TAG Heuer celebrates its 150th anniversary at an invitation-only event. Leonardo DiCaprio was among the events 600 guests. DiCaprio has an ongoing partnership with the company that benefits the NRDC and Green Cross International. The night also served as the premiere of the Grand Carrera Pendulum, a 2010 concept watch that does not use a hairspring. Jean-Christophe Babin, president and CEO of TAG Heuer, explained how it works: "In the regulation system, we simply replaced the traditional hairspring with magnetic fields. TAG Heuer invented the oscillating pinion in 1887; the Mikrograph, the first counter that was accurate to a 100th of a second; and the V4, with its belt-driven transmission system. Now, we are introducing another major innovation, and another example of the pioneering spirit that has imbued us for a century and a half."
Photo: Elon Music, JC Babin and Leonardo DiCaprio/Tag Heuer
Kim Clijsters, the reigning and two-time US Open tennis champion, is the newest Brand Ambassador for the Citizen Signature timepiece collection. Kim Clijsters, won the US Open Championship in 2005 and returned as an unranked wildcard in 2009 following a 27-month absence after the birth of her daughter. She promptly won the 2009 US Open Championship, and in the process became the first unranked wildcard to win a Grand Slam event in over 30 years.
Kim Clijsters said, "I am very proud to be an Ambassador for the Citizen Watch Company. Citizen has had a long affiliation with tennis as the Official Timekeeper of the US Open, so a partnership with Citizen is a natural choice for me. Passion has always been a critical part of my tennis game, just like the passion that Citizen has put into The Signature Collection."
Jessica Simpson is adding watches to her growing fashion collection. The Jessica Simpson Collection already include shoes, footwear, swimwear, luggage, jewelry, kids clothes and more. Peoplereports that the Camuto Group, which licenses the Jessica Simpson Collection brand, have hired Pascal Mouawad to design the watch line. Jessica says, "Collecting watches, both vintage and new, has been a hobby of mine for some time so adding watches to the collection was a natural extension."
The watch collection will include 35 different pieces selected by Jessica Simpson. They will go on sale this fall with a price range of $60 to $250.
American speed skating star Apolo Anton Ohno has been named as a ambassador for Omega. Ohno will wear Omega's Seamaster Planet Ocean Olympic Timeless Collection Chronograph. To celebrate his relationship with the brand, Ohno will visit the recently-opened Omega Boutique in Vancouver for a special appearance following his performance at the Winter Olympic Games. He will also visit the Omega Flagship Boutique in New York City for a special appearance when he returns to the United States.
"In my sport, where the difference between a gold, silver and bronze medal comes down to 1/1000 of a second, Omega's cutting-edge timekeeping technology and unmatched accuracy give me the confidence to keep my focus on performing my absolute best," said Ohno. "I am proud to partner with Omega here in Vancouver and help celebrate the brand's rich Olympic history. It is an absolute honour to receive their support and be part of a brand that means so much to the Olympic Movement."
Omega is also the official timekeeper of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Japan Todayreports that thieves stole over 200 high-end watches worth over $3 million from Tenshodo, a jewelry store located in Tokyo's high-end Ginza shopping district. The robbers bored a hole into the concrete wall of the Tenshodo store to gain entrance.
The hole was made in a gap between the building housing the Tenshodo store and a neighboring building, they said, adding that the watches, including Rolexes, had been taken from glass showcases in the basement floor.
The concrete exterior and plaster interior walls were broken through, allowing access to a staircase connecting the first floor to the basement, police said.
The theft is believed to have taken place after a security guard patrolled the basement at 4:20 p.m. Friday. Security guards are stationed at the building around the clock.
The police won't say how many thieves were involved in the robbery.
Julianne Moore will be the face of Bulgari's spring summer 2010 jewelry and watch campaign. The campaign was shot by photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot in a Beverly Hills house. Peoplereports that Julianne will model Bulgari's "115-carat Colombian teardrop emerald earrings, Serpenti snake bracelets and the label's new 'Chandra' bag in chestnut and Prussian blue leather." You can see a very brief preview of Julianne Moore's Bulgari photo shoot below.
Accenture has already left Tiger Woods because of his string of tawdry affairs. CBS News reports that AT&T and Tag Heuer are considering dropping Tiger Woods as well.
For now, his other sponsors are sticking with him. AT&T and luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer both say they are evaluating their relationship with Woods. Nike, whose golf equipment, marketed around Woods, brings in $800 million a year says, "We look forward to his return to golf."
Perhaps no one is looking forward to Tiger's return more than the sponsors of the San Diego Open, formerly the Buick Open, at Torrey Pines - the first PGA tour event of the year Woods usually attends.
"It is somewhere between 15 to 25 percent additional income from those tournaments that have Tiger versus those that don't," said Tom Wilson of the San Diego Open.
Tag Heuer makes both men's and women's watches under its Tiger Woods Professional Golf Watch brand. Both men and women now have a diminished view of Tiger Woods because of his sex scandals but a women's Tiger Woods watch is going to be an especially difficult sell going forward.
French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac has launched his first watch collection in a partnership with odm. The watches come in six colors: green, blue, yellow, black, white and red. You probably don't need more than one watch per arm but you could.
Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini designed this limited edition black PVD Twirl watch specifically for Gucci's partnership with FFAWN. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each limited edition Twirl watch will be donated to FFAWN, an organization to help women gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their full individual potential that was founded by Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute. Gucci will donate $100 from the sale of each Gucci for FFAWN watch to the organization.
"Mary J. inspires all of us with her songs and now through her commitment to the empowerment of disadvantaged young women," said Giannini. "We are proud to support Mary's Foundation and the special edition Gucci Twirl watch that I have designed is a symbol of this partnership."
The Gucci for FFAWN twirl watch retails for $1,895. You can find out more about it here.
Movado, a swiss watch brand, partnered with artist Kenny Scarf for a line of limited edition watches. W Magazinereports that the original idea was just for one watch, but Kenny Scharf had lots of good ideas.
It’s no surprise, then, that when Efraim Grinberg, Movado's president and CEO, invited Scharf to trick out the firm's iconic Museum watch, the painter got a bit carried away. Rather than design one timepiece, as Grinberg had suggested, Scharf delivered a slew of ideas. "It was hard, but we narrowed them down to what we thought was a diverse group of offerings," says Grinberg, who purchased Scharf's 1983 painting Brazil after meeting the artist three years ago.
Six different watch designs were created. They will be sold at Movado stores as a set of six for $3,495 and individually for $695. Luxist says the names of the six watches are Movado Time, Blurple Time, Universal Time, Starring the Star, Ontime, and Time Flies.
Gucci creative director Frida Giannini has designed a limited-edition black PVD twirl watch to raise money for Foundation for the Advancement of Women. The watch is adorned with black diamonds. There is also a FFAWN engraving on the back of the watch case. FWD says the watch will debut at Gucci's Fifth Avenue flagship store on September 16th. The next day it will be available for purchase at Gucci's other stores as well as upscale department stores.
Speidel, a 105-year-old watchband distributor and manufacturer, has gone into receivership - a version of bankruptcy in Maine. JCK reports that the company's assets will go up for sale within 90 days. The Providence Journalreports that the Providence Watch Hospital, a watch repair business owned by Speidel, has also closed. National Jeweler also has a report on Speidel's bankruptcy filing.
This is a new watch from Issey Miyake called the Hu watch. The watch was designed by Ross Lovegrove. The organic shape of the watch is made from titanium and silicone materials. The unusual watch does not have a second hand. The dial of the watch slopes slightly to help make it easier for the person wearing the watch to read.
Gebson is a new fine-art Swiss watch brand based in Neuchatel that launched its first wristwatch collection on June 6, 2009. Gebson is part of the Geb Group Ltd that belongs to a family renowned since three generations for its complex watch cases. The impressive 18k yellow gold dragon watch pictured above is from Gebson's Earth & Sky collection. The dragon is set with yellow sapphires and engraved in fine details by hand.
Toy Watch USA has launched a line of watches called jelly watches. First Lady Michelle Obama wore an ultra violet neon purple Jelly watch during her Eiffel Tower visit. The Jelly watch cases and straps can be mixed and matched. You can see the many bright colors available here.
One complete watch costs $175. Extra cases and straps cost $65 each. You can see a brief video that shows how they work here.
Accenture has 
Speidel, a 105-year-old watchband distributor and manufacturer, has gone into receivership - a version of bankruptcy in Maine. JCK 
