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.

The Fisher house of West LA opened on February 6th thanks to the immense support of Rolex.  This Fisher House is one 40 houses across the nation that provide a temporary home of military and veteran families visiting their loved ones at nearby Veterans’ Affairs hospitals.

According to Rolex USA President and CEO Allen Brill:

“We are extremely proud of our long association with the Fisher House Foundation. We admire their dedication to our greatest national treasure-our military service men and women and their loved ones.”

It’s always great to report on a great story of a luxury watch company lending a hand to those in need.  Thanks to Rolex the Fisher House has been able to open its doors in Ft. Campbell, Dallas, and San Antonio.

At $38,900 the Aspen One watch collection will go on sale on February19, 2009.  The collection is limited to 3,267 pieces representing the exit height of Aspen Mountain.

Yes, we did say $38,900! A Netherland company, Aspen Jewelry, says “recession smession” and launches an expensive watch attributing a mountain… well not just any mountain.  But the price of the watch is only the beginning of the expenses.  The company is also throwing a 3 day party and flying in international press international press (Forbes Style, GQ Germany, Miljonaire Magazine, etc.).

It seems watch makers like to take pieces of nature and get ultimate luxury watch inspiration.  For example, the Rolex Explorer came out the same year Mount Everest was first conquered in 1953.

Also, the Burberry Chronograph Map Watch has an image of Antarctic on the dial.

So, as you see, we understand the tribute to nature, we just don’t understand the price tag?

 

Some people, like Flavor Flav, have a really strong passion for watches and clocks… really, really, really strong!

We love watches here at the watch blog, but wearing one everyday that’s bigger than our heads around our necks is not an option.  However, Flavor Flav does it…and you know what? It’s okay.

Anyway, on the Melrose Jeweler’s blog this week they talk about a guy named Chris and his encounter with Flavor Flav at the airport.  Supposedly something caught his eye more than the clock around his neck… a Rolex Daytona around his wrist.

This particular Rolex Daytonna, above, is made of 18 ct yellow gold with a black dial and champagne counters.  This Rolex watch also has an engraved Tachometer bezel and an oysterlock bracelet with safety clasp.

According to europa star, Rolex has designed a new training for watchmakers that will be required at all Rolex sponsored schools in the United States. Rolex is a leader in watch education with over 200 students graduating from Rolex programs and with over 1.6 million dollars of endowments annually.

The new Rolex watchmaking program was constructed to up the principles of watchmaking training and education in the United States.  The new curriculum will be overseen by Swiss American Watchmakers Training Alliance (SAWTA) that includes representatives from Rolex, Rolex sponsored schools, Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program (WOSTEP) and the American Watchamkers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI).  SAWTA is a newly formed alliance owned
by Rolex. The new curriculum was also created to make sure students are able to acquire the skills needed to achieve AWCI and WOSTEP certification.

The AWCI, a member of the SAWTA, offers a number of credentials to students including Certified Watchmaker 21, Certified Clockmaker 21, and Certified Master of the Institute.  They also have a number of certification in development including Certified Master Watchmaker 21, Certified Master Clockmaker 21, Watch Specialist, and Watch Technician.  The organization was founded in 1960 and by the American Watchmakers Institute, which was the first unified horological organization. The WOSTEP, the other collaborative representative in SAWTA, also offers a number of certifications and courses including the Chronographs Course, Turning Course, Train the Trainers, Introduction to Precision Timing, and many more.

The new Rolex curriculum will culminate to a comprehensive final examine where students who pass will receive individual certifications from AWCI, WOSTEP, and SAWTA.

The Cellini Prince by Rolex was inspired by a Rolex 1920’s model and was designed with a rectangular case, a small second hand at 6 o’clock, different numeral types at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock markers and the Rolex crown at the 12 o’clock marker.  Also, the movement can be viewed through the transparent case.

However, the movement isn’t the only interesting aspect; each version of Rolex’s Cellini Prince watch is different which adds to the intrigue.  The Men’s Cellini Prince Everose Gold Watch model is made of 18 ct everose gold, Arabic numerals, black leather strap, gold folding clasp, and hand wound movement.  The Men’s Cellini Prince Yellow Gold Watch model is made of 18ct yellow gold with Roman numerals, brown leather strap and gold folding clasp.  The Cellini Prince White Gold Watch model is made of 18 ct white gold, silver dial, roman numerals, black leather strap and gold folding clasp.  Lastly, there is an additional Men’s Prince White Gold Watch model but with a different dial and Arabic numerals.

Design, variety, and luxury make this watch fit for a Prince.

The bezel of a Watch takes the brunt of many hard knocks. Many Bezels are crafted from gold or silver, which is a relatively soft metal, and thus susceptible to scratches. In addition a Bezel can deteriorate in sunlight and chlorinated water. Rolex has created a Bezel able to withstand scratches, and deterioration by using an extremely hard ceramic material called yttrium-stabilized zirconia. I researched this material and discovered this material is the same dentists use for tooth crowns. I found a site about the actual molecular structure, but I confess it was a bit above my head. Anyway this ceramic material has a hardness of 1200 Vickers which accounts for a whole slew of corrosion-resistant properties:

• Its color is not affected by ultra-violet rays.
• It is virtually scratch-proof. (”Proof” is a word not often used by watch companies as no material is completely “scratch proof” or “water-proof”. Usually the word “resistance” is preferred. However, Rolex in its advertising campaign in regard to the Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II Bezel used the word “proof”. Therefore Rolex must have complete confidence in this Bezel material.

A bezel of this hardness challenges the inscription process, as inscriptions need to “scratch” this virtually “scratch-proof” material. Rolex has patented a unique process to inscribe the Bezel.

The numerals are carved in the Bezel before it hardens at 1500 °C. After this process, cathodic magnetron sputtering, covers the entire Bezel with a thin layer of gold or platinum, atom by atom. The Bezel is then polished, permanently leaving the precious metal in the numerals. This entire process takes 40 solid hours. Once the process is complete, the polished look of the watch will remain forever.