Collectible Watches

Every style conscious individual must have heard of the name Chopard. The House of Chopard has been the proud manufacturer of high end luxurious jewelries, superb watches and many other accessories. They have become timeless symbols of classic beauty and taste. Chopard watches are elegant and functional. Chopard is a family owned business and its success is completely based on the determined family members.

Beginning

The story of Chopard started as a humble beginning in a small village of Switzerland in the year 1860. It was started by Louise Ulysses Chopard. The accomplishments of Louis earned the company a permanent place in the watch making industry. Amongst all the popular watch makers and jewelers, Chopard is now a popular name. After Louis Ulysse Chopard, the company was taken over by his son Paul Louis who further expanded the company to La Chaux-de-Fonds and further to Geneva. Next, the company was transferred to Paul Andre, the grandson of Louis Ulysses in 1943 who continued to enhance the growth of the company with his expertise and skills. It was a major supplier of timepieces during World War 2.

The family tradition ended when the son of Paul Andre were not interested to be a part of the company. He decided to partner with Karl Scheufele to move forward the company. Karl was a German jeweler who belonged to the famous jewelry dynasty. He retained the family name of the company and contributed to the success, reputation and excellence of the company. This merger with Scheufele turned out to be profitable for Chopard watches as the company reached heights. After this partnership, Chopard started making more advanced and technical timepieces. The brand flourished with the genius and the technical advancements of the timepieces.

Recent History

Karl Scheufele's children Karl-Freidrich and Caroline joined the business and presently look after the men's and woman's collection respectively. The talents and the passion for perfection of their father were also present in their genes and this no doubt led to the success of the company. Apart from the timepieces, many jewelry items such as bracelets, pendants, rings and necklaces are also available under this brand. Presently, the brand has unique collections like the Elton John collection dedicated to his campaign against AIDS and the ladies collection which includes sports watches and fashionable watches.
In March 2010, the company celebrated its 150th anniversary. Chopard celebrated this occasion with some beautiful animal themed collection of timepieces. The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique is a blend of classical charm and timeless technology. Chopard timepieces have many more bountiful collections for its wearers. You can easily find a jewelry themed Chopard watch for parties or a casual timepiece for a regular use. These lovely timepieces will surely attract the attention of every individual apart from adorning your wrists.

By Tisha Wells

Refer to http://www.dejaun.com/Collections/Chopard/18500001/EN/1 if you are looking for Chopard Watches. A Chopard Watch is accurate and functional along with being elegant.

In 1995 when Pierce Brosnan took over the role of James Bond, Omega began their very successful relationship with the James Bond franchise. In his first film, Goldeneye, Brosnan wore the Omega Seamaster Quartz Profession (model number 2541.80.00). However, the producers wanted Bond to look for sophisticated so they changed the watch model to the Omega Seamaster Professional Chronometer (model number 2531.80.00) in later movies.

Prior to Goldeneye, Bond was known for wearing the Submariner watch. However, with the change in product placement in movies, Omega were much happier to work with the Bond franchise and supply products and finance, something their predecessor avoided.

In 2002, for the 40th anniversary of Jame Bond, Omega released a limited edition (10,007 units) of their watch, model 2537.80.00. This was identical to the 2531.80.00 apart from the blue watch dial had the 007 logo inscribed across it and machined in to the caseback. 007 was also inscribed on to the clasp.

The most recent Bond, Daniel Craig from Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace, wears the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean and Seamaster Diver 300M in Casino Royale. He even mentions Omega by name when he is questioned by Vesper Lynd. Again, for the launch of this film, Omega released a 007 special of the Professional 300M watch. This featured the 007 gun logo on the second hand and a rifle pattern on the watch face.

In 2006 Omega again released a limited edition James Bond watch. This was a Seamaster Planet Ocean model with a limited run of 5007 units. This had a small orange 007 logo on the second hand, an engraved 007 on the clasp and an engraved caseback.
In Quantum Of Solace, Bond wears yet another Omega watch, the 42mm Seamaster Planet Ocean with a black face and steel bracelet. Yet again, Omega released another limited edition to capitalize on their exposure in this blockbuster movie. This watch featured a checkered PPK grip face with the Quantum Of Solace logo over it.

Over the course of 5 movies from 1995 to 2008, the Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300M was worn by James Bond. These are a stainless steel bracelet fitted with a blue dial and unidirectional rotatin bezel with a blue ring and a sapphire crystal.

The Omega Seamaster range of watches are seen to be sophisticated and elegant, the kind of watch that would fit the suave super spy. With their tie in to the James Bond franchise, they have gone from strength to strength and have raised significant awareness of their brand.

Many James Bond fans have gone on to buy the Omega watches due to the product placement and the limited editions have proved very popular because of the tie-in with the movies.

By Jayzn Johns

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jayzn_Johns

Cartier watches are a thing of beauty. They are the perfect choice for the night out on the town or the business meeting. Their style is high class and professional, something that can work for any important event. Cartier itself is a French company that's been around for a decades and does much more than even watches.

Cartier was founded in 1847 in Paris by Louis-Francois Cartier. His three grandchildren were the ones who launched Cartier as a worldwide brand. They produce jewelry and accessories of all kinds, but where the first company to make the men's wristwatch. The story goes that a Brazilian aviator complained the pocket watches were impractical when flying, as it was not easy to check the time. Louis Cartier (the grandson of the founder) decided to make a watch that would fasten to the wrist. The first men's wristwatch was made, though it wasn't the first wristwatch ever. That was created by Pantek Phillipe, but for a woman.

Some of Cartier's other firsts were the first water resistant design and the first deployment-folding clasp, both of which are used in thousands of watch models today. They pioneered a lot of the features we look for in our timepieces.
In 1907, Cartier signed a contract with Edmond Jaeger, a man who was to help exclusively supply Cartier watches around the world. Cartier had branches on New York, St. Petersburg and London and was becoming one of the most sought after watch brands in the world. Everyone at the time wanted Cartier watches.

Cartier has a history of serving royalty, all the way back to King Edward VII. Cartier was awarded the Royal warrant of supplier to the Royal Court of England, as well as courts in Spain, Portugal, Russia, Greece, Egypt, and several others. They also currently serve a wide range of celebrities and stars. To own a Cartier piece is to really feel a part of royalty and fame.
Currently, Cartier has 200 stores worldwide and sell everything from leather goods and accessories to their beloved Cartier watches. Their watches run in the thousands, up there with the best of the best luxury brands and prices. Their movements are Swiss mechanical automatic, which means they are self-winding. Their cases are often made of solid gold.

Cartier watches have the highest reputation that accessories can have, with their royal associations and fine materials used within their make up. They are definitely the a top luxury watch brand and highly sought after.The Watchery, provider of 100% genuine brand-new watches including Chopard, Ebel, Concord, Baume and Mercier and more!

By Mark Etinger 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Etinger

Girard Perregaux is a vintage watch brand whose origins date back to the early 1791. The inception of the Girard Perregaux brand dates back to the 1856 post the marriage of the Constant Girard with Mary Perregaux. The year 1791 holds significance because it was in this year that Jean Francois Bautte came to sign his own watch and formed a watch making company that was into covering every single process of the watch production cycle. The company formed by him undertook designing as well as assembling and manufacturing of their watches.
Girard Perregaux watches has put in real efforts to create the one watch company of all times. This involves a constant approach towards designing something new and innovative. This feat is achieved by bringing together the best from all around the globe. This brand depicts the coming together of competent engineers, designers and craftsmen from all over the world in the pursuit of creating something new and out of the box.

This watch brand is not only known for creating watches but also for designing movements all by themselves. Some of the leading examples are the Quartz Movements, Tourbillion and the Chronograph. The efforts put in to create a watch that is Girard Perregaux in the true sense of the word reflects the vintage style and feel that has come to be associated with these watches. The evolution of these watches through history definitely depicts an upcoming visionary brand. It is a brand that had the forethought to know that the market for pocket watches was going to be taken over by wrist watches.

Creations from Girard Perregaux watches have not only made it to the pages of history because of outstanding style and beauty but also because of the breakthrough technology that has been devised. The classic style of these watches definitely sets them apart from the rest. The brands have come to be labelled as a classic because it has held on to its original designs and conventional vintage style. Adherence to old designs is how it has achieved the feat of being known as a luxury watch making brand.

These watches are also much known because of the breakthrough technology they are modelled on. At the end of the day, it is not just designs that Girard Perregaux has given to the world; it is more of a legacy of technology that the watch industry is going to cherish and revere for years to come. The recent years have been a witness to some expansion activities from the watch brand of all times. The company has greatly taken to opening subsidiaries on a global scale in places like Japan, United states etc.

The brand indeed has a rich legacy of watch making. Some pioneering creations like a balance wheel that can cross the mark of 36, 000 alterations every hour and the 32.768 Hz quart movement have helped it make to the pages of history. A Girard Perregaux watch is truly a Girard Perregaux watch for every nook and cranny of the watch has been designed and produced by the company itself.

Girard Perregaux is a watch brand that is known for creating classic watch pieces. Their timepieces are not just one in a million owing to their designs and make, but the technology that is at work behind each of these watches is equally awesome. Constant innovation and re-inventing has helped the brand to become one of the most cherished brands of all times.

By Denis Boulle

The history of Vacheron Constantin brand begins in 1755 when it was founded by Jean-Marc Vacheron and continued in 1819 when François Constantin joined the company and years later the engineer Georges-Auguste Leschot, the brand becoming one of the oldest in the world, keeping its tradition in watch manufacture until nowadays, developing techniques and designs that have revolutionized the watchmaking world.

The Vacheron Constantin watch manufacture is best represented by its timepieces of an exceptional technical functionality and unique aesthetic quality, surprising every time the watch experts and avid collectors with every creation released.

Without a doubt this Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle line is very demanded among collectors because every time impresses by a new advanced timepiece. This time it presents a new Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph Watch, a remarkable timepiece which brings homage to the watchmaking tradition of the brand.

This revealing timepiece amazes ones again the watch experts by the advanced technical and aesthetic quality that characterizes this remarkable brand. Extremely elegant and stylish the Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph watch can be harmoniously fitted to a formal or casual outfit.
It features a 42mm round case created with 18 carat pink gold material also found in the bezel, perfectly matched with a brown alligator leather strap, keeping all the aesthetic points of the Patrimony Traditionnelle line.

The legible white dial is provided with black indexes, gold accents on the hour hands and a 60 minute chronograph counter and a small seconds counter. The dial also features a tachometer scale on its rim and it's protected by sapphire crystal.

This incredible new timepiece is animated by the 1141 caliber chronograph movement that beats inside, oscillating at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour, generating thus 48 hours of power reserve. There is no wander that the experts have appreciated this movement as one of the most advanced because of the technical and aesthetic quality.
The Patrimony Traditionnelle Chronograph watch is definitely one of the best representatives of the Vacheron Constantin watch manufacture, remarkable for elegance, unique design and advanced technical functionality.

By Keysha Karina 

Find more Vacheron Constantin Watches for men's and ladies at WatchSource.Eu and WatchSites.Net.

Sometimes things start out in the most surprising ways. Take the watch company of Casio for example. If you were asked to guess what the first product that was made by Casio, you may think it was the calculator or some other type of electronic product. You would be wrong. The Casio Company was started 1946 by Tadao Kashio. Understand that this was in Japan following World War II. The financial situation was dire in Japan at the time to say the least. When Mr. Kashio began his company, he was a fabrication engineer hoping to catch a big break.

His big break showed up in a very unique way. Tadao Kashio developed a product called the yubiwa pipe. Its design allowed it to be worn on the finger. It was used to hold a cigarette, allowing the smoker to smoke the cigarette to the filter, all while still being able to use both hands. In the impoverished Japan of the times, cigarettes were a hot commodity and the product was an overwhelming success. The yubiwa pipe is a far cry from the calculators and watches that were to follow, but it did start the company down the road to success.

Since it is obvious that Mr. Kashio was an inventive sort of man, it only took a little while for him to decide to explore different products. At the business show in Ginza, Japan in 1949, he discovered electronic calculators. With the proceeds from the sale of the yubiwa pipes, Mr. Kashio and his brothers began to experiment with making their own calculators. At the time, most calculators were run by the use of gears. With diligence and hard work, the Casio Company came out with the first calculator to use solenoids. The new type of calculator went on sale in 1954. This calculator also was the first to have the 10 digit keypad and had only one display window as opposed to the competitors' that had three.

As you well know, calculators weren't the only product manufactured by Casio. After the release of the Model 14-A calculator, many more products were designed and released to the general public. The same year as the release of the 14-A, the company also became the Casio Computer Co., Inc. This is about the time when watches from Casio first made their mark on the watch industry. Casio has been well known for the huge variety and innovation of their watches almost since the beginning of production. They were one of the first watch companies to manufacture the now famous quartz crystal watches. The quartz watches produced by Casio were available in both digital and analog styles. It is possible that the most well remembered watch produced by this company was the calculator watch. For those of you who don't remember, it featured all of the amazing time keeping capabilities of the regular Casio watches, with an added feature. It had a tiny calculator complete with miniature keypad built into the watch. During its hey day it was the bane of math teachers everywhere and the savior of every math deficient student.

Considering the calculator watch was so much fun, Casio continued to raise the bar. This company was also the first to design and produce a watch that could provide its owner with some interesting details. One such watch could display the time of many different time zones at the touch of a button. Others were equipped to give weather details like the temperature and barometric pressure. Mountain climbers of ages past particularly were fond of the version that came with a gauge to indicate the altitude. While other watch makers were stuck on the same old, same old, Casio consistently offered new and exciting variations on the classic wristwatch.

With the true gadget geeks of the world in mind, Casio came up with a watch just for them. It is the Wave Ceptors line of watches. They really outdid themselves with this one. These watches are equipped to receive radio signals that enable the watch to keep accurate time. They also are able to tell the time in different time zones, the user can set alarms and timers. This line of watches also came with an incredibly extensive user manual to provide all of the necessary instructions to the owner.

From the yubiwa pipe to the finest calculators and watches in the world, the Casio has come a long way from its humble beginnings. They continue to challenge themselves and their competitors to new higher peaks and offer the best products electronics can build.

By Zai Zhu 

Zai Zhu is a watch collector and a watch dealer. Visit Discount Watch Store to learn more about watches. You can also shop over 3500 styles fine watches including many Casio watches, Mondaine watches, Bulova watches, Accutron watches, Wittnauer watches, Citizen watches, Seiko watches, Invicta watches, Luminox watches as well as other brand name watches such as Adee Kaye, Corvette, Croton, Lucien Piccard, Orient, Perigaum, TW Steel, and Wenger.

Over the years Seiko have produced some truly innovative watches and set the benchmark for other manufacturers to follow.

Seiko as a watch manufacturer was born way back in 1881 when they started to produce classically-styled pocket watches. They introduced the chronograph pocket watch in 1941 and soon after aired their first TV commercial in Japan.
In 1973 they started to manufacture some watches that were really technologically-advanced. They produced the world's first six-digit LCD quartz watch. Their 'world firsts' didn't stop there either, they continued to set new standards in the watch industry, each time making the watches more and more innovative.

Seiko also manufactured the world's first TV watch with a sound recorder and the world's first watch with computer functions.

In 1987 Seiko served as the official 'timer' at the second IAAF World Championships that were held in Rome, this gave them the opportunity to get world-wide TV coverage as many athletes posed next to the official clock as world records got broken.
Then, in 1992 Seiko were the official timers at the famous 25th Olympic Games that were held in Barcelona. They continued to act as the official timer for years to come, ensuring that their brand was visible on a large scale.

As well as manufacturing conventional and classically-style watches Seiko also continued to produce technologically-advanced watches that were way ahead of their time. In 2006 they produced the world's first watch with an electrophoresis display module - this was a truly futuristic watch and won acclaim and awards from people in the industry.

In 2005 Seiko launched the 'Seiko Spring Drive', which was a movement that provided up to 72 hours of power - as opposed to the usual 40 hours, which again shows their desire to continue making waves with up-to-the-minute innovations.

Seiko is probably best known for its wrist watches, and obviously they are particularly well known for their advanced technology. Seiko are one of the few manufacturers who produce their watches and all of the movements entirely in-house. The Seiko range includes watches for both ladies and gents, with leather or metal straps.

They even produce a 'Divers Collection' range which consists of waterproof watches. These Seiko watches come with a rubber strap and still retain their unique 'Seiko styling'.

By Lucy Penn

Lucy Penn is an online marketer and researcher who is currently researching Seiko Watches at [http://www.mooresjewellersltd.co.uk/category/Shop_For_Watches_By_Brand/Seiko].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lucy_Penn

Citizen Watches is one of the largest producers of watches in the world. The company has its beginnings back in 1918 when the Shokosha Watch Research Institute was formed in Tokyo, Japan. The mayor of Tokyo, Mr Shimpei Goto, wanted to see the company succeed, saying it was important that "people appreciated and benefited from the institute's results." It was the ordinary citizens he was concerned about, and with that thought in mind, things started to progress. In 1924 the company produced a luxury, yet affordable, pocket watch, which it named The Citizen. The idea was that the watch would be available to ordinary citizens. The idea worked better than the company could ever have imagined it would at the time.

Over the many years between then and now, Citizen Watches have been the pioneers of many innovative developments in watch technology. Their groundbreaking advances in watch technology have been truly impressive. For example, in the early 1950 the Citizen Watch Company produced the Citizen Calendar, the first watch in Japan to feature a date mechanism.
The Parashock watch, introduced in 1954 gave the world its first shock resistant watch produced by a Japanese manufacturer. The Auto, the country's first automatic-winding wrist watch, was produced in 1958, and in 1959, just one year later, Citizen Watches produced Japan's first water resistant watch, the Parawater. Other important developments in watch technology continued to keep the company ahead of its competitors.

The Citizen Watch Company have the honour of producing the world's thinnest watch, the Diamond Flake. This they did in 1962, and 41 years later they did it again by launching the Stiletto, the world's thinnest watch powered by light. This watch is truly revolutionary. It is a mere 4.4 millimetres thick, and it features an advanced eco-drive technology.

The Citizen Watch Company started to export their watches in 1936, initially to parts of Asia, but by the late 1950s they were exporting to the People's Republic of China, and by the early 1960s they started to export to the United States through an agreement with the Bulova Watch Company. By the mid 1960s they had started exporting to Europe. Their first Citizen Watch Company office in Europe was opened in Germany in 1965.

Conclusion

Citizen Watches have been at the leading edge of watch manufacture for decades, and they show no signs of slowing down or stopping in the early part of the 21st century either.


By Martyn Bramley 

Martyn Bramley invites you to take some time out and think about treating yourself to a new watch!
Buying from Watch-Site is easy. We are official retailers for all of the brands listed on our site so you can be sure that each product is 100% genuine, competitively priced and comes with an approved manufacturers guarantee.
Visit our website today http://www.watch-site.co.uk or give us a call on 0191 2965111.

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