Vacheron Constantin Opens New Boutique at South Coast Plaza in Orange County

 

Vacheron Constantin, the world's oldest Haute Horlogerie manufacturer with more than 250 years of uninterrupted history, announces the opening of its newest boutique at South Coast Plaza in Orange County, California.

South Coast Plaza offers an unparalleled luxury shopping experience, in keeping with Vacheron Constantin's high level of sophistication and commitment to exceptional customer service. The exclusive new boutique is the brand's third in the United States, with others open in New York City (September 2011) and Las Vegas (August 2012), and marks the brand's 32nd boutique worldwide.  

The new boutique welcomes watch collectors and enthusiasts to view its fine timepieces in more than 750 square feet of floor space. The boutique is rich in elegant architectural and decorative details, which incorporate contemporary elements into the traditional design that reveals the brand's constant search for excellence and aesthetic perfection. A custom-made Murano crystal chandelier graces the center of the boutique, and is complimented by sleek showcases and walls finished in fine Venetian plaster. The Venetian glass decorations create an environment of refined elegance and invite customers to appreciate the culture, history, and tradition of excellence that defines Vacheron Constantin. 

Known for its technical and aesthetic excellence, and the high level of finishing of its timepieces, Vacheron Constantin displays a very sophisticated level of refinement as well as a strong attachment to its heritage, the transmission of know-how and high quality craftsmanship. The boutique will offer the entire range of collections from the Geneva-based manufacture, as well as exclusive boutique models including the new Métiers d'Art Les Univers Infinis collection. The boutique will offer the Ateliers Cabinotiers service, a highly exclusive service which allows the client to entirely customize his or her timepiece through a collaboration with the Maison. An attentive after-sales service is also offered.

"We are delighted to open our third U.S. boutique at South Coast Plaza," said Hugues de Pins, president of Vacheron Constantin North America. "We are very proud that our first California boutique is situated within the Orange County community, marking an important step in the brand's expansion in America. This new boutique will provide an exceptional experience that will enhance customer understanding of the brand, its heritage, and its commitment to excellence in high watchmaking." 

In keeping with the brand's strong commitment to supporting Arts and Culture around the world, Vacheron Constantin has committed to supporting the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2012-2013 Season as the Presenting Sponsor of the 2012 Candlelight Gala. The annual event, which supports the Center and its programs, took place on Friday, December 7th.

Lawrence M. Higby, chairman of the Center, said, "We are very honored that Vacheron Constantin watches selected Segerstrom Center for its first philanthropic partnership in Orange County. I know that commitment to community and to supporting the arts, in particular, is part of the Vacheron Constantin heritage and tradition. We applaud them for this and welcome them to our Center family.

Richard Mille Opens Boutique in Singapore

The new Richard Mille Singapore boutique was inaugurated on December 14th in the prestigious setting of the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Orchard Road, one of the great bastions of luxury in the Garden City.

The Singapore boutique is one of the brand's largest showrooms covering 200 square meters featuring a new showroom concept enhanced by very subtle lighting. All forthcoming boutiques of the brand will be inspired by this new design concept encapsulating a unique and enlightened atmosphere.

A range of new areas, including a "watchmakers workshop" and a lounge bar, also characterise this boutique. The bar's warm and friendly atmosphere encourages visitors to spend some time in this temple devoted to very fine watchmaking.

At the heart of the boutique, 24 display cases present and showcase the collection's most exceptional creations. Curved display cases fixed to an all-glass facade recall the tonneau shape of Richard Mille timepieces and enable collectors and enthusiasts to admire these watches from all angles. Two distinctive sculptures - one located on the outer facade and the other on the inner facade - represent the spectacular mechanisms used in Richard Mille watches.

The inauguration of the boutique began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the presence of Richard Mille and Dave Tan, CEO of Richard Mille Asia, joined by a prestigious brand partner and friend, Michelle Yeoh, who wished to be at Richard Mille's side for this momentous occasion. After the ceremony, the new boutique was unveiled in spectacular fashion, and the 300 guests enjoyed an exclusive opportunity to discover the new RM universe. To welcome the guests, the evening's waiting staff were dressed in various sporting outfits (tennis, golf, motorsports, etc.) typically worn by some of the brand's partners, providing a glimpse of the world Richard Mille is truly passionate about!

After the cocktail reception, the evening continued in one of the Grand Hyatt Singapore's luxury Salons, renamed the "RM Club" for the occasion. A fabulous programme was concocted and music took centre stage, with a performance from the famous DJ ed (Leo Lanvin) to start the show, followed by the South Korean girl group MISS A, who gave guests an exceptional concert to round off an exceptional evening. 

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Jaeger-LeCoultre: 180 Years Dedicated to the Quest for Excellence

Since 1833, creations by Jaeger-LeCoultre have been laying milestones in the history of Fine Watchmaking. It is from this longstanding experience that the men and women of Jaeger-LeCoultre now draw their inventive capacity.

A watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre crystallises high standards, a classicism that remains profoundly attached to the past and concerned with authenticity, while also driven by a conquering spirit and a perpetual quest for the finest horological inventions. The current creations are a natural extension of the historical models and represent the culmination of the same research endeavours in both technical and esthetic fields.

Until January 21, 2013, Jaeger-LeCoultre invites you to revisit the "Hybris Mechanica" collection, the quintessence of the horological passion which unites and drives the men and women of the Manufacture. 

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Omega Announces The First Truly Anti-Magnetic Watch Movement

Omega has announced the creation of a watch that is resistant to magnetic fields greater than 1.5 tesla (15,000 gauss), far exceeding the levels of magnetic resistance achieved by any previous watch and solving a problem that has challenged watchmakers for centuries. 

The movement was introduced at a press conference at the Cité du Temps in Geneva on January 17th by Raynald Aeschlimann, OMEGA Vice President and member of Swatch Group's Extended Group Management Board.  

Mr Aeschlimann opened the press conference, welcoming the media and introducing Jean-Claude Monachon, OMEGA Vice President and Head of Product Development, Michel Willemin, CEO of ASULAB, Thierry Conus, the Director of Research & Development at ETA and Mathieu Oulevey, a Tribology and Materials engineer at ETA. 

In his opening remarks at the press conference, Mr Aeschlimann gave credit to Swatch Group's unique ability to benefit from the contributions of the best engineers and researchers from all of its brand and companies. He added, "All of the heroes are here not only my colleagues from OMEGA but from ASULAB and ETA. It was only through their shared creativity and enthusiasm that we could introduce this important innovation to you."

The technology developed by the team led to the first prototype of the movement, which has been fitted in an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra. Unlike other efforts to combat the effects of magnetism, the OMEGA movement does not rely on a protective container inside the watchcase but on the use of selected non-ferrous materials in the movement itself. Several patents are pending for the new movement.

Jean-Claude Monachon reminded the attendees at the press conference of OMEGA's long history of technological innovation, showing slides of highlights going back to 1894. He went on to point out that magnetism has always been an issue for watchmakers, adding that magnets are now more present in our daily lives than they have ever been before. Watchmakers have to deal regularly with the issue of magnetism, as it is necessary for them to demagnetize mechanical watches whose performance has been compromised by exposure to magnetic fields, a problem that will be solved with the new movement.

He explained that G. N. Hayek, the CEO of Swatch Group, challenged Omega to create a totally non-magnetic watch and announced that OMEGA, with engineers, scientists and metallurgists from its sister companies had met the challenge.   

Michel Willemin's presentation focused on issues of magnetism in daily life. He gave members of the press a brief primer on magnets and magnetism and pointed out that the evolution of the strength of permanent magnets was a key motivation behind the development of the movement.

Thierry Conus explained how magnetism had been dealt with previously, including inner cases designed to limit the effect of magnetism. He pointed out the limitations of the approach including the facts they couldn't handle the challenge of the increased strength of permanent magnets and that, from an aesthetic standpoint, they block the view of the movement. He then showed a short film showing how a conventional mechanical watch exposed to high levels of magnetism stopped immediately and dramatically lost its accuracy. The OMEGA prototype was subjected to even higher levels of magnetism (15,000 gauss) and continued to perform. Testing showed that the watch was as accurate after its magnetic exposure as it had been before.

A live demonstration was then made that offered compelling and conclusive evidence that OMEGA's new >15,000 Gauss movement is a landmark development in watchmaking.

OMEGA expects to present the technology at the Baselworld trade fair in April. The new movement, the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8508, should be introduced to the market in 2013. 

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