Love the Explorer!
(Source: fresh-arab, via fabforgottennobility)
(Source: watchesnbeer, via speedmaster)
Officine Panerai opened its first Asian flagship at ION Orchard in Singapore last month. The manufacture feted the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 12.
The evening was co-hosted by Panerai, Soon Su Lin, Chief Executive Officer of ION Orchard and Andrea de Felip, Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of Italy.
After a tour of the 120-meter space – the largest Panerai boutique in the world – guests were ushered to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), where the manufacture’s history, as well as a selection of timepieces from SIHH 2012, were showcased in all their glory.
This boutique will play an extremely important role in the retail expansion of the brand in the region.
Panerai Oro Rosso
(Source: fabforgottennobility)
First look into the halls of BASELWORLD 2012.
Wisdom of wrist time
On October 16th, 2008, Albert Einstein’s wristwatch—a discreet gold rectangular Longines dating from 1929—realized an astounding $596,000 at Antiquorum’s New York auction. The connection with Einstein elevated a single, simple Longines wristwatch into Patek Philippe territory. It is an example of just how much a simple watch with a dignified history can fetch. But it was not always this way.
A half-century ago, pocket watches and wristwatches were being melted down for their gold and their movements scrapped. The cost to history of losing countless timepieces to the smelters is hard to estimate.
Top Ten Collectables
Some vintage watches, like prime real estate, will never decrease in value. Why? Because they’re out of production, and therefore of truly finite availability. Collectors covet them, and compete for them, so you’re as likely to find them in an auction as in a top vintage watch store, such as Somlo Antiques. As with vintage cars, provenance and condition add to the price. Add a famous owner’s name, like Duke Ellington, Elvis or Lawrence of Arabia, and you can often add a zero.
1. Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona (up to £80,000)
2. Pre-1990 Panerai (£10,000-£50,000)
3. Rolex Explorer 1 or 2 (£2,000-£15,000)
4. Any Patek Philippe complication (the sky’s the limit)
5. IWC’s Mk IX, Mk X and Mk 11 military models (£1,500-£6,000)
6. Rolex Milgauss (£15,000-£30,000)
7. Rolex Prince Brancard white-and-yellow-gold striped (£10,000-£20,000)
8. Audemars Piguet “Schaeffer-shaped” minute repeater (£20,000-£25,000)
9. Vacheron Constantin 1910-30, larger-sized original tonneau (£20,000 and up)
10. Early Breguet wristwatches, pre-WWII (£5,000-£50,000)
Five for the Future
Watches whose value are likely to rise over time
1. Patek Philippe Nautilus “Jumbo,” 1970/1980s models
2. A. Lange & SÖhne Pour le Mérite 100 pieces, first series
3. Anything made by Philippe Dufour
4. Early Richard Mille
5. Any Panerai limited editions of 50 pieces or less
Our afternoon. How was yours?
Some of these watches look familiar … very, very familiar!!
(via speedmaster)
