event: Rolex Motor Sports in Monterey

Start your engines and mark your calendars! The week of August 19, if you are a car  and watch lover (and you know you are or you wouldn’t be here right now), you are going to want to be in Monterey and Pebble Beach, CA, for the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion – a week of  celebration with vintage car shows and racing. I’ll be there sharing the news with you if you can’t make it – but this is one time you’ll want to go.

 The California Monterey peninsula alone is spectacular—offering wonderful coastal scenery, and for this week in August the area is transformed into a hub of auto excellence for the Monterey Classic Car Week. Beginning on Friday 19 August, one can catch vintage cars from all eras running on the famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. With more than 600 cars participating from all reaches of the globe, the Reunion brings vintage car racing to life over four full days at the track. (The day before, on Thursday, Rolex presents the Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance – a tour of the beautiful coast by participating cars.)

The weekend culminates with the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an exhibition of some the world’s finest show cars. The famed Concours judges automobiles and motorcycles for their historical accuracy, technical merit, style and elegance – with the aim to recognize and encourage proper preservation of the world’s great automobiles. This highly competitive event, with about 200 of the world’s most rare and beautiful cars, is held at a resort as famous for its beauty as it is for its refinement: The Lodge at Pebble Beach on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, also known as “the best finishing hole in golf.”

Rolex has been integrally involved in motor sports for decades. In 1965, Rolex added the name Daytona to the dial of its Cosmograph line in tribute to this great race at the International Speedway, where it was involved in racing. Ever since then, the presence of the Rolex brand in automobile racing has grown steadily. Rolex has been the title sponsor of the Rolex 24 At Daytona in North America since 1992 and has been the Official Timekeeper for 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2001.  

Time Capsules: Product — Patek Philippe Releases the Oh So Sweet Ref. 5235 Annual Calendar Regulator

New from Patek Philippe, the Ref. 5235 Annual Calendar Regular watch is not only simply beautiful to look at, but also embraces – in typical Patek Philippe style – a number of high technology advances. Just unveiled to the world in Geneva, the watch has not even hit the US market yet, but rest assured, when it does, it will make an easily as monumental splash here as it did in Switzerland – commanding a waiting list of collectors.

The first Patek Philippe wristwatch with a regulator dial, the watch features a center sweep minute hand, a subsidiary hour dial at 12:00 and a seconds subdial at 6:00. It also offers the day, date and month indications in well-balanced aperture windows. Beating at the heart of the watch is the new caliber 31-260 REG QA, the first ultra-thin self-winding Patek Philippe movement with a mini-rotor.  It is also the very first totally new basic movement designed to accommodate the brand’s Silinvar® (silicon-based) components:  escape wheel, lever of the Pulsomax® escapement and the Spiromax® balance spring. The ultra thin movement is a mere 11mm in height – an astonishing accomplishment for a self-winding watch with annual calendar that recognizes 30-day and 31-day months and only needs to be corrected once a year on March 1. The movement consists of 320 parts. The frequency of the new movement was increased by nearly 10% to 23,040 vph, equivalent to 3.2 Hz, and at the same time, its power reserve was increased to 60 hours.

In addition to improved energy efficiency, the Silinvar® components are totally anti-magnetic, shock-resistant, non-corroding, and require no lubrication. The watch carries the Patek Philippe Seal. It is crafted in the Calatrava case in 18-karat white gold and retails for $51,000.  Yes, another Patek Philippe fine wonder.

Time Capsules: Product – Ulysse Nardin Releases Caprice Precious Panda – First Tigers now Bears – Oh My!

Hot on the heels of the wonderful Caprice Tiger that Ulysse Nardin released to the world last year, the brand now unveils its adorable precious Caprice Panda watch. The panda, beloved for its distinctive black and white beauty and serene majesty, is an honored treasure – intriguing all who have the privilege to see one for real. A symbol of strength and resilience, the gentle bear reigns as a creature of mystery and awe – and now lives on timelessly in a stunning version interpreted on the wrist like only Ulysse Nardin can do in the Ladies Caprice Panda in 18-karat white gold.

Depicted seamlessly in black and white diamonds, a mother panda and her cub feast on bamboo, their favorite treat. Pink colored rubies mark the hours.  The watch houses a UN -13 self-winding movement with diamond-set rotor in 22-karat gold and features a sapphire crystal caseback for viewing the meticulously finished components. The watch is offered with either a partially diamond-set version with 184 diamonds on a leather or galuchat strap for $43,300, or a full-set diamond case with 352 diamonds with alligator or stingray strap ($55,300) or with white gold bracelet ($72,300). Just 28 pieces will ever be made for worldwide distribution. This watch is a real wonder to behold.

Time Capsules: Product — Armin Strom Movement Made from Formula 1 Car Parts – This is Cool!

So who wouldn’t want a real piece of a Formula 1 car on their wrist? Come on – if you are a car lover – and a watch lover—then you know your interest is piqued here. Instead of just a name on the watch, Armin Strom goes a whole lot of steps further. This visionary Manufacture (which sponsors and times the Marussia Virgin Racing F1 Team) actually incorporates parts taken from the Virgin Racing team’s Formula 1 cars after the engine is spent into the movements of its Armin Racing Collection.
Essentially the car engines are no longer viable after about 40 days of use, so  Armin Strom has certain parts shipped to them for cleaning and production into watch movement parts – the ultimate engine-to-engine refabrication! The car parts are cleaned in a vacuum process at an industrial foundry in Switzerland, then liquefied. The liquid aluminum alloy is transformed into blocks that are then milled by CNC machines into watch  bridges. These components then follow the same in-house processing at the Armin Strom watch Manufacture as other parts. The finished racing-component bridge has a special high-tech look to it.
The Formula 1 car alloy bridges are used in the Armin Racing One Week (with seven days of power reserve), which retails for $27,500.  The watch houses the ARM09-MVR manufacture movement. It is created in a limited series of 40 pieces; the Armin Racing Regulator watch with Unitas movement retailing at $19,700. The entire center bridge of this watch is made of  the aluminum alloy from the melted engine block; two Armin Racing Chronograph versions with ETA movements  retailing for $8,600. This Racing Collection is definitely one you want to zoom zoom to get.

Time Capsules: Product – Ateliers deMonaco releases Blue Beauty

Here’s something a little on the lighter side – well in color, anyway. Ateliers deMonaco unveils its first women’s piece – the stunning LaSirene, named for and inspired by Charlene Wittstock in honor of her marriage to HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.  The dial design is created to replicate the Protea Cynaroides (King Protea) national flower of South Africa, Wittstock’s home country.  The flower and bezel  are set with light Blue Topaz, which is said to evoke feelings of trust, harmony and friendship.  This blue beauty houses an automatic movement and is created in extremely limited numbers. At a retail of just about $117,000, you’ve got flowers for life.

Time Capsules: Product – Celebrate America’s Independence Day with American Independent Watchmaker – RGM

If you know American watchmaker Roland G.  Murphy, you know perfection in watchmaking. For the past nearly 20 years, since 1992, Roland has been “Making History in Watchmaking here in America” – right in Pennsylvania – and doing it with precision, excellence and –well– beauty.  His company, RGM, offers several key watch lines, including diving, sport and complicated pieces – but perhaps nothing is as pure and alluring as the Pennsylvania Tourbillon. Crafted in steel and a definite steal at $75,000, this exquisitely made special piece houses the Cal. 801 – made in house in the brand’s workshops in Mount Joy, PA, in Lancaster County.

The Pennsylvania Tourbillon houses the new flagship mechanical movement and is the first serially produced American Tourbillon ever made.  Produced in a small, numbered series, the watch is offered in either steel or 18-karat gold, and the movement is a symphony of layers showcasing the many finely polished and finished parts. The wheel-cocks borrow their shape from classic American movements of bygone eras. The proprietary caliber of this hand-crafted watch carries the label U.S.A.

The guilloche decoration is created on the antique engine-turning machines RGM has in its workshops. These engraving machines — dials and movement parts with incredible accuracy – a watchmaking tradition RGM seeks to keep alive in the USA.

Roland takes great pride in the work he does, in doing the job the right way and in providing a superb product at a great value. RGM is proud of manufacturing watch parts and cases in the USA – and he makes America proud, too – or at least me. To know Roland is to know a piece of American watchmaking history and a bit of honesty and valor in this industry, too.  This is a line worth exploring and investing in — and if you’re fortunate enough to get to know Roland, you won’t be able to walk away from the craftsmanship and pride that is inherent in every single timepiece.

Time Capsules: Product- Ralph Lauren Sporting Chronograph brings new allure to Guilloche

It has been just a few years since Ralph Lauren launched his amazing collection of high-end timepieces for men and women, crafted entirely in Switzerland by master artisans, and they have already taken the market by storm. The watches are – like everything Ralph Lauren creates – meticulous works of art, craftsmanship, design and precision, each housing a superb movement from Richemont brands such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget or IWC , thanks to the collaboration between Polo Ralph Lauren and Richemont.

This newest Sporting Chronograph Guilloche’ watch is an extremely appealing 39mm stainless steel cased watch that features a hand-guided guilloche’d design carried through the entire watch bezel – an amazing work that is rarely seen in the watch industry. The quality, naturally, is unsurpassed, but the look is eye-catching –vintage yet modern. The watch houses the self-winding Manufacture movement RL750 made by Jaeger-LeCoultre for Ralph Lauren with hours, minutes, seconds and chronograph functions, and is finished with a black alligator strap. At a cool $7,300, this watch is a definite must-have for those who appreciate the finer timepieces.

Time Capsules: Commentary – Only Once in 823 Years

It really is all about the timing and this year we will see and live an event that will only happen once in 823 years. This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays – a phenomenon referred to as “money bags.”
In fact, this year we will experience four unusual dates: 1/1/11 (already mentioned here at Atimelyperspective),  1/11/11,  11/1/11, and 11/11/11.
So maybe it’s about the numbers, too …. not just the timing.

Time Capsules: Product –Corum Releases Vintage Fine Grand Precis

This is one of the most beautiful and alluring homage Corum timepieces to come on the market in a while. The historical Grand Precis watch not only pays tribute to a timepiece from 1957, but also holds the historical movement in its wonderful reinterpreted case.

 In 1957, two years after its 1955 founding, Corum presented a 100-piece limited-edition collection in 18-karat gold that was a superb hit. Recently the brand found several of those original movements – the CO 162 hand wound caliber – beating at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour – and put together two new limited-editions as celebration timepieces with a case similar to the original but with a diameter slightly larger at 38.5mm compared to the 1957 piece, which was 36mm.

  The movements are decorated following the exact techniques that were used at the time of the original Grand Precis production. The watch offers hour, minute and small second, and 38 hours of power reserve.  It is created in 18-karat rose gold or white gold with a sapphire crystal. The dial is champagne with a vertical brushed finish and applied indexes in either red gilded or white gold coating depending on the model.  The Grand Precis logo has been transferred onto the dial of this fine vintage-inspired timepiece.  For distinctive appeal, it is finished with a crocodile strap. Just 100 pieces will be made in 18-karat rose gold ($14,500), and 50 pieces will be made in white gold ($16,750) for worldwide distribution. This is one watch you want to get on the waiting list for now!