Traverse City Record-Eagle

Business

October 10, 2012

$1M pair of watches tops catalog gift list

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DALLAS (AP) — Neiman Marcus rolled out its annual Christmas catalog Tuesday, offering a set of "his and hers" watches paired with a trip to Paris and Geneva for just over $1 million to shoppers who aren't worried about a holiday budget.

The Dallas-based luxury retailer is known for featuring expensive and often outrageous "fantasy gifts" in its Christmas Book. The 86th edition also includes a $354,000 red, special edition McLaren 12C Spider sports car, a $250,000 dinner for 10 featuring four famous chefs and a $100,000 hen house inspired by a French chateau.

Those looking for something a little less pricey might be interested in a walk-on role in Broadway's "Annie: The Musical," which goes for $30,000.

The watches from Van Cleef & Arpels are the most expensive item in the catalog and depict scenes from a love story. One face shows a woman on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, gazing toward Notre Dame. The other watch features a man on top of Notre Dame looking toward the Eiffel Tower.

"It's a classic love story. Boy meets girl, a romance is sparked, but fate has intervened and they are separated, but both are left longing to find one another," said Marisa Neira, watch product manager for Van Cleef & Arpels.

Figures on both watches move, and the faces are surrounded by diamonds. The woman's watch strap is silk, the men's is alligator.

Each watch is "a little work of art," Neiman Marcus spokeswoman Ginger Reeder said.

The accompanying trip takes buyers to Paris, where they can see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame themselves, and Geneva, where they can tour the Van Cleef & Arpels watchmaking workshops.

While the watches and trip cost $1,090,000, those with smaller budgets can take heart. Almost 40 percent of the items in the catalog cost less than $250. The least expensive item is a $10 monogrammed mug.

Reeder said the nine "fantasy gifts" that highlight the catalog are a nod to the spirit of the holiday season and the fantasies children have about Christmas gifts.

"All we've done is notched up what's on the list or what's available to be on your list," Reeder said.

The other fantasy gifts include a $150,000 wood-paneled trailer designed for tailgating with a sound system and bar stocked with bourbon and rye; a $99,500 water-propelled jetpack; a $90,000 gaming machine; and a $70,000 video portrait of an owl by artist Robert Wilson.

All are paired with a charity that will benefit from their sale.

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