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Luxury Swiss Watch Manufacturer Ulysse Nardin Opens Second U.S. Boutique at the Aventura Mall

AVENTURA, Fla., (BUSINESS WIRE)

Luxury Swiss watch manufacturer Ulysse Nardin, the leader in timepiece invention and innovation, announced the opening of its second mono-brand boutique in the United States at the Aventura Mall. The 775 square-foot boutique features a collection of over 100 of its finest timepieces, including three models from the Limited Edition Boutique Exclusive line, all presented in a sophisticated, nautical inspired setting.

 

"We are pleased to expand our 166 year-old brand even further into the South Florida market," said Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of Ulysse Nardin. "South Florida timepiece aficionados show great enthusiasm for our unique pieces, and we are thrilled to provide them with another destination where they can find limited edition timepieces."

 

The Limited Edition Boutique Exclusive line includes the Blue Toro, the Freak Diavolo Platinum, and the Blue Executive Dual Time. The Blue Toro is a limited edition certified chronometer with a self-winding perpetual calendar that is conscious of leap years, so it doesn't have to be reset. The Freak Diavolo Platinum pays tribute to the original Freak's pioneering spirit by expanding its use of silicium and taking its tourbillon to new heights. Named after its devilish-in-appearance power-reserve backing it showcases unrivaled advancements in technology, materials and design and is limited to 10 pieces. The Blue Executive Dual Time is comprised of a patented Dual Time system with pushers that instantly adjust the hour hand to a different time zone while the home time indicator continues its' 24 hour cycle.

 

Ulysse Nardin prides itself on the custom personalization of its timepieces offering guests the option of making their limited edition piece truly one-of-a-kind by engraving a personal inscription on the timepiece's serial number plate.

 

In addition to the brand's two boutiques, Ulysse Nardin timepieces can also be found at 65 authorized retailers nationwide. The Aventura based boutique is an addition to the U.S. headquarters and flagship boutique both located in Boca Raton. The headquarter houses the company's only service center in the U.S. and includes six Swiss-trained watchmakers.

 

Ulysse Nardin's exclusive timepieces are produced in-house with 250 craftsmen in the company's production facility in Switzerland where 20,000 timepieces are created annually. Unlike other luxury watch brands that mass produce their timepieces, Ulysse Nardin produces extraordinary timepieces in limited numbers.

 

About Ulysse Nardin

Swiss Watch Manufacturer Ulysse Nardin, founded in 1846, has been dedicated to excellence for over 166 years in manufacturing mechanical watches. Among the most reliable ever made, Ulysse Nardin's marine chronometers are still sought by collectors around the world. Ulysse Nardin continues to be in the forefront of watchmaking technology by pioneering new materials in manufacturing high precision movement components and most innovative timepieces. The company's U.S. offices are in Boca Raton, Florida and can be reached by calling 561.988.8600 or visiting www.ulysse-nardin.com.

 

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50179058&lang=en

SOURCE: Ulysse Nardinn

IWC Schaffhausen Takes Off at SIHH

2012 is the year of the pilot’s watch at IWC. With five new models, the Top Gun collection establishes itself as an independent formation within the IWC Pilot’s Watch family. The year’s high-flyer is the Top Gun Miramar: a tribute to the place in California where the myth of the elite pilots was born. Find wallpaper images inside.

“For the new Top Gun Pilot’s Watches we drew on our long tradition of manufacturing unusual deck watches. In the 1940s, Pilot’s Watches made in Schaffhausen were widely used as so-called B watches for flight navigation,” explains IWC CEO Georges Kern.

Two Top gun Miramar models are offered: the three-hand Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Miramar and the Big Pilot’s Chronograph Top Gun Miramar, both measuring 48mm.

Kern continues: “Since the main priority for navigation is optimum legibility of the seconds and minutes, these two were often the only indicators shown on the outer ring; the hours would be relatively small and appeared on a central ring. This particular detail inspired IWC’s designers to display the hour circle and the chapter ring separately on the dials of the Big Pilot’s Watch Top Gun Miramar.”

Careful thought was given to the aesthetics. The gray ceramic case and the matte anthracite dial combines to produce a tough yet refined military look. Camouflage colors such as beige for the hands and chapter ring, together with green for the strap, heighten the effect.

The textile strap borrows from tough fabric webbing belts. It is complemented by two high-tech materials, typical for Top Gun, that were introduced to watchmaking by IWC as early as the 1980s: zirconium oxide for the case, along with titanium for the controls and the watch back.

Original Article by Mike Disher

The latest figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS)

The latest figures from the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) have revealed a rise in demand for bi-metallic watches following a sharp increase in export sales volumes.

The FHS said that, alongside the continued rise in demand for gold timepieces, bi-metallic watches “showed the same trend”. Demand has accentuated the overall performance of Swiss watch exports, the value of which increased 16% at the end of 2011.

In total, bi-metallic gold and steel watch exports increased 15.8%, with 117,500 timepieces exported in November last year with a value of $449 million USD.

In the UK the trend for bi-metallic watches also appears to be on the rise. WatchPro has spoken with a number of Swiss watch brands and retailers in the UK to find out how sales of mixed-metal timepieces have fared, and the news largely upholds the latest export figures.

The most popular styles at Citizen are two-tone watches with a combination of steel and rose gold plate, something that Daniel Brown, director at multiple watch and jeweler retailer Beaverbrooks has also noticed.

Brown said that there has been a rise in bi-metallic sales and while it has been hard to pin this to a particular brand, rose gold appears to be the metal of choice, teamed with steel or yellow gold.

Anthony Burten Shaw, retail director of Laing the Jeweler in Glasgow, stockiest of brands such as Audemars Piguet, Rolex, Cartier and Omega, concurs that there has been a rise in its bi-metallic watch sales. “Rose gold and steel is very popular and yellow gold and steel is getting strong again. Traditional styles are coming back,” said Burten Shaw.

Advertising campaigns such as that for Longines’ Dolce Vita steel and rose gold watch starring British actress Kate Winslet have also helped to raise the profile of bi-colored timepieces, pushing them back into the mainstream, and onto the public’s wrists.

A closer look at the entry- and mid-level bestsellers of online watch retailers such as the Watch Shop and TH Baker’s The Watch Hut reveal that some of its top timepieces are bi-metallic.

Amid the Watch Shop’s most popular men’s watches, a sporty looking bi-metallic Rotary with blue-colored bezel and dial is its best-selling two-tone timepiece, while watches by Michael Kors and Seiko are also high ranking.

For women, bi-metallic watches appear to be a little more popular, perhaps due to the accessibility of wearing both gold and steel simultaneously, making the watch easier to match with jeweler.

Demand from women is something that brand director and head of global strategy at Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zahra Kassim-Lakha, has also noticed. “We do see an increased demand of bi-metal watches, mostly for women,” she explained.

Meanwhile back at the retail end of the industry, Cottrills business watch manager Stephen Drake said demand for gold and steel timepieces has remained constant across its stores in Cheshire and Lancashire with women taking the helm.

“I would comment that this type of watch is more trend orientated as opposed to being influenced by price increases,” he said. “Ladies in the UK have finally taken up the mantle set by our more adventurous European counterparts and wearing a man-sized watch has become second nature. It also offers ladies a larger product portfolio to choose from.”

As the last figures from the FHS show, bi-metallic watches are an area of the market that can be tapped into from both the high-end Swiss watch brands – TAG Heuer and Rolex are behind some of the most classic bi-metallic watches – and also at the entry-level end of the scale, with fashionable timepieces.

Of the FHS figures, gold plated silver watches also enjoyed a boost at the end of 2011 with export figures for gold plated timepieces jumping an impressive 99.4% in November last year compared to 2010, with an export value of $6.38 million USD. Gold watches continued to enjoy high export figures, with a 24.3% year-on-year increase in export volumes in 2011 with a value of more than $628.9 million.

Article by Kathryn Bishop