
Hamilton Jazzmaster Face 2 Face Limited Edition

I was in Minneapolis a few weeks back listening to a speaker at a gemology event. I had some spare time before the event started so I took a stroll through downtown. I ended up in the US Bank Plaza (nice building) on a quest to look at some jewelry or watches, or whatever else I could find to play with while I was there. Continue reading
Wow, what a mouthful in that name! Well, that’s because this watch can do a lot, really it is quite impressive. Citizen has been long known for some advanced technology in its watches, and this is no exception. Now, when you are dealing with quartz movements you can add some pretty impressive features, take a few of my favorite complicated quartz movements such as; the Tissot T-Touch, The Citizen Radio Controlled world timer, and of course the Breitling Emergency. Continue reading
Okay I admit it, I am a sucker. I love cross promotion, I fall for product placements, and believe brand ambassadors. There are literally hundreds of examples of great partnerships and cross promotions out there; The James Bond Omega, Breitling for Bently, and Ball for BMW. Product placement has been around since Thomas Edison and Moving Pictures, and Mad Men is a show that is built perfectly for and flawlessly executes good product placement. For seasons Five and Six, the “Mad Men” creators are going at the idea of cross promotion and going at it hard. I admit they have some great ideas and it has worked on me yet again. That’s why I am writing about it here; a two-part series on Mad Men Marketing.
One year ago I shared my first post on my own Baume et Mercier Capeland, so I thought it proper for the one year anniversary of How to be Swell I would again write about a Baume Mercier Capeland, only this time one that unfortunately isn’t in my personal collection. The Capeland flyback chronograph was part of their re design the year before last. The flyback is at the top of the Capeland series that was redesigned to a more classic shape and dial design harkening back to the gilded age of horology. Baume & Mercier describes it as: The sport-chic Capeland epitomizes a relaxed lifestyle and strength of character. This charismatic series resolutely embodies shapes, colors and authentic functions that uniquely represent the brand’s universe of seaside living at its best.
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This may not be a new and exciting timepiece for everyone, but for me it is an all time favorite, that I have yet to write about. The Cartier Roadster had been a “Holy Grail” watch for me for a long time. You know the type, that piece that you would want to acquire using any means necessary, but has always been just out of reach. Rest assured my crusade was not in vain, I’ve made my conquest and this watch rests in my personal collection. I didn’t consider this to be a grail watch because of some technical prowess, or revolutionary complication, the feeling was purely about style and design. Being the car aficionado that I am, when I first laid eyes on this watch and understood its nuances, I was captivated. I knew that I would have to have this object of beauty. It was unmistakably the most interesting watch that I had ever seen.
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The history of Montblanc dates back to 1906 when a Hamburg stationery trader, a Hamburg banker, and a Berlin engineer decide to produce fountain pens. The gentlemen eventually created the Simplo Filler pen Company, based in Hamburg Germany and co-owned by the three; Claus-Johannes Voss, Christian Lausen and Wilhelm Dziambor. In 1910 they introduced the”Montblanc” fountain pen and by 1913 the Montblanc star was trademarked. In 1935, after nearly 25 years of business in pens and stationary, they branched out and began a separate leather goods production works in Lämmerspiel Germany, to make small luxury leather goods and to build upon their existing products.