Signe - Edition 23

AED 30 KWD 2.5 QAR 30

S I G N É

A CELEBRATION OF TIME

MELIK A YAZDJERDI, DIRECTOR OF DUBAI WATCH WEEK, DISCUSSES THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE GLOBAL EVENT AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO THE WATCH INDUSTRY

WRAPPED IN LUXURY

THE PRIDE OF SCHAFFHAUSEN, IWC, BRINGS LUXURY LEATHER STRAPS TO THEIR WATCHES THROUGH THEIR EXCLUSIVE COLLABORATION WITH ITALIAN SHOEMAKERS SANTONI

THE WOMAN WHO READS

AN EXHIBITION IN VENICE PAYS TRIBUTE TO GABRIEL COCO CHANEL, A WOMAN WHO CAPTIVATED THE WORLD OF FASHION AND WAS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY THE WORLD OF BOOKS

THE TIMEKEEPERS

From reading shadows off the ground to measuring the rate of flow of water, a breed of analytical individuals had tasked themselves with understanding time as we know it

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For the pioneer in you.

Inspired by the beginning of modern sea travelling, the Montblanc 4810 Chronograph Automatic embodies the precision of ďŹ ne Swiss watchmaking and artisanal reďŹ nement with the iconic exploding star.

Discover the full story at montblanc.com/pioneering.

Crafted for New Heights.

CONTENTS

Savoir faire Scholars

THE YAMASÁ LINE

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THE TOWERING INFERNO Paul Newman, An extraordinarily handsome figure of striking high spirits and honesty, redefined the stereotypical American lad as a congenial renegade

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A CELEBRATION OF TIME Having established Dubai Watch Week on the global calendar, Melika Yazdjerdi, Director of Dubai Watch Week discusses the philosophy behind the event and its way forward

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Oettinger Davidoff CEO, Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, discusses the agricultural challenges and the outcome of one of the most challenging projects they have ever undertaken. The task of growing tobacco in the impossible Yamasá region of the Dominican Republic

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AN ARTISTIC HOMAGE Luxury house Montblanc brings together the finest in material and craftsmanship to pay tribute to one of the greatest explorers of all times. The legend of Marco Polo is timelessly captured in the new Marco Polo “Il Milione” Limited Edition 1 tribute pen

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WRAPPED IN LUXURY True luxury means attention to every element of a product, down to the smallest details. The pride of Schaffhausen, IWC, brings luxury leather straps to their watches through their exclusive collaboration with Italian shoemakers Santoni

From training as a musician to working as an architect, Eric Giroud had tried everything under the sun before he realized his true calling.

He reveals his latest design; the Can-Am inspired MB&F HM8

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HANDCRAFTED ELEGANCE Billionaire Couture presents an extravagant, vibrant wardrobe of handcrafted slippers for mature men who are unafraid of whom they are and who they want to be

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Madame Lison de Caunes is truly an alchemist with the unassuming element of straw. Glancing upon her portfolio of accomplishments, it is no coincidence that she has received the title of the maître d’art for the art of straw marquetry

The House of Cartier pays tribute to the friendship and relationship between Louis Cartier and Alberto Santos-Dumont through the launch of its all new fragrance for men, The L’envol. The ambrosia inspired fragrance takes you on a stroll above the clouds

A BEAUTIFUL REVIVAL

MUSINGS ON TIME

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Sprezzatura

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THE LIFTOFF

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FIRST MOVERS WILL ALWAYS CHANGE THE WORLD. BUT WHICH ONE? >> Discover our approach at juliusbaer.com/visionary-thinking

Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group and present in some 50 locations worldwide. From Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guernsey, Hong Kong, London, Lugano, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Nassau, Singapore to Zurich (head office).

CONTENTS

Art & Design 080

PEARLS OF LIGHT

For Her

Transcending boundaries of bohemian glass blowing practices, LASVITs latest project for the Address Boulevard Hotel is a work of art inspired by the Arabian heritage of Pearls

Obsession

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PRECIOUS ENVY The legendary jewelers to the Tsar, Fabergé, are reborn through the efforts of international experts on gemstones, Gemfields.

The collaboration delivers on its promise to global luxury connoisseurs through a series of new product reveals

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The latest Signature Touch for Bentley is much more than a statement piece. Handcrafted with avant-garde materials and featuring cutting edge software, this phone proves it’s better than a private concierge manager and security advisor rolled into one

Taking inspiration from German Expressionism, Italian artist Luca Valentini unveils his “Our Myths” collection at the Sconci Art Gallery at the Dubai Design District. The tongue in cheek series forces us to rethink our Icons

THE TOUCH OF TECHNOLOGY

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MARKING DISTINCTION Amruda Nair readies the path to the launch of her brainchild, the hospitality brand AIANA. She tells her story and the preparation that has gone behind the introduction of the region’s very first Hospitality 2.0 project

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THE ENCHANTED GARDEN

THE TIMEKEEPERS From reading shadows off the ground to measuring the rate of flow of water, a breed of analytical individuals had tasked themselves with understanding time as we know it.

We pay tribute to their dedication to Time

Marcel Wanders introduces a whimsical element to the French elegance of Christofle. We speak to Gabriele Chiave, Creative Director at Marcel Wanders about the Jardin d’Eden collection and its design story

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FEMININE INTUITION

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Luxury jewelers Sartoro present their new line of animal inspired ornaments. From minimalistic jewels to opulent masterpieces, the new Fauna collection takes elegant statement pieces to a whole new emotional dimension

Officine Panerai unveils a series of maritimeinspired watches that have all of the great looks of its predecessors and a whole lot of mechanical surprises under the hood

AN ARTISTIC REVIVAL

A MARITIME PASSION

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SHATTERING MYTHS

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Mohamed Maktabi has played a critical role in elevating carpets to the ranks of Art. We discuss his family’s obsession with carpets and his “Carpetized” exhibition with the king of contemporary Persian carpets, Hossein Rezwani

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La dolce vita 116

Philanthropy

Heritage

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AN INSPIRING LEGACY

092 THE WOMAN WHO READS Gabriel Coco Chanel was a woman who captivated the world of Fashion. We examine her life that was defined by literary figures and heavily inspired by the world of books

José Carreras occupies a privileged place in the world of philanthropy due to his efforts in fighting Leukemia. From his personal struggle with the disease to setting up the largest foundation on the planet to give hope to millions, he is a fighter at heart

A TIME-TESTED COMMITMENT

THE BOOK OF BROOKS Brooks Brothers has carved a legacy for itself by dressing some of the most celebrated icons in the world. We take a look at the more-thana-century-old family business’s transformation through each era

Located in the idyllic Kodagu District of Karnataka, IBNII resort in Madikeri proves to be the perfect getaway from the urban milieu to experience nature in its purest form. third ambitious project Bazxar, an exciting ‘foodmarket-restaurant-wine-bar’ concept

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LUXURY IN THE LAP OF NATURE

Two years, ten expeditions and three million square kilometers of protected ocean later, Blancpain reconfirms its commitment with the launch of a new all-blue Limited Edition Fifty Fathoms Bathyscape Flyback Chronograph Blancpain Ocean Commitment II

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NEW IN TOWN It’s time to relax and enjoy the remarkable outdoor dining experience of the Scape Restaurant & Bar, Burj Al Arab. The newly opened Roberto’s Abu Dhabi within the luxurious Rosewood Hotel provides a cosmopolitan experience for the culinary crowds of the capital.

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THE TOWERING INFERNO

THE TOWERING INFERNO

When one thinks of style icons, movie stars and all encumbered philanthropists few gentlemen come in the same league as Mr Paul Newman. The blue-eyed star proved that a closet filled with suave well-cut basics is a potent recipe regardless of age If Marlon Brando and James Dean stereotyped the quintessential American lad as a brooding, angry young man, Paul Newman defined him as a congenial renegade. An extraordinarily handsome figure of striking high spirits and honesty whose charismatic charm was almost impossible to resist.

Tall, blond and ocean blue eyes, Paul Newman emulated a physical appearance resembling a modern day Adonis, with none of the vanity. He was so attractive and charismatic that his work as an actor was occasionally unjustly overshadowed. A perennial movie star his career encompassed the 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond.

He gained notable stardom for starring in blockbuster movies like The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He starred in over 65 movies in a career spanning over 50 years, displaying an incomparable physical grace, unassertive intelligence and a great sense of humour that made it all seem effortless. Apart from being an ambitious actor he was primarily an ardent slave to his craft. He successfully achieved what most of his peers found impossible due to his inimitable passion.

For us, it was his off-screen persona that exuded an insouciant magnetism unlike any other celebrity seen today. Observe any image of Newman, and you’ll notice how he simply will never look anything but effortlessly fresh and suave, regardless of his attire or bearings. He was blessed with a remarkable ability to make sombre formalwear seem as cool and stylish as the rugged workwear he often wore in cinema. This nonchalance combined with his Greekgod good looks made quite the combination behind the camera, but Newman proved that he was way more than just a good-looker. His fashion game was unmatched for years to come. He had men lining

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up to drape themselves in sleek denims to envision themselves as tough and as cool as the stylish man they saw on the silver screen.

As Butch Cassidy, Fast Eddie Felson and Luke Jackson, he personified anti-establishment cool but in real life he was a core pillar of the community. In the late ‘70s, Newman and his close friend Aaron Hotchner came down to his basement – an eclectic former horse stall – assorted some specialty oils, seasoning, and condiments in an old washtub and circulated the results as Christmas gifts. His neighbours, either too gracious to say otherwise or genuinely ecstatic with the concoction, called out for more of the salad dressing the next day. And this is how the definitive celebrity food brand ‘Newsmans Own’ was born. Newman registered the enterprise as charitable establishment donating all of the profits to charity, a sum that stands at over $450 million as of 2016.

During a particular high-speed driving training for his 1969 film Winning, Newman became smitten with motor racing and attempted to pursue a career on the track. He was mostly successful; he started out with the Bob Sharp Racing team in the Trans-Am Series, and later finishing second in 1979 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Perhaps even more remarkable was that at the age of 70, Newman finished second in his class at the 1995 edition of 24 Hours of Daytona. He even participated in the 2005 edition of 24 Hours of Daytona, at the implausible age of 80.

When the star died on 26th September 2008 with his family by his side, his daughters described it as being “private and discreet as the way he had lived his life”, his death was grieved far beyond the boundaries of Hollywood. His most fitting eulogy came from George Clooney, who said: “He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us”.

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SCHOLARS

A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T I M E

A CELEBRATION OF TIME

Melika Yazdjerdi talks about the educational aspect of Dubai Watch Week, a five-day horology event that brings together both the local and global watch industry under one roof to celebrate the real stars of watchmaking

Beverly Pereira At the Dubai Watch Week last year, English watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin narrated an incident that took place during the restoration of a timepiece. When he popped the case open, he said that he actually felt the air come out for the first time after the watchmaker who had made the watch some 150 years ago sealed it. To most people, watchmaking is related to all things technical, but only few realise the meticulous craftsmanship and astounding beauty that accompanies this art. Referring to Speake-Marin’s statement, Melika Yazdjerdi, Head of Corporate Communications at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons and Director of Dubai Watch Week, says that it must have been such a profound feeling where you know that the last person who touched the inside of this watch was the actual watchmaker and you are the second person looking behind the scenes of its components. “We want people to realise the poetry and passion that work together to tell time in a very beautiful, romantic way,” she says about the idea behind the Dubai Watch Week. Now in its second year, the region’s most anticipated horology event still holds education at the heart of its platform through a series of workshops, discussions, panels, scholarships and mentorship opportunities that engage both the local and global watch community.

Dubai Watch Week began as a seminal idea in December 2014 after the second Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) event culminated.

“While brainstorming with our chief marketing and communications officer Hind Seddiqi, we spoke about how amazing it would be if there was an event where people could just go and learn. All major events in the present-day watch industry are commercial events, which exist for good reason, to support the industry and generate movement. But, what about a destination or event where all you could do was learn and appreciate and network and really see the stars of horology?” says Yazdjerdi, referring to the enamellers, engravers, dial makers and the guilloche artists. “These are the stories and characters we want to talk about.”

By January 2015, those very ideas became a reality, when the group started work on the first Dubai Watch Week. At the time, a lot of people called them crazy and over-ambitious and there were still others who

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expected them to fail. “But at the time, we were the writers of this play.

We were thinking about the script, which became the foundation of the programme. We knew that Dubai Watch Week was always going to be an event where people would come to learn, be educated and get to know each other.”

Dubai Watch Week has held education and culture as the main pillars of its programmes since the first edition in October 2015. “We have always said that Dubai Watch Week is about education and culture.

It’s about getting educated about brands, the history of the watchmaking industry and many other components,” says Yazdjerdi. “The cultural aspect is about the people behind it because they bring their flavours to it. Watchmakers are not all from Switzerland today; they come from different backgrounds. You have watchmakers from every single continent in the world — from Japan, China, Latin America and Eastern Europe. How is it that someone sitting in Eastern Europe is making watches that are 100 per cent made out of wood? There’s something unfathomable about it, but it’s fully functional even though the strap is also made out of wood. There is diversity in the world of watch making.

We knew that the most important thing for our event was going to be the diversity of the speakers that we wanted to bring to the forum.”

The speaker list for the first edition initially featured a conservative list of 20 people, shares Yazdjerdi. By the time they actually launched the event, they had 47 speakers, many of whom were visiting Dubai for the first time. “The biggest seal of approval we could have received from the industry was the fact that there were these amazing individuals from editorial and watchmaking backgrounds, CEOs of companies, and brands that had taken the time out of their busy schedule to come to an event that no one had ever heard of before and that was happening for the first time. It was like a reunion of the watch industry.”

This year, too, Dubai Watch Week, set to take place from November 16-19, will showcase the pinnacle of watchmaking achievements through exhibitions, workshops, master classes, forums and VIP events that will take place at the Dubai International Financial Centre and The Dubai Mall. Like the first edition, the 2016 edition will be hosted under the

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A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T I M E

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Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons in partnership with Christies and master Emirati artist, Abdul Qader Al Rais, presented two uniquely commissioned works in honour of the 2nd Annual Dubai Watch Week. The paintings be auctioned by Christie’s to benefit the Noor Dubai Charity.

Zaman: A View from the First Ahmad Siddiqi and Sons Shop, Deira, Dubai, the artist pays homage to the Seddiqi family’s first watch shop in Souk Bur Dubai, which opened in the late 1940s. Incorporating the spare parts of various timepieces taken from the Seddiqi atelier, the artist juxtaposes the softness of his watercolour technique with three-dimensional elements for the very first time. Welcoming this new addition to his canvases, the artist uses concepts of recycling and collage to accentuate the intricacy of these various watch elements.

The original boutique of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, fascinatingly, has sentimental value for the artist. As the place where he purchased the first gift which he gave to his wife on their wedding day, it is undoubted that the artist laces his canvases with a profound sense of nostalgia.

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A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T I M E

Melika Yazdjerdi, Director of Dubai Watch Week at the Swiss Watch Services Center In Dubai

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Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and will once again be organised by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. “The Seddiqi family has been involved in the watch industry for over six decades. This is an industry that’s very close to their hearts; it’s in their DNA, and they have a profound love and respect for the industry,” says Yazdjerdi, when asked if there exists a commercial angle to the non-ticketed Dubai Watch Week or whether it is plainly organised for the sake and love of time.

“We had a lot of people last year wondering what the catch behind this event was. As far as the format is concerned, we will never turn into a commercial fair where we sell and buy watches. We are concerned about connecting people, which is our objective and mandate.” Of course, she adds, whether the event will happen every two years or every year is a matter that is being discussed at the board level. “Personally, I don’t think it can become a commercial event. It will lose its core foundation.

Whatever revenue comes from it will go into the next edition of the event,” she says.

Yazdjerdi adds that they are not really looking at Dubai Watch Week from a Seddiqi perspective either, but from a Dubai perspective.

Dubai Watch Week also has other partners on board including Emirates Airlines as the official carrier, the DIFC, the Four Seasons as the official hotel partner, the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, the FHH, the Dubai Mall, Christie’s and the Embassy of Switzerland in the UAE, among others. “Last year, Christie’s did an auction at DIFC. This year, we commissioned two art works by master Emirati artist, Abdul Qader Al Rais that sold at an auction successfully. So all our partners understand the value proposition of Dubai Watch Week and they’re all helping to make it a success.” Likening Dubai Watch Week to Expo 2020 and Dubai Design District, she says they are also very much a young, creative community that wants Dubai to become an iconic and key destination as far as creativity is concerned. The Dubai Mall has also been a key player in the Dubai Watch Week, and this year the two will be doing a massive exhibition called the ‘Mastery of Time’ together with the FHH, which is a fascinating retrospective display of significant timepieces through

the ages. Another interesting showcase, ’24 Hours in the Life of a Swiss cuckoo Clock’, is also slated to take place at the mall and will see 24 modern interpretations, including an iPad cuckoo clock, by students and staff at HEAD-Genève art school.

The first edition of Dubai watch Week turned out to be a learning experience for the team. “We received comments from the industry that a lot of the programmes were conflicting with each other, which didn’t allow people to attend everything they wanted to,” says Yazdjerdi.

Besides, a number of people with journalism backgrounds also feature on forums and panels this year. “These individuals write for a living, they publish books, papers and write for journals. They come from an academic background and we want to hear their expert opinions on topics that exercise their knowledge and background. We don’t just have people from brands or with watchmaking backgrounds on the panel.”

The second edition of Dubai Watch Week will also have a scholarship programme that once again points back to the educational nature of this event. “We are reintroducing our scholarship program with our HH academy certification that’s funded by Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. It is a four-day intensive training programme, which concludes with a test of 150 questions, and will offer 24 individuals the opportunity to get certified from the watch industry from a very reputable certification academy,” shares Yazdjerdi.

“Dubai Watch Week is like a play and every year we have a different story to tell. We aim to bring different character to play those parts and tell their story,” she says, adding that the second edition will be three times bigger than the first. “It’s a massive event that’s going to grow every year. In the future, partners from different backgrounds will come together for the benefit of the industry because there’s so much involved around the horology sector like design, technology, innovation, business, education and academia. It’s a holistic circle and the watch industry has almost got its fingers on every single pulse of different sectors. There will be a point in time when other sectors will see the value proposition in getting involved. Still, it’s not about making a profit but about generating revenue to sustain the event,” sums up Yazdjerdi.

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MUSINGS ON TIME

MUSINGS ON TIME Eric Giroud is a Swiss watch designer and an epitome of artistic excellence. At the launch of his revolutionary Can-Am inspired design for MB&F, the maestro discusses his entry into the world of watchmaking and the features of the HM8

Diksha Vohra From trying to become a music composer to the watchmaker that he now is, Eric Giroud has come a long way. The designer has worked with multiple luxury brands and established his name in the watch industry. Eric has designed various timepieces which have won numerous accolades for their design and technical prowess. We engage Eric in a candid conversation over coffee to know of his journey and his latest design, the MB&F HM8.

Eric, interestingly, did not start off his career as a watch designer. It didn’t happen till after he was 30. Eric had entered the music and arts industry at a very young age. Born in Switzerland, he studied music even as he was

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a kid, and continued his stint with music till he was 20. However, as he began practicing it professionally, he felt he wasn’t a very good composer or even a conductor, says Eric.

Thus, on the advice of his father, he decided to try his hands in the field of architecture.

Design and mathematics, felt Eric, would be a welcome change. The thought of becoming a designer was on his mind when he took up architecture. He then pursued architecture professionally until his thirties, opening his architecture practice in 1990.

Eric had to close his practice down at the height of the Gulf War, and it was then that he decided to travel a bit, embarking on a year and a half long trip to Dakar in Senegal, Africa. This life-changing personal adventure

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accentuated his desire to experience the world and to do something different.

As soon as he returned, he dabbled with graphics, packaging and product design, working with design agencies in Switzerland and across the world. The line between passion and profession soon evaporated when he established his design agency in 1998. Soon enough, a project for a watch design turned up, and Eric decided to have a go at it. He started work on ideas for submission to the project outside of the office, while the design team in the office was working on an official version. When the designs were presented Eric’s submission was picked by the client. He has, since, never looked back.

Eric Giroud at the M.A.D Gallery in Al Serkal Avenue Dubai SIGNÉ ◊ EDITION 23

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SCHOLARS

MUSINGS ON TIME

Despite being a late entrant into the scene of watchmaking, Eric adapted very quickly to keep up with the industry requirements. “Learning is a crucial aspect of watchmaking,” says the specialist. Before he begins his work, he has to know about the mechanism, the diameter of the dial and the gender it would be made for. With these inputs and putting some of his own ideas in the mix, he designs a sketch. He, then, takes inputs from the clients on the sketch and makes improvements accordingly. Eric says: “To convert a sketch into the right proportions of an actual watch is much harder than it seems.” He learns the style and technique with every brand he works and he keeps improving.

Talking of brands, Eric’s relationship with MB&F is a love story that has been going on for more than a decade now. So how did the designer get working with one of the most acclaimed brands in the watchmaking industry? By a stroke of luck,

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says the ever-modest Eric. He was lucky to meet some people in the know of the watchmaking industry during his early years designing watches. One of them introduced Eric to Maximilian Büsser, the founder of Maximilian Büsser and Friends (MB&F).

After 15 years of managing prestigious watch brands, Maximillian had resigned from his Managing Director position at Harry Winston in 2005 to create MB&F, an artistic micro-engineering laboratory dedicated to designing and crafting small series of radical concept watches. It aims to bring together talented professionals that Büsser both respects and enjoys working with, and it seemed that Eric fit the bill perfectly.

Eric feels the work ethics at MB&F are very positive. It all starts with Maximillian stating his idea and the concept for the watch. The leader and designer complement each other – Eric understands what Maximillian wants; the team works on the project together and exchanges ideas.

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Even critics are important to Eric. Once a sketch is finalized, he works closely with the various stakeholders in the team and takes their inputs as well. Often the designs which are assumed easy to create are often the most complicated until they can be given a real tangible shape. Sometimes the finished product ends up looking nothing like the original.

Eric proudly shows us the all new timepiece HM8, the latest watch designed for MB&F that has been two years in the making. The HMX was inspired by cars, and now the HM8 takes its inspiration from the true blue racing cars of the 70s CanadianAmerican Challenge Cup or Can-Am for short. At a time when Formula 1 was mainly European and wary of experimentation, CanAm was a hotbed of technical innovation.

However, while the oil crisis and recession drove the Can-Am into the sunset, the HM8 proudly rises from the turbo-charged ashes. The HM8 represents an intersection

of previous models, the HM3 and the HM5 the distinctive angular form and optical prism displays first manifested in HM5, and the now signature “battle-axe” winding rotor, which made HM3 MB&F’s most popular model to date. HM8 Can-Am features a curvaceous yet angular case, with dual optical prisms vertically displaying bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes, while the battleaxe winding rotor is visible on top.

The real star of HM8, however, are its CanAm inspired polished “roll bars” majestically sweeping from the front of the Machine down

to the beguiling tapered back. The roll bars are made of grade 5 titanium, light in weight and high in strength. Incongruously for a fully mechanical racing machine, the visual effect is electric. HM8’s Engine sits in full view under a nearly invisible sapphire crystal engine cover. Turning HM8 over reveals another automotive tip of the hat: like most car engines which have an “oil sump” located underneath, HM8 has dual oil sumps under its own Engine.

The HM8 Can-Am is powered by an inhouse developed bi-directional jumping

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hour and trailing minute indication module, on a Girard-Perregaux base movement. The movement is inverted to put the winding rotor on top and modified to drive the prism indicator module. The finishing of the movement is first class, which it has to be as it is completely open to view from the top. The watch has a power reserve of 42 hours.

The vertical, forward-facing display makes HM8 Can-Am an excellent driver’s watch. Eric says the watch is not limited edition, but production will be limited because it’s extremely complicated to manufacture.

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S AV O I R FA I R E

T H E YA M A S Á L I N E

THE YAMASÁ LINE After months of anticipation Davidoff’s latest launch, the ‘Yamasá’ stays true to its prolific hysteria. The new line, which debuted at the 2016 IPCPR Convention & Trade Show, takes inspiration and tobacco from Yamasá, a region in the central Dominican Republic located

Total palate invigoration has been cigar guru Hendrik “Henke” Kelner’s doctrine since he first made cigars over 30 years ago. This philosophy holds true with Davidoff’s latest cigar launch, the Davidoff Yamasá, a premium 20 years in the making luxe cigar.

Traveling to the ideal climate and mineral-rich land of the Yamasá region in the Dominican Republic coupled with the expertise of the exceptional master blender, Henke, Davidoff Yamasá is one exceptionally fervent experience.

The last three launches from the Davidoff umbrella have showcased tobacco sourced from diverse regions. Starting with the Nicaragua, then the Escurio (Brazil), and now the prestigious Yamasá (Dominican Republic). It took 20 years of Henke Kelner’s and his team’s expertise, of nurturing and cultivating soil that was reluctant to change. The development of the Yamasá is a classic example of men who confronted the impossible in the pursuit of their dream.

For the Yamasá soil to deliver up to its true potential, Henke Kelner, and his team- Eladio and Manuel Perlata, had to first foster nature. To raise the pH levels to those that best suit the growing of tobacco. They worked on the soil by adding calcium carbonate, dolomitic lime and agricultural lime every two months. It was done by trained professionals to every single tobacco plant. Henke Kelner relied only on his expert intuition, defying the laws of science. Preliminary seed selection saw the selection of just three out of thirty samples, only the best regarding color, shine and lamina were selected. The site in Yamasá covers 100 hectares, but only 21 are currently being used. They would rest the land between each harvest to let nature take its course,

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and to ensure that the unique quality of the Yamasá leaf is maintained for years to come. Entirely new climate controlled curing facilities were developed to ensure this.

The technical expertise attained over the years by the Davidoff team in refining the wilder predispositions of Nicaraguan Estelí and Condega tobaccos has helped to create a unique Yamasá blend with all the intensity, enhancement and complexity aficionados would expect from Davidoff.

We recently had the pleasure on interviewing Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard CEO of Oettinger Davidoff AG on the occasion of the Yamasá launch in the U.A.E to ask him about the project: You’ve held high positions in various industries; watch industry with Timex, cosmetics with Guerlain, beverages with Seagrams and now you’re in the tobacco industry with Oettinger Davidoff.

Do you think this time around you’re working on something you relate to personally? I’ve always enjoyed what I have been doing, being in the luxury and premium market. But it’s true that the environment of premium cigars is something that I enjoy even more because it is extremely personable. It is a luxury, but it’s also affordable in the sense that a lot of people can enjoy it. It’s something that you could say democratizes a little bit of luxury because there are reasonable price ranges. A premium cigar is a splendid excuse or catalyst to sit down and check-out of your busy schedule for 45 minutes. If you’re stressed or busy, this serves as a complete disconnect from everything else around you. This is what we call time beautifully filled. Yes, this role is something that I enjoy!

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