Archives A Timely Perspective

Weekend Sojourn: To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo

Tattoos have been a part of art and life since ancient times. It is believed that the art of tattooing originated in Egypt, developed by the Nubians. However, tattoo art was also important in Asian cultures at the same time. As early as 2000 BC, tattoos and their bearers were not considered social deviates, but rather, art forms and expressionistic individuals. People from all walks of life found their own special meanings in body art.

Then, along through the centuries, somehow tattoos became associated with gangs or negative influences and became frowned upon in some cultures and walks of life. This may have happened in the 300-600 AD period, when thieves in certain civilizations were marked with tattoos for punishment in certain Asian cultures. Still, in other cultures tattoos were reserved for the elite, as tattooing was an expensive form of art that was out of reach to the common people. Thus, for many societies, the idea of tattoos remains controversial. Are they a sign of elitism or troubled souls? Are they a positive sign or a negative one?

Whether one is for or against tattooing one’s body, the reality is that tattoos remain an art form and a form of individual expression. People of all ages today turn to tattoos for individualism, personal control and simply art for art’s sake.

Today, I visited a very highly respected tattoo shop in northern NJ. Called the Electric Lotus, the place is licensed, clean, informative, helpful and comes with a sterling repudiation. They use state-of-the-art equipment, sterilization techniques and clean-up procedures. The artists are predominantly young men and women interested in creating their best form on the body.

To create a tattoo, a drawing is first rendered on sketch paper and then drawn onto the body. Then, through an electric drill-like piece of equipment, and into a needle tip that pierces the skin. The person being tattooed while I was there was a young man, still in school, receiving his very first tattoo. I thought it looked painful; he said it felt “annoying.” The well-tattooed artist, Morgan, did a great job. It looked nice when done.

To tattoo or not? It’s an individual question. It’s definitely not for me. But I do think tattoos look good on the Linde Werdelin Oktopus Tattoo watches – and I bet they don’t even feel a thing when being tattooed! Stay tuned … I’ll talk about those this week.

Time Capsules: Commentary – Flea Market Find, No Rags To Riches

Few weeks ago we told you about a wonderful key-wound watch that a friend of ours found at a flea market with all the markings of a genuine brand. We were busy investigating the timepiece and so could only disclose some of the outside photos. Here, you see more of the photos. Looks pretty good, right?

Well, after checking with the brand’s historians (Vacheron Constantin) and one of the world’s top auction houses, we learned that this is a great 1850-1870 period watch. Sadly, it is not an authentic Vacheron. It seems that this watch was made in Switzerland (Geneva) around 1850-1870 and uses a basic 13 jewel movement with an early form of lever escapement. The scene on the front is typical Swiss, representing a classic European landscape, however the reverse side doesn’t look to belong to any particular demographic.

According to the auction house experts, during this period companies such as Vacheron & Constantin and Patek Philippe were still in their relevant youth and growth in the watch world, both gaining in strength and reputation rapidly. This, combined with lax trademark laws, allowed unknown manufacturers to produce watches under similar names but of far inferior quality. Alas this is probably such an example. Although the watch has a certain historic interest value, it has no commercial value other than as a period piece.

Well, this may not be a rags-to-riches story, but the $25 watch could still fetch a few thousand from a period-watch collector.

Time Capsules: News – Christies New York Auction to Bring Big Names

Patek Henry Graves 1913 watchA custom-engraved Patek Philippe pocket-watch from the collection of American business titan Henry Graves Jr., or a superb collection of watches from award-winning “Without A Trace” actor Anthony LaPaglia are among the exciting watches coming up at the Christies December 14 sale of Important Watches in New York.
The upcoming auction is the final sale, with more than 420 lots, is expected to break the $5 million mark with its investment-quality wristwatches, pocket watches and desk clocks by Patek Philippe, Breguet, Piaget, Rolex, A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, and more.
True collectors can’t help but be drawn to the star lot: Patek Philippe177483, an engraved open-face pocket chronometer that once belonged to New York banker Henry Graves Jr. (estimate: $40,000-60,000). Graves was a collector of many complicated timepieces and is believed to have commissioned as many as 30 unique watches from Patek, including the storied technical marvel of 24 complications that took the brand’s most accomplished watchmakers more than five years to make.
Other inviting lots come from the collection of actor Anthony LaPaglia of the TV drama, “Without A Trace,” among other top shows and broadway bests. His personal collection has amassed to more than 100 pieces and in the lots from Christies, one can find vintage and modern Roelx, Panerai, Patek, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Girard-Perregaux and Hublot, with estimates ranging from $2,000 up to $70,000.

Time Capsules: Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time GMT Finally Hits the Stores

You may recall this Louis Vuitton Spin Time watch was well talked about this past summer. It was a hot new topic for men and women, as it was being introduced as a GMT for men and a Joaillerie version for women. Problem was, it wasn’t out yet – anywhere. Well now it is finally hitting the stores. The men’s watch is an XL 44mm white gold size driven by a self-winding mechanical movement, caliber LV 119. The Swiss-made LV 119 displays the jumping hours, GMT, and date window at 4.30. The watch offers an unusual LeVel Up system for the jump hour display that is actually built using a Maltese cross and 12-component staff system with cubes that rotate throughout the day to change the time for a 24-hour indication. The retail: $46,900.

Time Capsules: News – Armin Strom is Rockin’ Strong with Ronnie Wood and Virgin Racing

Armin Strom, Official Timing Partner of the Virgin Racing Formula One Team now adds an all-new dimension to the mix by bringing in world-famous artist and recording star Ronnie Wood to collaborate on an extremely special art project. In this multi-canvas adventure, Wood will paint – get this – an Armin Strom watch, a Virgin Racing Formula 1 car and a Virgin Racing driver’s helmet.
For those who may not know (could you not know?) Ronnie Wood has been a major recording artist since the 1960’s when he started as a guitarist with a British band and went on to join several important bands over the years on guitar, bass, harmonica and vocals, and even recorded several top hits. In 1976, he became an official member of the Rolling Stones, and has been so ever since. His music career has coincided with his love of art, which he has indulged in passionately over the years. In fact, Wood was not only drawing as a child (his art was featured on a BBC television program), but also went on to train at the Ealing Art College. His paints have been exhibited all over the world, and he was recently honored with a retrospective of his artwork at the Butler institute in Ohio.
“I am very happy to be involved with the Armin Strom/Virgin Racing Art Car and Art Watch Project,” says Ronnie Wood “. It’s going to be a new venture for me to paint something on four wheels but you never know, I might end up having the fastest piece of Art on the Planet.”
With the Armin Strom watch, the plan is for Wood to paint several bridges of the movement of an exclusive watch that will be auctioned at the ONLY Watch 2011 exhibition in Monaco. The ONLY WATCH charity event, which aids Prince Albert’s charity, happens in fall every other year, and only select watches can exhibit. Following the auction, Armin Strom will create another 25 similar watches for sale second half of 2011 – naturally housing the paintings by Ronnie Wood. Armin Strom has been creating top-quality skeletonized and hand-engraved watches for years.
Additionally, as mentioned, Ronnie will paint the Armin Strom/Virgin Racing car, which will be seen at several events globally in 2011. The Virgin Racing helmet will be painted with a similar theme to e car and will be worn during a Grand Prix weekend in 2011. Ronnie’s Art Car and the helmet will be auctioned for charity in co-operation with Christie’s in late 2011. For now, Ronnie will be seen wearing the Armin Strom Regulator Water watch. But wait until his watch is done and he’ll be walking around in a truly artistic timepiece.

Weekend Sojourn: Holiday Shopping, What’s Your Ultimate Gift?

Many know the holidays have arrived once the Neiman Marcus catalog has arrived. This year, the 2010 Christmas Book from luxury retailer Neiman Marcus in Dallas is the 84th edition of the legendary catalog, which continues Neiman Marcus’s unmatched reputation of offering customers a selection of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Among this year’s fantasy gift experiences: a Tequila Avion private party by Colin Cowie; a Dale Chihuly pool installation; a gourd ukulele handmade by Danny Ferrigton. My personal favorites: an amazing Limited-Edition Camaro Convertible;a floating getaway – the His and Hers MetroShip. The NM Chevy Camaro – America’s iconic high-performance muscle car — is being offered as a limited edition of 100 luxury convertibles. Regular production won’t begin until 2011, but why wait? The 2SS model has a ferocious 6.2 liter V8 engine and is sold with either a 426HP 6-speed manual (the only way to go if you ask me), or a 400 HP 6-speed automatic transmission. The car has a tri-coat exterior paint in Deep Bordeaux with ghosted stripes and beautiful Bordeaux convertible top highlighted with silver painted windshield surround. The interior is Amber leather with Brilliant Red accents on the console, steering wheel and shift knob. ($75,000).

The 48-foot x 12-foot houseboat with 7-foot high ceilings offers intimate luxury. It features hardwood floors, double glazed windows, a next- generation media center, gourmet kitchen, spa bathroom. ($250,000). This year is also the first time customers can access the Christmas Book on Apple’s iPad via the “NM Editions” app. When in Wi-Fi hot spots, customers can place orders directly from the iPad viewer.

While there are a host of more affordable gifts for the discerning NM customer in the Christmas Book, these are my favorites.

Time Capsules: Commentary – Flea Market Watch, part II – What do you think?

This article is the part 2, so to speak, to this past Monday’s conversation about my friend who found an old pocket watch at a flea market and purchased that watch for $25. Please see that post (hyperlink). Here, now, we show you a couple of pictures of that pocket watch. Who’s do you think it is? We have sent the images, along with some inside watch shots, to the brand who’s name is inside to see if we can authenticate it. We are awaiting reply. Meanwhile, we wanted to share with you what we could. Stay Tuned for more…

Time Capsules: Product – A Sneak Peek at the first 2011 Reverso Tribute to 80 Years

You read here earlier today about the year 2011being the 80^th anniversary of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, and I said how it would be the year of exciting new developments in watches to celebrate the birth of the Reverso and the coming together of Jaeger and LeCoultre. Well the fanfare has started, with the unveiling at the Argentina celebrity polo games for charity this week, with the unveiling of two 2011 Grande Reverso Ultra Thin Tribute to 1931 timepieces.

Simple, classic and so retro it doesn’t even have the Jaeger-LeCoultre name on the dial – recalling the initial watch unveiled in 1931, as at that time the two great names had not yet united. This watch houses the mechanical manually-wound Calibre 822, just 2.94mm wide, and so is the slimmest Reverso yet – making it light but bold thanks to the impressive case. The watch is offered in either steel or 18-karat rose gold. The 134-part movement with 21 jewels offers 45 hours of power reserve. The gold version is created in a limited edition of 1931 pieces.