Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i CROWN

Celine Yap Writer Having spent more than 10 years in luxury watch journalism, Celine Yap has been around long enough to fluently recite the alphabet in watch brands, yet not so long as to become part of the furniture. Celine cut her teeth at Singapore’s most eminent watch titles, then moved on to assume different roles at other luxury lifestyle publications. Charmian Leong Writer After seven years of full-time employment, four of them spent writing about luxury timepieces, Leong has gone the way of the freelancer and is now fascinated by a different facet of time: having it. When not labouring over a story with a leisurely martini in hand, she plays video games and takes naps in 8-bit. Joshua Yap Writer Though he wasn’t inducted into the world of…

Over a weekend in May, the Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN and ‘Daytona Ultimatum’ auctions saw the highest total ever achieved in just two days—a staggering 45,199,750 Swiss francs. Contributing to this figure were a Rolex Daytona, nicknamed ‘The Unicorn’, Elvis Presley’s Omega, and the A. Lange & Söhne ‘1815 Homage to Walter Lange’ (pictured), which was created in homage to the late Walter Lange, who was responsible for the brand’s re-establishment in 1994. Like the mythical creature it’s named after, ‘The Unicorn’ is as elusive as it comes. The only known white gold vintage Rolex Daytona fetched 5.9 million Swiss francs, making it the second most expensive Rolex sold at auction, after the Paul Newman Daytona last year. Elvis’ white gold Omega, gifted to him by RCA Records to celebrate…

A good manager should be tough but have a heart. Sometimes a manager has to make difficult decisions to benefit the brand in the long term. But tasks are also done more efficiently if your team members work well and have good relationships. I believe in listening to feedback. There are many maxims on the art and philosophy of management but my favourite is this: ‘Never be too much in love with your own strategy and vision of development.’ If we do not keep trying new solutions, one can easily lose development dynamics. There is no end to innovation. The watch industry is very old and it is incredible how far it has come. Who would have believed 40 years ago that we would be making watches out of ceramic…

A gainst a backdrop of several recent high-profile defections to the Geneva-based SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie); rumblings of discontent by high-powered editors about how expensive and archaic the fair has become; and rumours that even more brands are planning on sitting out on next year’s edition, Baselworld seemed to be in danger of losing its pull. In fact, with the number of exhibitors and attendees dwindling, organisers even decided to shorten this year’s fair duration by two days. Despite the setbacks and brickbats, there is no denying that Baselworld is still the world’s largest watch exposition of its kind, with the ability to generate buzz that is quite unlike any other watch fair. But of course, it can. It is hard not to when the likes of…

What’s there not to love about great timepieces at great prices? This year, top-level luxury marques roll out tempting models that would make most of our dreams a bit closer to reality, while entry-level brands step up with truly value-for-money offerings. Even as the pall of austerity stubbornly hang over the watch business since the last global financial crisis, the modus operandi of brands has shifted from merely making cheaper watches, to creating products that are actually enhance desirability through substance. On the one hand, you can be a baller without spending like crazy. Brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Glashütte Original and Zenith are coming out with steel-clad versions of their greatest icons, which means that you can still get plenty of swag (or plenty MORE swag, if volume is…

The sports watch category has always proved to be a friendly place to indulge in a bit of flashiness. This year, we notice a higher than usual count of iconic sports watch loading up on decorative flourishes. From artisanal dials to gemset cases, high-octane glamour is creeping back into the arena. While such feats of flamboyance are not for everyone, there is no doubting the raised brows that these watches will elicit. Anyone who was at Baselworld 2018 would have ‘oh-ed’ and ‘ah-ed’ at the new blinged-out Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. A tripped-out vision of unicorn sparkle and gold, the watch is quite frankly, as far from the tarmac as one can get. Of course, we know that the Daytona isn’t a mere racing inspired chronograph anymore, and its Super Chronometer-certified…

The raised eyebrows in Glashütte Original’s presentation room at Baselworld 2018 said it all – the watch really wasn’t quite what we’d expect from the brand. A standard-keeper for no-nonsense, classically anchored designs, Glashütte Original’s new Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition imposed its presence like a marching band going at full-tilt in a school library. There is simply no avoiding the watch’s plus-sized personality; its exquisitely guilloched open-worked dial gleaming under the light, accented by hints of brass and blue, inviting us to scratch our heads and wonder if the German brand is on to something new. “The complication is high-tech, so why not the design, too?” brand CEO Thomas Meier asks rhetorically. “I think it is a watch that would appeal to the younger generation as well.” Yet,…

A longstanding mainstay of Omega’s repertoire, the Seamaster celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Although this product line comprises sub-collections such as the anti-magnetic Railmaster, its calling card has always been its dive watches – the undersea counterparts to the space- and motorsports-focused Speedmaster. Omega’s archive in this category alone is a treasure trove, with ‘core’ dive watch models being supplemented with variants over the years. On the technical front, there are timepieces like the Ploprof, first introduced in 1970 as a helium-proof, deep-diving technical specialist boasting 600m water resistance. Design-centric creations, on the other hand, included the ‘Polaris’ from 1982, which had an unconventional case and bracelet design based on a Gérald Genta prototype. Marking such a milestone is no mean feat. Omega has eschewed the typical approach of…

You’ve got to hand it to Rado for keeping at it from day one. Before it was even hip to be hard and hypoallergenic, the brand has been toiling behind the scenes to make scratchproof watches that can stand literally the test of time. “I’ve heard the guys at the after-sales service centre joke about seeing a watch from the 1980s and wondering if it was a new retro design that they haven’t seen,” said a Rado staff at this year’s Baselworld. With an increasing number of contenders in the high-tech ceramic watch category, it is easy to forget that Rado was there first – or that it still makes these watches better than anybody else. In 1986, Rado started the ball rolling with the Integral, the first watch to…

Taiwanese multi-hyphenate Lin Chi-ling has seen it all and ruminates on memories as someone who is at peace with herself. The statuesque model-slash-actress-slash-singer-slash-television host is a showbiz veteran, having burst into the scene in the early 2000s. The ageless celebrity, who has been a Longines ambassador since 2006, is credited for igniting an industry-wide craze for Taiwanese supermodels during her prime. A trooper in the entertainment scene (she once broke six ribs and punctured her lung while filming a commercial in China), Lin is also an active philanthropist with her own foundation that supports child welfare. Describe your current state of mind. My current state of mind is contentment. I am at a stage where I appreciate what life has given me. My past has made me the person I…

WHO TAG Heuer WHAT Museum In Motion exhibition showcasing vintage TAG Heuer timepieces to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Carrera collection WHEN 5 April 2018 WHERE ION Orchard WHO Sincere Fine Watches WHAT Dinner with VIP clients to celebrate the relaunch of the Sincere Watch Academy in partnership with Armin Strom WHEN 19 April 2018 WHERE The Arts House WHO Vacheron Constantin WHAT Les Collectionneurs exhibition showcasing the manufacture’s rare vintage timepieces, with a dialogue on horology and classic cars WHEN 7 March 2018 WHERE Vacheron Constantin ION Orchard boutique WHO Franck Muller WHAT Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Crazy Hours collection WHEN 1 March 2018 WHERE Infinite Studios WHO IWC WHAT An emotive exhibition to celebrate 150 years of top-level watchmaking and launch of IWC’s limited edition…

A. Lange & Söhne • #02-05A Ion Orchard Tel: 6509 1712 Audemars Piguet • #B2-207, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Tel: 6688 7595 • #01-03, liat towers Tel: 6836 4918 Ball Watch For enquires, please call 6235 1811 Baume & Mercier For enquires, please call 6510 2767 Bell & Ross • #01-15 Mandarin Gallery Tel: 6884 6471 Blancpain • #B2-237 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Tel: 6634 8771 Breguet • B2M-236 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Tel: 6638 6006 Breitling • #01-03/04, Palais Renaisance Tel: 6732 8582 Bulgari • #B2-200 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Tel: 6634 8313 • Level 1, Takashimaya Department Store Tel: 6735 6689 Cartier • #B1-39A, #B2-38 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands Tel: 6688 7388 • #01-20, #02-10 Ion Orchard Tel:…

“How many Baselworlds already?” my peers from the watch trade are fond of asking. Some do it out of curiosity. Most, I suspect, ask out of concern. It’s as if they are wondering if one more Baselworld fair would finally break me and send me retreating to the more comforting environs of a deskbound editorship. (For the record, if I’d had a child at my first Baselworld, he would have been eligible for Junior College by now). From the outside, Baselworld may seem like a horological vortex; equal parts wonderland and grindhouse in which to immerse in the most extreme of watch experiences. A typical Baselworld fair lasts a week, during which tens of thousands of new timepieces pass through the hands of sellers and the media, all jostling for…

I was the odd one out. My grandparents and my parents were not artistically inclined. I was the only one in the family who loved to draw and create things. Sculpting is memory coming alive. I love this art form most because it is essentially about taking a two-dimensional image, like an object in a photograph, and with your own recollection of what the object is, to make three-dimensional form. I challenge myself all the time. With each new project, I look to express myself in a different way. Curiosity comes full circle. I never stopped being curious. Even when I was working full-time as a jewellery engraver, I always wondered about other styles and techniques. This was how I discovered the world of Hobo nickels. It is a niche…

ROLEX GMT-MASTER II Detractors who complain that Rolex likes to do just enough to whip buyers into a frenzy can take a hike. Because 1) Rolex does what it wants, and 2) it does what it wants, brilliantly. The new GMT-Master II with Cerachrom ‘Pepsi’ bezel is the bee’s knees. It comes in stainless steel, which makes it much more affordable than 2014’s white gold version; is decked out with a five-link Jubilee bracelet (a throwback to older GMT-Master models); and is powered by a new-generation Calibre 3285 movement with Parachrom hairspring, Chronergy escapement, and 70 hours of power reserve. A swankier, more powerful, and less financially strenuous Rollie GMT watch? Sold. JAQUET DROZ GRANDE SECONDE SKELET-ONE The Grande Seconde Skelet-One imbues a fresh attitude to one of Jaquet Droz’s…

280 JAQUET DROZ Can you believe that Jaquet Droz is 280 this year? Not bad at all, for a niche brand known for far-out automatons that appeals to in-the-know collectors. The brand celebrates in fine fashion with insane automatons like the Parrot Repeater Pocket Watch (pictured) and the Signing Machine that can be customised to sign your name in any language, to coveted celebratory collections like the Skelet-One (see ‘Ten Of The Best’) and the Grande Seconde Tribute. 55 TAG HEUER CARRERA Over at TAG Heuer, it is all about the Carrera collection, which turns 55 this year. The epochal racing-inspired range goes the distance with both top-drawer and entry-level offerings that span a high-end complication with Carrera ‘Tête de Vipère’ Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer, to the retro-licious Carrera Calibre 16…

While the relationship has been one of modern-day integration, Montblanc is keen to stress that Minerva, the 160-year-old specialist watchmaking house that has awed aficionados throughout the years, is now one and the same with the luxury marque. “Montblanc is Minerva, and Minerva is Montblanc,” reminds Davide Cerrato, Montblanc’s managing director of watches. But why so eager to labour the point? The backstory goes like this: In 2006, Montblanc’s parent company, the Richemont Group, acquired Fabrique d’Horlogerie Minerva SA. Minerva. Founded in 1858, the lattar was a precious jewel in horological circles; a fiercely authentic manufacture that is fighting the good fight for handcrafted horology with a legacy for beautiful and innovative complications. The acquisition by the Richemont Group led to the establishment of Montblanc Manufacture in what was Minerva’s…

How does one go from Elizabeth Taylor-inspired fandom to minute repeaters in one fell swoop? Well, at Bulgari, that connection isn’t just plausible but entirely justified. When silversmith Sotirio Bulgari started his career in the 1880s, little would he imagine that some 127 years later, his eponymous brand would grow into a full-fledged global luxury empire. Although the company made its name in the field of high-end jewellery, Bulgari has been establishing itself as a horological force over the past two decades. Although there is no denying Bulgari’s knack for creating iconic timepieces, such as the Bulgari-Bulgari and Tubogas watches from the 1970s, it really wasn’t until the 1980s when the brand went full-steam ahead. The evolution was accelerated by a series of factory buyouts and brand mergers, so that…

While the bulk of the action happens on the dial side with a skeletonised chronograph interface anchored by a one-minute tourbillon, the workhorse qualities of this COSC-certified Calibre Heuer-02T is not to be taken lightly. Beating at 28,800vph, it offers six days of power reserve with column wheel control for the chronograph function. Launched in 2016, the movement appears this year in the Carrera ‘Tête de Vipère’ Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer, a 155-piece limited edition to commemorate the Carrera’s 55th anniversary. The ‘Tête de Vipère’ stamp of quality excellence is awarded by the Besançon Observatory, which puts the entire timepiece through a rigorous 16-day test. For the record, the Carrera ‘Tête de Vipère’ Chronograph Tourbillon Chronometer is only one of 500 to be awarded the certification since 2006.…

Forget pilot’s watches or dive watches, the multitime zone watch is possibly the most practical tool watch ever. No, we are not knocking the aeronautical or depth-busting capabilities of those timepieces, but a GMT watch – a timepiece that points the wearer to two or more time zones at a single glance – is one that people actually get to put to work straight out of the box. This Basel fair sees a revival of the GMT watch with options that span price points, styles and brand stature. The Rolex GMT-Master II with Cerachrom ‘Pepsi’ bezel in a more wallet-friendly is a favourite of our (see ‘Ten of the Best’). Another popular choice is Tudor’s Black Bay GMT on the previous page, with aluminium ‘Pepsi’ style bezel and in stainless…

The very essence of what a bridge does – that is, to connect people, places, cultures and things – is expressed in no uncertain terms by Corum this year with its appropriately named Golden Bridge collection. Though the signature line has evolved a lot since its launch in 1980, the Golden Bridge has grown pretty much within itself, focusing primarily on movement and material upgrades. Suffice it to say, after years of self-improvement, the Golden Bridge is finally extending its reach beyond mechanical watch connoisseurs who already know about its virtues. To connect with a wider audience, the indelible icon cozies up to the worlds of music and gemstones this year, evinced by the new Golden Bridge Round 39 and Golden Bridge Rectangle ‘Joachim Horsley’. The new models are built…

The thing about Singapore is we’ve always had a delicate relationship with water. We’re an island (which, by default, means we’re surrounded by water), yet for decades, had to depend on a neighbouring country for clean drinking water. The irony is not lost on us. So when Oris wants to highlight the importance of clean water and its role in both giving and sustaining life, we totally get it. And you can bet we’re behind it. Enter the Oris Source of Life Limited Edition, a tribute to the River Rhine. RHINE RANGER The famous Rhine may be one of Switzerland’s most majestic rivers to tourists, but to Oris, it’s more than just picture-perfect looks. Not only is it close to Hölstein—home to Oris since 1904—it also counts as one of…

“Thwas one of the best mistakes I ever made,” Aurel Bacs muses. The ‘mistake’ in question? His Casio calculator at watch, obtained after much haggling with his parents as a teenager in the 1980s, and which stopped working three weeks after the purchase. “Maybe I wasn’t treating the watch well enough—but I learned my lesson,” Bacs recalls. “Those watches were not cheap, but I came to understand how soulless electronic gadgets were; they don’t tell you a story and there’s no craftsmanship involved.” And with that, a malfunctioned calculator watch converted Bacs to a love for mechanical timepieces, taking him into a career with some of the most prestigious auction houses in the world. Today, the star auctioneer is also the founder of Bacs & Russo, a consultancy firm specialising…