Aaron Faber Gallery to Exhibit $1.5 Million Rare Patek Philippe in Upcoming Grand Complications Exhibition

Online, May 29, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Aaron Faber Gallery, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10103, will premiere "Grand Complications" from June 5 through June 12, 2013, an exhibition that explores both the rivalry and mania surrounding watch collecting among the very rich at the turn of the 20th century and the ongoing fascination in the modern world with grand complications, the most complex achievement of fine watchmaking and the supreme test of a watch designer's expertise and a watchmaker's skill.

Opening the exhibition at 5:30pm on Wednesday, June 5th is renowned award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Stacy Perman, signing her latest book "A Grand Complication: The Race to Build the World's Most Legendary Watch". The book details what would ultimately be the genesis for the historic 1999 auction sale of an $11 million Patek Philippe. On Monday, June 10th at 5:30pm four legends of the premium watch industry - Edward Faber, Michael Friedman, Osvaldo Patrizzi and Alexis Sarkissian - will convene for the Connoisseur Roundtable, a lively discussion on the phenomenon of complicated timepieces and their continued allure throughout the centuries. The roundtable will be moderated by Gary Girdvainis. Watch collectors and aficionados are invited to attend these events and encouraged to bring questions for the experts of the Connoisseur Roundtable. All events will be held at Aaron Faber Gallery.

In addition, Aaron Faber Gallery will exhibit several rare complications from luminaries of haute horlogerie. On display will be a Breguet Minute Repeater, Ref 3637; a Blancpain Moon Perpetual, caliber 6511 and Blancpain Leman Alarm GMT caliber 1241; a Master Control Perpetual, Ref. 140.2.80 from Jaeger LeCoultre, and the "Tellurium Johannes Kepler", No. 15 of only 99, Ref. 871-99 from Ulysse Nardin, a very rare and unusual, astronomic, water-resistant, two time zone, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with moon phases, signs of the Zodiac, eclipses of the sun and the moon, 24 hours, and a cloisonne dial with view of the Earth as seen from the North Pole.

The exhibition will also feature several grand complications from Patek Philippe, including the exclusively rare, 1 of 1, Patek Philippe Ref 959, movement 866'781, an 18K yellow gold keyless two-train, Grande Complication Grande et Petite Sonnerie clockwatch with trip minute-repeating, split-seconds chronograph with visible works, instantaneous 30-minute register, instantaneous perpetual calendar with phases of the moon, and 24-hour indications, estimated value of $1.5 million.

Collectors may enquire about these watches by contacting Aaron Faber Gallery at (212) 586-8411.

For more information on the exhibition, book signing or roundtable, please contact The Lilian Raji Agency at (646) 789-4427 ext 701 or [email protected] or visit the online press room at http://grandcomplications.lmrpr.com.

ABOUT STACY PERMAN
Stacy Perman is an award-winning journalist and the author of three books. Her latest: A Grand Complication: The Race To Build The World's Most Legendary Watch was published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster on February 19, 2013.

Her previous book, the New York Times bestseller In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-The-Counter Look At The Fast Food Chain That Breaks All The Rules (HarperCollins), was published in 2009 and was named one of Fast Company's Ten Best Business Books of the Year, as well as one of Amazon's Ten Best Food Lit Books of the Year.

A former writer with BusinessWeek and Time, her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She is the recipient of a MacDowell fellowship as well as a Robert Bosch Foundation fellowship, an East-West Center Hong Kong Journalism fellowship, a John J. McCloy Fellowship in Journalism, and a Hedgebrook Foundation writing residency; and has appeared on CNN, NBC, NPR, and numerous radio broadcasts. A native of Los Angeles, she has lived in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, and now resides in New York City. For more information, please visit www.stacyperman.com.

ABOUT THE ROUNDTABLE

MODERATOR:
Gary Girdvainis
Gary Girdvainis entered the watch industry in 1990 through a chance conversation with the owners of PMG Inc (publishers of several exotic automotive themed magazines and hardcover books) about their interests in importing and distributing into the US a new watch magazine. Gary ran with the idea, and soon an independent North American edition known as International Wristwatch USA was born. Under Gary's leadership, the magazine blossomed from an 80-page bi-monthly to the only monthly watch magazine with page counts upwards of 256 pages per issue. Having cemented its place into the hearts and minds of passionate watch aficionados, the magazine is now known simply as iW.

Gary's two decades as Editor-In-Chief of the watch industry's most revered publication gave him an insider perch to deeply explore the heartbeat of many legendary watch brands. He has firsthand accounts of the meticulous steps brands took to regain respect for mechanical watches in the early 90s after decades of the "Japanese invasion" of quartz watches and has seen (and sometimes predicted) the rise and occasional fall of some of the world's finest watch companies. Gary has jumped out of planes with Breitling's Jet Team; held on for dear life on the aft of Corum's Team Energy catamaran, and raced remote controlled sailboats in Central Park with Baume et Mercier. Through it all, he has gained the respect and admiration of movers and shakers within the watch world, and the loyal following of millions of watch fans.

In June 2011, Gary left iW to form Isochron Media LLC, a company founded to embrace, enhance, promote and develop watch culture in North America and around the world. Through Isochron Media, Gary publishes and editorially directs both WristWatch Magazine and AboutTime. His early success with these two publications has led to international licenses for both magazines, each scheduled for local market launches in Arabic and Chinese in January 2014. Isochron Media also serves as editorial consultant and advertising placement service provider for Wristwatch Annual. For more information, please visit www.isochronmedia.com.

PANEL:
Edward Faber
Edward Faber is the author of American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design, now in its third printing and the definitive text on collecting American vintage watches. He founded Aaron Faber Gallery in 1974, now at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York City, as a showcase for artist-made jewelry for which the gallery is world-famous.

He began adding 20th century estate jewelry to complement the contemporary work and then, in 1980, Edward Faber began collecting and presenting vintage watches and timepieces. Now this personal passion has grown into a formidable part of the gallery's design collection. In the "Best of New York", New York Magazine noted, "He's a picky curator with a critical eye, and his shop's 1000-or-so offerings range from incredible one-of-a-kind pieces to a huge stash of sought-after brands."

Edward is a founding member of the International Watch and Jewelry Guild, a member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and a member of the American Society of Jewelry Historians and Jewelers of America. He is a frequent lecturer on the history and value of timepieces and jewelry, with appearances on the Today show, as well as numerous cable programs; he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, numerous watch magazines, the Cigar Aficionado and Departures and recently in blogs relating to the field of watch collecting. For more information, please visit www.aaronfaber.com.

Michael Friedman
Michael Friedman's career in watches and clocks began in 1996 at the Willard House & Clock Museum where he held the position of Assistant Curator and also apprenticed to conservator David Gow. In 1997, he joined The National Watch & Clock Museum as Curator where he co-developed 15,000 square feet of new exhibition space devoted to the history of time measurement. In 1999, Michael was named Vice President and Department Head of Watches for Christie's in New York. After successfully growing sales and bringing many new collectors to Christie's, he founded MLF Horology in 2003 which provides consulting and curator services for several international collectors, with particular focus on Patek Philippe collections.

In 2011, Michael served as a consultant to Sotheby's Watch Department in New York. Michael has also worked on a variety of charity auctions including events benefiting Eric Clapton's Crossroads Center (2004) and the Stan Lee Foundation (2010). Michael was appointed Horological Director of Antiquorum USA in 2012, overseeing all U.S. auctions and private sales from Antiquorum's U.S. headquarters on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

Michael presently serves as curator of the National Clock & Watch Museum and continues to service collectors through his company, MLF Horology Inc.

Osvaldo Patrizzi
Osvaldo Patrizzi began his career in watches at thirteen when he worked for a watch and clock restorer in Milan. Sixteen years later, in 1974, he established an auction house devoted to watches, clocks, and objects of vertu. He quickly became a leading expert in watches, and from 1987 his firm Antiquorum became the leading auction house for timepieces.

Many famous people in the world of horology have been associated at one time or another with him. Patrizzi has an ever innovative approach to the art of watch auctions. He is without a doubt responsible for the development of wristwatch collecting - he was the first to introduce wristwatches at auctions in 1980 and the first to introduce thematic auctions in the field of horology starting with "The Art of Patek Philippe" in 1989.

Osvaldo Patrizzi also opened the watch collectors' market in Asia by holding the first auction in Hong Kong as early as 1979. He was also the first to have a website and online auctions, and the first to have developed a system of live interactive online bidding simultaneously with classic, live auctions. He is responsible for selling over 75% of all the watches ever sold for over one million dollars.

He has also created the "Grading System" which is the most reliable tool available today to help collectors evaluate the condition of the watch they are interested in, with just the catalogue in hand. Osvaldo has shared his passion for horology in numerous articles and is the author of many books on the world's most prestigious watch brands which have become references for collectors and museums alike. In 2000, he was named by American journalists to be amongst the twenty most influential personalities in the field of horology of the 20th century. For more information, please visit www.opatrizzi.com.

Alexis Sarkissian
Alexis Sarkissian began his upward trek in the world of fine Swiss luxury timepieces following a long succession of summer jobs at Piaget International during his MBA. His true full time gig there was as Marketing Studies Manager in 1991, where, within two years, he was promoted to Area Manager successively and cumulatively for the Far East, Middle East and Eastern Europe. As Area Manager, Alexis applied his ample knowledge of brand marketing strategy to open new markets and manage the growth of existing structures, including India, Hong Kong and Singapore; reintroduce Piaget to the Gulf region; and spearhead the transition of the Japanese agent to a subsidiary. His triumphs in these areas in just five years lead to him first becoming Director of Piaget Switzerland, and in 2001, becoming Chief Executive Officer of Piaget Japan. He left Piaget in 2003 to explore the world of high jewelry, serving as CEO of Vivid Collection. He also fulfilled a long wish and dream to live in the US after his initial university studies stateside.

Of his many contributions to Vivid Collection, Alexis saw the company through a business model transition from wholesale to significant retail, acquiring New Bond Street and Madison Avenue stores. He led the brand's European introduction via their presence in the Russian Economic Forum of London while increasing sales 180% over prior years. Having succeeded in raising Vivid Collection's profile and profitability, Alexis left the company in 2005 to return to his first love of watches and serve as President of Roger Dubuis North America.

Charged with the re-launch and distribution in North America of Roger Dubuis, Alexis pursued an aggressive strategy of increased sales through the development of shop-in-shops with major North American retailers. He established US service channels and procedures which shortened repair lead times to just eight weeks and facilitated transfer from agent to Richemont subsidiary while handling entire inventories and logistics systems. He opened 11 new points of sale during his two year tenure, cleaned up and collected 90% of all receivables and increased sales by 75% in just the first year.

After an illustrious career of helping major watch and jewelry companies see profitability within short timeframes, Alexis established Totally Worth It, LLC in 2006, where he distributes in North America and the Caribbean hand-picked watch brands such as Linde Werdelin and Ressence and incredible accessories related to watchmaking. Totally Worth It's boutique distribution network has steadily grown despite the economic crisis. In addition to the standard function of distribution, Totally Worth It also provides communication and PR support for its brands and encourages the sell through for its retailers. Additionally, with his wife of 26 years, Alexis distributes in North America the US version of a Swiss magazine dedicated to luxury watches: Watch Around. For more information, please visit www.totallyworthit.com.

ABOUT AARON FABER GALLERY
Aaron Faber Gallery was founded in 1974 to present the work of studio jewelers, those artists creating one-of-a-kind jewels that are inspired by creativity and originality, made in the artist's studio and imbued with the artist's spirit, concept and style.

The gallery, owned by Edward and Patricia Faber is located on West 53rd Street down the block from the Museum of Modern Art, where its contemporary interior is the backdrop for changing exhibitions by studio jewelers as well as permanent collections by the gallery's artist group. For more information, please visit www.aaronfaber.com.