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On Jan. 26, Raymond Weil continued their support of the music industry by holding a celebrity dinner in London in preparation for the upcoming, Raymond Weil-sponsored 2012 BRIT Awards.

The pre-BRIT Awards dinner was held at the Mosaica restaurant at The Factory in Wood Green (northern London) and was attended by 80 celebrities, among them past BRIT Awards winners, prominent British music talent and Raymond Weil Director Pierre Bernheim. The dinner was hosted by music producer, singer and songwriter Labrinth, know for his collaborations with English rapper Tinie Tempah (also in attendance) and his upcoming album “Electronic Earth”. Many of the celebrities in attendance are nominated for the upcoming 2012 BRIT Awards: Ed Sheeran (best British male solo artist and others), Emeli Sandé (best British breakthrough act) and Rizzle Kicks (best British single). Pierre Bernheim, grandson of Raymond Weil, said of the dinner, “We were delighted to team up with Labrinth, one of the most exciting musicians in the UK, to host the first Raymond Weil Pre-BRIT Awards Dinner this year.” Other music celebrities in attendence at the dinner included Plan B, Wretch 32, Alexandra Burke, Chipmunk and Misha B.

Raymond Weil Director Pierre Bernheim and Labrinth at the pre-BRIT Awards celebrity dinner.

Although Raymond Weil is in its fifth year of sponsoring the BRIT Awards, this was their first pre-awards dinner. The BRIT Awards, comparable to the American Grammy Awards, are the annual pop music awards of the British Phonographic Industry, a non-profit trade association comprised of hundreds of recording companies. The awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 21 and will celebrate the achievements of British and international musicians in 2011. As the Official Watch and Timing partner of the BRIT Awards, Raymond Weil Genève traditionally releases a special edition watch to commemorate each year of its support. This year, Raymond Weil released the 2012 Raymond Weil BRIT Awards Timepiece earlier this January, featuring an automatic chronograph movement, stainless steel case and Union Jack detail.

Music industry celebrity guests Alexandra Burke and Plan B with host Labrinth.

Raymond Weil has a long-standing history of supporting the music industry. Raymond Weil recently entered into a partnership with VH1′s Save the Music Foundation to support education for the arts. Of their own 2011 music industry experience, Bernheim says, “We have had an exceptional year, having supported the likes of Emeli Sandé, Wretch 32, Labrinth, Tinie Tepah and Olly Murs to name just a few and have developed some key support platforms for talent to show their worth to the entire world.”

Raymond Weil Genève is an independent Swiss watchmaker founded by Raymond Weil in 1976 and run by two successive generations of Weil’s family. Family owned and operated, Raymond Weil produces unique timepieces known for their style and craftsmanship. The 2012 Brit Awards will be held at 8pm on Feb. 21 and will be broadcast live on ITV1.

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

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Written by: Sarah Clausen

On February 12th, 2012, the 54th annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles. The Grammy Award is an accolade given by the National Artists and Scientists of the United States to honor achievement in the music industry. One way that the Grammys celebrates the music industry is through their partnership with Gucci Watches, a brand well-liked by many within the industry. Gucci has developed a special edition watch and jewelry collection in honor of this partnership.

Gucci, officially known as The House of Gucci, is a high end Italian fashion and leather goods label. Part of the Gucci Group owned by the French company PPR, Gucci was founded in Florence in 1921 by Guccio Gucci. The company consistently generates a lot of revenue; in 2009 Gucci was 41st on “BusinessWeek’s” annual “Top Global 100 Brands” lists. In addition the company is the biggest selling Italian brand.

The first Grammy Awards was held on May 4, 1959. For the 2012 Awards, there are 78 categories in which artists can be nominated. Works that were produced between September 1, 2010, and September 30, 2011 are eligible for this year’s Grammy Awards.

Gucci's special edition Grammy watch, the I-GUCCI

The Gucci Grammy Special Edition watch was designed by Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini. This special edition watch is unique in that it is Gucci’s first-ever digital timepiece. Named the I-GUCCI, the watch features the ability to show either two time zones or switch to showing digital hands with the local time. The watch comes with a special tag commemorating the Grammy partnership, as well as featuring the Grammy logo on the strap. The partnership between Gucci and the Grammy Awards is a three-year one, and continues Gucci’s commitment to the preservation of the arts that started with the brand’s partnership with Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. The partnership with the Grammy Awards will support the programs of the Grammy Museum.

If you are a music aficionado who is looking to purchase a new timepiece, Gucci and the Grammy Awards have made it easy to support both industries. With the special edition I-GUCCI, you get both a high-end, fashionable watch that also supports the preservation of the music industry.

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

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Hublot fought off strong competition from such illustreous names as Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Ermenegildo Zegna, and The Peninsula Hotels, all major international names and leaders in their perspective fields for many years. This Award is a reflection of the unquestionable impact that Hublot has made in the luxury watch market and confirms its place amongst luxury industry leaders.
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Written by: Michael Arnold

The BRIT Awards

This year, Raymond Weil watch company decided to continue its partnership with one of the most prominent music awards shows in the world. No, not the Grammys. The BRIT Awards!

The BRIT Awards takes place once per year in London and highlights musical talent in the UK and internationally. Among the many faces who will be present, English stars like Adele and and Jessie J. will surely be shoe-ins for awards.

Raymond Weil will be honoring these British musical talents by releasing a limited edition BRIT Awards timepiece series. All nominees and award winners will be given their own watches from this series.

For a short while, Raymond Weil will be making these limited editions available to the public as well. Some lucky watch fanatics will be wearing the same watches as Britain’s top stars, purchasable online at www.ernestjones.co.uk!

BRIT Awards limited edition timepiece

The timepieces are 42mm in size and made of stainless steel. They are chronograph movement watches with silver dials, sapphire crystals and chic leather straps. The British flag can be seen conspicuously on the watch’s dial and is complemented by its tasteful strap.

Raymond Weil has been consistently chosen as a partner in the BRIT Awards for the past 4 years because of its sophisticated, yet trendy, style. It is widely regarded as the watch of the music industry.

The company’s clientele is a reflection of its watches – chic and classy.

Some celebrities who will be wearing limited edition Raymond Weil watches in 2012 are Florence and the Machine, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and many more.

Last year, Raymond Weil awarded the cast of Les Miserables, Shirley Bassey and Il Divo the 2011 BRIT Awards timepiece collection. A celebration of Britain’s music scene across the spectrum of genres.

Raymond Weil has taken on an intricate role in the BRIT Awards short history. With its inception only twelve years ago, the BRIT Awards would not have been possible without Raymond Weil and other devoted partners of the gala event. Just one of the many ways this company shows support for the music industry.

As for the limited edition series – these items are clearly hot, and going quickly. The prices are steep. But, hey, they are made for celebrities.

Rihanna flashes her very own BRIT Award Raymond Weil watch

From:Luxury Watches That Impress Review Blog

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www.hublot.com On Nov. 15th, 2010, Hublot is announced as the winner of the prestigious Walpole Award in London. Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver takes the stage and makes an electrifying speech on what the award means and talks about life after death and what legacy is all about. This is one of his truly inspiring if short speeches not to be missed!
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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The following timepiece analysis post is by Chris Meisenzahl. He is a long-time watch enthusiast and daily Speedmaster Pro wearer. He blogs at The Pretense of Knowledge and can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/speedmaster.

I remember several years ago I was part of a thread on one of the popular watch forums. I commented that it was too bad we weren’t alive during the 40s-60s, what I had considered the “Golden Age” of mechanical watches. It seemed like back then, of course, all watches were mechanical, and most seemed quite affordable, even considering inflation. But another poster quickly set me right. He pointed out that were were living in the Golden Age of mechanical watches right now! After a few moments of consideration I realized he was absolutely correct.

A strong argument could be made that we live in a Golden Age of mechanical watches now. We have the ultra-high-end brands such as MB&F, Patek, Lange, De Bethune, etc. We have independents such as Roger Smith, Parmigiani, Peter Speake-Marin, Kari Voutilainen, Richard Mille, and F.P. Journe. And this is all in addition to the usual suspects like Rolex, Omega, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and dozens of others. But for those without deep pockets there are still other options. A fan of mechanical watches can pick-up a Russian Vostok automatic for well under $ 100. And there are a seemingly limitless number of Seiko Diver options under $ 300 and Seiko 5 options for under $ 75. And don’t forget, the Vostok and Seiko (don’t forget Orient) automatics are true in-house movements, something that many of the mid-tier Swiss brands can only claim with their fingers crossed behind their backs and a wink.

Where I’m going with all of this is that the 2011 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (sometimes known as the “Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix”) awards were recently completed. This event is a kind of industry gathering at which the Swiss watch industry fetes its own. It’s not quite clear to me how much of the event is marketing self-promotion by the industry, and how much is more “pure.” Regardless, for us watch fans, it’s another opportunity to look at the products and manufactures we love.

The awards are chosen by a panel picked by, well, I’m not entirely sure how one gets chosen to be on the panel of judges. I can imagine a Swiss castle with Pascal Raffy at the gate, and puffs of white and black smoke coming out of a chimney as candidates are chosen [Ed. note - sounds like a scene from a bad FOX TV reality dating or cooking show].

“Created in 2001, and as of this year 2011 under the aegis of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix Foundation, this event is intended to salute the excellence of worldwide horological production, and annually rewards the finest creations and the most important figures in the watchmaking world. It thereby contributes to promoting horology and its prime values – namely innovation …“

The 2011 awards were held on November 19th. Cutting to the chase, the top award winner was the De Bethune DB28, which took home the coveted Aiguille d’Or award. As I’ve mentioned before, I think that De Bethune has the slickest looking moonphase complication. The brand is a breath of fresh air in a world of Rolex Submariner homages and the like. Not that I dislike the Sub, it’s just that it’s nice to see some different new designs. And the prizes are awarded in large part based on innovation, both technical and design.

“The international jury of this 11th edition, composed of watchmaking professionals, awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, the supreme award honouring the best timepiece of the year, to the DB28 model by De Bethune.“

Let’s check out the DB28:
- titanium or rose gold
- hand-wound, as the finest of movements generally are
- 276 components, twin barrels
- 6 day power reserve
- 3D moonphase display

While the DB28 was the belle of the ball, there were other awards presented as well.

The Best Men’s Watch award went to the Hermès Arceau Le Temps Suspendu. I really didn’t expect this; most of us don’t think of Hermès when we think of fine Swiss/French watchmaking. Do read Ariel’s review of this watch from earlier in the year.

“The watch itself comes in a 43mm wide case in steel and as a limited edition of 174 pieces in 18k rose gold. The Arceau style case has a more pronounced lug structure on the top and suavely curved numerals that seem to run around the dial. … The retrograde date dial is surprisingly easy to read and I like how the hands seems to come out of nowhere. Inside the watch is an automatic mechanical movement with the special time suspended module that was specially developed for the watch.“

The Best Design Watch prize was awarded to one of my favorite brands, Urwerk, for their stunning UR-110.

Skipping the technical details, the UR-110 is yet another crazy-cool creation from the geniuses inside Urwerk. Similar to De Bethune, they continue to be iconoclasts and shake-up the watch industry. Urwerk describes this watch …

“The UR-110 indicates time by means of a revolving satellite complication on planetary gears featuring three parallel hour/minute modules resembling torpedoes. The time is displayed on the right side of the watch, with the satellites following a vertical line – 0 to 60 minutes – in a downward motion. The ingenuity of this layout lies in allowing the wearer to view the time discreetly and elegantly without the need to pull back a cuff.“

And one of the most slick features? The dial side Control Board features an “Oil Change” indicator to alert the user when it is time for a service. Amazing. The movement is automatic with 46 jewels and a single barrel. Urwerk again implements their air turbines as part of the winding system. Do not miss Ariel’s hands-on look at this watch with pics. And the official Urwerk video? Also worth your time.

The Best Complicated Watch Prize was awarded to Zenith for their amazing Academy Christophe Colomb Equation of Time. It’s good to see the Zenith ship back on a reasonable course after a major management shake-up and the sunset of the Theirry Nataf era. The Christophe Colomb is another over-the-top creation, and I love every bit of it. Admittedly, there might still be some good Nataf DNA in the toubillon of this piece, to his credit. At first glance it looks muck like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon. And given the bubble housing the complication, owners should be VERY mindful when going through doorways!

Ariel’s review of this watch describes the make-up of the tourbillon: “An escapement on gimbals that moves around such that the escapement more or less is always placed the same position. … At the bottom of the “gear ball” is a polished gold weight that keeps the entire thing pointed in the right direction. … the “tourbillon” in the Christophe Colomb moves only with the power of gravity.”

The full list of winners:
- “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: De Bethune, DB28
- Best Ladies’ Watch Prize: Boucheron, Crazy Jungle Hathi
- Best Men’s Watch Prize:  Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Suspendu
- Best Design Watch Prize: Urwerk, UR-110
- Best Jewellery and Artistic Crafts Watch Prize:  Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Polar Landscape
- Best Complicated Watch Prize: Zenith, Academy Christophe Colomb Equation of Time
- Best Sports Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Chronograph
- “Petite Aiguille” Prize (for models under CHF 5’000): Montblanc, Star Worldtime GMT Automatic
- Best Watchmaker Prize: Vianney Halter
- Special Jury Prize: Patek Philippe Museum
- Public Prize: Audemars Piguet, Millenary 4101

So what are the surprises here? There are three surprises for me:

1. I must admit that I never would have expected to see anything from Hermès here, they’re definitely not one of the usual suspects.
2. It was a bit of a surprise to see TAG Heuer represented here. They’re generally considered the high-end of the mall watch world, somewhat out of place with the rest of this group as a brand. TAG Heuer does do some cutting-edge work with technology, but not much of it seems to make it out of the lab (think Monaco V4 and belt drives)
3. And rather conspicuous by their absence? Greubel Forsey, MB&F, and Harry Winston.

As an aside, I sometimes wonder if Rolex get’s too little credit for its slow but especially useful and practical innovations? The Parachrom hairspring for example? Though an innovation like that certainly isn’t flashy and has essentially no visual appeal.

And while I overall love the choices, I still find the Hermès choice a bit of a head-scratcher. It was selected over the Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-rotor and the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time? I do wonder how much pressure, implicit or explicit, the judging panel is under to make their choices either popular or in-step with “approved” choices. When reading various watch magazines one wonders why we can go years without reading a bad review, and why excuses are often made for the occasional poor category rating. We of course wonder if the fear of offending an advertiser (current or potential) is the cause. I have no idea what forces are at play in these awards, but I think it would be naive to assume there are none at all.

Regardless of my nit-picky comments, awards and events like the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève are indeed fun for us watch enthusiasts. They keep us entertained throughout the year, hopefully holding us over until we get to start discussing Basel 2012 in just a couple months. And in addition to being good entertainment, they’re also good for customers. These kinds of events keep competitive pressure on the watch manufactures to continue to innovate and introduce new technologies and products. Customers win in the end.

From:aBlogtoRead.com

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In both TNA & WWE: Women & Men

1) Best overall performer (On mic & in-ring)

2) Least deserving of a job

3) Most stale gimmick

4) Most interesting persona

5) Best wrestling show
WWE RAW
WWE NXT
WWE SmackDown!
WWE Superstars
TNA iMPACT

6) Worst wrestling show
WWE RAW
WWE NXT
WWE SmackDown!
WWE Superstars
TNA iMPACT

7) Deserves bigger push
Most overrated by IWC

9) The wrestler with the best debut storyline

10) Has acheived “Veteran” Status this Year

Answer by The Artist Formerly Known As J.S.R.G.
1) Chris Jericho
2) Eric Young
3) Abyss
4) Randy Orton
5) WWE Raw
6) WWE NXT
7) John Morrison Randy Orton
9) Alberto Del Rio
10) John Cena

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