For example, two Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk II 1954 and 1956 were recently offered.
Discovered the island in the 19th century. Stones, impenetrable bushes, a few palm trees instead of gold, water and fertile soil. This has remained the case to this day, and yet the small island four hours by boat north of Venezuela has more to offer than just piles of stones.
Tourism has taken on the economic leadership role. Vacationers come mainly from Europe, but also from the USA and South America, to bathe in the turquoise-blue sea. Especially in the west of the island, there are some truly paradisiacal bays with the finest sand and gentle waves. The palm trees sway in the wind, the bougainvillea shines in all colors, the oleander sprouts profusely on the roadsides and the flamboyant trees with their flower crowns set fire-red accents.
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Curd Kooyman swears by Caribbean cuisine instead of the beach. When it comes to the ingredients, he doesn’t understand jokes. "Allegedly nothing should grow on Curaçao except cacti – nonsense!" he is indignant. The son from a rich family runs "as a hobby" the organic farm "Finca del Sol". On a long, rough wooden table under a thick canopy of leaves, he presents the fruits of his labor: fresh coconuts, plump watermelons, aromatic peppers and sweet pineapples. Curd beamed with satisfaction and said that the demand for his own range of products was constantly increasing. >>
Dinah too sows, plants and harvests with the same passion as Curd. She grows hundreds of plants in her garden that serve human welfare: bottle gourds help against asthma, oregano is a stimulant and eucalyptus relieves breathing difficulties. "At first everyone thought I was crazy" she tells, "but now the interest is huge." So big that it even delivers abroad and communicates with like-minded people around the world. Dinah has not lost touch with the ground. Every morning she goes into her garden, looks after the plants, plucks and harvests. And when a plant is ailing, then – as in the old days – it is placed in a small fabric hammock, is rocked back and forth, and Dinah sings a song for its recovery. Similar to Dinah, Leo is also a kind of celebrity on the island, mostly through his local television series, in which he addresses current topics in Papiamentu, the Creole language of the locals. Like Dinah, Leo is also a dropout. From a young age he traveled the world in search of the wisdom of the yogis. Today he runs a yoga school on Curaçao. "I was born here, so this is my place" he says and gives his visitors a friendly smile. If you take some time away from the beaches on Curaçao, you will discover the many other lovable facets of this island. And meets wonderful people like Curd, Dinah and Leo. You can get an impression of Curaçao in our photo show.
It is one of the top brands in the world of watches: IWC has made men’s hearts beat faster for decades. The group at the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen arose from the export idea of an American. wanted.de took a closer look at the milestones in the history of IWC.
IWC – the watch legend
Photo series with 9 pictures
Schaffhausen, 1868. Switzerland is a backward agricultural country, the banking sector and today’s booming tourism are at best in their infancy. The farming families are poor and make their way through the production of clockworks in the meter-high snow-covered yards. They are delivered to the factories in the valley in spring. This makes the Alpine republic an ideal export country thanks to its low production costs. The United States, on the other hand, developed its industry rapidly after the bloody civil war. The conquest of the West is going on, the dollar is steadily increasing in value.
Swiss watches for the USA
This is exactly what appeals to the American Florentine Ariosto Jones. The deputy head of the US company E. Howard Watch and Clock Co. in Boston founds the International Watch Company with the aim of,
To manufacture high quality pocket watch movements in large numbers for the North American market. Exactly why the English name.
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The various movements always have a diameter of 44 millimeters at the beginning and can therefore be used as standard goods in a wide variety of watches. Jones is going to Schaffhausen of all places for the same reason: a new hydropower plant on the Rhine supplied his machines with inexpensive energy for mass production. The motto immortalized on the watches testifies to the high standards "Probus Scafusia" – High-quality workmanship from Schaffhausen, but Jones fails because of the high import duties with which the USA isolates itself from international competition. IWC went bankrupt several times and ended up with the German company in 1978 after various twists and turns after the great quartz crisis VDO Adolf Schindling AG, which is also the traditional manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre belonged to. >>
Both watch brands come to in 1991 Mannesmann and in 2000 go to the British company with the parent company Vodafone with subsequent takeover by the South African Richemont-Group. Today as then, the brand is coveted by collectors for its quality and precision.
Aviators and Portuguese
Is known IWC especially for his pilot’s watches. At the end of the 1930s, the manufacturer developed a professional timepiece with a matt steel case 55 millimeters in diameter for the German Air Force. The clock is easy to read and the large onion crown is easy to operate, even with gloves. A bang presented IWC also in the thirties with the Portugieser watches. At a time when wristwatches are still small and delicate, this elegant line sets new standards with its size. The watch is manufactured according to the wishes of the two Portuguese watch importers Rodriguez and Teixeira, who unfortunately are never mentioned by first name in literature.
One of the absolute classics of IWC also includes the pilot’s watch "Mark XI" which is presented in 1948. It was the service watch of the British Air Force for 25 years and contains a soft iron core as magnetic protection. The series of pilot’s watches is constantly expanding and is still very popular today. Another absolute highlight is the first titanium chronograph from 1981. The light material is extremely difficult to work with. Builds around a standard Valjoux 7750 caliber IWC along with Porsche Design a minimalist masterpiece. Another milestone is the one introduced in 1985 "Da Vinci": The highly complex and patented chronograph with moon phase display also set standards with its elegant design. >>
This watch was also built around japaneese wifes the Valjoux 7750, but it doesn’t have much in common with the base: The perpetual calendar and four-digit year display are accompanied by a moon phase display that only deviates by one day after 122 years.
It can always be more complicated
This watch is further developed and named in 1990 "Grande Complication" to crown the collection – this is where the most important complications are installed. It can be more complicated than that. In 1993, the "Destriero Scafusia" – in German: Schaffhausen warhorse. The watch combines 22 complications, making it the world’s most complicated series-produced wristwatch at the time. For example, the tourbillon, rattrapante and minute repeater are built in. The timepiece is limited to 125 pieces. In 2002 the manufacturer delivers with the "Big pilot watch" his new flagship. The watch, which takes old elements from the first pilot’s watches, is an absolute eye-catcher with a diameter of more than 46 millimeters. The IWC-In-house caliber 51111 is one of the largest automatic movements in the world and has a power reserve of eight and a half days.
Also sets IWC with the recently introduced "Sidérale Scafusia" One more thing when it comes to complexity: It is the most complicated wristwatch ever designed and built in Schaffhausen. The sidereal time from Schaffhausen provides a highly individual star map and horizon line on the back, which is printed for the location defined by the owner. That can also be expected for a one-year waiting period and around 560,000 euros. Our conclusion is, IWC on the one hand builds clear and well-arranged clocks – on the other hand also complex super pieces.
Ebay is booming – auctions are in demand. In addition to the thrill, auctions offer the opportunity to grab bargains. And luxury always works anyway: Noble goods are crisis-proof even in times of recession. wanted.de looked around and found out where friends of luxury items can bid well. We will tell you pictures of the auctioned goods.
Let’s start from the top: For the bored billionaire BillionaireXchange.com offers a little variety in the hunt for sinfully expensive ocean-going yachts, luxury villas and sports cars. Interestingly, the website just went live with the financial crisis in autumn 2008.
For millionaires only
After the collapse of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers, exactly what happened in the financial market at the moment happened: banks mistrusted each other, credit institutions no longer granted loans. So even many well-heeled people had to silver their belongings. It’s good that it works discreetly over the Internet and that the dear neighbors can’t smile. To ensure that not every joker is bidding, members of the community must prove a minimum fortune of two million dollars.
According to the company, a total of 26,000 multimillionaires and around a dozen billionaires were registered with BillionaireXchange at the start. The company takes five percent of the sales price on every transaction – that’s relatively moderate. On other auction sites it is a good fifth.
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However, the site is currently in hibernation because apparently content has to be migrated to new servers. So maybe she was overrun by sellers in financial difficulties.
K.u.K. splendor on the Danube
Friends of imperial and royal splendor get their money’s worth at the Vienna Dorotheum: the company, founded in 1707, describes itself as the largest auction house in Central Europe, around 600 auctions take place here every year. Old masters and porcelain find new owners, as do federally owned cars and noble bodies. For example, two Aston Martin DB 2/4 Mk II 1954 and 1956 were recently offered.
Eppli presents itself a little more down-to-earth in Stuttgart: brooches, diamonds, fashion, but also cars and real estate come under the hammer at the Swabian auction house. Eppli describes himself as a specialist in the exploitation of estate matters. The company has also stored antiques and furniture in its own hall, which can be examined before the auction – an offer that every interested party should definitely accept.
