泰坦尼克殘骸被制成昂貴手表
Pieces of Titanic transformed into luxury watches
Steel and coal from the Titanic have been transformed into a new line of luxury wristwatches that claim to capture the essence of the legendary oceanliner which sank in 1912.
從泰坦尼克號上取來的鋼鐵和煤炭被制成一批昂貴的手表,據說它們凝萃了這艘1912年沉沒的傳奇海洋大船的靈魂。
Geneva watchmaker Romain Jerome SA billed its "Titanic-DNA" collection as among the most exclusive pieces showcased this week at Baselworld, the watch and jewellery industry's largest annual trade fair.
日內瓦手表商Romain Jerome SA稱它為“泰坦尼克-DNA”,是本周Baselworld上最昂貴的展品之一。Baselworld是手表和珠寶界每年最大的交易盛事。
"It is very luxurious and very inaccessible," said Yvan Arpa, chief executive of the three-year-old company that hopes the limited edition watches will attract both collectors and garrulous luxury goods buyers.
Romain Jerome SA成立僅三年,首席執行官Yvan Arpa說:“這些表非常昂貴和奢侈”。公司希望這款限量發行的手表能夠吸引收藏家和愛炫耀的奢侈買家。
"So many rich people buy incredibly complicated watches without understanding how they work, because they want a story to tell," he said. "To them we offer a story."
他說:“很多有錢人買功能極其繁復的手表,卻不知道該如何使用它們,他們只是想要借此講個故事。于是我們就給他們一個故事。”
The North Atlantic wrecksite of the Titanic, which hit an iceberg and sank on its first voyage from the English port of Southampton to New York, have been protected for more than a decade but many relics were taken in early diving expeditions.
泰坦尼克號在從南安普敦去紐約的首航中撞上冰山、沉沒于北大西洋。雖然十多年來它受到保護,但仍有很多遺骸在早期水下探險中被帶回。
Romain Jerome said it purchased a piece of the hull weighing about 1.5 kg (3 pounds) that was retrieved in 1991, but declined to identify the seller. The metal has been certified as authentic by the Titanic's builders Harland and Wolff.
Romain Jerome說他們購買的這片船體碎片重達1.5公斤,是1991年被打撈上來的,但是拒絕透露賣家的身份。泰坦尼克號建筑師Harland和Wolff已經為這塊碎片做過真偽鑒定。
To make the watches, which were offered for sale for the first time in Basel for between $7,800 and $173,100, the Swiss company created an alloy using the slab from the Titanic with steel being used in a Harland and Wolff replica of the vessel.
這家瑞士公司用泰坦尼克號的原碎片以及Harland 、Wolff制造泰坦尼克號復制品使用的鋼制成一種合金,成為手表的原材料。 這些表在Basel的首次標價從7,800到173100美元不等。
The gold, platinum and steel time pieces have black dial faces made of lacquer paint that includes coal recovered from the debris field of the Titanic wrecksite.
整個表由黃金、白金和鋼制成,表盤為黑色,含有從泰坦尼克號失事殘骸中取出的煤。
Arpa said the combination of new and old materials infused the watches with a sense of renewal, instead of representing a reminder of the 1,500 passengers who drowned when the oceanliner met her tragic end off the coast of Newfoundland.
Arpa說將新舊原料相結合為手表注入活力,而不是讓人想起在紐芬蘭海岸失事的1500名乘客。
"It is a message of hope, of life stronger than death, of rebirth," he said in an interview in exposition booth in Basel, where more than 2,100 exhibitors are flaunting their latest wares amid a boom for the luxury goods sector.
他在Basel的展覽亭中接受采訪說:“它要傳達的信息是希望、生命強于死亡、重生”。此次參展的單位多達2100多家,爭相展示最新商品,其中奢侈品參展商大大增加。
The company will make 2,012 watches to coincide with the centenary anniversary of the Titanic's sinking in 2012.
公司將制造2012只手表,紀念泰坦尼克號沉沒100周年。
Arpa said the young watchmaker would unveil a new series next year commemorating another famous legend, but declined to offer clues of what is to come.
Arpa說這家年輕的手表商明年還要推出一系列新品,紀念另一件舉世聞名的傳奇,但是拒絕透露傳奇內容。
"For a new brand, you have to find something different to be interesting," he said. Asked if the next collection would be based on Scotland's legendary Loch Ness monster, he smiled and said: "Ooh. Have you found it?"
他說:“作為一個新品牌,你必須尋找不同的東西來引起買家的興趣。”問及下一系列是否為蘇格蘭傳奇尼絲湖水怪,他微笑說:“噢,你找到它了?”