designer watches

Van Cleef and Arpel

The Van Cleef and Arpels brand is a well-known brand for its jewel watches. The designs are elegantly crafted and are known for their excellent craftsmanship in the designer and luxury watch market. Having started as a family business made up of brothers Charles Arpels, Julien Arpels and Louis Arpels, along with brother-in-law Alfred Van Cleef, it continues to uphold its high tradition of jewelery and design excellence even today. Van Cleef and Arpel vintage watches are considered a valuable investment in the fine line of luxury watches.

Van Cleef and Arpels product line

The Van Cleef and Arpels men’s 18k gold watch features a self-winding automatic movement in a stunning perfectly rounded 18k gold case on a brushed and polished gold bracelet. The 36mm diameter and 8mm thick case is a modern beauty. This watch costs $13,900.

The Van Cleef and Arpels Classique women’s dress watch (model 11603) features a double row of 112 dazzling round-cut diamonds totaling 1.5 carats, set on the square bezel. The case is a beautiful 18K white gold with a black alligator strap. It has a Swiss quartz movement and is priced at $11,500.

The Van Cleef and Arpels women’s dress watch features a spectacular 120 sets of round cut diamond prongs, in two rows, on a round bezel. Set in an 18K yellow gold case, it comes with a brown alligator strap and matching 18K yellow gold buckle. This price is listed at $11,200.

Longines

The Longines brand was born in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, in 1832. Since then, it has striven to combine innovative technologies with elegance to become one of the best-known luxury designer watchmakers in the world. The company’s advertising campaign, ‘Elegance is an attitude’, fits perfectly with the Longines brand. To demonstrate its progress in the market, Longines launched its first wristwatch in 1905, the world’s thinnest electromagnetic watch in 1960, and the world’s first cybernetic electronic quartz watch, the Longines Ultra-Quartz, in 1969.

Shortly thereafter, she pioneered alphanumeric display for television in connection with the broadcast of a World Cup alpine ski race in St. Moritz, Switzerland. In 1979, Longines, along with other watch brands, developed the “Feuille d’Or”, the world’s flattest quartz watch. She surpassed her own record, when in 1984 she designed the world famous Conquest VHP (Very High Precision).

Also in the world of sports, Longines has made great strides. In 1912 he introduced the principle of an electric cable, which at the beginning and end of a race activated and stopped the timing mechanism. Since then, he has been appointed Official Timekeeper for many international sporting events, including many Winter and Summer Olympics.

As if that were not enough, it has even made history in the aviation and navigation sectors. He was responsible for timing Lindbergh’s first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean and subsequently developed the Hour Angle watch to a design drawn by Lindbergh himself.

Baume and Mercier

Baume et Mercier was the brainchild of the watchmaking team William Baume and Paul Mercier in 1912. Precision merged with fine art to produce some of the world’s finest designer and luxury watches. Modern yet classic, Baume et Mercier’s elegant Hampton series is testament to this fact.

In 1921, the company received the coveted Poinçon de Genève, the highest honor for a watchmaker, awarded by the Republic of Geneva. Baume et Mercier’s development of the planetary rotor, which oscillates with movements of the wrist to automatically wind the watch and activate the mainspring, led to the production of the world’s thinnest automatic watch. Since then, the brand has shot to fame for its designer watches with fine craftsmanship.

Baume and Mercier product line

Baume Mercier Riviera women’s watch (model MOA00525 with stainless steel case and bracelet, white dial and quartz movement. Suggested retail price is $1487.

The Baume Mercier Linea watch for women (model MOA08281) features a white dial on a beige calfskin wraparound strap, in a polished steel case. It features quartz movement and is water resistant to 100 feet. It has a retail price of $902.

The Baume Mercier Women’s Classic Hampton watch (model M0A06930) is equipped with a black calfskin strap in a stainless steel case. This model is priced at $1037.

Baume Mercier Capeland for men (model MOA06852 pictured) features silver Arabic numerals, quartz movement and a steel case. Water resistant to 100 feet, retail price is $1363.

Bertolucci

The Bertolucci brand began humbly in a small workshop run by Robert Chopard that was partly owned by Marcel Michelotti. Marcel’s daughter, Pierrette Michelotti, married Remo Bertolucci in 1968 and revolutionized this brand to make some of the best designer watches in history. Bertolucci was a fusion of Italian style with Swiss craftsmanship and became famous for its understated elegance. Some newer watches are bold and modern, yet tastefully designed.

Bertolucci Product Line

The Bertolucci Vir women’s strap watch (model 129.50.41.120/BRN) is known for its scratch-resistant mineral crystal, with a satin-finish steel case and an ostrich brown strap. The steel bezel frames the white dial with luminous hands and has silver-tone Roman numeral markers. The watch uses a precise Swiss quartz movement and is priced at $1195.

The Bertolucci men’s strap watch (model 701.50.41.100/BLK) features an extremely lightweight manual mechanical watch. Featuring a brushed steel case and steel bezel surrounding a white dial and silver hands, it is fitted with a black alligator strap. Its suggested list price is $4,750.

The Bertolucci Uomo men’s watch (model 884.55.41.601) features a stainless steel case, certified automatic chronometer movement, and mother of pearl dial. It is priced at $3,045.

Bertolucci Poeme Gold Ladies Watch (Model 053.54.68.96) features an 18k yellow gold case on a black patent leather strap with a diamond buckle. A mother of pearl dial with diamond markers rests on sapphire crystals. It is priced at $6,995.

Harry Winston

Harry Winston is a world famous jewelry watch designer and is often referred to as the King of Diamonds. These ultra-luxury designer watches have been favored by royalty and Hollywood stars. Harry Winston has designed many individually unique pieces for a select clientele. Harry Winston designed pieces are treasured among the world’s most famous diamonds and jewels.

When Harry Winston passed away in 1978, his son Ronald took over the vast empire. Carrying on his father’s legacy, Ronald Winston introduced the brand’s first watch collection, The Ultimate Timepiece in 1989. Known for its legendary masterpieces, the company occasionally introduces magnificent additions to its elegant collection.

Harry Winston product line

The Harry Winston Avenue Collection (Model 310-LQGL-D2.2) is a women’s watch featuring an 18K yellow gold case with a 0.90 ct diamond bezel, on a leather strap. It also features a mother of pearl dial and quartz movement. The price quoted is $12,892.

The Harry Winston Premier Bi-retrograde watch (Model 200/MABI 37 RL) is set in a rose gold case with a leather strap. This watch has an automatic movement, with a bi-retrograde second hand and display of the day of the week (price on request only).

Harry Winston Ocean Collection watch (Model 400/MCADV 39 comes with an automatic movement chronograph and is water resistant to 300 feet. It is encased in a 39mm platinum casing (price upon request only).

The Harry Winston Signature 7 watch (Model HQ/HJ 286 pictured) is part of their main series in 1989. This quartz model is designed in a 38-carat white gold case, dial and bracelet set with 428 white diamonds (price only on request).