[ via Alpina ]

Alpina recently introduced the new Extreme Diver 1000 M. It has a huge 48 mm stainless steel case with a sapphire crystal and display back. It has a helium release valve and a water-resistance of 1000 meters or 3333 feet. The movement is an automatic caliber Al-525, with a 42 hour power reserve. It comes in a cool display case that looks like an oxygen tank, pictured here. The stainless steel version is $2859 and the all-black PVD treated stainless version is $3333.

[ via Rolex ]

The Rolex Sea-Dweller, always my favorite Rolex, debuted at Baselworld 2008 with the new designation, "DEEPSEA". Its name comes from the "Deep Sea Special", the experimental prototype that in 1960 reached a depth of 10,916 metres in the Mariana Trench. For 2008 the engineers at Rolex SA made the Sea-Dweller bigger, more water-resistant and essentially changed about everything, except the ultra reliable 3135 in-house movement.

MSRP $8999

Here is a full list of the changes made to the original Sea-Dweller:

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[ via Horomundi ]

I have to admit, until recently, I have never paid much attention to A. Lange & Söhne watches. What really sparked my curiosity is the nice photo (pictured above), that a collector sent in over at the Horomundi watch forums. Personally I think the Datograph and Saxony lines are their best looking collections, but it is hard to tell, without seeing them in person. I have not had the opportunity to view any of their collection in person, although I plan on doing so very soon.

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[ via A. Lange & Söhne ]

19-year-old Nadine Görgl starts work today for Lange Uhren GmbH, making her the 500th employee to be taken on by the company. She also did her watchmaking apprenticeship in Glashütte and will be working in the final adjustment section of this traditional manufactory. She starts work for the exclusive watch brand from Saxony along with eleven other talented young watchmakers, of which seven are graduates of the company's in-house Watchmaking School.

When Walter Lange, the great grandson of founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange, took on the legacy of his ancestors in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall and more than four decades of forced inactivity, he possibly imagined that the company might one day end up employing a workforce of a hundred or so. Now, 18 years later, Lange CEO Fabian Krone is delighted to have five times this number of employees: "Because of the growing global demand for the timepieces created by A. Lange & Söhne, we expect the need for highly qualified staff to remain over the coming years. And since the number of complicated watch movements is continuing to increase, there will still only be a few thousand watches leaving the manufactory each year in the future despite the growing size of the workforce." With the start of work this year on the construction of a further production building, Lange is in an ideal position for this increase in personnel.

Around half of the more than 1,000 people employed in the Glashütte watch industry today work for Lange. The company has made a major contribution towards establishing this small town in the Ore Mountains region of Saxony as an international centre of precision watchmaking. As the largest employer in the area, Lange has a significant role in the future of the town by training the next generation of watchmakers. So far more than 50 watchmaking students have successfully completed their 3-year course in the Watchmaking School at the Original Lange Headquarters. Currently 25 young men and women are learning the profession of watchmaking at Lange.

[ via WatchTraderz ]

Certina DS Royal is a new gents' line inspired by the legendary DS 2 and DS 2 Chronolympic models of the 1970s, known for their indelible mark upon the industry thanks to their exceptional ruggedness and unique design. Revisited now three decades later in a fully updated form, the new DS Royal chronograph brings sporty elegance to stylish, classical realms of great exclusivity. Reincarnated into bold harmonies in angles and strict lines of daring design, this model playfully blends textures and shades with tremendous skill, in tones of polished or satin-finished surfaces in black or steel. The DS Royal can be worn with a maroon-colour watch strap for a more retro feeling, or with a matching steel bracelet for an uncompromisingly sporty personality.

[ via Reuters ]

Tiffany & Co. filed a lawsuit against EBay Inc four-years ago, the ruling was handed down yesterday, in favor of EBay. Tiffany & Co, among many other brands, has alleged that eBay turned a blind eye to the sale of fake "trademarked" goods on its site. EBay's position is that it is not legally required to determine which goods are knock-offs. San Jose, California-based eBay claims it takes down more than 90 percent of fake goods from its site within four hours of their posting after being alerted by trademark holders.

EBay may claim to take down 90 percent of the fake goods once alerted by trademark holders, but if this were truly the case I do not think we would see so many lawsuits against the online auctioneer. EBay may not be able to police every seller on their massive site, however they can at least target the high volume counterfeiters. MORE

[ via Bvlgari ]

My favorite part of the Bvlgari Diagono Calibro 303 is the 18k white gold bezel. The "303" in the name represents the 303 components used to create this watch. I would have preferred a slightly bigger case, but I am sure it is plenty big for the traditional Bvlgari buyer.

Specifications:

Diagono Calibro 303 Chronograph with stainless steel case (42 mm) with 18 kt. white gold bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire with anti-reflection treatment and transparent back case. Manufactured multi-layer dial with Satiné Soleil and vertical treatments. Faceted hand-applied indexes. Manufactured movement, Caliber BVL 303 with automatic winding and date, composed of 303 components. Integrated chronograph with column wheel mechanism. 45h power reserve,37 jewels and 21'600 vph (3HZ). 25.60 mm of diameter and 5.50 mm of thickness. Hand-decorated with Côtes de Genève, Perlage and Satiné Soleil treatments. Bulgari manufactured stainless steel bracelet. Water resistant up to 100 meters.

[ via Corum ]

Corum has introduced a highly limited perpetual calendar in its classical Romulus watch collection. Offered in an edition of 25 pieces, the Romulus Perpetual Calendar features a polished 41mm red gold case, a brushed hand-engraved Roman numeral bezel, and a dial decorated with sun-pattern guilloche. The perpetual calendar displays--which show day, date, month, leap year and phases of the moon--are clearly organized around the dial center, and apertures in the day and date subdials reveal elements of the complex underlying mechanism.

A sapphire crystal window in the caseback reveals an intricate hand-engraved CO-183 automatic movement. Each element of the bridges and rotor are refined with a delicate scrolling pattern; the rotor also features the Corum brand signature in relief. The balance wheel alternates at a pace of 18,000 beats per hour, and power reserve of the mainspring barrel is 45 hours.

The Corum Romulus Perpetual Calendar watch is completed by a crocodile strap, and an 18K red gold buckle which is engraved with the Corum logo. Water resistance is rated at 30 meters.

[ via Audemars Piguet ]

Audemars Piguet Board of Directors has the pleasure to announce the nomination of Mr. Philippe C. Merk, currently the Chief Executive Officer of Desco Luxury Group (Maurice Lacroix), to the post of Chief Executive Officer of Audemars Piguet Holding SA. He will begin on January 1st, 2009.

Mr. Merk, who is 51 years old, fulfilled different important functions in the pharmaceutical field, as well as senior positions in the food industry in the USA, Germany, Asia and Switzerland. In 2001, he took over the running of the Maurice Lacroix watch brand which he turned around with great success. Mr. Merk holds a diploma in chemical physics from the Engineering School in Zurich and an MBA from IMD in Lausanne. He is married and has two children.

The members of the Board wish him every success in his new function and would like to take this opportunity to thank in advance the entire staff for their support.

Furthermore, Georges-Henri Meylan will continue to act as CEO of AP until December 31st, 2008 and assist in the transition of his successor. We will have many occasions in the future to show our appreciation with regards to Georges-Henri Meylan who will remain a member of the Board. But we would like to once again thank him for his service to the Company for more than 20 years in which time AP has enjoyed an impressive growth.

Source: Jasmine Audemars, Chairwoman, Board of Audemars Piguet Holding SA

[ via Jaeger-LeCoultre ]

Leonardo DiCaprio, who is teaming with Jaeger-LeCoultre on environmental efforts, wears the brand's one-of-a-kind "Master Compressor Extreme Lab" timepiece to the premiere of his documentary, "The 11th Hour."

Swiss watch company Jaeger Le-Coultre has teamed up with actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio on a fund-raising program designed to benefit green-friendly efforts worldwide.

The "Time to Care" program, which will benefit the Leonardo DiCaprio Fund at the California Community Foundation (CCF), will focus on the sale of two uniquely executed timepieces in the fall of 2008, the brand announced in a press release on Tuesday.

Both timepieces will be the first in a limited series of watches that feature technology that has never been used before, with 100 percent of the proceeds funneled to the DiCaprio fund at the CCF.

The first unique piece for sale will be a one-of-a-kind "Master Compressor Extreme Lab," worn by DiCaprio to the premiere of his documentary, The 11th Hour and engraved with his signature. Valued at US$300,000, it will be the first watch in the "Extreme Lab" series to be delivered anywhere in the world.

The second unique timepiece for sale will be a one-of-a-kind edition of the "Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2," valued at approximately US$400,000. It contains a state-of-the-art, first-ever spherical tourbillon and will be the first watch in the Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 series to be delivered worldwide.

A key feature is its cylinder-shaped balance spring with end curves, an innovation in accuracy that the watch brand says paves the way for a level of rotating precision that is unprecedented for a timepiece designed to follow its wearer's movements. The watch also contains a 50-hour power reserve and is crafted in platinum.

The Reverso Gyrotourbillon 2 contains more than 371 parts and was specially created to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Jaeger-LeCoultre this year.

The watches will be presented exclusively at the new Jaeger-LeCoultre boutiques in Boca Raton, Florida, and in Beverly Hills, California, which are scheduled to open in the summer and fall of this year, respectively.

Jaeger-LeCoultre says its own longtime efforts to preserve the environment drew its attention to the efforts of DiCaprio, whose own environmental activism dates back to the launch of his fund at the CCF in 1998. The CCF is devoted to heightening awareness and spurring action on issues ranging from global warming and alternative and renewable energy sources, to the preservation of the planet's biodiversity.

In addition to the efforts put forth through this initiative, Jaeger-LeCoultre has formalized its sustainable-growth initiatives into a comprehensive working plan, called "Making Time More Beautiful."

The company is also planning other green-friendly efforts in the months ahead, including recycling and only using recyclable paper goods, setting up a company transport system for employees and implementing various carbon-offsetting measures.