Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i CROWN

In a bid to keep evolving and innovating, major players in the watch industry are rethinking their strategies. At the end of last year, it was announced that SIHH and Baselworld will sync their dates to be held consecutively in late April and early May. Swatch Group organised its own fair in March and May this year, while LVMH group will host a complementary fair in January 2020. Now, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) has just announced that SIHH, as we know it, will be transformed into Watches & Wonders Geneva, with it engaging the public more, and the city of Geneva playing a bigger role in the fair. Watches & Wonders is not a new concept, with FHH having held it in Hong Kong from 2013 to…

Sometime in the future, perhaps decades from now, we imagine that watch historians will be reflecting on early 21st century watchmaking with mixed feelings of bewilderment and frustration. They might wonder how, despite horology being bolstered by never-been-seen technological advancements and new-fangled materials, some of this era’s most illustrious names are content to make the same watches over and over again. But we also believe these historians of the future would not have to search too hard to find a handful of brands that were brave (or foolish?) enough to think and do things differently. And for that, we are betting our money on Corum to be one of the names to emerge with its reputation intact. That’s not to say that Corum is immune to the perils of the…

To conceptualise and produce the kind of avant-garde watches Urwerk does, one would have to be a little crazy. Or at least possess a very curious mind. And that’s exactly what Felix Baumgartner has. One half of the duo behind Urwerk (the other being chief designer, Martin Frei), Baumgartner is inquisitive even about the coffee he orders prior to our interview, which arrives in typical hipster fashion: in a glass beaker on a wooden board, with a tiny beaker of milk. He is so fascinated that he interrupts the interview at various points to ask about how the coffee should be drunk. “They’re taking it quite seriously now,” Baumgartner says of the beverage. For the record, he’s of the opinion that you have to drink it without embellishments “if you’re…

Headquartered in the idyllic Swiss municipality of Saint-Imier, it may be argued that Longines is often as underrated as its hometown. But mention ‘affordable luxury’, and that’s where the brand thrives in recognition. Established in 1832, Longines has always been about making high-performance Swiss watches, rooted in tradition and elegance, yet still relatively accessible. In 2019, the brand stayed true to its ‘Elegance is an attitude’ tagline by unveiling two collections – the Master Moonphase and Heritage Classic – that take understated charm to another level. Moon Magic If the Longines Master Collection were human, it’d be a teenager now. Born in 2005, the series has seen many evolutions through the years but, unlike the stereotypically rebellious teen, this flagship collection has only grown bigger and better. In its newest…

Métiers d’art watches are beautiful, no question, but they actually serve a greater purpose than acting as ornamental foil to those satin-brushed, sunray-finished, complication-laden machines we (also) love. They are here to safeguard rare and precious decorative techniques. However, it is not waning demand that’s keeping these arts from going mainstream. Rather, it’s that these techniques are so laborious and time-consuming that they are just not commercially viable to produce on a large scale. Their justifiably prohibitive price tags, rarity and emphasis on meticulous skill are perfect complements to fine watchmaking. This is why top watchmakers often have a few novelties saved just for showing off awe-inspiring dials. Here are four of our favourites from 2019. GRAND ASSEMBLY As its name suggests, micromosaic is an extremely scaled-down version of mosaic,…

Two of the biggest worries that buyers of vintage and pre-owned timepieces have to grapple with – provenance and authenticity – are now allayed to a huge extent when it comes to Omega watches. To offer its customers and collectors assurance when buying vintage and pre-owned Omega watches, the brand is issuing Certificates of Authenticity for this category of watches that have been validated by Omega’s in-house experts. How does one go about getting the certificate? Just bring the vintage Omega watch that is 30 years or older to a participating Omega boutique – readers in Singapore can head to the Marina Bay Sands boutique – or the brand’s head office in Switzerland. For a CHF800 fee, the watch will be sent to the Omega Heritage Team to be validated…

It’s said that the underwater world is infinitely more magical, and the opinion certainly rings true for the Hermès Arceau Grands Fonds, which depicts an exotic fish on the dial using the micromosaic technique. Each dial takes more than a month to finish, a laborious process that starts with the craftsman selecting, cutting and melting coloured glass tesserae at high heat to form thin strands of various widths. The glass strands are then cut into tiny squares and carefully assembled, piece by piece, ensuring that the pieces are perfectly flat and aligned, on a bed of putty made of marble powder, lime and linseed oil. A mini-masterpiece imbued with caprice and colour, the artistry and dexterity on display are astounding, not to mention demanding. Consider us hooked.…

It doesn’t take a watch expert to know that Rolex makes some superlative timepieces. In fact, the company even applies that very same adjective to label its watches that exceed the standards of chronometer certification. And sitting at the apex of its coveted collections for over six decades is the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, aptly nicknamed ‘President’. Like most horological icons, the Day-Date has remained largely unchanged at its core. It is still only available in 18 ct gold (yellow, white or Everose) or 950 platinum, with a fluted or gem-set bezel and the President bracelet that bolsters its instantly recognisable look – and conceivably gave it its moniker. Although it has been subsequently issued with larger case sizes, the Day-Date comes full circle this year with a sensational return…

Ironically, some of the most elusive A. Lange & Söhne timepieces are neither the most technically complex, nor the most gilded. Rather, the most sought-after Lange unicorns are watches crafted in stainless steel. According to Hodinkee, these rare Langes have been fetching record prices at Christie’s auctions; a blink-and-miss-it cast that comprises a Double-Split from 2006; Lange 1s produced between 1996 and 1997; and the 1815 ‘Homage to Walter Lange’, which went under the hammer for CHF700,000 in 2018. Against this backdrop, it would seem – from a populist perspective, at least – that the one missing piece in A. Lange & Söhne’s jigsaw is a stainless steel-something. But, of course, Lange isn’t the sort to frivolously feed a bubble, or worse, dilute its own watches’ collectability, by introducing limited…

In a post-Facebook world, nothing promises eyeballs more than controversy. Although the watch industry’s comings and goings tend to be confined to its little enclave of specialised media, collectors and cubbyholes of communities on social media, there are some instances where, if the brand was ‘big’ enough, even a niche horological controversy could bubble over into mainstream chatter. One of the most recent examples of this took place early this year when Audemars Piguet launched its latest line of watches, the Code 11.59. Bloomberg’s not-too-subtle headline screamed: “Audemars Piguet Launches a New Watch and the Response is: It’s Awful”. Elsewhere, many other media outlets adopted a softer stance, tiptoeing around the subject with words like ‘divisive’ and ‘polarising’. Social media took its shots, too, with several ‘watch meme’ accounts slamming…

ARMED WITH UTILITARIAN SPIRIT AND A FONDNESS FOR NOSTALGIA, GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL’S SPEZIALIST MARKS THE BRAND’S NEW INROADS IN THE SPORTS-CASUAL CATEGORY The sleepy German town of Glashütte is not unlike many of the Swiss cantons that play home to the world’s largest watch brands – small, quiet and packed avenue to avenue with watch factories. While Swiss and German watchmaking now stand shoulder to shoulder as leaders of the horological pack, their modern histories could not be more different. The division of Germany after World War II saw Eastern Germany held under Soviet rule. Under these terms, many German manufactures, across several industries, were consolidated under state-owned companies. For Glashütte, the city’s watch brands were consolidated under one company – VEB (which means state-owned) Glashütte Uhrenbetriebe. It produced timepieces for…

“This the first time we are having an event just for the launch of one watch,” says Michael is Meier, Oris region manager for Southeast Asia. It’s not just any watch, though. The new Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115 is a milestone timepiece that brims with significance and stature for the brand. We are in Shanghai with the co-CEO of Oris, Rolf Studer, Meier, and other company executives, to get a glimpse of the new watch. There is a sense of nervousness and anticipation among the executives as they await the public’s response. It’s a nervousness that is heartwarming to witness because it demonstrates the sheer passion that goes into each of Oris’ creations. Characteristic, really, of a small(ish) independent brand that is earnest about its products. If you’re…

If you haven’t already been clued in on the hype surrounding the Citizen Promaster NY009 ‘Fugu’ limited editions, there is no better time to do it than now. You can still get a fresh catch of what we think is one of the most enticingly affordable limited edition offerings of 2019. For those who are not familiar with it, the Promaster NY009 ‘Fugu’ limited editions come hot on the heels of the NY008 limited edition from 2018 – both based on the NY004 dive watches from 1993, which, in turn, was a descendant of the ‘Parawater’ from 1959, the first Japan-made water-resistant watch with a depth rating of 100m. But back to the Promaster NY009 ‘Fugu’, affectionately christened for its grooved bezel that resembles the pufferfish. This new collection is…

What makes a watch iconic? For some, it boils down to design – aesthetics that enable a timepiece to stand out from the crowd; one that is uniquely identifiable from five paces away. For others, it’s its story – the first watch to be on the wrist of someone important; the first watch to conquer a far-flung terrain; the watch to kickstart an enduring trend. And for the more technically inclined, a watch’s iconic stature may be bestowed if it rocked a groundbreaking new calibre or feature, pushing the technological boundaries of mechanical watchmaking. While these criteria are never mutually exclusive – in fact, they seldom are – few iconic watches can confidently tick off the entire checklist. And among these rarefied timepieces is the TAG Heuer Monaco, which marks…

April 26, 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of what’s come to be known as the Great Debate—an exchange of opinions over the scale of the universe between the astronomers Harlow Shapley and Heber Curtis (how about those names for your baby boy?). It’s quite likely, however, that much more attention will be devoted to the commemoration of another debate whose fifth anniversary falls two months earlier to the day. We’re speaking, of course, of an event whose listing on Wikipedia is titled simply ‘The Dress.’ The debate over the true colour of a striped dress a mother photographed while shopping for something to wear to her daughter’s wedding lit the Internet aflame in 2015, dividing the public into two diametrically opposed camps: those who saw the dress as white…

The watch industry has, for years now, accepted the idea that quartz and mechanical timepieces need not sit necessarily on opposite sides of the fence. Instead, each offers alternatives designed to meet the varied needs of customers today. And when it comes to quartz creations, it is fair to say that the choices on offer these days run the gamut. In fact, high-end quartz watches boast very much the same level of quality, investment in research and thoughtful designs as their mechanical brethren. One can also argue that quartz watches have evolved from simple battery-operated timekeepers to creations that prize function over form. Take Citizen’s constant evolution of its products through the years. The Japanese brand has, since the inception of quartz technology, constantly pushed boundaries. It was the first…

WHO Bell & Ross WHAT Singapore launch of Bell & Ross’ new BR-05 with CEO Carlos Rosillo WHEN 25 September 2019 WHERE 72-31 WHO Casio G-Shock WHAT G-Shock’s ‘Underground Fight Club’ celebrating local iconoclasts and showcasing the new GA-2100, with special appearance by creator of the G-Shock, Kikuo Ibe. WHEN 27 August 2019 WHERE Suntec City Convention Centre WHO A. Lange & Söhne WHAT Reopening of A. Lange & Söhne’s ION Orchard boutique and art exhibition commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1 collection WHEN 25 and 26 September 2019 WHERE ION Orchard WHO TAG Heuer WHAT TAG Heuer ushers in the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix with ambassadors Chris Hemsworth and Aston Martin Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen WHEN 8 September 2019 WHERE Gardens by the Bay…