Luxury Swiss watchmaker IWC announced that the one-of-a-kind platinum edition of the IWC Big Pilot – Antoine de Saint Exupéry will be auctioned off by Sotheby’s on May 9th, 2010 in Geneva. The auction called “Important Watches” will take place at the Hotel Beau Rivage from 8:00pm onwards. Sotheby’s will be exhibiting all watches included in the auction in several cities. Unfortunately only the exhibitions in Geneva and Hong Kong will be open to public.
The Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry in platinum is an exclusive icon of Swiss-manufactured aviator watches that is highly distinctive both in terms of looks and functionality. Its sporty elegance features a high-caliber platinum watch case, tobacco brown dial and a special back engraving depicting Saint Exupéry as a military pilot. Its classic functionality and superior mechanical properties also set this watch apart. The IWC-manufactured 51111 caliber with automatic Pellaton winding, 7-day power reserve, power reserve display, Breguet spring and date display make this novel timepiece one of the best in its class, a fact reflected in its reserve price.
The auction will open on 9 May in Geneva at the Hotel Beau Rivage, and the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition Antoine de Saint Exupéry in platinum will be auctioned together with a special edition of the Saint Exupéry biography “L’archange et l’écrivain” by Nathalie Des Vallières at a reserve price of CHF 50,000. The entire proceeds from the auction of this timepiece will be donated by IWC Schaffhausen to the French organization “Enfants du Monde/Droits de l’Homme” (EMDH), which works worldwide to protect children and their rights. In particular, IWC supports projects in Madagascar, where EMDH has been working together with local partners since 1994 to help disadvantaged children.
IWC watches are available exclusively in King Jewelers” href=”http://www.kings1912.com” target=”_blank”>Nashville, TN and Miami, FL at King Jewelers. For more information regarding IWC watches and the IWC Big Pilot – Antoine de Saint Exupéry, please visit www.IWC.com and www.Kings1912.com.
Month: April 2010
King Jeweler’s Expert Watch Repair Division completes certification as an authorized Breitling repair shop
King Jewelers expert watch division recently Breitling watches” href=”http://www.Breitling.com” target=”_blank”>completed Breitling’s watch repair training as master watchmaker Roman Bagairov demonstrated superb aptitude during the three-day class hosted in New York City. Breitling dedicates considerable resources to training highly qualified technicians to repair and service your watch, in accordance with the most exacting standards of quality. The staff of King Jewelers congratulates their Master Watchmaker, Roman Bagairov, for his advanced certification with Breitling. King Jeweler’s will now have access to all Breitling watch parts and Breitling movement banks for Navitimer watches, new B01 watches, Breitling for Bentley watches, Aerospace watches, and more.
King Jewelers” href=”http://www.Kings1912.com” target=”_blank”>King Jewelers Nashville repairs Breitling watches and services Breitling watches for Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, and Alabama. King Jewelers Nashville and Aventura are authorized dealers for Breitling timepieces as well as for over 40 luxury Swiss manufacturers. For more information, please visit Breitling watches” href=”http://www.Breitling.com/” target=”_blank”>http://www.Breitling.com/ or www.Kings1912.com.
King Jeweler’s Nashville completes Phase II as an Authorized Cartier Watch Repair Shop
King Jewelers” href=”http://www.kings1912.com” target=”_blank”>King Jewelers Nashville recently completed Phase II of Cartier” href=”http://www.Cartier.com” target=”_blank”>Cartier watch repair training as master watchmaker Roman Bagairov demonstrated superb aptitude during the three-day class hosted in Dallas, TX. Cartier dedicates considerable resources to training highly qualified technicians to repair and service your watch, in accordance with the most exacting standards of quality. The staff of King Jewelers congratulates their Master Watchmaker, Roman Bagairov, for his advanced certification. King Jeweler’s Nashville will now have access to a great amount of watch parts and Cartier movement banks for Cartier Pasha watches, Cartier Tank watches, Cartier Ballon Bleu watches, and more. To have your watch inspected or repaired, we invite you to call 877.896.5464.
King Jewelers Nashville repairs Cartier watches and services Cartier watches for Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. King Jewelers Nashville are authorized dealers for Cartier timepieces as well as for over 40 luxury Swiss manufacturers. For more information, please visit Cartier.com/”>www.Cartier.com or www.Kings1912.com.
BNB Concept is Dead!!! – The Rise and Fall of the Luxury Watch Movement-Maker
As a watch and art collector, I have a personal interest in design, history, and innovative progress. Over the last decade during the modern watch renaissance, my passion for luxury Swiss timepieces has matured as I found myself gravitating towards fine and unique boutique watchmakers and brands that fused modern technology with the historical precision of Geneva watchmaking. My personal favorite team was BNB Concept, which was founded in 2004 and launched with the support of DeWitt Watches” href=”http://www.DeWitt.ch” target=”_blank”>Jerome DeWitt of DeWitt watches.
BNB became an industry phenom overnight with their innovative and extreme designs, concepts, and creations. Starting with the award winning DeWitt Differential Tourbillon, the BNB team were the immediate rock stars of the 21st century watch world. The company worked with over 30 companies which included Hublot, Concord, Bell & Ross, Franc Vila, and Jorg Hysek, just to name a few. Concord watches” href=”http://www.kings1912.com/timepieces.cfm” target=”_blank”>My favorite BNB creation was Concord’s C1 QuantumGravity!
Yet at Geneva’s SIHH 2010 show this past January, BNB Concept announced that they were going out of business. The company reportedly failed due to heavy debt and an account receivables believed to have been in excess of $10 milllion. To many, the death of the BNB Concept demonstrated the impact of the global financial crisis on luxury manufactures of the niche and boutique arenas.
However, the brilliance and experience of BNB Concept will forever remain in the heart of watch enthusiasts and should inspire a new generation of innovation. This innovation will require sufficient funding as verticalization and acquisitions by major brands will dominate the industry clean-up process over the next five years. According to industry sources, Hublot’s CEO Jean-Claude Biver plans to purchases BNB Concept’s watchmaking machinery and plans to hire at least 30 of BNB’s watchmakers, seven of which belong to the Confrerie. They will work under the new rubric “Confrerie Hublot” that will manufacture Hublot timepieces to sell for more than $250,000.
While the “Confrerie Hublot” watches will eventually be available exclusively at King Jewelers in Nashville, we will all sorely miss the innovative genius and hyberbolic exploration in which BNB Concept amazed our watch industry with year in and year out. I can say that it was an extreme rush when all BNB creations were released at Baselworld each year and it was an honor to have carried and sold numerous BNB watches over the years.
About David King, King Jewelers
David King is the owner of King Jewelers Nashville who has a passion for watches and writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in English and Chemistry, David and his brother Jono King are the fifth generation to own and operate King Jewelers.