24H Issue 10

WATCH SUPPLEMENT TO JOBURG STYLE MAGAZINE

Masters of their craft

THE STORY OF ROLEX AND FOUR ICONIC FILMMAKERS MARTIN SCORSESE Director, producer and screenwriter who redefined our ideas of what was possible in movies with such classics as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980)

Master Control Date Automatic Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 899/1 219 pieces, 28.800 beats per hour

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Conquest V.H.P.

ISSUE 10 | CONTENTS 11

12

Wilhelm Schmid, the new CEO of A Lange & Söhne, shares his industry insights.

Rolex’s story of four exceptional filmmakers: Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Alejandro G Iñárritu and Martin Scorsese.

INTERVIEW Straight from the top

COVER STORY Lights, camera, action…time!

18

28

THE PRESENT Showpieces

THE FUTURE Rado… by design

The latest release out of Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève and more.

“WATCHES OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS A LONG TIME AGO, YET THE DEMAND HAS NEVER BEEN HIGHER” – WILHELM SCHMID, CEO, A LANGE & SOHNE

Imagine that. Your product no longer serves its intended functional purpose, yet your biggest problem is how to meet the demand. The power of passion baffles the brain.

Having posed the question of whether we still need watches to many CEOs, I’ve never received a more honest response. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love the way the Swiss go about their

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor & Publisher ERIC BORNMAN eric@ballyhoomedia.co.za Creative Direction & Design STEVE MACBETH Copy Editing SHARON PRESTON sharon@ballyhoomedia.co.za Proofreading LYNNE YATES | LOREN SHIRLEY-CARR Distribution ON THE DOT Printed by CREDA

Rado collaborates with seven design geniuses to create seven futuristic timepieces.

business. Mr Schmid’s resolute German candour, and the brand’s slow and steady business philosophy, shows why they are so good at what they do. The full interview is on the adjacent page.

The Rolex cinema romance has never been rosier.

Our cover story features amazing content from their initiatives and heavyweight partnerships in the movie-making realm – see page 12.

The design mavericks at Rado keep on doing what they do best, collaborating with design geniuses and bringing the unimaginable to life. The future is bright – see page 28.

We feature some wonderful products from SIHH and excitedly wait for what will be revealed at Baselworld later this month. To keep up to speed, visit our new webpage on www. joburgstyle.co.za/category/24h/ for some amazing video content.

FROM THE EDITOR

I hope you enjoy the issue, Eric

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24H is published quarterly by Ballyhoo Media. Opinions expressed in 24H are not necessarily those of Ballyhoo Media.

No responsibility can be accepted for errors, as all information is believed to be correct at the time of going to print. Copyright subsists in all work in this magazine. Any reproduction or adaptation, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited and is an act of copyright infringement that may, in certain circumstances, constitute a criminal offence.

WILHELM SCHMID | INTERVIEW | 011

Have you always been in the watch industry?

No. I was in the car industry. I was actually running BMW South Africa until 2010.

cell phone or a tablet, there are watches all around us. We don’t really need them, yet the demand for watches has never been greater than it is today.

We live in a high-tech, modern world, and watches are passion products. How are you going to leverage your technological competencies and data in applying or producing a product that is all about passion?

I think we have to separate the two areas. In the one you have the sales and marketing of our products and, of course, you are exposed to e-commerce, the digital world, omni-channel management and so forth. There is no question that all of that plays a role and continues to grow in importance. And then there’s manufacturing and product processing – and that’s not a very digital process; it’s planning, strategising, understanding your values, understanding your customers, understanding your clients, getting your capacity and resources right and having a longterm plan which you then work through. Every year, the company unveils what we have been working on for the last couple of years. And that’s gladly not a very digital process.

We have outlived our usefulness… Nobody needs a watch to read the time. Nobody.

But as long as there are people who want to express their personality, as long as people want to individualise, separate themselves, describe themselves, industries like the watch industry will grow.

In your role as CEO, you are also the face of the brand. To what extent does that add value to the A&S brand?

I would never invest in a brand that is dependent on a person. We only play a role for a while in the brand’s history. I’m only a custodian for a time. My job is to keep and maintain the values that the brand stands for.

What makes me sleepless at night, for example, is a young person we have recruited. We’ve signed the contract, then he goes through three years’apprenticeship training as a watchmaker – and then we have no work for him.

Because what do you do with a watchmaker if there is no demand for watches? That is what drives me, puts me under pressure. And that’s where I have to play a role.

But the brand will gladly live independently.

Think about it. Walter Lange just passed away. Just imagine if the brand was linked to that one person; what do you do with that person’s job? It’s a bit like if you have children, you love them, you hate it when they go eventually, you do everything to prepare them to move on. I think that describes the job of a CEO very well.

It would be interesting to do an analysis on what that emotion is behind a watch purchase, seeing that usefulness is not one of the reasons.

We have great emphasis on robustness and wearability etc.

The main purpose of getting the accurate time… everybody has a

What potential do you see in South Africa?

South Africa has always been very strong when it comes to the car market. For the last century some of the most exclusive cars have been sold to people in South Africa. So I assume if a market is like this, then there is a demand for watches. That’s my first observation.

My second observation is that many of my friends started buying our watches in London because they have houses and family there and so if they go and buy in

Straight from the top

WILHELM SCHMID A. LANGE & SÖHNE London, we’re probably missing out. Then it was a question of finding the right partner and the right location. I know Justin Divaris (CEO of the Daytona Group, which owns The Vault) from my car days and, as a European, I find Melrose Arch a great location.

Basically, if you want to do business in Africa, you have to start in South Africa. The market is here, South Africa is playing a role in Africa, and if we have one point of sale in Africa, we should only have that one point. So that’s how it all got together.

You occupy the ultra-luxury watch category and there are a handful of brands around you.

What is your brand’s value proposition as opposed to your closest rival?

It’s usually not just one thing that sets you apart from the others. A brand is like a promise or a package; and our package is craftsmanship. Every single watch that you get from us, be it the simplest or the most complicated, is expertly crafted. The quality, the amount of embellishment, the amount of labour, these are not what distinguishes us. The years it takes to develop, the number of parts, the number of hours it takes

to assemble – all that makes the price difference, not the quality.

The difference is in the engineering, the performance, crafting the various complications.

Then there is the brand’s Germanness, the robustness, the touch and feel, the no-nonsense approach. The two sides – the understated dial and then the opulent back. That, I think, is why people buy us.

The German versus Swiss argument. Do you find that there is pushback in any way?

No. Nobody buys us because we are German. And nobody doesn’t buy us because we are not Swiss. I think we have to prove every day what we stand for and in that segment of the market there are packages that look more French because most of our competitors come from Geneva and Switzerland has a French influence. Swiss watches are a bit more floral, they are a bit softer than ours. That’s more a question of taste and the package, than not purchasing one of our watches because they are German. In the beginning, being German was an advantage because we were different, not Swiss. And in parts of the world, ‘Made in Germany’ is still a benchmark for quality.

012 | COVER STORY | ROLEX

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION… TIME! ROLEX HAS BEEN LINKED WITH CINEMA FOR DECADES, MAINLY THROUGH THE APPEARANCE OF ITS WATCHES IN COUNTLESS FILMS. IN 2017, ROLEX FORGED A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES AND BECAME A SPONSOR OF THE OSCARS hilst the Academy’s mission is to acknowledge and support excellence in the motion picture sciences, award imagination and reflect the world through the movies, Rolex found a partner through which it could tell its own story.

CELEBRATING CINEMA

A film encompassing the spirit of Rolex and cinema was broadcast widely during the 2017 Oscars, featuring memorable film scenes with Rolex watches on the wrists of legendary characters. The watches were often specifically chosen by the filmmakers and, in some cases, even belonged to the actors themselves. The film provides a snapshot of the brand throughout the years, but so many more films can be added to the already impressive list. In 2018, a Rolex film was unveiled featuring an impressive line-up of four outstanding filmmakers, who have each been awarded Best Director Oscars: Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Alejandro G Iñárritu and Martin Scorsese. These directors represent the pinnacle of achievement in film, each with their own style and personality, and have collectively contributed to creating some of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences. They have redefined the art of storytelling on screen.

FOUR EXCEPTIONAL STORYTELLERS

Rolex has always supported those who achieve the highest level in their field, be it in sport, the arts or in cinema. These directors are masters of their craft. Their films have stood the test of time. All four filmmakers have displayed the ability to connect with people across generations, cultures and boundaries, to expand their worlds and allow them to discover something new. Together, their films have won 57 Academy Awards.

KATHRYN BIGELOW

The first and only woman to be awarded Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow’s command of visual narrative, her tenacity and her choice of subjects that have the ability to provoke change have redefined the landscape of cinema today. She acts as producer and writer for many of her films.

Bigelow co-wrote and directed her first feature film The Loveless in 1981, and in the 1990s directed a trilogy of action films, Blue Steel (1989), Point Break (1991) and Strange Days (1995), in which she challenged the conventions of action cinema.

Her subsequent films solidified her position as a Hollywood heavyweight with the political action-thrillers, The Hurt Locker in 2008, which won Best Picture and Zero Dark Thirty in 2012.

Bigelow’s most recent film, Detroit, is directed and produced by her; it is based on the 1967 Detroit riots, concerning race-related violence in the United States. Her films provoke an examination of the politics that surround us, and have established her as a true auteur. Bigelow regards film as a journalistic experience: “If the purpose of art is to agitate for change then film should expose us to something we don’t already know.” Of appearing with the other three directors in the Rolex film, Bigelow said she felt “extremely humbled and honoured to be in the company of such extraordinary and enduring talents”.

JAMES CAMERON

Cameron is an acclaimed filmmaker and explorer. As director, writer and producer he is responsible for some of the most memorable films of the past three decades: The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), True Lies (1994), Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009).

His films have blazed new trails in visual effects and set numerous performance records both domestically and abroad: Avatar is the highest grossing film in history after Titanic held that same record for 12 years.

His films have earned numerous nominations and awards, most notably Titanic, which received 14 Oscar nominations and won 11.

Cameron has worn a Rolex for several decades. Rolex watches appear organically in his films; he gave the late actor Bill Paxton a Submariner to wear during the filming of Titanic. “Great movies are made in details, and not just a few details – every detail. Every character, every prop and every sequence,” Cameron said. “A Rolex is not only a beautiful watch and a masterpiece of engineering, it’s very tough. It’s a watch that you can take into any environment and which can stand up to the pressure. So, what you’re saying subliminally to the audience is: that character can take the pressure, too; he or she has what it takes.”

Cameron described his experience of being in the film with the other directors: “All four of us have very different styles and we’re interested in very different types of subjects, but what we have in common is a devotion to excellence, from a unique and visionary perspective on the world.”

ALEJANDRO G IÑÁRRITU

The winner of two consecutive Oscars for Best Director (Birdman in 2015, The Revenant in 2016), Alejandro G Iñárritu is known for his exploration of the human condition, coupled with his visual style, establishing him as a force to be reckoned with. His latest work, CARNE y ARENA (‘Virtually Present, Physically Invisible’), is a conceptual virtual reality installation based on true accounts that allow the viewer to experience a fragment of the personal journeys of refugees.

First presented at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, it was awarded a special Oscar at the ninth annual Governors Awards; this was Iñárritu’s fifth Oscar.

The Academy stated they were presenting the award to recognise a “visionary and powerful experience in storytelling”.

Iñárritu was film mentor in the 2014–2015 Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, where he took his protégé on the set of The Revenant.

Time is an essential element of his films, as he stated: “Our life is multidimensional, but time is linear; we cannot escape that. Cinema is a twodimensional reality within a frame, but time and space are fragmented, which is why it’s so liberating and addictive.”

015 | COVER STORY | ROLEX

THE ROLEX ARTS INITIATIVE: NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CINEMA

MARTIN SCORSESE

Martin Scorsese is a towering figure in the history of cinema, a director, producer and screenwriter with a career spanning 50 years and as many films, many of which are considered some of the greatest ever made. He is a passionate film lover who raised our consciousness of ongoing film preservation. He grew up in New York’s Little Italy and made his first films in the late 1960’s.

Scorsese redefined our ideas of what was possible in movies with such classics as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). His unique combination of artistry, charisma and generosity continue to inspire filmmakers and audiences all over the world. Details play a crucial role in telling a story on screen and in many of his most iconic films, Scorsese has chosen to feature Rolex watches, with a preference for the Day-Date.

In 2008, Scorsese became a mentor for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. He chose to work with the young Argentinean filmmaker Celina Murga, who was by his side for the filming of Shutter Island (2010).

He has had a profound effect on the art form that became his vocation at a very early age. During the making of the Rolex film, he made a statement that aptly summarises his eternally youthful creative energy: “If it moves a young person, if it instills that kind of excitement and inspiration, I like that very much. I like to see what they do if they’re inspired by something I’ve done.”

The Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative was launched in 2002 to make a contribution to global culture. The programme seeks out gifted young artists from all over the world and brings them together with artistic masters for a year of creative collaboration in a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Past mentors in film include Academy Award winners Alejandro G Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarón and film editor Walter Murch; the Oscar-nominated directors Stephen Frears and Mira Nair, as well as renowned Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou.

THE GREENROOM Rolex has hosted and designed the Greenroom at the Oscars for the past three years. The 2018 Greenroom opens up to an entirely new world, one that reflects Rolex and its Swiss heritage. In a similar fashion to how films create new universes, Rolex transports its Greenroom guests to its own world in a contemporary chalet high up in the Swiss mountains.

TIME IS THE ESSENCE WE ARE MADE OF

011 911 1200 / RADO.COM

RADO HYPERCHROME CAPTAIN COOK INSPIRED BY OUR VINTAGE ORIGINAL. SERIOUSLY IRRESISTIBLE.

018 | THE PRESENT | DESIRABLES

Showpieces

Patek Philippe PATEK PHILIPPE TIMEPIECES ARE EXCLUSIVELY SOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA AT THE PATEK PHILIPPE BOUTIQUE 011 784 2595 www.patek.com

Haute Joaillerie Calatrava

The ladies’ Haute Joaillerie wristwatch is an impressive melding of gem setting expertise and watchmaking artistry – a beautifully feminine piece of jewellery in white gold, mother of pearl, 149 rare white Top Wesselton diamonds alternated with 182 rose sapphires.

With a diameter of 27.5mm, it caters for women who appreciate larger timepieces without sacrificing slender elegance.

The alligator skin strap with large square scales is a shiny rose to match the sapphires.

The 18K white gold case with sapphire-crystal case back is water-resistant to 30m with a power reserve of at least 48 hours.

Perpetual Calendar

Enabled to automatically indicate months with 28, 30 and 31 days and to recognise the 29th of February every four years as a leap day, this timepiece was crafted for perpetuity.

It has everything it takes to become a coveted collectors’ item: the same face that has been the brand’s paragon for perpetual calendars since 1941, a double aperture for the day and month displays at 12 o’clock and a subsidiary dial at 6 o’clock for the analogue date and the moon phases. The cream-coloured dial has a small day/night aperture between 7 and 8 o’clock and an aperture for the leap year cycle between 4 and 5 o’clock.

Calatrava

The elegant new Calatrava, with analogue date and unorthodox seconds sub-dial positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock, pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of the caliber 240 movement.

The classic 18K white gold round case was enlarged from 37mm to 39mm; it offers even more space for the dial with Arabic numerals and a date scale on the outermost periphery assuring excellent legibility.

The white lacquered baton-style hour and minute hands hover above the dial. The red-lacquered arrow creates a distinctive contrast.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel The Grande Maison had the idea of giving its Reverso pieces two faces: on the front, a finely hand-guillochéd dial and on the reverse, an enamelled miniature of a painting representative of an iconic style. A Xu Beihong ink wash painting inspired this tribute enamel.

Xu Beihong (1895-1953) was one of the most renowned Chinese painters of the 20th century. He was known for his oil paintings, his drawings, his pastels and his calligraphy. His representations of horses made him very popular in China. The original, over 5m-wide painting shows 10 horses galloping through a natural Chinese landscape. The enameller was inspired by the representation of two horses from the painting.

There were several challenges in creating this miniature. The sense of movement, the fluidity and the lightness conveyed by the ink wash technique had to be reproduced despite the protective layers of the enamel, which reduce the image’s spontaneity. As such, the artisan spent many hours finding the right movement to best represent the horses’ energy. Additionally, it was a real challenge to portray the smallest details, such as the horses’ manes. Lastly, it should be noted that working practically in monochrome is another challenge for an artist such as an enameller, who is used to playing with colours.

021 | THE PRESENT | DESIRABLES

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Collection Inspired by the Memovox Polaris watch of 1968, this new collection joins the brand’s existing pillars. The collection comprises a three-hand automatic, chronograph and chronograph world time, as well as two vintage feel models: Polaris Date and Polaris Memovox.

The hands are large and filled with Super-LumiNova™* for low light visibility. In two models, the SuperLumiNova™* is vintage vanilla-coloured as a homage to the original Memovox.

The watches feature an eye-catching combination of brushed and hand-polished surfaces, sharp lugs and rounded bezels. The large crowns, emblematic of the 1968 model, have been redesigned for better grip.

A newly designed three-link metal bracelet and straps are interchangeable for both alligator leather and calfskin, offered in light and dark brown versions. All water-resistant to 100m, Date and Memovox to 200m. jaeger-lecoultre.com

022 | THE PRESENT | DESIRABLES

Glashütte Original Senator Chronograph Capital Edition

This 42mm (14.6mm in height) special edition Senator Chronograph Panorama Date is presented in a stainless steel edition of 100, a red gold version limited to 25 pieces both in a ‘Bourbon Grey’ dial.

The platinum version, limited to only five pieces worldwide, features a ‘Dry Silver’ dial, but all the timepieces feature SuperLumiNova™* highlights in a green glow on the hands, Roman numerals at hours 6 and 12, and the hour indexes.

The date is placed at 6 o’clock, while the power reserve display is set discreetly within the small seconds.

The calfskin strap is available in brown or blue whilst the metal is fitted to the stainless steel version of the watch. The red gold and platinum versions include an additional strap. Waterproof to 100m. glashuette-original.com

Rolex Milgauss The Milgauss Oyster in 40mm, in steel, was introduced in 1956, designed to meet the demands of the scientific community because of its capability to withstand magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss. It became known as the watch worn by scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. Since 2007 when the new generation Milgauss was introduced, several new innovations have further improved this unique competency.

The magic behind the Rolex brand is the 400 plus patents it has registered throughout its history that include the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, launched back in 1926. All Rolex timepieces are certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability.

The Milgauss crystal is scratchresistant green sapphire and waterproof to 100m. www.rolex.com

024 | THE PRESENT | DESIRABLES

Panerai L’Astronomo Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Moon Phases Equation Of Time GMT This remarkable made-to-order timepiece can be personalised and forms part of the series dedicated to the genius of Galileo Galilei.

The 50mm brushed titatium case encloses a concentration of technical solutions including a tourbillon regulator, calendar, equation of time indication and the display of the times of sunrise and sunset. The skeletonised movement is personalised to operate in accordance with the geographical coordinates of a place chosen by the wearer. In addition, it includes GMT and two other innovations: indication of the phases of the moon and an original system for displaying the date using polarised crystals.

Thanks to the invention of the telescope, Galileo made revolutionary discoveries concerning the appearance and the movement of the moon. So in a timepiece dedicated to him, nothing would be more logical than moon phase indication.

On the back of the new movement is a day/night indicator that also clearly displays the phases of the moon. At the centre of the starry sky is a little round window through which the lower disc can be seen; on this appears the moon, its shape evolving day by day as a result of a small supplementary rotation of this disc of about 6.1° per day, a figure based on the exact duration of one lunar cycle (an average of 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds).

A SPECIAL COLLECTION BY GIGI HADID #TOMMYXGIGI TOMMY. COM

Longines The Lindbergh Hour Angle In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the first ever non-stop solo transatlantic flight aboard the Spirit of St Louis, flown by Charles Lindbergh and timed by Longines, the brand is presenting 90 timepieces in a numbered and limited edition of its hour angle watch, which was designed in partnership with the famed aviator following his historic flight.

The titanium and steel timepiece measures 47.5mm, which makes it easier to read and manipulate in the dark and when subjected to the vibrations that were common to aircraft of the era. Equipped with a rotating bezel that allows for correction of the equation of time and a

rotating central dial that allows for synchronisation to the second, it indicates the hour angle in degrees and in minutes of arc in addition to indicating hours, minutes and seconds.

The brushed silver dial displays the time on a ‘rail track’ minute circle with painted Roman numerals, and features a 180° scale for calculating the longitude.

The brown leather aviator-type strap is equipped with an extension that allows the watch to be attached to an oversized pilot’s jacket; this puts the finishing touch on this exceptional timepiece. www.longines.com

DESIRABLES | THE PRESENT | 027

REC P-51 RECOVER, RECYCLE, RECLAIM – or REC for short – specialises in making watches from salvaged 1960s Ford Mustangs, Mini Coopers and even Porsches. The P-51 Collection pays tribute to the aforementioned iconic symbol of American muscle cars.

Every timepiece is engraved with the unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and year of the salvaged Mustang from which it was made; some are availble only in very limited numbers.

The three-hand and date function is inspired by the original Mustang Dashboard, giving it a vintage feel, and even the font used on the dial is borrowed from the original Mustang. The design of the power reserve is inspired by the fuel gauge and no two dials are alike.

The 44mm stainless steel case houses a Japanese automatic movement. The timepiece comes with black calf leather strap, a power reserve of 48 hours and is water-resistant to 30m. www.recwatches.com

029 | THE FUTURE | RADO

esign is an integral part of what Rado does, and is one of the reasons the brand has been recognised with more than 35 international design prizes. Rado has always focused on the exterior of its products, choosing a range of unusual watchmaking materials that have since been adopted by numerous other brands.

Since its beginnings Rado has aimed to create watches of longlasting beauty. From its first scratch resistant watch in 1962, the mission has evolved to find ever lighter, more durable materials that can be repurposed for use in watchmaking.

From its first foray into the use of ceramic in 1986, Rado has developed the technology to produce new groundbreaking designs – with matte or polished finishes, in black, white, grey, brown or even plasma high-tech ceramic. The plasma process, a patented technique, transforms white ceramic into a material with a unique metallic finish, without using any metal at all. In 2013, Rado presented the firstever ceramic watch with touch technology and in 2014, a first touch watch with two time zones.

Innovations have continued apace, with brand new ceramic colours – chocolate brown, dark blue and British racing green – being added in 2015 and 2016. Design is the cornerstone of the success of these groundbreaking pieces.

D

RADO… BY DESIGN

Collaborations with designers

Rado has always looked outside of the watch industry for inspiration – high-tech ceramic, for instance, was first used in the medical and aerospace industries before being brought into the watchmaking world. Rado applies this approach not only to materials, but also to its designs.

Turning to designers in the fields of fashion and architecture, the brand has launched notable collaborations with Jasper Morrison (2009), Konstantin Grcic (2016), and the True Designers’ Collection (2017); and now an exclusive series of limited edition timepieces with renowned designers each applying their individual vision to the popular Rado True.

True Cyclo CO-DEVELOPED WITH FRENCH DESIGNER PHILIPPE NIGRO

True Blaze A CO-CREATION WITH AMERICAN INTERIOR DESIGNER SAM AMOIA Limited to 1,001 pieces, the True Blaze is a celebration of glitz and glamour. Housed in a 40mm plasma high-tech ceramic case, the watch evokes a disco ball feeling. The dial looks as if it is were completely covered in a layer of silvery metallic slivers, giving the appearance of a glittery explosion.

Despite this ostentatious element, the watch maintains a minimalist feel thanks to the unique placement of the gold-coloured logo and indexes: They are metallised directly on the underside of the glass, allowing them to float above the dial and creating an airy, spacious aesthetic. Amoia’s work draws heavily upon nature and materials, resulting in sculptural, highly tactile pieces that are layered with plaster and cement or encrusted with semiprecious stones. The latter approach is strongly reflected in the dial of the True Blaze. The dial’s textured metallic structure is created using a galvanic process that replicates the crystalline structure of diamond powder. “The result is an understated and innovative piece. Not of the traditional canon of watches, but something more interesting and special, yet simple and timeless,” says Amoia.

All about Sam Amoia Samuel Amoia has been named by Vogue as “one of the Young Interior Designers to watch” and has most recently received the Rising Talent award from the prestigious Parisian Maison & Objet fair. A former model with the Ford agency, Amoia got his start in design working with top interior designer Stephen Sills. After the success of his interior design practice, he launched his furniture art practice, AMOIA Studio, with his youngest brother. The groundbreaking studio produces a collaborative line of sculptural furniture made with natural materials, minerals, and a unique casting process.

The limited edition creation Rado True Cyclo combines Nigro’s minimalist style with True’s high-tech construction.

The matte black and silver surface in a satin finish and concave shape display the date at 6 o’ clock. The hands, logo and rounded, recessed indexes all feature the same slightly contrasting grey finish. The timepiece is simple yet detailed.

A matte black high-tech ceramic case houses a Swiss automatic movement and fastens to the wrist with a sleek black leather strap.

“There’s something very reassuring about wearing an automatic wristwatch – a purely mechanical object that keeps us grounded in this hyper technological world,” remarks Nigro on the choice of movement.

“The attachment that each of us All about Philippe Nigro forms to such an object, for our own Born in 1975 in Nice, France, specific reasons, encourages a sense Philippe Nigro studied of intimacy and creates a strong industrial design in Lyon and product and furniture design in emotional bond with the object.”

Paris. Since 1999 he has Organic elegance worked as an independent “Rado’s state-of-the-art technology is designer, creating products, best expressed in ceramic. I wanted to furniture, lighting, interior use it in the simplest way to allow it to architecture, events and express itself, so I decided to use a scenography for international ceramic with a dark, matte brands. Based in Paris with an appearance for the case. I found that office in Milan, he works for this combination expresses all the numerous international elegance, organic qualities and brands. In 2014 he was named technology of the material,” Nigro designer of year by Maison & explains.

Objet.

031 | THE FUTURE | RADO

True Phospho RADO HAS TEAMED UP WITH A MAJOR FORCE IN THE DESIGN WORLD, SWISS DESIGN STUDIO BIG-GAME, CREATING THE TRUE PHOSPHO: A LIMITED EDITION OF 1,003 PIECES – 1,000 FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND ONE FOR EACH OF THE DESIGNERS

True Face THE RADO TRUE FACE, CO-CREATED WITH INNOVATIVE POLISH ARCHITECT OSKAR ZIETA, IS A LIMITED EDITION TIMEPIECE THAT COMBINES ZIETA’S SIGNATURE REFLECTIVE SURFACES WITH THE CLASSIC DESIGN AND HIGH-TECH CONSTRUCTION OF THE TRUE RANGE Housed in matte grey high-tech ceramic, the piece is scratch resistant and lightweight. The neutral tone satin finish of the case and bracelet form a contrast with the centerpiece of the watch: a high-gloss metallic dial.

Gently concave in structure, the dial consists of a disc of stainless steel that has been polished to achieve a mesmerising reflective finish. The reflective properties of the dial are further maximised by the addition of an unexpected detail: The undersides of the matte grey hands have been given a rose goldcoloured finish, allowing them to be reflected in a different hue.

Made to be noticed The True Face is a natural continuation of Zieta’s other work with polished stainless steel. “I am working in many parallel spheres: science, architecture, furniture design and art,” he explains.

“I’m always experiencing a lack of time, yet still needing it to create, aiming for something unique and timeless.” Zieta’s passion for materials research made him a natural partner for Rado – known for pioneering the use of materials such as hard metal and high-tech ceramic in the watchmaking industry. “Since I use a bottom-up design approach that starts with materials, my objects can fully show off their material character,” says Zieta. “The True Face has been made to be All about Oskar Zieta Oskar Zieta is an architect and the founder and CEO of Zieta Prozessdesign. Born in 1975, he graduated from the Swiss Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich, where he worked as a research assistant in the Computer Aided Architectural Design department. Zieta has received numerous design accolades, including the German Design Council Prize and the Red Dot Award. His designs have been featured in prestigious collections such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.

Housed in a 40mm matte black ceramic case with matching bracelet, the Phospho embraces minimalism, but with playful, unexpected elements such as the perforated black brass dial that allows the Swiss automatic movement below to shine through.

This modern approach to the traditional skeleton watch also provides for the application of the luminescent indexes, hour and minute hands, which are created by filling the empty spaces with SuperLumiNova to create geometric shapes.

“We like the contrast between the matte black ceramic and the phosphorescent coating,” comment the three designers behind Big-Game.

“This colour is not only beautiful, but also functional, as it allows the wearer to read the time in the dark.”

All about Big-Game Augustin Scott de Martinville, Grégoire Jeanmonod and Elric Petit form Big-Game, a studio that produces a variety of products and accessories for well-known companies. Their work is often accessible, charming and, above all, useful. The studio has received numerous awards including the Swiss Design Award, the iF design award, the Wallpaper Design Award, the Good Design Award and Design Preis Schweiz.

A little something extra Big-Game’s design language is characterised by functionality, simple shapes, and a touch of the unexpected. Despite this minimalist approach, the creative trio manages to impart a highly distinctive character to the objects they create.

“The key words of this project were minimalism and lightness, so we decided to make the design by removing material rather than by adding it. In general we like functional and efficient design that beautifies people’s lives. For us, a good object must not only be practical and well designed, it must also have a little something extra that gives it emotional value.”

032 | THE FUTURE | RADO

True Stratum AUSTRIAN DESIGNER RAINER MUTSCH COLLABORATED WITH RADO TO CREATE THE TRUE STRATUM

True Shadow THE RADO TRUE SHADOW WAS CO-CREATED WITH AVANT-GARDE JAPANESE FASHION DESIGNER KUNIHIKO MORINAGA, SHINING A LIGHT INTO THE SHADOWS. TRUE SHADOW COMBINED MORINAGA’S SINGULAR APPROACH TO LIGHT AND COLOUR WITH THE LOOKS AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE TRUE FAMILY Best known for his work with photochromic fabrics, Morinaga is an innovator who blends fashion and technology. With True Shadow, he brought the spirit of his colour-changing fashion collection to watchmaking. When exposed to sunlight, the dial of the True Shadow goes dark. But as the sun goes down, the dial gradually fades into grey and ultimately becomes transparent – allowing you to see the movement inside. “The idea was to add colour and to take it away,” explains Morinaga. “I tried to capture the ‘floating’ essence of time in the design of a watch by using a photochromic lens that changes colour based on UV light.”

Making the invisible visible In the sunlight, the watch embraces its name and appears dark thanks to its blackened dial. In the absence of UV light, however, the shadow darkening the dial disappears, revealing a skeleton watch of great craftsmanship and beauty. “My design philosophy is making things visible that were originally invisible,” explains Morinaga. “It is similar to removing one’s clothes and unveiling the body.”

All about Kunihiko Morinaga Designer Kunihiko Morinaga was born in 1980 in Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from Waseda University and Vantan Design Institute. He launched his own brand in 2003.

Working under the mantra ‘God is in the details’, he has gone on to receive numerous honours such as the Avant-garde Grand Prix award at Gen Art in New York in 2005 and the 29th Mainichi Fashion Grand Prix for the best new designer in 2011. He presented his first women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2014.

Mutsch incorporated his trademark style in a black dial featuring delicate, asymmetrically arranged descending steps that emphasise the three dimensionality of a concave surface. Together with a slightly raised, oblong logo plate, these elements impart texture to what would otherwise be a plain monochrome dial. Matte rhodium hour and minute hands and a yellow second hand provide a pop of colour as well as easy readability. Further depth is added to the design with a perfectly black dot metallised on the underside of the sapphire crystal, which hovers over and casts its shadow on the dial.

“From an industrial perspective, I believe a tactile experience is very important,” says Mutsch. “So for the Stratum I chose high-tech ceramic for the case and bracelet since I really like the feel, the scratch resistance and the temperature of the material.” To emphasise that a watch is a wearable piece of technology, Mutsch introduced a small sapphire glass window on the back of the case, All about Rainer Mutsch which gives the wearer a glimpse of Rainer Mutsch studied the automatic movement. The Furniture Design at the engraved surface of the dial is Denmarks Design Skole repeated on the back, creating a Copenhagen, Product Design pleasant feeling on the wrist. at the University of Arts Berlin, Much of Mutsch’s design practice and completed his degree in around explorations of new materials Industrial Design at the and production techniques. While his University of Applied Arts in work does not commit to any Vienna. In 2008, he opened particular style or shape, his approach Studio Rainer Mutsch, a is informed by elegance, precision and multi-disciplinary design simplicity. “In this case I was playing studio where he and his team with materiality, manufacturing develop elegant, precise and processes and the idea of ambient simple products that are, light, trying to question how time is above all, meant to meet displayed by introducing an element human needs. Mutsch’s of three-dimensionality on the dial. relationship with Rado began The appearance of the dial changes in 2015, when his design constantly depending on the light, project was displayed in the always creating new reflections and window of Rado’s boutique in gradients.”

Vienna as part of the Rado Star Prize Austria competition.

We assemble every single watch twice.

Because perfection takes time.

For us, perfection is a matter of principle. This is why, on principle, we

parts are cleaned and decorated by hand with finishing and polishing

craft all timepieces with the same care and assemble each watch twice.

techniques, followed by the final assembly procedure. This assures

Thus, after the 1815 Annual Calendar has been assembled for the

long-term functional integrity and the immaculacy of all artisanal fin-

first time and precisely adjusted, it is taken apart again. The movement

ishes. Even if this takes a little more time. www.alange-soehne.com

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