Estate of the Day

There's no denying it's been a tough couple of years for luxury real estate but how have our estate of the day properties fared this year? I decided to break it down, month by month to see what is still on the market. Today we are looking at May which brings us my favorite property in Vermont, Above the Clouds, which is still on the market at $16 million. This is also the month we first saw 49 Margin Street, an enviable waterfront commercial complex still on the market for $55 million and, for double that price, Cave Cay in the Bahamas still sitting pretty at $110 million. The Amityville Horror House sold but The Chimneys, a classic New York estate, still is on the market for $20 million.

Estate of the Day

There's no denying it's been a tough couple of years for luxury real estate but how have our estate of the day properties fared this year? I decided to break it down, month by month to see what is still on the market. Today we are looking at April, a month that saw us heading to London, Tuscany and British Columbia among the usual stops of Beverly Hills, Greenwich and other wealthy U.S. communities.

We checked out Charleston's most expensive home and probably one of the top listings in South Carolina. Sword Gate House, shown above, which is still holding firm at $23 million as is a Coeur d'Alene, Idaho home listed at $17 million. And whether you interested in an art gallery of a house in San Francisco, a Tuscan villa or Hamptons classic, we've got some decent price reductions in this batch.

Estate of the Day

Saratoga Springs is famous for horse racing and it's hard to find an equestrian property in the area more ready for horses than Stone Bridge Farms. The estate is a thoroughbred breeding and training facility. The property is three parcels together, a total of more than 425 acres near Saratoga Springs.

There are two parcels currently being utilized for the broodmare operation that measure approximately 335 acres total. That property contains two 12-stall broodmare barns with modern foaling facilities, a 24-stall yearling barn, round barn, mega-dome arena, 27 paddocks, run-in sheds, including two large sheds with four stalls each, and two residences. A 92-acre parcel includes the Georgian Neo-classical main residence and the Cape style guest house. It's also home to the only year-round operating synthetic track on the east coast, an indoor riding arena, 2 enclosed eurosizers, 47 stalls, 31 paddocks of which 17 are covered. The entire property is priced at $13.5 million, with the 92-acre parcel available separately for $7 million.

Estate of the Day

There's no denying it's been a tough couple of years for luxury real estate but how have our estate of the day properties fared this year? I decided to break it down, month by month to see what is still on the market. Today we are looking at March.

One of the most expensive homes, the Lake Bluff, Illinois home Landsdowne, built for the heirs of the Rand McNally map empire, remains on the market at $15.465 million. It was a month for penthouses and several of them are still on the market. You can pick up a Palms Place Las Vegas penthouse for $4 million, one of the most luxurious penthouses in Coral Gables, Florida has had a couple million pared off its price and a stunning Tribeca penthouse has held firm at $28 million. The complete breakdown is after the jump.

Today's Jewelry

IWI watches, based in England, was started by Ian Walsh who learned the (watch industry) ropes while at Tag Heuer. IWI watches are still made by him, hand-made in the UK. Working in the auto racing world and having passion for it, Ian designs IWI watches with a distinct British sense of motor sport aesthetic. 

Most IWI watches feature a round, lugless case design with the crown fixed to the top of the case. They look a bit like wrist mounted stopwatches, and have colors that seem to mach the colors of racing suits and race cars. IWI also has a pair of chronograph watches that are the CH-O and CH-R. These titles simply stand for Chronograph Orange or Red. I quite like the simple designs and integrated quasi-bund style strap. The thick leather straps have red or orange contrast stitching and have over them 45mm wide steel watch cases. The style looks really cool. IWI didn't invent this concept, but it isn't commonly used. The large watch case are also stopwatch in style (also known as "bullhead") with the crown and pushers places on the top of the case. 

The dials are neat looking and straight forward. Colorful, and easy to read. Inside the watch is a Swiss ETA automatic movement. Either a Valjoux 7750 or Valjoux 7753 I would guess. Possibly an ETA 2894 though. The watches are said to each be limited to 500 pieces. Price for the IWI CH-O or CH-R is 3,295 British Pounds. 

Estate of the Day

Sales began today on The Ascent, a new 49-unit resort condominium project at the base of Beaver Creek Ski Resort in Avon, Colorado. The first sales offering includes some 25 units initially with two-, three- and four bedroom residences up for sale. 

Units have upscale appliances and finishes with knotty alder cabinetry wood flooring, granite countertops, GE Profile stainless appliances, GE stack washers and dryers, Jacuzzi tubs, gas fireplaces, high-speed Internet wiring, ceramic bathroom flooring, and a designer's palette of muted paint colors and premium finishes throughout. Property amenities are designed for vacationers with a fitness area with lockers and a steam room; indoor pool; indoor and outdoor hot tubs; and outdoor fireplace and deck; sports lounge; youth game room; reading lounge with a fireplace; ski lockers with boot warmers and a ski season shuttle to Beaver Creek and Vail.Prices start at $349,000 for a two-bedroom on the second floor and zoom up to $1.099 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, prices that are approximately 50-67% of the 2008 pricing.

Today's Jewelry

Hip-hop musical artist Usher commissioned a special one of a kind watch from New York based jeweler and watch maker Tiret. The Usher watch has an oblong oval shaped case (in an undisclosed material that is likely gold) with a diamond designed portrait of Usher on the dial. Containing two Swiss ETA chronograph quartz movements, the watch technically can tell the time in two places. Given the lack of indicators the chronograph mechanisms are more or less worthless, but the point of this pieces is giving Usher the ability to look at himself as though he were made up of diamonds. How many people really get that privilege?

Using all natural stones, the watch has almost 10 carats of diamonds on it and 1106 stones all over the watch. Look at the size of the diamonds on the bezel! Diamonds include white as well as naturally yellow diamonds. Tiret says that the watch was recently featured in a diamond exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London - where other high-end diamond decorated watches were displayed. While not mechanically complex, the special Tired watch for Usher is an interesting look into the life of Usher, and at the types of products that Tiret makes. According to them, the brand only makes custom timepieces and jewelry at this time. Usher is said to have paid $250,000 for the bespoke timepiece.

Usher, a known owner of several watches, does not claim to be a serious watch enthusiast. He prefers the showiness of timepieces as well as the jewelry component. Actually, given many of the watches that Usher has, this Tiret is of the most showy. Usher seems to prefer more classic mechanical timepieces with a masculine edge to them. The box that Tired supplied the Usher watch in doubles as a humidor for 78 cigars and also has a motif of Usher's face on it.