The Breitling Watch Blog

Gresso, a manufacturer of luxury mobile phones, has entered the Luxury Wrist Watch market with their first watch at Baselworld 2010. The watch features a big 45mm case, available in 18K Rose or White gold, and features the rotor on the front of the watch face next to the dial in a side by side configuration. The movement uses a modified ETA 2671, and is named the Gresso G1. The watch has two crystals on the front and two on the back and one more somewhere else, which I cannot find, all sapphire. It claims that it is the first watch with 5 Sapphire Crystals. Production will be limited to 100 watches in each metal.

Specs:
Diameter: 45mm
Height: 12mm
Movement: Gresso G1 (Base ETA 2671)
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds
Price: $60,000

Breitling will introduce the Unique Single production Breitling for Bentley Grand Complication pocket watch, dedicated to Walter Owen Bentley, the founder of the prestigious Car Brand.

The movement consists of almost 700 parts, and was built from a 19th century watch movement blank. The watch features perpetual calendar (displaying the date, day, month, leap years and moon phases), minute repeater striking the hours, quarters and minutes on demand.

The watch case is 18K Yellow Gold, and features a sapphire display back revealing the one-of-a-kind movement.

With Baselworld 2010 just over a month away (Mar 18-25), watch fever has hit a lot of the forums with hot discussion on what the new models will be, spurred by the pre-release materials that various watch companys have released to the public.

Watch brands that will be featured at Baselword include Rolex, Breitling, Longines, Hamilton, Harry Winston, Epos, Ulysse Nardin and Omega among many others.

Sounds like the guys at Tag are going to keep their relationship with Tiger “Woman-Eater” Woods. I don’t really have a comment positive or negative. I personally things its overly done and i’m sure there are plenty of other ambassadors and world icons that have committed adultery. Nobody’s perfect. But whatever. At least we know they’ll still have the Tiger Woods watches.

“The partnership with Tiger Woods will continue,” said Jean-Christophe Babin, President and CEO of TAG Heuer, “but we will downscale the use of his image in certain markets for a period of time, depending on his decision about returning to professional golf. We will continue to actively support the Tiger Woods Foundation”

I decided to start a new site called Strapaholics, since I have found myself gravitating more and more towards watch straps in recent years. At first, every single watch in my collection was on a bracelet, but lately, that number has become more like 50/50. Half my collection is watch straps now, and I want to bring strapmakers and strap collectors together now. I don’t want to just focus on Panerai Straps.. I want to focus on all sorts of straps… Everyone is welcome, come to the site and join the forum!!

Richemont has opened a second school of watchmaking, this one in Hong Kong. The art of watchmaking has become much more popular with as mechanical watches once again become status symbols and coveted objects of desire, even more so than they ever were before.

Visit the IOSW site here to see their info on the new school in Hong Kong. The first school that Richmont opened was in Texas, USA.

The partnership between the bladesmith Johan Gustafsson and watchmaker Patrik Sjögren aims to provide truly unique watches with inspiration from the cold north of Scandinavia.

GoS proudly presents Blizzard and Aurora, two new designs based on an dramatic explosion Damascus steel pattern. Both dials are etched to enrich the contrasts but while the Blizzard is uncolored, the dial of Aurora has been given a lustrous green-orange color to resemble northern lights, Aurora Borealis. Traditional Lappish techniques has been used to make the reindeer strap of Aurora, which leather has been naturally tanned without any chemicals.

The watches are equipped with a beautifully finished Unitas/ETA 6498 pocket watch movement. The finishing has been done by the swiss company Soprod, that also have further improved the movement to chronometre grade standard with a screwed balance.

Specifications Blizzard – GoS 010:
- Case: 44mmx12mm
- Lug width: 22mm
- Glass: Flat sapphire glass (case back mineral)
- Movement: Swiss manual movement ETA 6498-1
- Modifications by Soprod
- Cote de Geneve finishing
- chronometre grade adaptations, screwed balance
- Dial: Hand forged Damascus steel with a hand shaped chapter ring in grade-5 titanium
- Crown: Oversize in Damascus stainless steel with large gold fitted diamond
- Hands: polished steel finish
- Polished stainless steel mesh strap

Specifications Aurora – GoS 009:
- Case: 44mmx12mm
- Lug width: 22mm
- Glass: Flat sapphire glass (case back mineral)
- Movement: Swiss manual movement ETA 6498-1
- Modifications by Soprod
- Cote de Geneve finishing
- chronometre grade adaptations, screwed balance
- Dial: Hand forged Damascus steel with grade-5 titanium index markers.
- Crown: Oversize in Damascus stainless steel with large gold fitted diamond
- Hands: Polished and blued
- Handcrafted and naturally tanned reindeer strap with traditional Lappish tin ornamentation

Find out more about these watches here:
http://www.urmakare.eu/pressrelease/GoS-watches-Blizzard-Aurora.pdf

The Patek Philippe Caliber 89 is going on sale on Antiquorum. This unique watch only has 4 peices in existence: One in white gold, one in yellow gold, one in a rose gold, and one in platinum. There are 33 different complications on this watch… Patek Philippe Caliber 89, stuff that dreams are made of. Hit up Antiquorum if you have the scratch Estimated 4,500,000 to 5,500,000 Swiss Francs selling price. Auction is Novemenber 14-15th, 2009.

More info on the Patek Caliber 89