PARIS, June 9 (Reuters) - French retail group PPR (PRTP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is buying a 23 percent stake in Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Sowind Group, which includes the Girard-Perregaux brand, PPR said on Monday.

PPR (PRTP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which owns fashion house Gucci, could increase its stake in Sowind as part of a long-term partnership which aims to help Gucci establish itself in the high-end watch segment. It gave no financial details.

Sowind Chairman Luigi Macaluso will retain control of the group and will join Gucci's management committee.

"We are convinced that this agreement will create a number of important synergies for our watch brands and their further development," Robert Polet, Gucci Group CEO, said in a press statement.

The deal comes weeks after PPR rival LVMH (LVMH.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) agreed to buy Swiss watchmaker Hublot.

The global luxury watch market is worth 18 billion euros ($28.5 billion) a year, according to an estimate from Swiss bank Vontobel. (Reporting by Jessica Mead; Editing by David Holmes)

Posted by JP at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ via Jaeger-LeCoultre ]

Jaeger-LeCoultre recently introduced the AMVOX 3 Tourbillon GMT at SIHH 2008. It looks a lot like the concept watch pictured here from June 2007. The AMVOX line represents a partnership between Aston Martin and Jaeger-LeCoultre. This particular watch is the newest addition to the AMVOX line and one their most advanced watches to date. Jaeger utilized a combination of black ceramic and gold to house the JL Calibre 988 tourbillon movement. I am not a huge gold fan, but this black and gold combo looks great. Here are the specs:

Movement:
• mechanical automatic Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 988, crafted and decorated by hand,
ruthenium-treated bridges and mainplate
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• 48-hour power reserve
• 323 parts
• 35 jewels
• 7.49 mm thick
• Automatic tourbillon with a large 11.5mg x cm2 variable-inertia balance
• Tourbillon carriage in grade 5 titanium, bevelled, hand-drawn and polished, with ruthenium treatment, weighing 280 mg
• Upper tourbillon bridge in 4N gilded metal aluminium, automobile design
• AM/PM indicator bridge in black eloxed aluminium
• Patented oscillating weight with segment in platinum-iridium alloy and carbon fibre arms

Hit the "Read" link to see the rest of the specs and one more image.

Read "Jaeger-LeCoultre AMVOX 3 Tourbillon GMT" »

Posted by JP at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ via LuxuryBazaar ]

The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving GMT Lady is a good looking and sporty watch for women. This watch comes in polished steel (pictured here) and a pink gold version. The case is 38 mm in diameter, the bezel has 16 diamonds and it comes with an Automatic movement. It is water-resistant to 300 meters and comes with either a white alligator strap or a steel bracelet. The steel version runs $6,950 USD.

Posted by JP at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ via Jaeger-LeCoultre ]

I like the idea of a mechanical depth guage on a wristwatch and the capabilty to dive 1000 m deep, but $22,000 seems way to high. I do really like the two-tone scheme and the 24 city GMT function though.

Posted by JP at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ via The Raw Feed ]

If you take a look at the left side of the Jaeger-LeCoultre watch case you will see the buttons that lock and unlock the vertical trigger mechanism, which allows you to control the chronograph function via the sapphire crystal . It costs $35,000 on top of $250K for the DBS. There are only 200 editions and you have to buy the car to buy the watch.

Posted by JP at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Check out the new Master Compressor Diving GMT by Jaeger-LeCoultre. This watch is not only a GMT, it can also resist depths of 1000m. The case is made of a satin-brushed grade 5 titanium and is 44 mm in diameter. On top of having a second time zone displayed in a 24-hour subdial at 9 o'clock, this watch has a luminescent movement operating indicator in the lower part if the dial in the shape of an elongated rectangle.

Posted by JP at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is the new Master Compressor Extreme LAB concept watch. The most innovative feature is that the watch operates without any form of lubricant. The Jaeger-LeCoultre 988C is not only lubricant-free it is also resistant to extreme temps - 40° / + 60° C. This completely redesigned movement has gone through two years of development to achieve a high-tech movement that requires no oil or grease. It is actually capable of running smoothly for years without any wear on the parts or deterioration of its performance. This concept watch and movement actually has six patents pending and it looks great too. It of course will be prodcued in
limited edition and should command a very high price.

Read "MASTER COMPRESSOR EXTREME LAB by Jaeger-LeCoultre" »

Posted by JP at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (2)

[ via Jaeger-LeCoultre ]

Leonardo DiCaprio has been seen at the premieres of the film Blood Diamond wearing his Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Minute Repeater. Valued at $175,000 it is a limited edition of 200 pieces. It features a 15-day power reserve movement that chimes the hours, quarter hours and minutes. The sounds come from patented crystal gongs.

Posted by JP at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is a girly looking new watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Posted by JP at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Compressor Chronograph has a nice 18k rose gold case with a dark brown dial. It has a brown leather strap to finish off a nice chocolate look. The crown and pushers are not screw down, but they are equipped with an external butterfly collar that turns a 1/2 turn clock-wise and counter clockwise. Each crown has red and white enamel indicating arrows. The white arrows indicate when the crown is secure and water resistant and the red arrows indicate the crown is non-secure/non-water resistant. When the crown is secure it compresses a gasket that ensures water resistance. The watch undergoes a rigorous 1000 hours of testing before it ships.

Posted by JP at 5:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra World Chronograph

Here are this specs for this cool looking Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Squadra World Chronograph that flips over to reveal 24 time zones. Movement: self-winding mechanical movement, caliber 753, 28,800 vibrations an hour, 65-hour power reserve, 366 parts, 39 jewels, 7.57 mm high. Functions: front: hours, minutes, small seconds, large date (linked to the first timezone), day/night indicator, chronograph. Back: universal time (Worldtime). Dial: front: black, guilloche center, (specific) transferred figures. Back: black, with the transferred names of the cities representing the 24 timezones in the centre. Hands: front: steel, with superluminova. Back: steel, with a matt part to differentiate day/night. Crown: 1 crown to rewind the watch, and to reset the hours, minutes, large date and universal time (Worldtime) indicator, 2 push-buttons for the chronograph. Case: reversible, Squadra Large size in titanium comprising more than 50 parts, sapphire crystal, water resistance to 50 meters. Straps: alligator leather with folding buckle in titanium or new rubber strap with hinged links.

Dreamwatches

Posted by JP at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

http://europastar.com

Here is a nice Limited Edition Toubillon from Jaeger-LeCoultre. I think it is called the Master Tourbillon, but I am not sure.

Posted by JP at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

[ via Europastar ]

The new concept watch from Jaeger-LeCoultre is quite nice looking. What is even cooler than the way it looks is the way it works. Instead of using push-buttons like a traditional chrono, it actually requires you to push different parts of the sapphire crystal to activate the chronograph functions. Tissot makes watches that require touching the crystal to activate chrono functions, however Tissot watches are not in the same class as Jaeger-LeCoultre.

Posted by at 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)