At Bell & Ross’ booth at Baselworld this year, one watch clearly stood out among the others as “the A-list star”.  That timepiece was the Bell & Ross BR 01 Airborne watch, a provocative new iteration of the brand’s extremely popular BR Instrument line that combines the seemingly contradictory impressions of foreboding and whimsy.

The foreboding aspect comes from the arresting skull and crossbones design that makes up the entire case and dial of the BR 01 Airborne.  The 46mm square case is in stainless steel, with a serious-as-death black carbon powder coat.  Interestingly, Bell & Ross created a case in which the dial aperture is skull shaped, and the crossing bones are integral to the case, but raised slightly above the base surface.  This is a highly effective frame for the grinning skull face that makes up the dial itself, complete with hands that resemble skeletal digits–or curved swords.  Cut the lights, and the Superluminova coated skull glows an eerie green.  I’d call that part whimsical, in a slightly Halloweenish way.

However, this watch isn’t about cheap scares or novelty for its own sake.  It was Bell & Ross’ intent to create a timepiece that would honor the valiant work of the 101st Airborne division, an elite group of American fighters who parachuted in behind enemy lines during WWII, contributing decisively to such epic battles as the Normandy landing and Battle of the Bulge.  While their mission was to deliver silent death to their Axis foes, these warriors were often in at least as great a danger as those they descended upon, and casualties were always a looming possibility.  As a result of this duality in every mission, the skull and crossbones became an omnipresent talisman of paratrooper divisions across the Allied forces.

Because the Bell & Ross BR 01 Airborne is clearly not designed to be a conventional or traditional watch, I don’t think its fair to judge it as one.  Accept it for what it is, and the BR 01 Airborne becomes a unique and very cool timepiece that fulfills a specific niche in a sports watch collection nicely.  While it does make an individualist statement up close, the BR 01 Airborne watch is quite stealthy much of the time–just like the descents of the paratroopers who put their lives on the line to keep the world safe from tyranny more than half a century ago.

Technorati Tags: Bell & Ross

Dino Modolo is a man with a very distinctive design aesthetic.  Rarely does a jewelry designer bring such a singular and complete style to life as is the case with Di Modolo jewelry.  It is likely the effect of many years spent in the insular and obsessive universe of watch making which provided Dino with the skills and technique that gave birth to one of the most exciting designer jewelry brands the world has seen in recent years.

It is the unique combination of precision, passion and creative genius which makes Di Modolo’s jewelry designs so captivating.  Each of this brand’s stunning collections is based around a particular motif that carries through the designs.  As the brand has evolved, so too have the collections with motif’s going through subtle transformations. An example of this evolution would be the “Triadra” collection’s distinctive link design which has been elongated and twisted in newer pieces.

Like iconic jewelry designers such as Chopard, Dino Modolo begins with simple and elegant concepts for his collections which are then expanded upon and enhanced through subtle manipulations.  This provides collectors with an anchor and continuity as they grow their Di Modolo jewelry wardrobe.

Suppose you attend formal events on an occasional basis and would like a no-compromise dress watch to match your attire, but have no desire to lay out a king’s ransom for an exquisite mechanical like a Piaget Altiplano, a Patek Philippe Calatrava, or a Vacheron Constantin Patrimony.  Well-respected Swiss brand Raymond Weil delivers the perfect alternative, in the form of extremely handsome and classical dress timepieces that are nowhere near as financially prohibitive.

Raymond Weil’s Tradition watch collection presents a number of very attractive and timelessly elegant selections.  If the dress watch is something you put on only every once in awhile (say, every month or two if you prefer to keep things casual), the battery-powered
quartz movements in the Tradition watches will prove a definite convenience.  And the nice thing here is, you don’t necessarily have to stick to the ubiquitous round shape.  Raymond Weil also offers rectangular cased Tradition models that are the essence of good taste and formal sophistication.

If you appreciate a little more action on even a dress watch dial, the more contemporary Raymond Weil Tradition Retrograde Day Date is a great option.  Boasting such refined details as blued Breguet-style hands, and stately Roman numeral hour markers, this model creates quite a bit of visual intrigue, thanks to the dynamic technical trio of a large date display, a small seconds subdial, and a retrograde indicator for days of the week.  At 42mm, the RW Retrograde Day Date is also ideal for those individuals who find the size of traditional dress watches (34mm-37mm) too diminutive.

The Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Chronometer is one luxury sports watch that is really impressing me these days.   While it’s a good watch that has been around for some time, and even been equipped with the George Daniels-designed Co-Axial Escapement, the versatile Aqua Terra got a massive boost this year.  Why?  Omega’s in-house 8500 caliber, and a sharp subtle redesign to go along with this technically impressive and very promising new self-winding movement.

Let’s start with the redesign.  The case of the new Omega Aqua Terra watches–in either 38.5 or 41.5mm sizes–is very much like the old, and shares a lot in common with the legendary Speedmaster Professional chronograph.  It’s got just the right blend of polished and brushed surfaces, meaning it works extremely well regardless of your attire.  The slender polished bezel looks quite elegant, and it frames the slightly curved sapphire crystals very nicely, indeed.  However, it is the dials where you notice some entirely new beauty revealing itself–in place of the more expected glossy or matte metallic dials, you have a new “teck concept” pattern.  Modeled after the fine wooden decks in a luxurious boat, this texture looks superb, and really makes the dial pop.  The addition of beautifully beveled triangular hour markers and faceted hands in 18K gold (white gold for the stainless steel models) brings more superlative detail to the new Aqua Terra watches.  The execution of these elements is truly superb, and reflects Omega’s continued upmarket move as a luxury watch manufacturer.

Turn the new Seamaster Aqua Terra over, and you can’t help but exclaim, “Ahhh!”  A nice, large sapphire window lets you in on the aforementioned Omega 8500 caliber movement, which prior to now was only available in the beautiful–but very niche–Hour Vision watch.  While Omega’s new manufacture caliber has only been out for a couple years, it continues to earn glowing accolades from watchmakers and industry insiders alike.

Among the Omega 8500’s neat features are an hour hand that can be adjusted independently (great for crossing time zones), a system of two serially operating mainspring barrels (these give you a nice 60-hour power reserve), a full balance bridge for optimum stability (some would say a little lesson from Rolex), and a large freely-sprung balance wheel with an exclusive system of adjustment weights.  Combine the latter with Omega’s sensational Co-Axial escapement, and you have a mechanical movement capable of some stellar timekeeping performance.  Many owners of watches with this movement are gushing about near quartz-like precision; I won’t verify or dispute that, as I don’t own one, but Omega has clearly produced a movement that–top to bottom–is designed to attain the best levels of chronometer performance, function reliably under unlimited daily use, and be readily worked on by a watchmaker when service is eventually required.  The Omega 8500 is also really, really pretty to look at, with an exclusive “Cotes de Geneve en Arabesque” decorative pattern on all the external surfaces of major components.  The version inside the 18K red gold models is particularly handsome, because in these, balance bridge and rotor are both made from red gold, a material which stands out beautifully against the rhodium-plated parts.

Prices of the 8500-equipped Omega Aqua Terra models are very reasonable considering how much watch you are really getting.  They are noticeably more expensive than the older models, but that’s understandable, as the latter are equipped with excellent, but less exclusive, Omega-modified ETA calibers.  I feel it is very safe to say that the Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra watches with the manufacture 8500 movement are going to provide some stiff competition for the ubiquitous Rolex Datejust.

Lets face it – If my dad was a dermatologist – I would have done a lot better socially as a teen.

So you would have to expect that Chris Crawford, a dermatologist from Lubbock Texas, was going to do everything he could to help improve the aesthetics of his offspring – and boy did he ever.

His daughter Candice Crawford was Miss Missouri 2008 – and his son – is none other than Chace Crawford – today’s “It boy” and star of the hit show “Gossip Girl”.

At the tender age of 24 Chace is living the life that most people twice his age dream about. He is young, attractive, has a hit TV show, and wears an IWC Big Pilot, one of the most desirable timepieces in production..

Technorati Tags: Chace Crawford

Regardless of which brands they happen to favor most (Omega, IWC, Rolex, Panerai, or whatever) sport watch fanatics of all stripes seem to agree on one thing: there’s few things better than a boldly marked dial that lights up like a torch in the darkness and doesn’t quit after a few minutes.  (I’m not referring to some Indiglo-type system, just good ‘ol Superluminova, the luminous compound the watch industry is using on the indexes and hands of timepieces these days.)  Perhaps the most incredible luminous dial I’ve seen in some time belongs to that of the newly redesigned Aquatimer watch collection from IWC.

The dials and bezels of these timepieces, such as the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph shown here, are not just impressive because of the intensity of the glow, but the varied colors of that illumination.   The contrasting white and yellow compounds you see on the dial and the beautiful sapphire unidirectional rotating bezel produce different glowing colors in the darkness, which, aside from keeping hours and minutes clearly demarcated, simply looks amazing when the lights go out.  The single most alluring visual element of the watch is probably the gorgeous sapphire crystal bezel.  By day, its lustrous obsidian-like surface exudes the unmistakable aura of fine quality, and at night–well, there’s that phenomenal glow!  The initial 15-minute sector glows a yellowish green, while the additional 5-minute marks shine in an eerie light blue. Combine all of that goodness with the slightly beveled sapphire crystal and the semi-matte dial, and you have an IWC timepiece that can’t help but catch your eye again and again.

I know some IWC fans were disappointed with the 2009 Aquatimer watches when the new models were announced in January, thinking them too youthful looking, garish, or “Seiko-ish” in appearance.  Others felt the previous generation’s internal bezel was more of a pure IWC concept, and lamented the brand’s return to a more conventional design.  These doubts fade away when you see the 2009 Aquatimers in person–or even good macro photographs.  The fact is, IWC has really done a tremendous job with this model range.  They have all the credentials of a serious diving tool, yet demonstrate the quality and standout character that a top-notch sports luxury watch should possess.

Technorati Tags: Aquatimer, IWC

Despite the wealth of semi-precious gemstone jewelry that congests the cases of retail jewelry stores and websites, it’s surprisingly difficult to find tasteful and well crafted semi-precious jewelry designs.  Perhaps due to the fact that semi-precious gemstones are more common and less costly than their precious counterparts, these gemstones are often regarded as second-tier.  Following from this, many jewelers choose to use lesser quality semi-precious gems and utilize them in mass-produced designs.

Jane Taylor is one designer who bucks this trend by creating truly extraordinary semi-precious gemstone jewelry with no compromises on materials, craftsmanship or design.  The difference is immediately apparent by the clarity and vibrancy of her gemstones.  This is accented by elegantly simple designs which perfectly complement and showcase the scintillating gemstones.

With production based in New York, Jane Taylor Jewelry maintains extremely high quality standards for their artisans as well as materials.  The feel of these jewelry designs is pure luxury with perfectly smooth metals and expertly balanced styles.  The candy colored pallet of this collection makes it distinctly feminine, fresh and fun.

One of the many things I admire about Piaget, is their willingness and ability to create bespoke or unique creations for their often very elite client base.  One Piaget story I’ve never forgotten involved a sheik who wanted not a single custom watch, but 32 of them—one for each for the same number of ladies in his harem!  Each lady had a different (custom, of course) wallpaper pattern in her room at the palace, and this is what the Piaget designers ended up using as the basis of this amazing order!  If you, too, desire a unique Piaget watch, consider the gorgeous “Fingerprint Motif” Altiplano watch.

As its name implies, the swirling diamond dial of this Piaget timepiece is created by using the whorls of a fingerprint as a model.  Supply Piaget with your own, and they will create for you a ravishing pave diamond dial that truly lives up to the oft-misused word “unique”.  Once it’s completed, you will possess a classically elegant diamond dress watch that stands out from any other on the planet–and be sure here, even in so-called “standard” guise, the Piaget Altiplano is an exclusive timepiece that you need not worry about finding multiple copies of in the crowd.  Celebrities and world figures have taken note of the Piaget Altiplano Fingerprint watch, too: Hip-hop star Ludacris had one made up for a charity event related to helping runaway kids, and Prince Albert II of Monaco’s print went to made up another example that sold at the 2007 Only Watch Auction to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy research.  It goes without saying that ladies can obtain their own version, and for them, a charming matching pendant can be created as well.

If you’re curious as to what kind of a movement runs the elegant time-only display of the Piaget Altiplano Fingerprint Motif watch, I want to reassure you that it’s not a nameless battery-powered quartz trifle.  This one, designated the Piaget 430P, has serious horological substance, being beautifully refined and just 2.1mm in height, making it one of the world’s slimmest mechanical calibers.  As with all Piaget movements, this hand-wound supermodel is produced and assembled in the brand’s own manufacture.

Technorati Tags: Piaget