Citizen Expands the Atomic Time Line of Skyhawks

The 'AT' Collection of Atomic Time Citizen Skyhawks has quickly become a phenomenon, capturing both pilot's and the public's attention. Realizing they have a winner, Citizen Watch Company continues to expand the line and has two new additions for Fall, 2008.

The world famous BLUE ANGELS Flight Chronograph has now been UPGRADED to the 3rd Generation Skyhawk AT movement. That means the Blue Angels now has the most accurate time in the world, set by the Atomic Clock. Radio signals are received automatically and the time is reset every night.

The new Blue Angels AT has a digital display backlight for easy night visibility. It automatically displays the time in 43 cities around the world. It has two world time alarms. Plus it has Eco-Drive technology, so you will never need to replace a battery.

Perhaps even more exciting is the Skyhawk AT is now available in a new ALL BLACK PVD case and bracelet! The new Black AT has the same 3rd Generation Skyhawk movement with time set by the Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colorado. And it has all the great AT features including World Time, 24 Hour Chronograph and 2 World Time Alarms. But it's now dressed up in basic black!

Citizen is using a Physical Vapor Deposition method to plate the stainless steel case and bracelet with a combination of carbon and titanium for a matte finish black coating that promises to be tough and durable.

Still, the most talked about feature of all the new AT's is the LIGHTED DIGITAL DISPLAY for easy night time viewing or viewing in a darkened cockpit.

All Skyhawks feature an EB6 Pilot's slide rule bezel and sundials for the UTC Time (Greenwich Mean Time Display), 24 hour time and an Eco-Drive Power Reserve Indicator.

You can purchase the new Skyhawks any of the three Gem of the Day family of websites. Just click one of the links below to go to the catalog of your choice:

Top Flight Watches Citizen Skyhawks

Time4Tritium Non-Tritium Solutions

Gem of the Day Citizen Promaster Catalog

Major Price Increases from the Swiss

Most of the large Swiss Watch manufacturers have now announced really major price increases to be implemented over the summer, most in the month of June. Price increases are ranging from 13% up to 27% and cover virtually all models in the brand's assortments.

There are two major reasons for the price increases and then there is also the mindset of the Swiss who own the factories.

First are the actual cost increases in the manufacturing process. Raw materials, labor and production costs have all risen significantly. And the cost of shipping, as you all probably know, has skyrocketed.

Second, and much more important, is the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Swiss Franc. The dollar is at an all time low. Because most (but not all) Swiss Watchmakers have held off on price increases, they are now caught in a terrible bind. At today's exchange rate they are simply losing money. Watches sold in the United States at the current exchange rates are below the actual costs, after the exchange rates are considered.

Finally, the price increases are often rather strange because of the mentality of the Swiss owners. They are extremely concerned about the possibility of their customers transshipping watches from country to country. So they are attempting to balance all the exchange rates around the world. This leads to some really bizarre retails like $406.00 or $842.00 rather than the conventional price points like $399.00 or $799.00.

When all factors are considered, I believe this will cause huge sales decreases in Swiss Watches. When I see a really popular watch like the Swiss Made Luminox Ultimate Navy Seals Chronograph (model 8351) going from an affordable $650.00 up to $825.00, a 27% increase, I'm not certain the consumer won't turn to much more affordable products from the far east and Japan.

The Japanese and American are holding prices or limiting them to very small increases of 2% to 5%. The gap in pricing will become huge.

The bottom line is that if you're considering a Swiss Watch, purchase it quickly before the prices go up. You could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

A $300,000.00 Watch That Doesn't Tell Time

I just knew all our clients and readers would just love to read this story, from The Wall Street Journal:

A $300,000 watch? Luxury. A $300,000 watch that doesn’t tell time — and that
sells out? Pure genius.

According to several news reports flagged by my friends at Luxist, Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome just launched the “Day&Night” watch. The watch won’t tell you what time it is. That’s so yesterday. But it does tell you whether it’s day or night — helpful, I guess, for billionaire types who can’t afford windows.

As the company’s Web site boasts: “With no display for the hours, minutes or seconds, the Day&Night offers a new way of measuring time, splitting the universe of time into two fundamentally opposing sections: day versus night.”

What’s most impressive about the Day&Night is its complexity, given its absolute uselessness. The watch features two tourbillons — devices that overcome the ill
effects of earth’s gravity on a watch’s accuracy — connected by a differential mechanism. Instead of hands, the watch has a “contemplative tourbillon operation
whereby the ‘Day’ tourbillon operates for 12 hours to symbolize working life, while the ‘Night’ tourbillon takes over afterward to represent an individual’s private time.”

Like other Romain Jerome watches, the watch is made in part with steel salvaged from the sunken Titanic, along with material from the shipyard where it was built. That sounds creepy to me, but maybe today’s buyers prefer morbid metals.

The company’s chief executive, Yvan Arpa, cited statistical studies to explain how the watch better reflects the time-philosophy of today’s wealthy.

“When you ask people what is the ultimate luxury, 80 percent answer ‘time’. Then when you look at other studies, 67 percent don’t look at their watch to tell what time it is,” he told Reuters.

He added that anyone can buy a watch that tells time — only a truly discerning customer can buy one that doesn’t.

And here’s the best part: The watch sold out within 48 hours of its launch.

I'm sorry to have to tell you that we don't offer this watch for sale on any of our websites. But here is a link to Romain Jerome's Website.

Gold Continues to Soar

From the Financial Times (UK Edition), March 1, 2008:

The soaring cost of gold and platinum is causing pandemonium in the UK's jewellery market as retailers and private owners rush to reappraise the value of necklaces, brooches and rings.

Jewellers in London's Hatton Garden - the capital's jewellery quarter - are raising the price of wedding bands on a weekly basis, with less-expensive palladium rings now coming into vogue. And insurers are urging clients to get
another assessment of the value of their jewellery collections in response to the rapid rise in the price of precious metals, sparked by investors seeking refuge from volatile stocks.

"The price of platinum has been going up so fast, we're quoting people prices for platinum wedding bands on a Saturday and saying we can't guarantee the same price on Monday.

Scores of jewellers and private investors have also had expensive articles reappraised to be sure they are not caught out in case of loss or theft.

The price of gold hit a record $975.90 yesterday, ending European trading at $970.40 a troy ounce, while platinum hit a record $2,158 a troy ounce last week.

It is an excellent idea to have your better and heavier gold jewelry reappraised for insurance purposes. You'll find that over the last three years prices have at least doubled. In the case of some Swiss Made gold watches, the price for a replacement watch has tripled.

Have your diamond jewelry reappraised, too. Diamonds continue to increase in price, although not as rapidly as gold. Still, the effect on replacement costs can be staggering.

Bargain hunters should shop local jewelry and on the Internet for dealers who have been slow to adjust prices. There are many items on-line at prices well below the new dealer cost.

There has literally never been a better time to go treasure hunting.

Colors Explode!

That's right! Colors are HOT right now when it comes to watches. Everything from New brightly colored dials to the ultimately popular Color Matched Tritium markers. Everywhere you look...colors are here! Take the new Colormark Series from Luminox for example. This new series is as hot as they come. They are selling so fast that Luminox can't even keep up. Why? Well, the success is two fold. First, they feature bold and defining color dials. Instead of a traditional color dial these watches utilize a rich black dial with Colored Numbers, Hands and Markers, making for a very bold series of watches. This in itself would probably be enough to generate a lot of interest, after all, the design is very striking, but fortunately, Luminox went a step further. In a brilliant stroke of genius, they decided to Color Match the Dial Color with the Tritium color. The result is brilliant color, day and night! Notice, Orange Dial during the day and Orange Tritium at night.

Even the Green Dial (Note: Green Tritium is the traditional color for most Tritium watches) gets a kick, infused with Blue accents. Take a look at the difference between the Original (Green) design of the Series 1 compared to the New Green Dial Colormark. Quite a difference!

Original_________________________Colormark

Check it out for yourself here - http://www.gemday.com/item0724.htm We show all of the Dial/Tritium Color combinations as well as in depth details of the watches and their features.

The Skyrocketing Price of Gold

Although this is a watch forum, I would really be remiss if I didn't point out the stunning increase in the price of gold over the last few days.

We are already seeing some gold watch manufacturer's raising the prices of their watches and others attaching a surcharge for the amount that gold rises above the $600.00 per ounce benchmark.

Here is a live active chart for the price of gold from the folks at Kitco:




As I write this entry gold is hovering around $733.00 per ounce, the highest prices in over 30 years.

Ultimately this will affect the prices of gold electroplated watches, too. And the gold jewelry on our Gem of the Day website is being heavily affected.

The good news is that all the gold you already own is increasing in value. Certainly it has always made sense to have gold, precious metals and other commodities as part of your savings portfolio. But your gold jewelry is increasing in value, too!!

If you're planning to purchase a gold watch or gold jewelry please callus TOLL FREE at 1 (888) 243-6329 and we can discuss the best values and the opportunities presented by certain manufacturers who are holding the line on increases at this time.

The Theory of EVO-lution

Luminox Watch Company has been gradually introducing new versions of all their most popular models over this past year. All the new models carry the "EVO" signature, which Luminox tells us is short for "evolved." And that indeed is what Luminox is trying to accomplish.

Virtually all the classic Luminox models have been around for the last ten years. These were groundbreaking watches when Luminox introduced them but they have now been copied by other so-called military brands. A few watch companies, most notably Smith & Wesson (also offered by Gem of the Day and Time4Tritium), have even copied the TRITIUM ILLUMINATION of the Luminox.

So Luminox decided to reinvent their best selling watches for three very important reasons:

1. Luminox wanted truly unique and original styling. They wanted styles that would be "exclusive" and they wanted to own the copyright on the styles. They felt that having original styles would make the brand more desirable. And, because others had copied the old Luminox styles, they felt the old look had become commonplace.


2. The new styling coming out of Switzerland is much larger and bolder. Even though Luminox watches were larger than average men's watches, the direction of styling for men's timepieces was even bigger and bolder. Since Luminox competes with brands like Tag Heuer and Brietling, they wanted to have offerings as fresh and exciting as their Swiss competitors.
   
3. Technology has changed and evolved and Luminox wanted to incorporate the latest Swiss technology. The new watches have improved features such as color Tritium illumination and dual window "BIG DATE" functions. Luminox wanted to make sure they were at the leading edge of Swiss technology.

As you can see from the picture at the top of this article, Luminox has really succeeded. The new "EVO" Series II Navy Seals Dive Watches are 5 millimeters wider with a larger, easier to read dial. Notice the numerals are larger and bolder on both the dial and the rotating bezel.

And the new Nylon Velcro strap is larger and wider. It's more comfortable and looks better. People who see it in our showroom can't understand why Luminox didn't do this sooner!

The watch has the traditional Navy Seals look, but it has "evolved" to a more modern, rugged version.

Many more pictures, including all seven available dial colors, and complete specifications are available on our two websites offering the EVO Navy Seals Series II Watches:

Luminox Navy Seals Watches, EVO Series II from Gem of the Day

Luminox Navy Seals EVO Series II Collection (time4tritium)