A fascinating world

I have been thinking of what to write again and there were two things which had really caught my attention in the last 2 weeks: a watch and a man behind a watch. So which one to choose? Should I write two entries? But then one entry would get less attention maybe... so then I decided: both are worth our attention.

So, sorry ladies, but I am again talking again about watches for men, but I guess in this industry segment, just like for cars (or more even than for cars) it is a man's world!

Working surounded by watches has some advantages, one of them being that I get the press from all over the world and I can skim through the pages in search for our products, while still seeing the novelties from other brands. So one day I came across the Chopard L.U.C. Louis Ulysse The Tribute. For me it's simply a fantastic watch to celebrate 150 years of manufacture. It might be a bit big and heavy at a case diameter of 49,6mm made of 18k white gold, but it can fit into today's world easily. (Even if it's a total contrast to the ultrathin concept). It's a bridge between tradition and contemporary, not oly because it is an anniversary watch, but also because it can look like a watch worn ages ago: a pocket watch. Look closely: Indeed, this is a pocket watch which can be used as a wristwatch, a great tribute to Karl Scheufele, through a reinterpretation of his invention. The watch is limited to 150 pieces and a price has not been made official yet...

Moving on to the person behind the watch, Baume & Mercier chose a new brand ambassador for its charity campaign called Baume & Mercier & Me. The company with a philantropic legacy has started this campaign in 2005 and now it is my favourite actor's turn to be frontman of this "show": Andy Garcia. In Bucharest I passed by Helvetansa's window and had to turn back because this is really a man who can make you stop and admire. And its his inner values which fit with B&M's views: "The choice of Andy Garcia as Baume & Mercier ambassador is fully justified by the many points in common between the actor and the Geneva based company. Like Baume & Mercier, Andy Garcia embodies a classic elegance, an authentic personality and a charisma imbued with natural and timeless sophistication. His humanism and generosity make him an ideal ambassador for the Baume & Mercier & Moi campaign. The roles he plays and the films he makes attest very often to the importance he attaches to historical heritage, particularly in his film The Lost City, but also to family values. Andy Garcia has been married for 27 years and is the father of four children." (Federation of Swiss Watch Industry http://www.fhs.ch/en/news/news.php?id=766)

So how does the campaing work? Well, Mr. Andy Garcia is offering B&M to make use of his image and reputation for a year. In return, all the royalties he should have got (and the phoographer as well) are transferred to several organizations of his choice. The money will be donated to cancer research, child education, for helping underprivileged women and the struggle against poverty – causes which Baume & Mercier has been actively supporting for some time now.

Isn't the world of watches just fascinating?

What money should buy...

I know, it has been a while, but I am back to work, and it is really hard to still find the time to search for a nice topic. Still, I will make up for it, I promise.

The other day I saw someone writing on someone else, that the second person would love the most to have money. I myself believe that money doesn't bring hapiness, but it really sustains it. Still, a wise buyer with less money will have more in the future than someone who just spends it in a bling-bling kind of way. I was reading an article on Birkin Bags also a few days back,...which is for sure an investment. Bt it is also an investment to get there. Nevertheless, the Birkin might be a topic for the future entries.

Today I want to shortly discuss a tendency with I have noticed in 2010 collections of watches but also at auctions for timepieces: the wise luxury buyer loves to "acheter utile" as they say and turn their heads more and more towards classical and timeless pieces. Mainly Hour-Minute function, some with second or small second function as well.This is the 2010 launch from Piaget, the new Automatic Altiplano Ultrathin 50th anniversary LE. It owns the world's thinnest self-winding movement currently on the market with a thinkness of just 2.35mm. Amazing!

These two were 2010 SIHH Presentations of Ultrathin from Vacheron Constantin. These are the Historique Ultra-fine 1955 (round case) and the Historique Ultra-fine 1968 (square case)., which were added to the HISTORIQUE collection.

Another SIHH 2010 presentation comes from Zenith: Elite 681 Ultrathin, with a selfwinding movement.

Last but not least I am adding a JaegerLeCoultre watch from 2009, the Master Grande Ultra-Thin.

The Classic simple designs are bringing back traditional feelings. They are not considered watches with complications, but the movements have to be of highest precision in while being so thin...and this is the art of watchmaking. It just depends on the buyer if he purchases wisely!

An Education... or translation from the Romanian translation: a lesson for life

Went yesterday out and I landed in front of a movie theatre, bought tickets to An Education, a movie I had wanted to see for months. And it is indeed a movie worth seeing.

I am not going to talk about the actors or the charm the film creates, but of what is and what is not related to luxury. I think this movie is a sweet way of criticizing even the society nowadays. We have all become too materialistic. We label people by the labels they are wearing. If you wear Chanel you are like this, if you wear Guess you are like that, if you wear LV you are in another way...but this judgem,ent is wrong. It is merely a description of what we own and not of what we are and what we were or would like to be.

"What,...you are going to read English BOOKS??? You can read magazines...and you surely learn more from them!"
Unfortunately this is an attitude I have noticed to become more and more frequent in the people which surround us. Even some elder relatives of mine consider that being on TV is far more cool and more intelligent than having taken two university degrees.
"Knowing a famous author is better than becoming one. It shows you're connected." That's Jack's attitude, and after being so harsh on his daughter who would make a great Oxford candidate, he is ready to drop all for some shortcuts. I guess most of us would tend to do that: fast success, fast money, fast glamour. Why make it "hard and boring" like education and honesty?
I guess the answer is also given in the movie, altough Jenny, the main character, throws this line in another context:"If you never do anything, you never become anyone."

So what is the lesson we should remember? Let me just tell you another thing: last year, as a guest speaker to a entrepreneurial contest, Sir Stelios from EasyJet told the crowd that for making it like him you need a rich father. Yes, to make it that fast, maybe. Everybody looks up to Mr Trump, but didn't he also have someone guard his back?

Fact: movie worth seeing. Another fact: education is worth more than posession, as noone can ever take it away from you. Noone can change who you really are, no matter what you have or don't have.