The newest luxury brand on the block, Nubeo, has chosen Kobe Bryant to sponsor their new brand ambassador. The new sports watch is called the Black Mamba which is derived from Kobe’s court nickname.

Kobe is very vocal about the fact that the has been actively involved in the watches design process and Nubeo clams that it has created the most complex luxury watch case because of the numerous parts involved in the construction of the case.

Most Nubeo designs are focused on ocean environments and this luxury watch is no different. It costs around 285,000 thousand dollars for the most limited version which includes materials like black titanium, ceramic, black sapphires, and sapphire crystals,

It seems like the trend this spring for luxury watch brands is to focus on paying homage to watch parts. Back in March we reported that Rama Swiss Watch (RSS) released 25 limited edition watches which pay homage to the tourbillon.  Now Fossil has released a line of watches that feature and pay homage to the chronograph.

This watch is one of our favorites among the collection, the Fossil FS4446 Sport Chronograph which has a black oversized dial, 3 sub dials, black case and bracelet and a low cost.

Another favorite is the Fossil Ch2575 which has a green dial, stainless steel case , subdials, precision index, and rotating bezel.

What’s next? Homage to the leather strap? Wait… actually Fossil is doing that too! That’s right a new line that focuses on leather watches. Stay tuned for more news about that one.

Philip Stein is finally coming to the Americas starting in this Fall. The moment many of you have been waiting for is finally here. The space will be located in Cozumel Mexico and the retail experience will be anything but dull.

According to National Jewelry the Philip Stein boutique will be a unique experience:
“…combining a casual shopping environment with an education in Philip Stein’s Natural Frequency Technology, which is embedded in the company’s luxury watch collection and in its revolutionary Wine Wand.”

The one thing we love about Philip Stein and their luxury watches is their closeness to nature. The store will be a positive experience for customers who will walk into a place that has been designed to balance chi. The best part? Technology will be incorporated into the store to allow customers to see imagery, video, and messages that educate.

According to Will Stein, Philip Stein President:

“As much as Philip Stein is devoted to creating luxurious timepieces and superbly-crafted lifestyle products, we are committed to introducing consumers to the benefits of natural frequency technology and how they play in our lives. It is our hope that consumers become ambassadors for the brand, well-being and technology.”

Every year Oris Watch Company does something extraordinary, they create a limited edition watch dedicated to a musical legend and this year’s musical legend is Bob Dylan.

The new luxury watch has Bob’s Dylan’s signature etched into the dial and is portrait is engraved on the case back.  Like the intricacies of his career, a small glass window gives wearers a look into the mechanical movement of the Oris red rotor, made famous by the company.

The best part of this limited edition watch of 3,000 pieces is the Honer Marine Band harmonica which comes with the watch. The stainless steel case of this luxury watch features sapphire crystal glass and 30 meters of water resistance as well as a Swiss ETA automatic caliber, 25 jewels, and a power reserve of 42 hours.

Source: Europa Star and Wrist Watch Haven

Hollywood glamour hasn’t gone too far in this economy.  Audemars Piguet has announced that it will be “the” sponsor for the 63rd Annual Tony Awards.

The Tony Awards will be held on June 7th at Radio City Music Hall in New York. We love the fact that Audemars Piguet will be thinking out of the box when it comes to incorporating their luxury watches into this year’s Tony Awards theme.

The luxury watch company will be putting on display… right on the red carpet… 8 solid aluminum clocks decorated by the nominees for Best Play and Best Musical to represent each of the productions.

Of course it doesn’t stop there, after the award Audemars Piguet will take the clocks and put them on display on 57th street in Manhattan at their flagship boutique and then auction them off for The Actor’s Fund.

According to Francois-Henry Bennahmias, CEO & President of North America Audemars Piguet:
“The Tonys are a perfect complement to Audemars Piguet, as theatre celebrates life on a daily basis and rewards all those who experience it.”

Of course, we would love to get an inside look at the making of the luxury clocks.  We know Audemars Piguet is pulling out all the stops.

Source: JCK Online

This week’s watch news takes us by surprise.  Tiffany Watch Co. Ltd, who we thought had a great brand of watches that represented the Tiffany & Co. brand, has sold out to the Swatch Group.

Now the luxury watch making division of Tiffany & Co  is no longer owned by Tiffany & Co..  The new luxury watches still have some specific Tiffany & Co.  touches including the Roman Numeral hour markers and the Tiffany & Co. label, but some things have changed.

Some people aren’t too happy about the new watch designs.  Ariel Adams, a blogger at The Luxist, says “The watch designs were nice, but not Tiffany & Co. nice. There was no magic appeal or charm, and the timeless look that Tiffany & Co. watches typically have was absent - in my opinion.”

As of now the new luxury watches are not available on the Tiffany & Co. website but the launch of the new line is expected soon.

According to Europa Star Antiquorum has done it again. Their last watch auction, “Important Collector’s Wristwatches, Pocket Watches, Clocks and Horological Tools”, received SFr. 5,419,584.

At first, we can’t get over the fact that a Rolex was sold for SFr 360,000.  But then we saw the watch….

Pretty amazing, huh? This Rolex is called the “Baguette Diamond Cosmograph” and it made of 18k yellow gold.  The bezel has 288 baguette diamonds!  The watch is water resistant and has a total of.. get this.. 240 diamonds and 9 sapphires.

We were told that this stunning luxury watch didn’t go easily.  There was a all out bidding war in the auction room one lucky buyer got the watch.

This year from April 20th to April 26th “Sparkle Week Spring 2009″ will be celebrating it’s first year in New York. “Sparkle Week” is basically a weeklong celebration of jewelry.

Sounds fun? Yes, but the new exhibit to be featured by the National Jewelry Institute called “Time and Jeweler’s Art” will feature luxury timepieces that “display trends and portray personalities of fashion culture”.

Sounds even more exciting? Yes, but check out his power house of luxury watch brands that will be participating in the exhibit:

• Dior Watches
• H. Stern
• Harry Winston
• Patrizzi and Co. Auctioneers
• Piaget
• Timex
• Tiffany and Co
• Valentino Timeless
• Van Cleef and Arpels
• Vincent Berard

Now we are excited! The exhibit will be at The Forbes Galleries on 5th Avenue.

Seiko releases it’s new Sportura Kinetic Drive a stunning new sports watch that includes 10 bars of water resistance, anti- reflective coated sapphire crystal, three fold clasp with push button, solid stainless steel bracelet, and a screw back case.

Going back into history, the Sportura luxury sports watch line by Seiko was started in 2000 and was inspired by automobile racing.  However, the new Sportura luxury watch has added a special touch…a new movement called the Kinetic Drive Calibre 5D22.

The Kinetic Drive Calibre 5D22 directly transforms energy produced by the wearer into electricity… pretty cool! Another cool feature of this luxury watch is the Direct Drive function located at the 9 o’clock marker which allows the wearer to monitor the power reserve.  If needed, the watch indicates whether it needs to be winded by hand and then shows exactly how much winding has been done.

What happens you mix  Rama Swiss Watch (RSW) plus 25 limited edition watches and homage to a historical symbol of Swiss mechanical watch making? The High King Tourbillon luxury watch.

The tourbillion is definitely a great feature of any luxury watch and RSW has made a watch named after their favorite part.  The High King Tourbillon is completely influenced by the tourbillon.

The crown of the High King Tourbillon luxury watch by RSW has a patented fold-out crank system, screw-down sapphire crystal case back and 10 ATM of water resistance.  This luxury watch has a 120 hour power reserve, a retrograde calendar, power reserve indicator, black dial, and the highlight…. a tourbillon carriage.