S$3.50
The Watch Collector's Guide to Good Living
Issue 18
ASIA EDITION
The Millenary Post Presentfuture mechanics The ebb and flow of time as envisioned by the world's first Hydromechanical Horologists, HYT
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Art and Soul At conception, mechanical timepieces began as mere utility. A brush with extinction and over thirty years later, they are now magnum opi of the highest order. page 18
07/15 MCI(P) 055/09/2014
When Time Stands Still
One Bold Statement
Beauteous clocks turned on their heads by the mechanical advancements of fine watchmaking
Agnes Chandra, Managing Director of Greenbury Holdings Pte Ltd, seeks to raise awareness of the rarely spoken scourge of children’s cancer by making her statement a bald one
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Marquise | Page 14
lady Carrousel Self-winding 18K White Gold with diamond-set bezel and lugs. Reflective grey dial with 12 rotating Solitaires of 0.3ct each. A central revolving pave semi-dial. Dual sided Croco strap with gold diamond-set folding clasp
SARCAR Creating Beyond Limits
Sarcar Pavillon Raffles City Shopping Centre #01-36C | +65 6333 5833
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www.sarcar.com
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EXTRA ORDINARY Gleaming white trainers for every summer outfit By Cheryl Ann Chia
The inherent cool and deceptive simplicity of white trainers is flummoxing. At first glance, they seem commonplace and featureless yet upon further proximity their sophistication and sheer audacity glares at you in the face. From impeccably embossed calf to a denim-like twill finish, a pair of pristine, sublime kicks is becoming more viable an option than the well-made loafer. It is surprisingly versatile, be it pared back in jeans and chinos or worn to freshen up the summer suit. They are redolent of sneaker-happy days in school whilst inheriting the same knowing, clean and refined lines of the finest brogues. Presented here are your new wardrobe stalwarts.
WILD BEAST, COACH
LEATHER SNEAKERS, MAISON MARGIELA
VIKTOR & ROLF FALL 2015
THE FIELD SNEAKER IN LEATHER AND MESH, BURBERRY
Pair with
MISTBIANCO INTRECCIATO CALF TESSUTO RETE SNEAKER, BOTTEGA VENETA
WHITE SIDE OF THE MOON, OMEGA
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Case in Point
DETTAGLIO ZIP MIDEUM DOCUMENT HOLDER WITH STRAP, TOM FORD
Returning classic romanticism to the boardroom
By Cheryl Ann Chia
In the last few years or so, briefcases have undergone a major overhaul. No longer the stuffy, bulky, tan leather bags of yore, briefcases today are lust-worthy, seriously suave and pack your tools of the trade like no other. On a contemporary briefcase, an impossibly elegant exterior zips open to reveal a lining large enough to contain laptop, tablets along with compartments for your many smartphones, stationary and other handheld devices. Shoulder straps are detachable, enabling one to carry it as it is a briefcase for a more tailored look or as a messenger bag while commuting at busy intersections. Running the gamut from the traditionalist to the adventurous, the timeless briefcase is supremely crafted in a variety of styles for the every tech-savvy, dapper professional. INTRECCIATO CLUB BRIEFCASE, BOTTEGA VENETA
COLOUR BLOCK LONDON LEATHER CROSSBODY BRIEFCASE, BURBERRY
Pair with
PEBBLED LEATHER BRIEFCASE, THOM BROWNE
BR03-94 PHANTOM, BELL & ROSS
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The Breathable Lightness of Being Travel smart, look sharp and feel cool with these lightweight, warm-weather essentials
By Cheryl Ann Chia
A fast-paced lifestyle is built on the premise of convenience. Be it scurrying from place to place, getting on and off airplanes, cabs or subways, it is within these moments of frenzied transit when you need your suit to work with you. Hence, having one that boasts utilitarian superior qualities; lightweight, travel-friendly with the ability to hold its shape, fit into a cabin bag whilst keeping you at your sartorial best seems only prudent. Take a look at our topmost contenders that manage both comfort and ease without compromising on style.
Tombolini Zero Gravity Tombolini’s Zero Gravity line presents impeccable, Italian elegance in just 300 grams of weight. It offers technically superior fabrics such as the highly adaptable Icebreaker Merino Wool. It is breathable in summer yet insulating in winter. It keeps the skin cool by transporting moisture vapour away from the skin to be evaporated, essentially enabling moisture to escape without any discomfort.
Burberry Travel Tailoring Burberry’s Travel Tailoring line features a lightweight construction with modern canvassing, imponderous shoulder construction and memory fabrics allowing for a slim silhouette with enhanced mobility. It delivers remarkable comfort, a sense of weightlessness and tailoring that sits almost like a second skin. The suit combines modern canvassing and natural fabrics designed to flex with the movement of the body, whilst retaining a sharp, lightweight structure.
Brioni Piuma Jacket Drawing inspiration from the tropical elegance of 1950s Cuba, the slim-fit, two-button Brioni Piuma Jacket weighs an airy 200 grams. Completely unlined, this lightness was achieved by employing rich, natural fabrics, such as silk-linen blend, a linen and wool blend and a pure, featherweight silk – the thinnest silk in the world at 600 filaments – culminating in a luminous handle and a luxurious softness.
The Millenary Post
Paths Of Most Resistance Timepieces that make short work of the elements by turning to science By Andre Frois
The traditional mechanical watch is a fragile contraption. Its gear train can fall out of sync when heated or cooled by drastic temperature changes, and its metal parts can be slowed down or quickened by magnetic fields to disastrous inaccuracy results. A delicately assembled gadget, it was a symbol of refinement, never meant for use in extreme conditions. Gradually realised by our desire to master our domain,
watchmakers of the 19th century imagined innovations which would take a mechanical timepiece to the seabed, to Earth’s Poles or to endure intense magnetic fields, yet still tell time with unparalleled accuracy. Having conquered the oceans and space, what new frontiers will watches overcome next?
Rolex Milgauss Designed and conceived in the 1950s by engineers for engineers, the Rolex Milgauss persists today as the timepiece of choice in the European Organisation of Nuclear Research (CERN). Protected from magnetic disturbances of up to 1,000 Gauss, like those in such laboratories, by a magnetic shield, its precision 3131 Manufacture Rolex movement brandishes the parachrom boasting immense magnetic resistance and shock resistance 10 times more than the average hairspring. The modern – Rolex Milgauss Z
Blue brandishes an additional 60 years worth of enhancements, encased in corrosionresistant and highly polished 904L steel, and is secured to the wrist by the Oyster bracelet, a three-piece link chain that has been Rolex’s coveted trademark since the late 1980s. Innovations like Chromalight display with blue luminescence and scratchresistant green sapphire endow this desirous watch with not just super legibility but also an unforgettable visage.
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Tudor North Flag Dedicated to the British North Greenland Expedition of the 1950s, these intrepid explorers placed their lives in the hands of the Tudor Oyster. Over 60 years on, Tudor makes history once more with a new homage to human tenacity: Tudor North Flag. Built completely in-house with a manufacture COSC-certified MT5621 movement wielding 70-hour power reserve, it becomes a nigh unparalleled scientific instrument and capable outdoor companion of extreme resilience, water-resistance (100m) and climate resistance. Ensconced with a 40mm monobloc 316L stainless steel case
with ceramic rim, the ultra-robust timepiece can either be complimented by a nearindestructible leather strap with yellow top-stitching and lining, or a satin-finished steel bracelet with links contrast-polished. Perhaps the most captivating detail, is the debut of Tudor's skeletonised oscillating weight visible through sapphire caseback, so that its wearer might enjoy the other delicately sand-blasted and sunray-brushed plates of the house’s first in-house calibre.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic Omega Globemaster
By virtue of being certified by METAS (Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology), most of Omega's new collection can consider itself technically rated for harsh scientific and geographic environments but none more so elegantly dressed as the Omega Globemaster with magnetic resistance of up to 15,000 Gauss. Bearing the beloved piepan dial of a 1952 Omega Constellation, a fluted and grooved bezel of hard tungsten carbide, and a silvery opaline dial, the Globemaster is a sophisticated timepiece in terms of sheer engineering prowess and aesthetics. A 39mm timepiece which takes into account deviation in time at different intervals of remaining reserve power, deviations during and after exposure to 15,000 Gauss magnetism, daily precision afterwards and a myriad of other challenging criteria reflected in the eight stars that embellish the 39mm timepiece’s caseback, incidentally commerating the eight records that Omega set in the 20th century.
In 1958, the world’s first atomic submarine sought to bypass Russian naval units to reach the North Pole, via an unprecedented perilous undersea route. The mission was a great success and Jaeger-LeCoultre commemorated that success with a superlative timepiece which was the benchmark of that era’s mechanical technology – a 35mm Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic which bore then state-of-the-art innovations like kifparechoc shock resistance, hacking seconds, a Glucydur balance wheel and a soft iron inner magnetic shield. In celebration of the Grande Maison’s 125th birthday in 2014 and the world’s first International Geophysical Year, Jaeger-LeCoultre revived its landmark timepiece in slightly larger 38.5mm with limited editions in steel, pink gold and platinum. The new self-winding Calibre 898/1 was specially engineered for the reissued Geophysic 1958, with all the technical advancements of the original model, while improving on aspects like the smoothness of the Spyr gears’ transmission.
The Millenary Post
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Face Time Special cases and unforgettable faces mean more wrist time for any leftfield connoisseur By Andre Frois
First designed in 1957 by American industrial designer Richard Arbib of General Motors and Harry Winston fame, the tasteful silhouette of the Hamilton Ventura entered the collecting zeitgeist by being one of the first battery-powered watches commercially available, by the time it made a cameo on the wrist of Elvis Presley's 1961 film, Blue Hawaii, it became stratospheric as a horological icon. Today, Hamilton remembers “The King”, who would have been 80 years old this year, with the Hamilton Ventura Elvis80. Arriving in both automatic mechanical and quartz variants, the enlarged version of the classic icon is 42.5mm by 44.6mm, but gets away with its oversized dimensions because of the varying widths of its arrowhead shape. The H-10, whose double mainspring barrel endows the mechanical version of the Elvis80 with 80 hours of reserve power, debuted last year along with a slew of mechanical movements that Hamilton had laboured to produce itself. The enlarged Ventura retains the orange accents of its 12 to 3 o’clock markers, which remember Hamilton’s and the Ventura’s aviation patrimony. Celebrating precision driving with a high precision instrument dedicated to capturing speed is not just apt
but it also happens to be the perfect excuse for the Le Brassus manufacture to demonstrate its mastery of high horology. A 44mm forged carbon chronograph limited to 221 pieces, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Laptimer Michael Schumacher is a highly technical and highly skeletonised flyback split-seconds chronograph with motor racing-style markers sprinting round its dial’s periphery; One of its two second hands may be stopped during chronograph timekeeping to show the time elapsed of one lap, then sent back to measure the time of yet another lap after the running second hand has done its duty: it's a rattrapante function is made possible by the AP calibre 2923. Armed with at least three column wheels and two parallel mainspring barrels, the 2923’s high-tech components are decorated with a straight grain finish and sleek shapes, contrasting the alluring snailed finish of its back plates. A rising star that has garnered much attention to itself via its unusual case shapes, deLaCour has been rained with a variety of awards from institutions such as the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since the brand’s inception in 2003. The Saqra has been one of the young
brand’s bestselling models, because of both its numerous creative expressions of the mechanical watch dial, as well as the Genevan brand’s distinctive tonneau-esque case. The latest iteration of this avant garde design tells the time in two timezones, from a main dial and a 6 o’clock positioned sub-dial, via a 42-hour power reserve DC 262 deLaCour movement. Aptly named the Saqra Bitime, its mesh of Arabic and Roman numerals draw much curiosity to this innovation. These Daliesque decorations are complemented by a two-digit date display, whose rotating discs the designers chose to leave exposed, while the rarity of this PVD-blackened timepiece – only 500 pieces in steel and 88 in gold – further increase its desirability.
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Bang for Buck A bi-monthly series exploring exquisite timepieces retailing for less than SGD10,000 By Andre Frois and Gary Jonas Lim
Inspired by Longines’ long-standing relationship with equestrian sports, the 42mm Conquest Classic Moonphase is a sophisticated new rendition to Longines’ popular Conquest Classic line. Closer inspection of this 2015 model immediately reveals details which belie its SGD7,630 price tag. Polished moonphase and column wheel chronograph sub-dials shimmer in contrast their striped background work in concert with applied indices and the Longines 'Winged hourglass' bequeathing it additional dimensionality and allure. The L678 movement is itself polished and snailed, topped off with engraved rotor finished in Côtes de Genève.
Cast and hewn from ceramic, the Rado HyperChrome Automatic Chronograph stands on the forefront of high-tech material advancements: one which endows the scratch-proof namesake HyperChrome with a metallic visage while still keeping with its DNA of monobloc ceramic construction in the entirety of its 45mm case and bracelet. Rado achieves this by baking zirconium oxide in different high-pressure conditions to achieve the brand’s various signature finishes, along with specific temperatures of around 1,000 to 2,000°C. The result? Unparalleled elegance unusual for the sporty chronograph. Retails for SGD6920.
Recognising that a wristwatch is an integral element in our sartorial arsenal is Swatch with special London Collections Men editions to its flagship Sistem51 series. The Sistem Tangerine, Navy and Incognito retain the same cutting-edge movement build while bestowing upon it modern classic aesthetics suitable for any up and coming fashionista. The movement is made from ARCAP, which comprises of copper, zinc and nickel- an alloy favoured for its anti-magnetic qualities backed by Swatch’s guarantee that this timepiece will not require any adjustments for at least 10 years. Retailing for SGD209.
Look no further to gentlemanly sophistication than the Rat Pack's own pack master, Frank Sinatra. Raymond Weil re-introduces the demeanour of the swinging 60s with the Raymond Weil Maestro Frank Sinatra limited edition with the charisma of its namesake - blue accents reminiscent of "Ol' Blue Eyes" and a transparent caseback exhibiting the special Sinatra Centennial insignia. Limited edition 1212 pieces in homage to the maestro's December 12th birthday. Retailing for SGD2190.
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Music to Your Eyes Kreafunk design studios brings zen simplicity to modern consumer electronics By Jonathan Ho
From the loins of Ikast, central Denmark, Kreafunk studios has birthed a collection of consumer electronics designed to return a lot of the lost opportunities for introspection resulting from our now continuous ability for stimulus at all times of the day. Ranging from 15kg load bearing bShelf speakers which serve not just as audio system but functional, minimalistic shelving system to the toCharge, remeniscient of water-smoothened pebbles often found in Zen gardens, make Kreafunk your interior stylist for a well appointed home.
Eclectic Dreams Your old school moped with a modern new engine
It's not super cool like your superbike but nothing spells rock & roll better than leaving a legacy of a liveable planet for your progeny. Dutch designer Ronald Meijs vintage inspired series of electric bikes was built to tackle the problem of metropolitan city congestion and the answer was an eco-friendly brushless direct-drive hub motor fuelled by a 48-volt LiPo battery. It comes with a top speed of 30 kmh and a max range of 100 km.
Foster The Peoples The hidden pleasures of optically enhanced textiles
Oliver Peoples recently released a small capsule collection with Japan's famed (and revered) kimono textile brand, Hosoo. The two-frame sunglasses series takes the popular acetate shades and enhances the temple pieces with handwoven (1,200 year old weaving style) kimono silk once popularised by the Imperial family in Japan and later commissioned by haute couture marques Dior and Chanel during the course of its 300 year history.
The Time Machine Every man will need this in his man cave
Capturing the evanescence of time appeared to be an impossibility until Designer Love Hulten has managed to bottle nostalgia. Presenting the "R-Kaid-R" and "R-Kaid-42" system, a console with over 10,000 retro-tastic games from your childhood arcade adventures. A tribute to the golden age of 80s and 90s gaming, the two player arcade includes a tiny PC with software emulator for all your beloved games, two wireless joystick pads and a mid-drawer for your gaming accessories. The walnut and brass machine will make you the envy of your other man-boy peers.
The Millenary Post
Acquisitions
Acquisitions Dashing items to complement the modern romantic swashbuckler
By Andre Frois
Claus Porto Shaving Kit A close cut and a soothing balm before the day’s skirmishes commence.
Hamilton Boulton A status symbol in the early 1900s, this gilded tonneau-shaped icon might be in quartz now, but word is, the brand is considering a mechanical revivial
Zegna wallet A non-descript carrier favoured by the subtly elegant stalwart.
Visionnaire Armchair
John Varvatos For Men
An inspiring setting where thoughts and other things are conceived.
Indian fig and coriander garnish warm, forthcoming nuances of cedar and sandalwood.
Fender Electric Violin A vintage weapon of serenading fitted with stateof-the-art acoustic enhancements.
2015 Porsche Boxter Spyder Inspired by the vintage Porsche 356, Porsche’s new open cockpit roadster encourages leaping in and zipping away at 180mph.
Baron Otard Vintage 1972 A rich bouquet romances the cognac lover from a delicately handcrafted crystal decanter emblazoned with the house’s Latin motto “strength and loyalty”.
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture Of Dorian Gray A beautiful classic about a self-obsessed lothario for the self-obsessed lothario.
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Art and Soul At conception, mechanical timepieces began as mere utility. A brush with extinction and over thirty years later, they are now magnum opi of the highest order. By Jonathan Ho
Even as we explore the frontiers of space and bio-technology, we're still fascinated by shafts, gearwheels and buttons we can press. That's the draw of mechanical wristwatches and it's the highest level of micro-engineering that mankind has ever produced: Yes, in this arena, the steam engine can outrun a Tesla electric vehicle. A mechanical timepiece isn't just something you use to just tell time, for that, a precision instrument already sits in our pocket: the web-connected smartphone. Therein lies its transcedent nature, it's a thing of beauty to own and a pleasure to observe. In fact, Philippe Stern, President of Patek Philippe once opined,
it's like a painting and it's the only piece of artwork you can have with you on the wrist. Dress CNC produced brass and steel components with ancient metiers d'art and creative savvy; then join two crafts with the touch of hands upon the coldly cut mash-up of gearwheels and pinions and we can bequeath a piece of technical engineering with something else that no other product can claim – an immortal soul. This is Art at its finest, most sacred levels.
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Photography: Wong Wei Liang Styling: Steve Thio Grooming: Khai using YSL Beaute (Make-up) and Bed Head (Hair) Model: Model: Samuele F (Upfront) Shot on location at Art Front Gallery Caspian light wool striped suit, cotton shirt, silk tie, leather lace up, Black Diamante leather portfolio, Gucci
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The Millenary Post Astronomic Art Time and religion are common bedfellows – both concern themselves with the ephemerality of life temporal. For the Grand Maison, Jaeger-LeCoultre's Master Calendar Meteorite aptly combines muse from the heavens much like Bellini's famed Renaissance painting of the Madonna with Saint Giovannino; A timepiece of poetic analogy with the embrace of meteorite ore, a suspected transmitter for the fundamental elements of life, fronting a superlative manufacture calibre 866, calculating the passage of various aspects of time: day, date, month, hours, minutes, seconds and even moonphases. This encapsulation of old
Master Calendar Meteorite, Jaeger-LeCoultre Evolution I (Embryonic Series), James Seet Size: 30 x 20 x 20 cm Medium: Ceramics Year: 2014
world elegance, fronted by the striations and textures of extraterrestrial stone is further enhanced by adoption of another 19th century concept – the perpetual calendar display by means of long hand tipped with crescent moon sweeping the periphery of the dial much like some pocket watches from the Renaissance – a reminder that, “day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Potent expression of the moment when high horology meets the beauty of several million years trapped in stone, what results is usually a spiritual awakening.
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Poetic Art We understand that “tourbillon” is French for “whirlwind” and yet rarely have we seen a physical manifestation (beyond the complication itself) of that poetic expression. In SIHH 2015, avant garde watchmakers Richard Mille unveiled the RM 5102 Tourbillon Diamond Twister. A high jewellery tourbillon with an unmistakable vortex of diamonds emanating from the spinning carriage of its orbiting escapement. The 14 spiral waves are completely dressed with diamonds, heightening the dramatism of the tonneaushaped iconic case in 18K gold, itself drenched in precious stones totalling 270 stones whirlwind dial included. Driven by a manually wound calibre with black onyx baseplate for added contrast, the movement features subtle innovations like a barrel pawl with progressive recoil to providing at least 20% winding gain when starting with the spring in a complete state of entropy. Given the hand wound nature of the calibre, an unobtrusive power reserve indicator partially hidden between 10 and 11 o'clock serves to provide unblemished reception of such an emotive complication.
RM 51-02 Tourbillon Diamond Twister, Richard Mille; Cashgora cable knit pullover, slim-cut denim shirt, Gucci Liberty, Mongkhol Suvarnachatri Size: 170 x 130 cm Medium: Acrylic On Canvas Year: 2014
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Mechanical Art Patek Philippe's 6102P Sky Moon Celestial is a homage of man's most primal pursuit: understanding of our Earthly domain amidst a sea of stars. Considered a quantum leap from Prince Asulid of Yeman's seminal 12th century Astrolabe, the 6102P Celestial is mechanical high art built for the dreamer – finding roots in the iconic ref. 5102 in 2002, the Sky Moon combines several layers of sapphire to forge a blue sky, supported by a secondary crystal indicating the orbit and phases of the moon and finally, the topmost layer, the position of stars including that of Sirius, the brightest star system visible from Earth.The dial itself holds cardinal systems giving context to the slow march of the time of meridian passage of Sirius in context of the moon. Though substantially larger than its traditional compatriots, the reason is readily apparent – a large module set upon the calibre 240 driving the highly complex system of rotating discs comprising of starry sky and moon position. Naturally, it goes without saying that the expanse of the 44mm case is necessary to illustrate the paramount magnificence of our twilight sky. Additionally, the 6102P antes up on the 5102 with a 3rd hand indicating date on an internal bezel but its primary purpose serves as artistic reference point of the night skies above the home of Patek Philippe, Geneva.
6102P Sky Moon Celestial, Patek Philippe; Slim-cut denim shirt, Gucci Evolution I (Embryonic Series), James Seet Size: 30 x 20 x 20 cm Medium: Ceramics Year: 2014
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The Millenary Post
Light jersey soft jacket, Fine wool knit crew neck pullover, Washed denim shirt, Pants, Crocodile leather Monk strap shoes, Gucci
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It is the sculptor’s power, so often alluded to, of finding the perfect form and features of a goddess, in the shapeless block of marble; and his ability to chip off all extraneous matter, and let the divine excellence stand forth for itself.
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Petite Heure Minute Relief Carps, Jaquet Droz; Wool mohair suit, Cotton shirt, Silk striped tie, Silk twill pocket square, Gucci
Sculptural Art For the Petite Heure Minute Relief Carps, the artisans of the Jaquet Droz Ateliers d'Arts draw upon a heritage of ancestral skills – a carp motifs birthed in the fire of enamelling, darting subty beneath the sculpted and intricately abraded lotus bloom breathing new life into a traditional Asian iconography and creating a 41mm face of placid serenity for all who survey it. Long an Asian symbol of longevity, prosperity and perseverance, the refinement and attention to detail pays artistic homage to Chinese and Japanese relief artforms. Much like the Lord's face over quiet waters in Genesis, owners of Jaquet Droz's Petite Heure timepiece bequeaths her owner the pleasure of tranquility gazing upon the subtle layers of translucent blue enamel mimicking crystalline waters and lily pads which float upon it. The blooming lotus is a sculptural wonder, together with its hand-engraved gold stem and the three beauteous Koi carp which glide beneath, dancing to a setting of wave-ridged gold. On the reverse, a brand first with an enameled balance weight decorated with a carp hand-engraved in bas-relief. There is a white gold model adorned with brilliant cut diamonds and white mother of pearl subdial and a red gold edition with black onyx subdial. Both limited to 28 exclusive pieces.
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Slim d’Hermès Perpetual Calendar, Hermès Let's Twist, Budi Hartono Size: 120 x 55 x 60 cm Medium: Brass & Copper
The human eye has always been captivated by simple forms, such as the perfect disc of the sun or the moon. They remind us of the miracle of existence and remain a boundless source of emotion and inspiration. – Pierre-Alexis Dumas Artistic Director, Hermès
Typographic Art As art progressed through its many phases from Prehistoric, Ancient, Renaissance, Neoclassicist, Realist, Modern and today Contemporary, we went from literal recreations of people, still life and landscapes to reducing a subject to its essence. This aesthetic purity is found in Baselworld 2015's Slim d’Hermès Perpetual Calendar. An almost elemental timepiece with almost reductive design expressed through the slenderness of its case to the slim lugs, all with one single desire - focused attention on a broad dial with the most beautiful interplay of balance and symmetry found in a single timepiece. Designed by Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director of La Montre Hermès, augmented with original typography created by Philippe Apeloig, the fundamentals of time are reduced to its core, symbolised by the oneiric outline of Apelog's airy numerals and the resultant cadence. Thanks to his originality, Apeloig’s typeface designs represent a spirit of exploration, potently demonstrated with scale, proportion and most importantly proportion. The sapphire caseback reveals the Manufacture Hermès H1950 ultra-thin with microrotor, itself an almost magical art when you consider that a movement measuring just 2.6 mm is equipped with a perpetual calendar mechanism, one of the most demanding horological complications. The moon-phase indication in natural white mother-of-pearl set against an aventurine glass sky at this point is icing on the cake.
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When Time Stands Still Beauteous clocks turned on their heads by the mechanical advancements of fine watchmaking By Andre Frois
Atmos Astronomique, Jaeger-Lecoultre The Atmos Astronomique is housed in a spectacular glass case on which are reproduced maps of the heavens inspired by Andreas Cellarius’ 17th century Harmonia Macrocosmica cosmographic atlas. Inside the case is a complication movement that displays an equation of time, a month indicator and a sky map for the northern hemisphere.
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath, multi-hyphenate and largely recognised as one of history's greatest and most prolific inventors. But, he died without fulfilling one of his "Grail Quests" – the perpetual motion machine: a concept which attempted to defy the laws of physics in creating a machine with perpetual self-sustaining energy. It was to exist as mere idea till over 300 years after his death when JaegerLeCoultre made a paramount accomplishment in watchmaking: The Atmos Clock. Finished in 1928, it was a definitive yardstick in chronometry powered by mere changes in atmospheric temperature and pressure. It was celebrated by
the scientific community, granted it wasn't as da Vinci himself had imagined but it was close: When temperatures rise, the ethyl chloride within the clock expands and enters an expansion chamber compressing a spring, while the gaseous version of the ionic compound condenses when temperatures fall, causing the spring to slacken. This motion charges the Atmos’s mainspring – a thought-provoking innovation that also exercises extremely low-friction engineering practices, to ensure smooth winding and a highly efficient transmission of energy. The friction of a conventional gear train would easily deny this super-efficient contraption its motion, which requires less than a millionth of a watt of power to operate.
The mass itself is suspended by a special Elinvar wire, a nickel-steel alloy which hardly expands and contracts when temperatures change. That said, the original Atmos, first designed by Jean-Léon Reutter did not utilise this condensation principle, but relied on a bi-metallic strip – a bar of two parallel metal bars of unequal expansion and contraction rates, which stored energy in its spring via the frequent bending of the bar in opposite directions due to temperature changes. It goes without saying that that such scientifically led endeavours would eventually turn the Grande Maison's gaze skywards, lending its adeptness with lunar prediction to the early 20th centuries' most popular home accessory. Taking the form of the Atmos Classique Phases de Lune, the complication loses a day of accuracy every 3,821 years trouncing many modern day moonphase complications. In the decades that followed, the Manufacture produced ever more desirous homewares like the 8-Day Triple Date Travel Alarm Clock in the 1940s that pushed the pre-conceptions of an indoor clock’s functions and the unforgettable Mappemonde (which translates to “Map of the World”) Ref. 72, a physically and metaphorically illuminating clock is an engaging lesson in geography, telling the time of the other longitudes around the world through its series of radial windows.
Atmos Marqueterie Céleste, Jaeger-Lecoultre The Atmos Marqueterie Céleste, springs a spectacular surprise with its mononchrome straw marquetry cloak in a deep blue reminiscent of the night sky. Launched March 2015, the objet d'art is art contemporary sculpture and part embodiment of horological inventiveness.
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When discussing the innovation of world time and lunar indication, one has to highlight the Richard Mille Planetarium-Tellurium. An eight year opus in the making, the Planetarium Tellurium is currently the most precise mechanical astronomical clock ever made. Sitting above a central clock and perpetual calendar display (a first for a Planetarium) is an intense feat of tedious calculations and precision engineering yielding accurate, simple-to-understand miniature display of planetary movements. Three of our neighbouring planets (and one satellite- the moon) are exquisitely detailed and accurately represented mechanically, allowing her owner to enjoy precise elliptical orbital paths of the planets as they make their way around the sun including rotations on their own axes, not to mention the mindboggling calculations for seasons, equinoxes, solstices and Zodiac signs. It's a technical wonder befitting the legacy of engineering feats like the Antikythera mechanism from 50 BC.
Planetarium-Tellurium, Richard Mille
An eight year opus in the making, the Planetarium Tellurium is currently the most precise mechanical astronomical clock ever made. Sitting above a central clock and perpetual calendar display (a first for a Planetarium) is an intense feat of tedious calculations and precision engineering yielding accurate, simple-tounderstand miniature display of planetary movements.
Yet for all our technical and engineering marvels, 'magic' often appeals to our sense of childlike wonder and Cartier's Mystery Clock remains not just one of the maison’s most pricey objets d’art to date but also its most awe inspiring. A curio that apparently suspends time, seemingly unshackled to gear trains, the Mystery Clock was pioneered by 19th century illusionist JeanEugène Robert-Houdin and in the early 20th century, furthered by watchmaker Maurice Couët, who made the first Mystery Clock for Cartier. Eventually, Mr. Cartier himself made the decision to trademark the horological spectacle for exclusive use by the maison. While it's no longer the mystery it once was with knowledge of the minute and hour hands attached upon crystal discs, driven by worm gears, Couët managed to perfect a “central axle model” in 1920, which allowed Cartier amazing creative freedom for rest of the desk clock to be decorated lavishly and fashioned in any shape and form. These timely developments occurred in tandem with the rise of Belle Époque, allowing these extravagantly embellished timepieces to flourish and become a mainstay status symbol in the home and while wristwatches persist as a mobile expression of a man’s taste, the clock is the true emblem of its owner’s true character behind closed doors.
Mystery clock Model A, Cartier Paris, 1914 The first mystery clock, known as Model A, was first built in 1912. This version has a base built with white agate with four bezel-set sapphire cabochons at the corners, where the movement of the clock is housed. The frame, adorned with laurel leaf motif in gold and white enamel - just like the hour circle, and the roman numerals and half-hour buds in réservé gold. Hands are in platinum, and rose-cut diamonds.
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The Millenary Post Priming tool
Using a traditional mechanical movement to push non-traditional fluids through a tube to indicate time requires an alchemy of engineering and chemical know-how. Mechanical understanding allows HYT to create bellows which can push the green fluid through the tube while chemical engineers can invent a liquid which minimises the curvature of the meniscus for precision time indication.
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Present-Future Mechanics The ebb and flow of time as envisioned by the world's first Hydromechanical Horologists, HYT By Andre Frois H1 Air classic
of great repulsion for each other, they achieved this engineering feat where their meniscus point to the hour while negating any chance of them mixing. As one piston compresses, the other expands to welcome the clear viscous liquid. When the clear liquid is completely within the second reservoir and the meniscus has reached the 6 o’clock marker, the neon liquid retracts and both return to their initial positions to restart this retrograde process. It's fluid hydraulics that now, under guidance of Mr. Renaud, will move beyond time indication and approach something more primal – regulation. While its hand drawn Geneva strips, bevelled finishes and colours are reminiscent of other HYT creations like the H1 Dracula and the Skull Red Eye, the H4 strikes out on its own with a new and unique case crafted from 3DTP carbon, which comprises of minute carbon threads woven together for rigidity worthy of aeronautics, competitive sailing and motoring. An uncommon finish can be admired along the flange of the case, which is striped to achieve an almost veneer-like look. Attached to the owner's wrist via a technical material found primarily in Formula 1 racing and special ops attire – Nomex, and secured with black DLC titanium folding buckle, it becomes evident readily apparent that no detail was sparred.
A hundred things could go wrong with trying to tell time with water, but this was the revolutionary new frontier in watchmaking that the intrepid inventor favoured. When former nuclear engineer Lucien Vouillamoz decided to venture into watchmaking, he turned to the natural enemy of mechanical watches – water. Fluid mechanics increase in unpredictability with scale. Despite fluids’ ability to corrode metal components and their vulnerability to gravity and temperature fluctuations, the thermodynamics expert initiated an intensive research and development project intent on engineering the first timepiece ever to use fluids to tell the time. The culmination of Vouillamoz’s perseverance to make hydraulics the ally of chronometry arrived in 2012 in the form of the HYT H1. One can only imagine his elation upon the H1’s widespread acclaim, as he had been harbouring this idea since 2002. Besides the innovator of traditional watchmaking’s slew of warmly received inventions, one of the most important events of HYT’s brief but illustrious history was the joining of Dominic Renaud of Renaud et Papi acclaim. The combined creativity and knowhow of Vouillamoz, Renaud, their collaborators Vincent Perriard, Patrick Berdoz and Emmanuel Savioz most recently realised the HYT H4 “Gotham”, a timepiece that packs the sum total of experience that the world’s first hydromechanical watchmaker has garnered since its founding.
h4
To the uninitiated, the 50m water-resistant H4’s intriguing visage immediately reflects the DNA of HYT – masterful makers of fine mechanical watches, who apply their talent to new realms of imagination. Sandblasted instead of simply coated black, its hollowed out and narrowed bridges and gears invite admirers peering through its transparent plates to seek understanding of how this invention works. Within the 65-hour power reserve H4, a balance wheel first catches the eye; these precise oscillations in tandem with those of the escapement assortment elapse seconds then minutes, which progressively compress one piston, a nouvelle horlogerie component that gradually drives a neon liquid from a reservoir through the arced meter gauge to indicate the hour of the day, in the H4 as it did in the original H1. The piston system’s NASA equipment-inspired bellows demand a closer inspection – precisely cast and finished from a versatile alloy, they are rhodium-coated via electrolysis for durability and inertness. It's fundamental overturning of over three centuries of horological traditions, a committee of gifted minds titillating watchmaking cognoscenti with the use of not one but two fluids, a coloured luminescent one and a transparent one, incredibly within the same curved hour tube with no divider. By employing two liquids
Having produced 450 timepieces in 2014, HYT maintains its discretion as a boutique brand, announcing that it will only make 13 new models in 2015. While we cannot be sure what the future holds for haute horlogerie¸ we can tell that at present, HYT is the most definitive sign of horology's evolutionary steps into a frontier beyond mere brass and steel.
The Millenary Post
Depth Charged The immense commitment required to take responsibility for the life blood of this planet shows great depth of character for a Le Brassus Manufacture By Jonathan Ho
tale of a maison
The ocean covers 70% of the Earth. We have been to the moon but we've only explored 5% of our watery depths. It's vast, diverse and for all its wonder on terra firma, it feels extra-terrestrial; Yet for all its mystery, one thing is clear- as a major producer of oxygen and a major supplier of protein, we protect only 2% of it.
There is hope though; some remote corners of the planet remain untouched in the face of pervasive human pollution and Blancpain was the first key partner to
It's an understandable if tragic conundrum given that on the surface, the oceans look pretty much the same to us as it did over a thousand years ago. But, leaps in human development and increased man-made carbon output have led to unprecedented encroachment and harvesting causing the oceans to grow warmer and more acidic. It's a symbiotic relationship which in our haste and pursuit of commercial enterprise, we are inadvertently killing ourselves in the long run and oceanic life-forms in the short term.
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believe in National Geographic Society's Pristine Seas program. Since 2014, the program, using a combination of scientific research, economic analysis and visual
it's because of our unwavering spirit of innovation making Blancpain the most innovative brand in our field. Our long term approach, as well as innovation, passion and partnership are the values we share and which give us trust in the future. There is no future without innovation. –Alain Delamuraz, Blancpain Vice-President and Head of Marketing
media has helped cover over 400,000 square kilometres including vast tranches of ocean off the coast of the United States, Chile, Gabon, Kiribati and Coasta Rica. That said, even with vast marine reserves like Motu Motiro Hiva and the US Pacific Remote Islands, our planet's life-giving resource is still under constant threat of human encroachment, over-fishing and environmentally harsh oil exploration. Fortunately, when one holds a six decade heritage of diving and legacy for the modern dive watch, a duty to responsible stewardship emerges from within the depths of your brand's DNA. It is this birthright which joins Blancpain with another name of exceptional legacy, Prince Albert I of Monaco, who, during his lifetime, was an instrumental participant in 28 exploration projects and internationally lauded as a pioneer of modern oceanography. The shared values and passion for the protection and preservation of the oceans continues with Prince Albert II and his namesake Monaco Foundation. Together, royal foundation and maker of regal timepieces, sealed their agreement on the deck of the M.V. Yersin, a scientific exploration vessel, committing considerable resources in defence of climate change, renewable energy, sustainable development and marine conservation.
Blancpain fifty fathoms automatique A classic 45mm diving watch
Yet, preservation is only half the battle, victory lies in the hands of sustainable development of the "blue economy" on an international scale. The blue economy refers to an ambitious economic, self-sustaining "win-win" scenario in the private sector where enlightened self interest and advantageous commercial benefits encourage a shift to environmentally friendly technologies. In the hopes of igniting such a catalyst, Blancpain extended its support for the World Ocean Summit for the third time; organised by The Economist, the event gathers the corporate world's most inventive pioneering minds in search for commercial solutions which balance growth and sustainability. A panel of judges composed of Captains of ocean, investment and governmental sectors then select a winner from a host of more than seventy competitors. The winner in 2015 was Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider, an autonomous, environmentally powered ocean-going platform for gathering and remotely transmitting information about the surface of the ocean, such as water temperature, and the atmospheric conditions. While presenting Roger Hine, inventor of the Wave Glider with a commemorative Fifty Fathoms Automatique, Alain Delamuraz, Blancpain Vice-President and Head of Marketing opined, "it's because of our unwavering spirit of innovation making Blancpain the most innovative brand in our field. Our long term approach, as well as innovation, passion and partnership are the values we share and which give us trust in the future. There is no future without innovation."
Blancpain fifty fathoms bathyscaphe Flyback CHronograph Limited edition of 250 pieces with blue dial and a titanium case
Indeed, nothing short of a revolutionary approach will accord us the opportunity to save the last vestiges of unblemished seas. Over the next five years, Blancpain and National Geographic via the Pristine Seas project seeks to inspire governments to protect approximately 20 new worldwide locations totalling more than 2 million square kilometers that are off-limits to commercial fishing and mining in order to preserve their biological importance. If the goals are met, it will help countries meet the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity’s target of protecting 10 percent of the world’s oceans by 2020.
The Millenary Post
Material Success A gentle face leads Zilli’s ferocious charge to conquer the realm of exquisite high luxury By Andre Frois
Lanvin, Chanel, Christian Dior, these were haute couture firms born during the turn of the 19th century; their tenure is undisputed, their history, greatly admired and in the face of such lauded veterans, Zilli's heritage is one which evokes awe belying its youth. Started in 1965 by Italian tailor Teofilo Zilli and Nice-born Alain Schimel, Zilli joined those legendary marquees in the annals of fashion history when they were recognised as a “Company of Excellence in Traditional and industrial Skills” in the “Haute-Couture and Ready-To-Wear” category by Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company), an initiative by the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry of France. "High luxury" is a term ill-defined and thus has encouraged pretenders to misappropriate its use but as a material enthusiast and perfectionist, Zilli owns the honorific, casting the harsh glare of quality upon lesser claimants. Connoisseurs are usually dumbfounded when first experiencing the unparalleled softness of Zilli’s garments and accessories: To the maison, acquisition of top grade exotic skins such as crocodile underbelly leather “porosus”, “bergusine” zibeline and black velvet chinchilla, and the application of traditional (and painstaking) techniques to endow them with immense wearable suppleness are tasks of equal measure. Born in Lyon in 1969, Alexandra Schimel-Fila initially worked as a lawyer after graduating in International Business Law but she eventually joined the family business, where she played an instrumental role, directing the image and global advertising campaigns of the expanding company. The Millenary Post caught up with Zilli’s spirited Image and Communications Director amid the Scandinavian mink garments and 24k gold sunglasses that furnish the brand’s opulent Marina Bay Sands boutique, engaging in a discourse that spanned from the dynasty set up by her industrious father, to her desires to further Zilli’s dominance as the gold standard of luxury.
Although your father started Zilli in Lyon, the brand is as Italian as it is French. Where do you make your products nowadays? Our leathers and small leather goods are still produced in Lyon, while items like our knitwear, shoes, suits and formalwear products are made in Italy.
relationship with the French Academy in Rome, as we desire to pass down knowledge and culture. While we expand our range of offerings, I still focus on the Zilli jacket and look for ideas of presenting it in different ways. All this while, I desire for us to remain a top-tier clothing brand. We must remain the leaders of high-end luxury brands for men.
What edge does Zilli’s craftsmanship have over its competitor brands?
In this pursuit, what values do you keep at the forefront of your plans?
Savoir-faire. Truthfully, one needs immense savoirfaire to achieve this standard of quality, to achieve this thickness, softness and colours. Time needs to be spent – this grade of clothing cannot be attained unless you take the time. At Zilli, we understand the importance of dedicating time to something. Creation of our classic leather jacket, for example, simply cannot be a rushed.
We are a family business, first and foremost. We wish to remain independent and our own unique brand. We will never compromise on quality, made up of our techniques and savoir-faire. My father strived not to be like other brands, and although our second generation is free to do as we wish, we too desire to showcase unique styles and ideas. We want to be the best of the best, and that is made up of the values of passion and hard work. We also listen to the customer and adapt.
When you first joined the family business, the leather jacket was the sole icon of the label. What did you feel Zilli needed at that time? Zilli was a much smaller outfit. We were a very tiny company and only produced leather jackets. We did not have a full range of clothes and accessories, and we were just producers of jackets. We did not even have our own store. I was a proponent of us developing different collections, and we gradually moved on from producers to become retailers, and eventually transitioning into a global brand. What is your vision for Zilli’s campaigns? I wanted our brand image to span from very classic to very sporty. We sought to collaborate all the time with different artists for our visual campaigns, while supporting cultural causes with each campaign – Zilli is the official patron of the Biennale d’Art Contemporain and Biennale de la Danse, and we also maintain a strong
Truthfully, one needs immense savoir-faire to achieve this standard of quality, to achieve this thickness, softness and colours. Time needs to be spent – this grade of clothing cannot be attained unless you take the time. At Zilli, we understand the importance of dedicating time to something.
Special wood-look finish traveller wallet, passport holder and long wallet in Crocodile with full silk lining, Zili, Spring Summer 2015
Then in your opinion, what is the distinctive trademark of Zilli technicality and savoir-faire? The very precise measuring, cutting, trimming, embroidering, stitching, backing and assembling of our garments are performed by seasoned craftsmen and craftswomen. While our use of triple stitching represents our brand of ultimate luxury, goldsmiths embellish our pieces by adding gold details. Timelessness and comfort are most important to us – our fashion is not frivolous and the inside of our garments are as well finished as their external layers. A Zilli jacket is for life.
discourse
Zilli, Spring Summer 2015
Zilli, Spring Summer 2015
Zilli’s Parisian flagship boutique is situated at the heart of Rue François 1er, in the mansion and literary salon formerly belonging to Madame Panckoucke and her family of encyclopaedists and editors.
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The Millenary Post
Ralph Lauren Polo Bar in New York City
Life. Styled.
Shaped by iconic film stars like Gary Cooper and Cary Grant, Lauren was convinced that there was a ready market for an aspirational label - garments modelled after the lifestyles of not only moneyed notables but the dapper. The brat pack and the sport of polo had immense connotations of sophistication and Ralph Lauren was determined to be intimately associated with them.
Ralph Lauren isn't in the business of selling apparel. He's selling a way of living
“I was very influenced by movies; I was very influenced by a world that had a sense of dream… When I create a collection, I approach it with a cinematic point of view — I am not designing clothes, I’m creating a world,” Lauren once divulged. “People ask how can a Jewish kid from the Bronx do preppy clothes? Does it have to do with class and money? It has to do with dreams… I don't design clothes, I design dreams.”
By Andre Frois
He didn't exactly set out to become the world's eminent designer. In fact, the college dropout from the Bronx joined the army while pondering what to do with his life and as far as ambitions went, Ralph Lipschitz had written “millionaire” as his aspiration in his 1957 DeWitt Clinton High School yearbook. When he finally had an inkling of his life's calling, Post-military Lipschitz changed his last name to “Lauren” and joined a tie manufacturer during the era of the skinny tie.
Indeed, the dreamweaver weaves beyond fashion: Parlaying his ethos into accessories, homeware and even architectural transformation of his Bulevard Saint German, Paris, flagship - and all vouch for his savvy. He even recently opened his third restaurant, a branddedicated bistro named The Polo Bar, which seats a limited number of guests in an opulent designer setting. Lauren will launch an ultra-luxe personal service in Milan this September, warranted by his high-end consumers’ increasing demand for one-to-one VIP retail service.
“I went to my boss, and I said, ‘look, I’d like to design these ties because I think they could be new.’ He said, ‘the world isn't ready for Ralph Lauren.’ I never forgot that because... I thought that was a compliment,” he famously recounted. But he wasn't one to take defeat lying down, his clairvoyance had convinced him that the market was ready for a different style of necktie.
“Ralph doesn’t sit on his laurels for one minute,” John Varvatos once commented about his former mentor Lauren. “You can enjoy the moment, but you have to keep things going — and you can’t be a one-trick pony.”
Backed by Norman Hilton, he sold his designs from the trunk of his vintage Morgan. Eventually, use of luxurious fabrics and his deft command of design would attract the attention of Bloomingdale's. Again, retail merchandisers would make the mistake of wanting slimmer versions of neckties he was already pushing. He said, "No." Six months later, they were saying "Yes" to his whole collection. In a single master stroke, Lauren heralded the return of wide ties. More importantly, he started accruing a reputation for rebellious yet classic counter-trend aesthetics and it was one which he would live up to and promulgate when it came to the Ralph Lauren Empire. But reality was, he wasn't really selling neckties, he was selling a way of life - the skinny tie might have been iconic of The Beetles and a period of sartorial experimentation but Lauren was making the statement that menswear wasn't about lilting upon the winds of fashion, it was a choice of style. A life choice.
Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Spring Summer 2015
Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Fall Winter 2015
Ralph Lauren Fall Winter 2015
Deft handling of Ralph Lauren’s Fall 2015 endeavour in the tune of classic Hollywood, the era in which Lauren grew up, is proof in pudding that the namesake founder is still very much in touch and in charge. He employs flawlessly constructed Italian-style suits, as well as dinner jackets of barathea wool and lambskin amidst offerings of luxurious activewear including down-filled parkas, suede track suits and cashmere turtlenecks oozing a laidback essence of countryside sensibility that panders to the style-conscious traveller. And while it's a curated series which tricks our psyches into boxing Ralph Lauren as yet another brand which has hyper extended itself, it's worth noting that for a multi-hyphenate label Ralph's Coffee isn't doing too badly either. To wit, Ralph Lauren isn't just about good style, it is a complete lifestyle.
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Style is very personal. It has nothing to do with fashion. Fashion is over very quickly. Style is forever. It’s easier to follow fashion than it is to have personal style. Personal style is about having a sense of yourself and what you believe in every day. The making of Ricky Bag
The Millenary Post
Potentate of Design Yung Ong, Executive Director of Proof Living, makes friends and extends stylish imperialism through advocacy of end-to-end well-designed lifestyles By Jonathan Ho
So how do you go from that to Suitsuppy?
In Greek mythology, the beauty of Helen of Troy was sufficient to evoke lust enough to tempt Paris of Troy into disregarding good sense; sparking an inter-European conflict the likes which the world had never before seen till World War I. It seemed like literary hyperbole until 1756 when Philosopher Edmund Burke opined, " We must conclude that beauty is, for the greater part, some quality in bodies, acting mechanically upon the human mind by the intervention of the senses." Today, thanks to modern neuroscience we know that attractiveness literally stimulates our primary motor cortex: in short, beauty moves us.
It's just an extension of our retail business. We had already succeeded in the most difficult category with furniture. I think it's just natural progression that we enter fashion retail. We started with menswear because we felt it allowed us to get our feet wet easily in a topic I already understand. Suiting in a country where the men are not used to suiting up? One thing we are trying to change is the perception of suiting. Many locals think of suits in terms of boring black, grey and pinstripes you wear to the office, but with Suitsupply, we saw an opportunity to change the scene by bringing casual suiting to the market and making it more available, beyond the traditional suits, the brand is quirky and about having fun with the shoulder piece. The flexibility to look formal but still casual and you stand out because you've put in a little bit more effort.
And perhaps, this is something that Yung Ong, Executive Director of Proof Living has managed to tap on with his motley yet cohesive collection of high end labels including Poltrona Frau and Ralph Lauren Home, and one sartorially invigorating wild card – Suitsupply. The result? A well curated selection of lifestyle implements extending their imperialist hold over your entire persona: home to body.
Discovery of Suitsupply was happenstance?
How does one go from Law become Potentate of a lifestyle empire? It wasn't planned, I intended to be called to the bar. My father had always hoped that I would join him but there was never any space in Vanguard (dealing with office furnishings), so we decided to do something different starting with Poltrona Frau, an unknown brand with a small catalogue, we had no idea what we were doing but we felt it had a future.
Yung Ong, Executive Director, Proof Living
So there was no eureka moment?
Janice Feldman at Janus et Cie (issue 17) spoke about blurred lines between office and home furniture, do you see greater synergy between your companies now?
We thought that we could represent a home furniture label and enter the loose furniture market doing projects but we soon realised after a year that business doesn't work that way and we had to do retail. it was an evolution because of a need rather than something we planned. The eureka moment arrived when we did worse the second year and we decided we had to change the business model.
The office space is changing, we moved from cubicles to village style concepts where it's not just open plan where people have opportunity to have 'chance meetings' in different "zones" , this is where the loose furniture comes in. The blurring lines in the office and home has led to more companies starting to have furniture that's a bit more casual and as a result, we were ahead of curve catering to that demand.
Brook Street Tufted Sofa
We had our fingers on the pulse for what's going on in the retail industry so we're always reading about new brands; It doesn't necessarily lead to us getting into a discussion with them. A chance introduction by friends led to a meeting, a short tour of ION Orchard and suddenly, we had a space. It wasn't part of the grand scheme. It sounds like you either attract a lot of serendipity... I love playing poker and one lesson I learnt is that you try to make your own luck by working harder and you need patience for the right opportunity. You can't always be aggressive and make the right moves when there are none to be made. Are you finding that the customers who shop at Proof usually end up shopping at Suitsupply as well? Only a few really crossover, mostly the interior designers. But when you have an eye for beautiful things, you can't help but spread that influence into everything you touch. I would say that once that appreciation for quality, luxury and design sets in, it will permeate everything else. Most of our population tends to be fixated on brands rather than style because we're aspirational due to shorter history interacting with luxury goods relative to the Europeans. Are you the main trendspotter? Yes but what we usually do today is by committee because my ideas are not quite smart upon further review [laughs]. So this shapes you to be a more democratic leader? Definitely, I'm very aware that I only have 24 hours a day and with business growth, my role has become more managerial, I can no longer carry a business on the operational front by myself and I need my directors and managers to have buy in to succeed and we need a consensus for that happen. I don't force an issue if I don't have buy in. But aren't trendspotters progenitors of a trend and don't they work without buy-in (e.g. Steve Jobs)? I think that it's a misconception that Steve Jobs forced the issues. He was a master salesman who sold it with such vigour and vision that people had no choice but to listen. He didn't get buy-in from the population but his lieutenants definitely believed in his insight. You have to be bold but you also have to realise when you're barking up the wrong tree.
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Apartment No 1 Dining Room
Bishopgate Mirror
• "Golden proportions" can be found in the Parthenon, Notre Dame, Mona Lisa and even the original iPod. In 2009, a Duke University professor eventually proved that our eyes are automatically drawn to these shapes because of a subconsciously improved ability to perceive them. • Ralph Lauren Home [the venue of our shoot in issue 17] is available at Proof Living, ION Orchard, offering two elegant collections: Apartment No. One and Brook Street, both encompassing a sophisticated assortment of lighting, floorcovering, furniture and decorative accessories. Apartment represents the lifestyles of the English aristocrat during the Art Deco era, with products crafted in lush mahogany and rich leather decorated with nickel accents for modern royalty. Brook Street returns the glamour of Savile Row and their Hollywood clientele through a refined palette of sharp details and whimsical touches. • Poltrona Frau brings us over 100 years of artisanal handicraft via a 21-step leather tanning process ensuring longevity focusing on their namesake "armchair" or Poltrona and expanding into seating for high end yachts, airplanes, helicopters and supercars. A Poltrona Frau Museum in Tolentino, Italy, features the company's most iconic pieces while a specialised area named “l’intelligenza delle mani" or "intelligence of the hands" conveys the rich heritage of the maison.
Nelson Hurricanes in Black Leather
The Millenary Post
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maintenance – if anything happens to the car, you can bring it to our servicing centre. We also have replacement cars. Upfront, it appears that you are paying more each month, but it isn’t the case if you factor in depreciation of the car. Why do you think leasing still isn’t a popular option? It’s a mind-set issue. Some people feel that leasing a car isn’t owning a car, but remember that when you take bank loans to buy a car, the bank effectively owns the car! I’ve noticed that markets like Canada and the US lease more cars, so it’s a sort of cultural bias. How do you plan to widen this segment? Our new car sales people need to be very aware of Wearnes’ leasing options. Our leasing business has more than double in size since 2012. Our company has also become much more flexible with leases. Leasing a Bentley, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Renault and Volvo from us is covered by the Wearnes Assist programme throughout Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia, which comprises of 24-hour emergency roadside assistance, complimentary replacement vehicle and hotel accommodation in the event of a breakdown or accident, as well as complimentary taxi service, concierge service and emergency medical evacuation/ repatriation upon request. What have unit sales been like?
What’s Around The Corner Victor Kwan, General Manager of Jaguar and Land Rover, reckons that our prized rides and accessories are manifestations of the calibre of men that we are. The Millenary Post picks the brain of this forward-thinker for clairvoyance into a market characterised by peaks and troughs.
What do you think is the future of COE supply in Singapore? COE is meant to control traffic. It’s not true that the LTA is trying to cut down the number of certificates handed out. The government is just controlling the number of cars on the road. The number of certificates was allowed 0.5% growth per year, which was cut down to 0.25% growth, which might be eventually reduced to zero. Counting buses and taxis, there are about one million cars on the road. In my opinion, the road conditions in Singapore are not so bad compared to other capital cities. Perhaps traffic might improve in Singapore as the island becomes better connected by more arteries. There are a few perceivable differences in quality between a Mercedes Maybach and a Rolls-Royce. Is a car’s representation of its driver a local phenomenon or does it occur all around the world? Your car speaks volumes of who you are. There is no
With Jaguar sales increasing this much, might you be afraid of Jaguar losing its aforementioned exclusivity? It’s a fine balance. We are not at a point of capping sales yet – Jaguar has much more potential to grow. As a veteran of the industry and a luxury SUV expert, how do you reconcile luxury and utility?
By Andre Frois
Automotive veteran Victor Kwan has seen his robust industry go through numerous evolutions over the past 15 years. His insights into government control of the car population, the rising trend of leasing cars, and the ongoing battle of the luxury SUVs, come with a wealth of experience, having cut his teeth at Mitsubishi and Cycle & Carriage since the turn of the century. The former sales manager at Kia during the threshold of the Singapore’s Certificate of Entitlement (an additional car purchasing tax meant to curb the car population known commonly as COE) boom is noted by his peers for his resolution and foresight, which led him to eventually being invited to join Singapore’s oldest car distributor, Wearnes, by its CEO himself, after Kwan’s tenure at Honda. Named the General Manager of Land Rover and Jaguar last year after his effective five-year stewardship of fellow premium continental brand Volvo, Kwan is a captain of industry whose past encounters help him an almost clairvoyant view of the car market.
We’ve been averaging about 700 a year recently, with the quality of the product and COE prices playing critical roles. We are aiming for the 1,000 unit sales mark.
The number of certificates was allowed 0.5% growth per year, which was cut down to 0.25% growth, which might be eventually reduced to zero. other belonging, maybe except for watches, which represents its owner’s personality that much. What did your Singapore team do better than the rest of the world, with the Jaguar product?
Land Rover, which is a luxury SUV, has three core values: versatility, durability and luxury. The Land Rover Discovery champions versatility, while the Land Rover Defender is our best representation of durability, and the Range Rover is of course our most luxurious.
The Jaguar brand has a slightly higher exclusivity in Singapore. Singaporeans in general are willing to pay that bit more for a less common car, for that unorthodox choice.
In your opinion, does a boxy silhouette take away from the sexiness of a luxury vehicle?
Jaguar is a brand of noble heritage, which I’ve noticed is now raising its sporting performance standards to match those of the best in the market. How is your brand evolving?
Sexiness is relative. Everyone has their own opinion. The Evoque was a major game changer, as well as the Discovery Sport, which have both been doing well by consumers who find them sexy.
Jaguar has always been about performance sports cars and we are merely going back to our heritage right now. The pillars of Jaguar will always be bespoke, heritage and performance.
Having fought the battle for many years now, how have you observed the battle of the luxury SUVs to have evolved?
Has the Singapore government’s stiffer car financing rules affected sales? I will say that most of our customers, that is to say about 50%, are not affected by this financing by the government as they are high-end customers. When this government financing was announced, there was a drop but not significantly. Did you see business opportunity for in-house car financing? A typical lease is about three years, although some customers might extend the lease to five or seven years. Leasing a car comes with road tax, insurance and
Range Rover only started to gain better footing recently in the local market. If you really want to buy an SUV only for its design, there are other options that look like SUVs but might not perform. We are probably the only major brand that focuses on luxury SUVs. Out there, there are a lot of SUVs lacking SUV capabilities, one of these qualities being all-terrain capability. Your sales have been increasing 40% year on year. Might you see a tapering point in the near future? Quota size and COE categorisation are by far the two most important factors, which are decided by the government, although government policies don’t matter as much as our product and our brand.
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Publisher Derek Ho Managing Editor Jonathan Ho Writers Andre Frois, Cheryl Ann Chia, Gary Jonas Lim Creative Director Lee Wanyu Stylist Steve thio | Assistant Karin Tan Photographer wong wei liang Grooming Khai using YSL Beaute (Make-up) and Bed Head (Hair)Models Samuele F (Upfront) Published by Millemedia group | Printed by times Printers www.themillenary.com | Contact us at connect@millemediagroup.com Advertising Enquiries sales@millemediagroup.com
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on the covers
Master Calendar Meteorite, Jaeger-LeCoultre; Caspian light wool striped suit, cotton shirt, silk tie, Gucci
Badgley Mischka gown, The Prelude; Jewellery, Chopard Earrings: High Jewellery collection earrings in white gold set with 72 carats worth of emeralds and 4 carats worth of diamonds; Ring: High Jewellery collection ring in white gold set with 13.6 carats worth of pear-shaped yellow diamonds; Necklace: Animal World hummingbird necklace in white gold set with sapphires, diamonds, amethysts and tsavorites; Watch: High Jewellery collection timepiece in white gold set with diamonds.
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