Bvlgari and Chopard – Edgy Dress Watches

Connoisseurs seeking a dress watch today have more choices than ever before. In the past, dressy watches were pretty much one flavor—small, and usually very conservatively styled. While many very fine watches of this type are still available, there are also a range of watches which dress up well, but offer a more offbeat aesthetic which will appeal to those seeking a bit more edge.

The Chopard L.U.C Twist, and the Bvlgari Bvlgari-Bvlgari XL watches both exemplify this type of unconventional dress watch. These watches share in common the feature of intricate two-tone dials which have strikingly differentiated hemispheres bearing different textures; very different from the monochromatic aspect of traditional dressy watches, these dials are extremely elegant but are unusual and immediately striking, as well. Larger sized cases of 41mm respectively, as well as an unusual off-set crown in the Chopard also differentiate these watches from the old school norm.

With extremely fine movements (a re-worked Frederic Piguet manual wind in the Bvlgari, and a Geneva Seal-hallmarked Manufacture caliber in the Chopard), luxurious 18K gold cases, and superb straps, these watches satisfy the expectation for uncompromising quality which has always been associated with the best dress watches.

The Milus Herios Handwinding – An Attractive Square Dress Watch

Milus has been getting a fair share of press lately for their very cool Herios TriRetrograde watch, (and the identically functioning ladies’ Merea TriRetrograde) with the unique three-sector alternating retrograde seconds complication. While I think the attention these distinctive watches have been getting is justified, I also find much to admire in the brand’s simpler models.

I think Milus has done a fine job with the very elegant Herios Handwinding watch, for example. There are not too many slender, dress watches on the market with a bold square profile, and this watch certainly meets that criteria. It is very attractive, with a nicely executed details. The way in which the slightly modernized Roman numerals are applied over a contrasting circular section is particularly fine, and the lance-type hands are also very successful at conveying classicism fused with a modern air.

F.P. Journe’s incredible Sonnerie Souveraine watch – Extreme Complexity Made User-Friendly

Complicated watches are pretty amazing. Hundreds of parts united in the space of mere millimeters, driving all kinds of stunning functions that never cease to fascinate. There is a downside to such breathtaking pyrotechnics, and it’s directly related to Murphy’s infamous law which states, “what can go wrong, will go wrong”. Simply put, highly complicated watches are much more fragile than ordinary timepieces, and many demand great caution when handling and operating them.

This brings me to the F.P. Journe Sonnerie Souverain watch, which is just amazing to me, based upon the nature of what Francois-Paul set out to do. He took what is widely considered to be the most intricate and fragile mechanism in all of haute horlogerie (the “grande et petite sonnerie”) and went back to the drawing board to create an incredible wristwatch which is user friendly, engineered to prevent catastrophic damage due to improper operation, and yet performs as well or better than existing sonnerie watches. Five years of intensive development, and 10 patents later, his watch was complete, and it is impressive, both as an accomplishment of fine watchmaking, and as a testament to the engineering brilliance and tenacity of Francois-Paul Journe’s mind–a spark of which is in fact present in each F.P. Journe watch.

Bursting with Color this Spring 2008 – The David Yurman Ladies Thoroughbred Watches

The latest trend alert buzz from Vogue magazine is accessories all colors of the rainbow. Vogue picked out a few key ladies watches with vibrant, stunning color straps that will add color and spark to any outfit. These watches will glam up your black outfits or add even more awesome color to already colorful style. Here is a Vogue ladies watch choice: the David Yurman Thoroughbred Chronograph watch with diamond hour markers on a burgundy-wine alligator strap. David Yurman made a strong name for himself with his sterling silver twisted cable jewelry and he recently launched his line of fashion watches in a variety of colors with the rounded square case shapes. His Thoroughbred collection of luxury watches are purebred winners!

The Omega De Ville Co-Axial Ladies Chronograph – Bursting with Color this Spring 2008

The latest trend alert buzz from Vogue magazine is accessories all colors of the rainbow. Vogue picked out a few key ladies watches with vibrant, stunning color straps that will add color and spark to any outfit. These watches will glam up your black outfits or add even more awesome color to already colorful style. Here is a Vogue ladies watch choice: the Omega DeVille Co-Axial Ladies Chronograph watch with date window, green dial, green alligator strap and baton hour markers.

The Cartier Santos 100 Ladies Watch with Orange Strap – Bursting with Color this Spring 2008

The latest trend alert buzz from Vogue magazine is accessories in all colors of the rainbow. Vogue picked out a few key ladies watches with vibrant, stunning color straps that will add color and spark to any outfit. These watches will glam up your black outfits or add even more awesome color to already colorful style. Here is a Vogue ladies watch choice: the Cartier Santos 100 watch with an 18k gold bezel and a stainless steel case with roman numeral hour markers.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph – Cutting Edge Sports Luxury

Audemars Piguet’s CEO, Georges-Henri Meylan has been known to comment with humorous irony about the unexpected chart smashing success of the Royal Oak Offshore. Before reluctantly going forward with the Offshore in 1991, Audemars Piguet was initially quite skeptical of it, fearing this now famous oversized watch to be a novelty with no legs. Well over a decade later, the Offshore, of course, is Audemars Piguet’s ultimate cult creation.

Keeping up with all of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore watch variants can be quite a challenge. However, for 2007, I doubt that many will dispute that the most outstanding from a point of innovation is the radical Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph. Featuring a groundbreaking case made entirely from forged carbon, wedded to an optimized regatta countdown function with flyback chronograph, this Offshore timepiece has been lusted after by AP cognoscenti from the moment it was announced.

To me, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Chronograph is both enticing and controversial at the same time. On the one hand, I love the pure sports-bred look, functions, and design of this timepiece–on the other side of the fence, the forged carbon case, being so extraordinarily light feels somehow “wrong” in such an exquisite and costly luxury item. Still and all, I really admire the audacity of this timepiece–it represents a revolutionary watch design pushed to the extreme.

The Blancpain Leman Complete Calendar Moonphase – A very fine, yet versatile Triple-Calendar watch

One of my favorite classic complications is the simple complete calendar (day, date, and month) with moonphase. This type of watch–also known as a “triple-calendar” was very popular during the 1940’s and 1950’s. Although produced by a range of manufacturers today, perhaps my favorite is the Blancpain Leman Complete Calendar Moonphase watch.

This Blancpain timepiece has the wonderfully balanced look that is the hallmark of all good complete calendar watches. The moonphase disc is at six o’clock, and right above it is the window-type displays for the day of the week, and the month; the date is shown by the classic and very charming pointer hand, with a little crescent that frames the date, making it easier to read.

Like all the models within the Leman watch collection, Blancpain has engineered this timepiece to be water resistant to 100 meters, an excellent level of protection that makes it very practical for day-to-day wear, as well as suitable for swimming and general water immersion; the fact that the crown and caseback both screw-down gives an extra level of security that I really appreciate over its dressier sibling, the Villeret Complete Calendar Moon Phase. Also very nice is the slightly sporty aspect that the luminous sword-shaped hands and luminous markers give the dial–the elegance is there, but this Leman is also versatile enough to work with more casual clothing as well.

Go geometric with John Hardy

Love, love, love. This is what I think every time I set my eyes on a John Hardy piece. He fills my conscience with joy, hope and lust as all his pieces come guilt-free - John Hardy is known not only for his beautiful craftsmanship, but for his dedication to the environment. Only more of an excuse to splurge on yourself with this John Hardy sterling silver necklace which features varying geometric shapes scattered along the chain. So grab this shiny piece to accessorize your New Years in style.

Uneek diamond studs add some spice

Santa forget your biggest wish this Christmas? Don’t wait til next year, be your own late Santa with these Uneek Diamond studs. These Uneek earrings are a colored spin on classic round brilliant cut studs with pink diamonds accents. I think we can all agree that no one can resist these pink diamond accents, but if pink isn’t your thing, these beauties also come in a yellow diamond version, proving that Uneek has something to fit anyone’s distinct style.