Market Report

Vacheron Constantin honors Benjamin Millepied

Vacheron Constantin along with the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet and the Consulate General of France celebrated Benjamin Millepied’s appointment as Director of the Paris Opera Ballet at a private dinner. Hugues de Pins, President of Vacheron Constantin North America, hosted the evening with Francois Delattre, Ambassador of the French Republic to the United States, Bertrand Lortholary, Consul General of France, and Olivia Flatto, Chairman of the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet. The intimate dinner was held at the Consulate General of France.

Market News

GCC Economic growth to reach 4% in 2013

The economic growth of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is expected to slow down to 4 per cent this year, according to Euler Hermes. Global economic trends and the influence of GCC countries in the international market were discussed at the Trade Credit Insurance Summit in Dubai. In 2011 and 2012, GCC countries posted strong economic growth with 7.2 per cent and 6.0 per cent growth, respectively but the pace is expected to slow in 2013 to 4 per cent and 2014 to 4.3 per cent. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to lead the way for GCC growth with Subran stating that Saudi and the UAE will grow by 4 per cent and 3.5 per cent respectively in 2013, and 4.5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively in 2014. The UAE’s share related to oil in total GDP decreased from 47 per cent in 2000 to 33 per cent in 2012.

Modern Limited Edition Watches Achieved Excellent Results in Antiquorum

Antiquorum’s recently auction of “Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces” held at Antiquorum’s U.S. headquarters on Madison Avenue in New York. The coveted collection of 459 exceptional timepieces attracted 429 registered internet bidders in addition to the many telephone, room, and commission bidders. Enthusiastic bidding came from China, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, Greenland as well as the United States. Antiquorum looks forward, with great anticipation, to our next auction on October 26 in Hong Kong, featuring an impressive collection of complicated modern watches from leading brands such as Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and A. Lange & Sohne.

Tiffany & Co. appointed new President

The Board of Directors of Tiffany & Co. has appointed Mr. Frederic Cumenal to the position of President of Tiffany & Co. and also appointed him to a newly-created seat on the Company’s Board. In his new role, Mr. Cumenal, 54, will retain his regional responsibilities and will assume responsibility for the Design, Merchandising and Marketing functions.

Company News

Bader Al Darwish receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Retail king Bader Al Darwish took the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the Arabian Business Qatar Awards on Tuesday night. The business legend was one of 17 to be honoured at the event held in Doha’s Grand Hyatt. The judges noted that under his leadership, his company “has continued its growth in all sectors. Recently, the Holding company introduced the largest multi-brand luxury store in the Middle East, Fifty One East, which spans over 13,500 sq m of space. It also developed and operates the $348m luxury Lagoona Mall.” Other big winners included Sheikh Thani Bin Abdallah Al Thani for “Outstanding Contribution to Business”, while Hisham Al Mana won Businessman of the Year.

Audemars Piguet Ambassador LeBron James Visited La Manufacture in Le Brassus

Audemars Piguet ambassador LeBron James paid a one-day visit to the Manufacture in Le Brassus. His visit included the Audemars Piguet Museum followed by a tour of the Manufacture des Forges where he spent time in various ateliers including the Specialities and Grande Complication. LeBron James has written one of the most impressive pages in basketball history over the past couple of seasons, with consecutive regular-season MVP awards, consecutive NBA titles as well as NBA Finals MVP trophies bracketing two Olympic gold medals.

deLaCour opened a new boutique in Jakarta

deLaCour recently inaugurated a new boutique in the prestigious Bengkel Fairground center, south of Jakarta in the presence of Pierre Koukjian; designer and artistic director for the delaCour watches. The event took place in the refined and elegant boutique in a very trendy “Black Angel” theme-setting; a fusion of subtle art, design and technology.

Bremont partners with MRPORTER.COM to introduce Luxury watches

MRPORTER.COM, the online destination for men’s style and Bremont Watch Company, announced a partnership to introduce fine luxury watches to MR PORTER. Launching online for the first time from this month with a collection of Bremont’s beautifully engineered mechanical chronometers, MR PORTER will be the sole global online retailer for Bremont.

FRANC VILA introduces the “Gregory Havret” Limited Edition

FRANC VILA recently announces that the French golfer, Grégory Havret had participated in the creation of a limited series of its famous FV EVOS 8Ch “Cobra” Large Date Automatic Chronograph. This partnership goes even further since the watch Brand is donating ten percent of the sales of this special model to the charitable association, “Les Balles Blanches.”

F.P.Journe opens new Boutique in Los Angeles

F.P.Journe recently opened its fourth US Boutique and the first on the west coast in Los Angeles. The Boutique is located on Sunset Boulevard in the popular shopping and dining destination Sunset Plaza. The Boutique offers a salon, a bar and a watch library where high horology collectors and aficionados can meet and share their mutual passion.

Richard Mille Supports Felipe Massa for the 2014 Formula 1 Season

Richard Mille supports Felipe in this new chapter of his career. Felipe is a good listener with shrewd judgment, who is valued by his technicians. His record in the Italian team is exemplary: 132 starts, 11 victories, 15 pole positions, and second place in the 2008 World Championships. As the brand’s official test driver, Felipe has contributed to the development of some of the most unprecedented technical watchmaking solutions, and still tests them today on the world’s biggest race tracks. The finest example of this collaboration is, without doubt, the RM 006 FM featuring carbon nanofibers.

Hublot sponsored the China Open Polo Tournament 2013

The China Open Polo Tournament was recently supported by Hublot and was held at the prestigious Tang Polo Club in Beijing. The celebrities included Chinese famous model Mrs Ma Yanli and successful entrepreneur Mr Li Houlin joined for the festivities and enjoying the breath-taking polo contest at the riverside of Wenyu River. As the premier polo tournament in Asia, the event has become one of the great classics on the international Polo calendar. This year, polo players from many countries competed for the Trophy and Awards plates for the 2-4, 6-8 and a high-handicap division. At the event, the standing HUBLOT Timekeeper board recorded the perseverance and courage of the polo elites in a loyal and precise manner.

Al Fardan Jewellery to Launch its Second Boutique in Abu Dhabi

Al Fardan Jewellery is set to open its latest boutique at Nation Galleria located within the Nation Towers in Abu Dhabi. The new outlet marks the second boutique in Abu Dhabi and the sixth in the United Arab Emirates.

Product Launch

Tiffany & Co. introduces a New Atlas Jewelry Collection

Tiffany & Co. presents a new Atlas collection with all the power and magnetism that made this celebrated design a fashion icon. The collection debuted at the Tiffany & Co. Dubai Mall Flagship Boutique on 25th September and is now available across the Middle East.

OMEGA to honour the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

The new Sochi Petrograd, OMEGA highlights a piece from its Museum Collection and commemorates the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. The “Tonneau” shape of the polished yellow gold case is one of the most fascinating design features of this timepiece and brings back a favoured style from an earlier era. The case is presented on a striking burgundy leather strap complete with an 18K yellow gold buckle. The silvery-white dial incorporates the bold red, white and blue colours of the Russian flag with its red 24-hour track on a polished minute track with central hour and minute hands fashioned from blued steel. The yellow gold caseback is engraved with the logo of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and the limited edition number.

Montegrappa presents Ducale Pen Collection

The Ducale fountain pen marked the arrival of haute de gamme writing instruments for Elmo – the original name for Montegrappa. “Ducale” acknowledges the famed Doge’s Palace, or the Palazzo Ducale, one of the symbols of Venice and a masterpiece of Gothic design. Consisting of a rollerball, a ballpoint and a fountain pen, Ducale pens are manufactured from black resin and trimmed with a choice of palladium or rose gold-plated, or in a pearly Emperador Brown resin, offered with rose gold-plated trim. The fountain pen is available with fine, medium or broad nibs, as best suits the writing style of the user.

F.P.Journe presents Christmas Selection

The Chronomètre Souverain is the perfect Christmas gift of the F.P.Journe brand. Its exclusive movement in 18K rose gold features two barrels that operate in parallel, as in the classic configuration of precision watches, There is a connecting train under the dial, leaving only the centre wheel to emphasise the isolation of the balance.The Chronomètre Souverain has been awarded “Men’s Watch of the Year” and “Best Man’s Watch 2012” The automatic winding Octa calibre offers a chronometric power reserve for over 120 hours, without compromising on precision. This Octa calibre is the result of an optimal balance between driving force, winding power and precision. The hours are elegantly set on the right of the dial in white gold and silver guilloche, providing quick and easy legibility.

Tag Heuer and Oracle Team USA reinvent the Sailing Chronograph

Tag Heuer and Oracle Team USA co-invented onboard connectivity equipment and the first ever smartwatch that give every crew member instant access to crucial race condition data in real-time. The embedded system uses special editions of the commercial AQUARACER 500M CALIBRE 72 COUNTDOWN chronograph, customized for each sailor’s specific tasks and wirelessly linked directly to the boat’s onboard computers. At a glance easy-to-read with a wide-open 51mm face, it weighs only 108 g and is impact resistant to 5000 G. The leather-strap, like the case itself, is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably over a wet suit. The optimized high-contrast LED screen displays constantly updated information on how the boat and its sails are behaving, including boat speed, foil balance, sail pressure, true wind speed, true wind direction and true wind angle.

Carrera y Carrera introduces Ruedo Bridal Collection

Carrera y Carrera pours all its imagination and love into the design of jewels for such an intimate and special occasion as the union of two people. The engagement promise is sealed with the enchantment and seduction of the Ruedo collection. The Ruedo collection has been extended to include a selection of engagement rings. Pieces crafted in yellow, white, or rose gold, and adorned with a delicate pavé of diamonds.

Exhibitions & Events

Montegrappa to present the life and works of Giuseppe Verdi

Montegrappa is organising a Gala Dinner Concert to celebrate the life and works of Giuseppe Verdi, the legendary Italian Opera composer on the bicentenary of his birth. This unique of its kind event will take place on the 10th of October at the Ballroom at the Raffles Hotel and with live operatic performance by members of the Emirates Opera Project and the Sharq Orchestra.

YOKO London at Victoria and Albert Museum Pearl Exhibition

V & A recently announced the opening of the “PEARLS” exhibition at their Victoria and Albert Museum in collaboration with Qatar Museum Authority; the exhibition explores the history of pearls from the early Roman Empire to the present, and is a highlight event of the Qatar UK 2013 Year of Culture. The exhibition will be held till 19th January 2014. The Exhibition started with an insight into the natural history of Pearls showcased by a rare collection of molluscs from the QMA. The central focus of the exhibition is to represent the Pearls in jewellery through history. YOKO London was selected above Mikimoto and all the other famous jewellers to represent. The modern face of the South Sea pearls, with our own exclusive area within the Museum. YOKO London has created 4 master pieces which will be on display until 21 January at the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum.

Celebrity News

Nicolas Cage wears a Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Open Home Time red gold watch

Nicolas Cage and his wife Alice Kim attended the premiere of the movie 'Joe' during the 39th Deauville American film festival which took place recently. Nicolas wore a Nicolas Rieussec Open Home Time red gold watch from Montblanc.

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