Recently in Watches Category

Olivia Palermo wearing the Timex Originals Easy Reader with brown metallic strap; Kelly Rutherford sporting the Timex Originals 1940s Inspiration with a black face and green canvas strap.

While I rarely leave my house without my Cartier Santos, I sometimes like to mix things up and wear something flashier, which is why I've been so into the Timex 80 collection. Recently the brand hosted an event at Bendel to launch their Originals line ($50-$110) and among the guests who showed their Timex love were Kelly Rutherford, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Olivia Palermo. I'm completely obsessed with the Oversized Gold Digital (apparently so was Jamie-Lynn Sigler). It's a "remixed" design from the brand's archives that's totally eye catching and I love that it looks men's-inspired (frugal Rolex!). The line also has a slew of more classic watches, like the ones Palermo and Rutherford opted for, which are also chic and incredibly well priced.

Last week Casio hosted an event to celebrate their new G-Shock watches. Honestly I didn't even know these still existed! When I was younger, I was completely obsessed with Baby G watches and I still have all the ones that I got as rewards for good grades and such (gotta love parents and their bribery tactics!).

Not only do these watches still exist, there are a ton of different styles as I learned at the event! Below is a photo I snapped of the Hellz Bellz x Baby-G watches - the BG5600HZ-7 and the BG5600HZ-9 - each of which is an ode to 80s pop culture. The watches will retail for $89 when they hit stores in September.

Also worth singling out is the G-Shock GLS5600KL, pictured above. It comes in 3 colorways and will retail for $130 when it hits in September. I love the retro look of this style (kind of reminds me of Timex80), but it's also a very practical watch with shock resistance (naturally!), water resistance up to 200 meters, low temperature resistance to -4°F, auto backlight, world time, four multi-function alarms, dual 1/100th second stopwatches, countdown timer, mute function, and 12/24 hour formats.

I have always loved Chanel's J12 watch line from the moment it first launched. The instant classic style of the ceramic timepiece helped make it a best-selling piece amongst the jet-setting fashion crowd. Now Chanel is introducing its first official men's diving watch spinoff, dubbed the J12 Marine, and tapping none other than surf legend Laird Hamilton to help promote it.

Hamilton, this being his first-ever watch endorsement deal, will join Diane Kruger and French actress Anna Mouglalis as Chanel personalities who will be on hand at select events and public appearances (more direct impact than simply lending their faces to an ad campaign I suppose).

The J12 Marine arrives in Chanel boutiques this month and is available in a series of sleek combinations: either a black band with a black or blue face, or a white band with a white face. It comes in two sizes, a 38 mm. retailing for $4,700 and a 42 mm. retailing for $4,900. Also of note: it's waterproof to more than 300 meters, has glow-in-the-dark numbers and hands, a steel unidirectional rotating bezel, a self-winding Swiss movement and a rubberized strap with openings that allow water to flow through.

I spent last weekend in the Hamptons with my very good friend Cristina who was sporting a handful of watches on her left wrist. Stacked one over the other they looked like fun, colorful bracelets...I didn't even realize they were watches until closer inspection! Turns out a friend of hers is one of 3 boys behind a line of affordable (reallllly affordable....they're only $20), watches called Rumba Time. The watches are super fun and I love the idea of wearing multiple colors (if you buy four you get one free which makes the idea of stocking up in  bulk all the more appealing). The silicone watches are ultra light-weight and water resistant, making them convenient for summer. The VanDam collection is the latest from the brand, but I prefer their Original collection. 

Montblanc recently previewed their up-coming range of watches and wowza check-out these stand-out stunners! On the left, the Star En Vague Lady Diamond is a limited edition watch (only 20 were made!) and will retail for $27,000. The 18 K white gold Quartz piece is dripping in Top Wesselton diamonds. Despite the bold diamond motif however the black alligator band keeps this piece from being too flashy. On the right is the Star Pluie d'Etoiles, Lady Auto Diamonds which will retail for $47,220. The mother-of-pearl dial has a whopping 218 diamonds, while the flange is fashioned with 80 brilliants. I actually prefer the Star En Vague Lady Diamond watch, but hey, I wouldn't say no to either:)

One of the highlights of Paris Men's Fashion Week these first few days was definitely the Hermès presentation for its upcoming new timepiece, the Carré H. What's most evident about it is its square shape: Hermès teamed up with designer Marc Berthier to launch the watch, whose surprisingly odd shape is considered a rarity in watch fields. Creative director Pierre-Alexis Dumas said the case, made from lightweight titanium, had been softened by way of its rounded angles, while the dial featured interlocking squares designed to draw the eye. "I know from experience, having worked for years on silk squares, that if you don't create a dynamic within a square, it becomes boring quite quickly," he explained. "These small nuances and details mean the object is not static." The Carré H will be available in a limited edition of 173, which is the number of years since Hermès was founded in 1837.

$14,860, available to pre-order at Hermès boutiques

Last week I went to a Fall 2010 Timex preview and while I went mostly to scope out the brand's awesome colorful watches (love this dorky-chic one!), I found out at the event that Timex has designed some watches exclusively for J. Crew. One of the latest additions to the Timex for J.Crew collection is the 1600 ($195). Its a men's watch, but could easily be worn by a woman going for the boyfriend's watch look. It's a classic, polished watch, which is fitting given that it's inspired by past presidents (hence the "1600" name).You can shop the entire Timex for J. Crew collection here.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (pictured above), recently teamed-up with french watchmaker O.D.M to create six limited edition JC/DC Pop Hours Watches ($110). I'm a huge fan of JC/DC and as most of you probably know the designer is no stranger to working with Lego. I wrote about his awesome Lego sunglasses last year and these watches are a wonderful continuation of his ode to the popular childhood toy! The collection offers us JC/DC's take on O.D.M.'s classic SDD99 Link Watch, but the linking units mimic Lego bricks. There are four colorful styles, one black, and one white. These watches kind of remind me of the playful feel of the Timex 80 collection. Each piece comes, appropriately enough, packaged in a specially-designed, brightly colored Rubik's cube box...so fun! 

I am still obsessing over the all white watch and I finally found one that is easy on the eye and on the bank. This super fun and irresistibly chic watch is an amazing Frugal Snob find. A must have for summer!! I can hit the beach and go to a nice cocktail reception without missing a beat. It is incredibly fabulous to pair this with your favorite au courant ensemble. You get all the function of a luxury watch - chronograph movement, mineral watch crystal and enamel dial. They also come in a variety of bright fun colors, Tahitian Jelly Beans by Michele for $295. Great gift for your hip and cool mom!

The Tourbillon is Blancpain's most traditional and signature watch. All Jewel Snobs are obsessed with watches and having a Blancpain cements your status as a true and knowledgeable collector. This very unique and special Tourbillon is the mother of all watches, set with 242 baguettes diamonds on the bracelet in white gold with 115 diamonds on the dial, this is a masterpiece of the watchmaking art at its very best. Its power reserve eliminates the necessity of daily winding and guarantees optimum precision due to the slower more regular detent of its barrel spring. Not sure if you should actually go deep sea scuba diving with this on but as a tribute to its craft and invention, this Tourbillon is water-resistant to 30-100 meters. Diamond bracelet, as seen, is $1,812,700, also available with a leather strap instead of the diamond bracelet for $1,342,700. For assistance, please call Jaclyn at the Madison Avenue Store in New York City at 212.396.1735.