Celebrity Life

Amanda Seyfried's standout performance as Marion Davies in the biographical drama Mank earned her an Oscar nomination and proved to be a pivotal point in her career. In an exclusive interview with Prestige, the actress and Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassador tells us more about her film, Art Deco costumes, the Reverso and her own inimitable style.

There’s never been any contention about Amanda Seyfried being funny; her breakout role in Mean Girls (2004) has transcended the ages and generations have memorised her various punchlines. No one without a formidable sense of humour could also have tattooed “minge” on their left foot. But Seyfried has also proved herself an absolute angel following her roles in Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Miserables (2012), in which she used her wide blue eyes to her biggest advantage and blessed our ears with her piercing vocals.

Recently, it’s her role in the acclaimed movie Mank that has editors and film critics praising her nuanced performance and calling the film a turning point for her career. Seyfried was nominated, for the first time, as a Best Supporting Actress at both the Golden Globes and Oscars for her portrayal of Marion Davies, a screen star in the 1920s and ’30s who captured the heart of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst, and whose relationship became the impetus for the plot of Citizen Kane.

Directed by David Fincher, Mank follows the life of screenwriter Herman Mankiwicz, played by Gary Oldman, and his memories of the lavish times he spent with Davies and Hearst. It’s a big Hollywood moment for the 35-year-old actress, who’s equally poised and effervescent at work, but most comfortable when she’s at home at her farm in the Catskills, with her animals, husband Thomas Sadoski and their two children.

The star recently did a photoshoot with Jaeger-LeCoultre to mark 90 years of the brand’s most recognisable watch, the Reverso, with its dual faces, distinctive swivel-case design and rich Art Deco codes. The campaign was shot by Alique, a Dutch-born and New York-based photographer and artist known for her effortless portrayals of her female subjects. Under her lens, Seyfried, a friend of the maison, radiates an air of calm and quiet confidence. Much like the watch she wears – a pink-gold Reverso One Duetto Moon styled on both a matching bracelet or with a burgundy-red leather strap – Seyfried doesn’t need to shout to be heard. Her attitude and her work speak volumes for themselves.

The Reverso was created in the 1930s and, as the story goes, it was designed as a response to polo players who asked for a watch that could be turned around so the crystal and dial were protected during a match. The watch’s Art Deco cues are unmistakable – it’s deceptively angular but there are no strong edges, and the three grooves on the upper and bottom of the case profile give it just the right amount of flair without being excessive. On one side, the dial is in beautifully etched sunburst, while the other side it’s bolder – dark burgundy, with an elegant moon-phase indicator for a touch of romance. One thing’s for sure: the Reverso’s design has remained virtually unchanged for the last 90 years.

“If I had to define the Reverso, I’d say: timeless, innovative, pristine,” says Seyfried, adding that she likes watches that can be worn with anything – a shirt or a dress – yet still fits her style, which she describes as “loose, casual and androgynous”. Her own favourite Jaeger-LeCoultre is from the Master collection.

“I like the refined, clean, detailed look of a watch, and I never felt as if I found one that fit me,” she says. “I’m attracted to men’s watches – the Master is the most attractive watch I’ve ever seen. And so, I notice that kind of look in watches, that big, round, beautiful, clean, classic watch face. It’s solid, versatile, sexy and sharp. You can see the time from a mile away.”

Seyfried has been a friend of Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2019, and says she sees a solid friendship between them for as long as their values continue to be aligned. In a way, selecting her business partnerships are a somewhat similar process to her getting into character. She once described how she connects with her various roles by finding common things between herself and her characters. When it came to connecting with Marion Davies, Seyfried says, “It’s easy to feel misunderstood as a woman and as someone in the public eye. People assume things about me, and I try too hard to prove I’m a real person in most cases.”

Mank was set in the ’30s, around the time that Art Deco was at its peak and the Reverso was born. In homage to the movies of the era, it’s filmed in black-and-white. Costume designer Trish Summerville was the mastermind behind the elaborate clothes from Hollywood’s golden era.

Seyfried didn’t wear the watch on set but muses, “The Reverso can be worn with anything, casual or dressed up.” Her favourite costume was the delicate dress-and-hat ensemble she wore in the scene where Davies visits Mank in Victorville. “That open back was so delicate and special,” she says.

“I loved walking in Marion’s shoes,” she adds. “The gowns and the accessories helped so much to get me into character. The fashion was deliberate and chic. Nothing felt too tight or revealing, which is exactly my speed. “Marion knew exactly who she was and what people needed from her and used that to her advantage.”

Still, comedy is in Seyfried’s soul: “I have a lot of fun with comedy and wish I did more. The challenges in comedy are more fruitful.” She’s talked about wanting to play a musician, combining two of her greatest passions, singing and acting. She also finds joy playing a mother and thinks it would be fun to play a cop someday.

Opportunities are undoubtedly plentiful. Seyfried recently completed filming for A Mouthful of Air and a short film called Birdwatching. She also plays Elizabeth Holmes in the Hulu miniseries The Dropout, which chronicles the rise and fall of the now-defunct health-tech company, Theranos, and is currently in post-production.

With the world still adjusting to the pandemic, however, Seyfried says, “The fewer places I have to travel to, the better. I’m happiest when I know I’m going to be with my kids. And if I’m working, I have to be passionate about the story, the character and the people I’m working with. Life’s too fast.”

The post Amanda Seyfried on Her Acting Career, Art Deco Style and Watches appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

We can all agree that the year 2020 was massively horrendous for humanity but if you thought that would have affected the quality of watches that came out during this year's Watches and Wonders, think again. Here are all the watch trends we've picked up from these 2021 novelties.

In 2020, “everything that could go wrong went wrong,” FHH President Emmanuel Perrin tells me over a call. Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO Catherine Renier also tells me in a call that it was indeed a challenging year, but it had only made the brand stronger. Sentiments such as these are echoed by the various CEOs and top management that I’ve spoken to over the duration of the digital watch fair in April.

“It was really difficult at that time – in a way it’s almost scary to be in that situation,” says Renier. “But it turned out for us to also be a very strong moment of learning about our own agility and our capability to adapt to these types of situations. After that, you know, you’re a lot stronger.”

The watch industry is indeed a resilient one – it survived the Quartz Crisis in the ’70s and laughed off the “dangers” posed by the smartwatch revolution just a decade ago. What the global pandemic of 2020 has done was strengthen the industry’s resolve to share only the best of the best watches it could muster, and at this year’s Watches and Wonders, it certainly does seem as if it’s done just that.

It’s a simple formula really. When the going gets tough, keep your head down and do what you do best. The brands that focussed on pure and authentic expressions of their heritage, while embracing change and looking ahead, have only grown stronger. In times of crisis, timelessness, meaning, and reliability are what we look and strive for and we instinctively gravitate towards things that speak to those values.

This year, brands really took the time to reflect on their own portfolios and collections, and what we’re seeing is a more streamlined approach across the board. With decreased capacity, brands are forced to produce only the strongest designs – designs that they truly believe in – and it shows.

And so, it’s almost funny that in a year where you’d least expect to find discernible trends, we’d see so many new releases with green dials, starting with the most coveted, final version of the Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 5711 that’s been released in a stainless-steel case with a gorgeous olive-green dial.

There’s also the fun and funky Rolex Datejust 36mm with a green palm-motif dial, Tudor’s gold Black Bay Fifty-Eight with a green dial and bezel and a display caseback, Pilot’s Chronographs by IWC in a new 41mm case and green-dial options, as well as TAG Heuer’s new Aquaracer in titanium, which comes with a green ceramic bezel and dial.

From Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Reverso Tribute Small Seconds, available in blue and burgundy, is now also in an elegant dark green. Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept is given green embellishments for a totally new look.

Props goes to Montblanc, which has even developed a new kind of gold – lime gold – that’s composed of a special alloy of gold, silver and iron for a distinct and appealing tint of jade green, paired with lime green cathedral hands and indexes.

And then there was the other kind of green, the sustainability kind, that in recent years has become an unavoidable topic in the world of luxury. Social responsibility, ethics and the environment are no longer separate departments within a company, but part and parcel of the brand. Leaders in this evolution – Chopard, Panerai, and Cartier – best express this in their offerings. Chopard pioneered this change in the past few years, first with making its collection with 100 percent ethical gold, and then with the launch of Lucent A223 recycled steel.

Panerai, too, has turned to recycled steel in its new trio of eSteel watches. The brand also made waves this year with the Submersible eLab-ID, constructed from EcoTitanium and claimed to be the watch with the highest percentage of recycled-based material ever made. Moreover, Panerai has revealed its list of suppliers for the watch in a bid to make watchmaking practices more circular and sustainable for the future.

Cartier’s relaunched Tank Must collection features the world’s first solar-powered luxury watch, with a movement called SolarBeat that won’t need to be serviced for 16 years. The watch also uses recycled gold and is a clear statement of Cartier’s dedication to making luxury sustainable.

Lastly, where would watchmaking be if it weren’t for innovation? Jaeger-LeCoultre has pulled out all the stops to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the revered Reverso. The new Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque is the most complicated Reverso yet, boasting 11 different complications and 12 patents in an absolutely wearable case size.

Celebrating 175 years, Ulysse Nardin designed the UFO, a table clock that’s a modern tribute to the brand, encapsulating all of its horological achievements in one singular object – from the marine chronometers of the 19th and 20th centuries, to complex timepieces such as the Freak of 2001 and the Blast of 2020.

IWC’s Big Pilot’s Watch Shock Absorber XPL comes with the capability of protecting the movement from 30,000Gs in impact tests, Bulgari yet again sets a world record for the thinnest perpetual calendar, while Hublot establishes itself as the ultimate purveyor of sapphire with the Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire, a world-first with its integrated sapphire case and bracelet.

It would be impossible to list here all the amazing pieces we’ve seen during the two weeks of Watches and Wonders 2021, and you'll be able to read more of our watch coverage here. The world of watches has rarely been as exciting as it is now.

The post Watch Trends 2021: A Sign of the Times appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.