Author: LPH

Recently we were all struck by the very sad news of the death of an extraordinary woman, dare I say one of the most remarkable women of the 20th and 21st centuries. The whole world is mourning this loss, and it is with sorrow in our hearts that we express our deepest condolences.
Much has been written about His Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, but not everyone knows that she was a great lover and collector of watches. So I'll take the liberty of writing a few words about her watch collection.
Queen Elizabeth's Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101, which she wore at her coronation on 2 June 1953, at Westminster Abbey. As well as being a statement of style, it was also a technical achievement: the elegant diamond bracelet still houses the world's smallest watch movement. The choice of this watch was in symbiosis with the discreet and elegant personality that has always represented Queen Elizabeth II: a small and elegant timepiece that did not distract from the ceremonial jewels worn when assuming the monarch's title.In 2012, on the occasion of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Jaeger-LeCoultre presented Her Majesty with a new version of the iconic 101 model in white gold in honour of the long-serving monarch.
But perhaps her favourite watch is a very fine and elegant Patek Philippe watch with a mother-of-pearl bracelet and diamond-set lunette marked 4975/1G. In 2015, this watch was loaned to Patek Philippe to be exhibited at a major exhibition in London, which offered collectors and enthusiasts from around the world the opportunity to see one of the Queen's personal timepieces up close.
During her 70-year reign, Elizabeth II was also seen wearing a Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse watch made of white gold and diamonds, which is said to have been made especially for Her Majesty. Her Majesty has never made any secret of her great affection for the famous Geneva house. Patek Philippe is famous for having made several watches for Queen Elizabeth II, including some world firsts.
Omega Ladymatic, yellow gold in art deco style.
Cartier Tank Cintrée, in yellow gold with two time zones.
Jules Audemars, in yellow gold by Audemars Piguet, in which the Queen was most often seen.
She is even known to have shared her collection. The British monarch gave her gold and diamond Vacheron Constantin model (which was a wedding gift from the Swiss Federation Council in 1947) to Princess Diana after she married Prince Charles.
The rest of the collection
Queen Elizabeth II's watch collection certainly doesn't end there, as she owned many watches that she unfortunately never wore in public, and therefore we may never know about them.In this context, her collection is said to include more than 14 luxury watches, including other Patek Philippes and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watches.
In addition, the Swiss government reportedly gave the Queen a Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos watch on her first visit to Switzerland.
Perhaps one day we will see an exhibition of the entire collection of watches in honour of Her Majesty the Queen, so that we can admire the most luxurious, prestigious and unique brands of watches she has owned.

God Save The Queen.

It is no longer true that every watch brand is a unique and independent manufacture. As in the automotive industry, the watch industry is merging, combining, buying up and optimising. This is how large concerns are formed that bring together several watch brands. For your reference, I have prepared a basic overview of the division of the watch market.

Ranked by market share size for 2020.

Rolex Group 26.8%

Rolex, Tudor

Swatch Group 25.2%

Omega, Longines, Tissot, Breguet, Blancpain, Rado, Swatch, Mido, Hamilton, Harry Winston, Certina, CK Watch, Glashutte Original

Richemont 18,2%

Cartier Watch, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Montblanc, Van Cleef & Arpels Watches, Lange & Sohne, Baume & Mercier, Roger Dubuis

LVMH 7.1%

Tag Heuer, Hublot, Bulgari, Zenith, Dior

Patek Philippe 5.8%

Audemars Piguet 4,3%

Richard Mille 2.5%

Breitling 2.4%

Hermes

Kering

Gucci, Ulysse Nardin

Chopard

Franck Muller

Chanel

Frederique Constant

Victorinox

Titons

C. F. Bucherer

Oris

Mondaine

Bell & Ross 

Maurice Lacro

F. P. Journe

HUBLOT

A brand that evokes emotions. Both positive and negative. But let's start at the beginning.

In 1980 he founded Carlo Crocco the HUBLOT brand. 

HUBLOT means window in French. And this is also a typical feature of most HUBLOT models. The shape of a boat window. Even the boxes for this brand are shaped like a ship's window.

HUBLOT was the first in the watchmaking world to combine gold with rubber. The lunette of the watch had a distinctive shape, that of a ship's window. This was the first step for HUBLOT in combining materials.

HUBLOT became famous for its ability to combine materials that no one in the watchmaking world had ever combined before. Carbon fibre, fine ceramic and durable waterproof rubber.This combining has become known as the "art of fusion" and at HUBLOT it owes Jean-Claude Biver, who perfected it and was appointed CEO in 2004.

At that time, the flagship Big Bang is created. After its launch, it took part in the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève watch exhibition where it immediately competed for the best design award. This is what accompanies HUBLOT to this day, a novel design where it is not afraid to experiment. This is what evokes positive emotions in many people. It's that there's something new and fresh, quite often extravagant. That's what makes them different and makes them stand out. But at the same time, it evokes negative emotions in a part of the watchmaking family that is very traditional in materials and shapes.

Another controversy that has aroused and continues to arouse negative emotions is that the brand is very young... There are voices that it does not have enough tradition and age to be considered a rather exclusive and luxury brand. It certainly didn't help that HUBLOT has been using ETA machines for quite some time since its inception. It's well known that in the watchmaking world, brands that make their own movements have a lot of clout. Where you see the real watchmaking. Years of development on a new calibre. Time, money, skills invested in creating perfect movements that are unique. 

For many "watchmakers" it was just those overpriced watches with cheap ETUs. But that's not true anymore. After nearly 30 years of HUBLOT operating as an independent brand, LVMH took over HUBLOT in 2008. This marks the beginning of a new era for HUBLOT. It opens a new production plant in Nyon, Switzerland, which has been gradually expanded over the years. This gave HUBLOT the ability to produce its own movements known as UNICO.

The brand continues to invest in research and development, with Matthias Buttet heading its R&D division. The LVMH Group includes the highly respected ZENITH brand among watchmakers. And as in any good concern, collaboration works here too. Cooperation in development and production. Thanks to ZENITH, HUBLOT movements take on a whole new dimension. HUBLOT can no longer be said to be a watch with a cheap ethos. This can be seen in the fact that HUBLOT has introduced a watch with its own TOURBILLON. And as we know, TOURBILLON is already a higher-end timepiece. Hublot also has its own division, Grandes Complications, which absorbed about 30 watchmakers, prototypers, and engineers from former supplier BNB Concept.

The HUBLOT brand has also joined forces with the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) to develop a new 24k gold and ceramic (boron carbide) alloy that has a hardness of almost 1,000 Vickers. This "magic gold" was unveiled to the public at the end of 2011, which was also the year Hublot paid tribute to the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek cosmograph that the brand miniaturized to fit into a wristwatch.

Hublot is a major investor in marketing. In 2010, it became Official Watch of FIFA, Official Timekeeper for the football World Cup, and Official Watchmaker of Formula 1. In 2011, Hublot is selected as the Official Timekeeper of the Alpine Skiing World Championships. In 2012, the brand became the watchmaking partner of Ferrari. 

Hublot releases one or two special edition Ferraris each year and is present at every Ferrari event around the world.

Among the most important personalities who have joined forces with HUBLOT are..:

Prince Albert II of Monaco

Usain Bolt

Novak Djokovic

Palé

Kylian MBappé

Karolina Pliskova

Diego Maradona*

Basic HUBLOT model series

Big Bang

Unico

King Power

Classic Fusion

So much about the HUBLOT brand. I hope I have given you at least a little insight into this admirable brand and maybe a little bit of an opinion about it. If that's really the case, feel free to come and see this beautiful watch in our boutique. We always have at least ten models to choose from and maybe you'll be intrigued enough to buy one.

Pavel Pazdera

OUR OFFER

https://www.luxusni-pouzite-hodinky.cz/nabidka-pouzitych-hodinek/

1.WATCH WINDING

All automatic watches also have a mechanical winding mechanism. This means that if your watch stops, it is always better to wind the watch with the crown, which is usually at position 3 on the watch case. The crown is either lockable or freely accessible. If it is locking, you unscrew it counterclockwise. When you unscrew it, you wind it clockwise. For the free-access one, you pull it straight clockwise.

2. DATE SETTING

Setting the date using the quick-release on the crown. Slide the crown to the first position and then rotate the crown to set the date. The IMPORTANT THING when setting is that, both hands must be in the lower half of the dial. Preferably at the half-six position. To give you an idea, make a virtual line from position 9 to position 3. Below that horizontal line, both hands should be. The point is that when the hands are in the upper half, the data wheels are in the frame. Thus, you then apply force to them and can break or break the sliding thumb that moves the data wreath. After that, your date will stop skipping and the watch is ripe for a complete overhaul and thumb replacement.

I hope that these two important messages will help you to use your watch for as long as possible without the intervention of a watchmaker. And thus give you many years of pleasure.

Pavel Pazdera