Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 2 2024 i CROWN Malaysia

Over the last few months, we have experienced many wonderful things and witnessed much positive energy despite the global economic doldrums. They say every cloud has a silver lining, and we hope ours will be as bright as the sun. During the second week of April, the who’s who of horology gathered in Geneva for Watches and Wonders 2024. There was so much going on I wish I could have spent at least two more days there. It’s certainly not called the world’s biggest watch show for nothing! My colleague, Darren Ho, who is the Editor-At-Large for CROWN SINGAPORE, and I have endeavoured to bring you all the star pieces for your perusal. From rarities to technical breakthroughs, we guarantee there’s something to blow your mind. In our reports, you…

We may be new to Malaysia, but collectors here are aware of our brand. Sincere has been a long-term partner of ours. So, we are here to tell our clients who we are, what we do, and what our DNA is. We are at the beginning of our journey here and it’s a start. Lang & Heyne was founded in 2001 by Marco Lang and Mirko Heyne. Heyne has retired from the company, and Lange left in 2018. We are on the second chapter of the company. The first chapter was very much a watchmaker’s brand, a very small collection, and very limited pieces. It still is very limited pieces, but it was even more limited at that time. Then Jens Schneider came to the brand—he was previously from Lange…

Omega has been committed to making the most accurate timing devices since its foundation in 1848. Among its many milestone moments, 1932 was a particularly memorable year for the brand. It was the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, and Omega was chosen to be the official timekeeper of the multi-sport competition; thereby, heralding the start of a partnership that endures to this day. The scale and the quality of the competition were beyond anything that had been seen before, creating the first Games we would recognise today. Yet, the outing was also a far cry from what Omega’s timekeeping duties involve today. For example, compared to the current elaborate setup, it only required a watchmaker from Omega headquarters in Switzerland to travel to Los Angeles armed with 30 stopwatches with…

Like many other brands, Cartier unleashed a mega-drop of new designs and concepts last year. It continues to expand on these ideas of mini timepieces and watches-asjewellery, as well as highly unisex designs. Here are some of the highlights that caught our eyes and opened our wallets. The Santos – Grand, Colourful, and Dual Time The Santos de Cartier remains its most important story to tell and timepiece to sell. It literally represents Cartier’s foray into wristwatch-making and shaped watchmaking. One key addition to the line is the Santos de Cartier Skeleton in yellow gold. Currently only in steel or rose gold, it comes in a full gold case with bracelet and, more importantly, yellow gold skeleton Art Deco style numerals that are applied over the rhodium-plated movement. The result…

When it comes to making a statement, there is simply no stopping Hublot and its creative use of colour—as the brand has proven so skilfully over the last decade. This year is no exception, for Hublot has deployed some of the most attractive jewel tones to enhance what are already amazing collections. Big Bang Unico Pink Sapphire The 42mm case is made entirely out of transparent pink sapphire, with matching appliqué indexes, and hands. Never seen before in this material, the pastel shade is so vivid yet luminous, it looks like it was carved out of a block of candy. This piece might have a playful, sporty demeanour, but Hublot has armed it with a decidedly nononsense engine in the form of the HUB1280 Unico Manufacture self-winding chronograph flyback movement…

Since its Watches and Wonders debut in 2022, Grand Seiko has ranked high on attendees’ interest. It launched its first mechanical complication – the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon in 2022 and followed that up with its first mechanical chronograph – the Tentagraph – last year. This year, it’s covering all the bases with a slew of elegant dress watches as well as handsome sports tickers while turning heads with a 20th-anniversary tribute to the Spring Drive Calibre 9R, an update to the GPHG-winning Kodo, and even a new high-beat movement. Here are some of the highlights. Evolution 9 (Refs: SLGW002 & SLGW003) Grand Seiko’s headliner may not be as flashy as its previous years’, but it’s no less deserving of your attention. At first blush, the duo captivates with the textured…

It has been over a decade since TAG Heuer presented a new split-seconds chronograph. Back when Jean-Christophe Babin was still leading the brand, the watchmaker sought to make a statement with haute horlogerie. The watches made quite a splash, but no one really knew whether they were successful commercially. The Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph With Carole Forestier-Kasapi leading the technical team, we already knew the Split-Seconds Chronograph was on its way, and sure enough, the brand announced this new Calibre TH81-00 that’s produced in partnership with Vaucher. It’s unique from its previous creations, including the split-seconds chronographs produced back in the 1910s, since it has a titanium plate and bridges. That makes it an ultra-light split-seconds chronograph with a skeletonised winding rotor, black DLC-coated or gradient blue-treated titanium arches, and matching…

While Chanel has been producing timepieces for nearly 40 years now, it was only at the turn of the century when Jacques Hélleu completed his design of the sailing-inspired J12, housed in an all-ceramic construction and powered by a mechanical movement. However, in just over 20 years, it has reached numerous milestones that many watch brands would not pursue. Today, it has its own manufacture producing in-house developed movements that are beautifully finished through its own creative style. The Couture O'Clock collection, which is a capsule produced in limited numbers, is a more recent sub-release from its Watch Creation Studio. It often has quirky and brilliant concepts that bring elements of the couture house into horology. This year, in particular, Arnaud Chastaingt incorporated the brand’s core collections into the Couture…

Each year, Hermès’ creative director comes up with a concept that ties the different aspects of the luxury brand together, and each department interprets it in a cohesive manner. The luxury house’s theme for 2024 focuses on its roots, and in a way, Philippe Delhotal is also taking stock of Hermès’ watchmaking origins with the new Hermès Cut line. With a circular bezel upon a rounded cushion form, the Cut is designed as a simple, fuss-free accessory that you can wear to the grocer or a gala. The Hermès Cut A large hour ring with block Arabic numeral indexes (the font is unique to this watch) encircles the minute track, a reverse of the typical watch design, and is shown with a simple three-hand display sans date. There’s a crown…

Calibre 1736E Carrousel Répétition Minutes The focus on high watchmaking at Watches and Wonders, particularly on the tourbillon leads us to cast our eyes on its much-forgotten cousin: the karrusel, or carrousel. Patented in November 1892 by Bahne Bonniksen, the karrusel was designed to be a sturdier alternative to its Breguet counterpart. Using a secondary gear to drive its rotation, the karrusel required less power to achieve a similar effect. Sadly, it never took off; Richard Lange and Patek Philippe were a few watchmakers that produced small numbers until Blancpain revived it in 2008. Its calibre 1736E combines the karrusel with a melodious minute repeater on a full gold movement that’s hand-engraved with scalloped lines radiating from the capstones. The hammers of the repeater are similarly decorated with a floral-like…

The Watches and Wonders Geneva fair stood out this year in one particular aspect. It was clear that watchmakers were placing great attention on the visual aesthetics and design of their timepieces. This was evident, especially at Rolex, where dial textures and materials were carefully curated to elevate each model. The watches conveyed a youthful, fresh identity for the watchmaker’s old and new icons. Here are the highlights. The Oyster Perpetual Day-Date The Day-Date holds a unique place among Rolex’s collections. It has been a symbol of prestige since 1956, worn by leaders, visionaries, and creatives who have shaped our past and present sociocultural landscape. The watch has an enduring identity and style – the distinct format of its day and date display, then a world-first, has become the standard…

Last year was massive for Patek Philippe, with the Grand Exhibition in Tokyo coinciding with one of the biggest releases of new and updated references. It feels fair that for 2024, Thierry Stern is giving his team a break. There are just 11 references introduced this year, 10 of which are updates and line extensions of existing models. Nevertheless, there is plenty to love from Patek Philippe this year. The big technical release for 2024 is the Ref. 5330G-001 World Time Date, which is a permanent model of the special edition created for the Tokyo Grand Exhibition. Brilliantly designed, the watch has an ingenious date module that follows the local time, changing forward and backwards as you cross the international date line. According to Philip Barat, director of watch development…

There were plenty of visitors eager to catch a glimpse of the Baume & Mercier Hampton – Polyptyque Edition Musée Soulages 10th Anniversary watch, a homage to the artist released shortly before he passed away. Like the first release in 2022, the challenge was to find techniques and materials expressing the same monochromatic, textured design that iconises Soulages’ oeuvre. Applying electrolysis on lasercut brass and soft levant stone for the matte finish, with an extra layer of glaze for protection, the dial captures the spirit of Soulages’ work, housed in a black PVD-treated steel case with a matching cellulose strap. The design of the hands, in black with 18K gold domed tips, was personally selected by Soulages. Perhaps inspired by this creation, Baume & Mercier has also released a two-hand,…

The last few years since former Bulgari CEO Guido Terreni stepped into the executive role at Parmigiani Fleurier have been nothing short of transformative for the brand. Terreni focused on the product segment he was most familiar with – luxury sports watch – and the result was the incredibly successful Tonda PF. Once the commercial aspect of the brand was firmly in place, he moved on to what many collectors consider to be the very heart of Parmigiani – the Toric collection. Toric (which in mathematical or physics terms refers to the shape of a ring, like a doughnut) is the very first watch that Michel Parmigiani ever made in his name. It holds true to very pure design principles with a shape that follows the torus and emulates traditional…

Over the last few years, the focus has shifted to smaller watches, as horology enthusiasts fall out of love with the oversized trend. This certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed at Blancpain. The Manufacture might have a traditional outlook, but it is not averse to change. Size Down In 2023, we saw the 42mm size for the first time in the Fifty Fathoms collection, where it took the form of the stainless-steel 70th Anniversary Act 1 Automatic limited edition—a sign that Blancpain always listens to the market and is ready to respond. And while it might be one of the best-looking diving watches around, it also gets the job done. Make no mistake—this is a serious mechanical timing device. After all, Blancpain is not known as the pioneer of modern diving watches…

We always have good business and popularity in Malaysia. It is only appropriate to have the biggest store in Asia in Kuala Lumpur. A great frontage, a great location—it has a beautiful concept, one that we introduced in Singapore a couple of years ago, with a new way of presenting our watches. Of course, this is also the decision of Sincere, and we are happy with their decision. It’s all in the details. Everything is in the refinement of the material that we use, everything is very elegant, and it makes our watches stand out. It’s a great place to greet the press, and a great place to entertain guests. It’s a very comfortable and practical space. In April 2023, we had the World Presentation of Haute Horlogerie (WPHH) where…

With its Poetic Complications, Van Cleef & Arpels offers a unique look at watchmaking through the eyes of a talented jeweller. Spinning tales through visually captivating dials, the Maison brings its faeries to life through various crafts that range from enamelling to gem-setting and shaping. In more recent years, the Poetic Complications have been divided into Extraordinary Dials and Extraordinary Objects. The latter are its automaton clocks that are truly works of art. The Extraordinary Dials are no less breathtaking. With the Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté (Enchanted Day), the watchmaker depicts the earliest hours of the morning, when its fairies rise to pick flowers and collect dew. Taking over two years to develop and with each dial requiring at least 180 hours of work, this limited edition model is rich…

When it entered the new millennium, Ulysse Nardin launched a watch like no other, one that ventured into the space beyond time telling. Indeed, the Freak was so inherently futuristic it was light years ahead of the competition in every way possible. Two elements stand out to this day. The first is the Freak’s singular arm that not only indicates the hour, but also forms the base of the entire movement that utilises it as a bridge and drives the arm to complete its rotation around the dial in 12 hours. The second amazing thing is the Freak’s winding system—cleverly done by rotating the caseback a mere five times to wind the barrels, instead of relying on the conventional crown. For a watch company established in 1846, making that hyper-leap…

Tudor has been sending a strong message for over a decade now. It continuously unveils pieces that we love to wear every day that are reliable with a distinct identity—the perfect tool watches, if you will. This year, at Watches & Wonders, Tudor remained true to form. The team made a few tweaks here and there to give us a slew of ideal offerings, until they come up with something better next year to trigger our desires all over again. Black Bay 58 GMT This isn’t the only GMT watch that Tudor has introduced over the years, of course. There were the Black Bay GMT and the Black Bay Pro GMT, both of which had character and purpose. The Black Bay 58 GMT, however, is more elegant, slimmer, and smaller.…

Bell & Ross continues to wow fans and watch enthusiasts alike with its square-themed watches. Last year saw the introduction of the 41mm BR 01. At this year’s Watches & Wonders, however, the focus shifted to the BR 05. The success seen since its 2019 launch has been nothing short of a phenomenal for Bell & Ross. From its versatility, and gentler, more elegant aesthetics, to its reputation as the perfect tool watch, the BR 05 continues to attract attention and build a dedicated fanbase. It is surely destined to follow its older siblings into the horology hall of fame. In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here are three additions to the family for you to swoon over. BR 05 Black Ceramic Black is no stranger to Bell &…

Bulgari is on a roll this year, wowing the world with its horological marvels. (But then again, when is it not?) It kicked off 2024 with the year with the Lvcea in January, followed by the arrival of the spring collection in June. The latter certainly did not disappoint as the Maison rolled out eagerly anticipated, new renditions of the Octo Roma, Octo Finissimo and Serpenti. It goes without saying that the dynamic combination of Italian design flare and Swiss watchmaking savoir-faire makes Bulgari a world-record breaking force to be reckoned with. Let’s check out the stars of its spring novelties. OCTO ROMA Born in 2012, the Octo Roma is very much the love child of—you guessed it—the Octo and the Roma. It has the round bezel of the latter…

A. Lange & Sohne • Lot G34, Ground Floor Suria KLCC Tel: 603 2166 2181• Lot 2.01.07, Level 2 Pavilion, KL Tel: 603 2141 8418• G03L, Ground Floor, Suria KLCC, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Tel: +603 2181 6868 Audemars Piguet • UG29, Adorn Floor, Starhill Gallery, KL Tel: 603 2144 8639 Bedat & Co • UG32, Adorn Floor, Starhill Gallery, KL Tel: 603 2141 7881 Bell & Ross • Lot 3.46.00 Level 3 Pavilion KL 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: 603 9212 4456• Lot 170-G-26,Ground Floor, Gurney Plaza, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang, Malaysia. Tel: 604 202 2676• Lot F-230A, First Floor The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59000 Kuala Lumpur• G.18. G/F, Plaza The Exchange TRX, Persiaran TRX, Tun Razak Exchange, 55188 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…