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Looking like a glammed-up briefcase or miniature suitcase the Pure Paddington Leather Tote by Chloé is simple, straight forward, and over-sized for maximum impact. The brand’s redesign of their iconic bag comes in the form of smooth caramel leather, a very structured rectangular shape, and little else except a tiny gold padlock (and dangling key) that’s stamped with the designer’s logo. It does have double top handles with stud detailing and inside is one large open compartment along with a thin zippered one, and its fully lined in beige twill.

I got to check out Valbray watches last year, but looks like 2011 is gonna be the year when they really launch. A new brand, Valbray will begin by offering two versions of the limited edition V.01 watch. A modern looking timepieces, the V.01 has a trick dial that has a camera-like shutter in it.

The shutter can be completely opened up to see the chronograph functions on the lower dial. If you grab the bezel and twist it around, you control the shutter that can be totally closed to hide the lower dial and offer a more bare dial that just tells the time. If you want it to tell the seconds you can just activate the chronograph. When the shutter is totally open, it is hidden under the bezel assembly. It is a neat system, and works pretty well. Valbray is not the first brand to offer just such a shutter in a watch dial, but they to offer a slick looking modern watch to go with the novelty.

Even when the shutter is closed a ring around the outer dial offers hour markers. The watch will comes in a 47mm case with 500 limited edition pieces in titanium and 250 pieces in 18k rose gold. Inside the watch is a modified Swiss ETA Valjoux 7750 automatic chronograph movement. The V.01 sits in a category of replica watches that are often referred to as “convertible watches” because they can covert to have a different look. I went into more details on convertible watches here.

Best and Cheapest Watches

Hublot was a major player in the “watch size revolution” of the last decade that helped balloon watch case diameters. The famous Big Bang debuted at 44mm wide and was considered quite large when it was first seen. 44mm is still considered big, but not as big. There have been larger Big Bang watches, but the standard 44mm still feels good. Now all of a sudden Hublot releases a 38mm wide version of the Big Bang, in gold, and sans the signature chronograph feature.

This is the size of most women’s Hublot Big Bang models, but this version in 18k rose gold with a ceramic bezel looks more like the brand’s Classic Fusion collection rather than a women’s model. The 38mm size might be for much of Asia where men prefer smaller watches, or might be positioned as a unisex watch. The dial is carbon fiber, and seems to fit in a small size segment than the Classic Fusion that comes in 40mm and 44mm wide variants. Inside the Big Bang 38mm is an Hublot HUB UNICO 1110 automatic movement – which might be Hublot made (given the UNICO name). There ought to be a few other versions aside from the pictured model – as well as a version with diamonds on the bezel and dial).

I’ve always been drawn to rustic colored handbags. Especially chocolate brown and burnt orange. Brown is a versatile color that complements many outfits, while burnt orange injects an understated pop of color. It’s no wonder the Fendi Savana Mini Baguette ($935) caught my attention. Although described as being brown, the Savana Mini has burnt orange undertones making for a unique hue. This lady-like purse is fashioned in a shimmery grained leather with a gold toned chain link shoulder strap that really sets it off. Add a logo medallion and voila – you have yourself a breathtakingly elegant purse that could be worn for work or a special evening out. Measurements: 4.5″ x 7″ x 1″.

Here are some prototype images of the watch that Swedish watch brand Gustafsson & Sjogren (GoS) wanted to make fromt he start. This will be what the upcoming “Stockholm” model watch will look like. Emphasizing the core strength of the brand’s talent – Damascus steel (and heavy metal looks). With a Damascus steel out ring and hands, the face of the watch looks beautiful being mother-of-pearl. A single model with have a blue Lapis Lazuli dial. I am really impressed by how it came out even in rough pictures such as this. You can see GoS’s signature subsidiary seconds hand that spins like a pinwheel. Damascus steel is once again uses for the watch crown (not in place yet here).

I am not 100% sure, but I think the brand is working on a new case – and that this model is just a prototype.

The Stockholm will be a very limited edition watch. There will be just 5 pieces. The movement is also very special and I don’t think GoS was able to get very many of them. GoS acquired a batch of NOS (new old stock) Alpina 592R manually wound Swiss movement and modified them with a Damascus steel plate. While these images are preliminary, it looks like the Stockholm is really going to propel GoS to a new level when it is released in 2011.

After Bvlgari engulfed the brand Gerald Genta (that it already owned), it took most of the brand’s contemporary timepieces and “Bulgarized” them! Sorry, I had to say that – it made me laugh. What this means is that they took existing designs and reshaped them a bit to bit Bulgari’s DNA.I was impressed they they decided the Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon should be kept alive. They barely made any changes to it at all actually! I first wrote about this watch when it was called the Gerald Genta Arena Metasonic Sonnerie. Renamed the Bvlgari Gerald Genta Magsonic Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon, the watch seems to only change the case material (looks to be in rose gold now), and the text on the ring around the dial.

Because the watch is so complex with its tourbillon and sophisticated chiming functions, Bulgari created an iPad app that explains the watch. An incredible piece, this was originally retailed for $900,000 – I wonder what it goes for now in Bvlgari form.

Frederic Jouvenot is a brilliant designer and has really out-done himself with the new FJ-Helios-001 watch that will be debuted very soon. I first wrote about his work here when discussing his Automatic Chronograph Evolution watch here. The same case style is back for this watch. The “Helios” part of the name refers to the fact that the center of the dial is supposed to represent the sun, while the hour indicators are sun beams. Each of the beams is a rotating cylinder. The dial “adds up” hours as the beams flip over to their gold side. To tell the time you just count the gold beams and see the minutes on the centrally located minute disc. The time here would be 5:00pm.

The watch case is 44mm wide in titanium, coated with DLC for the black finish. The movement is manually-wound and likely a base ETA (or alike) with heavy modifications by Jouvenot. Functionally it just tells the time, but it does so in a wonderfully unique way. I look forward to getting my hands on this pieces soon. Very cool!

There is risk and there is reward, but during December’s Ulysse Nardin event in Boca Raton Florida there may be only reward. Opening up a dedicated boutique for the first time in a specific market can be a challenge and a risk. It is an expensive endeavor and failure can hurt your reputation as much as it can your bottom line. High-end watch brands tend to do only one thing well – and that is make watches. Being sales people isn’t always their bag.

Lucky for Ulysse Nardin that they don’t need to worry much about managing the store with their name on it. They opted for a cleverer means of opening their first US boutique store. Have a successful existing dealer in the area do it for you.

Sprightly and young for a man of his wealth, Bobby Yampolsky who owns and runs East Coast Jewelry can claim to operate one of the most successful watch selling businesses in the US. An existing Ulysse Nardin watch dealer, he was chosen to have the honor of starting and operating the Ulysse Nardin boutique. In the Boca Raton Town Center Mall located relatively close to his main store in South Florida, he put on quite a show for the boutique’s opening event.

Show off your bold and slightly silly side by carrying this Matelassé Canvas and Leather Bag by Miu Miu. Looking like something a fashionable Mrs. Santa might tote around it’s an interesting combination of polished fold-over styling and toy-like resin chain link details. The bright red body is canvas while the trim (top half of the double handles, side buckles) is perfectly matched red leather. There are also blue whip-stitch details, an over-sized twist lock fastener on the front, and the interior is divided into three roomy compartments and lined in khaki canvas.