Charlotte Casiraghi Unveiled as Montblanc's New Global Brand Ambassador during SIHH

Charlotte Casiraghi, Montblanc’s new global brand ambassador at SIHH 2015

Waiting for the announcement of Montblanc’s new female global ambassador in the luxury brand’s exhibition space during the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, a few of us from the UK and other places were trying to guess who it would be. A Montblanc representative from the Middle East knew who it was but refused to say, although she gave some hints. 

Guess whose guess came the closest? I said it would be someone from the Monaco Royal family. 

It turned out to be Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, and the granddaughter of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and American actress Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. She is seventh in line to the throne of Monaco, according to Wikipedia.

Following her brief appearance in the booth, she joined the German luxury brand for a formal dinner at the President Wilson Hotel, which I attended.

Jérôme Lambert, Montblanc CEO, and Charlotte Casiraghi, Montblanc brand ambassador, at SIHH 2015

In addition to her royal pedigree, Casiraghi is an equestrian champion, writer and film producer. She will appear in Montblanc’s upcoming advertising campaign, as she takes on the role of worldwide ambassador for the German luxury house. Her primary role will be as the face of Montblanc’s Bohème collection, consisting of ladies watches, jewelry and writing instruments. The collection was first unveiled in August in Shanghai, and is gradually being released worldwide.

“She perfectly represents the Bohème lady of today, with her charming combination of style and substance,” said Jérôme Lambert, Montblanc International CEO. “Her beauty, allure and charisma are matched by her fascinating personality and her many accomplishments, from sport to business or philanthropy.”

Those attending the Geneva event included Taiwanese-born actress and Montblanc brand ambassador Kwai Lun Mei, French actor Pierre Niney, best known for his portrayal of Yves Saint Laurent in the movie of the same name, badminton champion and Montblanc China brand ambassador Lin Dan, and fashion blogger Adam Gallagher. 

Bohème Date Automatic Jewellery watch with a diamond pavé dial and red-gold bezel adorned with diamonds. It’s powered by a MB 24.14 automatic movement.

Casiraghi has a well-rounded resume. Her journalistic skills (very important for a luxury brand best known for its writing instruments) include contributing to publications as a writer and editor. As an environmental awareness advocate, she co-founded eco-friendly magazines, Above and Ever Manifesto, where she uses fashion, art, photography and design to raise consciousness of the endangered environment. She also co-founded Swoon Productions; a Monaco-based company that produces videos, documentaries and short films.

However, her greatest passion is in equestrian sports, and as an accomplished show jumper, she participated in several international competitions, including the Global Champions Tour. In 2010, she was appointed Honorary President of the Jumping International de Monte-Carlo. 

She also lends her support to charitable organizations in the Principality of Monaco where she lives and beyond. 

Casiraghi did not speak at either event. In a statement she said she is “thrilled to be collaborating with Montblanc, a luxury brand that stands for outstanding European craftsmanship, excellence in design and the finest quality pieces. With its heritage of sophistication, Montblanc excels at creating enduring pieces with a truly distinctive contemporary yet timeless style. The maison is also committed to the advancement of arts and culture, and has been on many occasions an active supporter of arts.”

This is the second time in recent years Montblanc has turned to the royal family of Monaco. In 2011, it came out with a jewelry collection, called Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco, as a tribute to Princess Grace and Monaco.

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Watch Brands Create 33 Unique Timepieces for 'Only Watch' Charity Auction

Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Water

Some of the world’s best-known watch brands have created 33 unique timepieces for men and women that will go on the auction block to finance research to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Backes & Strauss Victoria Princess Red Heart

Known simply as “Only Watch,” the fifth edition of this auction will be held September 28 at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco. Held every two years as part of the Monaco Yacht Show, it is the first and the largest charity auction for the international watch industry.
 

Bell & Ross Collector's Box of Six Unique Watches

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy—the promoter of Only Watch along with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show—to finance research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, therefore 250,000 children, adolescents, and young adults around the world.

Blancpain Women, Only Watch 2013

The luxury timepieces that will be on offer cover a breadth and depth of styles and functions. Several include designs that pay tribute to the event and the Principality of Monaco, such as the Van Cleef & Arpels “Lady Arpels Une journée à Monacopanoramic view of Monaco,” with a turquoise dial that depicts a panoramic view of Monaco. Several contain tourbillons and a few are prototypes, such as the Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake, which was worn by the Jamacian Sprinter during the London Olympic Games, where he won gold and silver medals.

Breguet Classique Chronograph Openworked 5284

Beginning August 30, the Only Watch collection of timepieces will go on a world tour that will conclude with a presentation during the Monaco Yacht Show (September 25th to 28th). The dates and locations of the tour are as follows:

Chanel, Premiere Flying Tourbillon

* Tokyo, August 30, Mandarin Oriental;
* Singapore, September 6 – 7, The Hour Glass;
* Hong Kong September 9 – 10, Antiquorum;
* Shanghai, September 12 – 13, location to be announced;
* Beijing, September 14, location to be announced;
* New York, September 16 – 17, Antiquorum;
* Geneva (September 20 – 23, Antiquorum;
* Monaco, September 25 – 28, Monaco Yacht Show.

Chopard, L.U.C Tourbillon Only Watch 2013 Edition

The auction will take place on September 28 at 11 a.m. (7pm EDT) in the “Salle Belle Epoque” of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Pinball

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Chronoswiss, The Three Apes

Corum Ti-Bridge 3-Day Power Reserve

Cyrus Kambys Model

De Bethune Skybridge

DeLacour Red Dots

DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight High Jewellery Skeleton Tourbillon

Frederique Constant Double Heart Woman Set

Girard Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch

Harry Winston Only Watch 2013 Midnight Big Date

Hublot Bright Red Ceramic "Classic Fusion"

Ikepod Horizon

Jaquet Droz 'The Loving Butterfly'

Julien Coudray 1518 'Draw Me a Happy Child' by the Children of the World

Laurent Ferrier Galet Classic Only Watch

Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Regatta

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mysterieuse

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco

Patek Philippe Only Watch 2013 Special Reference 5004T

Piaget Altiplano Automatic Skeleton

Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake

Roger Dubuis La Monegasque

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture Only Watch

Vacheron Contantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Heures du Monde

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Une Journee a Monaco

Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner, Prototype I/I

Chopard Extends Partnership with Historic Grand Prix of Monaco Till 2018

Luxury watch and jewelry brand Chopard has extended its sponsorship of the biennial Grand Prix de Monaco Historique as its official timekeeper until 2018.

For every GPMH race, Chopard, which has served as the official timekeeper since 2002, creates a limited edition of an eponymous watch, featuring a design inspired by the automobile world. These models are equipped with COSC-certified movements.

Organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco, the GPMH serves as an historical retrospective of Monaco’s famous car race. Every two years, more than 200 drivers from 19 different countries participate with Grand Prix racing cars dating back to between 1947 and 1978, competing in one of seven races during the event. The next edition of the race will be held May 9 – 14, 2014.

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Montblanc Honors Princess Grace with a Sparkling Collection

Princess Grace

There may be no greater symbol of royalty, style and fashion than Grace Kelly. The Philadelphia-born actress was thrust into the international spotlight when she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and became known throughout the world as Princess Grace. It was a role she was born to play and till this day she is looked upon as one the world’s great fashion icons.

With this in mind, Montblanc, has created the “Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco,” as a tribute to the person and the place. It is a limited-edition collection of jewelry, timepieces and writing instruments, encompassing the specialties of the luxury brand. All of the pieces are embellished with filigree petal cut stones, honoring the Grace de Monaco pink rose, a flower named after Kelly in 1956 for her wedding day. Diamonds and pink sapphires are strong influences in the collection.

The collection comes with a charity partnership between Montblanc and the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, which assists emerging talents in the performing arts.

The haute joaillerie collection is made up of three one-of-a-kind sets featuring petal cut stones and diamonds. Each set includes a necklace of cascading pink sapphires and diamonds (pictured), long earrings ending with drop cut pink sapphires and a refined matching bracelet.

The timepiece collection consists of a limited edition of eight watches in 18k red gold with 76 baguette cut diamonds on the bezel and the horns (3.30 cts.). The crown is topped with the Montblanc diamond (0.05 ct, F-G color). There’s a three-dimensional pink sapphire drop at 6 o’clock. The flange and dial are set with a cascade of 177 brilliant cut diamonds (0.53 cts.). The dial is made of white mother-of-pearl. A white alligator strap and a buckle are set with 76 brilliant cut diamonds (0.32 cts.).The case back is engraved with the Princesse Grace de Monaco monogram.

The fountain pen, available in a limited edition of three as a tribute to Princess Grace’s three children, is crafted entirely of champagne colored solid gold with diamonds and rubies on the cap and barrel. The Principality of Monaco coat of arms provided the inspiration for a circle of rhomboid-shaped cut rubies arranged on the cap of the writing instrument. The piece is topped with a heart-shaped hole of the gold nib and the finely engraved Princesse Grace de Monaco monogram on the cap-top.

‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction Raises $6.2M for MD Research

From left: Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, Luis Garcia (Directeur de Recherche CNRS), Philippe Ferreyrolles, Monique Pettavino, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Tess Pettavino, Gaëlle Tallarida (Managing Dierctor Monaco Yacht Show), Peter Rigby (Chief Executive Informa), Paul Pettavino, Luc Pettavino (President AMM) - Photo: © Claude Charvin

The "Only Watch" charity auction raised more than 4.5 million euros ($6.2 million) for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.

The biennial event was held September 23 at the Hotel Hermitage in Monaco in a star studded affair that included Prince Albert II of Monaco and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The auction featured a collection of 40 timepieces created specifically for the auction from the top brands in the Swiss watch industry. The pieces went on a world tour to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Geneva and Monaco prior to the sale.

A Patek Phillipe attracted the highest bid of the evening for its Ref. 3939. The stainless steel minute repeater wristwatch with tourbillon escapement, black enamel dial with a stainless steel prong buckle fetched 1.4 million euros ($1.9 million), nearly three times its asking price. Other timepieces that led auction results included a DeWitt, "Concept Watch No. 3 – X-Watch," that sold for $410,000 euros ($558,381); a BLU Gagarin Platinum flying tourbillon that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic flight in space that sold for 300,000 euros ($408,571); and a a Van Cleef & Arpels, Poetic Complication “From the Earth to the Moon,” No. 1/1 that sold for 215,000 euros ($292,673).

View 38 of the 40 timepieces that were sold.
 
In addition to a full room of buyers and celebrities, the fourth edition of the event attracted strong internet and intense telephone bidding. International participation included Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, the United States and the Russian Federation.

“The auction result is more than exceptional,” said Luc Pettavino, president of the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies and Founder of Only Watch. “Only Watch 2011 is the fruit of an excellent collaboration between watch manufactures, partners, media, organizers ... but it is first and foremost an outstanding work done by men and women coming from very different horizons who joined their energies to create hope in research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.”

All proceeds from the auction will finance research, organize scientific roundtables and fund International Collaborative Effort (ICE).

“Thanks to Only Watch, we are going to be able to finance ICE (a program that was started in 2008),” said Luis Garcia, directeur de Recherche at the CNRS. “This program brings together 15 leading teams worldwide who work on therapeutic strategies on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, in particular exon skipping, gene and cell therapies.”

The event is organized by the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show (which is held at the same time), along with the support of 40 of the watchmakers, the auction concluded a series of preview exhibitions that took place in (during the Monaco Yacht Show).

Princess Charlene of Monaco Prefers Van Cleef & Arpels

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert unveil the Alambra display at Van Cleef  & Arpels boutique in Monaco.

Earlier this month, Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco helped to inaugurate the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique in the Principality. The occasion allowed the creator of haute joaillerie to introduce a new interpretation its iconic Alhambra motif in honor of the Princess. The necklace and earrings set is adorned with pavé diamonds and turquoises, and evokes the blue waters of Monaco, the company said in a statement.

Van Cleef & Arpels introduced the Alhambra collection in 1968. Its trademark is a setting technique that minimizes the amount of metal, thus emphasizing the diamonds. The stones are selected in different sizes to enhance their sparkle. The exclusive honeycomb open-work setting allows more light to refract into the diamonds. 

Princess Charlene wears the new Alhambra necklace at the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique.

A limited edition of 15 sets will be sold exclusively in the Monaco boutique. A portion of the sales will go to the associations and foundations that have the endorsement of Princess Charlene.

Also earlier this month, the princess wore the Océan necklace at the Monaco Red Cross Ball charity gala. The diamond and sapphire necklace, which can be transformed into a tiara, was a gift from Prince Albert to Princess Charlene following their wedding in early July. The name of the bold, glittering jewelry piece was chosen by Prince Albert. Its sparkle is reportedly the result of 1,200 precious stones that include 88 round diamonds, 10 pear-shaped diamonds and 359 sapphires.

Princess Charlene wears the Ocean necklace at the Monaco Red Cross Ball.

Van Cleef & Arpels has been the “Official Supplier” to the Principality of Monoco since 1956.

40 Luxury Timepieces on Sale at ‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction

The luxury watch industry is as competitive as it is generous. Both of these traits will be on display in the coming months as 40 of the top watch brands in the world have donated highly prized timepieces for the Only Watch international charity auction on September 23 in Monaco. All proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a highly debilitating neuromuscular disease that affects children, primarily boys.

Audemar Piguet Jules Audemars Gstaad Classic Chronograph

Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, 40 timepieces will be sold by the horological auction house, Antiquorum, at the Hotel Hermitage. The event, the fourth edition of the luxury watch auction, is expected to draw luxury watch connoisseurs from around the world as well as online and telephone bidders. The sale will be preceded by a nine-city world tour beginning August 30 that will end with a three-day exhibition at the Monaco Yacht Show, which is co-organizing Only Watch with the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Antiquorum.

Bell & Ross BR01 Casino pink gold watch

The last edition of Only Watch, in September 2009, raised 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million), which were donated to 15 scientific partners and their teams, including 90 researchers and clinicians in five countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States).

Blancpain

Luis Garcia, research director at the CNRS Paris, said the financial support from the last Only Watch auction went to support research that accelerated clinical developments on Duchenne muscular dystrophy over the past two years, including several clinical trials on exon skipping, some of which are already entering phase 3.

BLU Gagarin Tourbillon

“For all these research efforts, the synergy of various scientific approaches, co-ordination between the various teams, and collaborative partnerships has all been decisive,” Garcia said.

Bovet Fleurier 7-Days Tourbillon Reversed Hand-Fitting ”Dragon & Phoenix”

As of this writing, 38 of the 40 companies have released an image of their donated piece. They are all pictured and the final two will be added when they become available.

Breguet Classique Grande Complication, Réveil Musical

The World Tour Schedule:

Singapore - August 30
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Malmaison by The Hour Glass
270 Orchard Road,
#01-01 Knightsbridge
Singapore 238857

Hong Kong - September 1
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers Ltd.
9 Queen’s Road, Suite 704
Central, Hong Kong

Shanghai - September 3
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Private club of UOB PRIVILEGE BANKING
No. 158 Ma Dang Road Xin Tian Di,
Shanghai

Beijing - September 5
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Ritz-Carlton
No. 83A Jian Guo Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025

Tokyo - September 7
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Hour Glass Tokyo
Royal Crystal Ginza
5-4-6 Ginza Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0061

Los Angeles - September 9
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westime Beverly Hills
254 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90210

New York - September 12
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers
595 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Milan - September 15
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orologerio Luigi Verga
Via Mazzini angolo via Dogana 3
20123 Milano

Geneva - September 16 and 17
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum SA
2, rue du Mont-Blanc
1211 Geneva

Monaco
September 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
September 23, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monaco Yacht Show
Port Hercule - Principauté de Monaco

The remaining watches that up for auction after the jump:

Celsius X VII II

Chanel Unique J12 Marine watch

 

Chaumet Dandy Arty Open Face

Chopard DLC titanium L.U.C One Tourbillon

Corum Golden Bridge Automatic

Cyrus KLEPCYS Pièce unique

 

De Bethune 08-01-1297 DB25 Special edition

deLaCour

DeWitt X-Watch

Franck Muller

Frederique Constant Unique Family Set of Pieces

Girard-Perregaux ww.tc

Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer

Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon

Hermes Arceau Time Suspended

Hublot Oceanographic 4000

IKEPOD Hourglass

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Monaco

Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor

Louis Vuitton Unique Tambour Diver Chronograph

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée

MB&F HM4

Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858 Vintage Pulsographe Unique Piece

Patek Philippe reference 3939

Piaget Altiplano

Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal

Romain Jerome Rock the rock DNA, a watch carved out of rock

TAG Heuer Monaco Mikrograph

Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo

Urwerk UR-103 Phoenix

Vacheron Constantin Dove watch

Van Cleef & Arpels

Vulcain

Zenith