Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i CROWN

Less than a month after the conclusion of Baselworld 2019, Breitling confirms an open secret – it will not return for the next instalment in 2020. Instead, it will focus on its own communication platform, the Breitling Summit, where media, partners and customers will learn of Breitling’s latest novelties and innovations at a time and place of the brand’s choosing. The decision to forgo Baselworld 2020 was apparently due to the later timing of the fair, slated to be held from 30 April to 5 May next year, rather than in March, as it had been for the past decade or so. While he acknowledges that the brand had a successful show at Baselworld 2019, Breitling CEO Georges Kern reveales in a statement, “The decisive factor is the timing of…

Like any other craft, you can take knife-making to a different level. Knives can be tools, but they can also be seen as works of collectable art. There are aspects like finishing, craftsmanship, design and mechanical innovations that knife collectors appreciate – not just how sharp they are. It’s a lot like watches in a way, and I guess that’s why my collaboration with Urwerk makes sense. I grew up in a workshop environment. My grandfather was a machinist, and he taught me how to work with my hands and use the machines from a very young age. I was just drawn to knives very early on, after having made one for myself as a kid. And when I discovered that there’s a community of art-knife makers and collectors, my…

ZENTRIX CHIU, WATCH BRANDING AND RETAIL SPECIALIST If Zentrix Chiu had been wired like most of us – that is, swift to act on first impressions – his relationship with the world of horology might have ended very differently. In fact, it might not have started at all. Recalling his first encounter with luxury watches, Chiu says he was 17 and browsing at a boutique when he asked to try on a watch. His request was met with snide haughtiness. “The sales staff told me that I would have to pay for it if I dropped it,” he remembers. While unpleasant, the experience also got him thinking: “Why are people so stupid to pay so much for these things?’” Also, Chiu wanted to get back at the salesperson. He decided…

Six brands, three days, three watchmaking epicenters and over 200 journalists – the Swatch Group’s first-ever self-organised Time To Move exhibition is as much a showcase of its brands’ finest new luxury wares, as it is a statement of intent. Never mind the status quo, the luxury conglomerate seems to be saying. From now on, it will be throwing its own party, on its own turf, in its own way. In August 2018, the Swatch Group made the dramatic and unexpected announcement that it would exit Baselworld, the world’s largest watch exhibition which the conglomerate had been a part of for decades. The divorce, set against a backdrop of what Swatch Group’s CEO Nick Hayek described as a changed retail landscape where “annual watch fairs… no longer make much sense”,…

After spending the last three years introducing, and then nurturing, the potential of its latest in-house movement - the undeniably formidable Calibre 36, expectations were rife that Glashütte Original would continue to do the same this year. While that is true to a certain extent, the German marque is also refreshing its repertoire with new creations to attract watch buffs with very distinct tastes. For starters, Glashütte Original introduces a new collection of tool watches, christened Spezialist, which ranks as one of Time To Move 2019’s surprise packages. The last time Glashütte Original had a decidedly sports-themed collection was sometime back in the early 2000s, with the Sport Evolution collection, which has since disappeared from the brand’s line-up. The new Spezialist collection sees sports watches returning to Glashütte Original’s fold…

A few months ago, not long after Valentine’s Day, the men and women here at CROWN found themselves pondering one of humankind’s oldest and most fiercely debated questions: Does size really matter? We should preface this by pointing out, before anyone gets the wrong impression, that the setting for this conversation was neither the pub nor the proverbial locker room but the rather low-key confines of this magazine’s office (though the topic that started it all was seriously sexy, if, like us, explosively creative watches really get your motor running). It all started when we were reflecting on last year’s GPHG, widely regarded as the Oscars of watchmaking. The other Oscars has been notable for producing some unusual results of late, and at GPHG 2018, the watchmaking world followed suit.…

Two of the most esteemed names in vintage watch auction, Phillips and Bacs & Russo, have come together to start Phillips Perpetual, a gallery space in London that aims to bring a boutique-style experience to its community of watch aficionados. Located at 30 Berkeley Square in London, Phillips Perpetual is a watch boutique and bespoke exhibition space rolled into one. Swiss marque Singer Reimagined will take up residence as Phillips Perpetual’s retail mainstay as plans remain fluid for other specially curated showcases, private auctions, and sale events. A recent event was the ‘Well Suited’ exhibition that featured luxury independent watch brands alongside upscale menswear label, Sweeney. Aurel Bacs and Livia Russo call this project the “next phase” of their partnership with Phillips, offering year-round access to their auction-quality timepieces. Meantime,…

Just because a watch sells, doesn’t mean we make more of it. There’s a refined balance we have to bear in mind. If we only make more of our bestselling models, it would damage the exclusivity of those models. We also need to consider what we have in the collection and whether or not to renew the design of certain models. Customers want to have meaningful complications. Take, for example, the Zeitwerk Date from this year. It’s a new extension of the family with a thinner movement and a new function that’s very convenient and easy to use. And that’s what clients would like to have. Our Lange 1 anniversary sends a message. In launching a new Lange 1 each month till October, it helps our clients understand what has…

When A. Lange & Söhne introduced the utterly distinctive and left-field Zeitwerk back in 2009, it didn’t take long for the watch to separate the noobs from the aficionados. Those who were new to the brand furrowed their brows at the very ‘un-Lange’ creation, a substantially sized and oddly futuristic mechanical wristwatch with ‘digital’ display. How big were Lange’s cojones to attempt something this far removed from its blue-blooded, classical DNA? But a handful of Lange connoisseurs knew better. The Zeitwerk’s design and technical qualities, radical as they seemed, were not the result of uninhibited imagination. In fact, its creators would have us make the connection between the watch’s unique digital display and the 180-year-old, five-minute clock inside the Sempre Opera House in Dresden, built by Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes,…

It was always going to be a tale of two sensibilities at Blancpain, a brand known in equal measure for its quietly classy dress watches as it does utilitarian tool watches. And so, as it has been for many years, the new roll-outs are anchored by Blancpain’s two best-know collections: the elegant and technically sublime Villeret, and the iconic and always evolving Fifty Fathoms dive watches. The new Villeret offerings are aesthetically conservative in a good way. The ‘simple’ date models, available for both men and women, are gorgeous formalwear accompaniment, framed by polished double-steeped cases, accentuated by thin, skeletonised leaf-shaped hands, and boasting date displays with an updated numerical font described by a staffer as “versatile and unisex”. Elsewhere, the moon phase complication, a legacy feature for Blancpain that…

From Italy to Japan, Harry Winston traversed the globe to serve up a masterclass in decorative horology. It is a commanding showing from a brand best known for its bejewelled creations and, while Harry Winston also flexes its technical chops where appropriate, it certainly doesn’t shy away from leveraging its expertise with precious stones and artisanal expressions. The most stunning new watches are undoubtedly the ones loaded with stupendous glitter and colour. The Avenue and Premier collections, which celebrate their 20th and 30th anniversaries, respectively, have lots to tempt us with. Standouts include the 20-piece limited edition Avenue Classic Moon Phase, a quartz beauty in white gold case that’s set with over eight carats of diamonds, which features a coloured mother-of-pearl dial with gradated effect; as well as the Premier…

Among the guests whom Breitling CEO Georges Kern invited to share his stage at the Breitling Summit 2019 in Basel – a roll-call of collaborators and partners that included a well-connected retailer, an adventurer, an athlete, and an owner of a motorcycle company – watch collector Fred Mandelbaum ranks as one of the most revered and instrumental to the brand’s revival. The Austria-based vintage watch collector-turned-Breitling consultant isn’t your regular KOL with rare Breitling watches in his stash. Those he has, but there’s way more to what he offers. Rather, the self-professed archivist and chronograph obsessive performs the role of a human authenticity gauge for the brand, backed by decades of experience “buying, archiving and documenting” everything that has got to do with Breitling’s past. In fact, we would go…

It’s helpful when a watch puts its star features in its name because there is no questioning the prestige of something that calls itself – take a deep breath – Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpetuel. And, unbelievable as it sounds, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 2019 star really is all of those things, and more. Part of the function-focused Master Grande collection, the brand’s fifth Gyrotourbillon has a double-axis tourbillon in a spherical cage (from which it earns its title), a minute repeater that chimes the Big Ben’s Westminster carillon, and a perpetual calendar. For those who haven’t been keeping track of the Gyrotourbillon’s legacy, this is the most complicated one yet. It’s the first Gyrotourbillon with a chiming mechanism, and houses all of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s euphony-enhancing tricks. The brand’s patented crystal gongs feature…

Having spent a large part of his career answering questions about his greatest invention, the G-Shock, it is admirable that Kikuo Ibe’s enthusiasm doesn’t seem to have waned in the slightest. In fact, the sprightly 67-year-old who looks at least two decades younger fields this magazine’s questions with patience and humour, regaling us with stories that he has probably repeated many times over, delivering them with an eagerness that seems as if he’s recalling the anecdotes for the first time. But just in case you didn’t know, Ibe is a living legend. When he was in his 30s, he led a team of Casio engineers to develop “an unbreakable watch”. Their quest came to fruition in 1983 when Casio launched the DW-5000C, the first G-Shock watch that guarantees 10-year battery…

Following the 2012 opening of Southeast Asia’s first boutique and flagship store in Singapore, A. Lange & Söhne has unveiled its second boutique in the region, marking its first standalone presence in the Land of Smiles. Located in Bangkok’s upscale mall, Siam Paragon, the world’s first free-standing A. Lange & Söhne boutique is prominently situated on the main floor with 360-degree visibility allowing a look into the 50sqm boutique framed by glass panels. “Opening in Thailand is something we have wanted to do for a long time,” says A. Lange & Söhne’s international sales director, Alexis de Laporte. “This is really a market where you have many avid collectors with very strong knowledge and we are creating a key point of access here for our customers.” Inside the boutique, various…

After-sales customer service gets truly souped-up – if you are a proud owner of a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch or clock, that is. The 186-year-old Swiss company is truly moving with the times with the launch of its new ‘Care’ programme, an online platform that acts as a personalised digital database of one’s Jaeger-LeCoultre watches as well as a curated news, information and educational portal. Most importantly, the programme extends the warranty for all Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces to eight years, including those that are currently under the original international limited warranty. Simply register online at jaeger-lecoultre.com/services to get connected with the programme. Catherine Rénier, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre says the new initiative is integral to fostering a long-term and caring relationship with customers. “This programme and warranty offer is a true milestone designed to…

Audemars Piguet’s Code 11.59 debut earlier this year split opinions right down the middle. Those who were against it bemoaned a lack of boldness and inventiveness – especially for Audemars Piguet’s first new collection in years. Those who were for it, however, deemed it a classy slow-burner that grows on you. We can see why it is so for the second group of watch lovers. Though it looks like a straightforward dress watch at first impression, the Code 11.59 is lavished with intricate features that slowly unravel upon closer appreciation. This is an Audemars Piguet, after all. In the case (excuse the pun) of the Code 11.59, the nuances are subtle and sublime. Look there, an octagonal case middle sandwiched between an upper and lower frame – a nod to…

There is no denying that Baselworld 2019 ranks as the most lacklustre in recent memory. Attendance dropped to a low of 500 exhibitors this year; more than half the number compared to 2017. The gaping hole left by the Swatch Group, which pulled out this year, was felt both literally and figuratively. It felt as if the organisers didn’t know what to do with the space vacated by the Swatch Group’s 18 brands and scrambled to fill the empty areas in its biggest hall by shifting booths of jewellery brands there, opening restaurants, installing indoor water fountains (yes, true story) and relocating the press centre. But – and this is a big BUT – contrary to how Baselworld’s naysayers feel, the CROWN team doesn’t harbour ill will towards the world’s…

In what many watch pundits consider to be a year of consolidation for Rolex, the Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 42 (Ref. 226659) easily emerges as a headliner, and for good reason. While the rest of the 2019 novelties from the Manufacture offer design tweaks and updates under the hood on existing collections, the latest iteration of the nautical watch is making waves with its unexpected twists. Right off the bat, at 42mm, there is literally more to love about the Ref. 226659. This may not sound like a huge deal for modern watch lovers accustomed to case dimensions of 45mm and up, but it’s an answered prayer to loyalists of the brand, whose standard size for men’s watches has long been 40mm. This also makes it one of the bigger time-and-date…

Whether or not you’re a fan of Corum, the one thing you can’t deny is its bold creativity. Unlike many brands that stick to the tried-and-tested for commercial success, Corum prefers to push boundaries and even err on the side of innovation. One need only look at the Golden Bridge and Bubble collections for such examples. More recently, the La Chaux-de-Fonds Manufacture unveiled its Lab collection – a series that is dedicated to mechanical creations that disrupt traditional notions of watchmaking. This year, the brand marches out its new Admiral collection with audacious pieces, ranging from the dark and handsome Admiral 42 Full Black to the AC-One 45 Openwork Automatic and Automatic Tourbillon, as well as the female-friendly AC-One 38 Automatic. Fade To Black Edgy, mysterious and undoubtedly on-trend, the…

Two years ago on 5 October 2017, the Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah celebrated the 50th year of his rule with appropriately superlative pomp. The festivities would last for a month, but that day was the grandest as the king took the spotlight in a royal procession through the streets of Brunei. The event was a sensory overload, but knowing that the Sultan is an avid watch collector, horophiles naturally directed their attention to what he was wearing on his wrist. What they discovered was surprising and intriguing in equal measure. The watch that the Sultan of Brunei wore on one of the most important occasions of his life was the Le Majesté, a one-of-a-kind timepiece made by Avantist, an under-the-radar boutique watch brand that was barely two years…

WHO Breguet WHAT Singapore launch of the Marine collection WHEN 28 February 2019 WHERE Marina Bay Lagoon WHO Casio Edifice and CROWN WHAT Joint presentation of the Casio Edifice collection with travel style advice WHEN 25 April 2019 WHERE The Great Room, Ngee Ann City WHO Time International and Chopard WHAT Charity gala in support of the #IAmChange campaign to rebuild schools in impoverished or disaster-stricken regions of Indonesia WHEN 4 April 2019 WHERE CHIJMES WHO MB&F WHAT Launch of the Legacy Machine Flying T WHEN 23 April 2019 WHERE Preludio…