Posted in Rolex Watches on Mar 22nd, 2012 17 Comments »
Stripclub promo video for “Bust It Open” by Dirty Rhymez 2012 pt.1 www.retwedia.com/nak0nm Courtesy of ImaBeastPromotions Shoutsout to ShonuffMane for the video footage
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Posted in articles&news on Feb 29th, 2012 No Comments »
Angelo Bonati, CEO of Panerai
Officine Panerai is making plans to increase production and open new boutiques for its luxury watches by the end of March 2013, in addition to those that the company already has around the world.
The Florentine company plans to open 15 boutiques, adding to the 33 that are currently opened, in hopes to move towards the world of retail.
“We are changing our distribution, reducing wholesale and increasing the retail because we are confident retail will be a part of our future,” Angelo Bonati, CEO of Panerai, said to Dow Jones Newswires during an interview at the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie show in Geneva, Switzerland.
Bonati also said that the company earns a higher profit selling through its own branded boutiques, but rejected to reveal the balance between retail and wholesale revenue.
“The new boutiques will improve our sales for sure, but they will also improve our image. Image is more important than sales, especially at the beginning because image produces sales,” he said.
Four of the new boutiques will launch in Asia in the the cities of Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai. Four more will open in the Middle East and three will be set up in North America. Panerai will also open one in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Locations have yet to be decided for the remainder of the boutiques.
“If you don’t have your own retail in Asia you are nothing,” said Bonati.
Panerai is also planning to increase production and efficiency by building a factory in Neuchatel, Switzerland in March.
Upon opening, the new factory will likely replace an existing one in the city. Panerai currently employs 130 people in production, but will recruit extra workers for the new factory, increasing the number of employees to 300.
Bonati added that 2011 has been one of the most successful years, in terms of sales, for Panerai and that the company will likely grow in 2012.
Currently, Panerai has boutiques all over the world, including the cities of New York, Madrid, Dubai, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Moscow and Paris. With four lines of timepieces – Historic, Contemporary, Specialties and Special Editions – each boutique acts as a meeting place for the luxury brand’s customers, collectors and fans. Typically, Panerai produces fewer watches than the market demands and many are categorized as “limited” or “special edition.” Retailers are usually put on a waiting list to receive popular models, as they receive few limited edition timepieces per year.
Posted in articles&news on Feb 14th, 2012 No Comments »
Audemars Piguet ambassador Novak Djokovic wins the 2012 Australian Open in Melbourne.
On Jan. 30, Audemars Piguet ambassador and Serbian tennis champion Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to win the 2012 Australian Open, Djokovic’s fifth Grand Slam tournament win in five years.
This year’s Australian Open began on Jan. 16 in Melbourne. Djokovic was faced with defending his 2011 title against previous champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, among others. The final match between Nadal and Djokovic ran almost six hours long, the longest Grand Slam finals match ever. After the ordeal of strength and endurance, Djokovic triumphed by winning three of five sets to become the 2012 Australian Open champion. Following the match, Djokovic stated, “Under the circumstances, it was definitely the greatest match I’ve ever played.” The win cemented Dkokovic’s exceptional record with three consecutive Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic was named as a brand ambassador for Audemars Piguet on the opening day of the 2011 US Open, which Novak went on to win against the 2010 champion, Rafael Nadal. Djokovic has appeared in seven Grand Slam tournament finals from 2007 to 2012. By winning five of these seven and repeatedly defeating reigning champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Djokovic has established himself as a premier player in contemporary tennis. Of the partnership, the Swiss watchmaker says, “Above and beyond his undeniable tennis playing abilities, Audemars Piguet appreciates the generosity and altruism demonstrated by Djokovic, who is involved in a number of charitable endeavors.” Djokovic, in turn, praises Audemars Piguet for their “fine watchmaking”, saying “I truly admire both the traditional and modern aspects of the work accomplished by Audemars Piguet.”
Djokovic wears the distinctive Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver watch. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver features bidirectional automatic winding, glareproof sapphire crystal, 300 meter water resistance, Royal Oak hands and white gold hour-markers. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collection is worn by many prominent celebrities including Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver watch
On Feb. 7, Djokovic was named the Laureus World Sports Sportsman of 2012 for his significant achievements in the sport of tennis in 2011. The award was presented alongside Laureus World Sportswoman of 2012 Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya for distance running and Laureus Best Team of 2012 FC Barcelona.
To match their long history of horological accomplishment, Audemars Piguet’s brand ambassadors reflect their competitive spirit and commitment to excellence. While Novak Djokovic is the most recent addition to the Audemars Piguet team, Leonel Messi of FC Barcelona, Svetlana Zakharova of the Bolshoi Ballet and the Teatro alla Scala and LeBron James of the Miami Heat also sport Audemars Piguet watches.
Posted in articles&news on Feb 1st, 2012 No Comments »
Yesterday (January 30), tennis player Novak Djokovic won the Australian Open against Rafael Nadal (Richard Mille ambassador). It has been a battle that lasted five sets and almost 6 hours. When he finally lifted the trophy, watch spotters immediately recognized the timepiece on the wrist of this Audemars Piguet ambassador. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver, ref.15703ST. A perfect fit for a sportsman.
We’ve written a review about this exact same Diver a while ago (click here for our share of fun with the Diver 15703ST and a VW Phaeton) and we think it is the best looking Offshore that AP has to offer. Clean design, perfect size (42mm in diameter) and very versatile, especially when worn with the rubber strap or a leather horn back replacement. The ref.15703 AP ROO Diver is our near-perfect modern sports watch, we can imagine Mr Djokovic picked this one from the AP collection.
On the wrist. Who wears it better?
With this victory Mr Djokovic has consolidated his position as world number one and has started his season as well as in 2011. Let’s wait and see what will happen in 2012. It seems that the world top of tennis players are in good companion though, Djokovic and AP, Nadal and RM. Congrats!
Check our Facebook photo album for more Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver pictures.
From:FratelloWatches RSS
Posted in articles&news on Feb 1st, 2012 No Comments »
The final match of the Australian Open this past weekend was an epic battle between world number 1 Novak Djokovic and world number 2 Rafael Nadal. It was, actually, the longest major finals match in the history of the sport, coming in at 5 hours 53 minutes and both players were quite literally exhausted during post game interviews.
But, just after Djokovic’s victory in Melbourne, we got to see both players both proudly wearing their respective sponsors’ timepieces right next to each other. You have Rafa Nadal at left wearing his Richard Mille RM035 and Novak Djokovic at right proudly wearing his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver (a watch we reviewed in detail here).
And when Novak lifted the trophy?
From:HODINKEE
Posted in Ublot on Jan 18th, 2012 No Comments »
The 116th Open de Paris took place this weekend at the Parc de Bagatelle in Paris. For the first time in its history, the Polo Club de Paris agreed to name this prestigious tournament after its sponsor: the “Hublot Open de Paris”. The polo ground was the venue for a contest between teams each with a total handicap of 10. “Sainte Mesme” triumphed on Sunday afternoon, beating “La Herencia” in a spectacular and hard-fought match.
Video Rating: 0 / 5
Posted in Bell & Ross on Oct 15th, 2011 5 Comments »
Thank you for looking at my ridiculous question. I need to know because I need to get food. Obviously. Anyway, I need to pass through one at about 8:25 AM. So, if anyone knows, what time do they open?
Answer by italian.chick
Depends on where you are, some are 24 hr.
Posted in articles&news on Oct 6th, 2011 No Comments »
Well, that didn’t take long. Rolex announced just yesterday that Tiger Woods has been signed as an ambassador, joining rival Phil Mickelson and buddy Roger Federer, and our man on the ground snapped a pic of Tiger wearing his new Rollie. Taken at the press conference following yesterday’s practice round at the Frys.com Open, Woods can be seen wearing a brand spanking new, shiney Rolex Datejust II with blue dial.
(photo copyright Allan Henry / Golf Chronicles)
From:HODINKEE
Posted in articles&news on Sep 20th, 2011 No Comments »
New Watch Alert: Hublot….and by Hublot, we mean Richard Mille.
Despite the fact that Jay-Z has been rapping about Hublot a lot as of late, it appears he’s something of a Richard Mille fan. In fact, Jay was seen wearing one of 50 production RM027 Rafa Nadal tourbillons last week while watching another Mille wearer play in the championship against Novak Djokovic. Not a bad choice, Jigga man.
Related Content: To see golfer Bubba Watson’s personal Richard Mille, click here.
From:HODINKEE
Posted in articles&news on Sep 14th, 2011 No Comments »
Talk about great timing. Audemars Piguet announced just two weeks ago that Novak Djokovic would be joining its stable of ambassadors. Then yesterday, Novak beat Rafa Nadal in the US Open finals ending one of the most impressive years in tennis by any player, ever. And when we won? We strapped on that AP just like he should.
As you can see above, Novak’s watch of choice is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver, a watch Jason reviewed in detail here.
This win plus Rory’s title at the other US Open marks a big year for AP ambassadors. So, the question remains, will we see a prototype Royal Oak tennis watch next?
From:HODINKEE
