LA LIGNE BLEUE BY JAQUET DROZ

These Jaquet Droz watches are beautiful!

Here's part of the press release:

Jaquet Droz announces a series of five timepieces, each produced in a limited edition of eight pieces. These unique watches share beautiful dials created using the Grand Feu enameling technique to obtain a color of unique depth and luminosity: Jaquet Droz blue. Whereas ivory or black enamel needs 10 to 15 firings, blue requires no fewer than 20. Before each one, the dial surface is dusted with a layer of powder no more than a millimeter thick. This superposition of layers give the blue its special radiance and distinctive hue.

Though each dial requires significant time and skill to create, less than one dial in ten passes inspection and goes on to adorn one of the five models of La Ligne Bleue: the Grande Seconde, the Grande Seconde Medium, the Grande Date, the Quantième Perpétuel and L’Origine Email.

Maybe they'd like to give me one of the other nine. They'd have to give them to me because I sure can't afford them.

Suggested retail prices:

Grande Seconde: $22,000.00
Grande Seconde Medium: $22,000.00
Grande Date: $25,00.00
Quantieme Perpetuel: $53,000.00
L’Oringine: $10,000.00

MCQUEEN'S WATCHES BIG WINNERS

So how did Antiquorum’s auction go? Neither FDR's watch, Sinatra's watch, nor Sammy Davis Jr's watch sold.

Steve McQueen's watches, however, sold sold like water in hell. McQueen’s Rolex Submariner brought $234,000, setting a world record for that reference.

And the Heuer Monaco McQueen wore during the 1971 filming of Le Mans sold for $87,600.

Yowza!

And a Patek Philippe went for $252,000.

My Timex looks like a rock tied to a piece of old yarn today.

STEVE MCQUEEN'S MONACO

Maybe I should go for a pre-owned watch. Antiquorum is having an auction on June 11th. I could get a watch formerly owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, or Steve McQueen.

This fantastic Heuer “Monaco” wristwatch was previously owned by Steve McQueen and worn by him during the filming of the 1971 movie “Le Mans”.

TAG Heuer has re-released this watch and boy is it a dandy.

SAMMY DAVIS JR'S CARTIER

Maybe I should go for a pre-owned watch. Antiquorum is having an auction on June 11th. I could get a watch formerly owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, or Steve McQueen.

Here's a Cartier Pasha once owned by the Candyman, Sammy Davis Jr. It was given to him by Old Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. It's inscribed “Sammy I Luv Ya F.A.S.” (Evidently Frank wasn't too good at spelling).

It's two-time-zones, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold quartz wristwatch with moon phases, day and date, produced in 1987.

SINATRA'S GRUEN

Maybe I should go for a pre-owned watch. Antiquorum is having an auction on June 11th. I could get a watch formerly owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, or Steve McQueen.

This Gruen watch was a gift from Frank Sinatra to his close friend, Al Silvani. It's a 14K pink gold wristwatch with a pink gold-plated brick link bracelet and is accompanied by a 49 cm gold-plated necklace with 12 letter-links spelling “Frank Sinatra.”

"Here, Al, is a little something for you. A necklace with my name on it. Want to go to the prom?"

FDR'S MOVADO

Maybe I should go for a pre-owned watch. Antiquorum is having an auction on June 11th. I could get a watch formerly owned by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, or Steve McQueen.

This 14K gold Movado watch was given to President Roosevelt for his 63rd (and last) birthday by his son-in-law, Col. John Boettiger on January 30, 1945. The watch was worn by FDR during the last two months of his life and he may have been wearing this watch when he died on April 12, 1945 at Warm Springs, Georgia.

Okay, creepy.

BELL AND ROSS BR 01 AIRBORNE WATCH

In memory of D-Day and as a tribute to US Airborne Paratroopers, Bell & Ross yesterday launched the BR 01 Airborne Watch. The BR 01 Airborne gets its name from the WWII American Airborne divisions and their motto "Death From Above." The watch pays tribute to those brave soldiers who fought in one of the toughest corps in the army.

The face is a skull and crossbones, the hands are daggers, and the skull lights up in the dark. The lighting up may not be the best thing if you're behind enemy lines.

On one hand it's a pretty cool looking watch. On the other hand, it looks like something you'd get out of a gum machine at the Jersey Shore.

But hey, I'm sure it only costs a few hundred -- $5000!! And that's without diamonds. If you want to fancy-up your glow in the dark skull, you can get the BR01-Airborne 415 (”light diamonds”) for $25,000 or the BR01-Airborne 672 (”full diamonds”) for $39,000!!

The Bell & Ross Instrument BR01 Airborne is a limited edition of 500 pieces. The initial launch is June 8-13 at Colette, the Parisian fashion and style boutique. After that, only in select stores.

Here are the specs:

Technical specifications:
Movement:Automatic mechanical ETA 2892.
Functions: Hours, minutes.
Case: 46mm diameter. 316L glass bead blasted steel with black carbon powder coating.
Dial: black. Photoluminescent hands and skull for optimum night readability.
Glass: anti-reflection sapphire crystal.
Water-resistance: 100 meters.
Bracelet: rubber, leather or heavy-duty synthetic fabric.

TICK TICK

I've always liked watches. Lately I've been wearing a cheap Target purchased Ironman Timex. Certainly not my ideal watch. So when I started looking at new watches, I was amazed at the world I had entered. Here, then, is my journey through the world of Watches and Horology.