oftalmologiaecuador.com

Archive for April, 2010

Over the centuries clocks have been used as a status symbol by those who wear them. Their precision, elegance and convenience are just some of the attributes that clocks and watches represent. Often they are bought purely for their aesthetic looks. and at other times they are bought because of their technical attributes like being precise to the last second or even millisecond. This is what makes clocks and watches so collectible and in some cases they can command high sums of money.

Whether you collect the new high precision watches or ones that come from a past era, the fact is that over the years this hobby has become a high turnover business. And collecting watches is in a lot of circles regarded as a wise form of investing.

At the start of the last century the clocks that were available for men or women were firstly pocket clocks, and then clocks that held by a pendant attached to the lining of jackets or corsets. The advent of war, industrialization, and the development of the sport activities, brought over new trends which extended to not only the way we dressed, but also how we carried our clocks.

It is said that it was a nanny who invented wrist watches at around the end of the 19th century, who fixed a clock around her wrist by using a silk band. The first watches to be made were in fact smaller models of pocket clocks that were fitted with a leather strap. Once this product hit the market newer designs started to be produced based around this same concept.

It was Louis Cartier who first made the kind of watches we see today when he created a watch for a flying pioneer hero by the name Santos Dumont. By 1911 this same type of watch was on general sale. That same type of watch became the blueprint of what wrist watches look like to this day.

Soon after the design of wrist “clocks” began to diversify away from the classical round shape that had been in vogue up until that time. From the Cartier classical wrist watch other makes of watch started to emerge which were characterized by their shape. Movado is the perfect example of these new designs when it came out with the “Polyplan” shaped watch. Then came the famously and cryptically called “clock reference n. 1593″ by Patek Philippe which was a rectangular shaped watch.

From 1913 onwards more and more watches started to be developed in all shapes and styles. From the “gondola” watch of Patek Phillipe to Louis Cartiers’ “Tank”; named thus because it was inspired by the shape of English armored cars of the time. These are watches which are very much sought after. There were other numerous watch makers like Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin who along with Patek Philippe and Cartier came out with many other designs which added other features to the watches like lunar phases, month and day most of which are found in modern watches now.

Of course we could not mention wrist watches without mentioning the most famous of them all: the Rolex watch. In the 1920s Rolex debuted in the world of wrist watches with the elegant Rolex Prince and its revolutionary “dual time” feature made famous for having the “seconds sector” larger than that of the minutes. At the same time Jaeger Le Coultre produced an even more advanced piece called the “Reverse”, also very revolutionary in that it could be turn 180 degrees within its case, thus protecting the crystal and dial. It became incredibly popular and was only prevented from achieving even greater success by the recession of the 1930s and the advent of world war 2.

These early watches of the 1910s to 1930s are what define all the makes of watches that we see and wear today. This short article has only scratched the surface of what is a very vast subject which has many more watch makers with diverse and revolutionary designs. However it is makers like Rolex, Cartier, Jaeger Le Coultre and the others mentioned that are amongst the most valuable and collectible, and should you ever be so lucky to get one then make sure you hang on to it – preferably to your wrist.

Tired of winter? Who isn’t — except maybe pro-snowboarder Shaun Palmer and pro-skier Shane McConkey.

Even people who make their living off of winter, like tire salesmen, chimney sweeps, and snowplow drivers, can’t seem to wait for the frosty days to end. Fortunately there’s one good thing about cold weather: winter fashion.  It’s just fun, with all the layers and bold colors, not to mention the furry lambskin boots.

This time of year, every glossy cover of Elle, Vogue, and Mademoiselle makes me dream of looking like one of those glam girls wrapped up in a delectable sweater and plush boots. Unfortunately every time I try to mimic one of those magazine looks, everything goes astray.

Just this week I tried the tight jeans-bulky sweater-chunky boots look.  It looked winter, but it didn’t work for winter. I fought with every jacket in my closet, trying to cajole one to button over my new oversized turtleneck sweater.  I was relieved when I finally got my pea coat to close, but the relief washed away when I bustled over to the mirror to see that I looked about 7 months pregnant.

All the layering would be great — if I was studying polar bears in the Arctic for the day. I wasn’t. I was on my way to work.  I made a quick stop at the coffee shop, and the second I walked in, I started overheating.  By the time I got to the counter, I could smell my perspiration starting to mix with the wool of the sweater.  I like the natural beauty look, but I’m not fond of the smell. I was waiting for my mocha and madly fanning myself with a menu, when I glanced down to see that my new furry boots had nearly been ruined by the rock salt scattered on the city sidewalks.

After all the time I spent buying, planning, and putting on my new outfit, my sparkly chandelier earrings were the only thing that survived the morning. They were the least expensive part of my attire, and I got compliments on them all day. Apparently a little twinkle makes people feel good.

Like any smart woman, I resort to black in the wintertime despite what the houses of haute couture scream at us about wearing more color. Black looks good day or night, and for a girl on the run, it doesn’t require much thought.  The best thing about black is that it hides all types of flaws, like those caused by eating an entire pumpkin cheesecake on Thanksgiving.  But black is not only thinning; it’s a great palette for accessories.

This year, women have a lot of jewelry options.  You can fall back on the old basic of diamonds.  Or you can try this winter’s exciting new collections of colored pearls and shells.  They look fabulous with black, and they can be as dressy as a diamond necklace, while offering more personality and flare. You can also highlight your eye color with a similar colored necklace.  Nothing is more beautiful than a pair of sapphire blue eyes with a matching necklace.

Rhinestones are always a holiday favorite.  This season, designers are using them with fiber optic glass and silver. It’s a new take on a jeweler’s staple.  Red stones can highlight the flushed skin and rosy cheeks of winter. And the fiber optics in the glass makes the necklaces, earrings, and bracelets glow. The combination creates a look that no one will forget.

And something that will always go with black, more black.  Onyx is a gorgeous stone that when highlighted with silver can make a simple black sweater and slacks into a classic cosmopolitan look.  Dangly onyx earrings are stunning with pulled back hair.  Onyx is great because it can go with almost anything.  It makes red more refined, pink more subdued, and white more exotic.

So don’t let gray skies and stale snow keep you from feeling beautiful.  Next time you go to your closet and feel bummed out about having to squeeze your outfit under your jacket, toss on a gorgeous pair of earrings.  Everyone will notice them, even with your jacket on.  And unlike that oversized sweater, you can keep wearing them when the warm spring days finally return.