Cartier Santos Vendome Steel 18K White Gold and Titan

 

One of the most famous watch designs: The Cartier Santos. A timeless model that everybody knows, and is copied vèry often.

In 1904, Louis Cartier granted the wish of the famous Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos Dumont: to be able to tell time while flying. The birth of one of the first ever wristwatches sealed the bonds of friendship between these two pioneers. The rounded angles of the dial, the seamless curve of the horns, and the exposed screws made for an iconic watch that would inspire countless reinterpretations.

Most people know the scquare model, but did you know that their was also an octagonal and round Vendôme version? Most versions where made in steel with yellow gold, some in steel with white gold, others in made of massif 18k gold.

This is one of my favorites! The Cartier Santos Vendôme Steel with 18k white gold and dark grey dail.

 

 

 

 

Bold cuffs take center stage.

As this summer statement jewelry continues to trend….

In a famous photo taken in 1977 at the Rainbow Room in Manhattan, the perennially stylish Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis can be seen arm-wrestling Muhammad Ali.  But it’s not the fashion icon’s toothy grin, or her off-the-shoulder gown, or her embellished earrings that stand out the most, it’s the hammered yellow gold Van Cleef & Arpels cuff on her wrist. The quintessential first lady so favored the piece of jewelry that she wore it throughout the 1970s and 1980s, igniting an unprecedented fervor for cuffs among fashion’s glitterati. It was not only Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis that made the sales raise, also Princess Caroline of Monaco and other celebs did. When the Princess showed up with her Cartier Love Bracelet, sales went up…..

I Love: Rabinovich, black leather, steel bracelet (Click photo to enlarge).

Rabinovich, purple leather, steel bracelet, availble in a lot of colors (Click photo to enlarge).

Bvlgari, Sterling silver, Leather bracelet, availble in many colors (Click photo to enlarge).

A true timeless classic. Not only for horse lovers! Albanu bracelet made of horse hair and sterling silver. Availble in many colors, models and 18k gold (Click photo to enlarge).

Prince Bernard had one. Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan had one. Albanu, loved by many Royals and movie stars since 1928! Albanu bracelet made of elephant hair and 18k yellow gold. They are availble in a vèry large range of models (Click photo to enlarge).

Today cuffs are making a comeback in a variety of shapes and unique materials. Sometimes simple, sometimes precious. Basic wide styles can be worn on their own to create a more tailored, minimalistic look for work, while those with an experimental bent can mix and match skinnier versions. Add some instant edge to an outfit by rocking a double wrap leather cuff with oversized rivets and studded hardware, or up the ante by donning multiple metal bands in alternating widths on each wrist.

What some friends of mine have with shoes, I’ve got t with watches and bracelets! I realy love my Bvlgari Alveare and Parentesi, but my Cartier Love bracelet is my daily wear, that I many times combine with one of my Rabinovich leather bracelets. I’ve got many of them! They are vèry affordable, and vèry stong! Taking a shower with my Albanu, is no problem at all! I’ve got one that’s over 40 years old, and its still as new! Taking a shower with a leather bracelet is not the advice you would give someone, but my Rabinovich bracelets are still doing great, after 2 years of showering. And that for that price!

Tory Burch double wrap logo stud bracelet in blood orange, other colors availble (Click photo to enlarge).

A true Tiffany & Co classic! Elsa Peretti’s Sterling Silver Bone Cuff bracelet. It’s also availble in 18k gold (Click photo to enlarge).

Tiffany & Co. Paloma Picasso’s knot bracelet in leather and sterling silver (Click photo to enlarge).

Hermès Black Leather Wide Bracelets with 18K Pink Gold Turn Buckle (Click photo to enlarge).

 

Bvlgari Alveare 18k Yellow and White Gold Bracelet (Click photo to enlarge).Van Cleef & Arpels ‘Ludo’ Art Deco bracelet, Paris, 1939, yellow 18k gold, rubies and star rubies in mystery setting (Click photo to enlarge).

Cartier ‘Juste un Clou’ 18ct pink-gold bracelet, also availble in white and yellow gold, with or without diamonds or other precious stones (Click photo to enlarge).

Just remember to stick to the cardinal rule of accessorizing: Don’t overdo it. And, whether you select a classic leather cuff, bejeweled medallion or retro-inspired resin style, be sure to make a selection that speaks to you or evokes an emotion when you wear it.

For more information:

Albanu at selected stores. See http://http://www.albanu.mc

Bvlgari at Bvlgari Boutiques, online and at selected stores See: http://http://www.bulgari.com

Cartier at Cartier Boutiques, online and at selected stores. See: http://http://www.cartier.com

Van Cleef & Arpels at Van Cleef & Arpels Boutiques. See: http://http://www.vancleefarpels.com

Hermès at Hermès Boutiques, online and selected stores. See: http://http://www.hermes.com

Rabinovich at Jumelle Juwelier and other selected stores. See: http://www.jumelle.nl/

Tiffany & Co at Tiffany & Co Boutiques and selected stores. See: http://http://www.tiffany.com

Tory Burch at Tory Burch Boutiques. See: http://http://www.toryburch.com

by Jean Amr

Tiffany & Co New York minute

Continuing a stealthy turnaround in its design vision, last month Tiffany & Co announces its intention to put watch-making centre stage, with the launch of a new collection of New York-designed timepieces powered by Swiss movements.

Though overshadowed by its standing as a jeweller and producer of ever-popular designs by visionaries such as Jean Schlumberger, Paloma Piccaso and Elsa Peretti, Tiffany & Co’s understanding of the business of watch-making is impressive, with roots dating back to its 19th century Geneva manufacture. That means that when it comes to horological prowess, it knows more than most luxury houses about how to build a watch from the base-plate up.

One of my personal favorites: Tiffany & Co Atlas Men’s watch in 18K yellow gold (Click photo to enlarge).

Its John Loring-designed timepieces from the 1980s and 1990s include, arguably, some of the most visionary watch designs of the modern era. Loring, Tiffany & Co’s current design director emeritus, helmed the design department for 30 years from 1979 to 2009. Key models of his creative tenure include the Atlas watch, notable for its relief-style Roman numerals that start on the dial then stretch out across the bezel.

Decades before fashion cottoned on to the chic watch as a luxury accessory, Loring had sensed a desire for less formal designs, creating a sports-luxe horological offering for women he knew, Paloma Picasso, among them.

Some models of the Tiffany & Co CT60 (Click photo to enlarge).

The new Tiffany CT60 collection taps into a more classic period of the New York house’s watch-making past. The key model, directly inspired by a Tiffany watch presented to Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, is handsome, if a little too perfectly so. Its silver powder numerals and traditional Swiss finishes, sunray dial, Côtes de Genève, colimaçon and perlage engraving, may be a tad too ‘vintage’ but they serve to remind the wearer of a certain horological authority.

The Tiffany & Co East West is the real star of the new collection. The 1940s feel is there but, with creative input and jewellery thinking from Tiffany’s current design director, Francesca Amfitheatrof, it harks back to the visionary Loring days.

The ‘East West’ invites you to read time across the wrist, as though it were an identity bracelet (Click photo to enlarge).

A way of ‘reading’ your watch that used before by Cartier and Tiffany & Co, was populair in some professions in the 30’s and 40’s. Rather then read the time vertically, you are directed to read it across the wrist, as if the watch were an identity bracelet. The fact that it suits anybody bodes well for the new generation of Tiffany & Co watch design.

by Jean Amr