Bell & Ross Creates Watch For The Rafale Fighter Jet

 

Bell & Ross, the French watch brand with Swiss manufacturing facilities, has designed a new watch to resemble the design and complexity of the Dassault Rafale, a French fighter jet built by Dassault Aviation.

The Rafale is known for its speed, maneuverability and light weight. The “multirole” aircraft can combine air strikes and air-to-air combat, long-range air-to-air missiles, and low altitude attacks. It is designed to avoid radar detection while having its own advanced radar system.

A pilot wearing the Rafale BR 03-94 watch by Bell & Ross with the Dassault Rafale fighter jet behind him

The Rafale BR 03-94 watch by Bell & Ross adopts the distinct design features of the fighter aircraft. The stealth-like matte-black ceramic case is a reference to the anti-reflective tints of instrument panels in airplane cockpits. Rafale’s monochrome camouflage grey adorns the dial. The typography of the numerals mirrors the registration numbers on the plane’s fuselage.

The hands used for the chronograph functions are distinguished by orange tips. On the flange, the tachymeter scale enables speeds to be calculated, while the word “tachymeter” is written in bright orange. The auxiliary counter of the small seconds displays the distinctive silhouette of the fighter aircraft, and the Rafale signature appears at 6 o’clock. Finally, the watch is equipped with a black natural rubber strap.

The watch is available in a limited edition of 500 pieces. It was first presented at the International Paris Air Show, which will run till June 21.

It is powered by the BR-CAL.301 automatic chronograph movement.

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Found: Long Lost Gems From Plane Crash on Mont Blanc

A French mountain climber scaling Mont Blanc came upon gems worth approximately $333,000, according to reports in The Guardian and other publications.

The precious stones almost certainly belonged to someone on one of two Air India flights that crashed into the famous mountain in 1950 and 1996, according to the reports. A total of 165 people were killed in those two crashes.

The gems, around 100, were found neatly packed in bags that were marked, “Made in India,” according to The Guardian report. The mountain climber immediately turned the stones over to local French authorities.

At 15,781 feet, Mont Blanc, which borders France and Italy, is the highest mountain in the Alps and the European Union. The summit is ascended by an average 20,000 mountaineer-tourists each year. 

A special thank you to independent jewelry designer, Etienne Perret, for altering me to this story.

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A French Company Acquires Another Prestigious Italian Jewelry Brand

Tilda Swinton, a spokesperson for Pomellato.

Less than two years after French conglomerate LVMH acquired luxury Italian jewelry brand Bulgari; its French competitor, holding company Kering, finalized its acquisition of Italian jewelry brand Pomellato.

The agreement for Kering to purchase a majority stake in Pomellato was announced in April. On Thursday, Kering, formerly known as PPR, announced in a brief statement that the agreement received clearance from the antitrust authorities and has been finalized.

Pomellato was one of the few truly prestigious independent Italian jewelry brands left to acquire. The brand was founded by Pino Rabolini in Milan in 1967, pioneering the concept of ready-to-wear jewelry. The idea was that jewelry is not just a status symbol but an accessory to be worn and replaced at any time of the day. The current CEO, Andrea Morante, will remain in this position with the company.

Pomellato ranks among the top five European jewelers by sales, with 2012 revenues of €146 million ($190 million). It has a distinct style, an international following and an aura of exclusivity. The brand is known for its colorful rounded cabochon gems and its tactile forms. For example, pavé patterns are created with gemstones of various sizes and irregular forms. In recent years, the company was also known for its advertising partnership with actress Tilda Swinton, who appeared in company photographs and videos.

In 1995, Pomellato launched a second brand, Dodo, an accessible line of 18k gold charms in the shapes of animals. The name, after an extinct bird, was chosen as a way to exemplify the need to protect nature. The brand supports the Italian World Wildlife Fund, working to prevent the extinction of other animal species.

Pomellato’s distribution network includes 86 mono-brand stores (45 Pomellato, 41 Dodo) as well as approximately 600 independent points of sale around the world. More importantly for Pomellato and Kering is that there is plenty of room for growth. Pomellato has expressed an interest to extend its international distribution. Kering, with its immense size as an international player in the apparel and accessories markets, can fuel that growth.

Kering is present in more than 120 countries and generated revenues of €9.7 billion ($12.4 billion) in 2012. With the acquisition Pomellato finalized, the company now has a majority stake in 19 brands that include international luxury fashion brands Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent; French luxury jewelry brand, Boucheron; Chinese luxury jewelry brand, Qeelin; luxury Swiss watch brands, Girard-Perregaux and Jewn-Richard; and sports brand, Puma.

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Napoleon’s Engagement Ring to Joséphine Sells for $948,000

The engagement ring that Napoleon Bonaparte gave to his future wife Joséphine in 1796 sold for more than $948,000 (not including commission and other fees) at auction in France on Sunday—shattering its high estimate of $20,000.

The gold ring, with an origin listed as 18th Century, is adorned with two pear-shaped stones (also described as “tear shaped” in media reports), a blue sapphire and diamond that rest side by side facing opposite directions. Each gem weighed one carat each, according to the auction house.

Bidding at the at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau opened at 10,000 euros but the first bid was for 50,000 euros and quickly went up to $130,000 euros, then pacing itself to $450,000. Several bouts of laughter were heard during the bidding as seen through the auction house’s live website. Right before the hammer fell at 630,000 euros someone pushed it to 640,000, which produced more laughter. After approximately 50 bids, the ring sold for 730,000 euros.

The sale was held Sunday to honor the 250th anniversary of Joséphine's birth, according to reports. The ring was described as modest by the auction house, purchased from someone who had not yet acquired great wealth and power. However, it gain a lot of international interest based on its historical significance.

Empress Joséphine was 32 years old, six years older than Napoleon, and a widow with a son and daughter at the time of their marriage on March 9, 1796, just before Napoleon departed for his Italian command, according to the auction house.

The ring is from the collection of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, according to the auction house. Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, was the nephew and heir of Napoleon. It was sold at Sunday’s auction of the “Collection of Prince Victor Napoleon and Princess Clementine of Belgium.”  

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Updated: Napoleon’s Engagement Ring to Joséphine is up for Auction

Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the world’s fiercest warriors but he also had a flair for romance. 

In 1796, as a symbol of his love for his wife-to-be Joséphine, he presented her with a diamond and sapphire engagement ring. This same ring will be up for bid March 24 at the Osenat auction house in Fontainebleau, France. It is estimated to fetch $13,000 to $20,000.

The gold ring, with an origin listed as 18th Century, is adorned with two pear-shaped stones (also described as “tear shaped” in media reports), a blue sapphire and diamond that rest side by side facing opposite directions. The carat-weight of the two gems was not provided by the auction house.

Updated information:  The carat-weight of each gem is approximately one carat each, said Jean Christophe Chatignier, a partner with the auction house, who responded to my e-mail Monday morning.

Empress Joséphine was 32 years old, six years older than Napoleon, was a widow with one son at the time of their marriage on March 9, 1796, just before Napoleon departed for his Italian command, according to the auction house.

The ring is from the collection of Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, according to the auction house. Napoleon III, the last monarch of France, was the nephew and heir of Napoleon.

Empress Joséphine did not produce an heir, although Napoleon formally adopted her son Eugène and cousin Stéphanie. Napoleon chose to divorce Joséphine so he could remarry for an heir. In March 1810, he married Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria. The couple had one child, Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles. He became Napoleon II in 1814 and reigned for only two weeks. He was given the title of the Duke of Reichstadt in 1818 and died of tuberculosis in 1832 at the age of 21, with no children.

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China Leads World in Luxury Attitude and Spending

Affluent consumers in the U.S. and much of the world are pulling back on their spending and attitude toward luxury. However, in China, affluent consumers are choosing luxury in every aspect of the lives, according to a seven-country survey of households earning at least $150,000.

About 57 percent of wealthy Chinese shoppers say that the economic environment has prompted them to spend more on luxury in the past year, and 50 percent plan to boost spending in the next 12 months, according to the survey by the Luxury Institute, a New York-based consulting firm. Restraint is more evident in the U.S., where 10 percent of the wealthy stepped up luxury spending in the past year and 6 percent plan to spend more in the next 12 months. U.S. consumers are twice as likely as those in China (32% vs. 16%) to have trimmed luxury spending last year.

Meanwhile, in Europe the currency crisis did not stop 14 percent of wealthy shoppers in France and 17 percent of those in Italy from boosting luxury spending this year, according to the survey, which represents the top 10 percent in household income. However, 38 percent of high-income shoppers in both countries plan to cut back in the coming year.

In Japan, the March earthquake and tsunami dampened enthusiasm for luxury shopping, with 7 percent of wealthy Japanese consumers reporting higher levels of spending and 34 percent cutting back.

The most widespread retrenchment comes in the U.K., where 38 percent of wealthy shoppers have pared back luxury spending, and 41 percent plan reductions in coming months. Germany shows more stability compared to other rich nations: Only 17 percent of wealthy German consumers say that they are spending less on luxury now and 29 percent plan to trim luxuries in the coming year.

Across all seven markets, luxury travel is the category in which most wealthy consumers anticipate stepping up spending, with China far and away showing the strongest appetite, according to the survey.

In China, 58 percent of the wealthy plan to spend more on leisure travel, followed by 28 percent in Italy and 22 percent in Germany who say the same. A total of 16 percent of wealthy consumers in the U.K., and 18 percent in the U.S., Japan, France and Italy, plan to spend more on travel.

Spending plans across the board in each of the 26 luxury categories were substantially higher in China than in Europe and the U.S., with some of the biggest disparities showing in apparel, watches, jewelry and gifts where Chinese consumers were six to seven times more likely to boost spending, according to the survey. Also strong in China are luxury auto sales, with 43 percent of the wealthy planning to spend more on cars, compared to 11 percent in the U.S., U.K. and Japan.

Attitudes towards luxury are far more positive in China than they are in other rich nations, with 78 percent of those surveyed saying that luxury goods and services are more important in today's economy. The reverse is true in the U.S. where 80 percent of wealthy shoppers say that luxury has become less important.

More than 75 percent of Chinese say that luxury expenditures are prudent purchases, while 78 percent of wealthy consumers in the U.S., U.K., and Germany find them to be an extravagance. Similarly, 78 percent of China's wealthy shoppers say that luxury goods and services are an important part of their lifestyle in today's economy, compared to 25 percent in U.S. and Germany and 20 percent in France who agree that luxury remains central in their lives.

Wealthy Chinese consumers are also highly inclined to place a premium on exclusivity and quality, and discounting turns them off. More than half of wealthy Chinese and 49 percent of Japanese say that brands that discount their merchandise are not truly luxury brands. In the U.S. and Germany, one-third of wealthy consumers share the same dim view of discounting, as do 40 percent of wealthy shoppers in the U.K, Italy and France. Despite the dour attitude towards discounting, 56 percent of wealthy Chinese say that discounting has increased their overall spending on luxury and 50 percent plan to spend more on discounted luxury items in the coming months.