Time is money

Time is money



Imagine paying more than half a million dollars for a watch. A watch you can't dive in because it's not waterproof, a watch that won't tell you how high you are up a mountain, or what part of the lunar cycle you're in. And get this; you have to remember to wind it every three days.



Somebody in Victoria has just forked over 650,000 big ones for a Girard-Perregaux Haute Horlogerie Cat's Eye Tourbillon,Take a look at these imitation wrist watches for sale online, which are one of the best cheap replica watches in USA. the most expensive watch the high-end Swiss company has ever sold in Australia. The timepiece, the result of more than 700 hours' work, is set with more than 280 baguette diamonds, with a total diamond weight of about 20 carats.



“It's an elegant piece and not as bling as you might be imagining,” says Girard-Perregaux spokeswoman Celia Cochran.



The GFC is finally behind us if sales of luxury watches are anything to go by. According to statistics just released by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, luxury watch sales are burgeoning worldwide, already up 36.9 per cent on last year.

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Girard-Perregaux has sold four made-to-order versions of its Cat's Eye Joaillerie with a retail price tag of $1.5 million each. The creation of one of these watches involves 1200 hours of work, across 10 different workshops. They are set with 398 baguette diamonds (total 52 carats) and five deep-red baguette rubies. Gangsta rappers need not apply.



And while the growth of the luxury watch market in Australia is slightly behind the rest of the world, it has grown at a still-remarkable 25 per cent from 2010 to 2012.



Steven Rob represents the AVSTEV Group, which distributes luxury Swiss watchbrands Ball Watch Co; Frederique Constant; Girard-Perregaux; and Raymond Weil. He says while sales at the lower end of the spectrum have remained consistent, there has been a marked increase in demand for the more expensive timepieces in Australia.why christian louboutin shoes so popular in uk?



He says part of the reason is that many Chinese are travelling to Australia not just to holiday, but to purchase luxury watches, avoiding the hefty import taxes they would have to pay at home.



Graeme Goldman, the importer of luxury watches from Eberhard and Co, Edox, and Glycine, concurs.



“There's no question the luxury watch market is growing in Australia and I attribute that firstly to Chinese tourists, and secondly to Aussie males who are looking to purchase something different to the masses,” Goldman says.



Goldman says the definition of a luxury watch can be very subjective.



“For many years I worked for the Swatch Group and the founder, Mr Hayek, believed that Swatch were a luxury because by his definition,We have high quality replica tag heuer watches, you can not miss the best Tag Heuer Replica Watches online. anything that's not a necessity is a luxury.



“A high-paid executive on $500,000 a year might see a $50,000 watch as a luxury, whereas a police officer on $70,000 a year might consider a $500 Luminox a luxury. It's all relative.”



There remains an elephant in the room, and it's wearing a nice watch. Just why would anybody spend big dollars on such a watch when the smartphone in your pocket does the same job?



“Status,” Goldman says. “You want to belong to a certain group and your watch will say things about you. Also, apart from a wedding band,It's certainly no secret that I have a tendency to totally stay away from the replica handbags.mybag321 offers latest fashion replica jewelry and other jewelry. a watch is one of the only acceptable pieces of jewellery for a man to wear.



“Then there's those of us like myself who are simply passionate watch collectors, because we value tradition and workmanship. A lot of collectors like myself have watches that they never wear.”



Goldman's most expensive piece is a $35,000 Edox – “a beautiful piece of art” - with a five-minute repeater and a skeletonised movement. Only 20 were released worldwide.



“None of these watches ever make it to retail, they end up in retailers' own collections or acquired by VIP customers.”



The Basel World Fair opens on April 25. This is where the watch brands unveil all their new collections for 2013. The show attracts around 104,000 visitors from 100 countries.

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