泰坦尼克残骸被制成昂贵手表
Pieces of Titanic transformed into luxury watches泰坦尼克残骸被制成昂贵手表
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.
Geneva watchmaker Romain Jerome SA billed its \"Titanic-DNA\" collection as among the most exclusive pieces showcased(1) this week at Baselworld, the watch and jewellery industry's largest annual trade fair.
\"It is very luxurious and very inaccessible(2),\" said Yvan Arpa, chief executive of the three-year-old company that hopes the limited edition watches will attract both collectors and garrulous(3) luxury goods buyers.
\"So many rich people buy incredibly complicated watches(4) without understanding how they work, because they want a story to tell,\" he said. \"To them we offer a story.\"
The North Atlantic wrecksite(5) 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(6) were taken in early diving expeditions.
Romain Jerome said it purchased a piece of the hull(7) 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(8) by the Titanic's builders Harland and Wolff.
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(9) using the slab(10) from the Titanic with steel being used in a Harland and Wolff replica(11) of the vessel.
The gold, platinum(12) and steel time pieces have black dial faces made of lacquer(13) paint that includes coal recovered from the debris(14) field of the Titanic wrecksite.
Arpa said the combination of new and old materials infused(15) 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.
\"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.
The company will make 2,012 watches to coincide with(16) the centenary anniversary of the Titanic's sinking in 2012.
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.
\"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?\"
1. showcase：陈列、展示
2. inaccessible：难以接近的
3. garrulous：絮聒的，喜欢谈话的，通常是有关琐屑或漫无目的的话题
4. complicated watch：多用表，指除走时外还添上诸如打点, 秒表, 日历等附加装置的表
5. wrecksite：出事地点、遗址
6. relic：遗物、废墟
7. hull：船体、外壳
从泰坦尼克号上取来的钢铁和煤炭被制成一批昂贵的手表，据说它们凝萃了这艘1912年沉没的传奇海洋大船的灵魂。
日内瓦手表商Romain Jerome SA称它为“泰坦尼克-DNA”，是本周Baselworld上最昂贵的展品之一。Baselworld是手表和珠宝界每年最大的交易盛事。
Romain Jerome SA成立仅三年，首席执行官Yvan Arpa说：“这些表非常昂贵和奢侈”。公司希望这款限量发行的手表能够吸引收藏家和爱炫耀的奢侈买家。
他说：“很多有钱人买功能极其繁复的手表，却不知道该如何使用它们，他们只是想要借此讲个故事。于是我们就给他们一个故事。”
泰坦尼克号在从南安普敦去纽约的首航中撞上冰山、沉没于北大西洋。虽然十多年来它受到保护，但仍有很多遗骸在早期水下探险中被带回。
Romain Jerome说他们购买的这片船体碎片重达1.5公斤，是1991年被打捞上来的，但是拒绝透露卖家的身份。泰坦尼克号建筑师Harland和Wolff已经为这块碎片做过真伪鉴定。
这家瑞士公司用泰坦尼克号的原碎片以及Harland 、Wolff制造泰坦尼克号复制品使用的钢制成一种合金，成为手表的原材料。 这些表在Basel的首次标价从7,800到173100美元不等。
整个表由黄金、白金和钢制成，表盘为黑色，含有从泰坦尼克号失事残骸中取出的煤。
Arpa说将新旧原料相结合为手表注入活力，而不是让人想起在纽芬兰海岸失事的1500名乘客。
他在Basel的展览亭中接受采访说：“它要传达的信息是希望、生命强于死亡、重生”。此次参展的单位多达2100多家，争相展示最新商品，其中奢侈品参展商大大增加。
公司将制造2012只手表，纪念泰坦尼克号沉没100周年。
Arpa说这家年轻的手表商明年还要推出一系列新品，纪念另一件举世闻名的传奇，但是拒绝透露传奇内容。
他说：“作为一个新品牌，你必须寻找不同的东西来引起买家的兴趣。”问及下一系列是否为苏格兰传奇尼丝湖水怪，他微笑说：“噢，你找到它了？”
中国国际广播电台 译
8. authentic：真正的
9. alloy：合金
10. slab：厚片
11. replica：复制品
12. platinum：白金
13. lacquer：漆
14. debris：碎片、残骸
15. infuse：注入
16. coincide with：与。。。相符；迎合。。。
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