Weirs style watches june 2018

style MAGAZINE

GOLDEN

AGE

ROLEX ON FILM

TIMELESS TREASURES

THIS YEAR'S WATCH HEROES

FULL TIME

NEW & EXCLUSIVE

FABERGÉ

THE WORLD CUP WATCH EVERYONE WANTS

Watch & Jewellery SPECIAL

The best new watches, plus the jewellery to buy now and love forever

Reine de Naples Collection

in every woman is a queen

tournaments are copyrights and / or trademarks of FIFA.”

“@FIFA, FIFA’s Official Licensed Product Logos and the Emblems, Mascots, Posters and Trophies of the FIFA World Cup™

T H E A R T O F

BIG BANG REFEREE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA™ F U S I O N

hublot.com

Elegance is an attitude Simon Baker

Record

ZENITH, THE FUTURE OF SWISS WATCHMAKING DEFY I El Primero 21 1/100 of a second chronograph th

www.zenith-watches.com

KYLE TUNNEY

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Welcome

elcome to a very special edition of Weir & Sons Style Magazine, our 19th publication — but our first-ever dedicated watch and jewellery issue.

Since last summer, we’ve travelled far and wide to bring you the best adornments and timepieces that the finest makers have to offer. And with so much beauty to go around, we thought they deserved their very own compilation.

Which is where we start, with a round-up of the finest timepieces just revealed at the Baselworld watch fair in Switzerland. From the newly imagined classics of Rolex, upgraded and refined, to the groundbreaking achievements by iconic makes such as Breitling and TAG Heuer, your definitive 2018 watch lust list is on page 19.

We are in esteemed company throughout our first watch and jewellery special. On page 35, we profile one of the collaborations of the

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year — pioneering watchmaker Tudor’s dream partnership with 21st-century musical icon and artist Lady Gaga, which has inspired a bold new watch that has already won its own legion of fans.

From the individual to the many, the cross-pollination continues: Hublot’s ongoing partnership with the FIFA World Cup has culminated in a game-changing smartwatch, which will take centre stage at Russia 2018. The limited-edition World Cup watch will be found only in Weir & Sons, and we have the definitive story of this perfect match on page 50.

Also with a Russian connection — but boasting an even longer history — jewellery maker Fabergé was traditionally beloved of kings, queens and jewellers alike. Now the historical house has been reborn, with exquisite pieces that draw on its extraordinary heritage and craftsmanship, reinvented for the modern day.

On page 29, we trace Fabergé’s unique backstory

and introduce the statement pieces that will be found in our landmark Dublin store.

With Patek Philippe celebrating 50 years of the Golden Ellipse (see page 63) and Omega continuing its lunar love affair with a new watch to commemorate the Speedmaster’s first trip around the moon (page 54), there are momentous moments to be marked. And we still haven’t even mentioned our standout shoot — following a dangerous duo who almost pull off the perfect crime… these pages are packed full of jewels and watches worth paying the price for.

We hope you enjoy it all, and to see you in store very soon.

The Weir & Sons team

Follow us on… @weirandsons /WeirsJewellers @WeirandSons

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Style Editor Jessie Collins Magazine Production Aoife Carrigy Art Director Clare Meredith Chief Sub-Editor Sharon Miney Publisher The Content Agency ltd

CONTENTS

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For Weir & Sons Executive Editor Lucinda Andrews Contributing Editor Lisa Freeman Silver Editor David Andrews Jewellery Editor Neville McDowell Watch Editor Paul Broughan Fashion Editor Chris Andrews Assistant Fashion Editor Aoife Doyle Weir & Sons would like to thank all contributors and advertisers for their continued support. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information, Weir & Sons accepts no responsibility for any inaccuracies that may arise. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, artwork or advertising material while in transmission or with the publishers or their agents. Weir & Sons Style magazine is published by Weir & Sons in association with The Content Agency Ltd, The Park, Ballycrean, Co. Wicklow. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means) is prohibited without prior permission of The Content Agency.

The reproduction of colours is as accurate as the printing process will allow. Whilst Weir & Sons Style magazine accepts third party advertising, it does not endorse or take any responsibility for products or services outside those of Weir & Sons.

Please contact the advertiser directly.

All terms are subject to availability.

Weir & Sons has made every effort to ensure that product information and prices are correct at time of going to press. Some of these, including price, may change after publication.

Weir & Sons 96-99 Grafton Street, Dublin 2, Ireland +353 (0) 1 677 9678; weir.ie Level 1, Dundrum Town Centre, Dundrum, Dublin 16, Ireland +353 (0) 1 215 7845; weir.ie sales@weirandsons.ie @WeirandSons /WeirsJewellers @weirandsons

40 13 NEWS

From the finest new watches to the most delicate of jewels, a round-up of what’s new in store to Weir & Sons.

19 BEST IN SHOW

The best timepieces to covet this year, including Rolex, TAG Heuer and more.

29 40 CAUGHT IN THE ACT

24 TIME TRAVEL

The innovations changing the watch industry, and the most advanced watches to buy now.

Our fashion shoot is packed full of jewels and watches worth paying the price for.

29 EASTERN PROMISE

50 PERFECT MATCH

Meet the new Fabergé range, as a jewellery legacy is reimagined.

33 DRIVE TIME

The latest Volkswagen SUV gets its Irish debut.

A look at Hublot’s groundbreaking new smartwatch, taking centre stage at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

54 OVER THE MOON

Omega celebrates a golden age in space travel with a new limited-edition Speedmaster.

35 MELODY MAKER

What happened when Tudor teamed up with the iconic Lady Gaga to create a standout timepiece.

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59 SCREEN DREAM

Beloved of directors and actors alike, Rolex celebrates a brand-new affair with the big screen.

63 DARK STAR

Patek Philippe’s Golden Ellipse marks 50 years with a deluxe special edition.

HAPPY HEARTS

H A P P Y DIA M ONDS

PRINCESS FLOWER COLLECTION

News To celebrate our impending 150th anniversary next year, we have begun compiling a collection of fine jewellery pieces to mark this momentous birthday — the first of which is this diamond and tsavorite necklace, newly arrived at the store. Tsavorites are a thousand times rarer than emeralds, with these particular gems created in a beautifully simple drop necklace by legendary German jewellery designer Hans D. Krieger, who has been collecting these exceptionally precious stones for more than 15 years.

Set in 18kt gold with round cut diamonds, the 29-carat tsavorites are so pure, they require no enhancements, just a delicate polishing to bring out their deep green iridescence and glow. Sourced from two countries in east Africa — Tanzania and Kenya — they are some of the scarcest in the gem world.

The simple and elegant design is made with the lightest of touch; the settings so delicate and expertly made as to be invisible to the eye, leaving just the jewels to shine. It is a piece so perfect, says Weir & Sons jewellery buyer Neville McDowell, “I can’t see how you can improve it.”

Green tsavorite and white diamond drop necklace, €88,000, from Weir & Sons

stone

ROMANCING

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NEWS

The best new adornments and timepieces from Weir & Sons.

DANCING IN THE DARK

NATURAL FIT

Hailing from Australia’s Lightning Ridge, this black opal from Weir & Sons Collection (€13,230) weighs over 12 carats and comes set in a halo of vibrant diamonds in 18kt white gold. Remarkable in its quality, it is the spectrum and interplay of colours – from exquisite greens to orange flashes and fiery reds, which change and move with the light – that gives this unique piece its true brilliance.

A familiar face on the catwalks of Céline, Fendi and Dior, Copenhagen native Frederikke Sofie Falbe-Hansen is bringing her ethereal Scandinavian look to the new 2018 campaign for Danish brand Georg Jensen. The new 26-piece Offspring Collection is a collaboration with contemporary designer Jacqueline Rabun, who conceived the series’ fluid, organic forms to reflect and complement the natural curves of the human body, and become “an extension of the body and spirit of the wearer, like a talisman providing strength, confidence and protection”, and features rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces crafted in sterling silver and 18kt rose gold.

OVER THE RAINBOW

LIGHT MOTIF Stemming from Roberto Coin’s Barocco line, the Roman Barocco collection shows the line’s classic woven gold wires technique that is the leitmotif of its look, reinterpreted to channel the unique beauty of the Italian Eternal City. The sun design earrings in rose gold (€4,565) are inspired by the Baroque architecture of Roman buildings and the diamonds are especially set to create that same show of light and shadow.

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House of Lor is the first and only jewellery range to contain a piece of rare Irish gold in every item, all bearing the hallmark of the Dublin Assay Office. The rose gold is exclusively licensed from the Galantas Gold Corporation, operators of the only commercial Irish gold mine. Designed and crafted here and inspired by our rich culture, the Tree of Life Collection includes two-tone pendants and earrings incorporating Irish rose gold and sterling silver, while the Love Shamrock Collection features luxurious diamond-set nine-karat yellow and white gold pendants with unique Irish rose-gold flower detail.

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PRECISION UNDER PRESSURE

BORN TO BE WILD Swiss-based watchmaker Baume & Mercier has introduced the self-winding Clifton Club Indian Burt Munro Tribute (€3,700) to honour the spirit of freedom, adventure and tenacity of Indian: America’s First Motorcycle Company. With just 1,967 pieces made, the Tribute remembers the extraordinary achievements of motorcycling legend Burt Munro and comes with a silver-coloured dial with sandblasted finishes evoking Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, where Munro set his record speed of 184mph in 1967.

Since its late-1960s launch as the world’s most accurate series-made chronograph, Zenith’s Defy line has continuously evolved — without losing its focus on strong designs that marry power and precision. Insensitive to magnetic fields or temperature gradients, and resistant to extreme shocks or pressure down to 100m under water, the new Defy El Primero 21 (€10,500) introduces a 100th-of-a second chronograph movement together with an exclusive dynamic signature of one rotation per second. Gleaming in brushed titanium, it comes with rhodium-plated hands and hour markers, and boasts two escapements.

SWAN SONGS Inspired by one of Ireland’s most beloved legends, these beautifully designed and crafted sterling silver earrings (also with a matching pendant and brooch), evoke the mythical swans at the heart of the ancient Children of Lir tale. The story goes that the three children of Lir were transformed into swans when their jealous stepmother cast a spell on them, banishing them to 900 years of life on Irish waters, where they sang to one another for comfort and companionship.

MASTER & COMMANDER Marrying a timeless, classical elegance with contemporary elements, the Longines Master Collection now includes an annual calendar.

With a power reserve of 64 hours, and waterresistant to 30 metres, the Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar (€2,330) features a self-winding mechanical movement. This is fitted in a round stainless steel and sapphire crystal case, with a ‘barleycorn’ stamped dial finished in silver or black, bearing Roman or Arabic numerals or a diamond index to indicate the hour and minutes. An exceptional piece for those who appreciate the finest watchmaking.

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FEATHER LIGHT British jeweller Alex Monroe has built his stellar reputation by crafting intricately detailed representations of the natural world: capturing the dance of a bumblebee in flight perhaps, or a feather floating on a gentle breeze. His latest Plume collection takes this fascination to a new level, creating loops and wisps of soft feathers hewn in 18kt gold — as with all of the Alex Monroe Goldcrest collection — and finished with champagne diamonds.

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NEWS SWEET TEMPTATION

LINKED IN Renowned Italian jewellery house FOPE continues to marry craftsmanship and state-ofthe-art technology with new additions to its MiaLuce line.

The Prima MiaLuce collection includes a multi-strand tasselstyle necklace (€14,191) and flexible bracelet (€13,616), fully flexible both fashioned exclusively from 18-karat gold, with multiple strands secured by clusters of fluidity is thanks diamonds. Their fluidity to FOPE’s patented Flex’it technology, which creates ‘roll on’ mesh chain bracelets with tiny gold springs hidden between each link.

Taking its cue from the hot, heady days of high summer, and long, languid continental nights, Mediterranean Views is Swatch’s latest capsule collection within its spring/ summer range. With cool blue hues and seakissed greens, stripes are updated, marine motifs abstracted. The ladies' Sea View (pictured, €50) features blue stripes wrapped around a silicone strap with the dial dipped in dark blue, while the man’s Greyure (€50, pictured) comes in soft grey and white stripes on a silicone strap.

CLASSIC BEAUTY Unrivalled in its experience handcrafting Claddagh rings, Irish jewellery house Solvar has been celebrating love, loyalty and friendship with timeless pieces since 1941. Long-held as a gift of love and a unique tradition, these specially made pieces are crafted in Ireland and are available in sterling silver and gold, with each ring hallmarked by the Assay Office at Dublin Castle.

ON THE HOUR

CIRCLE OF LIFE Featuring white and black diamonds, blue and pink sapphires and rubies, all set in 18kt gold, the Moi by Weir & Sons stacking rings (from €735) are rich in variety and versatility, as well as exquisite craftsmanship. Created to celebrate women, their independence and success, Moi by Weir & Sons puts the luxury into self-gifting, the stacking rings are a perfect indulgence that allows you to mix and match and add to for years to come.

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Inspired by the iconic 1968 Memovox Polaris watch, the new JaegerLeCoultre Polaris collection (€11,100) frames traditional watchmaking attention to detail within a cool, sporty design.

The new look emphasises the watch manufacturer’s movements, with an oscillating weight bearing the emblematic Jaeger-LeCoultre logo with excellent visibility, even in low light, ensured by its large hands filled with Super-LumiNova™. Available in classic black or in ocean blue.

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INDIAN LIMITED EDITION TRIBUTE TO BURT MUNRO

Automatic chronograph Steel, 44mm

THE

Watch List

Johnny McElherron profiles the bold, the beautiful and the best new timepieces for 2018.

T

here are trade fairs, and then there is Baselworld. The watch industry’s highestprofile annual expo takes place each springtime in the Swiss city, which shares frontiers with both France and Germany. Even before you walk through the front entrance, and regardless of how many times you have been here, you pause to look up at the sky through the soaring circular opening of the Messeplatz — the focal and social hub of the huge Basel Messe complex — and the spectacular architecture which wraps the building like a huge woven aluminium basket. It’s a space not short on drama.

But it’s what’s inside that counts. Baselworld marks the unveiling of the new and most wanted watch pieces of their time, with each brand working furtively behind the scenes in the months and years prior to create a new groundbreaking movement, a much-patented mechanism, or a design improvement that will add a new story to what is, for many, a decades-old business and a centuries-old craft. And the 2018 reveal is in. So, from Rolex to Breitling, these are some of the finest new examples of watchmaking you can have on your wrist today.

ROLEX This year’s headline news, and for many the star of the show, is Rolex’s new GMT-Master II Pepsi watch (€8,650, pictured), which at last will be manufactured in the company’s proprietary Oyster Steel. Powered by the new calibre 3285 automatic, it is a faithful tribute to the 1955 original, and with a blue-over-red ceramic 24-hour bezel on a 40mm case, fitted on a stunning Jubilee bracelet, this is this year’s coolest of the cool and a

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sure-fire future classic. Unsurprisingly, worldwide demand is already high.

For both men and women, the Oyster Perpetual is still the definitive Rolex, and this year the elegant Datejust 31mm and 36mm models return with new movements and a choice of dial colour and diamond variations, in Everose, Oyster Steel, bi-metal or Rolesor options.

If the blazing rainbow spectrum of sapphire

stones and diamonds on the fabulous 18kt gold Everose Daytona might be a bit extravagant for the more shy among us, then, at a completely different extreme, the Tonka-tough Deepsea evolves to feature the calibre 3235 — significant because the development of new in-house movements with patented innovations has been a central pillar for Rolex in recent years, and they now feature in almost all the new models.

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PATEK PHILIPPE Revered for its classic dress watch collections and exceptional high complications, Patek Philippe unveiled a new highlight at Baselworld 2018: the brand-new Ref. 5740/1G Nautilus Perpetual Calendar (€110,730). In white gold with a blue dial, the classic profile is still familiar, but what’s different is that it’s the first time the sportier member of the family has been equipped with this top-tier complication — and, as a watch of particular interest this year, it lives up to all the expectations.

Another change-up for the brand that became a talking point was its new Ref. 5968A Aquanaut Chronograph in bright orange (€40,710), the pop of colour

a departure for the maker. A logical addition to this is the brand’s outright sports watch, the chronograph, nicely displayed on a single subdial so it doesn’t dominate the dial. The orange rubber strap is interchangeable for black, but on the dial the colour works well, contrasting against the charcoal grey.

Before moving on from Patek Philippe, it’s worth mentioning the Ref. 5531R World Time Minute Repeater (POA), a world first. Also superb is the latest iteration of a modern-day classic, the Ref. 5205G-013 Annual Calendar (€44,610) — in white gold with a trio of windows for day, date and month on a standout midnight-blue sunburst dial.

TAG HEUER

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TAG Heuer is another major brand which has, in recent years, undergone some serious corporate remodelling under the watchful eye of industry svengali JeanClaude Biver.

For many, a TAG Heuer will be their introduction to the world of quality Swiss watches and so, as a gatekeeper brand, its sporty persona is keenly in tune with a car-loving audience — motorsports are in its blood and high-speed racing has always inspired its collections.

With their skeletonised dials revealing the in-house movement beneath, the new Carrera Heuer 02 and Heuer 02 GMT chronograph (€5,550, pictured) have a contemporary, technical appearance, with the latter really standing out with its ‘Batman’ (black and blue) 24-hour ceramic bezel.

The Monaco has long been an icon in its unmistakable square case and, for 2018, one of its most famous associations returns, with the Gulf Racing edition sporting the 1970s team colours and logo emblazoned across the dial.

02 OMEGA

Omega has a wide range of new pieces this year, with 2018 marking the 25th anniversary of one of its best-loved collections — and James Bond’s original watch of choice — the Seamaster 300m (€4,615, pictured). That blue dial with big round markers and wave motif, the rotating bezel and the stainless steel bracelet have been kept faithfully intact, if refined throughout. This year, the original Seamaster itself celebrates 70 years, so there are two gorgeous vintage-inspired editions which pay tribute to the style of the day.

There’s a new collection of Omega ladies’ watches too: the Trésor has the de Ville lineage, but is a fresh and modern design with versions in steel or 18kt gold set off with a sprinkling of diamonds.

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06 ORIS

ZENITH

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For Zenith, this year the emphasis is on the time-only Defy range, in 41mm titanium and with openworked dials revealing the intricacies of the automatic movement inside. These are joined by new models in the superb Pilot collection (€7,500) with classic aviator themes such as big, bold hands and numerals, and the squat onion crown full of retro charm.

They are all wonderfully reminiscent of the 1940s and ’50s age of flight.

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TUDOR

For many years Tudor has been something of a shy planet to Rolex’s sun, but after a concerted shake-up, Tudor has emerged rejuvenated, with A-list brand ambassadors like David Beckham and Lady Gaga on board. For 2018, it’s the sporty new Black Bay GMT (€3,740) that’s causing a stir. In stainless steel with burgundy and blue bezel and black dial, it looks similar to the Rolex GMT-Master II, although up close the differences are obvious. Still, there’s a lot of Rolex know-how here and, with its classic good looks, it is one of the hottest watches of the show.

New, too, is the Black Bay Fifty-Eight (€3,430, pictured), a cool 39mm stainless steel 200m dive watch

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Away from the watchmaking heavyweights, Oris is a wellknown brand that remains independent and very much holds its own among the titans of the industry. Its Divers Sixty-Five is one of the coolest retro-inspired dive watches I’ve seen in recent times and, based on that model, a new limited-edition Carl Brashear Chronograph (€4,400, pictured) in bronze was one of the most covetable of the show — its new developments a perfect set-up for an even bigger and better evolution next year.

with gold markings and detail contrasting with a black bezel and dial. Like the GMT, this one is available on a steel bracelet, leather or fabric strap options.

Finally, the 1926 collection introduces a new family of watches from Tudor that’s more dress than sports. Unlike its siblings, there’s a notable absence of lume; instead, it’s a design with an emphasis on elegance and clean detailing. An impressive line-up of four sizes — 41, 39, 36 and 28mm in steel, two-tone steel and for the first time rose gold — suggests that, with the 1926, Tudor has serious intent on broadening its appeal to a wider demographic.

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TISSOT T-RACE CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE SPECIAL EDITION. TOUR DE FRANCE LOGO ENGRAVED ON THE CASEBACK. TISSOT, INNOVATORS BY TRADITION

TECH TOCK As new technologies and materials constantly evolve, Johnny McElherron looks at how the big watchmakers are futureproofing with unique innovations and groundbreaking developments.

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o the casual observer it might seem that in the world of the watch industry, apart from barely discernible tweaks (which are recognisable only to the most dedicated enthusiast or watch geek), little really changes from year to year. Sure, there are those very rare, seismic, game-changing events, such as the quartz era in the 1970s and ’80s, which almost totally suffocated traditional mechanical watchmaking. Or, much more relevant to today, the wave of wrist-borne smart technologies currently — and very successfully — establishing their position on the watch market. But unless scrutinised closely side by side, last year’s model still looks very much the same as this year’s.

However, just because progress is not always obvious doesn’t mean that it’s not going on, and even with the most prestigious and revered marques — the upholders of the historic traditions of watchmaking — you’ll find a raft of modern high technology being used today, even if you might not realise it.

As the undisputed brand leader of the luxury watch sector in terms of popularity and recognition, Rolex is a good place to start. For more than a century, the brand has artfully established both a reputation for uncompromising quality as well as a readily identifiable aesthetic DNA. It has always been obsessively careful not to stray any distance from the unique formula which today guarantees the Five-Pronged Crown’s dominant position within the watch industry — as well as in the eyes of the wider world.

Rolex is the owner of numerous technical and design

“Cerachrom was developed in a unique process to ensure that, regardless of use, the colours and sheen do not diminish with age”

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Fitting the super-fine steel coil known as the hairspring in a Rolex movement.

Right, Patek Philippe's Ref 5930G World Time Chronography mechanism

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patents, which it is adding to all the time, and is part of the pioneering DNA of the world-famous brand. In terms of innovation, registered trademarks such as Everose, Cerachrom and Syloxi relate to exclusive properties found on many Rolex models today.

What’s in a name?

Everose is the name given to a specific pink-gold alloy used, and indeed invented by, Rolex in its pursuit of finding a particular shade that would not fade over time. How it is produced is a strictly guarded secret, but we do know that no other ‘rose gold’ looks like it, or lasts like it. All of the gold used

by Rolex today is produced in its own foundry and, while only Everose has a formal title, its yellow and white golds are also exclusive to the brand.

Cerachrom is the specially formulated ceramic used on the bezels of a number of iconic Rolex models, such as the Submariner, Sea Dweller, GMT-Master and Daytona chronograph. While often cherished and carefully maintained in pristine condition by their owners, it is equally likely that any of these watches could end up having a hard life instead, exposed to the elements like sea and sunlight as well as daily wear and tear. Cerachrom was developed to protect the bezel against fading and deterioration. Again, a unique manufacturing process means that, regardless of use, the colours and the sheen of the material do not diminish with age.

While these are not only important developments for Rolex in terms of cosmetic improvements, they are also significant in terms of performance and durability. And hidden inside the watch case, there are technical advances happening too — and that’s where Syloxi comes in.

Over the past 20 years, silicon has been steadily incorporated into the manufacture of delicate components within the movements and, in particular, in the regulating organ in the watch: the constantly pulsing balance wheel which contains the super-fine steel coil known as the hairspring. Since about 1657 this element has been the cornerstone of any mechanical horologic device.

Beautiful and elegant in its conception — and so superbly effective in governing the release of energy from the barrel spring — it is incredible that something so old is still around at all. But, having never been bettered, it remains an essential in mechanical watch movements today.

Developed over a ten-year process, silicon is one of the 21st-century

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breakthrough horological components, and the basis for the creation of Syloxi, the proprietary silicon composite hairspring devised by, and now found in, all Rolex ladies’ watches since 2014, a landmark developement in watchmaking history.

The component is so significant, not just because, like the Parachrom spring it sits alongside, it’s ten times more accurate when exposed to shocks, impervious to magnetism, and offers greater stability when exposed to temperature variations, but it is also unaffected by gravity. A game-changing breakthrough, it is now a star component of the already world-renowned calibre 2236 movement.

Improving a centuries-old recipe Pushing the boundaries might be fine for Rolex, having celebrated its centenary in 2005 and so a relative newcomer in comparison with some of horology’s grandes marques.

Yet surely Patek Philippe, the most respected of them all, would never countenance considering — never mind embracing — such contemporary foibles? Well, the truth is quite the opposite. Even before the turn of this century, through its own advanced research facility, the venerated company also invested heavily in the development and integration of silicon technologies.

At the apex of a time-honoured industry, which had essentially remained unchanged in its basic principles for most of its existence, Patek Philippe still refused to sit back if there existed even the slightest possibility that new developments could further enhance — and secure a long-term future for — an already exceptional product.

In 2005 Patek Philippe announced a new all-silicon escapement wheel, manufactured in its own proprietary high-tech Silinvar material. This was followed in rapid succession by new and progressive silicon innovations. There was the Spiromax balance spring, the Pulsomax lever and escapement, and the Gyromax balance wheel — all of which would eventually culminate in an entirely silicon-based regulating organ called the Oscillomax. Development still continues unabated and last year the most futuristic wristwatch ever made by the marque — the Ref. 5690G Aquanaut Travel Time — astonished connoisseurs.

It also demonstrated clearly that, while the brand embodied a historical touchstone for the very finest watchmaking over the past two centuries, Patek Phillipe was also well prepared to embrace the future.

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Material differences If Hublot cannot fall back on such a rich and illustrious history as either Patek or Rolex, it can certainly claim to have been one of the pioneers in technical and aesthetic innovation over the past 20 years. The brand is overseen by one of the industry’s most prominent, charismatic visionaries and thought leaders, Jean-Claude Biver.

Not for the first time, this watchmaking wunderkind recognised vast potential in a tiring brand with strong design cues that had found itself somewhat directionless. He turned it around in spectacular fashion: his revitalised Hublot centred on the Big Bang and Classic Fusion models. Although their flamboyant, colourful, often arty themes might not be to everyone’s taste, each has proven to be the basis for watches with extroverted personalities. They are made in exotic materials such as carbon fibre and ceramic — and even one in an allsapphire, completely transparent case which houses highly sophisticated watchmaking technology, stripped back to its core elements with complex and intricate skeletonisation, with rubber-tipped crowns and pushers as well as straps.

Panerai is another brand that, to some, may seem to have resisted change over the years. The company has rarely strayed far from the relative safety of the distinctive cushion-shaped cases and unmistakable 'sandwich dial' configurations that have made it such a cult name among collectors and enthusiasts. While there is some truth in that reputation, Panerai has been working with diverse case materials such as titanium, ceramic, bronze and carbotech, a composite material based on carbon fibre, introduced by Panerai last year and never before used in the world of watchmaking. Earlier this year, the Lo Scienziato model was unveiled: housing its skeletonised movement is a 3D-printed titanium case with a hollow core and the innovative tourbillon, which takes manufacturing off in another entirely new direction, with technology and innovation paving the way for lighter, stronger and more durable watches.

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New kids on the block And then, of course, there is the elephant in the room — because it is impossible to look to the future of the watch industry without acknowledging the impact of the most current of those aforementioned seismic events: the advent of the smartwatch. Considering the almost ruinous impact on traditional watchmaking of the last game-changing disruptor — the low cost and unquestioned reliability of the batterypowered quartz movement, which suffocated all but the most resilient watch brands in the ‘70s and ‘80s — once again, an industry held its breath.

Now a few years into this new generation of connected, smart technology, with the primary wave of hype and uptake behind us, it does seem that this time there will be room for old and new to co-exist. Although, for TOMORROW’S WATCHES brands who are competing in or TO BUY NOW near the smartwatch price bracket, that might require some tightening Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date of the corporate purse strings (or The ‘President’s Watch’ has been a staple even, like TAG Heuer, embracing of the Rolex portfolio since its introduction the dark side and integrating the in 1956. Today’s model features the brandtechnology into their collections). new in-house calibre 3255 self-winding

FUTURE PROOF

movement, which boasts a Parachrom balance spring, €25,800.

Hublot Spirit of Big Bang Titanium Ceramic Always pushing the boundaries in terms of looks, technology and materials, Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang combines the lot within this uncompromising and futuristic style, €21,700.

Panerai Tuttonero Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Ceramica Constructed entirely of ceramic, this brooding allblack beauty combines stealthy good looks with a hard-wearing quality, €14,000.

Patek Philippe 5740/1G Nautilus Perpetual Calendar Despite featuring one of watchmaking’s oldest and most sophisticated complications, the 2018 Nautilus 5740/1G relies on its ultra-modern Gyromax balance and Spiromax balance spring for long life and lasting accuracy, €110,730.

TAG Heuer Connected Modular 41 The latest addition to the Connected collection and with a diameter of 41mm, it is the neatest yet. The watch also features contactless payment via Android PayTM, comes with GPS and is water-resistant to 50 metres, €1,150.

Looking to the future Will electronic technology once again undermine a centuries-old craft, this time in a slow death as future generations come through with their predictable unpredictability? Only time will be the judge. But for now it’s clear that, while the new is most certainly here to stay, more than ever people do celebrate their individuality — and few accessories express that better than the wristwatch. Be it the reserved sophistication of a classic Patek Philippe; the professional cool of the Rolex Submariner; the hightech, not-shy Hublot Big Bang; or the cutting-edge modernity of the TAG Heuer Connected watch, each of these makes a very different statement — but all are testament to technical and material innovation, and symbols of an industry futureproofing itself.

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THE WORLD’S FIRST • Automatic manufacture caliber • Connected smart functions • Analysis of the mechanical caliber

WATCH Limited Edition exclusive to

Tracing its dynastic beginnings right up to its dramatic reinvention, Aoife Carrigy explores the remarkable history of Fabergé — new and exclusive to Weir & Sons.

FROM

Russia

with

A

s romantic gestures go, it was a triumph of historic proportions.

During the 1885 Easter celebrations, and after months of secretive collaborations between Tsar Alexander III and goldsmith-artist Peter Carl Fabergé, the results were presented to the Tsar’s wife of 20 years, Empress Maria Feodorovna.

In the Orthodox Christian culture of late-19thcentury Imperial Russia, Easter was as celebrated as Christmas is here today. It was local tradition to bring painted eggs to church for an Easter blessing before offering them as gifts to family members, and the upper echelons of Russian society had begun elevating this humble practice into a ritual of elaborate gift-giving.

At first glance, the Tsar’s gift appeared extremely simple in its extravagance: a smooth ‘hen egg’ of gold encased in an opaque white enamelled ‘shell’. But a simple manoeuvre cracked the egg in two to reveal a surprise in the form of a matte, yellow-gold yolk. Within this first interior was another surprise: a multi-coloured, superbly chased gold hen, which in turn opened to reveal yet another delight — a tiny and intricate

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LOVE

diamond replica of the Imperial Crown. under Carl Fabergé to complete in From this hung the final in this series of time for every Easter. The level of gifts from the Tsar to his Empress: a small detail was extraordinary: one Imperial ruby egg to be worn as a pendant around Egg contained a minute replica of the her Imperial neck.

Coronation carriage as its hidden surprise; The Empress must have been duly another, a heart-shaped frame on an easel delighted, because the Fabergé Imperial depicting 11 miniature portraits of Imperial Easter Egg became an annual tradition in family members. the Romanov family.

Just 43 survive today, spread among It was carried on by Alexander’s son much-coveted private collections and Nicholas II until 1916, the year before museums. These symbols of Imperial his forced abdication as the last decadence have been chased by Emperor of Russia in March 1917. everyone from Bond villain Kamal A year later, the House of Fabergé Khan in Octopussy and George jewellery business was nationalised Clooney as Danny Ocean in by the Bolsheviks, ending this Ocean’s Twelve to real-life legendary era of its output.

Russian oil tycoons and American Fifty of these fabled Imperial publishing moguls.

Eggs were produced over Perhaps the most famed of three decades, with Nicholas these masterpieces was the 1913 commissioning two a year — one for Palais Tsarskoye Winter Egg: hewn from carved rock Selo turquoise his mother and the other for his wife, crystal, embellished with engravings, locket with hen the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. and encrusted with diamonds and surprise, Each was as unique as it was intricate platinum, it encased a surprise of a €8,488 and took teams of craftspeople working platinum basket of flowers crafted

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“In 2007 the Rothschild Fabergé Egg set a new world record for the highest price ever paid for a timepiece” from white quartz, nephrite, gold and demantoid garnets on a bed of moss wrought from green gold. It was delivered by Fabergé to the last Tsar at a cost of 24,600 rubles, or the equivalent of over €2 million today — and auctioned for a cool US$9.6 million at Christie’s in New York in 2002.

But it isn’t just these rare objets d’art that Fabergé collectors have sought out. Since its foundation in Saint Petersburg in 1842 by master goldsmith Gustav Fabergé — and subsequent status as ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’ under the management of his son Peter Carl Fabergé — the House of Fabergé grew to become Russia’s largest jewellery company, employing up to 500 craftsmen and designers. Their legendary creations included a full range of jewellery as well as ornamental objects and elaborate timepieces.

In 2007, one of those creations set a new world record by fetching the highest price tag ever paid for a timepiece when the Rothschild Fabergé Egg was auctioned at Christie’s in London for £8.98 million. The jewelled egg doubles up as a clock with a most elaborate system for telling the time. On the hour, a diamond-set cockerel pops out to flap its wings, nod its head and crow repeatedly for 15 seconds,

The collection draws on the complex techniques that made Carl Fabergé’s masterpieces such groundbreaking achievements, including the painstaking before the strike of a bell indicates process of hot enamelling, the enginethe hour. The egg is one of 13 turning craft of guilloché and the that were made for clients other subtle art of hand-engraving. These than the Romanov family, in techniques have been infused this case for Béatrice Ephrussi with an elegant contemporary de Rothschild as a thoughtful sensibility to produce an opulent little engagement gift for selection of bangles, pendants, her soon-to-be sister-in-law earrings and charms that capture Germaine Halphen. the intrigue and playfulness of the That year of 2007 proved original bejewelled objets d’art. pivotal for the Fabergé name, At the heart of the new which became reunited with the Heritage Collection are locket family that had made it famous pendants, destined to be future when Fabergé Ltd reacquired all heirlooms. Set with white diamonds Palais Tsarskoye Selo with opalescent hot enamel in trademarks, licences and associated red locket with dog rights relating to its name. elegant turquoise, forest green, surprise, €8,488 Within two years, Fabergé was rose pink or royal blue, the lustrous ready to reclaim its reputation as one of the curves of these miniature eggs bear intricate world’s most prestigious jewellery houses. At 9am openwork patterns reminiscent of gemstones. on 9 September 2009 (09/09/09), the brand And, just like the jewelled eggs they are inspired was relaunched with the Les Fabuleuses High by, each pendant contains a hidden surprise: Jewellery Collection, befitting of its illustrious a diamond-set love heart perhaps, or a lucky past. Fabergé has since developed an equally four-leaf clover. And for true romantics, there’s fabulous Heritage Collection inspired by the an 18-karat golden hen modelled after that most historic Imperial Eggs, and it is this collection auspicious gesture — the Imperial Hen Egg that that Weir & Sons is proud to exclusively introduce was gifted in 1885 and which has captured the to Ireland. world’s imagination ever since.

FABERGÉ: A SHORT HISTORY 1814 Gustav Fabergé is born in the Baltic province of Livonia (now Estonia) to a family of French descent.

1842 Master goldsmith Gustav Fabergé establishes his eponymous jewellery house in Saint Petersburg.

1882 Peter Carl Fabergé and his brother Agathon take over their father’s business, reviving the lost art of enamelling and reintroducing a taste for vibrant colour.

1885 Tsar Alexander III commissions Peter Carl Fabergé to make an Easter

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Egg for his Empress and announces Fabergé as his ‘goldsmith by special appointment to the Imperial Crown’.

1900 The House of Fabergé has now become the largest in Russia, employing 500 craftsmen and designers. Three years later, it opens its doors in London.

1914 The Great War breaks out.

1918 The House of Fabergé is nationalised and its stock confiscated.

Peter Carl Fabergé leaves Saint Petersburg on the last diplomatic train

and dies two years later in Switzerland.

1924 Brothers Eugène and Alexander Fabergé establish Fabergé et Cie in Paris, where they trade and restore objects made by the House of Fabergé.

2007 Fabergé Ltd reacquires the Fabergé trademarks, licences and associated rights.

2009 At 9am on 9 September (09/09/09), Fabergé is relaunched with the Les Fabuleuses High Jewellery Collection.

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THE FUSION COLLECTION

Frank Keane Volkswagen Ireland’s Largest Volkswagen Retailer

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LIFE

Frank Keane Volkswagen welcome a new Touareg SUV that looks set to rewrite the rulebook for the Irish SUV market.

I

n 1952, John Ford’s The Quiet Man was released to acclaim while Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot was first published in Paris. It was also the year that Frank Keane started his first business selling cars at the old Smithfield motor company, then the largest Ford car dealership in the country.

A motorcar obsessive, Keane’s skills were not only on the forecourt, but also behind the wheel, with a 14-year motor racing career that included victory in the Sexton Championship in 1963 driving a Lotus Formula Junior.

In the automotive business his talents continued to pay a dividend too, and in 1967 he was awarded the BMW franchise, becoming the first official importer of BMW’s into Ireland, and still holds a special relationship with the brand to this day. In 2012 though, he also forged a new bond with an equally illustrious German name, Volkswagen, opening Frank Keane Volkswagen on The Long Mile Road in November 2011 with just 14 staff members. And it has gone from strength to strength, moving from the Long Mile Road, and expanding into the locations of Liffey Valley Motor Mall, with signficant growth again in 2016 after acquiring MSL’s Volkswagen business in Ballsbridge, Deansgrange and Pottery Road, making Frank Keane Volkswagen the largest

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The all-new third-generation Volkswagen Touareg

Volkswagen retailer in the country, with 130 staff combined between Frank Keane of the Deansgrange and Frank Keane Volkswagen Liffey Valley locations.

The continued expansion has embraced new advancements too, with investment in a state-of-the-art aftersales facility, resulting in the awarding of the prestigious Aftersales Retailer of the year 2018 at the Volkswagen Gold Pin Awards as well as other coveted accolades including Sales Retailer of the Year Award (2014), followed by the Volkswagen Bank Retailer of the Year (2015) and the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Retailer of the year (2016).

And this summer, Frank Keane Volkswagen has continued building on its success with a brand-new SUV Touareg added to its offering, the third-generation model arriving just in time for the 182 registration. The flagship SUV for

the German brand is already beloved of families and car enthusiasts alike, but the updated model delivers on more levels than ever before, a tourde-force of technology and engineering that has set it apart from its peers.

And it’s not just about its smart new looks, the new Innovision Cockpit – with its display of instruments and infotainment system – has been merged to create a class-leading interior concept.

The new model is also lighter, offering more luggage space and comes with a choice of two 3.0-litre TDI engines putting out 231 or 286 PS. Prices start at €65,395 for the 231 PS version, with the 286 PS version starting at €76,395.

There is a special launch edition too, featuring a host of new technologies and available in limited numbers from €81,995. For more information, contact the highly talented and experienced sales department at Frank Keane Volkswagen Liffey Valley Motor Mall or Deansgrange, Co Dublin or alternatively visit frankkeanevolkswagen.ie.

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swiss made

#ckminute

“While its status as a creator of dependable and trusty timepieces is well known, what is often overlooked is that Tudor has never been afraid to embrace the unknown�

THOSE WHO

DARE

An iconic pop star and one legendary watch brand, Nathalie Marquez Courtney on an unexpected match made in horological heaven.

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WEIR & SONS 35

“I

adventurous spirit of watchmaking. And though the announcement shocked the watch world, a quick look at Tudor’s rich, trend-setting history confirms what a fitting collaboration this is.

did not get where I am today,.”

Lady Gaga has been quoted as saying, “by being safe.” She may well have been referring to her own stellar career here, but it is an apt description of Tudor, the iconic watch brand for which she is now an ambassador.

Tudor surprised many when it announced that the incomparable Born This Way pop star was its latest Born to Dare brand ambassador (and first female brand ambassador ever). She joins David Beckham, who was himself Tudor’s first celebrity face in 20 years, and New Zealand rugby player Beauden Barrett as part of a global campaign designed to celebrate the bold,

THE BORN TO DARE MANIFESTO Explore the philosophy behind Tudor’s iconic new pieces THE PHILOSOPHY The original vision for Tudor timepieces emphasised quality and excellence, which has resulted in a product development process that guarantees each timepiece meets high standards of endurance and dependability.

However, with this comes a strong desire to venture into the unknown and try new ideas (Tudor’s in-house Manufacture calibre movements took its R&D team five years to develop), leading to the maxim: “We are devoted to the classic. But reject the status quo.”

THE DESIGN Just as the underlying Tudor brand vision keeps one foot in the past with an eye firmly on the future, so too does the product design, impressively combining key aspects of

36 WEIR & SONS

past releases and creating fascinating new pieces that experiment with unusual materials and combinations.

The Black Bay is one of the best examples of this, drawing inspiration from award-winning designs of the ’50s and ’70s.

THE ENVIRONMENT While classic Tudor pieces are on many a watch collector’s most-wanted list — to be treasured, carefully kept and perhaps only worn on special occasions — every watch created by the brand is “field-tested to the extreme”, and was designed to perform in any number of challenging conditions. Tudor timepieces have graced the wrists of some of the world’s most fearless daredevils across all the elements — on Alpine roads, on ice accompanying the British North Greenland

expedition, in the air on the pararescue teams of the US Air Force and, of course, most famously under water with the French and US navies.

Birth of a brand Created by Hans Wilsdorf — who also founded Rolex — Tudor was born out of Wilsdorf ’s desire to deliver “the same standard of dependability for which Rolex is famous” at a more modest price. Thus, Tudor is often dubbed ‘Rolex’s little brother’; some early rare pieces from the 1920s and 1930s even displayed both brand names, and over the years many features previously available exclusively to Rolex (such as its waterproof oyster case or self-winding mechanism) have popped up on Tudor timepieces.

Since the beginning, Tudor has been known for delivering consistently high quality and value, seamlessly blending cutting-edge horological innovation with a deep respect for tradition and craftsmanship.

Tried and tested By the ’50s, Tudor had cemented its position as a watch brand known for strength, reliability and precision Black Bay 41mm through some novel collaborations and burgundy fabric campaigns. The Tudor Oyster Prince strap, €3,230, Weir & Sons was included in the British scientific expedition to Greenland organised by the Royal THE WEARER Navy. In 1953, the watches’ robustness and Coming out from under endurance were further showcased: a watch was the shadow of big brother worn by a coal miner during 252 hours of hand Rolex, it’s no surprise that the quintessential excavation; another was worn by a stone cutter Tudor wearer is drawn to and subjected to the vibrations of a pneumatic something that pushes the drill for 30 hours over the course of three boundaries. Not one to shy months, while a third was worn by a motorbike away from experiments and racer over a distance of 1,000 miles. And this unconventional approaches, was all before the launch of what went on to Tudor champions its wearers become one of the brand’s most iconic pieces. as people who are imbued with a spirit of real adventure, and Instant classic believe in “learning from and Already known for its rugged appeal and building on past experiences robustness above ground, Tudor launched its to inform how they think and first dive watch, the pioneering Oyster Prince behave today”.

Submariner, in 1954. It steadily evolved over the years, and the aesthetics of the elegant and

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FUTURE CLASSIC

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAGA TIME — HER MOST DEFINING MOMENTS ergonomic 1969 edition lasted until the late ’90s, cementing its status as a design classic.

Waterproof to a depth of 200 metres, features included a 39mm stainless steel oyster case and Rolex Triplock screw-down winding crown and unique square hour markers and a diamondshaped-hand style — leading to its nickname ‘the Snowflake’ among collectors. It was the watch of choice for many national armed forces, including the US Navy and French Marine Nationale, and went on to become one of the most sought-after vintage dive watches in the world.

“The Tudor Black Bay is a homage to the spirit of the many classics that came before, but also something completely new in its own right” Tudor goes Gaga Today, it’s the flagship Heritage Black Bay line that pays homage to the iconic Submariner range, distilling 60 years of diving history and expertise into one striking piece: the Black Bay is praised by collectors as one of the best modern vintage-inspired pieces you can buy.

Lady Gaga chose to wear a 41mm stainless steel Black Bay with a burgundy bezel to launch her collaboration with the brand. Drawing inspiration from the past, its chunky, elegant lines, big crown and domed dial echo Tudor’s early diving watches, adding the characteristic angular ‘snowflake’ hands of later editions.

While the steel bracelet option is a reworked version of the brand’s much-loved style from the ’50s and ’60s, Gaga wears a fabric strap — which is produced according to the traditional Jacquard technique mastered by a century-old family business in the Saint-Étienne region of France. Crisp, bright hour hands contrast beautifully against the deep chocolate-covered dial, which, when combined with the rose gold surround, results in the warm, soft patina of an antique piece. Under the hood, the Black Bay incorporates Tudor’s robust, cutting-edge COSC certified Manufacture calibre, which boasts an

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2008: JUST DANCE Ten years ago, Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, exploded onto the scene with Just Dance, a synth-saturated and infectious dancefloor filler combined with a video that already hinted at Gaga’s off-kilter style.

2009: A STYLE ICON IS BORN Who can forget the catchy “Rah rah ahah-ah!” refrain of the track Bad Romance?

It wasn’t just another chart-topper, though; the song’s video cemented Gaga’s status as a style force to be reckoned with, debuting at Alexander McQueen’s show at Paris Fashion Week.

2010–2011: TURNING CELEBRITY INTO AN ART FORM Named by Time as the top fashion statement of 2010, Lady Gaga wore a dress made entirely of raw beef to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards (at which she was the most nominated artist).

2014: JAZZ HANDS Always one to surprise and delight, in 2014 Lady Gaga released Cheek to Cheek, a jazz album with the legendary Tony Bennett.

2015: THE SOUND OF MUSIC Gaga’s Oscar performance saw her stripped of headline-grabbing outfits and backed by an orchestra performing songs from the iconic 1965 musical, leaving Julie Andrews in tears.

2017: SUPER BOWL SUPERSTAR Lady Gaga performed a medley of her hits at the 2017 Super Bowl half-time show, with a jaw-dropping entry that involved her leaping from the roof of the stadium.

impressive 70-hour power reserve, as well as exceptional ergonomics and precision.

These features combine to create a watch that is both a homage to the spirit of the many classics that came before, but also something completely new in its own right — making it an instant hit with fans of both vintage and modern watches.

Something old, something new Pushing boundaries and setting trends is something Gaga does well. That’s why this collaboration — which many viewed as a bold and gutsy move for Tudor — is a beautiful dovetailing of shared passions and approaches.

While its status as a creator of dependable and trusty timepieces is well known, what is often overlooked is that Tudor has never been afraid to embrace the unknown. As well as launching design classics, Tudor has also constantly pioneered new ideas, including fabric straps, coloured dials and vintage-inspired models, all now major trends within the watchmaking industry.

This mix of respect and daring irreverence is perfectly summed up in the fun campaign video that was released to launch the collaboration between Gaga and Tudor. In it, we see two versions of the pop star battling each other in a piano face-off. One platinum-haired Gaga is clad in a Victorian-inspired gown, confidently playing Mozart. On the other side, we see a dark-haired modern Gaga in a black leather bodysuit with oversized shoulder pads (designed by Muto-Little Costumes, creators of Gaga’s iconic 2009 mirrored Paparazzi dress), mischievously bashing the keys and all but destroying the piano.

It’s this push and pull that is at the heart of both Lady Gaga’s and Tudor’s appeal. “There has to be an element of danger and risk to putting yourself out there,” said Gaga in a behind-thescenes clip from the campaign, “and being vulnerable, whether it’s in business or in art.”

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Guilty Party

Photography TREVOR HART Styling and Art Direction ELEANOR HARPUR

Jewellery and watches worth paying the price for.

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Silver toast rack, €210, Vintage Weir Collection; 1901 silver tea set, €1,590, Vintage Weir Collection. She wears: Rendez-Vous Night & Day, €36,300, Jaeger-LeCoultre 18k rose gold morganite ring, €5,980, Weir Collection. In safety deposit box: Akoya pearl necklace, €3,260, Mikimoto; pearl necklace, €3,280, Weir Collection; enamel mirror, €385, Vintage Weir Collection; South Sea pearl necklace, €13,236, Weir Collection; platinum yellow diamond ring, POA, Weir Collection; cultured pearl necklace, €9,460, Weir Collection; De Ville Ladymatic watch, €24,700, Omega.

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The

Accomplice She wears, clockwise from top: 18k gold horsebit earrings, €1,950, Gucci; 18k gold and diamond necklace, €11,450, Weir Collection; 18k gold Pois Moi necklace, €3,360, Roberto Coin; torc bangle, €330, Weir Collection; 9k gold crossover bangle, €835, Weir Collection; 18k gold Flex'It bracelet, €3,200, FOPE; 18k gold Grecian bangle, €2,863, Versace; platinum diamond and ruby ring, €97,500, Weir Collection; 18k gold oval-link charm bracelet, €3,640, Weir Collection; Ice Cube watch, €15,120, Chopard; 18k gold diamond and ruby ring, €3,450, Weir Collection; 18k gold signet ring, €950, Weir Collection On table: 18k rose gold rubellite ring, €8,200, Weir Collection; 18k rose gold and diamond Flex'It necklace, €4,325, FOPE; 18k gold Profili bracelet, €4,140, FOPE. 42 WEIR & SONS

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The

Player Clockwise from top right: DS Podium watch, €685, Certina; 9k gold lapis signet ring, €685, Weir Collection; Prospex watch, €389, Seiko; El Primero watch, €6,850, Zenith; platinum diamond and sapphire cluster ring, €7,930, Weir Collection; platinum diamond and sapphire cluster ring, €31,160, Weir Collection; 18k white gold diamond and sapphire pendant, €35,180, Weir Collection; Master Collection watch, €1,850, Longines.

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The

Assailant She wears, clockwise from top: 18k gold pearl necklace, €5,866, Weir Collection; 18k gold diamond and emerald ring, €1,240, Weir Collection; 18k gold diamond and emerald ring, €15,856, Vintage Weir Collection; Lady-Datejust 28 watch, €24,200, Rolex; 18k rose gold Happy Hearts bangle, €2,595, Chopard. He wears: Day-Date watch, €35,200, Rolex. On table: 9k gold entwined necklace, €1,115, Weir Collection.

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The

Informer He wears: Luminor Marina 1950 watch, €7,300, Panerai; 9k gold identity bracelet, €1,020, Weir Collection; 9k gold oval signet ring, €1,525, Weir Collection. She wears: 18k citrine and diamond ring, €1,630, Weir Collection; 18k gold citrine Metropolis ring, €2,725, Bulgari; Nordic Summer ring, €1,845, Georg Jensen; 18k gold citrine Pyramid ring, €2,975, Bulgari; 18k gold spring bracelet, €1,925, Weir Collection; Classima 18k rose gold strap watch, €4,800, Baume et Mercier.

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The

Investigation He wears: 9k gold oval signet ring, €1,525, Weir Collection; Black Bay watch, €3,550, Tudor. On table: Symphonette watch, €3,310, Longines. Opposite page, clockwise from top: Starwalker Fineliner pen, €420, MontBlanc; True Diamonds watch, €2,430, Rado; Happy Sport watch, €17,400, Chopard; Monaco watch, €5,250, TAG Heuer; Big Bang steel ceramic watch, €13,400, Hublot; 18k rose gold ruby and diamond cufflinks, €15,425, Fabergé; 9k gold link necklace, €1,940, Weir Collection; Bridgeport pocket watch, €1,155, Tissot.

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The

Accused She wears, clockwise from top right: 18k white gold hoop earrings, €7,275, Weir Collection; 18k white gold diamond necklace, €29,330, Weir Collection; Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, €11,700, Cartier; 18k white gold diamond bracelet, €3,550, Weir Collection; 18k white and yellow gold diamond bangle, €15,122, Weir Collection; 18k white gold and diamond curb-link bracelet, €12,675, Weir Collection; 18k white gold and diamond brick-link bracelet, €2,285, Weir Collection; platinum pear-shaped diamond ring, €13,580, Weir Collection; platinum diamond ring, €5,220, Weir Collection, platinum diamond ring, €3,730, Weir Collection; platinum diamond ring, €1,580, Weir Collection; platinum diamond ring, €4,990, Weir Collection.

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With thanks to Brown Thomas for wardrobe, and to Merrion Vaults for safety deposit box

The

End He wears: 5960/01G watch, €61,200, Patek Philippe; palladium court ring, €575, Weir Collection. She wears: Reine de Naples watch, €34,900, Breguet; platinum diamond ring, €1,085; platinum diamond ring, €67,500; 18k white gold diamond ring, €1,120; platinum diamond ring, €39,690, all Weir Collection.

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GAME

CHANGER The 2018 FIFA World Cup sees Hublot take centre stage as the sporting spectacular’s defining timepiece. Fionn Davenport checks out their latest smartwatch that will be measuring every second of the action.

O

n 14 June 2018, the first game of the 21st FIFA World Cup kicks off, with hosts Russia taking on Saudi Arabia in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. The referee will blow his whistle and simultaneously start the timer on his watch, a Hublot Big Bang FIFA World Cup RussiaTM smartwatch — specially produced for the event — that will interface with the assistant referees and goal-line technology.

It’s a fitting partnership between the world’s greatest football competition and one of the world’s most respected manufacturers of luxury watches; a team pairing behind the most technologically advanced tournament ever staged. Hublot has not flinched at the challenge, producing the most advanced sportswatch ever: the Big Bang FIFA World Cup RussiaTM doesn’t just tell time, it keeps a close eye on the whole game.

Time is of the essence In football, time is everything. A 90-minute game made up of two halves of 45 minutes is never that straightforward. Unlike other sports, football doesn’t have a game clock: breaks in play are controlled exclusively by the referee. Every substitution, every injury break, every tactical delay — it’s the referee who decides the length of each stoppage and determines how much cumulative time is added on. Sounds simple, right?

Well, it’s anything but. The referee’s declaration of added time is often hotly contested by players, managers and fans. If a team is holding a slender lead, all added time is too much; if

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the team is losing, it’s never quite enough.

Hardly surprising, then, that the referee needs a reliable watch, and this watch is just that. The Big Bang Referee is styled after Hublot’s hugely popular range of Big Bang watches — watches that changed the industry by introducing the ‘big watch’ trend when they were first produced in 2005.

Sporting Hublot’s own in-house movement, the 49mm watch has a titanium body with a Kevlar insert; six H-shape bolts secure the body, which has a satin-finish bezel and bold, sharp angles. The 13.9mm-thick titanium case is water-resistant up to 50m.

Dial it up The newest version of the Big Bang has 32 specially designed watch faces inspired by the flags of the participating countries, plus two neutral Hublot-style dials (available in both analogue and digital versions) for when the tournament is over. And thanks to Hublot’s patented interchangeable ‘One Click’ strap system, you have the choice of different straps — a black-lined, natural rubber Hublot strap and a sponge cuff strap with the 2018 FIFA World Cup emblem. Fans can also pick a leather calfskin strap in the colours of their country of choice.

Watch smarts In the digital age, however, referees need more than just a watch that is easy to read and tells the right time. And so the story goes that, in a meeting between Hublot and FIFA, the association asked for a smartwatch tailored to the referees’ specific needs, particularly in the area of goal-line technology and video assistant referees, or VAR, which this year will be used for the first time at the World Cup. Thus the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM — or BBR2FWCR for short — was born: Hublot’s first foray into the smartwatch market. And as watches go, this one is pretty savvy.

The watch runs Google’s Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) and is powered by the 1.6-GHz Intel Atom Z34XX dual-core processor. It has 512MB of RAM and features an accelerometer, a gyroscope, NFC (near-field communication), a microphone, GPS and a haptic motor that provides feedback through vibration. It also has Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11n Wi-Fi. In terms of synchronisation, the watch is compatible with all phones using Android 4.4 and above, or iOS 9 and above.

Throughout the tournament, wearers will stay up to date

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Clockwise from above left: Friends of the brand, José Mourinho; Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui; Pelé with Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe; Maradona.

Left: Usain Bolt

Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Referee Edition™, €5,100, Weir & Sons

with what’s going on in matches via a number of features, including vibrations and the display showing the word ‘goal’ any time there’s a score. During games, they’ll also be able to keep up with match statistics, including goal scorers’ names, match-time substitutions and cards given.

For the referees themselves, Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM will play a key role in decision-making. Not only will it connect the referees to the assistant referees and, more significantly, with the off-site video assistant referees — allowing for quick resolution of a disputed call — but the watch will also be linked to goalmouth technology, an electronic video assistance system that tracks the trajectories of the ball and determines whether the ball did or did not entirely cross the goal line.

It’s ambitious technology, no doubt, but Hublot knows exactly what it’s giving referees, having discreetly tested the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA World Cup RussiaTM on the

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“Not only will it connect the referees to assistant referees but it will also be linked to goalmouth technology” wrists of referees during the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the FIFA Club World Cup 2017. When the tournament starts this summer, everyone will be prepared.

The 35.4mm face has a 400 x 400 AMOLED screen for maximum legibility and the 410mAH battery will last up to one day on a single charge, with charging taking about two hours: the watch just needs to be placed on its contact charger.

And, benefiting from the Android living ecosystem, the watch has thousands of downloadable applications in addition to its competition functions.

Although every referee and assistant will wear a special version of the watch, Hublot has produced only 2,018 of them for general sale — a statement that this timepiece is something unique.

Björn Kuipers, FIFA referee, with the Big Bang Referee 2018 FIFA™

ON THE BALL: HUBLOT AND THE BEAUTIFUL GAME 2006 Hublot partners with the Swiss national football team, equipping them with the Big Bang ASF — a sporting version of the watch that took the industry by storm when it was launched the previous year.

2008 Hublot becomes the Official Timekeeper at the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. The watch company signs a deal with Manchester United (and creates the King Power Red Devil, featuring real blades of grass from the Old Trafford pitch embedded in the dial’s hour markers).

2010 Hublot is announced as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, marking it with the limited-edition FIFA World Cup Classic Fusion watch, complete with 18k gold casing.

2012 Hublot renews its agreement to be the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

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2014 Hublot, as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil, creates a special Hublot-branded referee board and the distinctive satin-finished Big Bang Unico FIFA World Cup WatchTM. This is Hublot’s first Bi-Retrograde chronograph, which means it can be used as a stopwatch that, once stopped, sends both hands jumping back to their starting point quickly and simultaneously. That same year, Hublot signs sponsorship deals with legendary footballer Pelé and the ‘Special One', José Mourinho.

2016 Hublot upgrades its Big Bang Unico Retrograde chronograph to mark its role as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, producing 100 specially designed watches in the colours of the host, France.

2018 Hublot cements its sporting history, returning as the Official Timekeeper and Official Watch of the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

A peerless partnership In 2006, Hublot became the first luxury brand to plunge into the world of football. As the story goes, Switzerland’s assistant coach Michel Pont approached Hublot about a possible partnership. “I don’t understand why no watchmaker is partnering with the Swiss team,” he is said to have declared at the start of the meeting. Hublot agreed, and that summer 60 of the Swiss national team and national association officials flew to the 18th FIFA World Cup in Germany with Hublot’s latest watch on their wrists, the Big Bang ASF — a sporting version of the now-famous watch that took the industry by storm when it launched in 2005.

Two years later, Hublot became the Official Timekeeper at the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship.

By the end of the year, they’d signed a lucrative, multi-year partnership with Manchester United (for whom Hublot created the King Power Red Devil, featuring a 45-minute chronograph with central second and minute hands). There followed partnerships with FC Bayern München, Juventus FC, Ajax, Benfica, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, each with their own series of limited-edition watches. Hublot has also developed relationships with some of the key figures of the game, including José Mourinho, Diego Maradona and Pelé.

Hublot’s relationship with the FIFA World Cup began in 2010, when it was appointed Official Timekeeper in South Africa. The partnership was renewed for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with Hublot creating the Big Bang Unico Bi-Retrograde Chronograph specifically for the tournament.

Marking its continuing partnership with FIFA for the 2018 edition of the tournament, Hublot’s launch of the Big Bang FIFA World Cup RussiaTM smartwatch is the next step in that journey.

Three FIFA World Cups, three FIFA Confederation Cups and three UEFA Euro editions, as well as three seasons of both the Champions League and UEFA League… Hublot and football, at both club and international levels, have become a winning team. A journey that began with the Big Bang ASF and fourth-official boards, through the match timecalculating Retrograde Chronograph, has now reached the first connected football watch — and shows no signs of slowing down.

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BORN

Omega’s iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch is 50 years old, and to celebrate, Omega has produced a special edition that draws on all its historic glory.

Fionn Davenport looks back at a groundbreaking timepiece.

Earthrise, as seen from Apollo 8

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ifty years ago on Christmas Eve 1968, as the Apollo 8 mission made its fourth orbit of the moon, suddenly the earth came into view. It was the first time mankind had seen its planet rising from the perspective of another celestial body, and the image of this shining blue sphere, captured by astronaut Frank Borman, was unforgettable. “It was,” he later recalled, “the most beautiful, heartcatching sight of my life, one that sent a torrent of nostalgia, of sheer homesickness, surging through me. It was the only thing in space that had any colour to it. Everything else was either black or white. But not the earth.”

Fifty years later, the picture of that earthrise is still one of the most famous images ever captured, and one now synonymous with the Apollo 8 mission. Perhaps less well known, though, is that during that mission, Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders were also all wearing the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch. And to celebrate the anniversary of that pioneering flight, Omega has produced the Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 — a specially decorated version of the iconic Speedmaster Moonwatch, a timepiece whose history with space exploration stretches all the way back to NASA’s earliest expeditions.

Pioneering DNA A pioneer watchmaker since the very beginning, Omega began life when Louis Brandt founded La Générale Watch Co. in 1848. The first minute-repeating wristwatch and the first full calendar watch were all created at Brandt’s desk, but it was the development of a revolutionary new winding and hand-setting mechanism in 1894 using easily repairable interchangeable components — a calibre or movement given the name Omega — that was the real game changer.

It was effectively the world’s first modern watch.

By 1903 this new style of watch was so successful that the company changed its name, and so the Omega Watch Co. was born.

Birth of the Speedmaster The Speedmaster emerged from the Seamaster line, developed in 1948 to mark the centenary of the company’s foundation and loosely based on a waterproof watch designed for use by the British Army during World War II. Like all Omega watches, the new line was to be both robust and elegant, devised for active individuals who wanted a watch for “town, sea and country”.

In 1957, the Omega design team was tasked with creating a new version of the Seamaster: a

high-precision water-resistant watch that was easy to read, reliable and simple to use for racing car drivers. The new design was partially inspired by the clocks in Italian sports cars of the time and had luminous hours on a black background so as to maximise legibility. There were three counters and a tachymeter on the stainless steel bezel, a first for wristwatches. The distinctive hour hand had a large arrow tip that earned it the nickname ‘Broad Arrow’, which has since become the official name of the world’s first Speedmaster.

“By the time Borman, Lovell and Anders jetted into space, the Speedmaster was the standard choice of watch for all astronauts” Fly me to the moon By the early 1960s, the Speedmaster was the nonpareil sport and endurance watch. It was used by racing car drivers, while its older sister watch, the Seamaster, was the watch of choice for deep-sea divers and ocean-going explorers, resulting in Omega having a virtual monopoly on reliable, durable watches that could withstand the most extreme of conditions.

Which is probably why, in 1962, a group of astronauts including Walter Schirra and Leroy ‘Gordo’ Cooper walked into a shop in Houston, Texas, and each bought Speedmasters to use on the upcoming Mercury programme flights. The watches were repeatedly exposed to enormous and sudden shifts in temperature without losing time, and in 1965 the astronauts’ choice was officially endorsed by NASA as “Flight Qualified for All Manned Space Missions”.

By the time Borman, Lovell and Anders jetted into space aboard Apollo 8 on 21 December 1968, the Speedmaster was the standard choice of watch for all astronauts. Just before they took off Omega launched its newest Speedy, the 145.022, which featured the more robust

Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8, €9,225, Weir & Sons WEIR.IE

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1861 movement to replace the original 1321 — a movement that has remained consistent in every Speedmaster since.

On that Christmas Eve in 1968, just before the Apollo 8 command module passed to the far side of the moon, cutting off all contact with earth, Lovell radioed down to mission control: “We’ll see you on the other side.”

Dark side of the moon The Apollo 8 watch is both a tribute to the watch worn by the astronauts on that mission and an upgrade to the Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon first introduced in 2013. In keeping with Omega’s groundbreaking tradition, that first Dark Side of the Moon was an all-black Speedmaster that surprised many by being made entirely of zirconium dioxide ceramic, a scratchresistant material that, because of its density, can be finished in a variety of ways. Virtually all its components — including the dial, buckle, crown and chronograph pushers — are ceramic, which makes this Speedmaster as revolutionary as any that preceded it.

The Apollo 8 has kept the best parts of the original Dark Side of the Moon, including the laser-sharp brushed black ceramic 44.25mm case, but it has made some significant improvements, not least in the movement.

Apollo 8 features the so-called calibre 1869, which is really just a version of the original 1861 movement. By substituting the automatic wind of the Dark Side of the Moon with a more traditional manual wind, the Apollo 8 is a nod to the purists and a full 2.5mm slimmer at 13.8mm, adding an extra element to its overall elegance.

However, the most dramatic changes are in appearance. The old Dark Side had just two subregisters — running seconds on the left and the chronograph’s elapsed hours and minutes on the right — plus a date at six o’clock. The new Apollo 8 reverts to the more traditional three-register display and dispenses with the date altogether, in keeping with the classic Speedmasters.

Beneath the registers, the dial and caseback have been skeletonised to partially reveal the all-black movement inside, which has itself been laser-ablated with a motif reminiscent of

the lunar surface. On the lighter-shaded dial, the ‘cratered’ face is offset by varnished yellow chronograph hands — with yellow most closely associated with speed — and a white tachymeter scale and crown, with the word ‘tachymètre’ also in yellow on the bezel.

The darker caseback reveals the full genius of the 1869 movement within, but around the edges is emblazoned ‘Apollo 8, Dec. 1968’, and ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ along with the last words Lovell spoke before disappearing behind the moon, “We’ll see you on the other side”.

The Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon Apollo 8 is a fitting tribute to the pioneering spirit of the early protagonists of the space programme: Omega was there from the very beginning and continues to be NASA’s timepiece of choice.

But this is more than just a tribute. The new Apollo 8 stands out as an exceptional watch in its own right, a fitting heir to a 150-year-old tradition of watchmaking that has given us some of the greatest watches ever made.

OMEGA: THE BIG MOMENTS

The WW1 Omega calibre 18" chronograph worn by T.E. Lawrence

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1848 Louis Brandt founds La Générale Watch Co. in La-Chaux-de-Fonds, a small Swiss town in the Jura mountains near the French border.

1892 Brandt develops the first minute-repeating wristwatch, which chimes the time down to the minute, all-important in the era before artificial illumination to tell the time in the dark.

1894 Louis-Paul and César Brandt, Louis’s sons, develop the revolutionary Omega movement, which used interchangeable components that were easy to repair and replace.

1903 The establishment of Louis

Brandt & Frère — Omega Watch Co. 1914–18 Omega watches are worn by soldiers fighting in World War I; T.E. Lawrence, aka Lawrence of Arabia, wore an Omega calibre 18" wrist chronograph during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

1932 The International Olympic Committee appoints Omega as the official timekeeper of the X Olympiad in Los Angeles; it has been the official timekeeper of every Olympiad since.

1948 The first Omega Seamaster is developed.

1955 Diver Gordon McLean reaches a record-breaking depth of 62.5m with

an Omega Seamaster on his wrist.

1957 The first Speedmaster model is produced, the CK2915, powered by the Omega calibre 321 movement.

1965 The Omega Speedmaster goes into space for the first time on 23 March 1965, worn by Virgil ‘Gus’ Grissom and John Young during their Gemini III mission. Later that year, Edward White wears one when he becomes the first American to walk in space as part of the Gemini IV mission.

1969 The Speedmaster becomes the first watch worn on the moon when Buzz Aldrin moonwalks wearing his Speedmaster ST105.012.

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Over time, this bronze chronograph will age to become as individual as its inspiration: Carl Brashear, the US Navy’s first AfricanAmerican and amputee Master Diver.

A daily reminder of the power of human potential.

Carl Brashear Chronograph Limited Edition

Time

MOTION

IN

Rolex and the big screen have had a long love affair. Aoife Carrigy recalls the unique movie moments that have led to a perfect new partnership.

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olex Testimonee James Cameron (left) tells a good story. Indeed, it’s something the filmmaker and renowned explorer has based his record-breaking career on. He tells one of an Amazonian expedition up the Shingo River, not long after directing Avatar, and of the great hospitality of the indigenous Kayapó tribe. Wishing to reciprocate, he wondered what he could offer their chief that would match the significance of the generous gifts he had received.

One personal possession had been a steady companion through Cameron’s greatest adventures. It had accompanied him on 33 dives during the filming of Titanic. He had worn it when he first glimpsed the historic wreck two miles under sea through the porthole of a submersible. And he had donned it when he collected his Oscars for the movie that wreck had inspired. Cameron had his answer. He slipped his Rolex Submariner off his wrist and onto that of his new friend.

It wasn’t the first time Cameron had chosen a Rolex watch to express what words alone couldn’t. “Great movies are made in details, and not just a few details

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— every detail. Every character, every prop and every sequence,” Cameron says.

So when he chose to arm the late actor Bill Paxton with a Rolex Submariner in Titanic, it was a meticulously considered choice. “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.”

Nor was Cameron the first filmmaker to use this iconic timepiece to create unique moments in movie history. When Rolex became a sponsor of the Oscars at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017, the brand screened a short film featuring classic appearances of its watches on the wrists of legendary cinematic characters. There were over five decades’ worth of screen scenes to dip into, from Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind (1960) to David Oyelowo’s role as Martin Luther King Jr in Selma (2014).

Rolex has become a byword for the precision, reliability, innovation and elegance of Swiss watchmaking. Since

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its foundation by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, this pioneer in the development of watchmaking gave the world the first waterproof wristwatch — the Oyster, invented in 1926 — and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism, invented in 1931.

Rolex has registered more than 400 patents, with the design, production and assembly conducted at the Geneva headquarters to this day.

Rolex is an active supporter of the arts. In 2002, the brand established the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, which matches gifted young artists with masters in their field, such as film directors Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Martin Scorsese, for a year of creative collaboration and mentoring. Having become an Oscars sponsor in 2017, at this year’s awards Rolex announced four stellar filmmakers as Rolex Testimonees, each of them former recipients of Best Director Oscars.

American auteur Kathryn Bigelow proved herself a Hollywood heavyweight when she became the first and only woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director with The Hurt Locker, which also clinched Best Picture of 2008. Having challenged the conventions of action cinema with her 1990s trilogy (Blue Steel, Point Break and Strange Days), Bigelow

turned her attention to political action-thrillers — most recently directing and producing Detroit, which explores race-related violence through the lens of the 1967 Detroit riots. Bigelow is drawn to provocative subjects, believing, “If the purpose of art is to agitate for change, then film should expose us to something we don’t already know.”

Mexican director Alejandro G. Iñárritu made an impressive debut with his 2000 drama Amores Perros, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. He has since won Best Director two years running, for Birdman in 2015 and The Revenant in 2016, a rare achievement shared by the legendary John Ford, and has most recently received what was his fifth Academy Award. This special Oscar at the ninth annual

Oyster Perpetual Submariner 40mm in Oystersteel, €8,450; Oyster GMT-Master II 40mm in yellow gold, €31,200; Oystersteel and yellow gold Lady DateJust 36mm, €12,400; all by Rolex, all available at Weir & Sons

Governors Awards was in recognition of the “visionary and powerful experience in storytelling” of his latest work, CARNE y ARENA (Virtually Present, Physically Invisible).

Martin Scorsese is one of the most important directors, producers and screenwriters in the history of cinema, having created 50 films in as many years, including all-time classics such as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976) and Raging Bull (1980). “Film really tells us who we are. Tells us about ourselves,” says Scorsese, many of whose movies include scenes featuring his personal favourite Rolex, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date.

“They’re a reflection of the society that we were at the time, our philosophy of life.”

Canadian director, writer and producer James Cameron has been a cinematic trailblazer, not just in advances in visual effects, with early movies like The Terminator (1984) and Aliens (1986), but also by setting numerous records. Of the whopping 14 Oscar nominations it received, Titanic (1997) won 11, including Best Picture, and Best Director. It’s on record as the Yellow Gold Rolex GMT-Master highest-grossing film in history worn by Peter Sellers as Inspector only surpassed by Cameron’s own Jacques Clouseau in the Pink Panther Avatar (2009). movie A Shot in the Dark (1964) As a continued investment in the evolution of cinema, Rolex Stainless Steel Rolex GMT-Master is also founding supporter of the worn by Marlon Brando as Colonel Academy Museum of Motion Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now Pictures, due to open in Los Angeles (1979) and Benicio del Toro as Ernesto in 2019. Including a 1,000-seat ‘Che’ Guevara in Che: Part Two (2008) theatre, state-of-the-art education studio and 50,000 square feet of Yellow Gold Rolex Datejust immersive exhibition galleries, the worn by Faye Dunaway as Diana ambitious project will celebrate Christensen in Network (1976) and both the art and science of the David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King moving image and help to preserve Jr in Selma (2014) many iconic cinematic moments for generations to come.

CLASSIC ROLEX SCENE STEALERS Rolex Submariner worn by Nick Nolte as David Sanders in The Deep (1977) and Gabriel Byrne as Dean Keaton in The Usual Suspects (1995)

Yellow Gold Rolex Submariner worn by a smooth-talking Marlon Brando as Valentine ‘Snakeskin’ Xavier in The Fugitive Kind (1960) and Bill Paxton as Brock Lovett in Titanic (1997)

Pepsi Rolex GMT-Master worn by Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man (1976) and by Jack Swiger in Apollo 13 (1995)

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Black Beauty

Patek Philippe marks the 50th anniversary of its cult classic Golden Ellipse with the launch of two distinctive new styles. Ruth O’Connor charts the continued success of a watchmaking classic.

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hat is it that makes certain objects intrinsically beautiful and pleasing to the eye? The perfect balance, for example, displayed by a whorl of wild rose petals; the kaleidoscopic formation of the seeds at the centre of a sunflower, or the delicate spiral of a nautilus shell?

According to the mathematicians of Ancient Greece, the inherent beauty of these natural phenomena can be explained by a unifying pattern known as the Golden Section or Golden Ratio.

This divine proportion has inspired architects, artists, musicians and aesthetes for millennia. It is believed to have influenced the design of the Great Pyramid of Giza and to be at the very heart of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous ‘Vitruvian Man’ and ‘The Last Supper’ paintings.

In more recent times, this divine proportion informed a more modern piece of iconic design — that of Patek Philippe’s Golden Ellipse watch, issued in 1968 and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Fabulous at 50 In celebration of the half-centenary of this contemporary classic, Patek Philippe has created a stunning design, incorporating the work of its rare handcraft specialists.

The Patek Philippe 5738/50P-001 Golden Ellipse features a black enamel dial with hand-engraved volute patterns, and limited to just 100 sets, this platinum watch is presented alongside matching cufflinks with black enamel insets and hand-engraved volute patterns around a Calatrava cross, reminiscent of the logo of Patek Philippe.

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Ref. 5738R-001 Golden Ellipse dress watch, €28,690; 9102R5-010 ebony black sunburst centre Golden Elipse cufflinks, €3,801, both Patek Philippe, Weir & Sons

Ref. 5738/50P-001 Golden Ellipse, €84,370, Patek Philippe, Weir & Sons

The platinum back of the 5738/50P-001 Golden Ellipse displays the commemorative engraving ‘Ellipse d’Or 1968– 2018’ to mark the Golden Ellipse’s 50th year.

Also released this year is the equally impressive 5738R-001 Golden Ellipse dress watch — now the thinnest timepiece in the Patek Philippe collection. This new iteration is designed to echo the 5738P large-format model, which was introduced in 2008 to mark the 40th anniversary of this celebrated watch.

The new rose gold version, with its black sunburst dial, is bound to appeal to aesthetes and collectors alike. Those with a penchant for accessories also have the option to order a pair of matching cufflinks with co-ordinating ebony black sunburst inlay in a rose gold frame to complete the look.

An instant cult classic The second of the Patek Philippe family to arrive (the Calatrava watch, unveiled in 1932 was the first of the Philippe family), the Golden Ellipse was a bold move. With its elliptical case, it was quickly heralded for its audacious design but also its classic harmony when it launched in 1968.

The instantly recognisable elliptical case — a cross between a circle and a rectangle — originally featured a blue-gold dial with a deep shimmer, the manufacturing technique of which remains a secret closely guarded by Patek Philippe’s

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craftspeople. And, for many, it is yet to be bettered, defying the ever-changing fads of fashion to remain one of the company’s most iconic watches.

while a shiny hand-stitched black alligator strap with square scales and a platinum prong buckle echo the elliptical shape of the watch case.

“The 5738R-001 Golden Ellipse dress watch is now the thinnest timepiece in the Patek Philippe collection”

Delicate rose Patek Philippe is also introducing a new rose gold grande taille version. Mirroring the grande taille design in platinum, which was released for the 40th anniversary in 2008, the new 5738R-001 is a dress watch that combines the warm glow of rose gold with an ebony black sunburst dial highlighting the applied hour markers and the slender baton-style hands.

Complementing the 5738/50P-001 Golden Ellipse – Rare Handcrafts in style, the 5738R-001’s black onyx cabochon set in the winding crown accentuates the harmony between the two new designs — as does the shiny black hand-stitched alligator strap, this time with a rose gold prong buckle. The 5738R-001 Golden Ellipse now becomes the thinnest watch in the Patek Philippe collection, the self-winding calibre 240 movement housed in a slender case just 5.9mm high.

Cementing its credentials as a design classic, the 5738R-001 is true to its roots and reflects the balanced proportions of the famous Golden Section of mathematics.

Half a century of elegant evolution But the Golden Ellipse’s technology and design did not stand still. The 1970s and ’80s were particularly transformative for the watch, and by the late ’70s it was available in some 65 different versions. The distinctive ellipse shape saw iterations in various precious metals and in models of different sizes. Straps and bracelets in a range of designs were incorporated, including braided, Milanese mesh and chain-metal bracelets, as well as straps in leather.

A selection of dial colours, applied hour markers and numeral types were introduced, and the ellipse was also fused with other case shapes, including octagonal and rectangular styles. Patek Philippe even presented a Nautilus Ellipse version of the classic, while jewellery and accessories followed in luxurious cufflinks, rings and lighters, drawing on the ellipse motif.

A rare beauty And now we come to the Golden Ellipse’s two brand-new incarnations. Restricted to just 100 limited-edition pieces, the 5738/50P-001 Golden Ellipse – Rare Handcrafts watch pays tribute to the centuries-old artisanal skills of engraving and enamelling in a stunning new anniversary piece to celebrate 50 years of the Golden Ellipse.

The dial of the 5738/50P-001 stands out, with its black enamel primer as the background for the volute pattern, which is manually engraved in the 18-karat white gold plate.

Representing many hours of work by the master engraver, the intricate centre features a motif reminiscent of the company logo, the Calatrava cross, in keeping with the contours of this iconic watch style and also with the harmony represented by the concept of the Golden Section.

Delicate cheveu hands are formed in satin-finished white gold and, as with all Patek Philippe platinum watches, the 5738/50P001 features a diamond set in the caseband at six o’clock. To mark the 50th birthday of this modern classic, the solid platinum caseback of the watch is engraved with the inscription ‘Ellipse d’Or 1968–2018”, while the crown is set with an onyx cabochon — its black colour echoing the black enamel dial of the watch.

The svelte case of the 5738/50P-001 encases Patek Philippe’s ultra-thin self-winding calibre 240 movement,

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PATEK PHILIPPE: AT A GLANCE 1851 Patek Philippe & Co. is founded

by Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek and French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, inventor of the keyless winding mechanism.

1868 At the behest of Hungarian Countess Koscowicz, Patek Philippe creates the first wristwatch.

1925 Wall Street tycoon and prolific Patek collector Henry Graves Jr commissions the Graves Supercomplication pocket watch, boasting 24 complications and taking Patek Philippe seven years to complete.

1968 The Golden Ellipse is launched.

1976 The Nautilus collection, Patek Philippe’s first sports watch, is introduced, featuring finishes of the highest quality.

1984 Queen Elizabeth II wears her Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse wristwatch in an official portrait. Going back as far as 1851, Queen Victoria had also been a fan, as had her husband, Prince Albert.

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K A I A’ S CHOICE TRÉSOR COLLECTION