February 17, 2011
© Courtesy Ralph Lauren
We first spotted this Ralph Lauren watch at the annual Salon International de la Horlogerie watch fair in Geneva. We've been fans of Ralph Lauren's überelegant Slim Classique model since the designer debuted it two years ago, but add the diamonds and a purple satin strap and our admiration turns to utter devotion. While we're dreaming about this watch, we're trading in the brown crocodile straps on our own timepieces for ones in the royal-purple hue. Ralph Lauren 42MM white-gold Slim Classique with one row of baguette diamonds and purple satin strap, $41,700; ralphlaurenwatches.com.
March 23, 2012
Keith Sirchio
For the past three days, New York’s expansive Park Avenue Armory has been devoted to an exhibit celebrating the 40th anniversary of legendary Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak—which was the first sports watch honored by Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie when it debuted, in 1972. The exhibit features the work of three contemporary artists, Sebastien Leon Agneessens, Quayola and Dan Holdsworth, who drew on the Royal Oak’s history and origins to create installations with sound, sculpture, photography and light. These pieces serve as the backdrop for displays of 100 Royal Oak watches, which show the evolution from the original design to the latest pieces. Most fascinating for horologists and laymen alike is the opportunity to see a brocading dial machine (one of only 11 the company uses) close-up as it creates a dial, and to chat with Audemar Piguet’s master watchmakers, who are on hand to demonstrate their craft—under microscopic lenses, of course.
The exhibit’s final day in New York is this Saturday, March 23, after which it will begin a yearlong tour, with visits to Paris, Beijing, Singapore and Dubai. The first stop is Milan’s Triennale Design Museum, from April 17–22.
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Ave.; 212-744-8180; audemarspiguet.com
April 26, 2012
Courtesy IWC Schaffhausen
Opened April 25, the Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen’s first U.S. flagship, on Madison Avenue, is the company’s largest outpost worldwide (3,000 square feet) and features themed rooms for each of its six watch “families”: Aquatimer, Portofino, Ingenieur, Da Vinci, Portuguese and Pilot’s Watches. Each room reflects the spirit of its appointed collection. The Aquatimer room recalls the ambiance of a deep-sea dive, with scuba equipment and floor-to-ceiling underwater photography; the Pilot’s Watches display includes a flight simulator. Also worth checking out is the IWC Collection, a specially curated selection of accessories and adventure gear encompassing items like a professional diving kit (to match the Aquatimer Automatic 2000) and a remote-control airplane. With the exception of the Hong Kong store, this high-octane collection is only available at the Madison Avenue flagship. At 535 Madison Ave.; iwc.com.
May 09, 2013
Photo courtesy of Michael Kors/ Dylan Griffin for BA Reps
Michael Kors wants to watch world hunger disappear—with a little help from new editions of its best-selling Runway timepiece, designed in collaboration with actress and philanthropist Halle Berry. The brand is releasing four unisex 100-Series designs ($295 each)—its first product created exclusively for an international philanthropic effort—and updating the bold, iconic lines of the classic Runway watch with a stainless-steel case and a gold- or silver-tone band. The dial, etched with a map of the world, is available in turquoise or navy.
For each purchase, the Watch Hunger Stop campaign will donate 100 meals to undernourished children across the globe through the United Nations World Food Programme. As a reminder of the wearer’s gift, the back of each watch is engraved with “1 WATCH = 100 MEALS,” alongside Kors’s signature.
The ultimate goal? One million meals distributed to countries like Bolivia, Uganda and Bangladesh—and thousands of ambassadors for the cause wearing their support on their wrists and watching the campaign’s march to the finish line (there have already been nearly 250,000 meals delivered) via a tracker on the project’s website. destinationkors.com.
