Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 4 2025 i CROWN Malaysia

In an age when lighting and appliances respond at the push of a button, it’s easy to see why some might question the allure or relevance of chiming timepieces. Yet these highly complex creations – once the only way to tell time in complete darkness – remain at the pinnacle of mechanical watchmaking, celebrated as testaments to human ingenuity, dexterity, and the extraordinary progress of civilisation. The Ultimate Challenge Eight years ago, Marc A Hayek, CEO of Blancpain, set an ambitious challenge for his team: to create a grande sonnerie that would surpass every existing example on the market. CROWN was among the select media invited to witness its unveiling at Blancpain’s high-complication workshop in Le Brassus earlier last month. Named the Grande Double Sonnerie, it is now the most…

Geneva Watch Days (GWD) 2025 has come and gone, but this year’s watches hit different. Previously, the releases from the summertime event were mostly one-offs, special editions, or colour variations. However, this time around, there are more staple offerings from both the bigger names and independent watchmakers. After going through all of the novelties from GWD 2025, here are our favourite releases that score big on style and technical craft. It has been a thrilling balance of bold collection releases and unique creations by brands, which tells us it’s no longer a secondary platform but an important space in the watchmaking calendar. Singer Reimagined After the success of Singer Reimagined’s 1969 and Heritage series, the brand is now delving deeper into classic watchmaking. The Caballero (Spanish for “gentleman”) evokes a…

You hardly need an introduction to Erling Haaland, but context matters. Born in Leeds and raised in Norway, the 25-year-old striker currently leads the line for Manchester City and the Norwegian national team. He is the son of former professional footballer Alf-Inge Haaland, and the sense that football is encoded in his DNA is hard to shake. At 6ft 5in, Haaland’s game is defined by economy rather than flourish: devastating acceleration, ruthless positioning, and a physical presence that feels engineered rather than improvised. Multiple Premier League Golden Boots before his mid-twenties underline the point. This is not chaos in motion—it is structure, discipline, and inevitability. Those same qualities are what make him an unexpectedly credible partner for a serious Swiss Manufacture. Substance Over Celebrity Breitling appointed Haaland to its All-Star…

Few watch brands wear their toughness as credibly as Luminox. Built on a legacy forged with elite military units such as the US Navy SEALs, its reputation for rugged reliability is no marketing myth. These watches have accompanied divers, rescue teams, and explorers into places most of us would rather avoid. Its not-so-secret weapon, Luminox Light Technology (LLT), uses self-powered gas tubes that glow continuously for up to 25 years, guaranteeing legibility even in total darkness. Combined with a track record in material innovation – from hardened steel to CARBONOX – Luminox has long pushed the limits of durability. The Bear Grylls 3710 Series continues that pursuit with a new chapter in resilience, built once again alongside one of its most fitting ambassadors. Survival Meets Style Bear Grylls needs little…

Frederique Constant is often described as young, but the Geneva Maison has spent nearly four decades cultivating a reputation for accessible high watchmaking. Founded in 1988, it made a decisive shift in the early 2000s by developing its own Manufacture movements, culminating in mechanical tourbillons, perpetual calendars and world timers—serious horology at approachable prices. The Moneta, however, is part of a different philosophy: offering classic dress-watch aesthetics powered by dependable quartz calibres. It is a strategy that delivers refinement, thinness and ease of wear without straying from the brand’s traditional design codes. COIN-EDGE HERITAGE, REINTERPRETED Launched last year, the Classics Moneta Moonphase takes its name from the fluting found on the edges of ancient coins. Frederique Constant brings that idea into the watch not on the bezel, but on the…

Hermès’ relationship with wristwatches stretches back more than a century. The Maison produced its first wrist-worn piece in 1912, when a pocket watch was fitted into a purpose-made leather strap—a precursor to the ergonomic, equestrian-influenced design language that still defines its watchmaking. By the late 1920s, Hermès was discreetly offering wristwatches to its elite clientele, followed by the padlock-shaped Kelly watch in 1975, an early sign that the house saw creative potential in timekeeping. The Turning Point: Entering Serious Horology The decisive shift came in 1978. Hermès’ handbags had already become modern icons; now the brand wanted a timepiece to match that stature. Henry d’Origny—Hermès’ legendary in-house designer—was tasked with creating its first widely produced watch. The result was the Arceau, a round, quietly elegant watch set apart by its…

A New Era of Watch Fairs As the traditional era of large-scale fairs reached its saturation point, the watch ecosystem evolved into a more decentralised landscape that gave greater visibility to independent brands and the rising wave of microbrands across different scales. In recent years, the industry calendar has shifted away from relying on a single dominant event toward a constellation of regional fairs, each shaped by its own identity and rhythm. From the refined showcases of leading global brands in Bangkok to the community-driven events that serve as a platform for independent makers and microbrands in Toronto, New York, and Singapore, every fair offers its own perspective on how audiences interact with the watch world today. This year’s sequence of events, unfolding naturally across Hong Kong, Bangkok, Toronto, New…

We restarted making mechanical movements when we discovered there was an increased interest in watches with mechanical movements. In our historical past, we did start out making mechanical watches. We then decided then and there to make them once again. We have watchmakers in our factory, so we were ready. But having said that, our main technology is still our Eco-Drive. Our main competitors are mainly the Japanese watch companies. We are not targeting the Swiss watch companies, and we are not their competitors. But then on the market, it’s inevitable when it comes to price point. We do have something new in the pipeline. We can’t say much for now, but what I can say is that there is something we want to celebrate with. We will share it…

Titanium’s road to modern watchmaking is surprisingly long. First identified in the late 18th century in a Cornwall mine, the metal received its mythological name only years later and remained notoriously difficult to process. Extracting it required complex chemical routes; machining it demanded far more aggressive tooling than steel; and before the 1990s, the quantities available outside aerospace were tiny. The Japanese were the first to recognise titanium’s potential for watches in 1970, and a handful of Swiss Maisons followed. Still, titanium had a reputation for being stubborn. It wore out drills, slowed production and resisted polishing. Only after the turn of the millennium did improved techniques make it broadly viable. Even today, titanium remains slower to work with and far more temperamental than steel. Yet its strength, lightness and…

Time ripples, shatters, and reforms in Hublot’s latest artistic encounter with American multidisciplinary artist Daniel Arsham. Where their previous creation – the transformable MP-16 Arsham Droplet – reimagined the pocket watch as a futuristic artefact, the new MP-17 Meca-10 Arsham Splash Titanium Sapphire captures the very instant of a splash suspended in motion. It transforms water’s ephemeral fluidity into solid form, transparency into architecture, and mechanical precision into sculptural poetry. The global unveiling took place in Singapore on 9 October at the historic Raffles Hotel, where members of the international press gathered that morning to witness the debut of this limited-edition creation. However, the embargo was only lifted at 9.30 pm that evening. The MP-17 marks Arsham’s first wristwatch design for Hublot, a piece that feels less like an instrument…

Franck Muller began as an independent watchmaker specialising in highly complicated repairs and, in 1984, created his own groundbreaking tourbillon wristwatch, a rarity of its era. Over the decades, his eponymous brand has anchored itself as a master of complications, with more than 30 world premieres to its name and garnered a reputation for luxury complications and imaginative design. This year, the Swiss watchmaker unveiled three audacious timepieces that masterfully unite high jewellery with technical innovation. Each model tells a design story of innovative mechanical feats with extraordinary gem-setting, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in modern watchmaking. The Round Triple Mystery As a finalist for this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) Ladies’ Complication category, the Franck Muller Round Triple Mystery is a testament to the brand’s…

With its centenary on the horizon, Louis Erard has been building momentum through creative collaborations and thoughtful reinterpretations which started in 2020 with a collaboration with Vianney Halter. Collectors have been watching with curiosity, waiting to see how the next chapter of this revival would take shape. Introducing The Louis Erard 2340 The answer arrived with the unveiling of the 2340 collection, an important shift in direction and Louis Erard’s first true venture into the integrated-bracelet sports-chic category. Its name, drawn from the postal code of Le Noirmont, anchors the watch in its Jura origins, even as the design looks decidedly outward and forward. The collection is centred around a 40mm cushion-shaped case, crafted from a mix of satin-finished titanium and polished stainless steel. This combination gives the watch a…

We share our planet with wild animals, respecting and preserving them is important to maintaining our ecosystem. The animal kingdom plays a vital role when it comes to sustaining the balance of the environments that provide humans with clean air, water, food, and a liveable climate. Wildlife contributes to processes such as pollination, soil fertility, nutrient cycling, and natural pest control, all of which support agriculture and food security. Protecting animals in the wild by safeguarding their habitats and preventing overexploitation is a fundamental principle embraced by the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. One notable example of this initiative is the Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area (ORKCA), a rewilding and landscape restoration project located in southern Namibia’s Orange River-Karoo region. The initiative aims to restore wildlife and ecological functions to a desert…

Long before the rise of Napoleon, Versailles served as Europe’s most powerful cultural stage. Among its most storied celebrations was the masquerade known as Le Secret du Bal des Ifs, held during the festivities surrounding the marriage of the Dauphin Louis, son of King Louis XV, to the Spanish Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela. The ball drew many of the era’s most influential figures, all ushered into the Hall of Mirrors for a night that quickly became the yardstick by which other court gatherings were measured. It was a spectacle crafted to project political influence as much as opulence, leaving an imprint so enduring that it remains embedded in European lore. Montblanc’s vision for this commemorative piece centres on that moment. The aim is not merely decorative; it is narrative. The…

The success of the first Maurice Lacroix × WOTTO release in 2023 made a sequel almost inevitable. That initial model introduced a new kind of energy to the Aikon line, blending the brand’s urban-sport identity with Craig Watkins’s unmistakable visual density. WOTTO, the professional name of the British-born, US-based illustrator, has long been known for tightly packed clusters of expressive cartoon figures that seem to spill over one another yet never feel chaotic. Since the mid-2000s, his style has appeared on everything from Crocs and Converse to Disney and Billabong collaborations, including Disney products tied to Star Wars themes. Nothing in his work repeats, and nothing feels accidental. His characters coexist in a shared space, each one contributing a sliver of story to a larger, tightly woven scene. Monochrome Mischief…

Urwerk’s UR-10 SpaceMeter is a deft act of misdirection. On paper, it reads like the brand’s most conventional creation – no wandering satellites or futuristic geometries, just a round dial, central hands, and three sub-dials reminiscent of a chronograph or regulator. Yet that very normalcy is the true subversion. By adopting the classical codes of watch design, Urwerk conceals a far more conceptual purpose: this is no ordinary timepiece, but a philosophical instrument. Beneath its composed façade lies a watch that transforms the measurement of time into a meditation on Earth’s perpetual journey through space. Each of the three sub-dials serves a celestial function. At 2 o’clock, the “EARTH” counter registers every 10km of the planet’s daily rotation, in 500m increments. The “SUN” dial at 4 o’clock measures every 1,000km…

In watchmaking, light is not traditionally treated as a functional element in the way power, torque, or friction are. And yet, when precious stones enter the equation, light becomes something that must be understood, channelled, and controlled with the same rigour as any mechanical force. Where Stones Give Form to Time Only a handful of watchmakers can claim to carry out gem-setting in-house – fewer still can lay claim to a patented technique of their own. Patek Philippe is one of them. At this independent, family-owned Genevan manufacture, the discipline is not approached as decorative surface work, but as a craft shaped by the same constraints that govern watchmaking itself: structural integrity, long-term durability, ergonomic comfort, and microscopic tolerances. It is here, where haute joaillerie meets horology, that the Manufacture’s…

CALIBRE GP4800 To mark 50 years of the Laureato, Girard-Perregaux has introduced a movement that looks firmly forward. The new Calibre GP4800 makes its debut in the Laureato Fifty and is clearly conceived as a long-term platform rather than a one-off anniversary gesture. Slim and well-proportioned at 25.6mm in diameter and just 4.28mm thick, the GP4800 is defined by clarity and restraint. Its architecture favours efficiency and adaptability over visual theatrics, aligning neatly with the Laureato’s understated, sporty-luxury ethos. Technically, the movement brings several modern upgrades. A silicon escapement improves efficiency while offering resistance to magnetism. Regulation is handled by a variable-inertia balance for precise adjustment without altering the hairspring. The balance assembly incorporates a shock-absorbing system, and ceramic ball bearings help reduce friction and operating noise.…