Celebrity Life

Mechanical watchmaking is one rooted in the past, but this has not stopped maisons and watch manufactures from constantly innovating and improving on their instruments of time-keeping, creating ground-breaking and ultra-complicated timepieces that continue to shock and enchant the modern world. From complications never before seen, to new material breakthroughs and completely unheard of ways of watchmaking, here is our selection of the most innovative timepieces that have just been released at the Watches & Wonders 2021 digital fair.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185

Jaeger-LeCoultre really pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 90th anniversary of its most iconic (most deservedly used here) watch - the Reverso. The new Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is the most complicated Reverso yet, boasting 11 different complications and 12 patents. It's an absolute showcase of all the different expertises the Swiss manufacture has to offer, from sound, celestial complications, to precision and craftsmanship.

The Quadriptyque is the world's first wristwatch with four functioning display faces, making use of the swivelling case design of the Reverso to display 11 complications on the double-faced case and cradle of the watch. The watch takes astronomical readings to the next level. Three displays of lunar information are displayed on the interior face of the cradle — the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle — which makes the Quadriptyque the first watch ever to be able to predict the next global incidences of astronomical events like super moons and eclipses.

The Calibre 185, which took Jaeger-LeCoultre six years of research, is a new movement made entirely in-house. Here's what you'll be able to read from the four faces:

Face 1 - Hour, minute, flying tourbillon (indicating the second), instantaneous perpetual calendar, grade date, day, month, leap year, night & day indicator

Face 2 - Jumping digital hour, minute, minute repeater

Face 3 - Nothern hemisphere moon phase, draconic lunar cycle, anomalistic lunar cycle, month, year

Face 4 - Southern Hemisphere moon phase

Complicated as the watch is, the manufacture has ensured that the watch will be user-friendly for the wearer. The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 comes with a unique presentation box that has a built-in mechanism that allows the wearer to easily set all the calendar and astronomical displays of the watch after a period of being unworn.

Ulysse Nardin UFO

To celebrate its 175th anniversary this year, Ulysse Nardin has reimagined what a marine chronometer would look like in the future, giving us the UFO table/ desk clock that's more than just a time-keeping device. It's a modern tribute to Ulysse Nardin, encapsulating all of the brand's horological history in one single object, an homage to the marine chronometers of the 19th and 20th centuries, to the Freak of 2001 and the Blast of 2020.

"Reissuing a watch from the past by reusing vintage codes was not part of our creative intentions for this anniversary object. On the contrary, we wanted to reverse the trend and make a leap forward of 175 years, rather than a leap backward. We always look ahead. We wondered what a marine chronometer designed in 2196 would be like," explains CEO Patrick Pruniaux in a statement.

Marine chronometers of the past were housed in wooden boxes and set on gimbals, with the purpose of counteracting the effect of the ship's constant swaying on the stability of the clock while at sea. The modern Ulysse Nardin UFO emulates this, but reverses the process. The clock, which is protected by a glass-blown ovoid bell, sways on its own mechanical waves. Built on an imbalance, the UFO swings up to 60 degrees from its axis when nudged gently, calculated precisely so that it swings neither too fast or too slow and won't affect the operation of the balance. The structure of the UFO gives us a mesmerising view of the six barrels working in plain view, giving the clock a power reserve of an entire year.

The UFO is made up of 675 components and powered by the UN-902 calibre, which features a triple time zone function, deadbeat seconds, hours and minutes. Only 75 pieces are made.

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL

In an unexpected move but one that clearly resonates with the brand's identity as an engineer, IWC has presented us with the Big Pilot's Watch Shock Absorber XPL, the brainchild of the brand's new engineering division, IWC Experimental.

It's the first watch to feature the brand's patented new shock absorber system called the SPRIN-g PROTECT, which goes beyond protecting the movement from your everyday impacts that range between 25 Gs to 5,00 Gs, i.e. hitting your watch against a table corner or whacked by a hammer.

At the heart of the system is a cantilever spring that allows the movement to be suspended within the case, protecting it against the g-forces generated by impacts on the watch. The system took eight years to develop, and was done so with fighter pilots in mind, who are constantly subject to high g-forces in cramped spaces, and the watches that they wear are constantly at risk of hitting against hard surfaces in the cockpit. Tests done by IWC at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge has shown that the shock absorber system is capable of protecting the movement from accelerations in excess of 30,000 g in impact tests.

Another key factor is the use of Bulk Metallic Glass, which has an amorphous microstructure, which is significantly more elastic than conventional metals. The case of the watch is also made of ceratanium, IWC's ultra-lightweight high performance material, which allows the watch to come in at less than 100 grams. The unique crown system is another new innovation, allowing the movement to move independently of the case. At 44mm, the watch is extremely cool-looking and wholly original and definitely a refreshing and exciting offering from the Schaffhausen manufacture. The XPL is limited to only 10 pieces per year.

For an in-depth look on the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41, also released this Watches & Wonders 2021, click here.

Hublot Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire

In recent years, Hublot has really established itself as the ultimate maker of sapphire watches. The journey started in 2016 with the release of the Big Bang Unico Sapphire and in the years since, the brand has developed and matured its expertise in machining sapphire watches in complex shapes and a variety of bold colours. This year's release is almost a culmination of its efforts — the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire comes with an integrated case and bracelet both of which are made from sapphire.

To achieve the look of pure glass, Hublot opted for the new Automatic Tourbillon calibre with sapphire bridges the HUB6035 automatic manufacture calibre, to maximise the watch's transparency. The challenge lay in the case and bracelet, as all visible screws had to be removed. The case had to be completely reconstructed, the general geometry overhauled to integrate the case with the sapphire bracelet. Everything from the bridges and the main plates in the movement had to be reworked to give the illustration of all the parts being suspended in space.

There are no less than 37 components in the case, five of which are made solely from sapphire. The bracelet comprises of 165 components, 22 of which are made from sapphire. The result is a work of art, like wearing a fragment of light on the wrist, something that's still a rarity in today's haute horology scene.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

You can't talk about innovation and not mention Bulgari, who since 2014, has stacked up world records one after the other in its Octo Finissimo line, all in the quest for ultra-thinness. There's been the thinnest ever automatic movement at 2.23mm, the thinnest tourbillon movement at 1.95mm, the thinnest minute repeater at 3.12mm, the thinnest chronograph at 6.90mm and last year's thinnest tourbillon chronograph skeleton watch at just 7.40mm. This year the brand's taken on the perpetual calendar with the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar, and at a slender 5.80mm, sets the world record for the slimmest perpetual calendar watch.

The caliber BVL 305 is only 2.75mm thick, a remarkable feat indeed considering that a perpetual calendar is a pretty complex function in itself, being able to correctly adjust itself automatically at the end of 30-day months, and even at the end of February and even in a leap year. To maximise the thinness, the design engineers at the manufacture at Le Sentier utilised a micro-rotor instead of a full-sized rotor, effectively compressing the watch parts into the same level to achieve this ultra-thinness, although the entire movement still consists of a whopping 408 components.

The Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar features a retrograde date display, day, month and retrograde-display leap years, capable of telling the correct time and date until February 2100. Perpetual calendar watches are traditionally tricky complications to deal with, but Bulgari takes this into account with three correctors to easily adjust the different indicators: the date at 2pm, the month at 4pm and the day at a third pusher between 8 and 9 o'clock.

One last thing, the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar is being launched in two versions, one in a titanium case, and another in platinum — another first for the brand, who's never made an Octo Finissimo case in platinum before this.

The post Watches & Wonders 2021: The Five Most Innovative Timepieces appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

If you're on the market for a pilot's chronograph, my guess is you're looking at an IWC. Since the '90s, IWC has championed the look of the pilot's chronograph. The 3705 Fliegerchronograph has always been a cult favourite — IWC knows this too, having released a limited edition Tribute to 3705 just earlier this year, which paid homage to the legendary Ceramic Fligerchronograph of 1994.

The brand is launching its brand new Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 at the digital Watches & Wonders exhibition this year, which in its new downsized 41mm (although not quite the original 39mm), and new coloured dial executions, are clear recipes for success. And with a new quick-change system, a choice of straps between calfskin, rubber and stainless steel, here's why we think the 41mm is well worth your consideration.

For 85 years, IWC has been engineering pilot's watches with the functional requirements and specific needs of professional pilots in mind. Conceived as precise and reliable tools for navigation in the war-time period, these modern-day Pilot's Watches still bear that classic war-time Flieger aesthetic: with strong legibility and the iconic cockpit instrument design.

Ahead of its launch date, we were offered the chance to try out the Ref. IW388101 with the blue dial and blue calfskin strap. Here's what we love about the new chronograph — 41mm really is the sweet spot for a Pilot's Watch. It's still a substantial watch, but beautifully proportioned, practical and wearable for slimmer (even ladies) wrists.

The new 41mm chronograph follows on the success of the 2019 Spitfire chronograph, which was also in 41mm. But in stainless steel, and a blue or green dial with all white luminous markings, the new 41mm is your typical modern-day IWC watch. Gone too is the closed caseback on the Spitfire version - the new 41mm shows off the in-house calibre 69385 through its transparent sapphire caseback.

Like any IWC Pilot's Watch, the dial configuration is utilitarian and practical, displaying the time, day, date, and a 12-hour chronograph with central seconds. The running seconds is indicated at the sub-dial at 6 o'clock, which offers a bright pop of red against the intensely coloured dial. The reworked stainless steel case construction also ensures that the chronograph is now water-resistant to 100 metres.

The chronograph movement comes in 231 individual parts and robust-looking as it is, comes with some depth so it's still very much a joy to examine. The stopwatch function is controlled by a column wheel, which you can see clearly when you swing the bi-directional rotor out of the way. Fully wound, the watch ticks at 4Hz and comes with a power reserve of 46 hours.

Here's the fun part: the watch is now more versatile than ever with the new quick-change system and new strap choices — bracelet, calfskin leather and rubber straps — that you can purchase separately and change out on your own without watchmaking tools. I loved the watch on the blue calfskin leather strap, but the steel-on-steel combo would obviously be a crowd favourite, and the rubber strap gives it an even sportier, more casual feel.

One last thing to mention is the box that the watch comes in. Gone are the days when watch boxes are bulky things that you don't dare throw out, but take up valuable space in your homes. The watch box for the new IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41 is cleverly also a travel pouch, yet another proof that functionality, practicality, and versatility are at the forefront for IWC's designs.

IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph 41

Technical Specifications
Reference Ref. IW388101 (blue dial, blue calfskin strap), Ref. IW388102 (blue dial, stainless steel bracelet), Ref. IW388103 (green dial, brown calfskin strap), Ref. IW388104 (green dial, stainless steel bracelet)
Movement Automatic calibre 69385; hours, minutes, seconds, date and day display, small hacking seconds; 46-hour power reserve
Case 41mm stainless steel; water-resistant to 100m
Strap Calfskin leather, stainless steel bracelet and rubber available with quick-change system

The post Trying On the New and Smaller IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

We all wish for that Eureka moment. Having that one brilliant idea that will scoop us out of the pool of mundanity we’ve found ourselves in with our chosen (or not) career, which in all likelihood, has become far less interesting than it used to be.

The thing with such lightbulb moments is that they dawn on you in the unlikeliest places and moments, and are often motivated by simple practicalities. For Adam Brown, founder of British resortwear and lifestyle brand Orlebar Brown, that moment came while he was on holiday in Rajasthan, and was slightly irked about having to change for lunch while wearing swim shorts. “That’s when I got the idea of a tailored swim short – that which I can swim in but also can wear to a restaurant and still look smart,” Brown says.

[caption id="attachment_212501" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Models wear clothing from the Orlebar Brown / IWC resort capsule collection and IWC watches.[/caption]

And Orlebar Brown swim shorts are surely not your run-of-the-mill variety. They’re based on the traditional pattern of a pair of men’s trousers, and designed to be a “transitional item” you can wear in or by the pool, as well as in establishments that require a dress code. As the brand’s collections evolved, so did the variety of its products that eventually extended beyond holiday wear. And now, in light of Brown’s collaboration with IWC, he’s just added watch design to his résumé.

“It started with an email, and went on to a ‘get to know you’ phase with Chris Granger, CEO of IWC, and its creative director Christian Knoop; it snowballed from there. The creative process was really fun. I think the fun factor is an important part of any collaboration, and that both brands share the same values,” Brown says. Numerous meetings, phone calls, emails and hours-long brainstorming sessions later, the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” was born, and alongside it a nine-piece special Orlebar Brown capsule resort collection.

[caption id="attachment_212498" align="aligncenter" width="791"] Adam Brown is the founder of Orlebar Brown.[/caption]

“It was a true collaboration, with both involved in each other’s products – from the colour and design of the case down to the weight of the strap. It was very important to me that we both contributed to the design of the watch and the capsule collection. Obviously, the Portugieser is a watch that’s been around for a long time and IWC was very clear about how it wanted to talk about the watch this year. It was something that absolutely fits with what Orlebar Brown is about,” Brown says.

And the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” indeed has that resort touch to it. Matching its stainless-steel case is a marine-blue dial and a co-branded side-fastener buckle with white and red colour accents, shades often used in Orlebar Brown’s product range. The chronograph is equipped with an in-house calibre, and features a flyback function, a sub dial at 12 o’clock and a 68-hour power reserve. It’s finished off with a blue rubber strap with textile inlay and is, naturally, water-resistant up to 6 bar, making it ideally suited for an action-packed adventure on the deck of a yacht, or a casual lounge at the beach or pool.

[gallery ids="212497,212496"]

As for the capsule collection, it’s not like any that Brown has done before. “It’s high resort. The watch is called the Yacht Club, so it gave us a clear direction as to what the product would look like. That elegance, refinement, the approach to tailoring, the attention to detail. For instance, using towelling fabric in a blazer, the trim details, weight of the jerseys and use of the finest linen, or having gold fasteners on the trousers and other touches like that. It’s different because of the lifestyle it’s epitomising. Although we’ve done ready-to-wear for quite a while, it just needed a bit of a nudge and we made it a little more refined and a bit more grown up and just had that IWC feel about it.

“Just like the Portugieser Yacht Club, our collection combines timeless elegance and a love of adventure. We also drew inspiration from Portugieser family, a model that’s traditionally associated with the world of water, sailing and navigation.”

The collection includes a white towelling blazer with blue piping and a cotton/silk knitted polo. A highlight is a photographic swim short with signature side fasteners, depicting a Solaris 55 sailing yacht in front of Porto Rotondo in Sardinia.

[caption id="attachment_212499" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Bulldog swim shorts with the Solaris 55 sailing yacht.[/caption]

“When you do collaborations, the idea is to take your brand to a place where it doesn’t traditionally exist. So whether it’s the Bond collaboration, an artist or a graphic designer, it’s just interesting to see how something that you know so well and something that’s fundamentally Orlebar Brown can evolve into something that’s slightly different and interesting for the customer.”

In his design process Brown always considers where items will be worn, what the wearers will be doing in them, and the overall lifestyle they convey. “With IWC, there was a true resort style and elegance to it. Maybe a sporting touch, too – a bit more beach-volleyball feel, or playing with the kids in the water. Or there’s the coast/Atlantic kind of holiday, like being on a big cliff, so it’s very different from being in a resort or on a beach, so instead we do wind-blown effects, faded colours and a fabric that’s slightly different.

[caption id="attachment_212500" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A model wears an Orlebar Brown Headley knitted grey sweatshirt with the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition "Orlebar Brown" watch.[/caption]

“My approach to design really is that the item needs to have a personality; it has to have a real relationship with the user, taking into consideration how you think the customer would want to wear it. It’s not simply producing clothes. This whole idea of versatility is important, too. You need to look at things from different angles and perspectives, rather than making it about a specific place or activity. All those things come together to form a design philosophy,” Brown says.

And surely wearing a smart linen button-down shirt paired with jacquard swim shorts – and, of course, with this handsome Portugieser strapped on your wrist – you could just as easily be frolicking on the beaches of Saint-Tropez as waiting to get seated at one of New York’s swankiest establishments, yet feeling immaculately dressed for the occasion in both situations.

The post Get Shorty: Orlebar Brown’s Adam Brown Teams Up With IWC on a Special-Edition Portugieser appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

We all wish for that Eureka moment. Having that one brilliant idea that will scoop us out of the pool of mundanity we’ve found ourselves in with our chosen (or not) career, which in all likelihood, has become far less interesting than it used to be.

The thing with such lightbulb moments is that they dawn on you in the unlikeliest places and moments, and are often motivated by simple practicalities. For Adam Brown, founder of British resortwear and lifestyle brand Orlebar Brown, that moment came while he was on holiday in Rajasthan, and was slightly irked about having to change for lunch while wearing swim shorts. “That’s when I got the idea of a tailored swim short – that which I can swim in but also can wear to a restaurant and still look smart,” Brown says.

[caption id="attachment_212501" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Models wear clothing from the Orlebar Brown / IWC resort capsule collection and IWC watches.[/caption]

And Orlebar Brown swim shorts are surely not your run-of-the-mill variety. They’re based on the traditional pattern of a pair of men’s trousers, and designed to be a “transitional item” you can wear in or by the pool, as well as in establishments that require a dress code. As the brand’s collections evolved, so did the variety of its products that eventually extended beyond holiday wear. And now, in light of Brown’s collaboration with IWC, he’s just added watch design to his résumé.

“It started with an email, and went on to a ‘get to know you’ phase with Chris Granger, CEO of IWC, and its creative director Christian Knoop; it snowballed from there. The creative process was really fun. I think the fun factor is an important part of any collaboration, and that both brands share the same values,” Brown says. Numerous meetings, phone calls, emails and hours-long brainstorming sessions later, the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” was born, and alongside it a nine-piece special Orlebar Brown capsule resort collection.

[caption id="attachment_212498" align="aligncenter" width="791"] Adam Brown is the founder of Orlebar Brown.[/caption]

“It was a true collaboration, with both involved in each other’s products – from the colour and design of the case down to the weight of the strap. It was very important to me that we both contributed to the design of the watch and the capsule collection. Obviously, the Portugieser is a watch that’s been around for a long time and IWC was very clear about how it wanted to talk about the watch this year. It was something that absolutely fits with what Orlebar Brown is about,” Brown says.

And the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Orlebar Brown” indeed has that resort touch to it. Matching its stainless-steel case is a marine-blue dial and a co-branded side-fastener buckle with white and red colour accents, shades often used in Orlebar Brown’s product range. The chronograph is equipped with an in-house calibre, and features a flyback function, a sub dial at 12 o’clock and a 68-hour power reserve. It’s finished off with a blue rubber strap with textile inlay and is, naturally, water-resistant up to 6 bar, making it ideally suited for an action-packed adventure on the deck of a yacht, or a casual lounge at the beach or pool.

[gallery ids="212497,212496"]

As for the capsule collection, it’s not like any that Brown has done before. “It’s high resort. The watch is called the Yacht Club, so it gave us a clear direction as to what the product would look like. That elegance, refinement, the approach to tailoring, the attention to detail. For instance, using towelling fabric in a blazer, the trim details, weight of the jerseys and use of the finest linen, or having gold fasteners on the trousers and other touches like that. It’s different because of the lifestyle it’s epitomising. Although we’ve done ready-to-wear for quite a while, it just needed a bit of a nudge and we made it a little more refined and a bit more grown up and just had that IWC feel about it.

“Just like the Portugieser Yacht Club, our collection combines timeless elegance and a love of adventure. We also drew inspiration from Portugieser family, a model that’s traditionally associated with the world of water, sailing and navigation.”

The collection includes a white towelling blazer with blue piping and a cotton/silk knitted polo. A highlight is a photographic swim short with signature side fasteners, depicting a Solaris 55 sailing yacht in front of Porto Rotondo in Sardinia.

[caption id="attachment_212499" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Bulldog swim shorts with the Solaris 55 sailing yacht.[/caption]

“When you do collaborations, the idea is to take your brand to a place where it doesn’t traditionally exist. So whether it’s the Bond collaboration, an artist or a graphic designer, it’s just interesting to see how something that you know so well and something that’s fundamentally Orlebar Brown can evolve into something that’s slightly different and interesting for the customer.”

In his design process Brown always considers where items will be worn, what the wearers will be doing in them, and the overall lifestyle they convey. “With IWC, there was a true resort style and elegance to it. Maybe a sporting touch, too – a bit more beach-volleyball feel, or playing with the kids in the water. Or there’s the coast/Atlantic kind of holiday, like being on a big cliff, so it’s very different from being in a resort or on a beach, so instead we do wind-blown effects, faded colours and a fabric that’s slightly different.

[caption id="attachment_212500" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A model wears an Orlebar Brown Headley knitted grey sweatshirt with the Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition "Orlebar Brown" watch.[/caption]

“My approach to design really is that the item needs to have a personality; it has to have a real relationship with the user, taking into consideration how you think the customer would want to wear it. It’s not simply producing clothes. This whole idea of versatility is important, too. You need to look at things from different angles and perspectives, rather than making it about a specific place or activity. All those things come together to form a design philosophy,” Brown says.

And surely wearing a smart linen button-down shirt paired with jacquard swim shorts – and, of course, with this handsome Portugieser strapped on your wrist – you could just as easily be frolicking on the beaches of Saint-Tropez as waiting to get seated at one of New York’s swankiest establishments, yet feeling immaculately dressed for the occasion in both situations.

The post Get Shorty: Orlebar Brown’s Adam Brown Teams Up With IWC on a Special-Edition Portugieser appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Add some tonal value to your life with some of our favourite new timepieces.

The post Watch spread: Colourful dials appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Add some tonal value to your life with some of our favourite new timepieces.

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

Hong Kong's ever-changing dining scene is constantly evolving.

So much so, that it can get a little difficult to keep track of it all, let alone remember to book and try the new restaurants that have caught your eye. From brand new concepts to fresh venues and additional locations, here is our guide to seven of Hong Kong's most promising new restaurants to try right now.

Well, what are you waiting for...

The post It’s Time for Change: Social Responsibility Initiatives by Luxury Watchmakers appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

While watch fairs are affected by COVID-19, watchmakers are still moving ahead with new launches through digital platforms and augmented reality.

It’s no secret that the watchmaking world has had to make a few changes since COVID-19 began making its rounds globally.

Annual trade shows like Baselworld and Watches & Wonders had to be cancelled — the former with plenty of drama, no less — and brands scrambled to be innovative about their storytelling experience. After all, watchmaking and collecting can be quite an emotional business.

Watches & Wonders (previously known as SIHH) might have forgone its physical show but that didn’t stop a digital reincarnation from taking its place. The new platform will not only allow manufacturers to showcase their new timepieces, but also offer anyone a glimpse of what happens beyond press releases and online reviews. At IWC, visitors will be able to take a virtual walk around the booth and experience augmented reality with the watches, while Panerai is working on Zooming their most loyal customers.

Still, the watches on offer this year are nothing short of remarkable, more so during these unprecedented times. Here are the pieces that stood out to us the most.

The post 7 Highlights from Watches & Wonders 2020 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

IWC’s retrospective exhibition is its most extensive in Southeast Asia

The post Swiss watchmaker IWC holds retrospective in Singapore appeared first on The Peak Magazine.