Hamilton is currently displaying its sponsored stunt aircraft at the Wisma Atria until 19th June and at a later date at VivoCity on 7th to 10th July.
Together with the small stunt plane will be displayed Hamilton's current collection of watches that should fulfil the needs of any new watch buyer wanting a well made watch with current designs at a reasonable price. I find the Khaki range particularly interesting for its dial work and its vintage look (see previous Hamilton posting on this blog). However, the Roadshow of the Hamilton watches at Wisma Atria ends on 29th May but will return again at Vivocity on the same dates mentioned above.
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NOTE: the images of the plane above was taken at the exhibition and I took the liberty of photoshopping the plane into a sky to make it a more interesting image. Click on them to view them in large format)
A friend and fellow watch blogger Mr Peter Chong recently discovered that one of his images that he published on his blog was used by Avis for their ad campaign on their website. This graphic consisted of a converted image to black and white from a large format colour image of a rare Lange 31.

While copyright abuse is a common place occurrence on the Internet, to many, its a surprise that big businesses like Avis would indulge in such practices. Unfortunately, something similar has happened to WatchingHorology before where a rare image of the Opus5 was downloaded edited and altered to be used as the banner head of a watch retailer online. While there is legal recourse available to victims, such legal action will require considerable resources and time. The question that irks content creators and owners is how can copyright content be more effectively protected AND why are big public companies seemingly conducting themselves in this manner without concern of their public reputation?
Such illegal practices often drive content owners and creators to find methods to prevent such abuse from happening. One method that has some success - digitally watermarking the images - comes at a cost of the images being marred by the watermark. It is unfortunate but until an effective solution to prevent copyright abuses, there is little else bloggers can do to protect their intellectual property - short of going to court.
For more information about this Avis copyright abuse
, CLICK HERE or the image above to read Peter Chong's report to view the his original image and his attempts to get a response from Avis themselves.
- HT
Following on my earlier post about the new 2011 Explorer 2, here are two videos for fans of the model to consider - at least aesthetically - the differences between the two watches.
The out going Explorer 2 -
The incoming Explorer 2 -
This video of the MIH watch is not new but having just discovered it myself, I thought such a beautifully designed watch deserved the attention. At least from the fans of the watch. What I love about the watch, in addition to all I have said before about it (check out the review and photomontages here), is that because its such a classical design, it does not need updating - nor has the designers seen the need to do so.
Just after posting on Biver's article in the FT reporting his new found status as a business guru, I received through the email a report on the new joint venture between Hublot and Manchester United that features a new Big Bang with the logo of the world famous football club on the dial.
While I am not a fan fashion watches or tie-ups such as this, I cannot fault Biver's vision for Hublot in making the brand and its watches synonymous with top spectator sports. Granted that there are many brands linked to sports but as reported in the FT report, it was Biver's vision to corner the football market as the official timekeeper for the key tournaments. Now with a tie in with the world's most watched soccer team - with a huge following in Asia, and potential customers. Biver continues to push the brand forward - seemingly single handed.
The image taken on 7th May - the day before the Manchester United their victory over Chelsea to potentially win the 2011 Barclay's League Championship.
Anyone who has met the gregarious Mr Jean Claude Biver cannot deny how his charisma makes him even larger than his large frame. Currently the CEO of Hublot and seen in many parts of the world where watch collectors gather. Of recent times, he has spent a lot of his time in Asia where he seems to be able to put even non English speakers at ease with his style of conversation and public speaking. Having met Mr Biver several times and hearing him speak at length about his background and history of the companies he commanded, one gets the sense that he has an inherent knack of understanding how to create a product to fit the market.
He was the man who turned around Blancpain, Omega and now Hublot. All three brands are unlike each other with differing history and products. Yet Mr Biver is able to infect his potential customers on why his current product is well worth the attention and why it is desirable. If there ever was an claim to success of a brand by being dependent on effective marketing, Mr Biver's management of Hublot would easily be on the top of that list.
Some years back a renowned magazine conducted a poll on the movers and shakers of the Swiss watch industry and while I was given the option to name three persons. I submitted only one, Mr Biver. Apparently so did many others of the closed poll - which he won.
I recommend highly reading the report from FT (link above) to get a glimpse of how the man conducts his business and how far he has been in the industry. I am proud to have known him and most definitely hope to hear him speak again when he returns to our shores for another visit.
-HT
Postscript - I found this video of JC Biver on youtube for those who have not seen him speak in public before. The curious thing is that he does not speak in English naturally but one cannot miss his grasp of how to make an impact on the listener.
This watch was also photographed at the Collectors Dinner reported earlier. The owner had also just received delivery of this watch from the IWC factory. A rare piece and highly popular in absolutely mint condition.
Please note that clicking onto the image and downloading it is your assent to my condition of use that All Rights are Reserved and not for commercial use. I only assent it being downloaded to your personal computer and for your personal use only.
Photographed this watch just hours after the owner collected it from the JLC Boutique here in Singapore. Click on the image below to download the wallpaper.
Please note that clicking onto the image and downloading it is your assent to my condition of use that All Rights are Reserved and not for commercial use. I only assent it being downloaded to your personal computer and for your personal use only.