Pearl Star

The unique styling and oval face meant that William Anthony’s Pearl Star pocket watch was the first to be made with ‘expanding hands’.  When the watch indicated it was 12 o’clock the hands would be fully extended to the top of the case, whereas at quarter to and quarter past the hour the hands would become shorter so that they wouldn’t fit within the sides of the case.  Considering this watch was made over 200 years ago, this is a spectacular piece of craftsmanship.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual

The Rolex Oyster was a significant milestone in the evolution of the wrist watch as it was the first to be made waterproof.  Rolex has always been an innovator of timepiece technology and the perpetual movement, first designed by Louis Perrelet in the 1750s, was perfected by Rolex in this model of watch.  It worked by having a small weight wound around the watch.  This weight would then move as the wearer moved their arm, eliminating the need for daily winding - hence the watch ran ‘perpetually’.  The Rolex Oysterl Perpetual celebrates its’ 100th anniversary this year.

Patek Philippe Graves

In 1933 New York Banker Henry Graves Jr. asked Patek Philippe to make him the most complicated possible at the time.  The resulting creation was called the ‘Graves Complication’ and had an impressive 24 functions.  The styling looks remarkably similar to some of the more rugged watches available today.  The Graves Complication was way ahead of it’s time and in 1999 was sold at auction for an incredible $11 million.

The Rolex Oyster was a significant milestone in the evolution of the wrist watch as it was the first to be made waterproof.  Rolex has always been an innovator of timepiece technology and the perpetual movement, first designed by Louis Perrelet in the 1750s, was perfected by Rolex in this model of watch.  It worked by having a small weight wound around the watch.  This weight would then move as the wearer moved their arm, eliminating the need for daily winding - hence the watch ran ‘perpetually’.  The Rolex Oysterl Perpetual celebrates its’ 100th anniversary this year.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

This watch is responsible for the popularity of titanium, steel and ceramics popular as watch materials to this day.  Audemars Piguet was founded in 1854 and catered their high-end watches to only the most exclusive of clientele.  By the 1970s most Swiss watch manufacturers were using precious metals and jewellery in their watches, however in 1972 Audemars Piguet made the world’s first stainless steel luxury watch thanks to famed designer Gerald Genda.  The first watch cost approximately $2000 and has undergone several different incarnations since then, including the Outdoor Survivor edition which cost a massive $42,000.

Jaeger LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon

18th century watcmaker Abraham-Louis Bregue pioneered the first tourbillons during the French revolution.  They were crucial to the evolution of the watch as they offset the effects that gravity had on the balance wheel (the gear inside the movement which measures out seconds).  Jaeger-LeCoultre improved on this mechanism by creating the gyrotourbillon, which was a three dimensional wheel which rotated in a similar way to a tiny planet on the watch face.  This combination of a 300 year old invention and modern engineering techniques resulted in one of the most mechanically impressive watches the world had ever seen.

This watch is responsible for the popularity of titanium, steel and ceramics popular as watch materials to this day.  Audemars Piguet was founded in 1854 and catered their high-end watches to only the most exclusive of clientele.  By the 1970s most Swiss watch manufacturers were using precious metals and jewellery in their watches, however in 1972 Audemars Piguet made the world’s first stainless steel luxury watch thanks to famed designer Gerald Genda.  The first watch cost approximately $2000 and has undergone several different incarnations since then, including the Outdoor Survivor edition which cost a massive $42,000.

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With Valentine’s day fast approaching, Watch Superstar dives to the rescue of all the men and women out there who are stuck for gift ideas.  So if you are looking for a special extra something for the the man or lady in your life then we have picked out a few of our favourite designer watches for you to consider.

GC Guess Collection Gold Plated Watch

Gc Guess Collection Ladies watch, quartz movement, gold plated stainless steel case and bracelet, silver dial, water resistant.

Rotary Gold Plated Bracelent Watch

Rotary Ladies Gold Plated Bracelet, Interchangeable Clear, Green, Blue, Pink and Orange Crystal Bezels, Cream Mother of Pearl Dial and Quartz Movement

Armani Gold Plated Crystal Watch

Emporio Armani Ladies Watch, White Mother of Pearl Crystal Dots Dial, Gold Plated Case and Crystal Logo set Bracelet, Quartz Movement, Water Resistant up to 50 Metres

Chronotech Rose Gold White Leather Strap Watch

Chronotech stainless steel analogue square rose gold case white dial white leather strap.

Omega Deville Prestige Watch

Omega DeVille Prestige Gents Watch, Silver Roman Numeral Dial, 18ct Rose Gold Case, Scratch Resistant Sapphire Crystal Glass, Brown Leather Crocodile Pattern Strap, Co-Axial Mechanical Movement, Water Resistant up to 30 Metres.

Michael Kors Ladies Leather Collection Watch

Michael Kors Ladies Leather Collection, quartz movement, gold plated square case with a tigers eye dial on a brown leather strap, water resistant up to 50 metres

Accurist 9 Carat Gold Watch

Accurist Ladies Watch, White Dots Dial, 9ct Yellow Gold Case and Bracelet, Quartz Movement

Nautica Arabic Chronograph Dial Quartz Movement Watch

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Keen car enthusiasts will no doubt be aware of Swedish car manufacturer, Koenigsegg and their spectacular 245mph supercars.

While these cars are staggering feats of engineering what you may not be aware of is that they have turned their hands to the opposite end of the spectrum.  Koenigsegg have enlisted the help of Swiss designer watch brand Edox to produce  a watch who’s style complements the lines of their CCX supercar.

The watch is as predictably crazy as the car with flip up ‘doors’ around the display, a strap made from alligator and a price tag of £13,500 which is considerably cheap compared to some luxury watches and even cheaper than the car itself which comes with a hefty £350,000 label.

We may be suckers for a nice watch here but in this case give us the car any day of the week!

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