Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i Robb Report Singapore

THIS YEAR'S SPECIAL Thought Leaders issue represents our annual tribute – now in its fourth year – recognising personalities in Singapore across a broad swathe of industries. Each of them was selected to recognise their creativity, vision, perseverance and, most of all, leadership in forging their own path. In the pages ahead, we tell stories of triumph in adversity where Thought Leaders like Ben Jones of Mandala Group saw his business of hospitality and F&B grow during the pandemic through a canny combination of risk-taking and being nimble. With others, we learn that it is not altogether bad to be an introvert, as is the case of The Great Room's Jaelle Ang – purveyor of some of the country's most stylish co-working spaces who has tools, frameworks and spreadsheets “for…

ENZO FERRARI ONCE stated: “I believe most things can be said in a few lines.” He could have been referring to the sweeping curves of the Daytona SP3, the newest addition to the marque's ultra-exclusive, invite-only Icona series. The 828hp coupe gives modern contour to both a 75-year legacy and one of racing's great revenge stories, all in the nose-thumbing, iconoclastic style for which Ferrari is famous. Limited to 599 examples priced at US$2.2 million each, the Daytona SP3 is a homage to the Italian automaker's sports prototypes of the 1960s, most notably the Ferrari 330 P3/P4, 350 CanAm and 512 S. Its name derives from the 1967 24 Hours of Daytona, where Ferrari turned the tables on Ford after being humiliated by the Detroit automaker the year before at…

A CENTURY AGO, a group of publishing magnates sponsored the Pulitzer Trophy Race, a 51km closed-course competition designed to headline the National Air Races series and highlight the rapidly developing technology of flight (not to mention sell newspapers). Today, the National Aeronautic Association, the oldest non-profit aviation group in the US, plans to resurrect the contest as a four-day cross-country endurance race for a range of crewed electric-propulsion aircraft; at the same time, across the pond, a trio of air-racing organisations are aiming to get their own competitive e-circuits off the ground. The age of electric air racing, it seems, has finally arrived – well, almost. Airborne electric-propulsion technologies have evolved swiftly in recent years, as evidenced by the emergence of several dozen electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft…

WITH ITS PREDISPOSITION to the art of fusion, Hublot is a reliable source of coloured executions, especially when it involves exotic materials such as sapphire and ceramic. This time, it is the latter, with four new limited editions of the Big Bang Integrated Ceramic (CHF22,900) hitting the market – 250 pieces each in indigo blue, sky blue, beige and green. These colours were inspired by various far-flung places: the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech for indigo blue, for example, and sparkling seas, deserts and tropical jungles for the rest. The Big Bang Integrated was released in 2020 as the Big Bang Integral – the collection's name was tweaked to make it more literal – as a response to the demand for sporty, bracelet watches. It has since flourished into a wide-ranging…

NO MATTERHOW lauded and glorified by the beholder, enduring beauty has always been more than a matter of skindeep – an enfolding, palpable warmth, radiating deep from the inside out. Yet one need only conduct a cursory sweep of the local hair and scalp care sector – a relatively incipient segment of the beauty industry at large – and it quickly becomes apparent that the fundamental subject of beauty – the individual – has been sorely neglected. “While exploring the options for hair and scalp care in Singapore, I realised that there was a shortfall in the standard of services offered; seeing as most businesses operate in salon-style set-ups, with only one or two private rooms catering to VIP guests,” states Selina Ong, co-founder of luxury hair and scalp care…

The Resource | TRAVEL THE AMAN GROUP has always been ahead of the curve. This is probably because, in a sense, it didn't subscribe to the existing one and set out to create a curve of its own. This will always be a bold move in the hospitality industry which, for quite a while now, has not necessarily been set in its ways, but has invariably signed up to a seemingly accepted and pre-defined set of parameters. There are common denominators – there always are – and the majority have to be met, implicitly. Good accommodation, decent service, the availability of good food and an overall worthwhile ethic which guests feel comfortable being a part of. While not eschewing some of these common denominators – there's a clue in the…

The Resource | SAVOUR A STORY OF origins unfolds at Flour in Kuala Lumpur this season as chef Yogesh Upadhyay marries an introspection of his motherland and rigorous attention to provenance. The northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, where the chef's parents still live, translates to ‘land of kings’ and is renowned for its rich culture, royal tradition and legacy in gemstones. This influence is evident throughout the menu, from its design, evocative of grand gem-studded Rajasthani doors, to its spirit. Diners who surrender themselves to the unknown are led on a most unusual journey through the drylands of sixth-century Rajasthan. Before the arrival of irrigation, when the arid climate denied the people lush vegetation, they turned to fruit bushes, root vegetables, game and livestock for sustenance. Where sweetness, savouriness and…

The Macallan and Bentley Motors are driving innovation in an evocative collaboration called The Macallan Horizon. A first in the world of whiskies, The Macallan Horizon presents a remarkable vision by both brands, distilled into the bottle of a limited-edition single malt whisky. This project exemplifies the brands’ masterful craftsmanship in the exclusive horizontal bottle design with a 180-degree twist and no standing base – defying the traditional vertical aesthetic of a liquor bottle. A bold testament to its mastery of time and space, The Macallan is once again propelling itself to the forefront of the whisky industry and reinventing the wheel with Bentley Motors. The Macallan Horizon is slated to launch in summer 2023.…

IN THE WEE hours of a balmy summer night in Molsheim, France, I view Jupiter glowing high in the evening sky from the grounds of Chateau St Jean, which has anchored these roughly 6.9 hectares for the past 165 years. I'm staying overnight in the shadow of this storybook residence, purchased in 1928 by Ettore Bugatti, founder of the renowned French automaker. In the modern era, such a stay has never been available to anyone save the staff who guard the estate an opportunity so rare, so tightly controlled, it requires leaving my passport at the security gate. Welcome to the Bugatti bubble. The brand's headquarters weren't always offlimits: Ettore was known to host clients before they took delivery of their vehicles. Guests could also stay at Bugatti's nearby Pur…

WHILE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE to stuff Carnegie Hall into a living room, a good stereo system is like opening a window to a convincing sonic landscape that stirs the listener's soul. But creating an accurate simulacrum of live music in one's home is an elusive task, with as many opinions as to what constitutes great sound as there are audio components designed to achieve it. And though expansive space and budget can further that aim, neither is a guarantee of success without first knowing what success actually sounds like. Some audiophiles insist that without a 10-octave frequency response, from the 16Hz of a 10m organ pipe to ultrasonic frequencies audible only to bats, any reproduction is left wanting in terms of accuracy. Perhaps – but then why, if the full-scale force…

Jacob & Co Astronomia Solar Bitcoin Jacob & Co is perhaps the only high horology brand that has embraced the cryptocurrency boom with such gusto. Bitcoin may have lost a bit of its lustre, but the Astronomia remains an arresting timepiece: a 44mm case, here in black DLC-coated titanium, with imperiously large lugs and a dramatically domed sapphire providing an unobstructed view of the ambitious mechanics within. The movement is modified from the Astronomia Solar, with a baseplate adorned with a pattern that resembles circuitry, and on the revolving circumference are the buzzwords of the crypto space. Above it is a three-pronged carousel: one arm supports a flying tourbillon, one holds the time indicator and one a rotating Bitcoin logo. Above these, a final layer of movement and flash: also…

The Resource | TRAVEL It's a clear, breezy morning and I'm on a yacht cruising the azure waters of South Ari Atoll – one of the rare places in the world where the majestic, yet elusive whale shark can be spotted year-round. Suddenly, the captain points ahead and the boat surges forward. In the near distance, I glimpse dorsal fins peeking out from beneath the blue. It's a pod of spinner dolphins, fast on the move. Before I know it, the dolphins have encircled us, gliding near enough that I can reach out to touch them. One leaps out of the water, followed by another; each performing a seamless spin midair – an emphatic flourish. Then as if on cue, the pod vanishes and the magic subsides just as quickly…

MANY HAVE TRIED giving a fresh twist to a country's culinary classics, but few have accomplished the task quite as successfully as Whitegrass. The restaurant, situated near the drop-off at Chijmes, reminds you what a happy marriage ought to be, with Japanese ingredients and classical French techniques carried off with wit and expertise. It delights and keeps its guests coming back for more, and not because either cuisine is what most people would deem worthy of fine dining. It is simple, honest cooking, set within a friendly atmosphere. Credit goes to Takuya Yamashita, whose relentless pursuit of culinary perfection harks back to his time at Ciel et Sol in Tokyo and Les Enfants Rouges in Paris. He's the chef who took over the reins in 2019, and shortly after, led…

Objectified Giorgetti's long history of adopting traditional woodworking techniques has made it synonymous with the finest craftsmanship. It's also true that the luxury furniture maker relishes its ability to wield the latest technology for constant innovation and quality offerings. This is epitomised in the brand's Flamingo Table and Annette Chair, a gaming table set that recalls the bourgeois charm of Las Vegas, but with a domestic spin. Inspired by professional poker tables, Flamingo flaunts a leather upholstered base which comes in five colours ranging from light grey to teal, foregrounding a spacious smoked glass top with ergonomic ashwood edges, each with a drawer tucked beneath. A tribute to poker star Annette Obrestad, the accompanying Annette Chair's soft, plush form and precisely fashioned curvature embrace the body for an ultra-comfortable experience.…

Porsche 911 Sally Special Auctioned by RM Sotheby's in Monterey for US$3.6 million Adding a frisson of excitement to a packed bidding hall, the final winning offer from a telephone bidder broke the record for a new Porsche sold at auction. In this case, it was for the Porsche 911 Sally Special – a one-of-one, street-legal car inspired by Sally Carrera, the famous car from Disney and Pixar's animated film Cars. Based on the powerful 911 Carrera GTS, the vehicle was finished in Sally Blue Metallic over a Chalk leather interior, is powered by a 473hp twin-turbo flat-six engine, and is backed by a seven-speed manual transmission. Tierfabel by Walter Spies Auctioned by Sotheby's in Singapore for S$4 million As a gleaming highlight of Sotheby's first Modern and Contemporary Art…

AS A NEXUS of luxury yachting, the Monaco Yacht Club is no stranger to exclusivity. And yet, once a year, another gear is somehow found in this regard as the Ferretti Group reserves the entire locale to showcase its stable of brands in a harbour-filling display of extravagant shipbuilding. From the classic elegance of Riva, through sporty Pershing, high-tech Wally, classic Ferretti Yachts and the bespoke stylings of Custom Line, there is something here for everybody – at least, if they are in the market for a yacht. All this, beneath the summer sun of Cote d'Azure as the Mediterranean stretches out and keeps its promise. It is a social gathering too as the Group's customers sail in from all around the world. “You give the opportunity to your clients…

HONG KONG'S VICTORIA HARBOUR is a stunning sight in the evening, especially when the city's famed skyline is viewed from a large wooden tourist junk under three blood-red sails. But for years, yacht owners wanting to cruise the city's harbour – and its 263 outlying islands - have been held at arm's length. Bureaucratic red tape and a lack of infrastructure to accommodate private boats have kept Hong Kong, which boasts one of Asia's most exciting waterfronts, stuck in yachting's doldrums. That changed in 2020, during the height of the pandemic, when Lantau Yacht Club became the first new marina to open in the city in more than a decade. Nearly 150 typhoon-proof wet berths, some able to accommodate vessels up to 328ft, transformed the city into a superyacht hotspot…

The Goods | TIME FLORALS IN TIMEPIECES are usually there for aesthetic reasons – and why not, since they're gorgeous – but in Franck Muller's Vanguard Rose Skeleton, there is much more to the inimitable rose than its ambrosial beauty. Blossoming verdantly within the signature tonneau-shaped case of the Vanguard, roses of all sizes and colours dazzle the eye. Like a picturesque vista of a rose bush – or indeed, a canvas painting of roses in full bloom. In a harmonious overlapping of technical expertise meets romantic elegance, these florals are very much integral to the watch's immaculately skeletonised movement. Hollowed out to the farthest extremes while remaining robust and chronometrically precise, the manual-winding calibre MVT FM 1540-VS17 is testament to the virtuosic skeletonisation savoir faire at Franck Muller. For…

AMBER PARK SINGAPORE Located 72m above sea level, the recreational deck that connects Amber Park's three 21-storey towers certainly deserves its name. Called The Stratosphere, this distinctive feature has an area of 3,020sqm and provides a 600m jogging track, a first for a condominium in Singapore. Residents can also enjoy The Stratosphere's yoga deck, gym, spa pool, gourmet dining, lounge, water features and landscaped garden. Developed by Aquarius Properties, a joint venture by City Developments Limited and Hong Realty, Amber Park houses 592 apartments. Unit sizes range from 463 sq ft for a onebedroom plus study to 5,005 sq ft for the six-bedroom plus study penthouse. The freehold condominium has a strategic location in the exclusive Amber Road enclave and was designed by SCDA Architects’ award-winning principal architect, Chan Soo…

MANY SERIOUS WINE collectors focus their attention solely on reds, which is a shame. Not only are there many white styles that deserve praise equal to that currently lavished on first-growth Bordeaux, riserva Barolo and Napa Valley Cabernet, but, like its deeper-hued counterpart, white wine has been coveted for millennia, with residue of the liquid detected inside amphorae stashed within the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs – proof positive of the esteem bestowed upon the paler fruit of the vine. And it's not just an easy-drinking libation for a hot afternoon; when stored properly, the finest whites age beautifully. Indeed, many collectors who claim to enjoy only reds will, when pressed, admit to having laid down a few bottles of white burgundy or Grand Cru Alsace Riesling. But, more than an…