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A U D E M A R S P I G U E T B O U T I Q U E S S I N G A P O R E : O R C H A R D R O A D L I AT T O W E R S · T H E S H O P P E S AT M A R I N A B AY S A N D S

SEEK BE YO ND

C O D E 11. 5 9
BY AUDEMARS PIGUET
S TA R W H E E L

FINE ART FOR

THE DISCERNING

Ma Dong Min | Blue Horse 30 | 150 × 120cm | Oil On Canvas

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CONTENTS

8

18

Editor’s Letter

20

Objectified

30

Auction

32

The Answers With...

35

The Timepieces Issue

90

Cover Story

AUGUST 2023

Launched in 1993, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore confounded critics and
collectors alike. Thirty years on, the watch is a bona fide horological icon, revered
by aficionados for its unique design and technical prowess. Most importantly, the
enduring legacy of the Royal Oak Offshore demonstrates the triumph of resolute
creativity over criticism and adversity. This month, we celebrate the fantastic feats
of the horological world, including the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak Offshore,
marked by stunning new offerings such as the world’s first Royal Oak Offshore
Selfwinding Chronograph in full black ceramic case and bracelet (above).

“Creation”
Wildlife Photographer
of the Year 2021
Grand Title winner
© Laurent Ballesta

A Fifty Fathoms is for eternity.
Launched in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms is the first
modern diver’s watch. Created by a diver and
chosen by pioneers, it played a vital role in the
development of scuba diving. It is the catalyst
of our commitment to ocean conservation.

CONTENTS

95

Dream Machines
Wheels

96

Genuine Sportsmanship

Wings
98

The Electric Air Revolution

Water
100

Asymmetrical Prowess

Technology
102

Seeing Sounds

105

The Goods
Jewellery

106

A Royal Reception

Style
108

What’s Hot

Grooming

10

110

More Than Skin-deep

112

The Vanity Table

AUGUST 2023

Time
travels the world.

ARC E AU LE TEM PS VOYAG EU R

TIME, A HERMÈS OBJECT.

CONTENTS

115

The Resource
Money

116

Realty Check

Art & Design
122

Stony Brilliance

Savour
124

This Month’s Feed

128

The Buzz on Buzz-free

134

How Sweet

Travel
138

For Your Comfort

142

Robb Reader

146

The Duel

On The Cover
With the Grand Central Tourbillon Flash, Franck Muller again raises the bar aesthetically and mechanically. The tourbillon’s
central placement and the robust and reliable in-house automatic movement with four-day power reserve were conceived with
out-of-the-box creativity and technical ingenuity that have become a signature of the independent watchmaker.
Photography by Franck Muller.

12

AUGUST 2023

EDITORIAL

DIGITAL MARKETING

A LV I N WO N G EDITOR-IN- CHIEF

I L I AS K I M PA E V DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER

(alvin.wong@imv.com.sg)

HANNAH CHOO

SENIOR EDITOR

(h.choo@imv.com.sg)

I N D R A N PA R A M AS I VA M

FE AT URES EDITOR

(i.paramasivam@imv.com.sg)

JAC Q U E L I N E DA N A M
J O E L C H UA

CHIEF S UB-EDITOR

SENIOR WRITER

FINANCE AND IT
A N TO N I O S CA R A M U Z Z I N O
HUI YING SOH

CFO (COUNT ON ME PTE LTD)

ACCOUNT RECEIVABLES

S E I N N K YA I N G

ACCOUNTANT

RO G E R VA L B E RG

HE AD OF IT

( j.chua@imv.com.sg)

N ATA L I E PH UA

PRODUCTION AND PREPRESS

INTERN

A N N A T S I R E L N I KOVA
K AT H RY N TA N

GROUP PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

DAO T H U H A

ART
AS SOCIATE ART DIRECTOR

KENNY NGUYEN

PICT URE EDITOR

MEDIA TR AFFIC AND CLIENT
SERVICES COORDINATOR

N G O T H I H O N G PH U O N G

SENIOR REPROGR APHIC

PREPRES S TECHNICIAN

BUI THI LAN ANH

REPROGR APHIC PREPRES S TECHNICIAN

CONTRIBUTORS

N G U Y E N PH A N A N H

A DA M M O RG A N S T E R N, BAS E M WAS E F,
C H A R M I A N L E O N G, J O S H UA YA P,
M A R K E L LWO O D, M I C H A E L V E R D O N,
P O H K I AT C H E O N G, S H E R I D E B O R C H G R AV E

GR APHIC AS SISTANT

DIGITAL IMAGING

DIGITAL AND CREATIVE PRODUCTION STUDIO
S O M E T H I N G E L S E D I G I TA L S T U D I O

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING
DA N I E L C H A N

PUBLISHER (d.chan@imv.com.sg)

PR & EVENT AND MARKETING CONSULTANT

JAS M I N E KO H

AS SOCIATE SALES DIRECTOR

R.S.V.P. PR & L I F E S T Y L E C O M M U N I CAT I O N S
AG E N CY, S I N G A P O R E

( j.koh@imv.com.sg)

RICHELLE LIM

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR (r.lim@imv.com.sg)

A KS H ATA S H A N B H AG

MARK E TING MANAGER

MANAGEMENT

(a.shanbhag@imv.com.sg)

M I C H A E L VO N S C H L I PPE

T E T YA N A BA B I N A EDITORIAL, SALES & MARK E TING
AS SISTANT AND OFFICE MANAGER

N ATAS H A DA M O DA R A N
A L E KS A N D R T R E F I LOV

PRESIDENT

MANAGING DIRECTOR

CHIEF OPER ATING OFFICER

For sales and marketing enquiries, please call 6225 1236

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14

AUGUST 2023

ROBB REPORT

PENSKE MEDIA CORPORATION (PMC)

LU K E BA H R E N B U RG

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PRESIDENT, ROBB REPORT
AND HE AD OF LUXURY PARTNERSHIPS, PMC

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CHIEF OPER ATING OFFICER

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AD SALES REPRESENTATIVES
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LO N D O N

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MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL BR AND PARTNERSHIPS

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RO B B R E P O R T S I N G A P O R E

RO B B R E P O R T S I N G A P O R E

Robb Report Singapore is published by Media Publishares Pte Ltd, registration number 202016673N, MCI (P) 086/03/2023. Media Publishares has taken every reasonable care to ensure the accuracy
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16

AUGUST 2023

18

AUGUST 2023

also like art, the appreciation of watches demands
patience, discipline, sacrifice, and passion from
creators and collectors alike—and this is where the
value of horology lies.
Despite how things appear, having the means
to acquire beautiful and exquisite watches—or
indeed, any luxury accoutrement—isn’t the absolute
barometer of one’s tastes. What really matters,
as Dufour, his peers, and the many collectors
whom I’ve met over the years have shown, is the
manner in which one values a watch, and connects
emotionally with it.
In this issue, we present the year’s most
outstanding timepieces. We also profile the
watchmaking houses that matter, and speak to the
people who, pardon the pun, make the business of
watchmaking tick.
We hope that somewhere in these pages, you
will find a watch that you will like. Or better yet,
appreciate it with newfound enthusiasm.
Enjoy the issue.

Alvin Wong
Editor-in-Chief

P H OTO G R A P H Y: N I E L S AC K E R M A N N.

EDITOR’S LETTER
Above: Philippe Dufour
is said to have made
just 215 watches
during his career
as an independent
watchmaker, making
the owners of said
watches as rare
as the timepieces
themselves.

PHILIPPE DUFOUR DOESN’T know this, but
I owe him a debt of gratitude. Dufour, who is
now in his 70s, is a highly respected independent
watchmaker, famed for his deceptively monikered
Simplicity series of highly limited and exquisitely
handcrafted watches. Some 20 years ago, during
a visit to his tiny workshop in a sleepy Swiss
town, Dufour flicked the switch for me on what
it means to love and appreciate watches. It was a
serendipitous encounter, setting me on course for
years of financial sustenance writing about the
world of luxury and, to a large extent, watches.
I was a rookie then: into my first year as a hack
for a watch magazine, and feeling like a fraud
as I grappled with the whys and hows of luxury
watchmaking. Like most people, I understood the
draw of expensive watches as status symbols. But
to be truly obsessed? Like how some would spend
fortunes and years pursuing a watch? I simply
didn’t get it.
But in Dufour’s quaint and messy workshop,
speaking with him about the joys and struggles
of his profession, and him showing off his
painstakingly handcrafted watches, I began to
understand why people can get so crazy about
watches. Like art, watches may be bought
frivolously and flaunted superficially. However,

“ O N CE I D R E AM E D TO B ECO M E TH E FA STE ST D R IVE R .
TO DAY, I AM A D R IVE R O F CHAN G E .”
L E WI S H A M I LTO N , 7 TI M E FO R M U L A 1 T M WO R L D C H A M P I O N

IW3894
THE REFERENCE.
TO P G U N CH RO N OG R AP H
Maximum performance and versatility: when it comes to chronographs, we have been setting
ourselves the highest standards for more than four decades. Like with the 69000 caliber family,
which we developed with an uncompromising focus on robustness and durability. Because only
those who keep surpassing themselves can become the reference for others.

Rolex’s colourful new Oyster Perpetual 41 with the Celebration dial
will make an impression on just about everyone.

OBJECTIFIED

Objectified

Bubbling
Over
Rolex dominates the conversation with
each annual reveal and, for 2023, no
model is talked about more than the
Oyster Perpetual Celebration. The
steel watch’s uninhibited exuberance,
beaming from its turquoise dial that
bursts with colourful bubbles, is simply
irresistible and, to many, a surprising
but welcome switch up. Of course,
top-notch chronometric precision,
robustness and performance are
guaranteed, whether it’s the 31mm,
34mm or 41mm version you desire—it
is a Rolex, after all. But really, what you
will be craving is a shot of endorphin
that this watch delivers at all times of
the day.

R O B B R E P O RT

23

Objectified

Luxe ‘N Roll
Fender and Saint Laurent have done it
right. The legendary American maker
of music instruments and amplifiers
and the French luxury fashion authority
have linked arms for a collaborative
collection in the most mutually
affirming way.
No punches are pulled: Fender
presents its best side, the iconic
Stratocaster, an inextricable element
in the ongoing legacy of rock ‘n roll
and blues. The Saint Laurent treatment
comes by way of the guitar’s gleaming
gloss-black urethane cloak on an alder
body. As for the neck, it is fashioned of
maple wood in Fender’s famed 1960s
style and fronted by a flat-laminated
ebony fingerboard and sterling silver
dot inlays. The instrument’s sonic
firepower is delivered by hand-wound
1960s Stratocaster pickups encased in
black lipstick covers.
Also featured in the lineup are the
1965 Deluxe Reverb Fender Amplifier,
decked in black grille cloth and
emblazoned with Yves Saint Laurent
logo detailing, and six custom celluloid
picks cut in the 351 shape, Fender’s
most popular pick style. Collectorrockers, this set is for you.

24

AUGUST 2023

Objectified

Great Strokes
Behold Montblanc’s Meisterstück
writing instruments, christened after
the German word for ‘masterpiece’ for
the most emphatic reasons: superlative
craftsmanship and quality. This year,
the repertoire welcomes the second
iteration of its Around the World in
80 Days collection. Inspired by Jules
Verne’s titular novel, Montblanc is
directly calling out to adventurers
with this lineup, which beams with
influences from its passage through
India, China and Japan.
One of the unquestionable
standouts from this set is the
Meisterstück Around The World in 80
Days Limited Edition 811, a gorgeous
ebony wood-barrelled pen bedecked
with solid gold inlay depicting the five
coins of the Qing dynasty, and topped
with a cap engraved with auspicious
and intricate Indian, Chinese and
Japanese patterns. Amid all that
majestic detail, two design elements
catch the eye: the red lacquered
diamond card suit set in the sterling
silver clip and the 1.5mm ruby that
adorns the centre of the solid gold nib.

R O B B R E P O RT

27

Objectified

Don’t Stop
Dreaming
Before Thomas Edison invented the
lightbulb, before Alexander Graham
Bell made his first phone call and
before Henry Ford mainstreamed
the automobile, Jan Ryde’s greatgrandfather made the first Hästens
bed in 1852. Five generations later,
the brand presents to the world the
crowning glory of its ardour: the Grand
Vividus, the world’s most expensive
bed. Conceived with Ferris Rafauli,
a designer famed for his work in the
ultra-luxury lexicon, this Black Shadow
iteration from is among the world’s
most exclusive bed collection. Each
is the realisation of more than 600
hours of work by master craftsmen
laser-focused on a panorama of
details. Every element, from its 145cm
headboard, to its bedding, made from
the highest quality natural breathable
fibre in the world, to the special
diamond stich pattern that holds the
wool-and-horsetail-hair-stuffed bodycontouring mattress together, is primed
to keep your spine in perfect alignment.
Though priced at approximately
S$527,636, you can’t put a price on the
transformative power of good sleep.
The Grand Vividus is proof.

28

AUGUST 2023

Auction

We keep you up-to-date
on the hottest lots under
the hammer.

Georgette Chen’s
Lychees and Peaches
Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Singapore
for S$2.02 million
Proof of the formidable vibrance of
Southeast Asian art, this painting by
Singaporean modern and Nanyang art
pioneer Georgette Chen was sold to
an in-room bidder for S$2.02 million,
surpassing the estimate in excess
of S$1.2 million. Created between
1940 and 1945, this 65cm x 50cm oil
on canvas work was the top-selling
lot at the recent Sotheby’s Modern
& Contemporary Art auction in
Singapore, eclipsing even a work by
the biggest name on the lineup, JeanMichel Basquiat.

Andy Warhol’s Cow
Bidding commences on 30 August
through Heritage Auctions
in Dallas, Texas
In the temple of pop art, Cow (1976) is
one of the most ubiquitous artefacts.
The series is composed of four screenprinted variants, each boasting a
distinct colour scheme. This signed
and dated lot is the Pink Cow on Purple
Background version and measures
115.6cm x 71.8cm. Urged by the art
dealer Ivan Karp to immortalise cows
because their being “wonderfully
pastoral” made them a “durable image
in the history of the arts”, Andy Warhol
duly obliged.

Gustav Klimt’s
Dame mit Fächer
Auctioned by Sotheby’s in London
for £85.3 million
Make way for this record-setter. In
London, the last portrait to be painted
by Gustav Klimt set a new auction
record for the Austrian painter. The
1917 work also commands the secondhighest price for any portrait, of any
era, sold at auction. The depth and
richness of colour find a direct visual
complement in the level of detail—a mix
of Chinese and Japanese motifs—that
Klimt bestows upon his unnamed muse.
Now, she sits in the collection of Hong
Kong collector Patti Wong.

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AUGUST 2023

W O R D S : I N D R A N P. P H O T O G R A P H Y : E D W I N K O O / S T E P H A N B A U E R / S O T H E B Y ’ S ,
H E R I TA G E A U C T I O N S , C H R I S T I E ’ S , W I N E F I E L D .

OFF
THE
BLOCK

Auction

1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB
California Spyder
Bidding commences on 17 August through
RM Sotheby’s in Monterey, California
Last year, the Monterey sale totalled US$239
million as the largest-grossing car auction of all
time. The 2023 Monterey sale, however, looks
primed to surpass the record. Among its 132 lots
is the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder,
one of the most valuable grails in the sports car
pantheon. Of its many formidable specifications,
a few are especially notable. It’s one of two
examples fitted with a Tipo 128 F engine, the
second of 56 short-wheelbase examples built
and one of 18 built with uncovered headlamps. As
documented by the Ferrari Classiche Red Book
system of authentication, it retains its matchingnumbers engine, gearbox and rear axle.

Antonio Canova’s
Bust of Helen

SG41 Fine & Rare
Wines - Part I

Auctioned by Christie’s in London
for £3.5 million

Bidding commences on 13 August
through Winefield’s in Singapore

The face that launched a thousand
ships enters the market for the first
time. Created between 1816 and 1817,
Helen is a high water mark in both
the sculptural form and in the canvas
of marble. The 50.2cm x 62.2cm bust
beams with a brilliantly intricate
aesthetic appeal that has come to
define its maker, Antonio Canova,
as one of the greatest European
proponents of marble carving. In his
Helen, both history and timelessness
are memorialised.

Dutch auction house Winefield’s puts
Bordeaux and Burgundy on a pedestal
at this upcoming fine and rare wine
sale. From the Bordeaux spectrum,
high-end labels such as Petrus, Lafite
Rothschild, Mouton Rothschild,
Haut-Brion and Château Margaux
will feature, while famed Burgundy
producers such as Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti and Domaine Leroy
will represent their region.

John Lennon’s Worn and
Owned Authentic Long-sleeved
Red Paisley Shirt
Bidding commences on 4 August through
Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas
There are two names associated with
the story of this shirt, one known, the
other not as much. The latter is Irwin
Pate, and it’s from his collection that
this red paisley shirt (measuring 56cm,
armpit to armpit, and 60 cm, shoulder to
wrist), owned and worn by John Lennon,
hails. Pate was a music promoter who
played a pivotal role in the careers of a
slew of legends, including James Brown.
According to a letter of provenance,
Lennon gifted Pate this shirt after a
conversation they had in Greenwich
Village in the 1970s.

R O B B R E P O RT

31

THE AN S WERS WITH . . .

CARSON
CHAN
Known globally to watch enthusiasts as
Watch Professor, this champion of knowledgebased horological appreciation dispenses
insights on his lifelong passion.
Words: Alvin Wong
Photography: Kauzrambler

GREGARIOUS, IMPECCABLY SUITED and always ready to
offer an opinion about watches and watch collecting, Carson
Chan, also known as Watch Professor on social media, is a
walking horological encyclopaedia with fans the world over.
With a career spanning over two decades in the watch trade,
Chan’s eyebrow-raising epithet is hard-earned. He has led
the watch departments at the auction houses of Bonhams
and Christie’s; helped establish then-unknown independent
brand Richard Mille’s presence in Asia; and helmed the Asian
chapter of Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, a Swiss-based,
industry-centric, not-for-profit organisation that promotes
and certifies watchmaking culture and knowledge.
With his broad-based experience and multifaceted
perspectives, Chan is now sought after by leading luxury
watch brands seeking to hone their internal best practices
with his insights. His true passion, however, lies in horological
education. Chan recently set up WatchProfessorAcademy,
an online watch resource designed to supercharge one’s
knowledge and appreciation of watches. The site is loaded
with information about various brands, designers, reviews
and technical insights. There are daily quizzes for members
to test their knowledge and, in time to come, courses for
higher-level enthusiasts. “True watch appreciation stems
from a deep understanding of the subject matter. The best
investment anyone can have in any watch is to first invest in
its knowledge,” he explains.
How do you define time?
Time is the intangible force that creates a level playing
field for every individual, offering equal opportunities.
It is the essence of life itself, simultaneously uniting and
distinguishing us.
What are three things that you would always look for in
a watch?
Firstly, I value its heritage and the brand’s narrative or, if it’s
a new brand, its backstory. Secondly, the watch’s style and
how well it resonates with my personal taste. Lastly, and
most significantly, I consider how it complements my existing
collection, whether it adds unique value and not redundancy.
Tell us about the first time you felt moved by horology.
I had relocated to Asia after leaving my automotive passion in
California. I took an online course on watchmaking and once
I dove deep into understanding the mechanism, I realised
horology is the miniature version of automotive engineering.
I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
When was the last time you felt truly inspired?
While many people find inspiration in success stories such as
Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, I find inspiration in failure. I recall
a time when I found myself trapped in a job with two difficult
bosses. Surprisingly, they became sources of inspiration for
me. Their negative influence taught me invaluable lessons on
how not to lead when I eventually became a boss myself. I
found enduring positivity in the most adverse circumstances,
shaping my values and perspective. I don’t harbour negativity
towards them; instead, I am grateful for the transformative
experiences they provided.

32

AUGUST 2023

The Answers With...

What advice on watch collecting would you give to your
younger self?
I would advise my younger self to prioritise quality over
quantity. In my youth, I was eager to explore numerous
new watches. Looking back, I realise the wisdom of taking
a slower and more thoughtful approach, carefully selecting
timepieces that truly resonate.
What is the biggest non-horological lesson that you’ve
learnt as a watch collector?
The most significant lesson I’ve learnt through watch
collecting is the importance of people. Watch collecting is
more than the timepieces; it is about the connections forged
and the shared experiences with fellow enthusiasts. It is the
joy of sharing knowledge, stories and a common passion.
Two of Carson Chan’s
favourite things:
listening to music by
John Williams (above)
and the Alba digital
watch (left) that was a
gift from his late father.

What is your most treasured watch?
Among my collection, the most treasured watch is the Alba
digital watch my father bought for me when I was 13. Though
it no longer functions, it holds immense sentimental value.
This year, my father passed away, making it an even more
poignant and significant piece within my collection.
What talent would you like most to have?
Multilingual skills. I don’t mean two or three languages, I
mean eight or nine!
What piece of music did you last listen to?
I was listening to a John Williams album. Music serves as a
vivid stroll down memory lane for me, transporting my mind
to specific moments in time. Music intertwined with cinema
acts as a powerful time machine, allowing me to relive
emotions and sensations from the past.
If you could relive a moment from the past, what would
it be?
In 1993, I entered a non-professional race with the Porsche
Owners Club in California for their inaugural Endurance
Race. I was 24 years old, I had a limited budget but with a lot
of help from friends, I was able to put together a team of 24
people. My co-driver and I trained the team to do pit stops
and planned the whole race (six hours through the night). It
went flawlessly and we won the class (GTC).
What have you done recently for the first time?
Cooked a chicken.
If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?
I would love to master the art of mixology, becoming an
expert in crafting exquisite and imaginative cocktails.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Perfect happiness, to me, is to be surrounded by numerous
friends and an abundance of love. It exists in an environment
free from negativity, where excellent health prevails and one
can peacefully pass away in their sleep.
What does success look like to you?
Love and respect from everyone you know.

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AUGUST 2023

“There’s something one should expect not only of a watch,
but also of oneself: to never stand still.”
- Walter Lange, great-grandson of A. Lange & Söhne’s founder

P H OTO G R A P H Y: A . L A N G E & S Ö H N E .

The
Timepieces
Issue

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

From commemorative complications and sublime red carpet accompaniments, to wild
and innovative sports offerings, here are 20 of our favourite releases of 2023.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : U N S P L A S H , A U D E M A R S P I G U E T.

Words: Alvin Wong

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AUGUST 2023

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

AUDEMARS PIGUET
Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds
Chronograph GMT Large Date

Although it is tempting to do so, the legacy of Audemars
Piguet’s Royal Oak collection cannot be simply measured
by the watches’ red-hot demand or the prices they
command on the secondary markets. There is also the
vital matter of Royal Oak setting the blueprint for the
modern luxury sport watch when it debuted in 1972. This
penchant for rule-breaking remains key to Royal Oak’s
enduring relevance and evolution.
The Royal Oak Concept collection, introduced almost
two decades ago as an experimental series to test new
technologies and design, is testament to this spirit.

This year’s Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date
continues the line’s tradition of introducing technically
advanced features with Royal Oak’s signature octagonal
silhouette as a canvas. The openworked dial showcases
the combination of impressive features as advertised in
its name. The 43mm titanium watch not only allows you
to measure two interval timings continuously, it is also a
handy travel companion, displaying the home and away
times at a single glance. Most importantly, as Royal Oak
Concept watches do, it offers an insight into Audemars
Piguet’s future developments.

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PATEK PHILIPPE

With its evocative multi-time zone complication
and ability to lend itself to artful expressions,
Patek Philippe’s world time watch is often chosen
as a commemorative timepiece to mark milestones
and events. For the brand’s Grand Exhibition Tokyo
2023, which took place in June, Ref. 5531R-014 was
among six exclusive watches that were launched to
commemorate the showcase.
This model is anchored by a Grand Feu cloisonne
enamel dial centre that depicts the historic Chuo
district in central Tokyo. A traditional decorative
technique, cloisonne enamel requires the craftsman
to mark out the patterns on the dial using a thin
gold wire. Following which, translucent, opaque and
opalescent enamel in a variety of colours are applied
to the crevices and fired up at a high temperature
to achieve the appropriate colours. Limited to 15
pieces, the watch comes in a 40.2mm rose gold
case, and interchangeable casebacks in rose gold
and sapphire crystal inscribed with the words
‘Patek Philippe Tokyo’.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y : J E A N - D A N I E L M E Y E R / P AT E K P H I L I P P E ,
A L E X T E U S C H E R /C H O PA R D, F E R D I N A N D B E RT H O U D.

Ref. 5531R-014

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

CHOPARD
L.U.C 1860

Refined, sensibly sized and steeped in
Chopard’s history, L.U.C 1860 harks back
to the brand’s first intentional foray into
horological self-sufficiency. The original
L.U.C 1860 from 1997 was the first Chopard
watch to feature a movement that was
developed and made entirely in-house. Clad
in a 36.5mm Lucent steel case (Chopard’s
proprietary steel alloy made from 80 per cent
recycled steel) with solid-gold guilloche dial,
this homage edition is powered by an evolved
version of the epochal automatic movement.

FERDINAND BERTHOUD
Chronomètre FB 2T Final Edition

This is a fitting swan song for
one of the most exciting inhouse movements developed
by an independent brand in
recent memory. Eight years on,
there is still nothing like the
Ferdinand Berthoud calibre
FB-T.FC, a tourbillon movement
that combines 18th-century
watchmaking ethos with
innovative and modern technical
solutions, capped by exquisite
hand finishing. The movement’s
limited production will end with
this run of 38 watches, which
allows owners to customise their
preferred case material, dial
colour and finishing.

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RICHARD MILLE
RM 66 Flying Tourbillon

ROGER DUBUIS
Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph

The RM 66 Flying Tourbillon has rock
and roll rebellion written all over it. A
sculptural skeleton hand in red gold,
depicted showing the ‘devil horns’
hand gesture on both front and back, is
easily the watch’s most riveting feature.
But there is mechanical finesse that
accompanies the watch’s theatrical
brashness, too. Housed within the ultratough but light titanium and carbon case
is an intricately crafted movement with
a complex flying tourbillon mechanism
at 12 o’clock that promises top-notch
performance and precision.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y : R O G E R D U B U I S , R I C H A R D M I L L E , B R E G U E T.

Roger Dubuis calls its watchmaking philosophy hyper
horology and it is easy to easy why. Everything about
the Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph screams
all-out ostentation, from its fiery red-and-gold
armour, to its testosterone-charged chronograph
display. Yet, look past the watch’s visual pyrotechnics
and one finds an incredibly innovative machine,
comprising a cylindrical winding rotor (instead of a
flat one) and a tourbillon that spins on an inclined
axis instead of a flat plane.

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

BREGUET
Type 20 Chronographe 2057

It is no secret that Breguet is best known for its classically
inclined dress watches and technically elevated
complications. Its Type 20 collection of pilot’s watches,
however, has carved a special niche among fans, with lineage
that stretches to the 1950s when the brand began making
military-grade watches for the French Air Force.
Launched to much fanfare in June, the Type 20
Chronographe 2057 is billed as a watch to re-establish
Breguet as a leader in the field of aviation watches. The
42mm watch harks back to the first models that Breguet
supplied to the military unit, paying homage to the original
with nostalgic designs such as a pear-shaped crown and twin
chronograph counters. However, the watch is not just a copy
of the past—it is fitted with a brand new in-house flyback
chronograph movement that boasts top-notch performance,
which took four years to develop.

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BLANCPAIN

If you consider yourself a fan of dive watches, it is of
utmost imperative that you own—or at least, are making
plans to own—a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. Launched
in 1953, Fifty Fathoms was the world’s first bona fide
modern dive watch, practically writing the rule book for
all other underwater tool watches that followed.
For the watch’s 70th anniversary this year, Blancpain
is releasing a trio of commemorative models. While only
two have been launched to date, we are sold on the

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Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa. Taking underwater
capabilities to the extreme, the gargantuan 47mm watch
can record dive times of up to three hours compared to
the usual 60 minutes.
It has even been tested by Marc Hayek, Blancpain’s
CEO who is an avid scuba diver, as well as Laurent
Bellesta, a renowned marine activist and founder of the
Gombessa project, which is dedicated to the study of
hammerhead sharks.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: B L A N C PA I N , J VA S T U D I O S / H E R M È S , H . M O S E R & C I E .

Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2: Tech Gombessa

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

HERMÈS
H08 Chronographe

When it debuted two years ago, the
H08 added freshness and dynamism
to Hermès’s horological repertoire. The
elements that made the H08 a success—
its cushion-shaped case, beautifully
designed markers and seamless
proportions—continue to entice on this
year’s H08 Chronographe. With the
addition of a monopusher chronograph,
the watch, which is encased in a
lightweight carbon fibre and graphene
case, is now endowed with mechanical
muscle to match its chic athleticism.

H. MOSER & CIE.
Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater
Tourbillon SHH Edition

Boutique-edition watches are all the rage
these days and H. Moser & Cie. knocks
it out of the park with this collaborative
effort with Sincere Fine Watches. The
Endeavour Concept Minute Repeater
Tourbillon SHH Edition in titanium case
with turquoise dial (SHH being Sincere’s
retail arm for luxury independent
marques) is a subtle beauty. Limited
to three pieces, the watch’s chiming
feature is dramatically displayed via a
partially openworked dial, and especially
captivating when the hammers and gongs
are called to action.

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BVLGARI
Divas’ Dream Mosaica

While Bulgari’s ultra-slim technical watches
for men have been garnering acclaim of late,
the Italian marque’s jewellery timepieces,
too, continue to dazzle with characteristic
glamour. A highlight for the year is Divas’
Dream Mosaica. Brimming with colour and
brilliance, the watch’s 37mm white gold
case and bracelet are carpeted with white
diamonds and blue sapphires totalling almost
11 carats, set in fan-shaped motifs that were
inspired by the patterned mosaic floors of the
Baths of Caracalla, an ancient Roman public
bath complex that dates back to 216 AD.

CARTIER

Cartier’s skeleton watches just look
different. This Santos-Dumont model
follows the brand’s signature method of
hollowing and shaping the movement,
such that the plates and bridges double
up as hour indicators. This creation is
extra whimsical, featuring a micro-rotor
crafted in the likeness of Demoiselle,
an early aircraft designed by Brazilian
aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont
in 1907.

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P H OTO G R A P H Y: B U LG A R I, C A RT I E R , M O N T B L A N C.

Santos-Dumont Skeleton Watch

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

MONTBLANC
Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher Chronograph

Ever since Montblanc co-opted the
Minerva Manufacture, a 165-yearold specialist movement making
company, into its operations in 2007,
the former has been leveraging on
Minerva’s centuries-old expertise to
create some truly inspired watches.
The accurately monikered
Unveiled Secret Minerva Monopusher
Chronograph, which is limited to
88 pieces, lives up to its promise
of transparency and mystique. The
watch’s innerworkings are laid bare
with a skeletonised display—with
its main components flipped to
the front—for us to admire. While
the openworked aesthetic and
traditional single-pusher chronograph
complication appear almost
antiquated, its 43mm steel case,
which has undergone a distressed
treatment, exudes a sense of
robustness and machismo.

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FRANCK MULLER

The tourbillon, recognised by rotating components that
counter the effects of gravity, was invented by AbrahamLouis Breguet in 1801 as a means to prevent pocket watches
veering out of time. Centuries on, Franck Muller’s Grand
Central Tourbillon Flash takes the timekeeper out of
waistcoats and onto the dance floor.
Here, the tourbillon is put on the pedestal. It whirls
theatrically in the middle of the dial, framed by ultraluminescent markers in neon blue, green, yellow or orange.
In fact, the watch’s carbon and titanium case has been
redesigned to show off the complication, with an extended
curved sapphire crystal that acts as a full-length window of
sorts. Set against a jet-black micro-blasted brass dial, this
watch appears primed for boisterous parties.

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AUGUST 2023

P H OTO G R A P H Y: F R A N C K M U L L E R , I W C, O M EG A .

Grand Central Tourbillon Flash CX36

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN
Ingenieur Automatic 40

OMEGA
Speedmaster Super Racing

A certified hit at Watches and Wonders 2023, IWC’s
revitalised Ingenieur collection promptly encouraged
global demand. The new models’ return to Ingenieur’s
roots—it premiered in the 1950s and was cemented as a
no nonsense, anti-magnetic tool in the 1970s—is much
welcomed. The new watches’ back-to-basics time-anddate-only display, coupled with a cool and retro design,
make them really easy to like—though IWC also elevates
the watches with refined finishing and subtle decorative
touches on the dial.

Omega is truly relentless about making the world’s
most mechanically precise watches. Eight years after
it introduced the world’s first Master Chronometer
watch, certified by Switzerland’s federal institute
of metrology to be precise to 0/+5 seconds per day,
Omega follows the feat with Speedmaster Super
Racing. This new watch promises unprecedented
accuracy of 0/+2 seconds a day. Beneath its fun,
rally-inspired cloak is an innovative movement that’s
amped with a proprietary new timing regulation
system called Spirate, which Omega hails as one of
its most important technological developments yet.

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GRAND SEIKO
SBGW295 110th Anniversary Limited Edition

P H O T O G R A P H Y : Y O S H I M I T S U TA K A N O / S E I K O , TA G H E U E R .

It is rather fitting, in the wake of Grand Seiko’s global expansion
plans culminating with its latest outpost in Singapore for the
Asia-Pacific region, that we are treated to this loving recreation
of the brand’s—and Japan’s—first wristwatch from 1960.
Capped at 500 pieces, this time-only dress watch in titanium
is aesthetically faithful to the original. The watch flaunts
new decorative features created using traditional Japanese
decorative techniques. The dial, for instance, is created by a
traditional Japanese lacquering technique that uses homemade
urushi lacquer. Elsewhere, the embossed shapes and lines on
the gold Grand Seiko logo and hour markers are made using
another traditional technique called maki-e—the delicate and
fastidious sprinkling of gold powder on the lacquer surface. Even
the additional strap brims with artisanal allure. Woven of calf
leather and fabric, it is made using a technique called yoroiori,
that was employed in the making of samurai armour.

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THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

TAG HEUER
Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon

The TAG Heuer Carrera collection
runs the gamut from no-nonsense
chronographs to a fantastical
complication cloaked in labgrown diamonds. The new Carrera
Chronograph Tourbillon, however,
tugs at our hearts in a special way.
Reverting to a ‘glassbox’ design
from the 1970s, it features a domed
sapphire crystal case, complemented
by a similarly curved tachymeter
scale, dial flange and hour markers.
The new look isn’t just sexy, but
charmingly retro, too. Powered by TAG
Heuer’s chronometer-certified, inhouse automatic tourbillon movement,
the watch’s throwback allure and
race-inspired spirit is bolstered with a
touch of technical refinement.

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HUBLOT

There used to be a time when one would determine if
a watch was one of quality by how heavy it was. Well,
technological advances have turned this notion on its
head. For some modern watches, like Hublot’s Big Bang
Integrated Tourbillon Full Carbon, the opposite is true.
Weighing a mere 68g, the watch is testament to
Hublot’s progressive spirit—and huge investments
in R&D—to construct a timepiece that is ultra-light,

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yet super robust and technically sophisticated. Its
skeletonised movement flaunts a tourbillon, powered by
an engine that stores up to three days of power reserve.
The watch’s cutting-edge construction features a case
and bracelet made of lightweight carbon fibre and
sheathed in texalium (a combination of aluminium and
fibre glass) to ensure optimum toughness while weighing
next to nothing on the wrist.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : H U B L O T, A . L A N G E & S O H N E .

Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Full Carbon

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

A. LANGE & SÖHNE
Odysseus Chronograph

A horological comeback story for the ages, Odysseus
premiered in 2019 to howls of disapproval from A. Lange
& Söhne purists, only to emerge mere months later as
a bestseller. Today, the collection’s then-unfamiliar
aesthetic bearing large windows for the day and date
displays, set against a sporty silhouette, is a huge draw
on the Odysseus Chronograph.
Given that the chronograph is regarded as a sportsinspired feature—its stopwatch-like function is used
to measure elapsed timing—it is almost expected
that Odysseus’s dynamic design will welcome this
complication into its repertoire sooner rather than later.
That the watch is equipped with A. Lange & Söhne’s first
automatic chronograph movement is bound to incite even
greater interest. Waiting lists for Odysseus’s first three
models in steel, white gold and titanium, have become
the stuff of legend. Capped at 100 pieces, it is safe to
assume the same for the Odysseus Chronograph.

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Once More,
With Feeling
Completed just as the world entered an unprecedented lockdown over two
years ago, Patek Philippe’s CHF600 million production facility in the outskirts
of Geneva finally opens its doors to select collectors and partners.
Words: Alvin Wong

Opposites Attract
Walking along the wide corridors that seem to
stretch forever, one cannot help but be struck by
the delicious contradictions that the building
and its inhabitants offer. Within the factory is a
confluence of man and machine, tradition and
innovation, and things big and small.

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This and facing pages:
the first work groups
moved into the new
PP6 production
building in 2019.

The building is huge. PP6 comprises 10
floors, including four basement levels, covering
over 133,000sqm. This enormous structure is
committed to manufacturing tiny components
that are machined with micron-level precision.
“Thierry never compromises on the thinness of
the watch. At the start of creating every new watch,
the early versions are always too thick for him,”
says the brand’s head of watch development, Philip
Barat, at an earlier interview. And so, as the guide
leads me through PP6, documenting the journey
of Patek Philippe’s watches from conception to
delivery, there is a constant reminder that I am
experiencing scale at its extremes.
In a room thick with the smell of oil and
lubricant, are gigantic precision-cutting machines
that can make any watch part imaginable. The
guide puts a component the size of an ant on my
palm. I hold my breath, in case I accidentally blow
the speck of metal off my hand.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : P AT E K P H I L I P P E .

PATEK PHILIPPE CALLS it PP6, the brand’s
sixth production wing at Plan-les-Ouates in the
Genevan suburbs; a watchmaking plant that will
birth all your Calatravas, Nautiluses, Aquanauts,
Gonodolos and Twenty~4s for foreseeable decades
to come. A creative hub, inner sanctum and
manufacturing monolith rolled into one, PP6 took
five years to construct and cost almost CHF600
million—and it is bigger and better than any
facility that Patek Philippe has built.
PP6 needed to be massive, too. Especially when
the 184-year-old company has outgrown itself
several times over. Patek Philippe has come a long
way from the 19th century, when its watchmakers
made timepieces at the top floor of its historic
building on rue du Rhône, along Lake Geneva,
which is now an iconic landmark that houses
its flagship salon. And also, from the facilities it
constructed in 1964 and 1996, which quickly filled
to capacity.
Though PP6 officially opened in 2020, it
remained a mystery to people outside Patek
Philippe, no thanks to a pandemic that shuttered
global borders. Almost three years on, however,
Robb Report Singapore finally had a chance to
tour the facility. It was as much a peek into the
inner workings of Patek Philippe as it was a view
to the foresight of Thierry Stern, the company’s
president, and his father and predecessor, Philip,
who in the 1990s had already envisioned a futureproof manufacture that would house Patek
Philippe’s production departments and ateliers
under one roof.

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Within the factory is a
confluence of man and
machine, tradition and
innovation, and things
big and small.

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Elsewhere in the building, in spacious
rooms that are flooded with natural light, I see
watchmakers hunched over their workbenches,
assembling components and transforming
them into precious and highly coveted works of
mechanical art.
Built To Last
Patek Philippe says PP6 looks like “a huge ocean
liner with clearly defined forms”. On the inside,
the building, certainly runs with the organisation
and efficiency of a super boat.
The first three floors comprise departments that
are responsible for the machining and finishing of
movement parts, the assembly of exterior parts
and gem-setting, and the restoration team. Up
one level, one finds Patek Philippe’s research
and development as well as haute horlogerie
departments. And yet another floor up, artisans
apply rare handcrafting skills such engraving,
enamelling and wood micro-marquetry on highly
exclusive creations.
It is true that the production process in an
establishment such as Patek Philippe is welldefined—almost formulaic, even. Make watch
parts. Finish and decorate said parts. Assemble
them. Encase and test the watches. Deliver watches
to customers. However, like the appreciation
of horology itself, it is the details that set the
company’s methods apart.
Patek Philippe’s watch production process
is rigorous. Yet, it also strives to be inspired and
creative. In the rooms where the watch parts
are machined, there is clockwork relentlessness:
cutting, cleaning, polishing and checking of

A visit to PP6 not only offers
an insight to the enormity of
tasks that motivated Stern to
plan for a facility that brings
together all the company’s
operations since 2009, it is also
a glimpse into the scrupulous
labour that goes into making
every Patek Philippe watch.
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THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

This and facing
pages: a flagship
of impressive
size for the creation,
development and
production of
Patek Philippe
watches, PP6
houses such diverse
workshops as
bracelet-making,
rare handcrafts and
gem-setting.

thousands of components. And doing it over and
over again. At a station where bracelets are made,
I am told that the distinctive links of a Nautilus
bracelet require 55 steps to construct, craft and
put together. Towards the end of the tour, an
enamellist demonstrates her artisanship and
dexterity with the cloisonne enamelling technique,
using thin gold wires to form intricate patterns
and applying coloured enamel to the crevices—a
skill that took her years to master.
Indeed, a visit to PP6 not only offers an insight to
the enormity of tasks that motivated Stern to plan
for a facility that brings together all the company’s
operations since 2009, it is also a glimpse into the
scrupulous labour that goes into making every
Patek Philippe watch.
When the facility opened three years ago,
Patek Philippe was making about 62,000 watches
a year. The figure hasn’t changed much. Stern
himself has taken care to express—many times in
various interviews—that customers should not be
expecting more watches to be rolled out. Not even
with the opening of PP6. Instead, Patek Philippe’s
objective was to ensure that the standard of its
watches and resources are upheld “to cope with
the expanding challenges of the present and the
future”. Longevity and quality, not quantity, lie at
the heart of PP6’s mission.

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A Legacy Of Audacity
Audemars Piguet celebrates 30 years of the Royal Oak Offshore. Here’s everything you
need to know about its anniversary models and the collection’s climb to icon status.

IMAGINE REDESIGNING A watchmaking icon
that has enjoyed two decades of unparalleled
success, born from the brilliant mind of a visionary
watchmaker. Now picture your creation being not
only widely panned by the horological community
but also labelled a “sea elephant” by the very
designer you sought to honour.
It couldn’t have been much fun being Emmanuel
Gueit. The Genevan designer had been tasked with
tweaking Audemars Piguet’s unassailable Royal
Oak for a younger, trendier audience. In 1993, Gueit
delivered the Royal Oak Offshore on the occasion
of the 20th anniversary of its famous older sibling.
The reception was divided and among his harshest
critics was a bemused Gérald Genta, the man who
designed the original Royal Oak. At 42mm, the
thick and beefy Royal Oak Offshore Ref. 25721 was
thought by naysayers to be too large (for its time)
and too expensive (being double the price of the
steel Royal Oak Ref. 14790).
But Steve Urquhart, then Audemars Piguet’s
co-CEO, was unwavering in his belief in the Royal
Oak Offshore. He felt that his German distributor,
Dierk Wettengel, was on to something when
the latter requested back in 1989 a new offshore
yacht racing-inspired watch that would capture
the spirit of the coming decade. Urquhart even
registered the name ‘Offshore’ before Gueit made
his first sketch.
With the benefit of hindsight, we now can
see how the Royal Oak Offshore was always
destined to be a heavy hitter. The qualities that
critics thought would condemn the watch to an
early demise—its hulking dimensions, excessive
athleticism and domineering presence—are the
same ones that have established the Royal Oak
Offshore as a modern horological icon.
A Sporting Powerhouse
Three years after its launch, the Royal Oak
Offshore welcomed six more models, including two
30mm versions for women, officially establishing
itself as a core collection for Audemars Piguet.
Even with the addition of a perpetual calendar
complication and a gem-set edition after that, the
Royal Oak Offshore never lost its robust, sailing

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soul. The watchmaker had been sponsoring sailing
teams and races for decades, such as the Audemars
Piguet Trophy yacht race between Monaco and
Saint-Tropez. The 2000s saw the release of
commemorative Royal Oak Offshore models that
celebrated the wins of Swiss sailing team Alinghi
at the prestigious America’s Cup.
As the watch’s popularity and prevalence grew,
so did its reach. The collection began featuring
in exclusive partnerships in the motoring space
with the likes of Juan Pablo Montoya and Michael
Schumacher. In 2005, a diving watch line called
the Royal Oak Offshore Scuba was launched (and
later renamed the Royal Oak Offshore Diver).
For the collection’s 20th anniversary, Audemars
Piguet enlisted basketball superstar LeBron James
for a 600-piece gem-set reference that combined
titanium, pink gold and black ceramic.
The Royal Oak Offshore’s audacious nature also
drew to it trailblazers from other worlds. A number
of exclusive models were made in collaboration
with celebrities. Terminator-turned-governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger had his own line of Royal
Oak Offshore models. So did Grammy awardwinning rapper Jay-Z, who celebrated the 10th

P H O T O G R A P H Y : D E N I S H AY O U N /A U D E M A R S P I G U E T.

Words: Charmian Leong

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

anniversary of his musical career with a limitededition platinum timepiece, accompanied by an
iPod filled with his discography.
Now, 30 years and over 230 iterations later,
the Royal Oak Offshore shows that it is far from
slowing down as it welcomes four anniversary
models. There is a monochromatic Royal Oak
Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 42mm with
a case and bracelet in full black ceramic—a first
for the collection—which pays tribute to the first
1993 model by retaining the original dimensions.
A more glamorous two-toned version in a 43mm
black ceramic with yellow gold accents features
a different dial layout and a black alligator strap
with contrast stitching.
The third model comes in a 43mm ceramic
case with yellow details—a nod to one of the
Schwarzenegger pieces from 1999, the End of
Days (ref. 25770SN). Last but not least, the Royal
Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon
Chronograph embodies the evolution of the
collection with its combination of muscular design
and technical sophistication. All but the 42mm
fully black ceramic model have interchangeable
straps and come with an additional black rubber
one. The End of Days tribute and the Flying
Tourbillon Chronograph are also limited editions,
available in only 500 and 100 pieces, respectively.
Certainly, the Royal Oak Offshore has evolved
from mere sibling status to a powerhouse of
inspiration, pushing boundaries and forging
new horological frontiers. It stands proudly as a
testament to its own ingenuity, and even serves
as a platform where ideas thrive, innovations
flourish and creative alliances are born. Not bad
for a watch that had been roundly derided when it
was launched.

Above: the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding
Chronograph in black ceramic case and bracelet, and
the 2023 model that pays tribute to the End of Days
Royal Oak Offshore (facing page) that was co-designed
with Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1999.
Right: the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Flying
Tourbillon Chronograph is a 43mm technical behemoth
with a hand-finished ceramic case and an anodised
green inner bezel.

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What’s Your Type?
Two new historically inspired, technically advanced Type XX flyback chronographs
reaffirm Breguet’s aviation heritage.
Words: Alvin Wong

Breguet’s factory manager. Brown maintained
close ties with Louis Charles and, throughout the
First and Second World Wars, Breguet made and
supplied wristwatches and dashboard clocks to
Breguet Aviation.

Taking Off Again
Several decades on, Breguet continues the
historical narrative with the new Type 20
Chronographe 2057 and Type XX Chronographe
2067. “We want to reiterate our legitimacy in the field (of
pilot’s watches). There are so many possibilities as to which
vintage Type XX models to take inspiration from for the
new models. In the end, we decided to stick to the origins
by introducing a military- and a civilian-style model,” says
Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet.
The military-inspired Type 20 Chronographe 2057 harks
back to the first 1,110 pieces of Type 20 chronographs that
Breguet supplied to the French Air Force between 1955 and
1959. Echoes of the original models, such as the fluted bezel,
pear-shaped crown and two counters in different sizes
permeate the new model. Against the black dial, the mintgreen hands and markers stand out beautifully, showing off
their luminescence even in daylight.

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AUGUST 2023

P H O T O G R A P H Y : B R E G U E T.

WHISKING MEMBERS OF the global press to Paris to unveil
its new Type XX pilot’s watches, Breguet spared no effort to
remind us of its intimate links with the world of aviation.
Leading to the unveiling of the Type 20 Chronographe 2057
and Type XX Chronographe 2067—a duo billed as the next
generation of the Type XX collection—the brand conducted
a not-too-subtle museum tour to reiterate its contributions to
aeronautical history.
And so, at the cavernous Paris Air and Space Museum to the
north of the city, we learnt that Breguet didn’t simply make
groundbreaking watches; its name was equally intertwined
with French aviation. This is thanks in large part to Louis
Charles Breguet, the great-great-grandson of Abraham-Louis
Breguet, the brand’s legendary eponymous watchmaker. A
bona fide aviation pioneer, Louis Charles left the
family business and founded a French aircraft
manufacturing company, Société des Ateliers
Above: Dassault Aviation
d’Aviation Louis Breguet (Breguet Aviation) in
bought Breguet Aviation
in 1971.
1911. (The company was sold to Dassault Aviation
in 1971.)
Below:
the Chronographe
Meanwhile, Breguet, the watchmaking
Breguet No. 7211 Type
company, continued to evolve with the times.
20 Militaire from the
1950s served as the
From 1870 to 1969, it was owned by Edward
inspiration for the Type
20 Chronographe 2057.
Brown, a British watchmaker who had served as

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

The Type XX Chronographe
2067 (left) and Type
20 Chronographe 2057
(right) pay homage to the
first civilian and military
issues of Breguet’s pilot’s
watches, respectively.

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“The new Type XX watches may
evoke what came before, but they
are not mere copies of the past.”

The Type 20 Chronographe
2057 (left) and Type XX
Chronographe 2067 (right)
are powered by new inhouse automatic flyback
chronograph movements
with column wheel control
and 60-hour power reserve.

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AUGUST 2023

Although just as retro-looking, the Type XX
Chronographe 2067 references a different facet of the
collection. Distinguished by beige markers and hands, a
fluted bidirectional bezel with graduated markers, and threecounter interface, this version pays homage to the civilian
issues of the Type XX launched in the 1950s and 1960s.
As modern flagbearers of a 70-year-old collection, the Type
20 Chronographe 2057 and Type XX Chronographe 2067 are
fittingly powered by new automatic engines. Calibres 728 and
7281, for the civilian and military versions, respectively, took
four years to develop.
Marca explains that movements are designed to be
technically sophisticated and robust, and they live up to the
promise. Both calibres are fitted with silicon components
that are highly resistant to wear and tear, and a new system
for their chronograph flyback function (a feature akin to the
instant restart of a stopwatch) that is more hardy and precise.
To top things off, the movements are equipped with 60 hours
of power reserve.
“We want you to have a sense of wearing a piece of history
on the wrist with a Breguet watch. But even so, history
continues because we are making history every day,” says
Marca. “The new Type XX watches may evoke what came
before, but they are not mere copies of the past.”

Back To
The Future
A watch that traverses the past and future,
A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk combines a
digital face with a mechanical heart.
Words: Alvin Wong

THE WATCHMAKING BUSINESS isn’t one that is
synonymous with risk taking, but there was a sense
that A. Lange & Söhne was taking a huge gamble when
it launched the futuristic-looking Zeitwerk in 2009.
Though A. Lange & Söhne was founded in 1845, it was
relaunched in 1994 and the company had spent the past
15 years building up a reputation among aficionados as a
classically rooted marque.
Suffice to say, eyebrows were raised when A. Lange &
Söhne pulled the curtain on the first Zeitwerk model in
Geneva all those years ago. Collectors were faced with a
huge, hand-wound watch that displayed the time like a
digital watch would. It was an undoubtedly innovative
creation. But the brand’s loyalists also questioned: is this
an A. Lange & Söhne watch?
Bewilderment, however, soon gave way to fascination.
Although the Zeitwerk looked like it came from the
future, the watch was actually inspired by the past.
Way back to 1841, in fact, when the company’s founder,
Ferdinand Adolph Lange, and his tutor and then fatherin-law, Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, built the
Five Minute Clock—a timekeeper that bore numeral-style
indicators—which still stands atop the hall of Dresden’s
Semper Opera House today.
And then there are the mechanical intricates, technical
thinking, and sublime design and decoration—things
one associates with old-world horology—that go into the
Zeitwerk. These accentuated, rather than opposed, the
watch’s modern design. Underneath the watch’s intuitive
‘digital’ display is an extensive network of finely decorated
gears, wheels and bridges that work in tandem and highly
orchestrated precision. Over the years, the Zeitwerk
collection has evolved to incorporate chiming features, so
that the watch not only shows you the time, but sounds it
out on demand.
“Lange has a great history in fine watchmaking and we
are proud to continue with this tradition. But we are also
a modern brand, making watches for customers of today.
Watches like the Zeitwerk is an example of that. It is a
very modern watch that is made the traditional way,” says
Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne.

1

1. Sketch It Out
As with any new watch, the Zeitwerk starts with an idea and a
sketch. The drawings depict many things, from entire watches
to the tiniest of components. Most crucially, they crystallise
the creators’ intentions and determine one of the most vital
questions in the process: does the watch look good?

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2

3

5

8

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6

9

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4

2. Measured By Microns

6. Doing It Twice

Every component of the Zeitwerk is
mapped out to the most precise and
exacting of measurements, from the
dimensions of the case and dial to every
single part of its movement. There is an
average of over 400 components, which
must be fitted and aligned properly to
ensure the watch’s proper functioning.

To ensure the watches function properly
and without error, all A. Lange & Söhne
watches undergo a double assembly
process. The movements are first
assembled to check for functionality
and performance. Then they are taken
apart for the individual components to be
finished and decorated, before being put
together and tested for a second time.

3. Doing It In-house
A. Lange & Söhne produces all its
watches in-house. That is to say, every
component from the crown to the screw
is developed and manufactured at
its factory in Glashütte, Germany. An
in-house manufactured watch like the
Zeitwerk is held in esteem by collectors
as it shows that the brand has full
creative control and manufacturing
prowess over its products.
7

4. First The Machines
All watch components are made using
CNC (computer numerical control)
machines to cut pieces of metal to
their specified dimensions and shapes,
following coded parameters. A. Lange &
Söhne produces approximately 5,000
watches a year and the machines are
reprogrammed to produce the parts
specific to the individual collections.

5. Then The Humans

P H OTO G R A P H Y: A . L A N G E & S O H N E .

After the watches’ components are
produced, they are checked for defects.
Those that make the grade are sent to be
finished and adjusted. At this stage, the
parts may be deburred, buffed, polished
and satin-brushed prior to assembly.

7. The Glashütte Trademark
A distinctive trait of an A. Lange & Söhne
movement is its three-quarter base plate.
Made of untreated German silver, the
plate, which holds all the movement parts,
is hardy and resistant to corrosion. On
this plate, one will notice parallel strips
that run across its surface. The decorative
pattern is known as Glashütte ribbing.
Each stripe is individually ground by hand,
with no more than three passes made
each time.

8. A Unique Signature
The balance cock is an important
component of a mechanical movement.
Its job is to hold the balance wheel, which
oscillates to regulate the timing of a
watch, in place. In every A. Lange & Söhne
watch, a master engraver signs off the
timepiece by hand engraving the balance
cock in his unique style, a practice that
dates back to the early 20th century.

9. Finishing Well
While the balance cock is lavished with
decorations, every part of an A. Lange
& Söhne movement is also fastidiously
finished. Depending on the component,
it may be treated to finishing techniques
such as perlage (circular grain), sunburst
or chamfering, whereby the corners of the
components are bevelled to 45 degrees
and polished by hand. Among the most
challenging techniques is black polishing,
which results in the polished surface’s
reflection appearing completely black to
the eye.

10. Quality Control

10

After the watches are encased, they
are subjected to a series of tests
that includes simulations in extreme
temperatures, as well as impact, precision
and water-resistant tests. At the final
stage of the production process, each
watch is put through final quality checks
that last several weeks before they are
deemed fit for delivery.

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63

Chrono

Logic

Throughout its history and across myriad collections,
IWC Schaffhausen’s chronographs epitomise the consummation
of form and function.

ACCORDING TO HOROLOGICAL standards,
IWC Schaffhausen has been making chronographs
for a relatively short amount of time. The earliest
examples of chronographs were created in the
1800s, and wrist-worn versions followed in the
early 1900s. IWC, on the other hand, rolled out its
first chronographs only in 1980. But age, as they say,
is just a number. The Swiss brand’s chronograph
debut hit the ground running and IWC instantly
demonstrated its virtuosity and progressive
thinking with this popular complication.
The chronograph in question was the Reference
3700, a hardy and high-performance watch made
in partnership with Porsche Design. Right away,
it disrupted an industry norm dominated by steel
chronographs. Reference 3700 was clad instead in
lightweight and robust titanium—the world’s first
chronograph to be so.
Appreciating IWC’s chronographs requires an
understanding of why mechanical chronographs
are sought-after by collectors in the first place.
The most obvious reason is their practicality.

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AUGUST 2023

IWC’s chronographs
demonstrate the
brand’s design and
technical prowess;
from the elegant
Portugieser (above)
to the dynamic
Pilot’s Watch (facing
page, top) and
refined Portofino
(facing page, below)
collections, they all
exhibit the firm’s flair
for innovation and
quality honed since its
founding in 1868.

Besides telling the time, chronographs function
as a stopwatch of sorts to help measure elapsed
interval timings.
And there is a tactile, old-school allure to using
these watches, too. To activate a chronograph,
the user presses buttons on the side of the
watch, which sets off the timing function. The
information is displayed on extra subdials, hands
and scales, which add sportive dynamism to the
watch’s design.
This complexity is mirrored under the dial.
Watch lovers often hail chronograph movements
as among the most architecturally beautiful.
Comprising more moving parts than a regular
time-only mechanical movement, a chronograph
movement is an intriguing web of gears and bridges
that not only look stunning, but are engineered to
be extremely hardy and precise.
So, to sum up, chronographs are useful, look
great and require an immense amount of skill to
make—factors that IWC has internalised to an
impressive degree over the last four decades.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: I W C S C H A F F H A U S E N.

Words: Charmian Leong

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

Pushing Ahead
Since Reference 3700’s game-changing debut,
IWC hasn’t stopped investing in materials
research. Over the years, the brand has
housed its chronographs in a variety
of cutting-edge and visually stunning
materials, from scratch-resistant coloured
ceramic to the patented Ceratanium, which
combines the advantages of ceramic and
titanium into a single light and tough alloy.
At the same time, IWC also made
huge strides on the technical front with
increasingly sophisticated and complex
chronographs. In 2007, the brand launched
the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph, which
measures two separate times instead of one. IWC
followed it up with the Portofino hand-wound
mono-pusher chronograph in 2015, which requires
only one push-button instead of two to activate the
chronograph function.
Arguably the most significant addition to IWC’s
chronograph arsenal, however, is its family of inhouse chronograph movements, which debuted
in 2017. Known as Calibre 69000, the line of
proprietary movements took five years to develop.
Designed and manufactured completely by
IWC, the Calibre 69000 range of chronograph
movements is feted by aficionados to be among the
most reliable on the market today. “We made no
compromises in streamlining the Calibre 69000
for efficient energy use and maximum robustness,”
explains Markus Buhler, the brand’s associate
director of watch and movement assembly.
Since then, the workhorse movement has been
deployed in an assortment of models bearing
wonderfully diverse styles. If you’re looking for
a chronograph that echoes the complication’s
heritage, the Portugieser Chronograph ticks all
the boxes with its elegant two-counter layout, a
flange with a quarter-second scale, applied Arabic
numerals, slim feuille hands and filigree bezel.
Available in 18k rose gold or stainless steel, there
are six classy variations to choose from with
different dial colours.
Chronographs can also look refreshingly
modern, as evidenced by the Portofino
Chronograph 39. A triumph of purity, the 2022
release features a clean and crisp monochromatic
dial with rhodium-plated leaf-shaped hands. The
piston pushers and straight lugs give it a vintage
appeal, especially when paired with its beige calf
leather strap. Both the Portofino Chronograph 39
and the Portugieser are powered by the automatic
69355 calibre with 46 hours of power reserve.
Of course, if you want an archetypal sporty
chronograph bursting with grit and bravado, look
no further than the iconic Pilot’s Watch. Two new
41mm models have been added to the Top Gun

family this year. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph
41 Top Gun Oceana features a navy hue
inspired by the US Navy’s overalls for the
watch’s case, dial, and denim and rubber
strap. The other model offers a traditional
aviator look with its Jet Black colourway,
with white luminescent indices, hands and
indicators offering stylish contrast. These
run on the automatic 69380 calibre and are
protected against magnetic interference by
soft-iron inner cases. They are also waterresistant to 100m.
“Chronographs are a fundamental part of
our collections. To produce chronographs to the
highest possible quality standards, we continually
push forward with new materials, industryleading
manufacturing
processes,
testing
standards and quality management,” stresses
Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC. With
a healthy dose of stylish versatility in the mix,
collectors of all persuasions, too, ought to find it
easy to make an IWC chronograph a fundamental
part of their own watch collections.

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65

On The

Road Again
Channelling the rush of the vintage car rally,
Chopard’s Mille Miglia watches take you on a trip like no other.
Words: Alvin Wong

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

Just ask Karl-Friedrich Scheufele. A huge car
enthusiast, the president of Chopard has been
racing at Mille Miglia since 1989 and is showing no
desire to slow down. At the 2023 rally, Scheufele
partnered Formula One legend, Jack Ickx, as he
always does, co-piloting his Mercedes 300SL
Gullwing. Meanwhile, Scheufele also supports
the rally in a professional capacity. Chopard has
been Mille Miglia’s official timekeeping sponsor
since 1988, making it the world’s most enduring
partnership between a watch manufacturer and a
motorsport event.

A Sentimental Partnership
When Scheufele first participated in Mille Miglia,
the race didn’t have an official watch sponsor.
His horological instincts kicking in, Scheufele
suggested that Chopard partner the rally and,
to mark the collaboration, create a watch for its
participating drivers.

This page, clockwise from below: the first Chopard
Mille Miglia watch from 1988; Chopard co-president,
Karl-Friedrich Scheufele (right) with motor racing legend,
Jacky Ickx, at the 1989 Mille Miglia; the parade of cars at
the finish line in Brescia.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: C H O PA R D.

Facing page: the 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster had Porsche
team driver and Chopard brand ambassador Romain Dumas
in the driver’s seat.

THEY ALL MADE it: the drivers and their
spectacularly storied cars, racing 1,000 miles
through bucolic Italian country roads and ancient
squares at a legendary rally. But they always do
at Mille Miglia (Italian for, well, ‘1,000 miles’),
the legendary open-road endurance race that has
been repurposed as a glamorous vintage car rally
since 1977. While there remains a keen sense of
competition with these men and their machines
(the drivers are ranked, and the competing cars
have to be the same year, make and model as those
that ran in the original 24 races between 1927 and
1957), soaking in the local colour and enjoying the
camaraderie are also top priorities. At the end of
the race, the cliche holds assuredly true: it is the
journey, not the destination, that matters.

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This year’s version, the Italian Limited Edition
Mille Miglia GTS Chronograph, comes encased
in 44mm steel and features a beige dial spiked
with green and red. More than how they look
or perform, however, we imagine that like all
precious watches tend to do, these limited editions
will evoke priceless memories and emotions of
their owners’ respective journeys.
More than three decades on, the tradition to
hand out exclusive Mille Miglia drivers’ limited
editions continues. However, right from the
beginning, Scheufele, had also been quick to
discern that demand for the watches would stretch

Right from the beginning,
Scheufele had been quick to
discern that demand for the
watches would stretch beyond
the confines of the rally.

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AUGUST 2023

beyond the confines of the rally. After Chopard
made those commemorative timepieces for
drivers, it quickly followed up with a commercial
run of the Mille Miglia collection.
Taking on the race’s personality and panache
with vintage-like designs, the watches are also
imbued with Scheufele’s experiences of the
race. All Mille Miglia watches, for instance, are
distinguished by the race’s red arrow logo on the
dials and their Dunlop-style tyre straps, which are
inspired by the Dunlop tyres on Scheufele’s vintage
Porsche, which he drove during his maiden Mille
Miglia race in 1989.
Interestingly, the latest Mille Miglia watches,
too, suggest a strong longing for nostalgia. There
is an unmistakable retro quality about the new
Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph: a combination
of its sensibly sized 40.5mm case in Lucent steel
(Chopard’s exclusive alloy produced with recycled
metals), old-school pushers, traditional threecounter chronograph display on the dial, and a
domed ‘glassbox’ sapphire crystal case that evokes
the look of watches from the 1960s.
Whether you are partial to the classic version
with black dial, or something more showy, such
as the options with burgundy, lime green or blue
dial encased in bi-metal yellow gold and steel—all
inspired by classic cars’ bodywork—there is no
escaping the watches’ throwback allure.

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For a more contemporary option, there is the
Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Bamford Edition
Desert Racer. A collaboration with Bamford Watch
Department, this 50-piece edition is sleek and
dashing, clad in titanium, and fronted by a frosted
black dial with a power reserve indicator designed
to look like a fuel gauge.
While it comes as no surprise for Chopard to
hail the watch’s performance—it is driven by a
chronometric-certified automatic movement—the
Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Bamford Edition
Desert Racer has also been field-tested by the
founder of Bamford Watch Department, George
Bamford, who wore it during Norra 1000, a desert
rally in Mexico.
Billed as the off-road cousin to the regular Mille
Miglia collection, this iteration certainly exudes
a similar motor racing machismo, albeit in its
distinctive style. Perhaps like the rallies they take
inspiration from, the new Mille Miglia watches
show that there is always more than one way to
enjoy a race.

This page, clockwise from top: Mille Miglia GTS Power Control Bamford Edition Desert
Racer; Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph; Scheufele and Ickx drove the Mercedes-Benz
300SL at Mille Miglia 2023.
Facing page, from above: Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Chrono limited edition for
participating drivers of the 2023 Mille Miglia; Chopard ambassador Zhu Yilong.

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Exercising Poetic Licence
Though not borne of the horological world, Hermès has enriched it with its playful and
poetic sensibilities. Guillaume de Seynes, president of the maison’s watchmaking division,
Hermès Horloger, charts its trajectory.
Words: Alvin Wong

IT ISN’T EASY being the new kid on the
block in the watch business. Not even
for a luxury house with a reputation as
formidable as Hermès’s. While Hermès,
too, is steeped in centuries-old history
and esteemed in the fashion circles, it
had to start from ground zero in the
horological sphere.
Hermès presented its first watches in
the 1920s and started its watchmaking
division, La Montres Hermès (now
known as Hermès Horloger), only
in 1978—a fledgling by traditional
watchmaking standards. However,
in the early 2000s, the maison began
investing earnestly to elevate its
watch offerings. La Montres Hermès
bought stakes in Vaucher Manufacture
Fleurier, a renowned manufacturing
plant, and acquired dial- and casemaking companies to bolster its
production capabilities.
Two decades on, the efforts appear
to be paying off. Hermès now boasts
an impressive assortment of offerings.
There are watches that appeal to
aficionados, such as the recent awardwinning Arceau Le Temps Voyageur
with world time complication; watches
that brim with artisanal verve, such
as limited editions flaunting exquisite
enamel and leather marquetry dials;
and watches that are commercial
successes, such as the new H08 range
of casual and sporty timepieces.
Guillaume de Seynes, the president
of Hermès Horloger, has been
instrumental in bringing the watch
division up to speed. Hailing from the
sixth generation of the Hermès family
(he is a cousin of Axel Dumas, CEO of
the family-owned group), de Seynes
joined La Montre Hermès in 1999 and

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was appointed the division’s president
in 2005. He shares his thoughts on
how far Hermès Horloger has come
and what more it needs to do to further
establish itself.
When you started at La Montres
Hermès, the entity must have
felt like an outsider to the watch
industry. Do you still feel the same
today about Hermès Horloger?
The watch business has a lot of strong
and very established brands. Of course,
Hermès does not have its roots in this
industry. But I think in the last 20 years
or so, we’ve made quite a lot of progress.
I think today, we are taken more
seriously by other watch companies.
What changed?
When I took charge of the watch
division in 1999, we were selling only
quartz watches. But because Hermès is
about the combination of craftsmanship
and creativity, I felt we needed to
make mechanical watches. We needed
to go into the field of movement
craftsmanship to be considered a ‘real
player’ and build towards this vision
step by step.
It must be tough to build
watchmaking legitimacy but not lose
a sense of who you are as Hermès.
It is about bringing something to
the table. I think Hermès Horloger
brings Parisian creativity and a sense
of creative freedom to our watches.
At the same time, Hermès Horloger
is a Swiss company. So, even as we
strive to have our unique identity,
we must also deliver a high level of
watchmaking competence.

Could you give us some examples
of how you translate the Hermès
identity to the watches?
The Arceau watch, which we launched
in 1978, was something that is very
much of the house. Its shape was
asymmetrical and it was modelled after
a stirrup. Yet, it is still a classic-looking
watch. Aesthetically, the Arceau broke
a lot of design rules that were common
to traditional watchmaking back then.
That aside, we also create watches with
wonderful dials that are inspired by our
famous silk scarves, featuring the same
designs, but in miniature and recreated
using techniques like enamelling and
marquetry work.
Beyond how the watches look, your
technical pieces also have a playful
and poetic spirit that is central
to Hermès.
I think the Arceau Le temps suspendu
watch from 2011 was a big step in

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

crystalising this spirit. It was a
technically complex watch that allows
you to ‘suspend’ the time (the hands
will snap to 12 o’clock when you
activate the function) and ‘restart’ it at
will. It was innovative and, at the same
time, created an illusion of being able
to stop time with the watch. Since this
piece, we have always looked at ways to

present our complications in ways that
are aesthetically playful, and make the
user contemplate time.
How have watch aficionados, who
may not be familiar with Hermès,
embraced your technical watches?
We have had a few converts. Some
watch collectors, for instance, have
partners who are customers of Hermès
and would never have bought our
watches. But they saw what we have
created, liked it and told us that we are
innovative in our own way. When these
aficionados buy our watches it is very
exciting for us.
At the same time, Hermès seem
to have attracted a younger
generation of watch lovers with the
H08 collection.
With the Hermès H08, we felt that we
needed to reach out to a wider audience.
The watches are easy to use and they

are competitively priced. We also
wanted to add an all-occasion watch,
something that is sporty and versatile,
to our offerings. When we launched the
H08 two years ago, we did so with a
lot of confidence. Even so, we are quite
surprised at how well it has taken off.
I think we have something that’s really
strong here.
You mentioned that when Hermès
Horloger started all those years
ago, the company was pursuing
horological legitimacy. Now that
your watches have won awards
and boast a wide repertoire, do
you think that you have achieved
that legitimacy?
The challenge is still there. We know
where we want to get to and we are
halfway there. We need to continue to
be creative and innovative. We continue
to build on our pillars but I think that
the foundations are there.

Clockwise from left: Slim d’Hermés Cheval de Légende; Hermès H08 Chronograph; Hermès H08.
Facing page: Guillaume de Seynes.

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ALL EYES ON ME

Ornate watches are proof that a pretty face can and should be taken seriously.

HERMÈS
Arceau Grand Carrosse Royal
Rigour. Hermés never ceases to testify to
the premium that high horology places
on impeccable craftsmanship. The Grand
Carrosse Royal is a sterling embodiment
of that virtue. Every aspect of its
existence, from its ultra-exclusive run of
12 pieces to its breathtaking artisanship,
exudes care and assiduousness.
On this white gold watch, Hermès
Horloger’s artisans engage in the literary
practice of ekphrasis, paying homage to
the content and essence of an existing
opus on a wholly different medium.

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The motif on the dial is a meticulous
recreation of Danish illustrator Claus
Rye’s design for a Hermès silk scarf,
depicted using the grisaille technique,
distinguished by its monochromatic
palette of neutral colours.
For each dial, more than 20 layers of
enamel are applied, one coat at a time,
and individually fired at high temperature
in a kiln to arrive at the final image. This
is a process that demands a superlative
level of expertise, taking up to three
weeks for a single dial.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : H E R M È S , E T I E N N E D E L A C R E TA Z / P I A G E T,
J E A N - D A N I E L M E Y E R / P AT E K P H I L I P P E , M A X I M E G O V E T/ C A R T I E R .

Words: Indran P

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

THERE’S A MOMENT in Alice in Wonderland (1951) when Ed
Wynn’s maniacal Mad Hatter makes an unintentional play
at horology: during what has come to be known as the Mad
Watch scene, he looks at an exaggeratedly complex stopwatch
and remarks, “Ah-ha! I see what’s wrong with it. This watch
is full of wheels!”
This—admittedly crazed—comment takes the discourse
on horology back to the fundamentals. A fascination with

timekeeping is a fascination with the instruments that keep
time, be they a clocktower or a wristwatch. But as the biases
of high horology favour more abstruse and mechanically
complex instruments, some vital questions need to be asked:
should outer beauty be as feted—and counted as technically
significant—as sophisticated complications often favoured by
watch connoisseurs? The answer: most definitely. Here are
four cases in point.

PIAGET
Limelight High Jewellery Cuff Watches
Piaget’s collection of Limelight High
Jewellery Cuff Watches is a dazzling
exhibition of how ornamentation
can be both visually captivating and
transformative. In the hands of Piaget’s
craftsmen, the brand’s latest trio of
bejewelled cuff watches are fashioned
into wrist accompaniments that will
level up any wardrobe. Unequivocally
glamorous, the watches are distinguished

by cuffs that appear as if each was
crafted from an entire piece of metal
when, in fact, the links have been
rendered almost invisible by painstaking
hand-engraving work in a variety of
styles. The most extravagant of all,
however, is the model in rose gold with
white opal dial, which is set with almost
4.96 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds in an
assortment of sizes, amid artfully carved,
wave-like grooves.

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PATEK PHILIPPE
Grandmaster Chime 6300GR-001
Patek Philippe is doubling up on its
most complicated wristwatch. Featuring
over 20 complications, including five
chiming modes, an instantaneous
perpetual calendar and two time zones,
the Grandmaster Chime is already
an imposing heavy hitter. Now, the
revered watchmaking house is giving
its star player a makeover that not only
complements, but elevates the watch’s
technical virtues.
Double-sided, dual-dialled and
reversible, this 47.7mm wristwatch—clad
for the first time in rose and white gold—

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is an exercise in judicious ostentation.
The watch’s bimetallic combination on
the dial and case exudes refinement while
enhancing legibility to its myriad displays
on both sides of the dial. Its rich, robust
brown hue anchors the look and draws
the eyes to the intricate polishing work
on the hands and applied Breguet-style
numerals. The entire look is accentuated
with the most restrained ornamentation,
by way of hand-guilloched hobnail
pattern on one side of the dial as well as
the case sides, which enlivens, but never
overshadows, the watch’s classically
attuned aesthetics.

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

CARTIER
Pasha De Cartier Skeleton
With its mechanical inner workings
stripped to their bare architectural
structure, the skeleton watch is a canvas
that showcases how form and function
operate in tandem towards a harmonious
singularity. Cartier’s Pasha Skeleton not
only expresses this notion, but does so
with poetic finesse.
The Pasha’s legendary stature is
an enticing enough draw. This bare-all
version, though, knocks it out of the
park. Here, its 41mm rose gold case,
complemented by the model’s signature

cabochon-set crown cap with chain,
frames an intriguing dial. The Pasha’s
trademark oversized Arabic numerals,
hour markers and railway minute track
at the centre of the dial have been
repurposed, performing double duty as
essential time-telling indicators and as
the movement’s skeletonised plates that
sandwich and hold the components in
place. The presentation of the 172-part
automatic movement, arrayed as if
suspended in mid-air, offers a fascinating
peek at the intricacies of the engine as we
see time at work at its most intimate.

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Viva
l’Italianita

Bulgari showcases its impeccable Italian approach to watchmaking
via the new Octo Roma and Bulgari Aluminium watches.
Words: Joshua Yap
Photography: Alex Teuscher

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

Incorporating design elements from 1975’s
Bulgari Roma, which took inspiration from
the likeness of ancient Roman coins, Octo
Roma featured a more streamlined appearance
and greater wearability. The 110 facets on the
forebear’s case are reduced to 58 facets on Octo
Roma, resulting in a softer, more refined look that
suits any occasion.
This year’s new Octo Roma collection boasts
several tweaks without sacrificing its distinctive
allure. Its screw-down crown, ensuring the
watch’s 100m water resistance, is integrated more
snugly into the case, flanked by crown protectors
for greater comfort. Its stainless steel bracelet
is updated with an interchangeable wristband
system, so one can easily swap it with a rubber
strap without the need for additional tools. Finally,
its dial is decorated with a sophisticated Clous de
Paris motif, a hat tip to Swiss haute horlogerie.
Watch lovers have the option going dressy or
sporty with this year’s Octo Roma models. For
those who like to keep things simple, there is a
time-and-date version, available in a choice of blue,
black, anthracite or white dial. The chronograph
model, on the other hand, is a new addition and
gets our nod for its elegant machismo. Both
versions come in stainless steel cases (41mm for
the former and 42mm for the latter) and run on
beautifully decorated automatic movements that
can be admired via open casebacks.

WHETHER SETTING RECORDS with ultrathin timepieces, astounding the watch community
with stupendous complications or dazzling us
with bejewelled creations, Bulgari does it all
with inimitable Italian flair. Stylish, wearable
and imbued with a hefty dose of la dolce vita,
its watches embody what the brand refers to as
Italianita—a sense of ‘Italian-ness’ exemplified by
two of its refreshed collections this year, the Octo
Roma and Bulgari Aluminium.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: B U LG A R I.

Roma Revival
Key to Bulgari’s success since its founding in 1884
is an uncanny ability to renew and reinvigorate
its design language while tapping into its rich
heritage. A recent example is Octo Roma. Its
predecessor, Octo, was launched in 2012. Inspired
by the arches of Maxentius Basilica in the Roman
Forum, it pays tribute to the brand’s historical
connection to the Eternal City with a round bezel
atop an octagonal shape. Thanks to its clean
lines and provocative appearance sporting 110
facets, Octo garnered worldwide acclaim. Perhaps
buoyed by its reception, Bulgari introduced Octo
Roma five years later.

This and facing pages:
expanding the basic,
time-and-date Octo
Roma collection,
Bulgari has added
a chronograph, as
well as blue, black,
anthracite and whitedial models to the
lineup, each of which
includes the beautiful
Clous de Paris motif.

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Aluminium Allure
Bulgari was also a disruptor long before the term
came to be bandied about in common parlance.
In 1998, it challenged luxury sports watch
conventions with Bulgari Aluminium, brandishing
an unexpected combination of an aluminium case
with rubber bracelet. Eminently wearable, thanks
to the lightweight yet robust materials, the watch
is infused with the brand’s unmistakable Italian
style, inheriting the engraved logo on the bezel
from the namesake watch launched in 1977. Its
signature form, however, is an evolution of 1988’s
Diagono, the brand’s first sports watch, whose
name references the diagonal slope of its bezel and
‘agon’, the Greek word for ‘contest’.
Pushing the envelope, Bulgari relaunched
the watch three years ago, updating the case
with aerospace-grade 6028-aluminium alloy
and the strap with ultra-durable fluorocarbon
(FKM) rubber. The collection’s timeless appeal
was subsequently affirmed when the Bulgari
Aluminium chronograph won the Iconic Watch
Prize from the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève
in 2020.
This year, the chronograph returns in a bolder
41mm case (upsized from 40mm), driven by a
new self-winding B381 movement, and a choice
of two dials: black-and-white ‘panda’ or in allblack. The watch’s ergonomically shaped bracelet
remains a highlight. Sophisticated and eye-

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Bulgari Aluminium
black-and-white
‘panda’ chronograph
(right) and Bulgari
Aluminium Capri
Editions (below).
Facing page:
Bulgari Aluminium
Match Point Edition.

catching, it comprises rubber sections reinforced
by aluminium links, ensuring a secure and
comfortable fit without weighing down the watch.
A trio of new limited editions demonstrate the
aesthetic versatility of the collection. The first two,
aptly named Bulgari Aluminium Capri Editions,
channel the beauty of the Mediterranean island
with Tyrrhenian blue gradient dials. Available
in time-and-date or chronograph versions, both
are powered by automatic calibres and limited to
1,000 pieces each.
Taking us from the beach club to the tennis court
is the Bulgari Aluminium Match Point Edition. Its
unique green colourway and yellow accents will
undoubtedly appeal to tennis enthusiasts, not to
mention the tennis ball engraving on the caseback.
In addition, it is built for the court with a left-hand
crown that wouldn’t get in the way of the action
and a rubber bracelet with aluminium links and
Velcro strap, offering optimal wearing comfort.
Limited to 800 pieces, the watch’s 40mm case
houses the self-winding B77 movement.
Be it the sleek and sophisticated Octo Roma
or the sporty and disruptive Bulgari Aluminium,
these collections encapsulate the essence of
Bulgari’s Italianita, seamlessly blending the
brand’s rich heritage with modern elements.
Transcending trends and eras, the watches are
created to reflect and empower the confidence and
distinction of their owners.

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THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

The Pride of
Japanese Watchmaking
Grand Seiko’s 2023 novelties continue to embody the brand’s commitment to exquisite
craftsmanship and innovation, while offering a little something for everyone.
Words: Charmian Leong
Photography: Yoshimitsu Takano

HAVING ENJOYED SIX years of
independence from former parent
company Seiko, Grand Seiko has been
hitting its stride in continuing to build
upon its reputation as a watchmaker
known for nature-inspired aesthetics,
obsessive attention to detail and a
relentless pursuit of timekeeping
precision. Its 2023 novelties run the
gamut of modern design and utility, but
there are three models in particular
that perfectly embody the multifaceted appeal and diverse talents of
this Japanese horologer.
The first is the Masterpiece
Collection Spring Drive Limited Edition
Majestic White Birch SBGZ009, which
is limited to 50 pieces. The Masterpiece
watches represent the pinnacle of what

Grand Seiko is capable of: blending
technical virtuosity and artistic
expression through intricate handdecorated textures and exceptional
complications. These rare watches
are made by a small team in the Micro
Artist Studio in the brand’s Shinshu
Watch Studio in Nagano prefecture.
Its location in Shiojiri means it is
blessed with serene views of the white
birch forests at the foot of Yatsugatake
Mountains, from which the SBGZ009
takes inspiration.
The dial pattern echoes the forest
in winter. While similar white birchinspired dials have appeared in other
models like the steel SLGH005 and
SLGA009, the SBGZ009 extends
the hand-engraving to the 38.5mm

platinum case. The hands and applied
hour markers are crafted in 14k white
gold, but the minute track, text and
logos are carved into the dial, further
demonstrating the skill of Grand Seiko’s
artisans. Under the artistry beats the
manual-winding Spring Drive calibre
9R02 with 84 hours of power reserve.
Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive technology
blends the beauty of traditional
mechanical movements with the
accuracy of quartz timekeeping using a
combination of mechanical, electronic
and quartz elements. Indeed, turning
the watch over reveals a beautifully
finished movement with polished
bevels, a barrel cut in the shape of a
bellflower (the symbol of Shiojiri) and a
hairline brushed finish on the surface.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: G R A N D S E I KO.

This page: superb craftsmanship characterises
the Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive Limited
Edition Majestic White Birch SBGZ009: each
case is polished to a distortion-free sheen via the
Zaratsu technique, after which it’s hand engraved
with individual grooves by engravers at the Shinshu
Watch Studio.

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Even more exclusive is the
Masterpiece Collection SBGD213J,
limited to just eight pieces. The third
jewellery watch to pay homage to
the brand’s lion emblem since the
premier of the Masterpiece Collection
Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch
SBGD205 in 2020, the SBGD213J takes
on a wintry palette this time with
diamonds, blue sapphires and blue
mother-of-pearl.
The 44.5mm platinum case is
adorned with 112 diamonds on the case
and another 60 baguette-cut ones on
the bezel. The outer ring of the dial is
set with 48 diamonds and 12 sapphires,
while larger stones serve as the hour and
minute markers and are set between
thin 18k white gold rails. The entire
watch boasts 5.62 carats of diamonds
and 1.25 carats of sapphires (including
a brilliant-cut sapphire on the crown),
all of which have been painstakingly
set by hand. Like the SBGZ009, this
bejewelled beauty runs on a manualwinding Spring Drive movement, but
the calibre 9R01 will continue to beat
under all that bling for a full eight days
before it runs down.

The Sporting Spectrum
Grand Seiko’s non-limited watches are
equally covetable, as exemplified by
the Evolution 9 Collection Tentagraph
SBGC001. It marks the brand’s
inaugural foray into a fully mechanical
chronograph, powered by the calibre
9SC5 instead of a Spring Drive
movement. With a high-frequency tick
rate of 5Hz, or 10 times per second,
hence its Tentagraph moniker, this
automatic
movement
underwent

Clockwise from top left: the manual-winding Spring Drive Calibre 9R01 powering the Masterpiece
SBGD213J; Masterpiece SBGD213J; Evolution 9 Collection Tentagraph SBGC001.

rigorous 20-day testing to meet Grand
Seiko’s exacting standards of +5/-3
seconds per day. Notably, it boasts an
impressive three-day power reserve,
possibly the lengthiest among highbeat chronographs.
Its design is ruled by the nine
codes that distinguish the Evolution
9 collection, and these include details
like multi-faceted hands, flat dials,
deeply grooved indices and a curved
side profile for the case. The result is a
straightforward but handsome 43.2mm
chronograph with a traditional tricompax layout with date window and
a dial engraved with a blue sunray-

style pattern inspired by Mount Iwate,
which can be seen from the Grand
Seiko Studio Shizukuishi in Iwate
prefecture. Encased in high-intensity
titanium, with a black ceramic bezel,
and complemented by a lightweight
titanium bracelet, it exudes a sporty
vibe while offering 100m water
resistance for adventurous pursuits.
In their distinct ways, these three
novelties exemplify Grand Seiko’s
commitment to delivering exceptional
timepieces that cater to a diverse
range of tastes while demonstrating
its exceptional and varied takes on
modern-day horology.

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AUDEMARS PIGUET
Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon
Spider-Man
The second co-branded wristwatch
between Audemars Piguet and Marvel
since 2021’s Royal Oak Concept Black
Panther Tourbillon, this year’s Royal Oak
Concept Tourbillon Spider-Man incited
a similar meltdown among online watch
communities with its cross pollination of
comic culture and high-end watchmaking.
Smack in the centre of an openworked dial lies the fan-favourite friendly
neighbourhood superhero, ‘swooshing’
through the air—or rather, atop Audemars
Piguet’s new hand-wound calibre 2974—
in his signature web-shooting pose.
Creating each Spidey figure wasn’t an
easy feat. The mini-sculpture was crafted
from a block of white gold, then laserengraved and hand-painted in a process
that took over 50 hours to complete.
Housed in a 42mm titanium case with
ceramic bezel and a chapter ring for
the hour indicators, this cool crossover
is limited to 250 pieces and priced at
approximately US$217,000.

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THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

Pause to admire three inspiring
watch collaborations from
beyond the horology sphere,
proving that two heads are indeed
better than one.
Words: Joel Chua

HUBLOT
Classic Fusion Chronograph Orlinski
Once again, Hublot has teamed up
with renowned French artist Richard
Orlinski on a new chronograph model,
the Classic Fusion Chronograph
Orlinski. Carrying over the sculptured,
geometric case characteristic
of previous editions, the latest
iteration nonetheless opts for a more
pronounced, prismatic effect.
Encased in 41mm sandblasted
titanium, the watch features a
dodecagonal bezel that distinguishes
the Hublot-Orlinski collection, and
a pared-down black dial with twin
chronograph counters. At its heart lies
the automatic calibre HUB1153 with
42-hour power reserve, and column
wheel control for smooth activation of
the chronograph.
A full titanium version with
matching bracelet is available at
CHF17,300, while a casual rubber strap
variant (right) is priced at CHF13,900.

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ROGER DUBUIS
In flamboyant Lamborghinian fashion,
Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Spider Huracán
Sterrato Monobalancier (S$101,000) is
an extroverted hotshot, to say the least.
Taking its cue from the supercar of the
same name, this flashy tourbillon watch is
lit with bright orange and red, paired with
a camouflage-patterned strap in equally
fiery colours.
Its massive 45mm case is made of
SMC Carbon—a composite material nine
times lighter than gold—that’s also used
on the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato’s
monocoque chassis and body panels. The
enlarged minute markers on the bezel
recall the Sterrato’s distinctive fender
protectors, while the clean-cut lines
running across the dial reflect those of
the Sterrato’s roof rack. Even the calibre
RD630 has been designed to replicate the
hexagonal air intakes of Lamborghini’s
sports cars. Count it a truly exuberant
wrist candy to match your roaring,
rambunctious ride.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y : R O G E R D U B U I S , A U D E M A R S P I G U E T, H U B L O T.

Excalibur Spider Huracán
Sterrato Monobalancier

P H OTO G R A P H Y: R O B B R E P O RT S I N G A P O R E ,
J E R M A IN E B IN N S/DA E W H A K A N G D E S IG N, WA N N A .

THE TIMEPIECES ISSUE

Behind
The Movement
The Movement, a metaverse watch community initiated by
Robb Report Singapore, is an outlet to experience watchrelated content in new and inclusive ways. From interactive
sessions to exclusive launches, it is a first-of-its-kind
immersive hybrid space for watch aficionados, helped by the
good people behind DaeWha Kang Design and Wanna.
Words: Hannah Choo

Above: watch aficionados are invited to
explore The Movement’s otherworldly
realm in their own time.

DaeWha Kang Design
In June, DaeWha Kang found himself in a
completely different world. He was an avatar among
other avatars, exploring an elegant, futuristic
world called The Movement, home to the world’s
first metaverse watch community. The Robb
Report Singapore initiative—a virtual horological
hub of exclusive content, augmented reality (AR)
experiences and special programmes—launched a
preview in June and the fact that it looked so good
was thanks to Kang.
DaeWha Kang Design, an architecture firm
he established in 2014 after a decade at Zaha
Hadid Architects, is known for beautiful, timeless
work. “I set it up with the idea of beauty built
with wisdom,” Kang says. “It is about thinking
deeply about the way we live and how design can
contribute to a better world. It’s not just about
making beautiful things, but making our lives
more balanced and wonderful.”

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“The metaverse is another
layer to the way we experience
the world today.”

Over the years, the closely knit team has
built a remarkable portfolio, progressing from
company headquarters and urban designs to
luxury interiors, museums, concert halls and more
recently, the metaverse. Past projects include
a floating pavilion called Circe in Möhnesee,
Germany, and a mixed-use building for Rainbow
Publishing House in Paju Book City, South Korea.
Current projects include a dining pavilion set in
the heart of the former Old War Office building
in London; it is circular sculptural art based on
mirages and rippled mirrors.
Visually, The Movement can relate. And like
the dining pavilion, it’s a beautiful space for a
community to come together, dip in, dip out and
make a connection. It’s miles better than a Zoom
call. If you’re sceptical, Kang would argue that it’s a
gateway to in-real-life events. Sure, the metaverse
isn’t exactly news, but enabled by Web3, people
from across the world can embody themselves in
a three-dimensional space and attend events with
like-minded folk. People can have a touchpoint by
engaging in a digital world like The Movement,
and that could lead to real-life connections.
It’s great for watch brands, but as with all
metaverse projects, it is a challenge to develop

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Above: The Movement
allows visitors to
attend specially
curated digital
events, engage with
like-minded watch
collectors and brand
representatives, and
even participate in
content creation.
Left: DaeWha
Kang founded his
eponymous studio with
the belief that design
can lift the spirit,
challenge the intellect,
and strengthen body
and mind. His firm’s
projects include the
OWO Quadrangle
Pavilion in London
(facing page).

a compelling world for an emerging user group
whose outlines aren’t fully defined. “It’s a
moving target,” Kang says. He believes that the
metaverse is a place of incredible potential; a place
of expression for designers and a place of selfexpression for visitors.
“I don’t see the metaverse as a totally separate
entity, but another layer to the way we experience
the world today,” he continues. “The watches
and digital try-ons in The Movement are not
there to replace the physical objects of incredibly
designed watches. They are there to add an extra
layer, to make things interesting in a different
way that people will continue to value those
rare physical objects. I think it will be the same
with architecture, even as we get more virtual
architecture appearing.”
It helps that Kang’s design philosophy is in line
with that of watch design and that he’s a fellow
watch lover, too. “I’ve always loved the tagline of
Patek Philippe, that we don’t buy a watch just for
ourselves, but for our next generation. That goes
very closely with the philosophy that I’ve always
had, that we don’t just build things for now, but for
the future, and this is something we should all be
aspiring to.”

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Wanna
Wonder what a particular watch looks like on
your wrist? Virtual try-on experiences now offer
shoppers the opportunity to shop for watches
effortlessly—anytime, anywhere, on a smartphone.
It brings online shopping one step closer to the
in-store experience, taking out the guesswork of
deciding what fits your appearance the most.
The Movement is a virtual community of
watch lovers who are kept up-to-date with the
year’s most stunning timepieces in various ways.
For one, members can immerse themselves with
digital try-ons and three-dimensional close-ups
of watches through the use of AR technology.
Thanks to Wanna, an AR solutions company, all
you have to do is scan a QR code, admire that wrist
and congratulations, you’re engaged.
The adoption of AR technology for virtual
try-ons has significantly impacted the decisionmaking of watch buyers. It’s not perfect, but it
helps. Wanna testifies that AR technology creates
great marketing potential. It offers an innovative
way for luxury brands to provide a customised
and immersive experience, and it instils consumer
confidence, allowing customers to explore the
intricate details and find the perfect fit.
The Farfetch subsidiary began as a start-up in
2017 with a focus on developing AR technologies
for e-commerce. Today, Wanna is an expert

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The Movement (above)
is hosted on metaverse
platform Spatial.io and
includes augmented
reality experiences
such as the virtual tryons of watches (facing
page, below).
Sergey Arkhangelskiy
(left) and his team
at Wanna work with
luxury brands such
as Valentino (facing
page, above).

and partner of luxury brands in digital fashion
transformation (Gucci and IWC, for example),
guiding them through their three-dimensional
journey across the fashion value chain.
“With the rapid pace of digital fashion
transformation since 2020, our expertise
in technology and the industry has become
invaluable,” says Sergey Arkhangelskiy, the CEO
of Wanna. “We seamlessly integrate the digital
with the physical by providing luxury brand
customers with an emotional and personalised
virtual try-on. This goes beyond the limitations
of traditional product photos, providing more
informative experiences and enhancing physical
stores by enabling engaging product activations.”
Wanna stays ahead in the AR field by
developing its own technology. “Our exceptional
technology and R&D teams comprise the region’s
top talent. We continuously invest in making our
3D and AR experiences as realistic and precise
as possible, catering to the experiential nature of
the luxury industry,” Arkhangelskiy continues.
“The Movement demonstrated how immersive
technology can add value to marketing luxury
products online and it showed the potential
to become the go-to online destination for
watch enthusiasts. For visitors, it’s an exciting
opportunity to be part of a world-first; for
brands, it provides an opportunity to engage with
relevant audiences.”
Wanna sees 3D and AR as sustainabilityfocused technology. It is on a mission to be the
global platform for goods in luxury and it aims
to make the world a better place through these
technologies. “I would recommend that brands
first understand the opportunities the metaverse
offers them. While there is often a fear of missing
out on new technologies, it is crucial to prioritise
business objectives and evaluate how the
metaverse can (help) achieve those objectives.”

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Cover Story

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Cover Story

You Spin Me Right Round
From the largest to the most complex tourbillon wristwatches,
Franck Muller has done them all—and appears to have more surprises up its sleeve.
Words: Alvin Wong

P H OTO G R A P H Y: F R A N C K M U L L E R .

Say it quietly: you don’t really need a
tourbillon wristwatch, do you? As far as
watch mechanisms go, the tourbillon is as
antiquated as they come: invented more than
200 years ago to ensure precision in pocket
watches. And with the avalanche of watches
that connoisseurs are spoilt with these days,
a tourbillon, which requires a measure of
horological maturity from collectors to fully
appreciate its origins, functionality and appeal,
can feel like a bother or stretch to enjoy.
Or not. While all of the above are true,
a tourbillon is one of the most coveted
complications among aficionados. It’s desired
by collectors who know their stuff, and made
only by a handful of watchmaking
houses with the knowledge and
capability to do so. More pertinently,
the tourbillon’s enduring interest
and longevity can be attributed to
one brand: Franck Muller.

This page: Franck Muller’s
‘world premieres’ include
a tourbillon with jumping
hours in 1986 (above) and an
inverted tourbillon perpetual
calendar with minute
repeater in 1989 (right).
Facing page: by moving the
tourbillon to the centre of
the dial, Franck Muller draws
attention to the complexity
of the Grand Central
Tourbillon Flash’s movement.

The tourbillon was invented in 1801 by legendary master
watchmaker, Abraham-Louis Breguet, but it was Franck
Muller who revived the centuries-old mechanism by putting
it on a pedestal on modern wristwatches.
Breguet’s invention was rooted in practicality. Back when
pocket watches were the de facto timekeeping device, Breguet
was trying to figure out why they were getting increasingly
inaccurate as the day wore on. He discovered that, because
the timepieces were kept mostly in an upright position in
waistcoats, the pull of gravity was having an impact on the
pocket watches’ inner workings.
To solve the problem, Breguet devised a rotating cage
to house the key timekeeping components to counter the
force of gravity and improve the watch’s precision. Inspired
by the way the cage rotated, Breguet called his invention a
tourbillon, which is a French word for ‘whirlwind’.
If all of the above sounds rather unsexy, well, you are right.
Yet, despite pocket watches going the way of the dinosaurs,
the tourbillon’s stocks have risen among collectors today. If
we were to trace the tourbillon’s trajectory and put a finger
on its modern-day revival, we’d land almost
185 years later, when Franck Muller’s
eponymous founder designed his first
tourbillon timepiece—and repositioned the
mechanism from the back to the front of
the watch.
Muller recognised that the tourbillon
was both technically significant as well
as visually impressive, and made both
merits central to his creations. Following
his first tourbillon watch, Muller began
a run of marching out ‘world premieres’
throughout the 1980s; each timepiece
featuring a world-first, never-before-seen
combination of complications anchored by
the tourbillon. The impressive run started
in 1986 with a tourbillon with jumping
hours display. That was quickly followed
by exponentially creative offerings, which
included a tourbillon with a minute repeater
in 1987, and an inverted tourbillon perpetual
calendar with minute repeater in 1989.

R O B B R E P O RT

91

Cover Story

From right: Revolution
1; Aeternitas Mega 4;
Thunderbolt Tourbillon.

“Yes, we are known to push
the limits, especially with this
complication. To be honest, no idea
is too crazy for us.”

Facing page: the Grand
Central Tourbillon
Flash is an audacious
follow-up to the
world’s first tonneaushaped central
tourbillon wristwatch.

Coming Full Circle
“Franck has always been extremely bold and incredibly
creative. He did something with the tourbillon that has
never been done before. Today, it is not just Franck Muller,
but many other brands that are benefitting from his original
ideas,” says Nick Rudaz, CEO of Franck Muller.
From Breguet’s original creation, the tourbillon is now
interpreted in a variety of styles from classic homages to the
past, to sporty iterations in high-tech materials. And Franck
Muller has always been in the thick of things, making some of
the most thrilling contemporary tourbillons imaginable.
In early 2000s, the brand introduced the Revolution
trilogy of tourbillons that featured the complication in
multiple cages rotating on different axes. When the brand
marched out its most complex creation with Aeternitas Mega
4 in 2007—a magnum opus that took five years of research
and development, boasting 36 complications and 1,483
components—the tourbillon was poised proudly at 6 o’clock
on the dial-side, the most visible of all the complications.
Since then, Franck Muller has made the world’s largest
tourbillon wristwatch with a 20mm cage (Giga Tourbillon in
2011) and the world’s fastest tourbillon, Thunderbolt, which
features a tourbillon cage that rotates every five seconds, 12
times faster than regular tourbillons.
“Yes, we are known to push the limits, especially with
this complication. To be honest, no idea is too crazy for us,”
declares Rudaz.
‘Crazy’ isn’t a word that we’d use to describe Franck
Muller’s latest tourbillon, the Grand Central Tourbillon
Flash, but it certainly is quite wild. This issue’s cover star is
worlds away from the confines of waistcoats for which the
tourbillon was originally intended. Instead, the watch looks
far more at home under strobe lights in a glamourous club; its
black-and-neon getup suitably flamboyant and party-ready.
Even so, the Grand Central Tourbillon Flash’s ostentation
belies its mechanical performance. Powered by a newly

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Cover Story

R O B B R E P O RT

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Cover Story

The Grand Central
Tourbillon Flash’s
Curvex CX case
features a sapphire
crystal that extends
all the way to the
lugs to allow greater
visibility of the dial
and tourbillon.

“Watchmaking is a traditional
craft, but it is up to us to make it
relevant for today.”

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AUGUST 2023

developed in-house automatic movement, the tourbillon is
engineered to do what it was created to all those years ago,
which is to improve the watch’s precision under all conditions
and at all positions.
However, relocated to the centre of the dial, behind a fulllength sapphire crystal case for an unobstructed view, the
tourbillon here also stars as a kinetic sculpture. Set against
the all-black cloak and framed by neon orange, blue or green
hour markers, with similarly coloured nylon straps, the
222-year-old tourbillon never looked more alive.
“Our approach to horology is not just super effective, but
very important, too. Watchmaking is a traditional craft, but
it is up to us to make it relevant for today and make watches
desirable to younger collectors,” says Rudaz. It is this knack
for imbuing a sense of theatre and audacity into traditional
watchmaking that distinguishes Franck Muller’s modus
operandi and enshrines the tourbillon as one of the most
captivating complications in watchmaking history.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: S I M P S O N M A R I N E .

Sanlorenzo’s SL90A
eschews convention
with its asymmetrical
layout; a decision
grounded in efficiency and
functionality and delivered
with elegance.

Dream Machines
Technology

|

Water

|

Wheels

|

Wings

(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWHEELS

Genuine Sportsmanship
The Range Rover Sport is lean, mean and back with a bang.
Words: Joel Chua

FOLLOWING ITS DEBUT in 2005, Land Rover’s
Range Rover Sport has evolved nimbly and is now
well into its third generation. The latest iteration
proves that good things do come in threes, firmly
establishing itself as a formidable contender in the
competitive midsized luxury SUV segment. While
it may not possess the same imposing presence
and ruggedness of its larger sibling, the classic
Range Rover, that’s precisely the point. Setting its
sights on delivering a sportier (read: livelier, more
dynamic) driving experience, the new Range Rover
Sport achieves this with ease, placing cutting-edge
technology and comfort at the fore.
Where a regular Range Rover might feel
expansive and open, the new Range Rover
Sport feels comfortably cocooned, fronted by a
gorgeous 13.1-inch touchscreen at the dashboard.
It’s equipped with the award-winning Pivi Pro
infotainment system that controls just about
everything from the navigation to media and
vehicle settings. Its minimalist sensibilities are
further demonstrated by two large rotary dials
that regulate the air conditioning, providing
just the right amount of tactility, as well as a
wireless smartphone charging pad conveniently
tucked beneath the infotainment screen. While
the interior’s lightweight Ultrafabrics in duotone

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AUGUST 2023

colourways are admittedly a vibrant touch, they
can be swapped with grained Windsor or soft
Semi-Aniline leather for a more upscale effect,
complemented by Moonlight Chrome finishes.
Even at a standstill, it’s hard to miss the new
Range Rover Sport’s athletic, winsome build,
flaunting a sculpted front fascia with slimmer
headlights and grille openings, blacked-out
A-pillars and imposing 23-inch alloy wheels. In the
absence of crude edges or rectilinear forms, you’ll
find a smoothly tapered roof, high beltline and
seamless flush glazing, steering clear of excessive
body lines.

Setting its sights on delivering
a sportier driving experience,
the new Range Rover Sport
achieves this with ease, placing
cutting-edge technology and
comfort at the fore.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: R A N G E R OV E R .

(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWHEELS

This and facing pages:
consider the new
Range Rover Sport
your self-contained
bubble of luxury.

True to its name, the new Range Rover Sport
packs a load of brawn, including a pair of extended
range electric hybrids and a potent V8 twin turbo—
an all-electric version is slated for release next
year. Until then, the high-performance 3.0-litre
P510e engine will suffice for those who prefer a
bit of punch, but wish to stay on the greener side.
The six-cylinder, plug-in hybrid produces 700Nm
of torque and 510hp, hitting zero to 100km/h in
a neat 5.4 seconds. Featuring rapid DC charging
capacity, its 38.2kWh battery will reach an 80 per
cent charge within the hour, providing an electric
driving range of nearly 113km.
Should you decide to switch things up, the
Dynamic mode perks things up noticeably, despite
the miniscule purr that’s hardly discernible owing
to next-generation active noise cancellation
accorded by the Meridian Signature Sound system.

Comprising a total of 29 speakers creating personal
sound zones, the sound system bubble wraps you
as you cruise in comfort on heated, massaging
front seats. It’s also a happy side effect of an eightspeed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive
and adjustable air suspension that anticipates
and negates road bumps—a feature across all new
Range Rover Sport models.
And though it’s a shame you’ll rarely put the new
Range Rover Sport’s adept off-road capabilities to
the test, a host of nifty driver-assistance features
(such as remote park assist and a 360-degree
exterior camera system) will prove far more
relevant in the local context, especially when
steering your way out of tight corners. At such
times, you’ll be in absolute control of a far more
lithe, agile Range Rover Sport than what you’re
accustomed to in a vehicle of similar stature.

R O B B R E P O RT

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(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWINGS

The Electric
Air Revolution
The time is nigh for the advanced air mobility sector.
Words: Basem Wasef and Michael Verdon
Illustration: Shout

AFTER YEARS OF hype, aviation’s
electric revolution has arrived. EHang’s
EH216 is expected to be certified this
year, the first of a half-dozen electric
vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL)
rotorcraft planning to enter the market
in 2024 and 2025. A handful of more
conventional-looking electric airplanes
are aiming for certification at about the
same time. Development programmes
have been proceeding at breakneck
speed for several years, with billions
now being poured into the market by
investors. Six of the leading companies
have already gone public.

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AUGUST 2023

But the runway to silent, zero-carbon
aircraft will have bumps. In March,
Beta Technologies, one of eVTOL’s early
adopters, announced it was delaying
the launch of its Alia-250 eVTOL and
will instead seek certification for its
electric conventional takeoff-andlanding CX300 in 2025. The company
will pursue electric flight, founder Kyle
Clark told MIT Technology Review,
“but in a way that doesn’t require
three or four miracles to happen at
once”, referencing the regulatory
uncertainties and technical challenges
still facing the eVTOL world. (Beta is

still seeking to achieve certification for
Alia-250 in 2026.)
Earlier, competitors Lilium and Joby
pushed back projected certification
dates to 2025, for different reasons,
but there seems to be the largely
unspoken belief that Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) certification
might take until 2027 or 2028 because
eVTOLs are unlike any other aircraft
ever produced. The FAA remains vague,
telling MIT Technology Review that
“safety will dictate the certification
timeline, but we could see these aircraft
in the skies by 2024 or 2025”—note
emphasis on “could”.
But even if it is delayed, nobody
expects the revolution to fizzle. The
smart view is that—with the 250-plus
eVTOL hopefuls whittled down to a
dozen survivors, vertiports in place
and improved battery technology—air
taxis will be mainstream, crisscrossing
urban centres everywhere by 2030.
In the meantime, non-hovering
electric aircraft will serve as a stepping
stone. Beta’s CX300, having flown a
total of 22,000 miles, and Eviation’s
regional-commuter,
Alice,
which
completed its first test flight last year,
are targeting different segments but
with the same zero-emissions goal.
Other firms are also designing
regional electric aircraft. “We’re
looking at an on-demand model that
creates new city pairs,” says Greg
Davis, Eviation CEO, noting there
are 3,500 small airports with paved
runways in the US. “You pick the time
and location—like Uber for aircraft—
and we’ll be there. We’ll connect areas
serviced by train or ferry.”
Pipe dream? Perhaps. Critical?
Absolutely. “If we don’t do anything
about it, aviation will be the top producer
of carbon emissions in transportation
by 2035,” Clark says. “And we’re
not going to let that happen—not on
our watch.”

T E CH N IQUE
D ’ AVA N T G ARDE:
DISCOVER WHY TAG ARE THE LEADERS
IN LUXURY PRIVATE JET TRAVEL.
tagaviation.com

(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWATER

Asymmetrical
Prowess
A look at three of the newest, stand-out models from
Sanlorenzo’s asymmetric SL range.
Words: Joel Chua

SL120A
As befits the flagship model of Sanlorenzo’s asymmetric
SL range, the 37m SL120A offers the most freedom when
it comes to experimenting with novel spatial layouts.
Here, the starboard side deck is eliminated to free up
ample space for a sizeable dining room with floor-toceiling windows, providing unobstructed views of the sea.
Venture further and you’ll find the full-beam master suite,
which enjoys direct access to an outdoor lounge at the
bow. Most impressively, the garage at the stern doubles
as a stunning 45sqm beach club. The club opens up to
reveal a large swim platform aft and two fold-out decks
on either side, offering plenty of communal spaces for
up to 10 guests, who can be accommodated across four
en-suite double cabins.

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SYMMETRY HAS ALWAYS been a central tenet of yacht
design. Still, that hasn’t stopped Sanlorenzo from redefining
the traditional way of living on board, with the introduction
of the world’s first asymmetrical yacht, the SL102. Premiered
at the 2018 Cannes Yachting Festival, the revolutionary
design was conceived by Chris Bangle—previously head of
design for BMW—in collaboration with Zuccon International
Project. The studio was tasked with developing subsequent
iterations of the Italian shipbuilder’s increasingly popular
asymmetric SL range, and duly obliged by dividing spaces in
an unconventional manner. As such, each model embraces a
sense of openness and flow atypical to what you’ll experience
on yachts of similar sizes, all while boasting refined, madeto-measure interiors.

(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWATER

SL106A
The 32.2m SL106A foregoes the port side deck for
a wider main saloon with full-height windows and
a fold-down terrace. Besides an extended garage
space at the stern for housing water toys and a
tender, the forward deck has been reworked to
incorporate a convertible dinette and sun loungers.
Notably, the SL106A sees the introduction of a oneway glass design that merges seamlessly with the
hull to accentuate its sleek profile.

SL90A
At 27.6m in length, the SL90A is one of the smaller builds
in Sanlorenzo’s asymmetrical line, though you’ll hardly
tell the difference with its efficient utilisation of space.
Characteristic of fellow asymmetric models, the SL90A
retains only the starboard side deck, allowing for an
enlarged main saloon. This also means that the owner’s
cabin can be fitted on the main deck, an option usually
reserved for larger yachts. The asymmetric configuration
is also applied to the flybridge—spacious enough to
include an outdoor jacuzzi—where a walkway at the
starboard side leads to forward sunpads.

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(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴTECHNOLOGY

Devialet Mania’s exclusive Seasonal Colours edition brings a
striking visual dimension to head-turning sound with Sunset
Rose and Sandstorm additions.
Words: Indran P

THE INTANGIBLE, WHEN made tangible,
can most definitely be savoured as a luxurious
proposition. Since its inception in 2007, French
audio technology firm Devialet has been affirming
the merits of that statement with its speakers and
amplifiers. To date, its impact in the high-end
audio market has been most potently conveyed by
its lineup of portable speakers, which includes its
stereo sound-proffering Mania model.
Long valued for its adaptive 360-degree sound
affordance, the Mania line welcomes two new
Seasonal Colour Exclusive Editions, the pastelhued Sunset Rose and Sandstorm (S$1,560 each)
to its family.
The Colour Of Emotion
In the world of acoustics, sound and colour are
essential to an exquisite listening experience. For
its two new additions, Devialet takes inspiration
from the ‘noise spectrum’, which is also known as
the ‘colour of sound’, with hues that depict “how
much energy flows at different frequencies”. The

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AUGUST 2023

Devialet Mania in
Sunset Rose (top) and
Sandstorm (above).
The unique Active
Stereo Calibration
allows Mania to play
stereo sound in
every direction.

What those technicalities translate to is sound
that covers the entire audio spectrum, from bass
to medium to treble, without compromising on
the quality of the delivery. Which means that
whether you’re soaking in the silken grooves of
D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar or luxuriating in the
pastoral splendour of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the
Wind, you’ll experience the most refined and fullbodied translations of those songs.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : D E V I A L E T.

Seeing Sounds

light, pinkish tint of Sunset Rose is a nod to the
calming beauty of sunsets, while the Sandstorm
variant echoes the raw power of vast landscapes.
These speakers come cable-free and you can
sync them with your preferred player via Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 5.0, Spotify Connect and AirPlay 2. They
are compact and light—each weighing just 2.3kg—
and are no larger than a football. The speakers’
ease-of-use and dimensions, however, belie their
all-round performance.
Mania is Devialet’s first high-fidelity portable
smart speaker to be equipped with 360-degree
stereo sound. As one of the house’s flagship
models, each speaker in its ranks is stacked with
an impressive array of features, all fine-tuned
for an immaculate performance. Besides 10hour life from a built-in 3,200mAh battery, each
Mania iteration is equipped with four aluminium
full-range drivers and two woofers, four ARM
Cortex-A53 processors and one 1.4Ghz processor.

JOIN

P H OTO G R A P H Y: H A R RY W I N S TO N.

Harry Winston’s Dame
Necklace features a
41.95-carat pink conch
pearl pendant, set in
a dramatic cascade of
brilliant-cut diamonds with
side-set diamonds along
the collarbone.

The Goods
Grooming

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Jewellery

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Style

8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴJEWELLERY

A Royal
Reception
Harry Winston’s new Royal Adornment jewellery
collection channels the house’s creations and
acquisitions that bear royal links.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: H A R RY W I N S TO N.

Words: Alvin Wong

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AUGUST 2023

8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴJEWELLERY

HARRY WINSTON DOESN’T take its
King of Diamonds sobriquet lightly, nor
without rightful claim. Although it was
conferred the title by a fashion magazine in
1947, the jewellery house’s royal provenance
goes beyond surface salutations.
Throughout its history, many of Harry
Winston’s acquisitions and creations have been
closely linked with nobility. The most famous
pieces of jewellery acquired by the company
include a 337.1-carat deep-blue sapphire once
owned by Catherine the Great; cabochon emerald
and diamond anklets from the maharaja of
Baroda; and the Westminster Tiara featuring
two perfect pear-shaped diamonds, known as
Arcots, dating back to the time of King George
III. Additionally, Harry Winston is also known
for crafting bespoke jewellery—fabulous tiaras,
necklaces and earrings—for royalty the world over
since its inception.
It is in this spirit of regal resplendence that
Harry Winston presents Royal Adornments.
This sumptuous jewellery collection comprises
rainbow-hued suites inspired by the company’s
links with royalty. Each creation within this
assortment of necklaces, earrings, brooches, a ring
and a tiara is rich with a unique backstory. They

Clockwise from
top left: the Dame
Necklace with a conch
pearl and diamonds;
the Court Earrings
with two near-identical
emerald-cut emeralds;
the Princess Earrings.
Facing page:
the Princess Suite’s
multi-strand wide
collar necklace
comprises rows of
diamonds, cushioncut sapphires and icy
aquamarines totalling
more than 186 carats.

also brim with bold colour and brilliance; rubies,
sapphires, emeralds, Paraiba tourmalines and
conch pearls aptly described by Harry Winston as
“kings and queens of all gemstones”.
A stunning highlight is the Princess Suite.
Comprising a multi-strand necklace made of
diamonds set in the shape of butterflies and
accompanied by cushion-cut sapphires and icy
aquamarines, as well as a pair of earrings with
diamond butterfly motifs suspended between
aquamarine and cushion-cut sapphires, the
suite references a custom order from 1977
for a princess’s 16th birthday.
The Court Earrings, meanwhile, is
an inspired take on an emerald necklace
that once belonged to the maharaja of
Nawanagar, which Harry Winston bought
in 1956. Staying faithful to the eye-catching
geometry of its forebear, the earrings feature
two near-identical emerald-cut emeralds
totalling almost 36.31 carats, surrounded by a
bouquet of diamonds in a variety of cuts ranging
from pear to marquise-shaped stones.
Last but not least, the Dame Necklace and
Earrings take their cue from a set once worn
by Elizabeth Taylor—a royalty of the silver
screen—which featured extremely rare pink and
salmon conch pearls. For the modern iterations, a
41.95-carat pink conch pearl takes centre stage as
a pendant on a classic diamond necklace, while on
the earrings, 12 conch pearls in varying shades of
pink are complemented by diamond clusters and
two oval-shaped rubies.
Indeed, throughout Royal Adornments’
unambiguously monikered creations, Harry
Winston demonstrates its penchant for forthright
flamboyance—and shines even more light on its
storied relationships with generations of tastemaking royals.

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8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴSTYLE

What’s Hot
All you need to know about the latest drops, collaborations
and happenings in luxury fashion this month.
Words: Joel Chua

New Beginnings

Glam Up
Manolo Blahnik is known for his bold, eclectic
designs, and that’s no different with this
season’s new collection. We’re particularly taken
with the black leather swirl detail on the Chonga
pump and the bands of floral crystals on the
Vedada sandals. Reflecting a 1960s aesthetic,
the graphic Chicuyuhi thigh-high boot stands
out for its chunky, contrasting stripes.

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P H O T O G R A P H Y : L O U I S V U I T T O N , A L F O N S O C ATA L A N O / V E R S A C E , M C M , M A N O L O B L A H N I K .

It’s the start of a new era of luxury fashion
at Louis Vuitton. Following his debut
runway show during Paris Fashion Week,
creative director Pharrell Williams has cast
Rihanna in his first campaign for the maison.
Lensed by Japanese photographer Keizō
Kitajima, the Barbadian singer rocks vibrant,
monogrammed Speedy bags with ferocious
swag. One of the first luxury bags Williams
owned, the line was also one of the brand’s
most popular designs during the early to
mid-2000s. Created with a novel silkscreen
monogramming process, the new Speedy
bags boast a blurry, hand-painted-like effect.

8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴSTYLE

Feeling Good
Presented at sunset in a picturesque villa in Cannes, Donatella
Versace’s summer collection, which she co-designed with
Dua Lipa, is all about sass and glamour. Past collections have
been reinterpreted as feel-good summer essentials, including
an archival metal mesh that’s been updated with crystal.
The house’s 1995 butterfly and ladybugs print has also been
reworked onto cropped leggings, bandeau tops and bodyconscious jumpsuits.

Crocs That Rock
If you aren’t already one of the Crocs-obsessed, then
this pair designed by MCM might just make you a covert.
For their second collaboration, the duo introduces a
Crocs Clogs rendition in white and lime green, as well
as a khaki and black variation. The footwear comes with
MCM’s signature mini-belt bag, which is functional and
can be easily worn as an accessory. Complete the get-up
with exclusive Jibbitz charms, from laurels and Bavarian
diamonds to brass plates and MCM lettering.

R O B B R E P O RT

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8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴGROOMING

More Than
Skin-deep
Carrie Gross, co-founder of Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, reveals her skincare routine.
Words: Joel Chua

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AUGUST 2023

Here, Carrie shares her skincare
regimen from morning to night.
First, know your skin
“I have combination skin. I find that I
don’t need moisturiser on my T-zone,
which is the area around the nose and
in between the eyebrows. The best
thing I’ve done for my skin is to check
in on it every day. You’ll learn so much
just by observing what your skin needs
in the moment.”

Morning routine
“I always start the day by spending
three minutes with the DRx SpectraLite
FaceWare Pro, an FDA-cleared LED
face mask for home use. It helps to boost
collagen production, improving skin
density, diminishing discolouration
and clearing acne for a brighter, more
youthful complexion.

“Next, I use the Alpha Beta Extra
Strength Daily Peel. The daily twostep treatment smoothens skin texture,
tightens pores and strengthens the skin
barrier without causing downtime. I
first swipe all around my face, neck and
chest with the LED face mask, wait for
two minutes, then I use the daily peel
on the same areas.
“I also check in with my skin to
see what it needs that day. On my
recent visit to Singapore, for instance,
I made sure to load up on free radical
protection. I never forget the eye area,
which is the most vulnerable to signs of
premature ageing. It is also important
to take preventive measures against
the effect of the sun. Before I’m out the
door, I apply sun protection.”
Night routine
“Before going to bed, I make sure
to cleanse my skin of any make-up,

P H OTO G R A P H Y: D R . D E N N I S
GROSS SKINCARE.

BACK IN THE day, practising boardcertified dermatologist Dr Dennis
Gross disrupted the skincare industry
with the breakthrough Alpha Beta
Professional Peel, the world’s first
gentle acid peel. He proved that a
cocktail of alpha and beta hydroxy
acids (exfoliants that promote shedding
of skin with antibacterial properties)
in a peel was more beneficial than a
high dose of monoacid (a single-base
acid that also promotes skin peeling).
The treatment worked wonders and
attained a cult following. Yet, it wasn’t
until his then-pregnant wife, Carrie,
asked him to bring the peel home that
the gears clicked and she had the eureka
moment to create the first at-home peel.
“I remember thinking that I should
be able to do this at home myself,” she
reveals. “That’s when I realised that we
had to figure out how to bring this to
people everywhere.”
Over 20 years later, the Grosses
have grown the brand into a skincare
behemoth. The company is present in
over 40 countries and counts beauty
experts and celebrities like Shani
Darden and Chrissy Teigen among its
faithful customers. While the Alpha
Beta Daily Peel remains the brand’s
firm bestseller—one is sold roughly
every two seconds—Dennis continues
to expand their extensive range of
products, selecting every ingredient
himself and concocting new formulas
from scratch. “Just like how a Michelinstarred chef would,” Carrie says.

8LI+SSHWŴ`ŴGROOMING

sunscreen, dirt, bacteria or impurities
accumulated throughout the day.
While we sleep, the skin’s reparative
processes are at their height. I make
sure to take advantage of this, relying
on the Advanced Retinol + Ferulic
Intense Wrinkle Cream to keep my skin
soft, hydrated and full of antioxidants
to reduce free radical activity. Again,
never leave out the eye area to prevent
fine lines, crow’s feet and wrinkles, as
well as restore hydration.

“I’ve found that taking time to learn
about myself and my needs has worked
wonders for my skin. It’s important to
find moments of self-care throughout
the day because it’ll show up on the rest
of your body and face.
“This can be in the form of facial
steaming, gua sha for lymphatic
drainage, honey shots for boosting
immunity, yoga for relaxing face
muscles or even simply getting a good
night’s sleep.”

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The Vanity Table
The latest grooming products to know.
Words: Joel Chua

Guerlain Bouquet de la
Mariée Murano Edition by
Aristide Najean 2023
To celebrate its 170th anniversary,
Guerlain has given master glassmaker
Aristide Najean carte blanche to reenvision the iconic Bee Bottle. The
result? An exquisite bottle from which
sprouts an intricate bridal bouquet of
white Murano glass flowers, inlaid with
24k gold. As for the precious fragrance
within, expect glittery notes of orange
blossom, sugared almond accord and
frankincense. A total of 10 engravable,
numbered bottles have been produced,
retailing for S$37,000 each.

Pasha de Cartier Noir Absolu

Louis Vuitton Pacific Chill
Take a chill pill with this breezy cologne by Louis
Vuitton. A cool, Californian-inspired fragrance, Pacific
Chill features a light-hearted blend of blackcurrant,
cedrat and lemon. A spritz will remind you of laidback cocktails by the beach, watching the sun as it
dips gently over the horizon.

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P H OTO G R A P H Y: LO U I S V U I T TO N, C A RT I E R , G U E R L A I N.

You can’t get any warmer and spicier than burnt wood
and caramelised sugar, which is exactly what Pasha
de Cartier Noir Absolu is. Bold and suggestive, the
cologne is a date-night staple for when you want to
make a strong and enticing impression without being
too overpowering.

(VIEQ1EGLMRIWŴ`ŴWHEELS

Curated to be exceptional

SHOP NOW

P H OTO G R A P H Y: C O S E N T I N O G LO B A L .

The porous striped
structure of Marmorio
gives an elegant, bright
and lightweight look
to any design. It takes
inspiration from Travertino
Navona, a natural stone
quarried near Tivoli, east
of Rome. Marmorio is part
of Cosentino’s new Dekton
Pietra Kode collection.

The Resource
Art & Design

|

Money

|

Savour

|

Travel

REALTY CHECK | JEWELS IN THE CROWN

WORDS: JACQUELINE DANAM.

Presenting this month’s hottest properties for another place to call home.

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GRAND MARINA, SAIGON
H O CHI MINH CI T Y, V IE T NAM

Rising up in Ho Chi Minh City’s iconic
waterfront District 1 is a cluster of towers
that will house the country’s first, and the
world’s largest, Marriott and JW Marriott
branded residences. The development’s
prime location puts it within mere minutes
of famous landmarks such as Saigon
Opera House and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Scheduled to open in late 2024, the
project is being developed by Vietnambased real estate firm Masterise Homes
and will have close to 4,200 residential
and officetel units. The Marriott-branded
units, called The Prime Collection, will
have sophisticated spaces that are
meant to inspire residents, while the
JW Marriott-branded units, called The
Legacy Collection, will be designed for
mindfulness and to foster togetherness
with loved ones. All residents will have
access to quality hotel-like amenities and
on-demand services, such as engineering
and housekeeping.
Price: upon request via Masterise Homes

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SEA-RENITY VILLA
KO H S A M U I , T H A IL A N D

This beachfront property boasts an array
of exceptional features that makes it seem
like it’s part of a large resort rather than
a private residence. For starters, it comes
with its own manager and chef. There are
two kitchens, both fitted with top-of-therange equipment from brands such as
Gorenje and Franke. There are two dining
tables as well, one indoor and the other
next to the outdoor pool and swim-up bar.
Residents may find themselves spending
most of their time by the two pools (one
for adults, one for children) to enjoy the
panoramic view of the ocean and Koh
Tan. The bar houses a state-of-the-art
Brinkmann Select barbecue grill. The villa
is located on Laem Sor Beach and faces
the west to capture Samui’s gorgeous
sunsets. With six individually designed ensuite bedrooms, all with sea views, and a
kid’s bunk room that sleeps six, Sea-Renity
is tailor-made for family and friends to
vacation together in privacy and luxury in
an area of natural, outstanding beauty.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: L E S L E Y F I S H E R .

Price: 153 million baht via List Sotheby’s
International Realty

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DG1
D U B A I , T HE U N I T ED A R A B EMIR AT E S

The stunning design of DG1 is thanks to
DarGlobal, which was among the first to
introduce luxury brands into living spaces
in Dubai, and the avant-garde Gensler
Architects. The twisting profile is set to
make this residential development an
iconic landmark along Dubai Canal. All
units come with a private balcony and offer
views of Burj Khalifa and the downtown
area. Premium materials and finishings,
such as the marble used for the floors, are
from Europe. For leisure, there is an infinity
pool that overlooks Dubai Canal with a
play area for children located nearby. A
garden on the rooftop allows residents to
relax amid lush landscaping while enjoying
unobstructed views. A state-of-the-art gym
and yoga studio complete the recreational
offerings here.
Price: from 1.72 million dirhams
via DarGlobal

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Stony
Brilliance
Cosentino’s Dekton Pietra Kode reimagines
classic Italian stones for the modern abode.
Words: Joel Chua

This and facing pages:
with Pietra Kode,
and in collaboration
with designer Daniel
Germani (right),
Dekton reinterprets
the timeless beauty of
three classic stones:
Vicenza stone (above),
Travertine marble
(facing page, above)
and Ceppo di Gré
(facing page, far right).

“It (Dekton Pietra Kode)
is designed with
the future in mind.”

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P H OTO G R A P H Y: C O S E N T I N O G LO B A L .

WHETHER YOU’RE A design novice or
connoisseur, it’s hard not to be pleasantly struck by
Cosentino’s Dekton, a revolutionary, ultra-compact
surface. Developed using the brand’s patented
Sinterized Particle technology, Dekton undergoes
an accelerated process of metamorphosis—one
that occurs naturally when stones are exposed to
intense heat and pressure, albeit over thousands
of years. It’s thus highly resistant to ultraviolet
rays, scratches, stains and thermal shock, making
it a durable and versatile surface that excels both
indoors and out.
Dubbed Dekton Pietra Kode, Cosentino’s new
collection marks the brand’s third collaboration
with renowned architect Daniel Germani.
While past collections were hewed to industrial
applications, Dekton Pietra Kode has been
conceived with the modern abode in mind.
“For this collection, I spent a lot of time decoding
each stone’s history in Italian architecture and
reimagining them in a contemporary setting,” says

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴART & DESIGN

Germani. “It’s designed with the future in mind
and complements any space in a way that won’t go
out of style.”
For this reason, you’ll observe that Pietra Kode
comprises three distinct lines emulating classic
Italian stones of the same name: Vicenza Kode,
Travertine Kode and Ceppo Kode (short for Ceppo
di Gré, a stone that’s found in historic Milanese
buildings such as Milan City Hall).
On one hand, Vicenza Kode features warm,
earthy hues that go particularly well with lighter,
neutral palettes such as cream, wood or taupe.
Grigio, for instance, pays homage to Grigio
Alpi, a type of Vicenza stone used by the great
Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in palaces
and villas. Travertine Kode, on the other hand,
exudes a tactility that is rich with subtle nuances.
Available in a veiny or porous striped pattern, it
will enliven both rustic and contemporary living
spaces alike.
Finally, there is Ceppo Kode, a distinctively
pebbled surface that seamlessly blends the indoors
with the outdoors. It is best used in an avant-garde
environment—perhaps as the facade of a cubic,
modernist residence, like a monolithic structure
plucked right out of the Stone Age.

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This Month’s Feed
Only the best dining and drinking spots in Singapore.
Words: Hannah Choo and Poh Kiat Cheong

Left: Oriental Bouillabaisse
is a reinvention of the classic
seafood bouillabaisse.

Path
It’s been a year since Path opened and
if it’s possible, the food is even better.
Marvas Ng, the down-to-earth chef
behind the restaurant, continues his
journey through his personal culinary map
with brand-new menus. Think glorified
and showstopping East Asian flavours in
an unpretentious environment.
First-timers may dip their toes at lunch
with an a la carte or ever-changing prix
fixe menu, but Path is best experienced
at dinner, when you may opt for the sixcourse Voyage or eight-course Expedition
menu. Of course, go for the latter if you
like an adventure. There’s rhythm and
flow from beginning to end, and every
dish stands out in one way or another.
The meal begins with three snacks
inspired by Ng’s childhood, which
includes an Abacus Seed Skewer that’s
quite out of this world. Topped with
dried shrimp ragu, the abacus seed (a
greasy, chewy yam snack of Hakka origin)

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explodes with flavour. The Lamb Beignet
is just as excellent. Braised lamb shoulder
is shredded and mixed with teriyaki
sauce and caramelised onion, before it is
battered and deep-fried to a crisp.
Familiar classics are given a
contemporary flair, such as Hokkien
braised pork trotters seen in the Pork
Trotter Crepinette. The pork trotter is
boiled till it’s fall-off-the-bone tender,
chopped and moulded into a ball with
mushroom ragu, before it’s pan-seared
and served with a slightly tart preserved
vegetable sauce. Fish Maw, a Chinese
delicacy, is double-boiled in sake and
dashi before it’s dunked into a collagenrich beurre blanc sauce. For a premium,
ask to have it topped with caviar.
For luck, the Oriental Bouillabaisse
involves a ‘money bag’ made from tofu,
which is steamed and served with sea
cucumber. And for bliss and fidelity (at
least that’s how the Chinese take it),

there’s the Duck Crown from Indiana in
the US, dry-aged for 15 days and slowroasted for seven hours before getting
deep-fried. It comes with eight types
of condiments, including a delicious
Teochew chilli that was fermented for at
least two weeks.
The real star of the show, if there
is, would be the Shanghainese Hairy
Crab Roe, Ng’s take on the bread-andbutter course. A hairy crab roe and meat
reduction rests on a bed of soy curd,
topped with crispy rice and served with
a crispy French baguette. We say it’s a
lot better (and fun) than just bread and
butter, but if that sounds like a bunch of
bull, you know there’s only one way to
find out.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : J O H N H E N G / O W E N R A G G E T T/ P AT H , J I G G E R & P O N Y.

Below: Shanghainese Hairy
Crab Roe is a tribute to two
of chef Marvas Ng’s favourite
food memories.

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

Humpback
You can’t really go wrong with the Jigger
& Pony Group. As part of its impressive
roster of bars and restaurants, Humpback
is a 63-seater restaurant nestled in a
1930s conservation shophouse within
the Bukit Pasoh neighbourhood. First
launched in 2015, it is back after a
two-month-long renovation and remains
a relaxed and welcoming date spot,
boasting a brand-new menu for any
seafood lover.
Led by chefs Alynna Tan and Joseph
Teoh, expect nothing but inventive dishes
rich in European culinary techniques and
Japanese influences. Think House-cured
Hamachi Pastrami served with Japanese
cucumber softened by Champagne
vinegar, purple clams that are simmered
in sake, mirin and toasted koji cream, and
Ricotta Cavatelli served with swordfish
belly bacon. One would find the dishes
hearty and fresh, with produce sourced
as locally and regionally as possible. As
for the oysters—a popular mainstay since
Humpback’s early days—they are flown
in fresh from the Pacific Northwest of
the US. Look forward to freshly shucked
oysters like the clean and crisp Hama
Hama, creamy Blue Pool and briny-sweet
Summerstone, best washed down with
a bottle of Muscadet Domaine L’Ecu
Classic 2020 from Loire Valley.

Experience Humpback’s seafood-centric menu
that features dishes such as (clockwise from
below) purple clams with toasted koji and green
asparagus, Oyster Platter and House-cured
Hamachi Pastrami.

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Kubô
Filipino food is, at best, grouped
indiscriminately with sisig, lechon and
Jollibee. These are great meals, but it’s
myopic to think that a country with 7,000plus islands would have such a narrow
food language.
Kubô illuminates the world of Filipino
cuisine. Named after the thatched huts
that litter the Philippine countryside,
the restaurant is the brainchild of Kurt
Sombero, formerly from Restaurant
André and Burnt Ends. With a menu
that’s inspired by his Filipino upbringing,
Sombero started on the right foot by
outfitting the beating heart of Kubô with
a pugon. This traditional brick oven is
reminiscent of his grandmother’s kitchen.
Sombero’s pugon is custom-made. Cast
iron is used for its top, an elevation grill
controls the heat applied to the meats,
and the smoke emitted is funnelled to
a smoker. Sit by the open kitchen and
you’ll be privy to the artistry of woodfired cooking as a tonne of ironbark is
set aflame to smoke, steam and grill the
various meals.

We start with the Homemade Cassava
Chips that are served with tobiko, smoked
eggplant and miso dip, before moving on
to the Honeycomb Tripe—crunchy braised
beef tripe that is seasoned with paprika
and comes with a spicy chickpea puree
for dipping—and the Inasal Mid-Wings,
smoked and grilled chicken mid-wings
served with atchara and annatto sauce.
With the wings, the smokiness of the
pugon comes to the fore.
Sisig came next. Instead of pig ears,
as the traditional dish calls for, smoked
pork cheek was used. The meat is handchopped, caramelised and seasoned in
a combination of salted egg sauce and
pepper. Because there isn’t the crunch
from the lack of cartilage that pig ears
would have, each bite goes down easy
with the house-made flatbread.
For a delightful kick, we had the
prawns that are butterflied, bathed in a
coconut sauce and heightened with bird’s
eye chilli and kaffir lime. Then, the Pork
Longganissa, which is based on a beloved
Philippine breakfast classic of sweet

sausages. Sombero’s version is a grilled
hamonado (meat marinated and cooked in
pineapple juice); a naked pork patty that’s
marinated in soy and served with ikura,
cured egg and toasted bread. It’s packed
with flavour and very rich. We could have
stopped there but greed prompted us to
try the next dish, which was the HouseAged Duck. It comes with aged duck
breast that’s grilled and duck leg confit.
Carrot puree and broccoli break up the
brownness of the plating.
You feel the hospitality at Kubô
through each mouthful, with the warming
of the gut. Or maybe that’s just the fire
from the pugon.

P H OTO G R A P H Y: , K U B Ô, C H E D I.

Kubô redefines the flavours
of the Philippines via
inventive dishes such as
Pork Longganissa (left) and
House-Aged Duck (above).

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8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

Dishes such as Miang-Kham (right) and Tom Kha
Gai (below, right) take diners on a journey across
Thailand’s well- and lesser-known sauces, curries
and flavour combinations.

Restaurant Chedi
It’s not every day you can find joy in
paying good money for Thai food,
especially when a bowl of tom yum
soup can easily be found for S$5. But at
Restaurant Chedi, the S$148 eight-course
menu will have you coming back for more.
Chedi, which is Thai for ‘monument’,
symbolises a place of purity and, for chefowner K-Jin Lim, it represents the respect
he has for Thailand’s diverse cuisine.
Think of Chedi as a lifeline for those
who are bored by the same old same old.
Lim, who spent eight years in Thailand
gaining knowledge and mastering
techniques, fronts the kitchen with head
chef Miller Mai, who has almost two
decades worth of experience. Together,
they want to offer diners a deeper
understanding of Thai cuisine, from the
exalted classics to the exotic.
Every dish is seriously thought out,
devoid of pretension, as the vibe of
the restaurant will tell you. The meal
begins with Miang Kham, a traditional
one-bite snack from Chiang Mai. A wild
betel leaf cradles raw, cooked and dried
ingredients, explodes in the mouth
with flavour and texture, before getting
washed down by a shot of tamarind,
palm sugar and soda water. Tom Kha Gai,
what we know as chicken coconut soup,
appears as a chicken wingette that’s
tunnel-boned and stuffed with peppery
chicken, mushroom glutinous rice and
foie gras, before getting baked and served
in cold coconut espuma.
At the heart of the meal, Kor Muu
Yang, or Thai grilled pork neck, is also
given the upgrade—this time with Iberico
secreto, a highly prized cut from the
shoulder. It is very good and hearty, but
it wouldn’t hurt to add an extra S$28
for Neua Yang (A4 Wagyu striploin) and
another S$14 for Khao Pad Kid Terng, a
salted threadfin and crab fried rice with
wok hei for days. It’s a two-bowl minimum
order, which works out perfectly even if
your dining partner isn’t on board.

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The Buzz on Buzz-free

Right now in the wine world, all eyes are on innovative non-alcoholic
options that are as complex and satisfying as the real deal.
Words: Sheri de Borchgrave
Photography: Wilk

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8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

Above: Non founder Aaron
Trotman, in his Melbourne,
Australia, headquarters.
Above right: Non1, a sparkling
drink made with salted
raspberry and chamomile.

hen they started dating in the
2010s, Aaron Trotman and
his now wife, Miranda, spent
every free minute travelling the
world together on epicurean
adventures. “We were Anthony Bourdain–ing
across the beaten track,” says Trotman, a serial
entrepreneur from Melbourne, Australia, with a
background in cosmetics. They signed up for food
tours in Paris and chased down the best ramen in
Tokyo. In New York and London, they booked the
most talked-about Michelin-starred restaurants.
While he often ordered wine pairings with his
lengthy tasting menus, Miranda—who gets flushed
from drinking alcohol—opted for intoxicant-free
wine substitutes. Much to their surprise, these
house-made libations, which skewed savoury
rather than sweet, were often more interesting
than his aged cuvees. “Miranda’s drinks were very
creative, with unusual ingredients,” he recalls.
Back in Melbourne in 2018, one particularly eyeopening meal, a 14-course tasting menu at Lûmé,
left Trotman inspired—not just gastronomically
but entrepreneurially. He was particularly
taken with the clarified apple juice infused with
marigold leaves and mountain pepper, served
with a crayfish dish, and by the bracing iced green
tea with fresh lemon that arrived with dessert.
“Suddenly it dawned on me,” he recalls of his
eureka moment. “Why can’t I take on the empty
wine glasses” sitting in front of non-drinkers?
Soon he was spending 16-hour days in the
kitchen, working with a chef friend to develop his
own faux wines, signature blends as complex as
the real thing. The pair experimented with a wide
range of ingredients. They did a cold extraction

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8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

of raspberries, dehydrated oranges and stewed
cherries and tried teas and spices as well as salt
from Australia’s Murray River. To build body,
structure and texture, they turned to verjus, the
juice of unripe grapes, which delivered the fresh
acidity that’s key to wine’s mouthfeel. White
versions were infused with yuzu, orange and
toasted cinnamon, among other ingredients. Reds
were mixed with chocolate to develop the tannins
that are essential to a classic red-wine finish.
“We built flavour by striking a balance between
the fruit, tannins, salinity and acid found in the
world’s best wines,” Trotman says.
Since he launched his company, Non, with
three alt-wines in 2019, several competitors
have followed him to market. The category is
still so new for these non-wine ‘wines’ that no
classifying name has yet stuck. But whether
they’re called wine substitutes, alternative wines
or the charmingly blunt not-wine, these inventive
libations are unleashing a wave of creativity in the
industry and attracting new fans.
Trotman was among the first commercial
producers to take a culinary approach, cooking
up concoctions in a professional chef’s kitchen
equipped with ovens, dehydrators and sous
vide devices. For years, though, as Trotman
discovered on his travels, many top restaurants,
such as Chicago’s three-Michelin-starred Alinea,
have been offering teetotalling diners their own
alcohol-free creations, eschewing the typically
unsatisfying dealcoholised wines—actual wines
chemically stripped of their alcohol content and
usually amped up with sugar—on the market in
favour of house-made elixirs.
“We didn’t want people (abstaining from
alcohol) to feel ‘less than’,” says Allen Hemberger
of the Alinea restaurant group, who is co-author,
with his wife, Sarah, of Zero: A New Approach to
Non-Alcoholic Drinks. “We wanted them to have
the same awesome experience that everyone else
has, make them feel cared for in a bespoke way.”
A cultural shift is also underway. With a
healthier lifestyle trending these days, even
serious oenophiles are sometimes making alcoholfree choices. A recent study found that among
consumers of low- and no-alcohol beverages, 78
per cent also drink alcohol. And Dry January,
which began in 2013 in the UK with 4,000 people
giving up booze for the month, is now a fullfledged global phenomenon. Meanwhile, Gen Z is
imbibing 20 per cent less than its millennial peers.
There’s a huge audience for non-alcoholic options
just in time for a surge in quality among wine
alternatives in particular.
Visit any Boisson, the new chain of alcoholfree beverage shops with outposts throughout

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From top: a sampling of ingredients at Non; topping
cherries with spices before roasting; raspberry
extraction after a 48-hour cold steep.

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

From below: dried chamomile
flowers; a batch ready to be
taste-tested; chefs prepping
their product for bottling.

California and New York, and you’ll be spoilt for
choice. The selection is even more abundant at
The Zero Proof, an e-commerce site that ships
anywhere in the US. “Non-alcohol wine is our top
category and it’s been growing like crazy,” says cofounder and CEO Sean Goldsmith. “There’s been
such a huge surge in demand that brands can’t
even keep up with the growth.”
Goldsmith says his customers often drink
alcohol, too. “They want a non-alcoholic drink to
work into their weekday routine,” he says.

“They want a
non-alcoholic drink
to work into their
weekday routine.”

A

mong the wine alternatives crowding the
shelves at new retail outlets, a growing
number focus on purported health benefits.
Blurred Vines, for instance, a 2022 launch from
the UK’s Three Spirit, boasts of immune-systemboosting, energising effects of its beverages’
antioxidants and polyphenols. Partners Dash
Lilley, Tatiana Mercer and Meeta Gournay, who
built the brand around ‘botanical alchemy’, as they
describe their approach, worked with a naturalwinemaker and a food scientist and fermentation
expert on their proprietary ferments, base fruit
and yeasts. Italian apricot and white grapes bring
high acidity and vivid aromas to the company’s
first two releases, Sharp and Spark. Sharp, the
fruitier blend, features pressed green-gooseberry
juice along with manuka leaf and Ethiopian
koseret, among other exotic botanicals. “It clears
the mind and reinvigorates with zero caffeine,”
says Lilley, who oversees product development.
Spark, a bubbly brew that loosely mimics
Champagne, has a base of pressed strawberries
and redcurrants and features a mix of black and
green teas from Rare Tea Company in London,
along with hints of cayenne pepper and schisandra
berry (an adaptogen once consumed by fighter
pilots hoping to build endurance).

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V

inegar, a by-product of winemaking
long touted for its gut-health benefits,
is a natural starting point for producing
alcohol-free wine substitutes. Acid League, a
vinegar producer from Canada, made that leap
with its offshoot, Wine Proxies, which launched
two years ago. The sparkling, white, rose and red
varieties—with fanciful names such as Sauvage,
Zephyr and Gallica—are complex blends of juices,
teas, spices, bitters and, of course, vinegar. The
company has begun rolling out limited-edition
collaborations with top culinary figures, including
three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn
(Riesling verjus, yuzu and tea), sommelier and
winemaker André Mack (marionberries, pu-erh
tea and kola nut) and James Beard Award-winning
chef Sean Brock (elderberries, pawpaw and pine).
Jukes Cordialities, launched in the UK by
veteran wine writer Matthew Jukes in early 2020,
allows you to make your own ‘wine’ using an
apple cider–vinegar concentrate with macerated
fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Each tiny
bottle is packed with wine-like flavours and is
designed to be added to your choice of club soda,

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tonic or water. The rose features hints of melon,
pomegranate and pear along with Mediterranean
herbs. Taken together, the flavours are meant to
conjure what’s known in wine circles as garigue,
the classic thyme-and-lavender-scented aroma of
the Mediterranean coast.
In many ways, the burgeoning universe of
alcohol-free wine mirrors the wine world itself.
Like the most radical natural winemakers—in the
Republic of Georgia, for instance, earthenware
vessels are filled with product before being
buried in the ground to age—some new players
are reimagining the category entirely. Muri grew
out of the New Nordic gastronomy of Noma, in
Copenhagen. Founder Murray Paterson was once
a distiller at Empirical, a spirits company launched
by a team of Noma alumni.
Paterson began developing his first wine
alternative as a solo venture during the initial
pandemic lockdown in early 2020. “It took six
months to devise my first wine,” he says. He
began with a base of kvass, a traditional Eastern
European brew made from leftover bread, then
added wild herbs, such as grassy woodruff, foraged

P H OTO G R A P H Y: A N D R E A S O M V I K .

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

From far left: harvesting nobilis pine
cones for Muri; head of research and
development Ioakeim Goulidis and
founder Murray Paterson in Muri’s
test kitchen; glasses of Blurred
Vines, which touts benefits for the
immune system.

from the woods around Copenhagen. The result,
Passing Clouds, is like a cross between a pet-nat (a
natural effervescent wine) and a wheat beer, with
a hint of pear cider as well. Muri’s releases include
so many foraged components that it has a forager
on contract.
“She’s a badass,” Paterson says. “She’s actually a
practising witch.”
Each new blend goes through a painstaking
development process. Yamilé, Muri’s sparkling
rose, took a year to get right. The recipe includes
beechwood-smoked rhubarb, gooseberry mead,
fermented raspberries, pink peppercorns and
angelica root. “A lot of cheffy nonsense goes on
before we do the final blend,” he says with a laugh.
While Muri’s funky beverages are the sorts of
challenging sips a natural-wine connoisseur might
appreciate, Trotman’s more refined bottlings for
Non are the Grand Cru Bordeaux of the alcoholfree wine world. Recently, they’ve begun appearing
on the menus of fine-dining restaurants—the very
types of places that first inspired their creation.
In January, three-Michelin-starred chef Daniel
Humm hosted a Non pairing dinner at his New

York restaurant, Eleven Madison Park, to mark the
brand’s US debut, serving five of Trotman’s blends
with his vegan creations. “It’s a beautiful product,”
he says, praising the balance and low sugar content.
“It’s a time of change,” adds Humm, who
switched to a plant-based menu in 2021. “People
are pushing new boundaries with fermentation.
It’s happening to beverages, too, in the nonalcoholic space. It’s just amazing that there are not
a lot more options for people. I applaud them for
pushing boundaries.”
Before introducing Non to a tough New York
audience—who enthusiastically downed second
pours—Trotman consulted experts back home. “I
wanted to be sure we were ready,” he says.
Beyond the first three bottlings that have hit
the US market, he has a dozen more formulations
still waiting to launch. A super-premium version is
also in development, priced like fine wine between
US$100 and US$200 a bottle. He’s been toying
with “rare ingredients”, he says. Truffles? Saffron?
Trotman is keeping the recipe close to his toque
for now. “I don’t need my competitors swiping
my ideas.”

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8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

How Sweet
What to know about Château d’Arche, the winery behind
one of the best sweet wines around.

P H O T O G R A P H Y : C H ÂT E A U D ’A R C H E .

Words: Hannah Choo

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AUGUST 2023

8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴSAVOUR

the years ending with ‘three’ have usually been
remarkable; the 1893, 1983 and 2003 vintages, with
the exception of 2013.

THE FRENCH DON’T typically like dubbing
it a dessert wine, but call it what you want, the
sweet, palate-cleansing wine that is Sauternes
is delicious not just with sweet treats, but spicy
Asian dishes as well. Now, isn’t that appealing
for the average Singaporean? Brought to you by a
small appellation in Bordeaux, Sauternes typically
boasts a smooth viscosity with notes of apricot,
honey and butterscotch, and a golden-yellow hue
that deepens as time goes by. It is a labour of love
made from handpicked grapes (mostly semillon)
affected by botrytis cinerea (a fungus known as
‘noble rot’), explains Solène Loutter, a business
developer at Château d’Arche, one of the region’s
older estates. Château d’Arche, founded in 1580
and passed through several owners, is located in
one of the finest terroirs in Sauternes and a good
bet for anyone interested in beginning their sweet,
sweet journey. Loutter offers a little more insight
to the wine, chateau and region.
What makes Sauternes unique and distinctive?
Sauternes is a modern wine that requires ecological
production (methods) as well as the integration of
a climatic phenomenon. Thanks to a rather cold
river called Ciron, which takes its source from the
moors and which flows under shade, fog is created
in the autumn over the whole vineyard. This mist
provokes the creation of a fungus called botrytis
cinerea, (which desiccates the grapes and increases
the concentration of sugar), and thus magnifies
the taste and quality of the grapes. This process
is unique and distinguishes Sauternes from the
other wines.

Did the horseback ploughing help?
Horses allow us to avoid the compaction caused
by tractors; thermal engines give off vapours
and noise that are harmful to the environment
and development of the grapes. Our ancestors
understood this well and we are happy to return to
tradition. It also helps that our soil is, at all points,
free from pesticides.
When one visits Château d’Arche, what should
one do?
Settle down and spend three days at our hotel,
where you will be able to enjoy the beauty, mild
climate and starry nights. Visit the winery and
learn about the creation of the wine (the Arche
1855 tour allows you to discover five different
vintages), the exceptional touch of its harvest
and the ecological approach that has been around
since 2010. Feel good and be inspired by the strong
ideas of ecology at the end of your stay.

This and facing
pages: the
deliciousness
of Sauternes
is a labour of
love made from
handpicked
grapes affected by
a ‘noble rot’.

What else is there to do besides drinking wine?
We are surrounded by exceptional restaurants
within a 10km radius—the two-Michelinstarred Restaurant Lalique at Château LafauriePeyraguey, and the one-starred Maison Claude
Darroze in Langon. You can also go angling on the
Ciron, ride a kayak, go horseback riding through
vineyards and forests, or if you’re here in February,
you can attend Fête des Bœufs Gras in Bazas. We
recommend renting a bicycle to get around.

What makes each vintage a challenge to make?
Making Sauternes is a complex process amplified
by the different challenges. Will the grapes be
ripe when the mists arrive? How will the fungus
develop? Will the harvest be done at the right
time? Will the right aromas be present? All the
elements make the cost of production higher than
that of other wines.
In Château d’Arche’s history, what’s the best
memory that it has to date?
The best memory would be our 2022 production.
During a drought that lasted from April to the end
of August, the vineyard remained green and full.
This is explained by the presence of red clay that
kept the water table less than 6m from the vine in
the ground. The fogs came at the right moment
for the bunches to develop botrytis. Of course,
it is too early to know what the 2022 vintage
will be, but everything is in place to obtain an
exceptional vintage. We are also looking forward
to this year’s harvest. In the history of Sauternes,

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135

Special Feature

The Big 100
House of Suntory celebrates 100 years of chasing perfection,
marking the manifestation of founder Shinjiro Torii’s vision.

136

AUGUST 2023

Above: to
commemorate
100 years of the
House of Suntory, the
company will launch
four limited editions of
its signature whiskies
in Singapore.

There’s no better way to celebrate the occasion
than to shine the spotlight on what is without
question, the most distinctive facet of Japanese
whisky: Mizunara casks. Barrels made from this
indigenous oak are rare and they are notoriously
difficult to work with. But thanks to the work of
first-generation master blender, Torii, and second
generation master blender, Keizo Saji, Suntory
discovered the reward of a long maturation and
these now-hallowed casks: a whisky like no other,
complete with distinct notes of sandalwood and
kara (a type of incense), one that is often imitated
but never replicated.
Yamazaki 18 Years Old Mizunara
100th Anniversary Limited Edition
The Yamazaki 18 Year Old is perhaps the most
iconic face of the Yamazaki line, and there can be
no better pairing than a middle-aged Yamazaki
that spent its entire life in Mizunara casks. The
Yamazaki 18 Year Old Mizunara expression has
rich and elegant notes of dark cherry and ripe
peach on the nose, with hints of cinnamon and
nutmeg. On the palate, it is subtly spiced with

P H O T O G R A P H Y : B E A M S U N T O R Y.

A HUNDRED YEARS is more than a lifetime
for practically all of us. For those in the business
of making aged spirits, however, a century
represents merely a couple of cycles, highlighting
the punishingly uncompromising journey to
perfection. This year, the revered Yamazaki marks
its centenary and Hakushu, its golden jubilee—and
both are certainly cause for celebration.
While Suntory was founded in 1899, it was
in 1923 that founder Shinjiro Torii laid the
foundations for what would become the most
iconic Japanese whisky in the world today—
Yamazaki. Fifty years later, the company would
repeat the feat with Hakushu, forming the bedrock
of the House of Suntory.
To commemorate 100 years of the House of
Suntory, the company will launch four limited
editions of its signature whiskies in Singapore:
Yamazaki 18 Years Old Mizunara 100th
Anniversary Limited Edition, Yamazaki 12 Years
Old in special anniversary packaging, Hakushu 18
Years Old Peated Malt 100th Anniversary Limited
Edition and Hakushu 12 Years Old in special
anniversary packaging.

Special Feature

Chef Yamanaka, on the other hand, seeks to
complement the elegance and subtle undertones
of Hakushu with his eight-course dinner, to be
held on 6 September, exemplified by the earthy
aromas of his Signature Mushroom Quartet that
mirrors the freshness, clean smoke and citrus of
the whisky.

organette undernotes of Japanese incense and a
long and lingering finish, accentuated with clove,
sandalwood and hints of dried coconut.
Hakushu 18 Years Old Peated Malt
100th Anniversary Limited Edition
Hakushu is the understated cousin in the family,
and the Hakushu 18 Year Old Peated Malt
encapsulates the character of its terroir. With the
distillery nestled deep in Mt Kaikomagatake, the
unique climate and exceptional mountain water
combine to create Hakushu’s signature smoky
style. This limited edition features vibrant notes of
sage, ripe green apple and hints of ripe pineapple.
The complex, smoky flavour on the palate reveals
layers of herbal, grapefruit and acacia honey notes,
with a smoky finish that lingers with undernotes
of fresh green citrus.
Limited-edition celebratory packaging
The centennial editions of the Yamazaki 12 Years
Old and Hakushu 12 Years Old pay homage to
the Japanese principle of monozukuri, which
embodies elevated craftsmanship and artisanship,
as well as a relentless pursuit for quality, ingenuity
and expressiveness.
The bottle designs capture the spirit of their
respective distilleries; the legendary Yamazaki
distillery is portrayed in deep copper tones from a
low angle as a reminder to stay grounded while the
verdant green forests of Hakushu represent the
riches of Japanese nature.
House of Suntory Masters
There is no better way to experience Japanese
whisky than with fine cuisine. As such, the
House of Suntory Masters of exceptional dinner
collaborations is a fitting gastronomic homage to
Suntory’s finest.
Slated to be held in August and September,
House of Suntory Masters features eight
celebrated chefs and it is a unique opportunity to
experience Suntory’s most coveted offerings with
the finest, inspired cuisine created especially for
the occasion.
Some highlights include chef Cheung Siu Kong
of one-Michelin-starred Summer Pavilion and chef
Kenji Yamanaka of one-Michelin-starred Béni,
who will centre their exclusive menus around the
Yamazaki and Hakushu lineups, respectively.
Chef Cheung will apply his meticulous
Cantonese techniques to a decadent seven-course
dinner on 1 September, matching the complex,
multi-layered Yamazaki with his luxurious
application of scallops two ways with black truffle
and opulent caviar, as well as the richly flavoured
Double-Boiled Abalone Soup with Fish Maw, served
in a whole coconut.

Right: Summer
Pavilion’s sevencourse dinner will take
place on 1 September.
Below: Béni’s eightcourse dinner on 6
September will be
centred around the
Hakushu lineup.

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8LI6IWSYVGIŴ`ŴTRAVEL

For Your Comfort: Hotel PJs
Elite resorts in remote areas are finding luxurious ways
around the logistical conundrum created by the pandemic.
Words: Mark Ellwood
Illustration: Peter Oumanski

THE 14-SUITE MIAVANA resort, which occupies its own
private island off Madagascar’s northeastern coast, has
introduced an all-inclusive package with a difference: fivestar room and board is bundled with a round-trip private
transfer in the hotel’s Learjet 45 from Johannesburg’s
Fireblade private terminal.
Since Miavana launched the programme (priced at
US$33,000 per person for one week) in COVID’s wake, Scott
Dunn Private head Jules Maury reports she has regularly
sent guests to the hotel, always booking its shuttle service
alongside a villa or two. The package appeals for practical
reasons, per Maury: a charter is the only smart way to reach
Madagascar now, easing the logistical hiccups created by
patchy commercial service since the onset of the pandemic.
Adding a connection by private jet also ekes out a few extra
hours of pampering. “You feel like a million dollars straight
away—the magic is extraordinary because it’s started on the
journey,” she says.
And Miavana isn’t the only elite property offering the
high-net-worth answer to a packaged holiday. The model
has long been standard in the Maldives, of course, where
most luxe retreats perch atop their own atolls, but it’s now
spreading to similar destinations worldwide: Hawaii’s Four

138

AUGUST 2023

Seasons–operated Sensei Lanai currently offers a promotion
that includes charter transfer from Honolulu in its room
rate. Likewise, while many safari camps can arrange private
puddle jumpers, only Tswalu in South Africa’s Kalahari
has a spacious Beechcraft King Air 350 to help upgrade the
90-minute flight from Johannesburg.
Bawah Reserve operates its own amphibious plane to
shuttle guests to the six-island Indonesian archipelago, while
Panama’s Islas Secas has a private Twin Otter turboprop
for up to 14 guests, connecting directly to the capital city’s
commercial airport. Overnighting in Antarctica with White
Desert is facilitated by the company’s fleet of planes, including
a Gulfstream G550.
Maury expects this trend to take off even more in response
to shifting travel patterns that emphasise far-flung sorties.
“People are looking for that Robinson Crusoe environment,
somewhere that feels a long, long way from everywhere—it’s
about a sense of adventure,” she explains.
The pivot to private that took place during the height of the
pandemic is a factor, too. “It went from ‘We don’t need to do
that’ to ‘Let’s get a jet straightaway’,” she adds with a laugh.
“It’s like the tiger who tastes a man for the first time: it just
wants to keep on eating.”

Special Feature

Tee Off For A Cause
At Singapore’s Inaugural World Corporate Golf Challenge, amateurs and
enthusiasts alike will make lasting connections that go beyond the fairways.

Below: Jose Guerra has
more than 30 years of
global experience in
the sports industry.
Bottom: in October
last year, Tenerife
hosted the finals of
the World Corporate
Golf Challenge.

Similarly, this year’s World Corporate Golf
Challenge will be packed with action and
excitement, featuring a multi-stage format with
local, regional and national tournaments held in
participating countries. The world’s top corporate
golf teams will represent their nations and
companies in a spectacular showcase of skill and
teamwork, culminating in the World Final this
October in Tenerife, Spain.
Beyond the birdies and bogeys, the World
Corporate Golf Challenge also carries a spirit of
corporate social responsibility. The tournament
will team up with Singapore’s National Council of
Social Service to support the Community Chest of
Singapore, its philanthropy and engagement arm,
with nett proceeds.
Community Chest backs over 100 social
service agencies, empowering individuals
and families in need. These agencies offer a
wide range of programmes, from special
education to caregiver support, covering

P H O T O G R A P H Y : W O R L D C O R P O R AT E G O L F C H A L L E N G E .

SINGAPORE IS STEPPING into the spotlight
as it hosts the highly anticipated inaugural
World Corporate Golf Challenge. Taking place at
Sentosa Golf Club on 6 September, this prestigious
event will bring together power players, skilled
amateurs and business leaders from a diverse
range of industries who share a love for golf.
Created exclusively for C-suite executives, the
World Corporate Golf Challenge promises to be a
business-to-business sporting extravaganza that
combines competition and making connections
that go beyond the fairways.
The roots of this elite global sporting event can
be traced back 30 years to The Times Corporate
Golf Challenge in the UK. Under the visionary
leadership of Jose Guerra, who took the reins as
chairman in 2007, the World Corporate Golf
Challenge found its home in Madrid, Spain. It
has soared to international fame, attracting
more than one million participants from
over 30 countries.

140

AUGUST 2023

Special Feature

This page:
scenes from the
2022 World
Corporate Golf
Challenge, which
represents one
of the world’s
largest corporate
golf tournaments.

critical social issues. Through their participation,
World Corporate Golf Challenge attendees will
also be supporting these vital programmes.
As Singapore gears up for this remarkable
event, participants and spectators can expect an
unforgettable golfing experience. Whether it’s the
thrill of the competition, rubbing shoulders with
industry professionals or the chance to contribute
to a worthy cause, the World Corporate Golf
Challenge promises to leave a lasting mark on
everyone involved.
So, tee off for a cause and join like-minded
individuals as the global golfing community unites
for an unforgettable celebration of sportsmanship,
camaraderie and philanthropy. The World
Corporate Golf Challenge promises to be an
extraordinary journey, where swinging clubs and
making connections go hand in hand. Get ready to
chip in and putt with a purpose.

R O B B R E P O RT

141

Robb Reader

CONTENT IS THE CURE
Don’t mistake the forest for the trees; it’s good content and not technology per se
that powers innovative businesses, urges YunB, content director of Fandom Korea,
a Web3 studio specialising in transformative intellectual property.
Words: Indran P

THE TRAJECTORY OF Yunbaek Myeong, who
is professionally known as YunB, is proof that
the creator of the universe works in mysterious
ways. In his earlier years, the 31-year-old KoreanAmerican entrepreneur and Web3 advocate was
a rapper schooled in the evocative power of hiphop’s lyrical imperative. Thus grounded, his
understanding of what makes captivating content
in the Web3 age stands him in excellent stead for
his current role as content director at South Koreabased Web3 studio, Fandom.
Fandom’s workings mirror one of hip-hop’s
cardinal tenets, which is the importance of
standing for a cause. For Fandom, an operation
premised on assisting creators in the making of
intellectual property (IP) with a transformational
bent, that stand is the tangibility that comes from
good content.
YunB believes that it’s only with good content
that businesses can leverage technology to reach
and cultivate a captive audience. To date, the
firm’s biggest success has been an NFT launch
by the widely regarded king of K-pop, G-Dragon.
Peering into the future of content creation,
YunB is convinced that Web3 will not only be
legitimised, but will emerge as a game-changing
vista of potential and possibility for creators and
businesses alike.
Fandom Korea specialises in curating original
NFTs for creators. We work with two types of
creators: mega-IP superstars such as G-Dragon
and creators who comprise the ecosystem of the
creator market, such as TikTokers, whom we
worked with for our TikTok moments campaign.
The content has to have real-world utility, which
differs from the traditional NFT market. We want
to veer away from the narrative that NFTs are a
scam by offering content with tangible benefits.
Tangibility is the most important thing
to Fandom because it’s real. It’s an experience.
Without the tangible aspect of it, we wouldn’t want
to call it a benefit. Take, for example, our campaign
with G-Dragon’s brand Peaceminusone. Birth Tier
NFT holders could easily apply for a chance to win
his signature line of Nike sneakers, Kwondo 1, in

our giveaway. That’s something that, as a fan, you
would consider to be a benefit. The Birth Tier was
US$88. We priced it that way because G-Dragon’s
birthday is 18 August 1988. That’s what we mean
by curation.
Businesses have to understand that
technology alone isn’t enough. You can’t keep
shoving technology in customers’ faces. You have
to give them good content without talking about
the backend processes of the content. We want to
keep it as natural as possible, let the content speak
for itself and let the benefits come through the
technology that operates on the backend. Once the
user experience and the backend become smooth
enough, the idea of the phygital (physical meets
digital) space will be less of an alien concept.
I think there’s a difference between good and
noble content. Noble content serves a special
cause; it’s a form of social activism. It can be
incorporated into different forms of content. But
good content doesn’t need to rely too much on
social benefits and consciousness. Good content
has to be in tune with the viewer’s perception and
outlook, depending on culture and demographic.
It has to cater to what they find entertaining or
consider to be entertainment-worthy. The onus
is on businesses to do the research and adapt to
figure out what that is.
NFTs are the next frontier in music and
popular culture because entertainment is all
about IP and content. For creators and fans, NFTs
widen the spectrum of ownership. That way, you
can own anything you make. I think we’re done
with the era of NFTs being abused as cash-grabs.
We’re heading in a direction where the guidelines
on proper NFT ownership experience and proper
transactional processes between a fan and creator
are slowly being formed.
Content will be the cure for the crypto winter.
If you were crypto-negative and I told you that we
worked with G-Dragon and Peaceminusone on
an NFT that sold out on OpenSea in a day, you’d
take us seriously. And if I told you that it happened
during a crypto winter, it’d perk your ears up at
least. That project is proof that cryptocurrency
can work.

R O B B R E P O RT

143

STOCKISTS
A. Lange & Söhne
#02-05A Ion Orchard
6509 1712
www.alange-soehne.com
Audemars Piguet
Liat Towers
6836 4918
www.audemarspiguet.com
Blancpain
#B2M-237 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6634 8771
www.blancpain.com
BMW
Performance Motors
303 Alexandra Road
1800 2255 269
www.bmw.com
Breguet
#B2-236 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6338 6006
www.breguet.com
Brunello Cucinelli
#B1-81A/82 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7216
www.brunellocucinelli.com
Bulgari
#B-36/37 & #B2-34/35
The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6634 8313
www.bulgari.com
Cartier
#01-20 & #02-10 Ion Orchard
6732 0181
www.cartier.sg
Chopard
#B1-107 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7999
www.chopard.com
Cosentino
#01-16/17
Marina One West Tower
6990 5896
www.cosentino.com
Crocs
#02-717 Suntec City Mall
6338 4955
www.crocs.com.sg

Devialet
#01-10 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
8138 0461
www.devialet.com

Hästens
#B1-52 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7161
www.hastens.com

Dolce&Gabbana
#01-19 & #02-09/10
Ion Orchard
6509 3312
www.dolcegabbana.com

Hermès
#B1-32-34 & #B2-30-31
The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7111
www.hermes.com

Dr. Dennis Gross
Sephora
#B2-09 Ion Orchard
6341 9017
drdennisgross.com
Fender
Swee Lee
#01-07/08/09/10 Star Vista
3163 5618
www.fender.com
Ferdinand Berthoud
SHH
#B2M-202 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6634 9782
www.ferdinandberthoud.ch
Ferrari
Ital Auto
30 Leng Kee Road
6475 1118
www.ferrari.com
Franck Muller
#01-55/55A The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6634 8825
www.franckmuller.com
Grand Seiko
#B2M - 235 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6321 6600
www.grand-seiko.com
Guerlain
#01-40
Raffles City Shopping Centre
6592 3139
www.guerlain.com
H. Moser & Cie
SHH
#B2M-202 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6634 9782
www.h-moser.com
Harry Winston
#02-19 Ion Orchard
6883 9509
www.harrywinston.com

144

AUGUST 2023

Hublot
#01-58 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7890
www.hublot.com
IWC Schaffhausen
#B2-210 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7088
www.iwc.com
Kenzo
#01-18 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
66 88 78 86
www.kenzo.com
Lamborghini
Eurosports Auto
#01-03
24 Leng Kee Road
6565 5995
www.lamborghini.com
Land Rover
Wearnes Automotive
45 Leng Kee Road
6378 2626
www.landrover.com
Louis Vuitton
#B2-36 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6788 3888
ap.louisvuitton.com
Manolo Blahnik
#B1-80A The Shoppes
at Marina Bay Sands
6688 7238
www.manoloblahnik.com
MCM
#01-26/26A/27 Paragon
6931 9238
sg.mcmworldwide.com
Mercedes-Benz
301 Alexandra Road
6298 1818
www.mercedes-benz.com.sg

Montblanc
#01-34 Takashimaya SC
6735 5038
www.montblanc.com
Omega
#01-11 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6509 9712
www.omegawatches.com
Patek Philippe
#B2-239 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7008
www.patek.com
Paul Smith
#B1-10 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6304 1383
www.paulsmith.com
Piaget
#B2M-208 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6688 7373
www.piaget.com
Richard Mille
#01-08 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6336 1313
www.richardmille.com
Roger Dubuis
#B2M-248 The Shoppes at
Marina Bay Sands
6636 9522
www.rogerdubuis.com
Rolex
The Hour Glass
#01-02 Takashimaya SC
6734 2420
www.rolex.com
Sanlorenzo
Simpson Marine
#02-03 One°15 Marina Club
6274 3359
www.sanlorenzoyacht.com
Saint Laurent
#B1-35 & #B2-32 The Shoppes
at Marina Bay Sands
6688 7400
www.ysl.com
TAG Heuer
#01-13A Ion Orchard
6884 9372
www.tagheuer.com
Versace
#01-08/09 Paragon
6838 0398
www.versace.com

The Duel

FREE YOUR MIND
Forget about returning from vacation with beach selfies and a
tan. A whole new industry of luxury ‘trips’—guided psychedelic
journeys that break down inner barriers and provide spiritual
healing—is taking hold. Instead of souvenirs and sand in all the
wrong places, you may come home with a brand-new outlook
on life. But are you destined for a Bwiti fire ceremony at the
Root Healing centre in Portugal or a magic mushroom voyage in
Canadian wine country with The Journeymen Collective?

THE RESORT
A mountaintop villa in the forests of Sintra, Portugal. The
retreat is close enough to the Portuguese Riviera for a beach
picnic. Lord Byron called the region “a glorious Eden”.

The Journeymen Collective Canada
THE RESORT
A ‘six-star’ luxury estate in British Columbia‘s Okanagan
Valley. Its exact location is not disclosed for privacy
reasons, making it difficult for English poets to find.

THE MEDICINE

THE MEDICINE

Iboga

Psilocybin

The hallucinogenic second layer of
root bark from the rainforest shrub
Tabernanthe iboga, native to equatorial West Africa.

WHAT IT DOES
Iboga produces hallucinations that some claim increase
neuroplasticity, which can help treat addiction, trauma,
depression and the forming of new habits.
IS IT LEGAL?
Portugal decriminalised the consumption of all drugs in 2001.
But keep your inner rock star focused—you’re here
for self-improvement, not partying. Be warned:
Singapore criminalises all recreational drug use.

WHEN THEY STARTED TRIPPING
Utilised for thousands of years in ceremonies by
the spiritual tradition Bwiti, practised in Gabon,
Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The psychedelic compound derived from
‘magic mushrooms’. There are around
100 species in the genus psilocybe, found
primarily in the Americas and Europe.
WHAT IT DOES
Psilocybin also causes hallucinations as well as an altered
sense of time and space, enhanced sensation of colours
and profound reactions to Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
IS IT LEGAL?
There are movements to legalise psilocybin
throughout Canada. For now, let’s just say
restricting its use is unenforced.

WHEN THEY STARTED TRIPPING
Art depicting psilocybe mushrooms dates back over
6,000 years in Europe, and the fungi are known to have
been used in pre-Colombian Mesoamerica.

THE TRIP WITHIN THE TRIP
Two Iboga ceremonies over eight days. Following Bwiti tradition,
the medicine is ingested during a fire ceremony. Participants are
then led to a candlelit room to lie down while it takes effect.

THE TRIP WITHIN THE TRIP
You can take two journeys over four days, though you can extend
your stay to 16. Ignoring Canadian tradition, no beer is served,
and Bachman–Turner Overdrive is not played by candlelight.

WHAT ELSE YOU’LL BE INGESTING
You’ll have locally sourced organic meals, but on ceremony days,
the last dish is served at 2pm. On ‘processing’ days, people
typically can’t handle more than one full meal, fruit and soup.

WHAT ELSE YOU’LL BE INGESTING
The primarily vegetarian menu offers some
customisation, but there’s one thing you won’t
have a choice about: no alcohol is allowed.

COSTS

US$3,400
Includes preparatory calls, a medical screening,
and an eight-day stay with ceremonies and
follow-ups after the retreat that help integrate
your perceptions into your daily life.

WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD RISOTTO?
No. The bark tastes bitter and numbs the mouth.

146

VS

AUGUST 2023

COSTS

US$11,000
Includes one month of preparation,
a medical screening, a four-day stay
and three months of scheduled aftercare
with further check-ins as needed.

WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD RISOTTO?
It’d be a tasty way to mask the flavour of magic mushrooms.
But be careful: psilocybin starts to degrade at 72°C,
at which point the magic starts to wear off.

WORDS: ADAM MORGANSTERN. PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX PEÑA/STEEVE JORDAN/NURPHOTO/THE WASHINGTON
P O S T / J O R G E F E R N Á N D E Z / L I G H T R O C K E T / G E T T Y I M A G E S , P H A S / U N I V E R S A L I M A G E S G R O U P.

Root Healing Portugal

FULFILLING
DREAMS
SINCE 1852

Waking up in a Hästens bed is an eye-opener about the value
of perfect sleep. It’s built with the ultimate combination of
nature’s materials–together with tireless craftsmanship.
You can’t see it. But you’ll definitely feel it. 24 hours a day.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands #B1-52