Expensive Places

If you are looking for a different watch take a look at this one. Devon Works’s creative lab is releasing a special edition of their debut timepiece, aptly named Tread 1 Steampunk.

The Devon Tread 1 Steampunk will be limited to a special edition of 150 pieces and retail for US$25,000 when deliveries begin this November.

Tread 1 Steampunk measures 56mm x 50mm x 18.5mm and exterior case parts are covered by bronze “body armor,”. This body armor is a complex system of parts that is accented by extensive riveting as well as screws and fittings made of a pleasantly contrasting mix of brass and bronze finishes.

Phosphor bronze spring spacers are placed at the four corners of the armor adding even more depth to Steampunk’s aesthetic. Inside the case the most recognizable features are the movement’s brass motor housings and the newly designed indicator plate that’s intricately etched to accomplish a vintage appeal.

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A rare bottle of Rémy Martin Black Pearl Cognac (estimated at US$ 7,900 – 11,000) will be offered at Bonhams Fine & Rare wines sale on 13th September at New Bond Street, London. The history of this unusual Cognac is very interesting: after several years traveling the world on a luxury cruise-liner in the on-board shopping mall it was purchased by an experienced South African bar manager. He spotted the bottle while cruising across the Mediterranean and, realizing its importance and rarity, he bought it and sent it from Greece to South Africa for safe-keeping.

The Cognac, a ‘Louis XIII de Remy Martin’, is made using a special blend of 1200 eaux de vie, between 40 and 100 years old and is aged in ancient oak barrels. It is produced from grapes grown in the Grande Champagne territory, at the innermost heart of the Cognac region.

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After Bonhams May sale, which included sixty-four pristine Hermès bags, realizing a total of £562,750 now all eyes are on the Bonhams Jewelry sale in Knightsbridge, London on 28th November, where eighteen iconic Hermès handbags from a private collection will come to auction.

One of the highlights of the collection for sale in November is a red crocodile Birkin bag (named after British actress Jane Birkin), estimated at £28,000 – 30,000. Other handbags cover a range of Hermès most popular designs, including a mini Kelly bag (named after Grace Kelly, who in 1956 had just become Princess of Monaco) in miel crocodile, estimated at £15,000 – 20,000, a blue ostrich Bolide bag, estimated at £6,000 – 8,000, several Constance bags and a custom-made special order Birkin bag.

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A Kind or Queen cannot use a normal computer. A Royal family need a piece of hardware that combine both high-tech and traditional style luxury. Here Chirita, a French company, come with solution: the Louis XVI inspired gold plate and onyx gold computers. Chirita sells those luxury computer hardware at prices starting at $21,360 (€17,000).

Chirita has made new computers and flat-screen TVs with LCD computer design in classic styles (Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire) and contemporary (Infinity, Florentine, Jura). They are handcrafted in brass, bronze, alabaster, malachite and lapis lazuli, the metal parts are covered with gold leaf “old.” They help to move computers to a decorative piece and bring her office and a touch of elegance.

The central unit of extremely small dimensions and made of the best components, is embedded in the monitor cabinet, discreetly, thanks to this integration, a single cable will be needed on the desktop. Finally, a keyboard and a wireless mouse provide the finishing touches to the complete freedom of movement and gives an overall discretion unprecedented for a PC.

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The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges is available in a limited version of 18 pieces, set with 88 diamonds on the bezel, the case-center and the lugs. The baguette cut of the gemstones contrasts with the roundness of the case to form a sumptuous impact. The Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges diamond set model is priced at $406,500 more than a Ferrari sport car.

The Tourbillon device is also the subject of particular attention, its 72 component parts being meticulously assembled within a space only 12 mm in diameter. Under the sapphire crystal with its anti-reflective treatment, the three bridges carved out of pink gold form a striking contrast with the color of the platinum.

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What do you remember about the PAC-MAN? Good old time, right? Now RJ-Romain Jerome in association with NAMCO BANDAI Games is bringing the PAC-MAN characters to world of watches.

Having inherited the highly distinctive case of the Moon Invader collection, a circle in a cambered 46 mm square, the PAC-MAN watches also feature steel fused with fragments of Apollo 11. The four ball-and-socket joints at the corners of the case are functional and designed like the legs of the lunar landing module in American lunar expeditions. Boasting a highly sophisticated construction, and mounted on axles anchored in the case, these ball-and-socket joints hold the lugs of the rubber straps and their mobility make the watch easily adaptable to all wrist sizes. On the back of the watch, a disc made of Moon SilverRJ – a low-oxidation silver fused with moon rocks – reproduces the surface of the Moon. Each of the three dial levels is engraved with a pixelated matrix.

The lower two levels are beadblasted, while the upper level features straight-grained edges. The characters and fruits adorning the dial stem from meticulous craftsmanship. Machined piece by piece, applied by hand and gem-set, they are subsequently lacquered with different colours or with black superluminova “green emission”, thus recreating actual game sequences.

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Inspired by the new convertible Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Michel Parmigiani and his team worked on the extension of Parmigiani Fleurier’s Bugatti collection: La Bugatti Vitesse.

The La Bugatti Vitesse watch is an extension of Parmigiani Fleurier’s Bugatti collection. It is inspired by the new convertible Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport and it is world first movement includes a double-pinion system with bevel gearing, and a complex mechanism which allows for a perpendicular time display.

Tambour Monogram Tourbillon, a creation of House Louis Vuitton is stated as one of the most precious watches of all times. Although the French designer is more known for his trunks and bags, it is clearly ready to set a name in the market of time.

Tambour Monogram Tourbillon by Louis Vuitton

Tourbillon, this one of a kind hand watch, has a see-through design that keeps your eyes playing in that roller-coaster of wonder on wheels and precious gems.
What sets it apart from other designs are the wheels and carriage. They were inspired by the rounded petals that can be found on antique trunks.
The hands are made from pure gold that has a hallow section for lightness, the LV brand is nested in diamonds. It screams finesse and craftsmanship from any angle.

To add some extra to that uniqueness, the owner has the opportunity to create his own masterpice by choosing from different types of materials and designs, as the gold that the Tourbillion will showcase. It could be a discrete and delicate pink, a bright and shiny 18 karat yellow like the metal one finds on the trunks or simple but effective pure white. Then, he can choose the stingray strap from a palette of leathers and fabrics of the House.

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“Came for the sweets, mesmerized by the sparkle!”
That’s how a YT comment would look like when this “three floors high”, triple tiered crystal cake, would impress the viewer’s eyes.

Judith Leiber is known and loved for the unique and different design approach in her creation of handbags and but this is not the end of her skill.

The  Butterfly Kisses Crystal Cake by Judith Leiber it’s nothing more than another statement, one that has the word „preciouslicious” all over the headline. If that does not suffice then it’s the fine sugar rush that will blow away your party guests mind. Doesn’t matter, wedding or birthday party, it shall quickly become the talk of the month for sure!

There’s nothing wrong with the desire of greatness in your life, even if it’s butterflies coated, hand beaded in the finest crystal. This multilayered cake will make your party sparkle more then you know! Keep in mind that this branded eye candy will make your wallet suffer for about 7000$ as a retail price is asked. That’s almost 1000$ per butterfly.
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Before take a closer look at this amazing watch let’s see who MB&F is, the company behind HM3 Poison Dart Frog. After decades learning and conforming to the corporate rules of watchmaking, Maximilian Büsser broke the chains and started a rebellion – a rebellion called MB&F. MB&F is an artistic and micro-engineering concept laboratory in which collectives of independent horological professionals are assembled each year to design and craft radical Horological Machines.

Now back to the HM3 Poison Dart Frog, a limited edition of 10 pieces inspired by the spectacular yellow-banded poison dart frog:

The deadly potential of the poison dart frog is camouflaged in the tropical rainforest by this amphibian’s exotically-patterned black and yellow skin. Similarly, the high-tech zirconium case of Poison Dart Frog is disguised by a sleek, black layer of PVD. The black case contrasts spectacularly with the animated rotor – framed by an over-sized date wheel – on top of the Jean-Marc Wiederrecht-designed complication.

The protruding eyes of real-life, amphibious frogs enable them to see in many directions without having to turn their head. The bulbous hour and minute domes of Poison Dart Frog create a similar effect, though in this case it means the wearer can easily read the time from a variety of angles without having to turn his or her wrist.

The hour and minute domes had to be meticulously machined from solid aluminium, chosen for its optimal strength to weight ratio – the domes weigh just over 0.5g. First, they are milled from the outside and then the inside to arrive at a paper-thin wall thickness of just 0.28mm, ensuring their energy requirements are kept to an absolute minimum.
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