Press Release: A Panerai Clock For Expo Gate.

On the occasion of EXPO 2015 in Milan, Officine Panerai is donating the world time clock to the info point at the EXPO gate and announcing the expansion and restyling  of its Via Montenapoleone  Boutique by Patricia Urquiola.

It is Officine Panerai, the high-end Italian sports watch brand, which is displaying the time for visitors to EXPO 2015, the Universal Exposition being held in Milan from 1 May to 31 October 2015.

A large Panerai wall clock, with the iconic minimalist design which makes every timepiece of the Florentine brand immediately recognisable, enables anyone entering the Info Point at the Expo Gate at Piazza Castello to read the time in Milan and five other world capitals, chosen for their international vocation and their connection with Universal Expositions: London, New York and Paris (seat of the BIE, the Bureau International des Expositions) and also Shanghai and Dubai (hosts respectively of the last and the next Universal Expositions).

The Panerai wall clock is inside the East Pavilion of Expo Gate, the entrance to Expo 2015, where everyone can gather and meet. Expo Gate was opened in May 2014 to provide information and services for visitors to the Exposition. It is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. but the large Panerai clock (2.6 metres wide and 1.8 metres high) will continue to be seen displaying the time when the Info Point is closed. Like all the brand’s timepieces, it provides exceptional visibility at night, making it legible even in darkness, and it is therefore visible at all times from outside the Info Point, thanks to the building’s ethereal structure of transparent glass and tubular steel.

In the summer of EXPO 2015 Officine Panerai will also completely renew its Milanese boutique at Via Montenapoleone 1. The boutique, a landmark for clients and collectors from all over the world, is currently being complete restyled and enlarged under the supervision of the designer Patricia Urquiola, creator of the new concept already incorporated in the Flagship stores recently opened in Florence, Hong Kong, New York and Paris. 

MB&F receives top prize in the Red Dot Award 2015!

Press Release: 

Award-winning top achievement: MB&F receives top prize in the Red Dot Award 2015! 

The MB&F HM6 Space Pirate won over the 38-member jury of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015. With its timepiece, MB&F proved its design excellence in the most important competition for product design, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. From 4,928 participants, MB&F’s HM6 Space Pirate stood out and was awarded the Red Dot: Best of the Best for top quality and innovative design. In 2015, only 1.6 % of all entries in the competition won this sought-after award. This means that MB&F is one of the forerunners in international design.

The Red Dot: Best of the Best is awarded for innovative design and is the highest individual award in the Red Dot Award: Product Design. Only the outstanding products in a category receive this award – in 2015, only 81 products from 31 categories were given the sought-after seal of quality.

Professor Dr Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of the Red Dot Award: “For 60 years, the most-respected design experts have been convening every year in Essen to seek out the best designs. This year we had a record number of almost 5,000 entries – a huge amount of work for our jury members, who assessed each individual product, and a special value of the distinction due to the high standard. The laureates of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 have demonstrated exceptionally high achievements and have thus been deservedly successful in the world’s largest design competition.”

The internationally respected product competition will culminate in the Red Dot Gala in Essen on 29 June 2015. During the glamorous award ceremony, the Red Dot: Best of the Best winners accept their trophies on stage in the Aalto-Theater in front of around 1,200 guests. At the subsequent Designers’ Night after-show party, the winners celebrate into the early hours in the midst of award-winning products in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen. The winning products are then presented for four weeks in the special exhibition “Design on Stage” before being included in the museum’s permanent exhibition.

You can also read my report on Max's visit to Singapore for the watch launch here... The HM6-another out of this world.....

Red Dot Design Museum Essen

With roughly 2,000 exhibits over 4,000 square metres, the Red Dot Design Museum presents the world’s largest exhibition of contemporary design. The successful entries in the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 will be shown from 29 June to 26 July 2015 in an impressive special exhibition in the midst of the historical industrial architecture of the Zollverein World Heritage site. In “Design on Stage”, visitors will experience the current top achievements up close and personal, because this hands-on exhibition expressly encourages visitors to touch and try out the exhibits. In this way, fans of design can find out about the trends in international product design and see for themselves the excellent quality of the HM6 Space Pirate from MB&F.

About the Red Dot Award:

In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the Red Dot Design Award breaks down into the three disciplines of Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept.

The Red Dot Award was created by Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and with around 17,000 entries each year is one of the best-respected design competitions in the world. In 2015, it is celebrating its 60th anniversary: It was in 1955 that a jury convened for the first time to assess the best designs of the day. The sought-after award, the “Red Dot”, is the revered international seal of outstanding design quality.

Award-winning designers, manufacturers and agencies use the Red Dot winner label and receive numerous other winners’ privileges, such as the presentation of the award-winning product on Red Dot Online, in the Red Dot Design Yearbook, the Red Dot App and on Red Dot 21. Additionally, the winning products are communicated in the international PR activities of Red Dot and exhibited in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen for a whole year.

IWC Pilot's Watch Double Chronograph Edition “LE PETIT PRINCE”

Press Release:  

PILOT’S WATCH DOUBLE CHRONOGRAPH EDITION “LE PETIT PRINCE”

Schaffhausen, 19 May 2015 – IWC Schaffhausen sends the new Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Edition “Le Petit Prince”, complete with an innovative jumping star display for the day of the week, off on a journey. Every day, one of seven stars in the inner circle of the dial lights up in gold to symbolize the visit of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s little prince to a different planet. The same seven stars are also engraved as a decoration on the back of the watch and include the name of the inhabitant with whom the little prince is currently passing the time.

 A king who rules over a fictitious realm, a businessman who believes he owns the stars, a geographer who never leaves his desk: having abandoned his own tiny asteroid in search of a friend, the little prince meets various inhabitants of other planets who lead strange lives. IWC Schaffhausen has taken this journey through the universe from Antoine de Saint-Exupérys “The Little Prince” as a reason to crown the new Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Edition “Le Petit Prince” (Ref. IW371807) with an enchanting mechanism. “Our partnership with the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation has already inspired us to create many Pilot’s Watch special editions,” says Georges Kern, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. “And since the tale of ‘The Little Prince’ celebrated its 70th birthday two years ago, we’ve also dedicated a number of models to the title figure. This latest version not only has an impressive split-seconds mechanism but also a rather whimsical star element that might not be noticed at first glance.”

STARRY NIGHTS AND DAYS

The midnight blue dial with its characteristic cockpit design has a surprising feature: a jumping star display is arranged inside the faint line of the circle at its centre. Each day of the week, this captivating day display lights up a different star in glittering gold. However, the change does not take place in any particular order: the gleaming golden star appears to jump at random between the seven different positions on the dial. The stars punched out on the dial symbolize the planets visited by the little prince. They are also engraved in the same order on the back of the watch, together with the name of their inhabitants: the king, the vain man, the drunkard, the businessman, the lamplighter, the geographer and finally the rose. The little prince cannot forget the latter and returns to her at the end of his odyssey.We also find a playful indication of where the little boy with the wheaten hair happens to be at the moment, as well as a portrait of the prince himself, on the reverse side of the case. Incidentally, the owner of the watch decides which star on the dial is illuminated on which day of the week by using the crown to make the golden star jump to another position.

DOUBLE CHRONOGRAPH READY FOR TAKE-OFF

The sophisticated chronograph split-seconds hand com­plication is now licensed to fly in the Pilot’s Watch special edition “Le Petit Prince”. Also known as a double chrono­graph, this mechanism presents watchmakers with a challenge that is often underestimated. It has two stop­watch seconds hands mounted one on top of the other which allow the owner to reliably record intermediate times, even withinthe same minute. The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Edition “Le Petit Prince” is a fascinating vari­ant that combines all the features of a watch designed for flying with an additional poetic element. Its functions in­clude automatic winding, the time of day, date, weekday in the form of a jumping star display, small hacking sec­onds, chronograph with aggregate time recording up to 12 hours, split-seconds function, sapphire glass with anti­ reflective coating on both sides which is secured against drops in pressure, as well as the soft-iron inner case found in IWC’s Pilot’s Watches as protection against magnetic fields. The midnight blue dial underscores the watch’s sporty yet elegant character while the Super-LumiNova®* coating on the hands and appliqués guarantees excellent legibility, even in the dark. The engraving on the case back makes it clear that only 1,000 examples of the watch will be made. The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Edition “Le Petit Prince” is supplied with a matte brown calfskin strap with decorative beige stitching.

Mechanical chronograph movement – Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds – Split-seconds hand for intermediate timing – Date display – Day display in the form of a jumping star display – Small hacking seconds – Soft-iron inner case for protection against magnetic fields – Screw-in crown – Glass secured against displacement by drops in air pressure – Limited to 1,000 watches

Movement:

Calibre:        79420

Frequency:   28,800 A/h / 4 Hz

Jewels:         29

Power reserve: 44 h

Winding automatic

Materials: stainless-steel case, midnight blue dial, hands and appliqués coated with Super-LumiNova, gold-plated star display, matte brown calfskin strap with decorative beige stitching, pin buckle in stainless steel

Glass: Sapphire, convex, antireflective coating on both sides

Water-resistant: 6 bar

Diameter: 44 mm

Height: 17 mm

Vacheron Constantin Unveils The New Harmony Collection.

To celebrate its 260th anniversary, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the new Harmony collection. These new magnificent timepieces feature a new cushion shape case inspired by one of their earliest chronographs launched during the 1920s. This series consists of several models with various complications with the mono-pusher ultra-thin split second chronograph being one of the most desirable.

Vacheron Constantin collectors and watch enthusiasts were given the privilege to view the pieces at the event that was held over a couple of days.

Guests checking out the timepieces on display.

A welcome speech by Julien Tornare (MD of Vacheron Constantin, Asia Pacific)  

Christian Selmoni (Artistic Director, Vacheron Constantin) introduced the Harmony collection.  

The Harmony Collection: After seven years of R&D , the three new monopusher chrono calibers are entirely developed and manufactured in-house. The movement also bear the prestigious Hallmark of Geneva. 

The Harmony chronograph in pink  gold, using the new hand-wound cal 3300. A monopusher chrono with a huge power reserve of 65 hours, pulsometric scale and PR indicator. Limited to 260 pieces. 

A very well finish movement (special engraving on the balance cock) as with all Vacheron Constantin watches.

  

The flagship model in platinum: The Harmony ultra-thin split second chronograph. Cal 3500 a monopusher chrono with 60-mintues counter at 3 o'clock. tachometer scale and power reserve. Limited to only 10 pieces. In my humble opinion, this will be a very sought-after piece.   

The gold peripheral rotor design reduce the thickness of the movement unlike conventional rotors.  

 The Harmony Dual time

 The Harmony Dual time with diamond bezel.

The Harmony tourbillion chronograph.

 The Harmony chronograph.,cal 3300. 

For more details of the entire collection you can go to vacheron-constantin.com 

Left: Ellen Sorensen (MD of Vacheron Constantin, South EastAsia) chatting with guests.

 I can't resist a wristshot with this stunning piece!

Once again, many thanks to the Vacheron Constantin team... Christine, Yvonne, Jasmine and Keith for the lovely evening!

Press Release: IWC Big Pilot's Watch Edition "Le Petit Prince" In Red Gold.

First introduced in 2014 with a stainless steel case, the Big Pilot's Watch Edition ''Le Petit Prince'' (Ref. IW500909) from IWC Schaffhausen is now also available in a 18-carat red gold case. Limited to 250 watches, the timepiece has a 7-day power reserve and elegant sun-pattern finish. The back engraving shows the little prince in his neverending battle with the baobab tree seedlings, which, if allowed to take root, would split his tiny planet in pieces. With the Big Pilot's Watch Edition ''Le Petit Prince'', IWC Schaffhausen pays tribute to one of the best-selling books in literary history, written by legendary writer, pilot and adventurer Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Since 2006, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer has maintained a cordial partnership with Saint-Exupery's heirs and their charitable organization, the Antoine de Saint-Exupery Youth Foundation. (PHOTOPRESS/IWC)

Features

Mechanical movement 

Pellaton automatic winding system

7-day power reserve

Power reserve display

Date display

Central hacking seconds- Glucydur berylium alloy balance

Breguet spring

Screw-in crown

Special engraving of little prince on case back

Limited edition of 250 watches

Movement

IWC-manufactured calibre 51111

Frequency: 21600

Jewels: 42

Power reserve: 7 days

Winding: Automatic 

Watch

Case and folding clasp in 18-carat red gold, midnight blue dial, gold-plated hands and indices, coated Super-LumiNova, brown calfskin strap with quilted stitching.

Glass: Sapphire, convex, anitreflective coating on both sides, withstands drops in air pressure.

Water-resistant: 6 bar.

Diameter: 46mm.

Case height: 16mm.

Press Release; The 50S Presidents' The Vulcain – Enamel

Remaining faithful to its history, the Le Locle-based Manufacture has added a new model to its Métier d’Art collection which celebrates the age-old specialist art of cloisonné enamel. This difficult technique, which requires patience and attention to detail, brings excep­tional precision to the design, as well as unique and long-lasting colour rendering.

The mythological theme of this new model represents both the manufacture’s heritage and the underlying principles that guide it: industry, finesse and expertise.

 VULCAN, THE DIVINE CRAFTSMAN

The legendary talented craftsman with an unrival­led genius for manufacturing complex items, famed for their indestructibility, Vulcan (known as Vulcain in French, and Hephaestus in Greek mythology) is the god of fire, metal and smithery.

He was the most hard-working and industrious of all those dwelling in Olympus. He worked for the other Gods, providing them with weapons, jewellery and other divine objects, which only he had the skill to produce.

All the works forged for the Gods, such as Poseidon’s trident, Artemis’ and Apollo’s arrows, Achille’s and Ae­neus’ weapons, Hermione’s necklace, Ariadne’s crown and Jupiter’s thunderbolts, can be attributed to him. Vulcan’s symbols are a hammer and anvil.

50S PRESIDENTS’ CLOISONNÉ GRAND FEU “THE VULCAIN”

Limited Edition of 30 pieces

The Case

Case: 5N 18K pink gold

Case-back: sapphire revealing the stylised “V” for Vulcain

Dial: “Grand Feu” cloisonné enamel “The Vulcain”

Diameter: 42.00 mm

Height: 14.60 mm

Glass: domed shape sapphire crystal

Water resistance: 5 ATM

Manufacture Vulcain Self-Winding Cricket Calibre V-20

Movement: 12-lignes mechanical unidirectional self-winding alarm calibre, ceramic ball bearings, 36 jewels, 234 components, double barrel, equipped with Exactomatic system, lift angle 48°

Decoration: rhodium coating, Côtes de Genève motifs,

blued screws

Functions: hour, minute, centre seconds, alarm

Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour

Power reserve: 42 hours

Duration of the alarm: circa 20 seconds

STRAP

Strap: claret Louisiana alligator leather

Dimensions: 22/18 mm

Buckle: 5N 18K pink gold pin buckle 

THE CREATION OF A GRAND FEU CLOISONNÉ ENAMEL DIAL

Amongst the many different types of enamelling, it is the cloisonné technique which produces dials with the greatest precision in the design and colours which are both durable and of exceptional quality.

The difficulty of the cloisonné technique lies in the meticu­lousness and patience required to execute the designs in fine gold wire – scarcely thicker than a hair – which outline the subject and prevent the colours from running. 

Once the guilloché dial has been refinished by hand, the application of these gold outlines, or "cloisons" can start. The craftsman starts to apply these gold wires, respecting the design and illustration provided. After the "cloisons" are bonded in place, the highly delicate process of soldering the wires can commence.

The craftsman then gently applies the enamel to each cell using a goose quill. The enameller then repeats this operation as many times as is necessary to produce colour gradations of the highest possible quality. Next comes the surface finishing step, in which a diamond file is used to smooth the enamel, wires and supporting gold plate to create a level finish.

To achieve the desired quality, a dial such as The Vulcain requires more than three weeks of work from the guilloché to the finish, and at least fifteen firings at about 800 degrees Celsius. Grand Feu enamel is one of the most difficult techniques in the art of watch decoration, creating a finish which is unique, unchanging and highly sophisticated.

Rebels With A Cause.

It is not easy to gather three independent watchmakers together on a road trip. However, The Hour Glass made that possible last week in a series of two events. Max Busser (MB&F), Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk) and Alessandro Zanetta (De Bethune) graced a gala dinner for collectors held at the Grand Hyatt as well as a meeting at L’ Atelier in ION Orchard the following evening.

These three men are called “rebels” for a reason. Like most independents that go against mainstream design ideas, they are driven by their passion to overcome challenges and break rules in order to make their dreams come true.

Luxury watch retailer, The Hour Glass has in many ways participated in that dream by first working together with them in building up their brands and supporting these gentlemen over the years.

An overwhelming turnout of about 200 guests.

The Urwerk, MB&F and De Bethune collection on display. Do drop by L’ Atelier by The Hour Glass (#03-06, ION Orchard) if you need more info.

Left: An interesting mechanical robot clock: Melchior by MB&F

Top right: DB25 Quetzalcoatl by De Bethune

Bottom Right: C3H5N309 by Urwerk  

Welcome speech by Michael Tay (Executive Director, The Hour Glass)

A plenary session was held.

 This was followed by questions from the guests.

One for the album.

Food glorious food.

The gathering of the "tribe" at L’ Atelier in ION Orchard..  

Time for some serious discussions.

The UR-105TA. 

Orange or yellow, what do you think?

De Bethune DBS Tourbillon.

The Limited Edition MB&F, LM101 Frost comes in yellow gold (18 pieces) and pink gold (33 pieces).

It features the first movement developed completely in-house by MB&F. I find the lovely classic bridges very pleasing to the eye. Closer examination also reveals the highly polished bevel edges and countersinks in this beautiful movement.

      

A collector came with watches on both his wrists!

The Rock Stars!

......and the fans.

Thank you Max, Felix, Alessandro and The Hour Glass team for the absolutely gorgeous evenings. See you guys next time!