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Watchmaker Jaquet Droz makes luxury watches that cost more than some San Francisco apartments. Now, however, they’ve decided to go “downmarket” with their Sports Watch chronograph, a handmade watch that is designed for both work and play.

The watch is a standard chronograph with big date, a complication that displays the date as two digits instead of on a rotating dial. The resulting piece looks like a haute couture Speedmaster and should cost around $15,000, an acceptable sum for a manufacture watch with Droz’s provenance given that other Droz watches can run into the $100,000s, a price that might be less appetizing to the illiquid entrepreneur.

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True to watchmaking tradition, the hour markers are 18-carat white gold appliques. Wide Roman numerals indicate 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. At 12 o’clock, Jaquet Droz features a big date, a complication traditional in fine watchmaking but rarely associated with a chronograph. Although more complex to produce than a simple date aperture, the large date offers superior readability. Again, to provide optimal readability, the latest versions of the SW Chrono feature a 45 mm dial, and a rail track over the motion work in fine watchmaking tradition.

The strap is made of “rolled-edge hand-made dark-blue fabric,” a unique addition to the luxury watch world that has thus far used rubber or metal for bands. It is water resistant to 50 meters, if you think you’re going to get wet with this thing on your wrist, and it should be on sale before the end of the year.

The next VP to leave Microsoft is the current head of Cortana, Javier Soltero, according to multiple reports. The departure is part of an ongoing internal shakeup at Microsoft that has seen execs including 20-year vet Terry Myerson leave the company.

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SteelSeries is no stranger when it comes to gaming peripherals, and their latest foray does not lie so much in high tech hardware but something that often goes unappreciated or unnoticed: the humble mousepad. No matter how sensitive a particular gaming mouse’s sensor is, it’s performance can be helped through the proper mousepad. SteelSeries has just the thing in mind by expanding its iconic QcK mousepad range that comprises of the new QcK Edge, QcK Prism Cloth, and QcK Hard.

The QcK Prism will feature a cloth surface alongside dynamic two-zone RGB lighting, which will be powered by SteelSeries Engine for a personalized RGB lighting experience. You will be able to enjoy the extra large desktop size, and with the SteelSeries Engine via the PrismSync app, you will be able to customize multi-color lighting effects between all of your SteelSeries Prism-enabled gear easily. The cable is cleverly positioned out of the way on the left side, ensuring that your mouse’s cable will not get in the way of performance. Expect the QcK Prism Cloth to retail for $39.99 and $59.99 for medium and XL sizes, respectively.

As for the QcK Edge, this particular model will rely on the similar cloth surface as the rest of the legendary QcK mousepads, although it will now boast of a stitched edge that ensures there is no fraying or peeling. The line sports the iconic minimalism SteelSeries mousepads design, and it has a high thread count and smooth surface that optimizes mouse tracking accuracy regardless of whether you are rocking to optical or laser sensors. On the underside lies a durable, non-slip rubber base, specially designed to prevent movement. Expect the QcK Edge to arrive in medium, large and XL sizes for $11.99, $14.99 and $23.99, respectively.

Last but not least, the QcK Hard offers professional-level speed courtesy of a hard polyethylene surface that has been optimized for both low and high DPI tracking. It also has a multi-layer construction and solid polymer core that further increases durability, ensuring a consistent surface texture for the most dedicated gamer. There is only one size for the QcK Hard, measuring 320mm x 270mm x 3mm with an asking price of $29.99 apiece.

Press Release
[ SteelSeries expands QcK mousepad family with new models copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

The CDC is investigating whether five salmonella cases are linked to the products.