The Opus 9 by Harry Winston. You'll have to learn to read watches in a whole different way.

I am not a big fan of watches that do not look like, well… watches.

I personally find Urwerk watches ugly.  I am not a big fan of weird complicated looking beasts on my wrist.  I really like things that are simple, clean, classic and beautiful.

That is until I saw the Opus 9 from Harry Winston.

According to this month’s article in the Robb Report, “The Opus 9 is the result of a collaboration between two independent artisans, designer Eric Giroud and movement specialist Jean-Marc Wiederrecht, and the timepieces is a perfect amalgamation of their skills.  Giroud contributed the lozenge-shaped case, urbane color scheme, and numerical motifs that subtly recall Art Deco style.  Wiederrecht’s movement is deceptively simple.  Constantly moving discs engage teeth on the chains, much like a tank’s tread, driving them forward at the appropriate speeds”

I like the tank analogy.  It made me want the watch so much more.  Now I just need to scrounge together $180,000.

For more information on the Harry Winston Opus 9, you can visit the official Harry Winston website.

The Hublot F1 King Power. Different from the Hublot you know. I rhymed and don't even care.

The new F1 King Power from Hublot is a little different from the standard pieces in the Hublot range.

According to an article on Formula1.com:

Luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot, recently announced as the Official Watchmaker of Formula 1™, has unveiled the F1™ King Power, their first Official Formula One watch. The watch is a unique design inspired by Formula One racing and a result of many weeks of close collaboration between Hublot and Formula One Management.

The F1™ King Power features a 48mm-diameter satin-finished Zirconium case, a special Zirconium and ceramic bezel which resembles a Formula One car brake assembly. The unique multi-layered dial is treated in black nickel with black SuperLuminova and the hands are micro-blasted and rhodium plated.

What I like most about this particular timepiece is the subtle style it was given.  Typically, with other watch manufacturers, I feel that designers go too far in trying to market specific races or racing series on their timepieces.  The result is typically too audacious or ugly to even wear.

The Hublot F1 King Power, however, is a timepiece that I could wear all the time and not feel like a walking billboard.

For more information about the F1 King Power, you can visit the official Hublot website.

The 57th Street Limited Edition Royal Oak Offshore by Audemars Piguet. Say that 20 times fast.

If you think we are going to feature every special edition Royal Oak Offshore by Audemars Piguet… you’re probably right.

This latest edition, the 57th Street Limited Edition was created to commemorate (and will be exclusively available at) Audemars Piguet’s New York flagship store which opened late 2009.

What makes it different from any other Royal Oak Offshore?  The fact that it’s limited.

Hopefully Santa will be extra nice to me this year and I will have this timepiece underneath the tree.

For more information, you can visit the official website of Audemars Piguet.  If you want to be nice and give it to me as a gift, just post a comment below.

The new Breitling Superocean.

Who says getting a facelift can’t make something better? (see: Playboy playmates) 

Historically, Breitling’s Superocean line of watches have always been designed to fly under the radar. Recently, Breitling has re-designed their classic watch into something much sleeker and sexier. 

With it’s redesigned color scheme, dial and numbers, Breitling has successfully made the originally ho-hum classic into a timepiece worthy of a super spy (or in our case, imaginary super spies).

For more information about the latest Breitling Superocean, you can visit the official Breitling website.

George Cleverly. Check the shoes.

You know what word I feel isn’t used enough?  The word “bespoke,” in my opinion, needs to be used much more during conversation.

Unfotunately, not a lot of things nowadays can be described as bespoke.  These days, everything is about creating products that are fast, convenient and profitable.

George Cleverly, however, is a company that takes their time and makes shoes the old fashioned way: one at a time with as much loving care and attention as humanly possible.

The company was established in 1958 by (surprise) George Cleverly, who was born into a shoemaking family who honed his craft at an early age with a high end shoemaker in London.  His client list included Rudolph Valentino, Sir Winston Churchill, Ralph Lauren and Lawrence Olivier.

I have a lottery ticket in my wallet right now and hopefully it will help me become one of the names on that list.

For more information about the company you can visit their official website at http://www.gjcleverley.co.uk/.

The Bell & Ross Carbon Fiber series of watches.

What do Ninjas, hot girls on MTV Spring Break, Exotic Cars, Barbeque Grills and Carbon Fiber have in common?  They are all things that dudes love.

Bell & Ross is a company that was started in 1992 that set out to make the best watches for professions that most mere mortals dare not attempt: Astronauts, Bomb Disposal Experts, and Pilots.

Lucky for you, they sell these watches to the general public and if you purchase one of their timepieces, you can also say you are an Astronaut, Bomb Disposal Expert or a Pilot (even if you really aren’t one).  “Have you seen the Hurt Locker? That movie was loosely based on my life.”

They’ve had quite a few watches created since their inception, but the series of watches that collectors have really fallen in love with is their Instrument BR 01 collection.  It is very simple, elegant and closely resembles something that would be built as part of an instrument panel on an airplane, I mean, fighter aircraft.

Personally, I have been waiting to get on the bandwagon because there hasn’t been a piece that has really caught my eye. 

Until now.

With the release of their Carbon Fiber Series watches, I have been frothing to get my hands on one of these timepieces.  Much like exotic sports cars and ninjas, Bell & Ross has put together something that cannot be resisted by any man.

It’s kind of like chocolate syrup and Izabel Goulart.  Or machine guns and bikinis.  Like Burgers and fries.

For more information about these watches, you can visit the official Bell & Ross website.

Dammit - dropped my watch in the fish tank again! Honey, where's the net?

This latest rendition of the Seamaster series from Omega is sturdy, hardcore and built for the true adventurer.

Now, the only question left to answer is why the hell did they call it the “Ploprof”?  It’s name is reminiscent of the sound your poop makes when it hits the toilet water. 

In reality, the watch actually got its name from the French term “PLOngeur PROFessionnel” as the team of developers of the original 1971 Seamaster Ploprof were French speaking.

Ah, the French. 

Did I ever tell you the story of this short Asian French chef who kept saying “French House Music rules!” all night?  Remind me sometime to erase that from my memory with a rusty pocket knife.

But I digress.

In any case, the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m is a beautiful piece of horological technology.  It is so amazing, in fact, that it allows users to go down to 4000 feet below sea level!  And to think – the deepest most of these timepieces will probably ever go is under the water line of a sink in a 5-star hotel.

What’s that little thingy on the side of the case, you ask? 

It’s a big button that releases the bezel.  The button is big because you have stubby little Hobbit fingers when you are wearing diving gloves.  If you really thought about it, you wouldn’t want to be diving a-la James Bond and your watch tell you there’s an hour worth of air when there was only 5 minutes, now would you?

To make the story of your watch seem much, much cooler, you can also tell the ladies the button just blows shit up.  They won’t know the difference.

For more information about the Omega Seamaster Ploprof 1200m, you can visit the official Omega website. 

And please, for the love of God, do not get the steel bracelet.  It’s just plain ugly.  Like your sister.  (Just kidding about the sister part.)

What IS for us is killer stylee stuff for pennies on the dollar!  And if not, just great fashion that will allow us to pay for a new bicycle seat for our only mode of transportation.

The list is for L.A. and New York because it is.  Live there, take a trip there, or find your own deals in your own towns, I can’t do it all.

Barney's Sale. Yeeeaaaahh.

Let’s start in Los Angeles.

In July, there is Nordstrom’s Half Yearly, and the Barney’s Warehouse Sale.  Nordy’s is pretty organized and since they are more of a big department store, there is more to choose from.  Barney’s may have those really high end pieces, but you have to sift through a lot of stuff to get to it.  Their sale is massive enough to have been held in the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica Airport, but this year it will move to the L.A. Convention Center.  Another bonus is seeing the shopping crazed women in catsuits trying clothes on.  In August, Neiman Marcus holds their Last Call Neiman Marcus Sale.  Now since Neiman’s is more like a super boutique, there may be some smaller labels that have really great gear.  Hopefully you can find that one thing you’re looking for at an insane discount.  October is one of my favorites: The Fred Segal Sale.  This is the place for Hollywood Stars to blow all of their dough on edgy style.  Thankfully, during their sale, they are just trying to clean house.  So the prices get better every day that passes.  If you’re not sure that you want to spend $250 for some Japanese designer jeans (that originally cost $500), shove them in the bottom of the pile and hopefully when you go back in a couple more days, they will still be there and now cost $100.  November holds our last sale, the California Mart Sample Sale.  Before you go, take a look at the vendors and see whose showroom you want to hit up.

That’s it for Los Angeles.  We’ll get to New York on the next go round.  Save up those dollars, and mark your calendars.

It's like having John Varvatos as your own personal fashion consultant.

Fancy the Rock & Roll lifestyle?  What about Rock & Roll fashion and style?  If you do, then you’re just like me and love anything that comes out of John Varvatos’ collection.

As a big fan, his spring/summer 2010 collection lives up to my every expectation.

What’s even cooler is that his website doesn’t display the collection in a typical way.  Instead of just a simple picture and description, they have embedded a video with John describing the pieces and looks.  He gives you a little insight to what he was doing and what his intention was for each piece.  (You just have to remember to shut off the other music or you will wonder what the hell you are listening to.)

In my opinion – John Varvatos can mark both the collection and the latest technology on his website as a “W” (that’s for “win” in case you were wondering).

To check out the spring/summer 2010 collection for yourself, please go to John Varvatos’ official website.

Looks like someone shares our affinity for linen pants.

Most basic linens are drawstring in a very neutral color.  You really can’t go wrong with that.  I would shy away from pleats, or at least keep them to a single, to stay true to the simple nature of the pant.  I’ve owned royal blue linens, courtesy of Ralph Lauren Purple Label, that were pretty bold if I do say so myself.  I still have a pair in black by Calvin Klein that I have had for more than a few seasons.  The faded shades of blue and even green can be a nice little departure from the norm.  I always like white, they just seem crisp and clean.  Invest well and take care of them, the style is timeless and they will last.  Pair them with a linen shirt, a loose v-neck t-shirt, a summer weight sweater, or collared shirt, and then just wait for the lovely ladies to start flocking.  Bring it on, summer, we’re ready!