Tag Archives: Swiss

Patek Phillippe- A critical time for watchmakers- Reblog from CBS Sunday Morning

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It’s about time to look at the extremes of timekeeping, including the watch on my wrist. Small in every way, except for its $25,000 price tag. Martha Teichner examines the Patek Philippe mystique:

http://www.cbsnews.com/common/video/cbsnews_video.swf

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe is discrete about the famous owners of its timepieces. Ostentatious, they aren’t. Expensive, they are.”We generally start about $12,000, $13,000, and we go up,” said Larry Pettinelli, president of Patek Philippe USA. “There are some very complex pieces that are over several million dollars.” Continue reading →

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Merry Christmas from How To Be Swell

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Merry Christmas all you swell readers. My wish for you is to be surrounded by loved ones and enjoying your favorite holiday festivities. I love Christmas, and being a hopeless romantic I am always nostalgic for my favorite sights and sounds of the season. One of my favorite images this time of year is the big city shopping districts all decked out for Christmas, like those immortalized in movies like Miracle on 34th street, Christmas Story, and more recently, Elf.  You can imagine holiday shoppers bustling about carrying packages with large bows for that special someone, and Santa on the street corner ringing bells for the Salvation Army so those less fortunate can enjoy the Holiday as well.

Harry Winston Store in NYC

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The Baume et Mercier Clifton Complete Calendar

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Clifton Complete Calendar Blue DialWhat an absolutely beautiful watch from what is quickly becoming one of the best brands around. It is no secret that I am a huge Baume Mercier fan. They have been doing absolutely everything right lately, from design and craftsmanship to marketing and service. They really are growing into a powerful brand on the level with a number of the luxury makers out there, and at a better value than many. So, it will come as no surprise that I am going to rave about their new Clifton Complete Calendar.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer II

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Explorer II and airking.jpgI am growing into a rather loyal Rolex fan. I do understand the stigma attached; the perceived pretentiousness by the uninitiated. I had felt this way at one time as well. That was until I owned one of my own, I now appreciate the brand for their longevity, history, technical feats, and overall quality and value. I do tend away from the instantly recognizable blingy “look at me” models in favor of the more understated pieces. After all I appreciate a Rolex for what it is, not what it means to everyone else who sees me wearing it. Continue reading →

Rolex Deepsea Challenge

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imageGreat and wonderous things happen when worlds of technology and exploration collide in pursuit of a common ambition. The catalyst of exploration has spurred technology many times in the past, and technological advances have paved the way for some fantastic voyages in history. This wonderous ballet has provided man glimpses of the most magnificent views on earth and in space, as well as some of the most complicated and ingenious gadgets you have ever laid eyes on. You will soon be able to see, on the National Geographic Channel, one such history making adventure. Continue reading →

JFKs watches

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Our 35th president was a man who exuded style and class. John Fitzgerald “Jack” Kennedy  became one of the most popular presidents and his administration was refered to affectionately as Camelot. He garnered respect from politicians on both sides of the aisle, but he also had a fair share of detractors. Some disliked him so vehemently that they were able to take his life on November 22 1963. Of course any discussion of JFK can go in so many directions; His politics are open for debate, his storied personal life, and many rumored trysts make for sordid conversation. He without a doubt left a huge legacy here in america and depending on your perspective will decide the degree of said legacy. I wont be addressing those topics here, I want to talk about Jack’s personal style, specifically his taste in watches. There are four specific watches related to JFK that tell stories of their own. Four distinguished pieces belonging to the president that he wore for various reasons in noteworthy situations. Continue reading →

1964 Heuer Carrera Re-Edition Chronograph

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Admittedly I have over looked Tag Heuer for some time, aside from a couple of models, not much has got me going from them. Of course I do love the Monaco (you may see that in a subsequent blog post). Recently I acquired a great watch from them, and it happens to be a watch they made twice. One of the only watches that they produced under both the Heuer name, and post acquisition by Techniques d’Avant Garde then again under the Tag name (I’ll explain in a bit). Heuer began as a watchmaker in St-Imier, Switzerland in 1860 with foundation of Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG by Edouard Heuer. The company was purchased by TAG Group (Holdings) S.A. in 1985 and Heuer became TAG Heuer. In 1999 TAG Heuer was sold to French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH -Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton. Continue reading →

Bulova Accutron Calibrator

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I am admittedly a watch fanatic, and I believe it’s been to long without a watch post on Howtobeswell. Something exciting is around the corner from Bulova that I have just got to talk about. With both mechanical and quartz designs, Bulova watches are intricately and elegantly detailed, using fine quality materials. Founded in 1875, Bulova is one of the world’s most recognized brands, and reaches a wide range of consumers with its variety of watches and clock offerings.  An independent subsidiary of Citizen Watch Company, Bulova is headquartered in New York City.
 
 At Basel World 2012, Bulova announced a revolutionary advance in timekeeping accuracy- at least for the wearer. They are introducing the Bulova Accutron Calibrator, featuring the External Fine Adjustment System (EFAS). This feature allows watch enthusiasts the ability to control the accuracy of their automatic watches, maintaining 99.99% accuracy simply, and without need for a technician. – Their claim, but from them it carries some weight. 

MIB 3 and the Hamilton Ventura

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On May 25th of this year the movie Men in Black 3 came out. It is starring Will Smith, and Tommy Lee Jones reprising their roles as the Men in Black. In this movie Agent J travels in time to MIB‘s early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history. The film also stars Josh Brolin as the young Agent K, and Emma Thompson as Agent O

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Top Ten Watches of Historical Significance

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I was searching on the internet the other day, stopping at my usual haunts and watch blogs. I was reading all of these great stories of watch histories and it struck me, where can I find the top watches that have really made a mark in history? I did a quick search and I didn’t find any satisfying list compiled, so I took it upon myself to do it.

Here it is; the first thing you’ll notice is that there are more than ten here. Well I took some liberties, and I can, because its my list. I wanted to choose pieces that made an impact, that was he first at something, or contributed something to its legend. I didn’t want to base it on popularity, although the two #10 watches kind of are. Continue reading →