Celebrity Life

In what’s become a highly anticipated annual tradition at Harry Winston, in which it unveils a unique and extraordinary timepiece that’s almost always ridiculously extravagant, magnificently crafted and, quite simply, a sight to behold, the New York house presents the Ultimate Quadri Tourbillon.

For this piece, its designers envision the grand, neoclassical arched entrance of the brand’s Fifth Avenue home and creates a structure from which hangs a white gold pocket watch adapted from Harry Winston’s Histoire de Tourbillon 10, featuring four independent tourbillons.

The watch provides quite the mesmerising show in which the tourbillons rotate counter-clockwise over 36 seconds, while the hours and minutes advance in a traditional fashion. The aesthetics of the watch have been enhanced, with the tourbillons now fitted with blue titanium bridges, and the movement has an openwork structure that reveals its complex architecture.

Providing texture and depth, the bridges and plates are treated with a microbead-blasted finishing that contrasts with others that are satin brushed. Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock are also presented in a lighter shade of blue and placed in raised platforms, while the famous Harry Winston emerald-cut diamond is given pride of place at 12 o’clock.

The Ultimate Quadri Tourbillon hangs from a free-standing structure made in white gold that echoes the entryway to the house’s Fifth Avenue salon and features a marquetry of blue aventurine and 18 baguette-cut diamonds in the keystone.

The post This Harry Winston Objet d’Art is a Triumph of Design and Technique appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The third-generation owner of Cheong Ann Watch Maker, Shawn Lim is a young man in a supposedly dying trade but that's not stopping him.

The post How Shawn Lim is modernising his family’s 73-year-old clock business appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The third-generation owner of Cheong Ann Watch Maker, Shawn Lim is a young man in a supposedly dying trade but that's not stopping him.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

By now, your bosses and colleagues have probably seen more of your abode than you would've ever expected to show them.

With many of us working from home these days, meetings held over video conferencing apps the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become the new normal. Inevitably, this means letting colleagues into our residences — albeit virtually — and having them catch glimpses of it via our backdrop. Depending on where your workspace is located, this view could range from a boring blank wall to windows or cluttered bookshelves.

Your makeshift office may not be the most glamorous, but there are several easy interior design tricks that you can employ to quickly jazz up the background of your Zoom calls.

Textiles and cushions

If your workstation of choice is the couch or bed, all it takes is a few snazzy throw pillows wrapped in eye-catching fabrics and prints to provide visual interest in the space behind you. Consider dressing your cushions in the Armani/Casa Exclusive Textiles by Rubelli collection, which is inspired by modern art — specifically works by Henri Matisse, Vasilij Kandinskij and Paul Klee.

It showcases striking colour blocks embellished with embroideries, ikat details and intertwined motifs. These are available in various patterns and shades ranging from pastel to neutral hues. More details here.

Houseplants and greenery

Adding houseplants to your home office will help the space look less spartan and bland. Smaller plants like cacti, succulents and spider plants can be displayed on shelves or tables, while larger ones such as philodendrons, snake plants and ZZ plant (Zanzibar Gem) can be placed on the floor to break the monotony of blank walls.

Online plant retailer Flora Houses offers a wide variety of houseplants that will thrive indoors and are generally low-maintenance. Its range includes Japanese fir, fiddle leaf fig and Bird of Paradise. The store provides free doorstep delivery with a minimum spend.

Artworks and paintings

Perhaps houseplants may seem like too much of a commitment, or you simply don't have green fingers. This is where paintings and art pieces make an easier alternative. You can simply hang a couple of them on the wall that constantly forms your video call backdrop.

An Andy Warhol or Basquiat will certainly impress your co-workers, but your art doesn't necessarily have to be expensive or by big name artists. Consider procuring artworks instead from indie galleries such as Odd One Out, which boasts an array of creations by local and international printmakers and illustrators. We can't take our eyes off the above acrylic painting by Micke Lindebergh, which is titled 'Small Yellow Flower Pot' and features colourful blooms accented by quirky squiggles and bright hues.

Statement ornaments and furniture

Inject a dose of quirk into your meeting setup by peppering your background with assorted decorative items and statement furniture pieces. These can be anything from figurines to colourful tiles and dramatic room dividers.

Our go-to is Lala Curio, which is a whimsical wonderland of objets d'art such as brass monkey sculptures, cloisonné birds, and, one of our favourites — an adorable trio of cranes adorned with rock crystal feathers and perched on crystal balls.

Wallpaper

Why settle for one specially curated work area, when you can turn your whole room into an Instagram-worthy space? Wallpaper is a bold and easy solution — if every wall in your room is clad in beautiful prints, you can essentially park yourself in any corner and still have an envy-inducing Zoom backdrop.

Designer wallpaper has seen a resurgence in recent years, and we're obsessed with Christian Lacroix's exquisite Oiseau Fleur vinyl wallpaper, which depicts vibrant botanical and bird motifs against a silk effect embossed base. It comes in two colourways of pink and grey.

(Main image: Brina Blum/ Unsplash; Featured image: Christian Lacroix)

The post All About the MB&F Nixie Machine III, Frank Buchwald’s Final Clock appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

No fewer than 101 rare clocks covering more than eight decades of production at Cartier are to go on show at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva.

The post 101 Cartier clocks up for auction in Geneva in July appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

No fewer than 101 rare clocks covering more than eight decades of production at Cartier are to go on show at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Two iconic brands return with horological flair and a touch of artistic brilliance in this tribute to the deep sea.

The post MB&F X L’Epee 1839 Launch 8-Day Octopod Clock appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.