Memorial for Nicolas Hayek – Saturday

The Swatch Group will hold a public, commemorative ceremony in honor of Nicolas Hayek on Saturday, July 3 at the Kursaal Arena, located at Kornhausstrasse 3, 3013 in Bern. The general public is welcomed to attend.

Instead of flowers, the firm ask those persons who wish to commemorate Mr. Hayek to make a donation to “Médecins sans frontières” in Geneva, postal check 12-100-2 or bank account UBS 1211 Geneva 2, SWIFT CODE UBSWCHZH80A, IBAN CH18 0024 0240 3760 6600Q (“in commemoration of Nicolas G. Hayek”).

Concepto Watch Factory Caliber 2000

One Movement, 70 Variants

Inspired by the evergreen Valjoux 7750, Concepto’s vision of the Caliber 2000 is as a platform for various calibers.

The firm was created in 2006 by Valerien Jaquet and is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The firm employs 90 people and has the capacity to create five movement families, including a tourbillon, the Concepto C8000, which was much lauded when it was launched a few years ago.

The caliber 2000 family is comprised of both a cam and a column-wheel chronograph, either in a tri-compax or bi-compax version. It can also be done stand-alone as a retrograde display, a split-seconds chronograph, a power reserve indicator, as a moonphase, or as a GMT, with various complications depending on the client’s request.

Hermes Carre H

Limited Edition of 173 Pieces

Designed by noted French architect and designer Marc Berthier, who has worked with Lexon and Cassina, the new Carre H watch is an avant-garde addition to Hermes’ watch collection.

The case, in titanium, measures 36.5mm x 36.5mm. The crystal is an AR-coated sapphire (as is the display back) and it is water resistant to 30 meters.

Movement is the Swiss automatic Sowind/Girard-Perregaux caliber GP3200 with 32 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 44 hours.

MSRP is $15,000.

Audemars Piguet Golf Ambassador Cristie Kerr Wins Again

LPGA Championship Victory Makes Kerr the 1st American to Rank #1 on LPGA Tour

Another exciting victory for an Audemars Piguet golf ambassador with yesterday’s victory by Cristie Kerr at the LPGA Championship (the second major championship of the year) at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, NY. With this win she is adding a second Grand Slam title to her tally, after winning the US Women’s Open three years ago.

Kerr started the final day of the tournament with an 8-stroke lead and won by an incredible 12-strokes. Just two weeks ago, Kerr was victorious at the LPGA State Farm Classic. Kerr now becomes the first American to be No. 1 in the world rankings with this latest victory as well as only the fifth player to hold the No. 1 spot since the rankings were introduced in 2006.

“With Cristie’s win today, no other watch brand can say they have had as many tournament victories this year as Audemars Piguet. Cristie as well as our other golf ambassadors Anthony Kim, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, and Lee Westwood truly exemplify the brand’s core value of excellence. We are incredibly honored to support such remarkable talent.” says Philippe Merk, CEO of Audemars Piguet.

In addition to Cristie Kerr, the AP Golf Ambassador Team represents the company’s commitment to golf by gathering an array of exceptional players for the brand. The manufacturer’s illustrious pro-golfer roster includes Lam Chih Bing, Darren Clarke, Nick Faldo, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Shiv Kapur, Shingo Katayama, Anthony Kim, Thomas Levet, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Rocco Mediate, Morgan Pressel, Vijay Singh, DJ Trahan, and Lee Westwood.

Pierre DeRoche GrandCliff Milady Chronograph

The case, in stailess steel, measures 42.5mm. The bezel can be had with up to 64 diamonds. It has an AR-coated sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 100 meters. The dial is done in a silvered sunray pattern with 4 sapphires and blued hands.

Movement is a Swiss automatic Dubois Depraz chronograph caliber with big date complication.

TX TechnoLuxury 650 GT Fly-Back Chronograph

The case, in stainless steel black PVD, with gold PVD accents, measures 47mm. It has an AR-coated sapphire crystal and is water resistant to 100 meters.

Movement is a German quartz, of proprietary design by Timex, with 4 hour retrograde chronograph and second timezone.

MSRP starts at $650 to $775.

Nicolas G. Hayek 1928–2010 – R.I.P.

Biel/Bienne, 28 June 2010 – With deep sadness and regret we inform you that Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek, Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors of The Swatch Group Ltd. unexpectedly passed away today due to heart failure during work at his beloved Swatch Group.

Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek’s greatest merit was his enormous contribution to the saving of the Swiss watch industry and the foundation and the commercial development of the Swatch Group. Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek’s extraordinary vision enabled him to realize and ensure the sustainability of a strong watchmaking enterprise with high Swiss added value. He is rightly recognized as a leading entrepreneur in this country.

With the right personnel decisions, Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek also ensured that his ideas and beliefs will live on and that continuity is guaranteed in regard of shareholders, Board of Directors and the Group Management Board.

Thanks.

Source: Swatch Group

Jon Hamm’s Not Keith Richards, And He’s OK With That

The horologists at Omega recently redesigned the brand’s iconic Constellation Collection, and this weekend, it fêted the new line in L.A. Who better to celebrate the Constellations? Why, the stars, of course. Brand ambassador Ziyi Zhang held court at the Ritz-Carlton for cocktails and dinner, and a crowd that included Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, Anna Kendrick, and Adrien Brody.

Kendrick—who had only somewhat recovered from the premiere of her latest film, Twilight: Eclipse, which took place two nights prior in Los Angeles (”my eardrums are still bleeding”)—was the night’s first celebrity to arrive. Punctuality, it turns out, is the actress’ forte. “I pride myself on being punctual, actually,” Kendrick revealed, sounding every bit her type-A character in Up in the Air. “When I’m late, I might as well break into hives.” Fitting for a watch event, we conjectured. “I don’t always wear a watch, but I guess that’s cell phones for you,” she admitted. “I have a couple that I love. When I’m feeling casual I wear a little calculator watch, but, obviously, I try to class it up a bit, too.”

Hamm, it turns out, falls on the other end of the punctuality spectrum. “I try to be punctual. But like most things that we try to do, sometimes we fail at them. I do understand the value of being punctual, but I wish I practiced what I preached a little more.” While a fan of a classic timepiece, don’t expect Hamm to take his love of accessories any further. “I’m not a big jewelry guy. The only thing I’ve ever really worn is a watch. I’m not that guy. I can’t pull it off.” But, that’s not to say Hamm is opposed to other men engaging with a whole range of accoutrements. “If you can pull it off, more power to you. Keith Richards looks good with tons of necklaces, a skull ring, and earrings. But I’m not Keith Richards.”

Piaget Gets The Ronson Seal Of Approval

Mark Ronson—he of the six-shirts-a-season Band of Outsiders habit, Van Cleef & Arpels cologne, and strident pompadour—is one of the most fashion-minded of the power producers (not, by the way, an un-peacocking lot). So when he put out his latest video, for “Bang Bang Bang” (co-starring “the Business INTL”—a.k.a. Q-Tip and Brooklyn up-and-comer MNDR), we were curious to see the fashion credits. The guy doesn’t disappoint. The gold, peak-lapelled double-breasted suit fits in with the nouveau-retro eighties shtick nicely (plus, Versace just showed similar), and Lacoste must be over the moon that its canvas sneaks got a nod. But my favorite is the watch. Leave the Rollies to the rappers. Who else but Mark Ronson is going to floss a Piaget? That’s the mechanical, hand-wound, diamond-encrusted Altiplano on his wrist, first in white, and then (as above) in vinyl-ish black. For the handful of you who see this video and have the funds for a Piaget, it’s now available at the brand’s boutiques and select retailers nationwide. If not, well, you can check out the full video below.

Frederique Constant Hosts 2010 Passion Awards for Charity

Twenty years ago, Peter & Aletta Stas started a company that was unlikely to succeed. They founded a new fine Swiss watch brand. The market for hand-made, high-value mechanical watches was dying. They were very young. And not even Swiss, but Dutch. Two decades later, Frédérique Constant is one of the main success stories within the Swiss watch industry. The company grows 25-35% annually. In 2010, with a team of just 100 people, Frederique Constant expects to produce and sell over 100,000 watches in 90 countries.

The overriding factor for this success has been Passion. Passion that made Peter & Aletta evolve from lovers of fine watches into global producers. This is why the company slogan has always been ‘Live your Passion’. And why for the third time, Peter & Aletta are proud to announce the Frederique Constant Passion Awards. Through these awards, they personally aim to reward charitable organizations that are driven by Passion, and celebrate and support their entrepreneurial success. The Passion Awards have evolved in to an institution through which Frederique Constant gives back to society, and namely to people that are less fortunate.

Winners of the previous editions of the Frédérique Constant Passion Awards are Dr. William Novick of the International Children’s Heart Foundation and Mrs. Laura Cotton of the Paint a Smile Foundation.

After two memorable editions in Geneva, this year the city of cities was chosen for this very special event: New York. The prize in 2010 will include a generous donation of USD 50’000,- towards the winning charity, as well as Frédérique Constant timepieces.

The check handover will be part of the exclusive, celebratory Passion Awards for Charity dinner, hosted by Peter & Aletta Stas, and taking place in New York City on June 29th at Cipriani Wall Street. There, celebrities and other Friends of the winning charity and of the brand, will witness a presentation as well as enjoy a culinary supper.