Audemars Piguet Official Timekeeper Tour Auto 2010

The Manufacture Audemars Piguet’s interest in motor racing is definitely nothing new. In addition to close involvement with its Formula 1 racing-driver ambassadors Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Sébastien Buemi, Audemars Piguet is also the official timekeeper for historical car rallies such as the Tour Auto, the National Classic Tour (Belgium) and the Audemars Piguet Gtaad Classic (Switzerland).

This year, 100 chronographs have been created within the Royal Oak Offshore: one 60-piece limited edition for the Tour Auto, and another 40 for the National Classic Tour. These new timepieces have been specially designed to appeal to motor sports enthusiasts.

Audemars Piguet has chosen to support two particular teams for this new edition of the Tour Auto

The Blanchard/Cloché-Dubois ladies’ team will be competing in the regularity category at the wheel of an AC Bristol. While this is a first for Céline Cloché-Dubois, Karine Blanchard has been driving the length and breadth of Europe since her childhood, when her parents instilled in her their own passion for classic racing. Karine was indeed part of the “3 girls in a Bugatti” team that took part in the Le Mans Classic race in 2006 and 2008. This is not the first Tour Auto for the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque team, which already took part in the 2009 edition in order to support the heart surgery foundation after which it is named, racing their Jaguar MK1 in the competition category.

After the technical and sporting verifications conducted on April 19th in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, our friends will set off for Magny-Cours, where the first track race will take place the following day. The cars will then head for Vichy, a traditional stop-over on the Tour, followed by the famous Charade racing circuit in Auvergne, before an original stage in Lyon. After a detour via the Bresse track, the AC Bristol and the MK1 will drive towards the Alps and one of the most elegant French ski resort, Megève. The Audemars Piguet teams will then begin their descent towards the Côte d’Azur, via Aix-en-Provence on the Friday, and the Paul Richard HTTT race track. They will savour the splendours of the Mediterranean coastline as they proceed to the legendary Corniche and to Beaulieusur-Mer, the final destination of this new Tour Auto (Timezone, 2010).

Tissot Opens new boutique in Paris

Dear people, i wasn't posting for a while because I was very busy with new exclusive editorial pieces and school. I am working on a nice story about the watch brand Anonimo, please keep visiting frequently, it comes online soon!

Tissot opens a monobrand store on Paris's Champs-Elysees at number 76. For its latest monobrand store, Tissot has chosen a location on ‘the world's most beautiful avenue', the famous Champs-Elysées in Paris. Neighbouring the flagship stores of the world's leading brands, the 100 square metre boutique opened its doors for the first time on July 8, 2010. An elegant Parisian facade encloses two floors of products. These accommodate eye-catching displays, as well as interactive presentations that enable visitors to experience the diversity and energy of the Tissot brand. And wrapping up the monobrand store package are a terrace and a café, where shoppers can relax and refuel.

A lifestyle experience
Tissot is at the forefront of the retail trend geared to meet increasing customer demand for participation. The highly modern interior presents the products in the context of a lifestyle experience. Expansive, back-lit walls showcase large prints of the new Tissot black and white ambassador campaign shot by Jeff Burton. A brand new boutique design concept plays with glossy and matt surfaces, demonstrating an abilty to stimulate and soothe in rapid succession. A 117 cm flat, tactile screen presents the Tissot Augmented Reality facility, which enables visitors to view watches in 3D on their own wrist. This expresses the Tissot commitment to continual innovation, in this case inspired by the latest IT advances (Tissot, 2010).

Vintage watches

This time we have a guestwriter. His name is Stef and he is working for many years in the watchworld. He is very interested in Vintage watches so he wrote a nice editorial about it.

Vintage watches are sought for, for many years. An expensive hobby, but a very special one that gives a good insight in the world of watch making. What makes vintage watches so sought after?

What is vintage? The word "vintage" is a combination of the Latin of vinum, or "wine," and demere, or "to take off." A "vintage" was originally the field of a season's harvest at a vineyard. In the nineteenth century, "vintage" began to be used to signify in general something being old, old-fashioned, classical, or "from another time." In this way, objects other than wine began to be referred to as "vintage," including furniture, books, cars, clothing, musical instruments and off course watches.

Now we know this, lets define the term “vintage watch”. A vintage watch is a mechanical watch made before the quartz revolution in the 70’s. Because of the popularity of mass produced quartz watches, most watch companies that produced mechanical watches have since gone out of business. Several other companies that were once bold leaders in the watch making industry have consolidated and been absorbed into a few large watch houses that share mass produced parts. This means that a lot of great names from before the 70’s are not known any more only by the vintage watches that are under the many collectors.

It is this old industry that makes collecting vintage watches so “magical”. An industry that’s no longer there, but still excists at the same time. The industry goes back al long time, but in the mechanical watches industry the principle of many mechanical watches is still the same as 50 to a 100 years ago. This gives vintage watch collecting something “romantic”. Remembering a industry, that has changed so much since the 70’s, in its original form.

Next time we will talk about vintage watches as investment.

Sources: Farfo’s vintage watches & Vintage watch company

Written by: Stef

Lionel Messi for Audemars Piguet

TSWatches recently found this press release about the commitment of Lionel Messi with Swiss high-end brand Audemars Piguet.This is a fantastic, new celebrity in the wide range of members of the AP Family. For example: Jay-Z, Whoopi Goldberg, Meryl Streep, Scarlett Johansson and Daniel Radcliffe are already members of the Audemars Piguet Family.

Lionel Messi joins the world of Audemars Piguet and its 135 years of history. Understandably proud to be welcoming him, Audemars Piguet CEO Philippe Merk salutes the arrival of this exceptional personality who has successively overcome life's various trials to reach the peak of his art.

Lionel Messi did not always had an easy life.  When he was 10 years old, a doctor diagnosed a hormonal disease that affected the growth of this budding player. After researching which Argentinean club could help him to develop his football career, Leo's family enrolled him for recruitment testing at FC Barcelona in Spain. He was admitted to the Masia, the Barça training centre, which agreed to cover his training as well as his medical care expenses.

The 135-year history of the Manufacture has also been punctuated by many obstacles. Audemars Piguet has overcome them and in doing so as acquired the kind of competence it now sees in Lionel Messi. Keenly aware of what such knowledge entails and of the power to effect change that it encompasses, both Lionel Messi and Audemars Piguet are concerned with passing it on to younger generations in preparing for the future. Lionel Messi does so through his new "Fundacíon Leo Messi" created in 2009, and Audemars Piguet through its own foundation. This shared vision will be the driving force behind several social projects that the two partners will be jointly developing over the coming years.

As Messi explains, "I am trying to use my fame to raise public awareness of the distress of women and children around the world! You have to believe in yourself and never lose sight of your dreams... but sometimes our dreams need a little helping hand."Discreet, humble and committed, as of 2010 he is serving as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.In its undisputed leadership role within the field of Haute Horlogerie, Audemars Piguet naturally surrounds itself with strong and powerful personalities embodying excellence and daring in their own field – be it sport, art, or technology. These partnerships owe nothing to chance; they serve to reaffirm the authentic values conveyed by the Manufacture and centred on the passion for exceptional watches and the expertise they enshrine.

Such is definitely the case for Lionel Messi, who has found a prime partner in Audemars Piguet: "It's a real joy and a great honour for me to join a prestigious family such as that of Audemars Piguet, which I have long admired. This is the start of a beautiful human adventure based on strong shared values and visions". Friends of the brands will thus enjoy the tremendous privilege of rubbing shoulders with him at various exclusive events. In joining the Audemars Piguet "family", Leo Messi thus becomes the first footballer to associate his name with that of a prestigious Swiss watch brand (Audemars Piguet, 2010).

For the full story, visit: http://www.audemarspiguet.com/www08/en/news/ap_messi.php

Noblesse Watches & Jewellery

As a number one source for haute horlogerie we also look at nice jewellers all over the world. We are searching for exclusive and new concepts. This time we found the interesting jeweller Noblesse in Ukraine. Noblesse is founded in 1999 and is the largest Ukrainian distributor of high-end Swiss watches and jewellery. It is the largest Ukrainian network of first-class boutiques (the boutiques are situated in downtown districts of Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa). 

Noblesse owns multibrand boutiques and monobrand boutiques. An example of a multibrand boutique is the Louvre jewellery boutique in Kyiv (the left shop on the picture). It has a rich brand portfolio that includes the best of Italian and German jewelry producers only. Well known brands like Jacob & Co, Damiani, Pasquale Bruni, Schreiner and Stefan Hafner are available at this boutique. Noblesse owns monobrand boutiques from Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Franck Muller, Ulyssee Nardin, Damiani, Bvlgari and Buben & Zorgweg. 

Almost all exclusive brands are available at the Noblesse luxury company. Even brands which are not so famous, like Romaine Jerome, de LaCour, Cvstos and Thomas Prescher are available at Noblesse. Noblesse has massive advertising campaigns, carries out presentations and VIP-events, organizes press-conferences, introduces new brands to Ukrainian audience and publishes three glossy magazines and one newspaper. 

What is really exclusive about Noblesse is their DELUXE Noblesse store. The location and phonenumber of this boutique is secret and has an private exclusive format. This lounge boutique boasts its club system which is featured with "by appointment" type of service. The only possible way to visit this boutique and become a client is by invitation of a sales manager or Noblesse company President and also by recommendation of regular customers. The cozy large sofa's in combination with creme colours and large mirrors are giving the perfect atmoshpere to buy a stunning masterpiece. Only Haute Horlogerie and Houte Joaillerie masterpieces are presented in this unique private atmosphere. On the picture below you see some shots of the interior and exterior of the Private DELUXE Noblesse store.

Our conclusion: Noblesse is a unique store/concept and has a lot of famous and quality brands. If you are close to or in Ukraine, the stores of Noblesse are definetly worth a visit (Noblesse, 2010). 

Written by: Tobias. S