A FINE DIGITAL PRESENTATION FROM THE LUXURY BRANDS OF SWITZERLAND

SPOTTED: CRUELLA DE VIL’S MOM IN DE BEERS DIAMOND JEWELLERY PIECES

Readers who remember Glenn Close’s deliciously wicked portrayal of arch-villainess Cruella de Vil in the 1996 version of the Disney classic 101 Dalmations may insist that her performance could never be bettered. However, Cruella – which was released last month – is a prequel to a reworked production, this time starring Emma Stone.

Cruella’s reincarnation includes the appearance of her (equally evil and grasping) mother, Baroness Von Hellman, who has a penchant not for dog fur, but for diamonds. Accordingly, the movie features a selection of pieces made by De Beers Jewellers.

“Designs captured on screen and worn by the character Baroness Von Hellman include the Arpeggia five-line necklace and three-line earrings in white gold, Diamond Legends by De Beers Cupid necklace, the Swan Lake necklace in white and yellow gold, and the Assana necklace,” De Beers posted on its website.

De Beers is offering the high jewellery collection to customers.

39CT BLUE DIAMOND GOES ON SALE

Petra Diamonds has launched a final sale process for a 39,34ct blue diamond recovered at its Cullinan mine in SA. The type IIb gem is said to be of “exceptional quality” due to both its colour and clarity.

Petra, which anticipates that the diamond will be sold via a special tender, says that biddings via its online platform will close on 12 July. While it has not set a price range for the stone, it says that high-quality blue diamonds like this one usually fetch the highest values.

NEW GEM AND JEWELLERY SHOW TO DÉBUT IN USA

A new trade fair focusing on gemstones, jewellery, minerals and fossils will make its inaugural appearance in Colorado, USA later this year.

The HardRock Summit, which will feature over 400 exhibitors, educational seminars and keynote speakers, will run in Denver from 16-21 September at the Colorado Convention Centre, its founders say. The event was created by Christoph Keilmann, organiser of The Munich Show and Gemworld Munich, and Wolter Mehring, a gemstone expert who helped develop the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show in Tucson, Arizona.

The summit will be split into two venues, called Evolution and Sparkle & Joy. Evolution will take place from 16-19 September and will offer a marketplace for minerals, fossils and meteorites. The Denver Gem & Mineral Show will hold its annual fair in the adjacent space.

Meanwhile, Sparkle & Joy will cover fine gemstones and jewellery, with exclusive workshops, hands-on training and educational programmes, as well as live presentations. It is scheduled for 18-21 September. Both areas will be open to industry members, while Evolution will also be available to the general public.

“The HardRock Summit will be the central meeting point for all those who’re already part of our community, as well as those who want to be,” says Keilmann. “In addition to our dedication to building a top market platform, we’re also focused on emerging trends, first-hand news from the industry and the joy of sharing experiences and conducting business together.” – Rapaport

(Right): Greubel Forsey’s third invention, the Tourbillon 24 Secondes, is positioned between 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock. With its cage inclined at 25˚ and completing a full rotation in 24 seconds, it gives superior performance. The terrestrial globe is placed between 7 o’clock and 9 o’clock and embodies Greubel Forsey’s signature three-dimensional time display. This invention executes a complete rotation in 24 hours and universal time can be read easily, quickly and intuitively.

(Above): The new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar features a peripheral month ring created especially for it. The Lange in-house Cal L021.3 is self-winding, made to exacting Lange standards, decorated and assembled by hand and adjusted in five positions. It has plates and bridges made of unplated German silver and is unidirectional-winding, with a rotor in 21ct gold and an additional centrifugal mass in platinum and balance cock engraved by hand. The moon-phase display with an integrated day/night indicator is a further special feature.

(Right): New from Tudor is the Black Bay Fifty-Eight 18K, a reference to the precious metal of its case and 1958, the year in which the first Tudor divers’ watch waterproof Ref 7924 (or “Big Crown”) was introduced. The case is 39 mm with a satin finish in 18ct yellow gold and an open case-back. The matt dial is golden green in tone and there are applied hourmarkers in 18ct yellow gold. The watch is COSC-certified and has a silicon hairspring, a 70-hour power reserve and hands in 18ct yellow gold with Super-LumiNova®. Two straps are included: one in green jacquard fabric with a gold band and another in dark brown alligator skin.

A fine digital presentation from the luxury brands of Switzerland

Much of the luxury watch industry participated in a novel event known as Watches & Wonders (W&W) 2021 – an entirely digital trade show dedicated to brand presentations and model débuts. Martin Foster recaps the overall themes and trends seen, as well as some of the latest models that were presented.

LET US REVIEW THE LUXURY WATCH INDUSTRY against the kaleidoscopic spectrum of our daily world where, as in the great wars, political ineptitude and criminal stupidity shape the insecurities of our future.

Today, similarly appalling decisions are being adopted around the world to combat the COVID-19 scourge. Some, protecting vested interests and with poor foresight, defeated any chance of a good outcome. The Brazilian president prioritised the economy over the crippling coronavirus infection rate and record deaths. Over-crowded Indian cities have run out of wood for cremating the dead. Climate change is causing deaths, heatwaves, massive floods, incendiary bushfires, rising oceans,

property destruction and wildlife extinctions. China threatens Taiwan; the USA and China jointly threaten each other; China threatens Australia; Myanmar sits on the brink of insurrection; Hong Kong fades back into China and the European Union gives an obstinate UK a hard time. International travel is at a standstill. Despite the global COVID-19 chaos, it is our role to try to remain sanguine while reporting on what is happening in the luxury watch industry today. The successful W&W Geneva edition in April 2021 was the first signal of a return to the normal annual release of new models from the major watch brands. Of course, what we regarded as “normal” was already facing considerable challenges before COVID-19 put large trade fair gatherings off limits. The watch industry’s annual cycle of trade fairs (Baselworld, Geneva Salon, Inhorgenta, HKW&CF, et al) was already in disarray, primarily because of uncontained costs. Defections from Baselworld and, to a lesser extent, from SIHH (Geneva) were already at crisis point and were reactions to ever-higher exhibitor rentals and management intransigence. The decaying loyalty of the Swiss industry has been well chronicled here and elsewhere and does not need further exposure. Seen through the prism of COVID-19 restrictions which disallowed annual footfall trade fairs, W&W was a success. However, this organised, week-long online presentation is not a trade fair and, in fact, simply cannot be compared with the genuine physical A fine digital presentation from event. Experienced reviewers reporting digital presentations are degraded to “influencers” because there is no possibility of genuine reviews. Handling a product in the the luxury brands of Switzerland company of the brand and other industry journalists is a very different scenario from sitting in an office staring

(Right): As the leading e-commerce partners of W&W, Mr Porter and Net-a-Porter had first-tomarket access in selling a curated selection of novelties from brands including Cartier, Hermès, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger LeCoultre, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin. Customers could purchase these new pieces in real time during the event and can now do so around the globe..

(Left): The new-generation Rolex Explorer is a yellow Rolesor version (combining Oystersteel and 18ct yellow gold) and is equipped with Cal 3230, which was released in 2020. Cal 3230 incorporates the Chronergy escapement, which combines high-energy efficiency with great dependability. The movement is equipped with an optimised blue Parachrom hairspring and the balance is on Paraflex shock absorbers. This is a self-winding module with a Perpetual rotor, barrel architecture and the escapement’s superior efficiency, giving a power reserve of about 70 hours.