Breitling’s Jetman is pretty cool, I have to admit, but that guy has some serious cajones flying across the Grand Canyon with a Jetpack!!! Absolutely amazing footage and a great accomplishment. Congrats Jetman and Breitling!
“GRAND CANYON WEST, ARIZONA (May 10, 2011) — It was his date with destiny, and ultimately the uniquely complex certification process could not prevent Yves “Jetman” Rossy from making his historic flight through Grand Canyon West this past weekend.
Flying his jet-propelled wing attached to his back, and steering only by movement of his body, Rossy launched from a helicopter at 8,000 feet into the breathtaking blue of the Grand Canyon sky. Skimming the rockscape at speeds of up to 190 mph, Jetman sustained flight for more than eight minutes, 200 feet above the rim of Grand Canyon West. To end the flawless precision flight, Rossy deployed his parachute and gracefully descended to the canyon floor.
An earlier flight scheduled for Friday, May 6 was cancelled when final FAA certification was held up due to the difficulty in classifying Mr. Rossy’s one-of-a-kind jet-powered wing. By the time the process was complete, sufficient practice flights were unable to occur prior to the scheduled 9 a.m. flight.
“My first flight in the U.S. is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life, not only for the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon but the honor to fly in sacred Native American lands,” Rossy stated. “Thank you Mother Nature and the Hualapai Tribe for making my lifelong dreams come true.”
Jetman has already won global acclaim for his successful jet-powered flights cross Lake Geneva and the English Channel. But this was the first time he had ever achieved his dream of flying in the purest sense in the U.S. – and his choice of the Grand Canyon, where eagles soar, reflected the deep significance of the site both to Rossy and to the resident Hualapai people.”
Tendence watches has created a special edition watch to help support the Japanese People in wake of the 9.1 magnitude earthquake. The watch runs a very affordable $300, with half of the proceeds going to Japan. Here is the message from Tendence:
“Following the devastating 11th March earthquake and tsunami in Japan many thousands of people have been left homeless and in critical need of aid and support. The incredible strength, energy and determination Japanese people have shown in the aftermath of this atrocious natural disaster could have been misinterpreted by some as a sign that Japan is coping on their own and discourage aid from the rest of the world. But there should be no doubt that Japan is a country in urgent need of help!
Tendence decided to find a concrete way to contribute as much as possible to the relief effort in order to help the Japanese people.
From the new Tendence Gulliver Sport line a special edition watch has been created: “Tendence for Japan”.
Tendence will donate 50% of the proceeds from every watch sold to the Japanese Red Cross, in order to help provide a concrete and ongoing support to those people who need it most.
This special watch will be sold exclusively through the Tendence website in order to enable the maximum proceeds to be donated from each watch sold. For every Tendence for Japan watch bought, the purchaser will receive a certificate in recognition of their support and contribution.”
After only two years, Rolex has replaced former CEO Bruno Meier with Riccardo Marini who was previously the head of Rolex Italia. Reuters Online Reports that this could indicate “possible management problems” at Rolex.
There is some speculation that the reason for the change may be due to internal differences on their level of openness to the outside world. This has not been a secret obviously since in this age of transparency and the Swiss Bank shakedown, clients appreciate knowing where there money is going.
Bruno Meier was finance director prior to his appointment as CEO of Rolex and was the first CEO outside fo the Heiniger family in nearly half a decade. This move by Rolex definately shows what appears to be some instability after such solid management for so long. The Hans Wilsdorf Foundation controls the company, and the driving force behind these changes.
Riccardo Marini, shown above, has much better style and pizzazz. Something that I think Rolex could benefit from! Just look at his Italian flair.
Here’s the Tag Heuer Carrera Chronograph video review I just uploaded to Youtube. Hope you guys enjoy it. The Carrera Chronograph is one of my favourite Tags, and in this classic 41.5mm case looks fantastic on my wrist. Check out the video and let me know what you think!
