Well, not much to say that hasn’t been said already by now. Trying to get an overview over at the TZ Rolex forum is nigh impossible, but the reactions seem to be mixed. The new “LV” seems a bit too kitsch to me. I was never an Explorer fan (II and Steve McQueen notwithstanding) so I can’t really comment on that one. What’s I’m more surprised about is how unoffended I am by the diamond-marker blue Sub. Surprisingly alright, and I’m decidedly anti-diamond usually.

The news Subs do give the impression of being a bit big to me (mind you, I have no idea on the actual measurements). The classic Sub has always been the perfectly sized sports watch to me. If you wanted a beefier Rolex then you have the DSSD if that’s your style. And I still can’t get over the polished center links. What suprises me is the distinct lack of a new Daytona, which seemed to be what a lot of people were expecting. With the stainless steel Daytonas having slightly lost their “ungettable grail” status during 2009, you’d think that Rolex wouldn’t mind taking a chance on one.

Omega has come up with a white dial version of the reissued PloProf. Looks familiar? Well, let’s say it’s a slightly more wearable version of their entry to the Only Watch 2009 auction, pictured below.

Just a smidge better, don’t you think? Being the palest man of the modern world, I can’t see my skinny wrists wearing either of those beasts, but I appreciate the effort. We can’t all be Agnelli.

Marking the 40th anniversary of the original “Plongeur Professionnel”, the updated PloProf 1200m (WR is, you guessed it, 1200M) is equipped with Omega’s co-axial cal 8500, and will probably look best with a heavy tan or dark skin complexion.

And now for something completely different.

As some of you might already have read in multiple news outlets, JamesList has appointed none other than Rob Hersov as the chairman of our new advisory board. The group consists of leading figures from the world of private aviation, yachting, luxury cars and high-end watches. Together they will serve as the world’s foremost specialist group in the luxury arena, further strengthening JamesList’s role as the place to be for both luxury dealers and enthusiasts.

So, how has Rob been biding his time before his appointment? Claiming that he has a lot of experience in the field would be somewhat of an understatement. Rob served as vice chairman of NetJets and as a main board member for none other than the Richemont group (of Officine Panerai, Cartier, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne fame – among with heaps of other luxury brands). “JamesList has redefined the global luxury marketplace. It offers a unique way to buy and sell the very best luxury products. I am excited about what has been achieved so far and what can be achieved as we grow the business further over the coming months”, said mr. Hersov. JamesList CEO and founder Noam Perski is equally optimistic, “I am delighted with Rob’s appointment. His impeccable flare for the luxury market place will be instrumental in growing the JamesList phenomenon”. He continues, “JamesList succeeds because it provides something unique for buyers who are simply interested in owning the best”.

Last year, I spent quite a bit of time compiling some articles on some of the more high profile watch auctions. This usually means Antiquorum, and for good reasons as the auction firm is still soundly the field’s top dog. Apart from being the most comfortable method of browsing just about the most eye-popping vintage watches around, high end auctions are a pretty practical way of feeling the temperature of the market, so to speak.

An example is the closing auction that Antiquorum put on last year, an event that we covered at the time. Among the differents lots (see more pictures in the linked article) were a triple-whammy of Pateks which ended selling for no less than $1,200,000. Now that’s a healthy market, regardless of what The Economist tells you.

The good news is that you won’t have to wait until whoever bought the watches decides to put them back on the market. We’ve dug up a very similar watch to the ones in the article. This platinum & astronomic Patek Philippe 5049P was made for British jeweller Boodle and Dunthorne in 1998 in just 20 pieces. Features include a perpetual calender, moon phase, 24 hours and a leap year indicator. You know, all that jazz. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to snatch this sucker up – after all, it’s just £62,500. The Patek Philippe 5049P is available for sale right here on JamesList.

Here at James Spotting we’re always aiming to bring you the latest & greatest in the luxury world, whether it be news, gossip, interviews or looks behind the scenes. This time around, we’re happy to tell you that we will be airing a press conference hosted by none other than the folks at McLaren. In co-operation with Headstream, the press conference is held since McLaren have some pretty fascinating news to share with the world – the launch of a completely new car brand: McLaren Automotive.

The press conference will be hosted by Chairman Ron Dennis and Managing Director Anthony Sheriff.  They will tell the story of McLaren Automotive and the MP4-12C and cover topics such as investment, manufacturing, production, development, design, heritage and the Formula 1 process and technology transfer. 

So how do you get to take part in the event? Thanks to our online partnership with Headstream and McLaren, you can just bookmark this page and check back in at March 18 (that’s Thursday) at 10.30 GMT. Below is a teaser which is currently looping, but in its place there will be a live feed of the press conference at the given time. Don’t miss out on what surely will become an interesting event. The broadcast is from London and will last just about 120 minutes.

While I am fascinated by a watch like this I fully grasp the reality that it is  meant to appeal to a specific few. While technically this watch is interesting, even impressive, most people will seriously misunderstand the irony of the watch. Habring 2 (number 2 placed in the position at the end of the brand name as though it were squared), is a small independent watch maker that often makes their own movements. While this Foudroyante watch does not have an entirely in-house made movement, most of the mechanism is – using a base ETA Valgranges movement that is built upon.

One of the rarest complications out there is the foudroyante, and oddly enough, I have already seen a handful of them being released for 2010. Must be the year of the foudroyante. The complication has a very quickly moving hand that indicates fractions of a segment. On this watch, the foudroyante indicator is the subsidiary seconds dial which has a hand that makes one full rotation each second! That is really fast. Not only that, but the hand stops eight times a long watch. Thus, this watch indicates 1/8 of a second chronological progression. Usually this feature is combined with a chronograph for very precise measuring of time, but here it is just something to watch – unless you can really quickly reading it.

Habring 2 combined the foudroyante with another very rare complication on mechanical watches, a dead-beat seconds. This turns the seconds hand into one that looks as though the movement is a quartz – rather than the standard sweeping seconds hand of a mechanical watch. So while the Habring 2 Foudroyante does have a mechanical movement, the seconds hand ticks like that on a quartz movement – or otherwise is a deadbeat seconds hand. The little speeding hand in the foudroyante scale turn 86,400 times a day – wow! This is all thanks for the ingenious Habring caliber A07F movement that retains an almost full 45 hour power reserve, even with the constant movement of the foudroyante hand.

Dead-beat second hands are actually useful when trying to get a precise reading of the seconds as you know exactly when each second passes. Though they are rare, because as I said, most people associate them with quartz watches that are often not preferred over mechanical watches. You can see the movement in operation through the sapphire caseback window of the watch. While it is not officially a certified Chronometer, it does have Chronometer grade parts.

The case of the Habring Foudroyante is 42mm wide in titanium, but can be ordered in precious metals if the client prefers. The style of the dial is pretty straight forward and classic, with applied hour indicators (rhodium plated or available in gold) over a solid silver dial. An easy to appreciate watch for those who enjoy traditional looks. Though Habring could have really changed the personality of the watch a lot by giving it a more modern design to compliment the motion rich foudroyante complication. While not strictly a limited edition, the watch will be made on a limited basis for the next two years with quantities based on demand.

Video of the Habring 2 Foudroyante watch.

By Ariel Adams

Not much info on this one yet, but according The New York Times it seems that Yvan Arpa is up to his old tricks again. Last year, Mr. Arpa left the company which he turned into a PR behemoth (note my exclusion of the words “succesful” and “tasteful”): Romain Jerome. His first effort since was his tribute to his passion of martial arts, the Black Belt watch. It now seems that he’s more leaning back onto the philosophy of his former employer (I’m thinking about the Titantic DNA watch, yech).

A Swiss watchmaker is hoping to raise a stink with an expensive timepiece that eschews the trade’s standard gold, diamond or titanium fittings for a more earthy substance — dinosaur dung. Vesenaz, Switzerland-based company Artya says the watch set in fossilized feces will sell for 12,000 ($11,290) and comes with a strap made with skin from an American cane toad.

Designer Yvan Arpa said Monday the coprolite came from a plant-eater that died about 100 million years ago in what is now the U.S.

Oh well, I guess it’s a good thing that the dinosaur’s already dead at least. I’m happy with the Timex equivalent, myself.

* hats off to Luxury Insider for the updated picture.

A performance upgrade to 480 hp, new sports exhaust system 28-inch light-alloy chromed rims and mammoth tires make up the rest of the exterior and engine upgrades. Inside the real fun begins, with a 17 Axion display entertainment system featuring a DVD player, XBox game console, Xetec amplifiers, Xetec subwoofers, digital TV and 1,360 watt RMS music system. The black with yellow highlights colour scheme could be worse. And hey, there’s even a minibar. Of course to install all that they had to completely block the rear window but you get cameras to compensate.

German Porsche tuner’s wicked 9ff GT9-R based on the Porsche 911 Turbo is a top contender for the “world’s fastest car” title. With only 20 examples being built for collectors worldwide it also ranks among the most exclusive vehicles on the planet. Rarest of all is the prototype for the record-breaking vehicle, which 9ff has just listed for sale on JamesList for €823,529. The one-of-a-kind car eats Bugattis for breakfast, a few Ferraris for lunch and then has a nice Koenigsegg for tea.

With 1120 horsepower in a lightweight custom body it boasts a top speed in excess of 414 km/h. Torque clocks in at 1050 Nm which translates to a 0 – 100 km/h time of 2.9 seconds. Incredibly enough it’s street legal, at least in Europe. Since the production GT9-Rs are available in different configurations with 750 hp and 987 hp versions available, it’s possible the prototype will be the only one packing the full wallop power-wise, adding to its allure. This thing probably belongs in an automotive museum; either that or eating up the autobahn.