Latest news with #luxurywatches
New York Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Cocktails, Canapés and Watches
If you are into watches and live around Miami, chances are you have clinked glasses with like-minded enthusiasts at a NovelaWatch Collectors Club event. On a Monday evening in April, for example, about 100 members and guests gathered in an upstairs reception room of the Moore Miami, a restored 1920s landmark in the Design District. Anticipating a large turnout, the organizer had prepared a guest list and stationed two attendants at the door to check names. The event got underway around 6:30 p.m. with drinks, canapés and watch-focused conversation, co-hosted by Christie's auction house. 'Our members usually bring friends along,' said Daniel Novela, who founded NovelaWatch, as the club is commonly called, in 2015 and has served as its president ever since. 'I know pretty much everyone here.' Mr. Novela has his own corporate law practice and is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Miami School of Law. He also recently founded Alevon, an online site that offers art pieces valued at more than $100,000 for rent. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Honey Singh launches 'Yo Yo Watches' in Dubai, eyes Hollywood next
In a city that measures itself in ambition and audacity, Yo Yo Honey Singh fits right in. He arrives in Dubai not just as a rapper or performer, but as a man who has walked through fire and come out with a limited-edition timepiece on his wrist to prove it. With the launch of Yo Yo Watches (yes, that's what it is called), a luxury watch line launched in collaboration with Titan and Dubai-based lifestyle brand Opul, Honey Singh is making a stylish statement about surival, swagger, and the unstoppable rhythm of time. But let's rewind. Before the launch, we sat down with Singh for a chat. Dressed down but dialled in, there was a certain grounded charm beneath the glint. When we ask him about the first watch that made him feel something, he doesn't hesitate. 'The Rolex with the Arabic dial. The bling one, I got it custom,' he recalls. 'I still wear it sometimes, even though I bought it long back. It wasn't a big achievement that led led me to buying it, instead, I was more of a watch collector at the time. So I was very excited to have the Arabic dial one.' Back then, he says, "I was very blingy kind of person, so I was collecting all the bling watches." So what has changed? With a balance of visions and vulnerability, Honey Singh in 2025 is not just dropping beats, but dropping wisdom. He's all about time now, and how one owns it. 'Time doesn't wait, and neither did I,' Singh says. 'It's been my teacher. It tested me, refined me, and rebuilt me. I've chased it, respected it, and aligned myself with it. ' Yo Yo Watches is built with bold bezels, unapologetic designs, and meticulous craftsmanship. At 42, Honey Singh has lived what he calls 'twenty lives.' From stadium tours and Bollywood blockbusters to a much-publicised battle with mental health and addiction, the man behind the moniker Yo Yo has been through the kind of ups and downs that would wreck most people. Instead, it's refined him. 'After God, the two things I respect most are my mother, and time,' he says. 'That's the hierarchy. God. Mother. Time.' So when he decided to launch a watch line, it seemed like a philosophy wrapped in steel. The man behind the mic If you're expecting the party-boy persona 24/7, you might be surprised. Off-camera, Singh is now thoughtful, even introspective. He credits his circle, the people who know him as Hirdesh, not Honey, for keeping him grounded. When in India, he always makes time to visit his childhood home in Karam Pura, Delhi. 'If your focus is clear, where you're coming from and where you're going, life is sorted,' he says. 'I know where I'm going. That's Hollywood. And I know where I started.' Still, some things haven't changed. He laughs when we ask about how he'd spend a day off in Dubai. 'I'd be on a date. Then a good restaurant, music, and gym. That's my vibe.' And don't be fooled by the bold lyrics, the man is a self-proclaimed romantic. 'People don't know I'm too romantic. If I do a film, I'll give Shah Rukh Khan competition.' That film, by the way, might just happen. His close friend, Moroccan singer Abd El Fattah Grini, whom he calls 'brother', is backing him for it. 'Not romantic though,' he clarifies. 'Something crazy.' Why Dubai feels like home The choice to launch Yo Yo Watches in Dubai was personal. Singh has performed here, shot music videos here, and lives here. As his Instagram bio states: West Delhi boy living the Arabic life. And now he's bringing a piece of himself here. 'What draws me back? The unity,' he says. 'Different people, different backgrounds, all living like family. And the local Emirati people? So humble. They've opened their country to the world, and they welcome everyone with peace and love.' And Honey Singh is not your 9-to-5 creator. He sleeps at dawn and wakes up at 4pm. His creative peak? 'Between 10pm and 3am. That's when the magic happens.' His playlist, much like his personality, is eclectic — A.R. Rahman, Dr. Dre, R.D. Burman, Abdel Halim, and Mohammad Rafi all have a place in it. The past and present, East and West, party and poetry, all part of his personal time zone. And while he says he wouldn't relive any career moment, he does miss one chapter. He says, 'My school days in Karam Pura. Bunking class. Roaming the streets for no reason. That freedom? That was gold.' Looking ahead, Singh is already planning for 2035. Among his latest works is the song titled '6am', the music video for which premiered last week on YouTube, garnered over 16.5 million views, and is on #9 on the charts for Trending Music. And his upcoming? The "something crazy" is on his next year's roadmap. "Yo Yo 2025 is already manifesting the next ten years," he says. "I'm the visionary and the executor.'
Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Times
The Manchester college creating luxury watchmakers of the future
You've bought the mechanical watch you've had your eye on for a long time and take pleasure in wearing it. But eventually, especially if you strap it on daily, it might need a repair. At some future point it will also require a service to ensure it continues to function well. Think of it like this, says Jon Weston, the managing director of the Midlands-based Rudell the Jewellers, 'you've got an engine in a car running 24 hours a day for a period of time, how long could it last? While some new watches will run for ten years before needing a service, it's something that needs to be done over time. And someone experienced has to carry out the work.' You wouldn't want it to take months to repair your treasured timepiece. But in some cases it does. One of the reasons for the wait is because there's a worrying shortage of qualified watchmakers in the UK — and, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, it's a worldwide problem. Positive changes in the watch world are driving this, from the unprecedented demand for luxury watches over the pandemic and since — which have often led to waiting lists and retailers displaying 'exhibition only' examples — to the public's increasingly enthusiastic embrace of vintage and pre-owned pieces, propelling businesses to seek more skilled technicians. Globally, the UK is a significant market, Weston says. 'For most luxury watch brands, it's in the top four. But if you sell twice as many watches that means you have twice as many for after sales servicing.' Also adding to staff shortages is the increasing number of watchmakers on the cusp of retirement. Helping to plug that gap is the British School of Watchmaking, the only school in the country to offer courses by the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program (WOSTEP), the industry gold standard accreditation for luxury brands and retailers. Gordon Bryan co-founded the Greater Manchester-based school in 2004. A trained watch and clock maker, he served an apprenticeship at Garrard and has worked with Asprey, Cartier, Breitling and Omega. While working at Signet Jewelers he was looking to employ watchmakers for the firm's branches. 'I was bench testing and all of them were unsuccessful,' he recalls. 'I moaned about it to a friend who said, why don't you do something about it? So I did.' It was a long haul. 'I'd studied at WOSTEP and they said they'd support us while the watch brands stepped up financial support, for machines and premises. It's important we give students the best equipment and facilities and keep the equipment up to date.' 'It had to be right,' Bryan says. 'We are nothing without the tutors, and it takes years to find them. Of course, they need to know the technical work but must have that inspirational factor. Now we have two tutors who have been students here, and the wheel has turned full circle.' The school turns out eight students annually, 16 every other year from a two-year course. It's a slow but steady roll out and 2021 saw the 100th graduate. The school offers two WOSTEP courses. There's a one-year, Service Watchmaker Course that prepares students for after sales services with eight places. Then there's the two-year Watchmaker Course which combines the syllabus with additional micromechanics training in which students learn how to create watchmaking components. A third industry-recognised course was introduced last year, WOSTEP's three-week programme teaching different polishing techniques. It's more a workplace than college, with 37.5-hour weeks and four weeks' holidays. Students are any age, and have ranged from 18 to 54. 'We've had very successful computer programmers, doctors, vets, joining the courses. More women are coming, and there's often a 50:50 split. At the moment there are two women with six men on the one-year course and all are sponsored by brands or retailers. I don't think we've had a student leave without a job' says Weston, who is one of the school's six trustees. 'It's not good enough to be taught by a colleague in the workplace. The WOSTEP qualification is internationally respected by the watch brands. It gives credibility to the student and what they've achieved.' The school has 35 well-known trade backers. 'Anyone who's anyone in the industry is a supporter,' Weston says. 'We were granted charity status in 2019 and we're providing a public service,' Bryan adds. 'The tutors are the only ones paid. It makes it so worthwhile to see the students collect their certificates at graduation with their families.' Two watches created by students on courses have been COSC-certified, surpassing tough standards set by the Swiss. 'We have to remember a lot of the important inventions in horology were made in Britain, there's so much history here,' Weston observes. 'It's so good now to be back producing quality watchmakers. One day, one of them might do something that is of a George Daniels [the legendary British horologist] level — or the ingenuity of [the contemporary British watchmaker] Roger Smith — so we'll be back up there.' And in the meantime, your watch will be back faster from a servicing.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Smiling Miami 'predator' avoids jail for pepper-spraying rich men and stealing luxury watches off their wrists
A smirking female 'predator' has avoided jail after she was caught attacking rich men with pepper-spray and stealing their luxury watches in Florida. Esther Torres, 20, was let off with probation after being arrested on May 15 in Miami over two incidents where she stole a $22,000 Rolex watch off a man's wrist and a Hugo Boss watch off another after shooting the painful spray into their eyes. On Wednesday, Torres was sentenced to five years probation after she accepted a plea agreement on charges of armed robbery, burglary, and grand theft in the third degree. She was initially arrested on two counts of robbery in the first degree, the Miami Police Department said. The first incident took place at the Breakwater Hotel in Miami Beach in March, when a male victim was pepper-sprayed then robbed of his Hugo Boss watch, more than $200 in cash and Euros and several of his credit cards, police said. The second instance occurred at the Fontainebleau Hotel - about a 16 minute drive from the first. There, a male was pepper-sprayed before his $22,000 Rolex watch was snatched off his wrist, authorities detailed. During that encounter, the man said he was left temporarily blind from the mace. Torres was captured on camera leaving the hotels as she strolled out of the building nonchalantly. Mitch Novick, the owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel - just a three minute walk from the first hotel - told WSVN: 'We have a predator, and she's preying on male victims,' of Torres. Novick gladly handed over footage he had of the suspect, which helped lead her arrest. Once officers pieced all of the footage together, they determined Torres went missing around Novick's hotel - prompting them to ask him for his assistance in locating her. 'I'm investigating a case I believe was a prostitute related theft / robbery. I believe the subject goes westbound from the alley on Ninth and Ocean Court,' a cop messaged Novick about Torres. 'If you get a chance, can you review your cameras? I lose her around that area. Your help would be greatly appreciated.' Novick replied: 'Good morning: Is this your subject? If so, it looks like she made her way to Washington Avenue.' Unfortunately, he soon realized she ended up making a turn onto another street instead. In April, she was identified through surveillance footage taken during a traffic stop when police pulled a vehicle over that was tied to one of the robberies, WPLG reported. The man was arrested while Torres showed up at the scene. The serial thief was finally arrested in May after police positively confirmed her identity based on a photo of her on a 'need to identify' flyer. Bodycam footage captured the moment she was detained as cops asked if she had any weapons on her Bodycam footage captured the moment she was detained as cops asked if she had any weapons on her. 'You have no weapons on you, none of that stuff, right?,' an officer asked her. Torres, dressed in a strapless white top and hair bonnet, told officers: 'No, no.' She was picked up with the child in the vehicle before she was taken to jail. Torres was granted a recognizance bond in June and is no longer in the jail system.
Bloomberg
5 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
ICYMI: "Watch Monsters"
A few years ago, Tiffany & Co. began offering a limited edition Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 with a dial in the jeweler's signature robin's-egg blue. Patek crafted 170 of them, a tribute to the number of years the brands had worked together. Tiffany's hope was that the buzzy timepiece would help attract – and retain – high-end shoppers who weren't already regular customers. Yet the Blue Dial — as it became known — was never for sale in the traditional sense. Demand was so high that Tiffany executives, including Americas head Christopher Kilaniotis, realized clients would be willing to spend millions of dollars on other jewelry for the chance to buy the coveted watch, which was priced at $52,635. Bloomberg News consumer reporter Jeannette Neumann details the fallout after salespeople at the iconic jeweler were reportedly instructed to guide wealthier patrons toward spending $2 million to $3 million with no guarantee of access to the coveted timepiece. Jeannette speaks with Tim Stenovec and Norah Mulinda on Bloomberg Businessweek Daily.
