Harry Winston From Paris to Hollywood

— Carole Bouquet, Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington wore Harry Winston jewels this weekend.

 

On Friday February 26, the actress Carole Bouquet was seen at the 41^st César Awards ceremony in Paris, wearing Harry Winston Secret Cluster Diamond Earrings, with Emerald Drops, (11.21 carats), set in platinum and 18k yellow gold.

 

Carole Bouquet © UK Rolex Replica

Yesterday, February 28^th, actress’s Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington, sparkled in Harry Winston jewellery at the 88^th Academy Awards.
Charlize Theron wore a Secret Cluster Diamond Necklace (48.8 carats) with Winston Cluster Diamond Earrings (15.49 carats). On her hand she wore a Cushion-Cut Diamond Ring with Micropave (8.78 carats), a Micropave Diamond Band Ring (27 carats) and a Queen Diamond Ring (7.44 carats).

 

Charlize Theron © Harry Winston

Kerry Washington dazzled on the red Carpet with vintage Harry Winston Diamonds. She wore Vintage 1963 Three Row Diamond Hoop Earrings (42.54 carats) with a Three Row Diamond Carpet Ring (12.02 carats).

 

Kerry Washington © www.reprolexsales.co.uk/

Chopard Red Carpet

— Stars shine in Chopard at the César Awards and at the Oscars.

 

At the César Awards, Juliette Binoche wore a pair of earrings from the High Jewellery Collection in white gold set with ashoka-cut diamonds (14.89 cts), a solitaire ring in white gold set with brilliants (0.82 cts) and featuring a round brilliant-cut diamond (1.51 cts), a ring from the Ice Cube Collection in rose gold set with one diamond (0.01 cts), a ring from the Ice Cube Collection in yellow gold set with brilliants (0.10 cts) and a white gold ring set with square-cut diamonds (1.01 cts).
Sara Forestier opted for a necklace from the High Jewellery Collection in white gold set with brilliants (0.55 cts) and with one shield step cut diamond (2.43 cts), a pair of earrings from the Imperiale Collection in white gold set with brilliants (0.63 cts) and featuring two amethysts (22 cts) and a a ring from the Imperiale Collection in white gold set with brilliants (0.35 cts) and featuring four amethysts (1.74 cts).

 

Juliette Binoche & Sara Forestier. © Olivier Borde/Chopard Replica Watches

At the 88th Academy Awards, American actress Julianne Moore selected to wear a diamond bracelet featuring 45.02-carats of diamonds set in titanium, diamond earrings featuring 12.67-carats of diamonds set in 18kt white gold and an emerald ring featuring a 14.89-carat cushion-cut emerald, 1.64-carats of diamonds and .67-carats of emeralds set in 18kt white gold – all pieces from the “High Jewelry Collection”.

 

Julianne Moore. © DR

American actress and Oscar nominee for Best Actress (Joy) Jennifer Lawrence selected to wear a diamond necklace from the “High Jewelry Collection” featuring 47.35-carats of diamond beads set in 18kt white gold paired with diamond stud earrings, a “Copacabana” ring featuring 12.71-carats of diamonds set in 18kt white gold and a platinum ring set with brilliant diamonds from the “High Jewelry Collection”.

 

Jennifer Lawrence. © DR

Irish actress and Oscar nominee for Best Actress (Brooklyn) Saoirse Ronan selected to wear earrings featuring pearls, 18.28-carats of emeralds, 5.74-carats of jadeites and 3.25-carats of diamonds set in 18kt white gold and an emerald and diamond ring featuring 4.19-carats of emeralds and 3.06-carats of diamonds set in 18kt white gold – both from the “High Jewelry Collection”.

 

Saoirse Ronan. © DR

German-Irish actor and Oscar nominee for Best Actor (Steve Jobs) Michael Fassbender chose to wear Chopard’s  “XPS” 39.5mm timepiece from the “L.U.C Collection” featuring a silver dial and 18kt white gold case and cufflinks featuring onyx in 18kt white gold cheap Swiss replica watches.

 

Michael Fassbender. © faketimes.co,uk

Hands-on Grand Seiko SBGV019G 9F Quartz Limited Edition Review

Once in a while we make an exception and cover a battery-operated watch here on Fratello Watches. While we normally prefer mechanical movements, it doesn’t mean some quartz movements aren’t interesting. What should one think of the multifunction watches like a Speedmaster X-33 or Spacemaster Z-33, or the Apple Watch? But when it doesn’t concern a multifunction watch, there needs to be something special about it, right? For example, a watch like the Rolex OysterQuartz Datejust and Day-Date at least contain some mechanical parts.

For me, the Grand Seiko SBGV019G I am about to review is a special replica watches as well. I would almost say ‘despite the quartz movement’ but perhaps it is ‘because of the quartz movement’. After visiting Seiko in Japan and receiving a thorough workshop on how special their Grand Seiko 9F quartz movements really are, I learned to appreciate them even more than I already did. In a previous review of a Grand Seiko with quartz movement (the SBGV009, here), I expressed my enthusiasm for the caliber 9F82 movement with its thermo compensation and impeccable finish. I stated, “I think it looks even nicer than some mechanical movements out there when it comes to finish”, so what did Seiko do? They introduced the Grand Seiko SBGV019G with a sapphire caseback so you can actually enjoy looking at this brilliant quartz movement. That takes guts.

Grand Seiko SBGV019G with sapphire caseback to demonstrate the caliber 9F82 movement

Grand Seiko SBGV019G

This 38mm stainless steel Grand Seiko SBGV019G is a beautiful mid-sized dress watch with amazing case finishing typical for the brand: beautifully polished lugs and edges that look as sharp as a blade. The dial has a silver/off-white color that gives a beautiful contrast with the high-polished applied hour markers and hands. Besides “Seiko” at 12 o’clock, it also shows “Grand Seiko” and the applied GS logo, for those who did not recognize that this is more than a “normal” Seiko due to its case and finish. The blued second hand offers great contrast as well, as you can see below.

Normally I would say that 38mm is a bit on the small side for me, but because of the case shape (wide lugs) and crown guard it suits me well. Somehow the watch felt bigger than my Chronoswiss in 38mm, but that watch has a much more classic style.

The stainless steel bracelet looks a bit like the current Speedmaster bracelet, but has a nicer finish to it and a hidden clasp (signed Grand Seiko). I am not a particular fan of the bracelet design and would prefer a leather strap, but that is very personal. The bracelet feels solid and the clasp works flawlessly. 

Grand Seiko SGBV019G – Stunning finish on the case

This Grand Seiko SBGV019G will work just as well with a casual outfit as it will do with formal attire. You could say that it is a perfect all-rounder, like a Rolex Datejust or Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra. As always, the devil is in the details and that surely goes for the Grand Seiko SBGV019G (and basically most Grand Seikos). This watch is not for everyone and I assume that a lot of people are still not aware of the great value that Grand Seiko has to offer within all their models (quartz, mechanical and Spring Drive). You really need to take a closer look at a Grand Seiko before you will be able to admire it. I surely needed that myself as well. Perhaps, and I don’t want to sound snobby, you need to have a certain amount of experience or knowledge about watches to see the true craftsmanship in Grand Seiko watches. Otherwise, you might not see the difference between a cheaper watch from one of the Seiko collections or a Grand Seiko.

It didn’t take long for me to start appreciating the Grand Seiko collection, but it took quite a while before I was able to see a few in the flesh. Here in Europe, they were still quite hard to find (and see) until a few years ago. I see a small change in the market as more people start to ‘discover’ the higher end watches from Seiko, like the Marinemaster and Grand Seiko collections.

In any case, you should buy and wear a watch because you appreciate it, not for the enjoyment of others. But seeing them a bit more frequently [around you] does help to increase the awareness for these Grand Seiko models.

Sharp!

As written above, the Grand Seiko models come in three different ‘movement’ flavors: quartz, mechanical and Spring Drive. Normally, I am often not even prepared to look at quartz models, especially when the price enables you to buy a mechanical watch instead. But Seiko, or Grand Seiko, takes quartz very seriously. They even produce – or better said: grow – their own quartz crystals in one of their plants in Japan. The flawless crystals are used for Grand Seiko 9F movements. That’s not all, though, as these movements have been developed and manufactured with great dedication and precision. Not only are they able to detect variation in temperatures up to 540 times a day and automatically compensate for these changes to maintain high accuracy, but they also have a mechanism that makes the second hand pause exactly at the markers – without vibration.  So, no, these aren’t your average department store quartz fashion watches. In fact, the caliber 9F82 movement is accurate up to a deviation of 10 seconds a year, which is incredible even for quartz standards.

The finish of the movement is beautiful and this is likely why Seiko decided to put a sapphire caseback on the watch. You can truly enjoy the caliber 9F movement. There are no moving parts, but the finish is stunning nevertheless. It’s essentially a beautifully finished plate aside from the visible battery that is being held in place by the stepped crystal.

A view on the Grand Seiko caliber 9F82 movement

Sure, this Swiss replica watch is not for everyone, perhaps due to the design and perhaps due to the quartz movement, or even both. However, it is a fine piece of micro engineering nevertheless and little can be doubted about the finish and quality of this Grand Seiko SBGV019G. But I am assuming that much was clear to you already actually, especially if you are well-versed on the subject of Grand Seiko.

 Appreciation is what it takes to pull your wallet out to be one of the 600 who will own this Grand Seiko SBGV019G. It is not entirely clear why they limited this model to 600 pieces only, but my guess is that it will run out of stock in a very short period. The price tag is €2800 Euro, which is about € 1300,- less than the Grand Seiko SBGV009 I reviewed here. Truth be told, the design of that particular model was a bit more to my own liking, but that one was just over 37mm in diameter, so quite small.

Lebeau-Courally Social channels

— Join Lebeau-Courally on the brand's new social networks!

   

Lebeau-Courally is the only watchmaking firm to have a complete manufacture at its heart that is also wholly Swiss Made – as well as having firmly-established roots in Liège, Belgium, in artisanal workshops founded in 1865.
Now, you can savour this exquisite and unique blend on the web through three brand new channels – 100% dedicated to Lebeau-Courally Watches : Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
You’re just one click away from joining Lebeau-Courally's world, 100%  Manufacture, 100% Belgian, 100% Swiss Made Breitling Replica!

HYT Series C Financing

— HYT and Preciflex announce completion of CHF 23 million financing for new proprietary technological launch.

 

Swiss based HYT SA (HYT) & Preciflex SA (Preciflex) announced today they had successfully raised CHF23 million for the launch of a new suite of Swiss made products that are expected to be available on the market within 36 months. Investors included the founders and existing shareholders, together with Peter Brabeck-Letmathe and the strategic anchor investor, a Swiss-based private asset management company that will also join the Board of HYT S.A.

HYT CEO, Vincent Perriard, commented “we knew we had the right idea, the right business model and the right people to make it happen”. Combining liquids and mechanics is a great paradox, as for more than 500 years; liquid has been the enemy of the mechanical movement. HYT on the contrary actually works and plays with liquids to indicate time. With this capital increase, HYT has now the financial strength to further develop and bring enhanced technologies and new concepts to the market opening an unprecedented era of creativity.’
Co-Founder and Chairman of HYT and Preciflex, Patrick Berdoz, added ‘this is a singular opportunity for us to develop, grow and expand and we thank all our partner investors for this exceptional vote of confidence in our companies and in our people.’ The groundbreaking fluid technology is currently available in the luxury independent cheap replica watch UK industry with HYT’s disruptive and innovative mechanical timepieces that use liquid to indicate the time. Launched in 2012, HYT’s watches are available in 69 points of sale worldwide. HYT was awarded “Best Innovative Watch” of the year by the Grand Prix de l’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in 2012.
This Series C Financing will enable HYT to launch a new proprietary and powerful movement allowing case size reduction in addition to the introduction of multiple fluidic indications.
HYT’s sister company, Preciflex, has various applications in the fields of micro and meso-fluidic that can be utilised in industries as diverse as the horological, automotive or medical sectors. 

Armin Strom Cognac Watch

— To celebrate its partnership with Wealth Solutions in Poland, Armin Strom launches the Cognac Watch, which contains drops of prized 1762 Cognac. 

Private ownership allows Swiss replica watches manufacturer Armin Strom the freedom to explore novel concepts and unusual projects. To commemorate its new partnership with Wealth Solutions in Poland, Armin Strom created a highly unusual wristwatch. The movement of the mechanical timepiece features a small capsule containing a 1762 Gautier Cognac, which was owned by Wealth Solutions.

Armin Strom chief horologist Claude Greisler devised a concept that protects the movement while incorporating the rare spirit. A sealed sapphire crystal disc positioned at 5 o'clock captures the rare Cognac. Manual wind with a five-day power reserve, the watch will be produced in stainless steel, 18k rose gold and titanium cases. On the backside, a hand-engraved design of a bunch of grapes decorates the base plate.
Founded in 2007, Wealth Solutions curates and sells exceptional products, such as art, fine wine and spirits, and watches, to Polish collectors and other clients.

Mouawad Christina Aguilera and Jane Fonda in Mouawad

— Both stars attended the 2016 Clive Davis pre-Grammy’s gala wearing Mouawad diamond high jewelry.

 

Christina Aguilera was shimmering with a set of Mouawad rings and earrings featuring 22 carats of diamonds at a value of $395,700.
Jane Fonda wore a high jewelry set from Mouawad featuring 20 carats of diamond at a value of $225,000.

Greubel Forsey Video. Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision

— Enter the world of Greubel Forsey and discover where and how is produced the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision.

Launched in 2015, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes Vision was awarded the Grand Prix of the “Aiguille d’Or” at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2015. At this year's SIHH, the brand presented an all-new red-gold version of the timepiece.

Bovet Récital 18, The Shooting Star®

— This innovative timepiece offers an hemispheric representation of the universal worldwide time and moon phases.

The Recital 18 The Shooting Star® features a 5-day tourbillon, an hemispheric universal worldwide time with selectable time zone and ultra-compact 24 cities indicator, an hemispheric precision moon phase, jumping hours and retrograde minutes.

Based on the principle that observing the stars has served as a basis for defining time since the dawn of humanity, Pascal Raffy and his watchmakers deliberately looked through the wrong side of their loupes. They were able to gain enough distance to observe the rhythm of the Earth’s revolutions on its axis—and of its elliptical journey around its star, or indeed the ceaseless circles drawn by its natural satellite, the moon. The simple change in perspective brought about by taking this step back helped the observers to gain an overview of the dance of the planets and to grasp its complexity with disconcerting clarity.
As well as understanding the various astral phenomena related to the measurement of time, this newfound perspective also enables us to tell the time in all regions of the globe simultaneously. And it was precisely this broader universal vision that governed the development of this timepiece. Seen from space, the spherical shape of the Earth enables us to observe only half of the surface at a time. Thus was born the idea of representing the entire globe in a single hemisphere. A cartographer was specially commissioned to design this atypical and hitherto unknown 3D map of the world.

 

Récital 18 The Shooting Star. © Bovet

A first hemisphere was thus chosen to represent the Earth and enable the reading of universal time, which is displayed in three dimensions at 3 o’clock. A hand affixed to the North Pole—that is the axis of our hemisphere—follows its curve. It can be assigned to any one of the 24 time zones selected by the user. At its tip, a concentric ring displays the time in the chosen time zone, while the name of the city corresponding to that time zone appears on one of the two concentric rollers indexed to the hemisphere. The time zone hand is another first. Never before had the manufacturer produced a hemispheric hand, with all the difficulties inherent in the high quality required.
The 24-hour ring that surrounds the globe also enables instant reading of the time anywhere in the world. To link the hand of the second time zone to a specific city, simply press the center of the crown. With each successive press, the needle jumps by an angular value of 15°, representing the exact value of the time zone. This action also activates the rollers and the names of the cities corresponding to the time zones indicated by the hand are displayed in sequence.
The choice of two concentric rollers to indicate the cities offers the two-fold advantage of taking up little space whilst providing exemplary readability. The outer roller displays 11 cities simultaneously, then makes way for a window, which opens an aperture to the second roller—arranged concentrically inside the first roller—and displaying the 12th city. This inner roller then turns in order to display the 13 subsequent cities in the aperture. The whole system is controlled by a column wheel.

The hemisphere representing the Earth enables a 3D reading of universal time. © Bovet

The moon phase indicator is also in the form of a hemisphere. Two circular apertures follow the curve of this lunar globe and indicate the age of the moon as seen from the northern and southern hemispheres respectively.
The moon and the starry sky succeed each other in both windows and, although unusual, this representation of the time is both realistic and intuitive. Its highly precise mechanism only requires correction by one day every 122 years.
Each hemisphere is machined in a single piece and their surfaces engraved with the correct relief. The oceans are then filled with luminescent blue material. The craters on the moon are all in white luminous material while the sky and space glow a deep blue in the darkness.

 

Two circular apertures follow the curve of the lunar globe to indicates its age. © Bovet

As near to the mainplate as possible, a flat sapphire disc displays the hours, which are revealed when positioned on a lacquered plate. This digital display makes for easy and immediate reading of the time. In the center of the display, a curved dial displays the exceptional five-day power reserve. A third stratum dominates this ensemble. This section indicates the minutes by means of a retrograde hand. The combination of jumping hours and retrograde minutes raises the technical problem of the synchronization of instantaneous jumps—a complication perfectly mastered inhouse and which has already met with resounding success in other timepieces in the collection. As usual, the dials were manufactured in-house. The juxtaposed surfaces of the curved dials result in a perfect surface, whether in white or in aventurine!
The Shooting Star® Tourbillon is perfectly designed for travel because the corrector enables the hour disk to be adjusted without affecting the minutes, seconds, universal time or indexed time zone. The pushpiece is simply pressed and the watch is easily readjusted to the latest time zone being visited.
To drive all of the complications, the two barrels generate five days of power reserve, all controlled by a tourbillon balance oscillating at 21,600 vph. Three blued masses are positioned on the golden serge, inspired by the shape of the arches that adorned the balances of BOVET pocket replica watches UK in the 19th century. The DIMIER escapement and its specific centering guarantee exemplary performance. Like all components used in the manufacture of BOVET movements, the Shooting Star® is regulated by a hair spring manufactured in the in-house workshops. Performing each of its revolutions in one minute, the tourbillon features a triple seconds-hand, unusually placed under the tourbillon and following a subtly tampoprinted graduation inside the crystal, for a clear and original display.
The decoration of the movement of this Shooting Star® Tourbillon perfectly matches its originality, technical complexity and innovations: the stars, hemispheres and the carriage and tourbillon bridges are hand-engraved.

The incline that describes the movement between the top of the minutes dial and the tourbillon, and the use of the hemispheres, naturally necessitated a new direction for the design of the case which is completely consistent with the vision of this timepiece. A domed sapphire crystal with a very pronounced curve therefore crowns the case of this Shooting Star® Tourbillon. To open the world of this timepiece to the infinite, the watch middle follows a pronounced oblique incline along the 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock axis. The hours disk corrector is positioned at 12 o’clock, for a supremely ergonomic display and positioning that confirm the symmetry of the watch.
The presence of a total of seven domes, including the four hemispheres of the movement, the dials, the tourbillon carriage and the upper crystal lend the ultimate finishing touch to this timepiece. The 2016 edition is limited to 50 pieces.