Ernst Benz North America, Birmingham, MI — September 19, 2019
Thursday night at the Ernst Benz showroom in Birmingham, Red Wings royalty gathered for the unveiling of a commemorative watch for the movie “The Russian Five.” Guest of honor Vladimir Konstantinov was in attendance to greet former players, friends, and well-wishers invited to view the watch prototype, Red Wings historical displays, and bid on Hockeytown memorabilia.
Proceeds of the silent auction went directly to the Vladimir Konstantinov Special Needs Trust. In addition, Ernst Benz will donate 30% of the total proceeds from commemorative watch sales to the trust fund.
Limited Edition
There will be 25 “Signature 47 Chronoscope” limited edition watches produced, all entirely customizable by the client. Each watch will be individually numbered and sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Buyers may select from available watch numbers to further personalize their individual timepiece.
A selection of bands are available or the wrist strap can be fashioned with material that has significance to the owner. Leonid Khankin, President and Creative Director of Ernst Benz displayed a watchband made of material taken from a leather bomber jacket. He suggested a swath of a game jersey would make a fitting addition to the Russian Five movie watch.
Khankin went on to explain that personalization of any of their watches is an important part of Ernst Benz customer service philosophy. “When you choose an Ernst Benz it is the ultimate honor to bestow on our watch craftsman. Why would we not want to make it exactly how you want?”
The basic Russian Five Movie Chronograph, as specked out, will start at $6K prior to customization. Small batches of the regular production model Chrono sport will carry a base price of $3.5K.
From Movie to Watch
Jenny Feterovich, one of the producers of The Russian Five movie, is a longtime friend of Leonid Khankin. Hanna Darnell, Marketing and Public Relations Officer for Ernst Benz explained, “Jenny and Leonid talked about holding an event at our Birmingham Boutique to promote the movie and honor Vladdie. The concept of doing a commemorative watch was discussed and here is the prototype that will soon start to be produced. So there is still time for buyers to fully customize their timepiece.
Red Wing Memorabilia Auction
Guests strolled through the Ernst Benz Boutique at 177 S. Old Woodward Ave in
Birmingham. A wide variety of memorabilia on display, offered to buyers via a silent auction, drew considerable interest.
Maybe one of the most coveted items for sale was the hockey stick autographed by “The Production Line” Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Sid Abel.
Photos and shadow boxes were surrounded in beautiful frames from Craig Manning of Second Story Interiors. Craig does a number of custom works for the Red Wings organization and his skill was lent to the items auctioned off.
In addition to the sale items, a number of Red Wing historical memorabilia was displayed courtesy of David Bergen from the Detroit Red Wings Alumni Association.
David has an interesting job, he travels with the Alumni team and collects items that are sold to support causes and charities in the cities the team visits. Of course, he is always on the lookout to add to his personal collection such as the commemorative edition Red Wing Stanley Cup Champion golf bags that he picked up at a garage sale.
The Stars Came Out to Support Vladdie
No name in the history of the Detroit Red Wings creates such love as that of Vladimir Konstantinov. Tough on the ice, but even tougher in life dealing with the challenges brought on by the limo crash six days after winning the 1997 Stanley Cup.
Former Red Wings Darren McCarty, Larry Murphy, and Coach Dave Lewis came by to see Vladdie and exchange warm hugs. Konstantinov’s coach Scotty Bowman was committed to coming but unfortunately was delayed in Chicago missing his flight.
Attendance exceeded expectations as large groups of guests made their way to the Ernst Benz Boutique. The evening was enhanced with a delicious selection of hors d’
About Ernst Benz
Designed and manufactured in the traditional Swiss manner, Ernst Benz watches are renowned for their accuracy, durability, and legibility. Surpassing quality standards typical of equipment designed for professional aviators, they are in demand by mechanical watch aficionados around the world.
