Friday, December 31, 2010
Estate of the Day
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Estate of the Day
We checked out Charleston's most expensive home and probably one of the top listings in South Carolina. Sword Gate House, shown above, which is still holding firm at $23 million as is a Coeur d'Alene, Idaho home listed at $17 million. And whether you interested in an art gallery of a house in San Francisco, a Tuscan villa or Hamptons classic, we've got some decent price reductions in this batch.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Estate of the Day
There are two parcels currently being utilized for the broodmare operation that measure approximately 335 acres total. That property contains two 12-stall broodmare barns with modern foaling facilities, a 24-stall yearling barn, round barn, mega-dome arena, 27 paddocks, run-in sheds, including two large sheds with four stalls each, and two residences. A 92-acre parcel includes the Georgian Neo-classical main residence and the Cape style guest house. It's also home to the only year-round operating synthetic track on the east coast, an indoor riding arena, 2 enclosed eurosizers, 47 stalls, 31 paddocks of which 17 are covered. The entire property is priced at $13.5 million, with the 92-acre parcel available separately for $7 million.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Estate of the Day
One of the most expensive homes, the Lake Bluff, Illinois home Landsdowne, built for the heirs of the Rand McNally map empire, remains on the market at $15.465 million. It was a month for penthouses and several of them are still on the market. You can pick up a Palms Place Las Vegas penthouse for $4 million, one of the most luxurious penthouses in Coral Gables, Florida has had a couple million pared off its price and a stunning Tribeca penthouse has held firm at $28 million. The complete breakdown is after the jump.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Today's Jewelry
Most IWI watches feature a round, lugless case design with the crown fixed to the top of the case. They look a bit like wrist mounted stopwatches, and have colors that seem to mach the colors of racing suits and race cars. IWI also has a pair of chronograph watches that are the CH-O and CH-R. These titles simply stand for Chronograph Orange or Red. I quite like the simple designs and integrated quasi-bund style strap. The thick leather straps have red or orange contrast stitching and have over them 45mm wide steel watch cases. The style looks really cool. IWI didn't invent this concept, but it isn't commonly used. The large watch case are also stopwatch in style (also known as "bullhead") with the crown and pushers places on the top of the case.
The dials are neat looking and straight forward. Colorful, and easy to read. Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA automatic movement. Either a Valjoux 7750 or Valjoux 7753 I would guess. Possibly an ETA 2894 though. The watches are said to each be limited to 500 pieces. Price for the IWI CH-O or CH-R is 3,295 British Pounds.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Estate of the Day
Units have upscale appliances and finishes with knotty alder cabinetry wood flooring, granite countertops, GE Profile stainless appliances, GE stack washers and dryers, Jacuzzi tubs, gas fireplaces, high-speed Internet wiring, ceramic bathroom flooring, and a designer's palette of muted paint colors and premium finishes throughout. Property amenities are designed for vacationers with a fitness area with lockers and a steam room; indoor pool; indoor and outdoor hot tubs; and outdoor fireplace and deck; sports lounge; youth game room; reading lounge with a fireplace; ski lockers with boot warmers and a ski season shuttle to Beaver Creek and Vail.Prices start at $349,000 for a two-bedroom on the second floor and zoom up to $1.099 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, prices that are approximately 50-67% of the 2008 pricing.
Today's Jewelry
Using all natural stones, the watch has almost 10 carats of diamonds on it and 1106 stones all over the watch. Look at the size of the diamonds on the bezel! Diamonds include white as well as naturally yellow diamonds. Tiret says that the watch was recently featured in a diamond exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London - where other high-end diamond decorated watches were displayed. While not mechanically complex, the special Tired watch for Usher is an interesting look into the life of Usher, and at the types of products that Tiret makes. According to them, the brand only makes custom timepieces and jewelry at this time. Usher is said to have paid $250,000 for the bespoke timepiece.
Usher, a known owner of several watches, does not claim to be a serious watch enthusiast. He prefers the showiness of timepieces as well as the jewelry component. Actually, given many of the watches that Usher has, this Tiret is of the most showy. Usher seems to prefer more classic mechanical timepieces with a masculine edge to them. The box that Tired supplied the Usher watch in doubles as a humidor for 78 cigars and also has a motif of Usher's face on it.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Estate of the Day
Today's Jewelry
At 42.5mm wide, the steel case is blackened with something Dievas calls 6SteelBlack (might be some type of PVD application process). The dial is really where all the "wow" is, with its mix of black on black and "fluro" yellow. The neon yellow hands and square hour markers (all with applied SuperLumiNova luminant) are really remarkable looking against the black colors of the dial. The rotating bezel is bi-directional and can serve to indicate a second timezone.
The watch has a sapphire crystal and the case is water resistant to 50m and has an exhibition caseback. Inside is a Swiss ETA 2824 automatic movement. Dievas pairs the Reaper with a black calfskin leather strap that has been treated to be water resistant. The back of the strap is yellow.Price for each of the 50 Dievas Reaper pieces is $1,080, and you can get one here.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Carmelo Anthony
Since entering the NBA, Anthony has emerged as one of the most well-known and popular players in the league. He was named to the All-Rookie team, to the All-Star team three times and to the All-NBA team four times. Anthony has led the Nuggets to two division titles and to the playoffs every season since his rookie year. In 2009, he helped the Nuggets advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1985. As a member of the USA national team, Anthony won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics.
Anthony was born in the Red Hook projects in Brooklyn, New York City. He was born to a Puerto Rican father and an African American mother. His father, after whom he is named, died of cancer when Anthony was two years old. When Anthony turned eight, his family moved to Baltimore, where he honed not only his athletic skills, but his survival skills. Kenny Minor, one of Anthony's childhood friends, said, "from drugs, to killings, to anything you can name that goes on in the roughest parts of town, we've seen and witnessed hands on. Those are the things that teach you toughness and keep you mentally focused on your goals." Sports would serve as an important diversion from the violence and drug dealing that were pervasive in the housing projects a few blocks from the homes of Anthony and his friends.
Anthony has two brothers, Robert and Wilford, a sister, Michelle, and a half-sister, Daphne. His mother, Mary, is African American and his father was Puerto Rican. In 2004, Anthony became engaged to La La. Their son, Kiyan Carmelo Anthony, was born on 7 March 2007.[107]Anthony and La La were married by Michael Eric Dyson on 10 July 2010 at Cipriani's in New York City before 320 guests. The ceremony was filmed by VH1 for use in a reality series on the couple, titled La La's Full Court Wedding.
Today's Jewelry
Interestingly enough, the Transocean moves away from a core element that exists in almost every current Breitling watch - a rotating bezel. The lack of this design element so popular to Breitling watches really make you take are second look at the piece to see what brand it is. While the dial is extremely true to Breitling's core aesthetic, it has been toned down, and given a more genteel personality. Applied metal (steel or gold) baton style hour markers and recessed chronograph subdials help add depth to it. Aside from the tachymeter scale, there is little to busy up the face. Lume is placed as thin strip in the hands and as dots behind the hour markers. The angularity of the hand and hour markers add a utilitarian and purposeful looking, contrasting the roundness of almost all the other design features.
Retro concepts carry to the style of the pushers as well as the flared lugs (this style lug was so popular in the 1960s). An interesting design note is the "double" bezel." The polished bezel gives way to the domed sapphire crystal over the dial but you can see another strip metal directly under the crystal next to the exposed bezel - interesting. Breitling will offer four versions of the Transocean Chronograph to start. At 43mm in width the dial will be available in black or "mercury silver," in a steel or 18k red gold case.
The watch uses Breitling's now well-known in-house made Caliber 01 automatic chronograph movement. You can see the movement through a sapphire caseback window. The 01 is known as a relatively affordable in-house made chronograph movement compared to some of Breitling competitors. Breitling also provides the watch movment with a COSC Chronometer certification. The Transocean in comes with an optional mesh metal bracelet, and all versions are available with a leather or crocodile strap. Not sure about all the prices, the steel version is said to have a starting price of $7,600. As an added bonus, the first 2,000 steel and 200 red gold Transocean watches will be available as limited editions only. After that the Transocean will be part of Breitling's standard product line.
Estate of the Day
The home was used as a conference center on race relations issues. Walker died there in 1919 and it was inherited by her daughter A'Lelia Walker who owned it until she died in 1931. It then became the Anne E. Poth Home for Convalescent and Aged Members of the Companions of the Forest in America. The home is on more than three acres. The 30-room mansion has eight bedrooms and elaborate details including the original bronze chandelier, stained glass windows, intricate moldings and coffered ceilings. The renovated kitchen provides access to the outdoors. The property includes a large renovated carriage house and a reflecting pool. It is listed at $6.8 million.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Today's Jewelry
The watch is mostly white in tone, with a 35mm wide steel case, bezel lined with 49 diamonds, more diamonds on the mother-of-pearl dial, and two hearts. No Valentine's day watch can resist the inclusion of red hearts! The first is used as the hand on the date indicator dial on the watch face, and other other is a bit higher-end on the luxury scale being a heart-shaped ruby located on the bezel at the 12 o'clock position.
Blancpain includes their in-house made Calibre 6763 automatic movement that is visible through the sapphire caseback window. A watch like this feels like a men's model turned femme - which inherently it is. The watch doesn't exclude girliness, but it rather a stately gift for a mature and sophisticated woman (that has a penchant for fine mechanical watches). Blancpain will make only 99 pieces of this 2011 Saint Valentin watch and it should be available early next year. Interestingly enough, it comes in a box that is little locked treasure chest. There is an accompanying white gold heart (wearing a corset) that is opened to reveal the key. Personally I would want a written letter from her saying that whatever is in the box will satisfy her Valentine's day expectations.
Estate of the Day
Monday, December 20, 2010
Today's Jewelry
In a sense I write about the Hysek brand because I am a fan of the man who started it - Jorg Hysek. Problem is that Mr. Hysek is no longer affiliated with the brand (and has his own stuff like HD3). For super villains of the world who need a piece on their wrist to match their complex, dark, and stealthy mannerisms, this watch might do. What I really want to see if a guy in shorts mowing his lawn with one of these one. The watch will be limited to just 30 pieces and be available soon.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Estate of the Day
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Estate of the Day
Today's Jewelry
The second timezone is located "digitally" on the left of the dial. That is the second timezone hour indicator, and the minutes are read with the main minute hand. There is also a "big date" indicator and subsidiary seconds hand. Nice looking and functional right? The case is 40mm wide and available in steel or 18k rose gold. The white bezel is in ceramic, as are the pushers on the left of the case to change the second timezone. The strap is either in white rubber or alligator. The Executive Lady collection is unique in style and mixes modernity with some classic aesthetics nicely.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Estate of the Day
Estate of the Day
Today's Jewelry
The design gave the rectangular case the ability to flip over while wearing the watch. When turned over, the original Reverso had an all metal surface where the watch face would be. This space was also popular for custom engravings and personalized messages. At least one professional polo player told me that you would not want to wear a watch during a serious polo match. I think that is obvious to most people, but the Reverso really hasn't been about that in decades.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Estate of the Day
The ship has not officially launched its international sales of its 200 residences yet. As we reported last year, the project is a $1.1 billion super cruiser being built in Korea.The 1,000-foot, 105,000-ton ship will be completed in 2013. The 200 floating apartments will range from 1,400 to 6,600 square feet and last year we heard that they had a starting price of $3.6 million. There will also be a 204-room hotel on board, a fact that makes it different from a similar concept, The World of Residensea ship which is all owned units.
Utopia Residences has opened a showroom on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and is also selling through Douglas Elliman in New York City. The Utopia venture is being financed by a majority of New Mexico investors and the project's lead investors are the Chant and Robb families. David Robb serves as Utopia's chairman while Chris Chant is its president. Frank Carlucci, the former U.S. Secretary of Defense and co-founder of The Carlyle Group, is also involved and the project is backed by Frontier Group, a private equity firm founded by Carlucci.
Today's Jewelry
The ultra-exclusive Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Limited Edition is constricted to just 100 examples, all of which will be sold at the Swiss-Italian watchmaker's store in the Taipei 101 building in Taiwan. In addition to the ten-day power reserve and the usual hours, minutes and seconds hands, it features a date window, a secondary time zone display and an AM/PM indicator. Nice work if you can get it, but it'll set you back $17,250 if you can.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Estate of the Day
Today's Jewelry
The movement itself is the calibre 4TT3NGM hand-wound movement with a massive power reserve of 216 hours (8 days) - through four barrels. There is a power indicator on the dial telling you when to it needs to be wound. Other functions include a tourbillon (that doubles as the subsidiary seconds hand) as well as hour and minute hands in blued steel. The movement is also a COSC certified Chronometer.
The Esprit de Fleurier comes in a 40.5mm wide case in 18k white gold. Chopard cleverly made this a "two-tone" watch without making it obvious. Very nice for lovers of traditional watches with decorative effects. Just 15 pieces will be made by Chopard, and they won't be cheap.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Estate of the Day
Today's Jewelry
There are a lot of interesting little details in the watch that can be hard to see. For example, much of the dial is a "smoked" sapphire crystal that allows you to see the movement underneath it, but still provides the presence of a dial. The dial is composed of a building-like motif with a large opening for the tourbillon surrounded but a sunray style design. Functions for the watch include the time as well as a power reserve indicator.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Estate of the Day
The home is on more than an acre of land in the Thunderbird Heights community. The five-bedroom home combines an Asian theme with a dose of with Hollywood memorabilia. Legend has it that President John Kennedy met with Marilyn Monroe here back in 1962 and one two-bedroom suite in the house is named the Kennedy Suite and decorated with images of the young president and Marilyn Monroe. The Kennedy suite has a full-sized living area and a private entrance. The master suite has a fireplace and a spa. Much of the home opens to an outdoor swimming pool and spa with fireplaces and a custom-designed putting green. This estate is on the market for $3.495 million dollars. The home is also available as a vacation rental. More images are available on the estate's photo website.
Today's Jewelry
The dials are apparently not 100% hand-painted, but rather "hand-touch up painting." Really not sure what that means, but the miniature painting style dials fit the personality of the timepieces quite well - with their 18k pink gold case and retro navigational instrument theme. The first dial depicts "the landing at Botany Bay in Australia." Next you have "the discovery of Antarctica," and finally the gruesome sounding "Death in Hawaii" (where James Cook died in a riot). The voyages of James Cook are well recalled by historians today. For people with too much money and times on their hands. They can pick up one of these sets and retrace Mr. Cook's steps... (paddle rows?).
The watches themselves has exclusive automatic movements and a series of functions. In addition to the time, the dials have a GMT hand (shaped like the sun), a big date indicator, and a rotating bezel that is used for a third time zone indicator. The four crowns on the case seem a bit overkill, so I am not sure what is going on there. Overall the pieces are neat, and the set is great for the well-off English explorer lover/collector/amateur. Each of the 25 sets of three watches will retail for 156,000 Swiss Francs.