Celebrity Life
Why You Should Stop Using the Term ‘Clean Eating’
If there's one thing we know and love about H. Moser & Cie, it's the two polar opposite sides to the watchmaker. There's perhaps no other company crazy enough to make watches out of cheese or poke fun at Apple Watch (even if it's just to make a point), and yet have a complete grasp of elegance and minimalism, reimagining complications and creating the most stunning fumé and Vantablack dials.
It's the latter that caught the attention of Mark Cho, who first met Edouard Meylan, CEO of Moser in New York two years ago. An avid watch collector, Cho was fascinated by Moser's dials – and when both men began chatting, they realised they had a shared passion for clothing and watches. Soon enough, the idea of a collaboration began to surface.
Cho co-founded The Armoury, a highly specialised menswear brand alongside business partner Alan See in 2010, to bring classic tailoring and style to the modern man while telling the stories of truly exceptional craftsmen and their products. They have created collaboration watches before – just last year, The Armoury partnered with independent Scottish watch brand Anordain to create a small production of mechanical watches with special vitreous enamel dials.
But this year, it's Moser on the map. The Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse is truly a Mark Cho watch. "When Edouard and I first started talking about the idea of making a watch together, my main requirement was that it was small," says Cho in the official release. "I like watches that are discreet but reveal a deeper complexity if you pay them some attention. To me, H. Moser & Cie's fumé dial and Vantablack dial are iconic and I wanted to work with one of them as a starting point for the design. Quickly, I started to favour the Vantablack and I had the idea to add markings to the dial somehow. My design partner, Elliot Hammer, suggested that we imagine the design with the theme of a total solar eclipse. Thus, the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse was born."
The watch is a perfect balance of science and poetry. Named the blackest black, Vantablack absorbs 99.965 percent of light and is a material made from carbon nanotubes. Like a solar eclipse, the Vantablack dial evokes the silhouette of the moon, edged by a thin steel bezel and red gold or steel polished inner bezel that depicts the halo of the solar corona. We can't stare too long at a solar eclipse but at this watch, we can.
Cho also asked for subtle details to be added to the dial, including small seconds, Breguet hands and dotted hour markers in steel or red gold. This last part presented a rather large challenge to the watchmaker. Vantablack isn't a pigment but carbon nanostructures that cannot come into contact with anything else. It took some trial and error but the final creation is absolutely worth it.
Insisting on creating a small size watch at 38mm, the Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse is also the smallest Endeavour watch to date. "Absolutely everything in this model links back to this quest for ultimate elegance, combining classicism with a contemporary feel," says Meylan. "Its 38mm diameter is perfectly balanced. We opted for the smallest and finest of our movements, the hand-wound HMC 327 calibre with an offset small second at 6 o'clock, reminiscent of a pocket-watch style."
The watch comes with a black calf leather strap specifically designed by The Armoury to enhance the overall elegance of the watch. Two editions are available, both cased in steel, but one with red gold indices and hands, and the other in all-steel. The Endeavour Small Seconds Total Eclipse is limited to 28 pieces per version.
The timepieces are now available in The Armoury stores in New York and Hong Kong, as well as online at both The Armoury and H. Moser & Cie.
The post Why You Should Stop Using the Term ‘Clean Eating’ appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.
Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Fostering Unhealthy Obsessions with Exercise?
When it comes to the people we love, we won't settle for anything less than the very best — and that means the latest novelties from the esteemed watchmaking Maison, Audemars Piguet.
In this photoshoot, take a closer look at the novelties from Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, and Code 11.59 collections.
Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in Black Ceramic
When Audemars Piguet made frosted gold for the ladies, the men clamoured for it. Audemars Piguet heard and answered. Likewise, black ceramic was only used on larger case-sized watches until this month, when the brand used the beloved lightweight and scratch-resistant material on the Royal Oak 34mm line, complete with rose gold accents even on the octagonal screws in the bezel. What's more, this is the only time-only black ceramic Royal Oak at the moment, making it a timepiece well sought after not just by the ladies, but by the gents as well.
Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm
Slowly but surely, Audemars Piguet is expanding its offerings in the 34mm sized Royal Oaks, which have found a comfortable following in both men and women who prefer smaller case sizes. This novelty in white gold, with its frosted gold treatment, looks completely iced-out even without diamonds and is beautifully complemented by an icy blue tapisserie dial.
Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm
The latest version of the Royal Oak Chronograph with the flyback chronograph movement also receives the frosted gold treatment. The 41mm white gold timepiece, limited to only 200 pieces, comes with a new dark silver dial with the Grande Tapisserie pattern and snailed sub-counters.
Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43mm
Audemars Piguet has given the Royal Oak Offshore a complete overhaul with a new design that features a more ergonomic case in 43mm, interchangeable straps and the brand's integrated self-winding flyback chronograph movement, the calibre 4401. This piece in stainless steel comes with a taupe-coloured dial with the Méga Tapisserie pattern and a redesigned logo that says only AP for a more polished look.
Royal Oak Offshore Diver 42mm
The new Royal Oak Offshore Divers are also refreshed with a new movement, the Calibre 4308, and quick-change interchangeable straps — minute improvements that make all the difference. In new colourways that give the timepiece highly contemporary and sporty aesthetics, this blue-dialled beauty with a matching rubber strap is our pick.
Code 11.59 Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm in White Gold and Ceramic
The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet only gets better — this year, the new collection sees the addition of a new octagonal middle case honed from black ceramic. The bi-colour aesthetics gives the watch another layer of interest and highlights the unusual case construction. A future classic? Only time will tell.
Photography Kauzrambler
Styling Michael Cheung
Hair and Make-up Gloomy Kwok
Photo Assistant Allison Fong
Styling Assistant Cissy Chan
Location Grand Hyatt Hong Kong
Models Jeremy W and Ksenia I @ Primo
The post Is the COVID-19 Pandemic Fostering Unhealthy Obsessions with Exercise? appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.