Likely no coincidence that Tissot created a timepiece like this and both Tissot and Breguet are under the same umbrella company – the Swatch Group. While Tissot is best known in the US for their awesome T-Touch timepieces, and other sport watches, they do actually offer some nice classy pieces as well (though a good deal of those are harder to find in the US). Tissot sits as a high-value, entry-level luxury watch portal for the Swatch Group. They are actually in sort replica breitling avenger of the same boat with Certina watches (also Swatch Group, but those are very hard to find in the US).

So new from Tissot is this Sculpture Line Moonphase watch – which I nicknamed the “Tissot Baby Breguet.” Why? Well, because the design is just that. Tissot borrowed elements from Breguet such as the machine “guilloche” engraved textured dial, dial layout, and gold case. Yes, in fact this Tissot watch will come in an 18k white or rose gold case. Making this a top-level Tissot timepiece. Tissot timepieces don’t often come in gold, so this is a rare type of model.

The watch case is 42.5mm wide and relatively http://www.mrjack.co.uk/breitling-certifie-watches-uk.html thin at 11.5mm thick. The watch has a sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 30 meters. Unlike Breguet, the case is polished and smooth around aaa replica rolex the edges (Breguet likes a fluted edge on their watches). Tissot also changes up the dial design a bit with more modern looking baton hands (as opposed to pomme hands), and modified Breguet style Arabic hour markers. The off-centered power reserve indicator is retained near 10 and 11 o’clock, while the moonphase indicator has been elegantly built in to the subsidiary seconds dial. It makes for a handsome look highly reminiscent of the look that Breguet made famous.

Powering the watch is of course a mechanical movement. Here it is a modified Swiss Unitas 6498 manually wound movement. I have seen this movement (well, almost identical 6497) with a power reserve indicator (see this UTS watch here), but the addition of the moon phase indicator is new to me. The watch is matched to a brown crocodile (I think) strap with a gold butterfly clasp.

Overall I quite like this watch – it has a nice satisfying design to it. Not sure about price, but I promise (promise) that it will be much less expensive than a Breguet. For a classy dial, solid gold case, and fine Swiss character, this Tissot Sculpture Line Moonphase watch might be the way to go. Just don’t call it “Baby Breguet” to its face.

Photography by James N Cole of WatchAnish.com

In the world there are collectors, super collectors and then there is His Highness Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, one of the most prominent business leaders in the Middle East and founder and patron of the Sheikh Faisal Museum.

Home to one of the greatest private collections in the world, the Sheik Faisal Museum has become an international draw-card for tourists and academics alike since officially opening its doors to the public in 1998. It s so popular in fact that it s listed on Trip Advisor as the #2 thing to do in Doha (the only thing ahead of it is a visit to Museum of Islamic Art.) And last month our fearless leader Anish was invited for a private tour.

The Sheikh Faisal Museum

Now housed in the grand Qatari fort at Al Samriya Farm, an architecturally significant structure in its own right, the story of this incredible private collection starts much earlier than 1998. The culmination of fifty years of private collecting by the Sheikh, much of it done whilst travelling through various countries, the Museum is divided into four themed collections; Qatar heritage, Islamic art, coins & currency and vehicles, and is comprised of some 15,000 pieces from all around the world.

Each of these themes are then further broken down into a variety of sub classifications, making for a remarkably eclectic mix, ranging from unique fossils and prehistoric figurines all the way up to the world s largest private collection of militaria. There is so much variety that you never quite know what you re going to see next as your wander from room to room, especially given that there is no map or floorplan to follow. If you do ever decide to visit make sure you book a guide well in advance.

The overarching goal here is replica breitling chronomat of course the preservation of Isalmic and Middle Eastern history and culture for all to enjoy and learn from. To recognize the tireless works of the Museum s founder the Arab Center for Tourism Media, under the patronage of the League of Arab States, awarded Sheikh Faisal the well-earned title of Heritage personality for 2012. Likewise the Ministry of Art, Culture and Heritage selected the museum as one of Qatar s cultural landmarks as part of the Qatar capital of Culture activities in 2010.

Of course if Islamic Art is not your thing there is another major draw-card; the Sheikh s insane assemblage of vintage cars, ranging from Model T-Fords and classic hot rods, to American muscle cars like Mustangs, Corvettes, Impalas and so on all the way up to a Williams F1 race car. There s even a plane! All told there are over 300 vehicles on display, most of them http://www.mrjack.co.uk/breitling-navitimer-watches-uk.html extremely rare and highly collectible. replica omega seamaster It is truly a car lover s dream to be able to wander through this mind-blowing collection of automotive history.

Of course this wouldn t be WatchAnish if we didn t also talk about at least one watch, and what a watch it is. Straight from the wrist of the Sheikh himself is this gorgeous white gold Rolex Day Date complete with an original pave diamond dial set with green emerald markers, Arabic day and date wheels and Octopus diamond bracelet.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to His Royal Highness Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani for the hospitality he has shown the WatchAnish team and for allowing us to share with you an insight into the incredible collection he has amassed over the last 5 decades.

WatchTime s September-October issue is now available on the iPad and on Android devices! Download the WatchTime app at the iTunes app store or Google Play store to read the latest issue. In the September-October issue, on newsstands now, we test Panerai s Radiomir 8 Days Ceramica, reveal more than 60 new watches from Baselworld, and interview Patek Philippe CEO Thierry Stern and Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek Jr.

The digital edition of WatchTime features enhanced articles with links to bonus content on watchtime.com. The iPad/iPhone version can be downloaded at the iTunes app store, while the Android verison can be downloaded at the Google Play store.

Also available on the app are replica breitling chronomat WatchTime s digital-exclusive issues, including the WatchTime E-Special: Omega Milestones.

Off the Beaten Path: 5 Unconventional Watches from Baselworld 2013

In the September-October issue of WatchTime (on sale now), we look at over 60 watches from Baselworld 2013. WatchTime s Mike Disher was on the lookout for watches from smaller brands and independent watchmakers. Below he takes a look at some of the unconventional watches shown at Baselworld 2013. For more information on these watches and their creators, pick up the September-October issue.

Breva presented the G nie 01, three years in development, which the brand is touting as the first watch with mechanical time, altimeter, and barometer, as well as a power-reserve display. The hours and minutes are displayed on a semi-transparent disc at the 8 o clock position, while at the 2 o clock position, another disc displays weather conditions with symbols for sunny, cloudy, and stormy weather. The G nie 01 is a limited edition of 55 pieces in white gold, priced at $155,000, and 55 pieces in 4N rose gold priced at $150,000.

Independent Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin payed homage to 19th century photographer Eadweard Muybridge with his Cinema watch. Muybridge famously used his zoopraxiscope, an early type of
projector, to prove that galloping horses lose all contact with the ground during each stride. The watch features an animation (viewed through an aperture at 6 o clock) recreating Muybridge s galloping horse image. The animaiton is achieved by a disc engraved with 12 frames of the galloping horse, which spins when triggered by a pusher at 9 o clock. The watch has a price of 50,000.

Valerii Danevych, who caught our attention last year with a watch carved almost entirely out of wood, returned to Baselworld this year with yet another wooden tourbillon. The professional woodworker spent 1,800 hours over a period of seven months creating this watch. Its movement is comprised of 154 parts made from eight types of wood, and the whole thing weighs in at just 32 grams. Danevych will be selling the unique piece at 100,000.

Rather than making his own movements from scratch, watchmaker Stefan Kudoke focuses on the aesthetic of his creations, skeletonizing and engraving movements, and creating dials and hands. Kudoke collaborated with Austrian watchmaker Richard Habring to create the KudOkTourbi (short for Kudoke replica breitling navitimer Oktopus Tourbillon), based off Habring s H2 Flying Tourbillon. Kudoke engraved and skeletonized the movement, adding an octopus of rose gold whose tentacles form the hour and minute hands. A limited edition of eight pieces, the watch replica omega seamaster is priced at 29,000, or 7,990 without a tourbillon.

Nord Zeitmaschine returned to Baselworld for its second year with its latest watch, the Quickindicator, which the brand claims has the fastest moving minutes hand in the world. The Quickindicator s dial has two smaller overlapping circles inside a larger circle. The minutes hand must travel 360 degrees through each circle, with each trip taking 20 minutes, adding up to one hour. Since the circles aren t concentric, the minutes hand moves around the dial to reach each circle. The Quickindicator is available in three versions, at approximately $15,000.

Welcome to the second installment of Around the Web, where WatchTime social media maven Alan Loren delivers some of the most interesting watch-related stories and news tidbits of recent weeks, culled from the websites of your favorite brands as well as some of the most popular watch blogs and lifestyle media. This week we ve homed in on two very special articles from The New York Times and Daily Telegraph, and news from the worlds of Baume & Mercier, Ulysse Nardin and Bovet.

1. An old time watchmaker finally shuts his doors

On Friday of last week, Sal Branco, a master watchmaker for the past 65 years, packed his tools for the last time and closed shop in a shared jewelers space in the Bowery, Manhattan s former skid row. With that came the end of an era that started when Mr. Branco was just a child.

The New http://www.hhibt.com/cheap-panerai-luminor-uk.html York Times did a lovely piece last week on Sal that is definitely worth a read. One quote in particular stood out for us. When asked what initially drew him to the profession, Mr. Branco answered, Nothing, I was making a living.
Sometimes, basic necessity brings out the best in us. You can view the article by clicking here.

2. From the New Openings department

Two venerable Swiss watch brands have recently opened boutiques at the same upscale New York hotel, and the web is abuzz (and here).

Le Locle-based Ulysse Nardin, and Fleurier-based Bovet have both set up shop at the Ritz Carlton Central Park South, just yards away from New York s shopping Mecca, Fifth Avenue.

For Ulysse Nardin, the store, which launched in November of this year, is its third mono-brand boutique in the United States. Bovet s boutique opened its doors earlier this month. It is the brand s fourth global boutique.

The Ulysse Nardin Limited Edition Boutique line of timepieces includes the Blue Toro, the Boutique Freak Diavolo, the Blue Executive Dual Time, and the Boutique Diver. The company has announced that it also plans to introduce several exclusive new men s complications.

Bovet s offerings at the new store include a collection of 50 timepieces, unique to the New York address, that have been engraved to celebrate the opening. They will not be sold anywhere else in the world.

Now watch lovers have two more reasons to visit New York City for the holidays!

3. Founder of Rolex gave watches to war prisoners who lost their own (but asked them to pay later)

We just found a MUST-READ piece on the Telegraph online (out of the UK).

Writer Charlotte Beugge ties historic events to the re-sale value of watches in this highly entertaining article. While this connection might seem obvious to some, the examples she provides to illuminate her points are very instructive.

For example, did you know that Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex, bequeathed watches to allied prisoners of war held by the Germans, whose own timepieces were misappropriated by the Reich. Although the watches were provided on condition that the prisoners pay for them on cessation of hostilities, it was a remarkable sign of trust (or perhaps good business?) in an otherwise dark period.

One of these watches (see above), owned by a former British prisoner of Stalag Luft III prison camp (inspiration for the film The Great Escape ), recently sold for $82,000 replica hublot big bang uk (US) at auction in London. A piece without its pedigree would have fetched half that price.

Ms. Beugge provides numerous examples that shed light on how one can prudently invest in selected watches that will likely replica omega seamaster planet ocean maintain their value. Read it right here.
For those of you interested in pursuing the historical side of the story further, click here and here.

4. Baume & Mercier introduces the first in a series of short films called Celebrate Giving

Have you seen the new holiday film from Baume & Mercier? It is called Home for the Holidays and is the first in a series of short films by the brand that will appear under the rubric Celebrate Giving. The full series will roll out in 2014.

The introductory offering was unveiled at the end of November, and in keeping with the theme of the series, it celebrates the old maxim, It is better to give, than to receive.

We think it is a perfect complement to the holiday season. But don t take our word for it. You can view it below.

Omega has released three really striking watches this year, the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon, The Bullhead and this one the Omega Speedmaster 57. They are all excellent releases that I would have trouble deciding would be my favourite.So with this model, as you ve probably guessed, they have drawn inspiration from their original and first Speedmaster design from 1957. When most people think of the Speedmaster they think moonwatch but the Speedmaster was in cartier roadster replica production for over 10 years before it made a name for itself in space, and its this period and design codes that this vintage styled watch draws from.

There have over the past few years been a few Omega Speedmasters recalling the 1957 version. There is the currently still in production Broad Arrow 1957 which has a silver dial and uses the 3313 caliber co-axial hublot big bang king replica movement, and then back in 2007 they released two Speedmaster 1957 50th Anniversary models featuring different movements.

A notable exception are the hands which Omega decided http://www.hmmauto.com/tag-heuer-grand-carrera-replica-australia-for-sale.html would not be the same distinctive broad arrow hands used on the Speedmasters from 1957-1959. Instead for the handset there are more slender but nevertheless quite readable ones that fit with the overall design of the dial nicely. Both the main hands and somewhat unusually the chronograph hands are lumed.We have with this model recalling Omega s first iconic model a nice addition to the already extensive range of Speedmasters versions. Its offered in a very amenable size with a terrific co-axial movement housed inside, and comes in a huge array of options for case and dial combinations.

The Omega Seamaster is an automatic winding chronometer (also available in quartz) first introduced by Omega in 1948 and is arguably the closest competitor to the much admired Rolex Submariner. The Seamaster comes in many variations but typically will have a stainless steel case and bracelet, screw-in crown and caseback. Starting price is around 3,500 Euros.

Alpha create watches in the UK inspired by European watch making traditions. They have been in the homage business for over 20 years. Their watches run on an automatic movement and are made from 316L stainless steel and come with a 1 year warranty. Although not COSC certified, they are at least tested using Swiss testing equipment. A top of the line Omega Seamaster has water resistance of up to 1,500 metres, with this watch you will get water resistance to 100 feet, but then the watch is only 100 Euros.