A couple of weeks ago at a Zenith qatch party in Paris, where we were celebrating the brand’s extensive pilot watch collection (and that we wrote about here), I had the distinct opportunity to meet Felix Baumgartner, who had joined the event.Yesterday, I stayed glued to my television as Baumgartner made history jumping from a space capsule 24 miles above Earth in his attempt to break several skydiving records. Baumgartner, who was born in 1969, began skydiving at age 16 and quickly became bored with conventional sky diving. He has graduated to many long-fall descents – but yesterday topped them all.
Felix Baumgartner in Roswell, NM, after completing the Red Bull Stratos mission. Photo by Balazs Gardi/Red Bull Stratos/AP“I love a challenge, and trying to become the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall is a challenge like no other,” says Baumgartner.
Well it is a challenge he conquered. Baumgartner broke the speed of sound in free fall – establishing a world record. He also claims that world record for making the highest sky dive, as well. The Redbull Stratos mission was designed as a daredevil feat, but hopefully with some scientific use in the future.
For those watch lovers out there who may want to know… the Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Chronograph watch kept track of the entire event and made history on Baumgartner’s wrist.Zenith President & CEO, Jean-Frédéric Dufour said: “The Manufacture Zenith is very proud to have been the official timekeeper of this mission and to present the El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner. Thanks to him, Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th is the first watch ever to cross the sound barrier in a near space environment.”
Pompeii was destroyed in 79AD after the city and its inhabitants were buried in dozens of feet of ash following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It is documented that prior to that time, the city had experienced earthquakes and tremors, and that many people died simply from extremely hot temperatures resulting from the volcano. At the time of the deadly eruption, it is estimated that 20,000 people lived in this city – one that is surprisingly much larger than you would expect for something built in the 4th century BC and added to before its demise in the first century AD. Pompeii was lost for nearly 1700 years before its rediscovery in 1748, and its subsequent excavations over the centuries. Today, Pompeii is a 
The excavated city offers a glimpse into Roman life in the 1st century at the moment it was buried. The city contains Roman baths, houses, villas, forums, and more, including such erotic art work that for centuries it was locked away from view. While some art is visible on the walls of certain ruins, most of the erotica of the Roman era is not visible. The city, while in ruins, is nonetheless amazingly well preserved for its two thousand years of burial.
Walking the stone streets that once bustled with life is an eerie feeling, intensified by the viewing of the bodies of the dead – frozen in place as they succumbed to the ash and lack of oxygen. (While most of those bodies are preserved now in a museum, a couple are encased in glass amongst the ruins). As late afternoon gave way to sunset, the feeling emerged in me that we were, in fact, treading on the land of thousands of souls – trespassing.
sobering one at the same time. It forces recognition of the power of nature, her destructive forces, and yet also offers insight into the truly advanced building and social abilities of men and women who lived centuries before us. One doesn’t leave Pompeii with feelings of excitement or enthusiasm, but rather with a deep respect for history, life and death. It is a must that should be on any traveler’s list.
It’s no secret that Atimelyperspective.com has a host of female readers. We’re proud of that. There is nothing stating that a savvy woman can’t love a watch. In fact, quite the opposite—women need to be aware of timepieces both as statements of personality and achievement, and as status symbols. As such, we remain steadfast in our dedication to bringing fine watches to the forefront.
high-tech and avant-garde) has a skeletonized automatic winding movement, and offers time, chronograph functions and calendar with oversized date and month. It looks bold yet really cool on the wrist – especially with its racing yellow strap. It gets lots of attention and — if you have the money – can be yours for just $128,000.
The trilogy is inspired by his iconic designs and villas and includes a Vintage 1945 le Corbusier La Chaux-de-Fonds watch with inlaid mother of pearl dial that is created by hand and takes seven days to complete each dial ($53,200); a Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier Paris with a metal dial commemorating his contributions to the decorative arts. The hand-engraved dial reflects his Modulor system of architectural proportion and retails for $21,300.
But perhaps the most unusual piece is the Vintage 1945 Le Corbusier Marseille — inspired by Le Corbusier’s Cite Radieuse (Radiant City), which was built from rough-cast reinforced concrete (steel and concrete). With this in mind, this third component of the watch trilogy features a concrete dial requiring three days to pour, dry and meticulously hand-finish. So what does one pay for a concrete dialed timepiece by Girard-Perregaux? A hard and fast $31,900 – but then it’s a concrete deal
The Panerai RADIOMIR 10 DAYS GMT houses a three-barrel automatic mechanical caliber with KIF Parechoc® anti-shock device. It offers hours, minutes, small seconds, date, second time zone, day/night indicator, and circular power reserve 10 days indicator. The 47mm watch — packed with so much power — is crafted in steel. Best of all — it retails for a very affordable $14,100.
Being a car lover — (well, of course, and also a watch lover) — my favorites come from 
What makes these things so great you ask? The fact that they are all USB keys that double as dandy desk items! What’s more, they’re fun to travel with. In the world of flat credit-card like usbs that fit in your wallet, and boring, ho-hum sticks — these are fun conversation pieces. Whenever someone walks in my office — and 
there’s something new on my desk — most ask immediately – how does it open? I’m waiting for the brand that sends me a cloud-shaped mega-sized key, and that may take the top spot. If you have a favorite USB– tell me about it please …