Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Robb Report Singapore

“HEY, DO YOU remember that time we went away to…” When a conversation starts this way, I know it’s going to be good. Of course, we remember the place. And those moments. And all the lovely folks we met along the way and felt a connection with, despite coming from a land and culture vastly different from theirs. For many, reminiscing about travel experiences ranks right up there with the most pleasurable of daydreams. And why not? Especially when these slivers of respite punctuate the rigours of daily life so inadequately and, for far often, too briefly. On a recent trip to the Maldives to review two of its most splendid resorts (yeah it’s tough, this magazine business), one of the first things I was asked to do was to…

Objectified Amplification. In both its essence and the most abstract terms, what Maserati brings to the table is an impeccably realised augmentation of not merely what a sports car is, but also a bold vision of what it can be. With this in mind, the House of the Trident unveils its latest and last V8-powered gran tourer, the Levante V8 Ultima. At its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the model showed itself to be a beyond-worthy chapter for the peerless legacy of the V8 engine to be closed on. Being one of the two final Maserati models to feature the 572hp twin-turbo V8 engine, the Levante turned heads with its formidable purr. Proving that you can have both elegance and awe-inspiring speed, this SUV matches the firepower of…

NEW YORK-BASED ARTIST Daniel Arsham gets a thrill from decay—the inevitable decline of ordinary objects. His works consist of eroded casts of human figures or cameras, radios, guitars or teddy bears. He calls them future relics or fossilised artefacts. Inevitably, his creativity has made Arsham, 42, a hot commodity. A recent collaboration with Hublot, called Light & Time, resulted in a 20m sundial made entirely of ice and snow that was installed (with the help of a team of professional snowmakers) at the top of a ski slope in Zermatt. Closer to home, he created a series of art pieces—including a full-body sculpture of Singapore’s late prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew—for Now Is Not The Time, an exhibition in September that commemorated the centenary of Lee’s birth. His career, though,…

THE TRAVEL ISSUE To celebrate her 25th birthday in December, Natalie Belden decided a trip to Paris with her boyfriend was the only way to go. But after booking the voyage, the Washington, DC–based pharmaceutical sales representative happened to check tickets for the Venice SimplonOrient-Express (VSOE)—a luxury train service on her travel bucket list. “Somehow there was an opening for the day after my birthday, for two people,” she says. “It was a one-night from Vienna to Paris. We weren’t even planning on going to Vienna.” But she rearranged her itinerary anyway. “That’s how badly I needed to go on this trip. I have been wanting to go on this train for years and years and years.” What’s so special about this particular locomotive? “It’s the lure of being in…

WHEN ARCHITECT GEOFF HULL first stepped onto this old government office site on London’s Whitehall eight years ago, he found it in a hazardous state. He stumbled on everything from waterlogged basement flooring to air-conditioning ducts artlessly rigged down the centre of corridors, an ad hoc solution that had defaulted to permanent. The stringent historic protectionism he was tasked to work within, known in the UK as listing, had seemingly not been applied to the Old War Office (OWO), a landmarked Edwardian-era building commissioned in 1898 and, famously, Winston Churchill’s office during World War II. “I could see the grandeur, the importance, but it was disappointing—shocking, even—what the government had done to the building,” says Hull, a director at EPR Architects. Now, that career-capping challenge is about to be unveiled:…

FANCY UNCOMPROMISING, TOPNOTCH business efficiency on your travels? Imagine jetting off from Asia to Europe for your meetings, arriving in just under 10 hours. Or maximising your workflow—or power naps, perhaps—while cloistered in comforting sophistication. Gulfstream is glad to be of service. Not just that, the game-changing American aircraft company is also offering you choices. Would it be onboard its new flagship Gulfstream G700, which boasts the most spacious cabin in the industry? Or the Gulfstream G800, its longest-range aircraft that takes you from Singapore to California with distance to spare? The Gulfstream I made its first flight in 1958, and today there are more than 3,000 in service around the world. It is a feat that is topped only by a track record for pushing the envelope on performance,…

LUXURY WATCHES WITH lab-grown diamonds as a norm? It is happening sooner than you think. When TAG Heuer introduced the Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon last year, set with the said stones and priced at S$510,000, eyebrows were raised over the audacity of such a creation. But as the saying goes, the customer is always right. At least three pieces of the Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon have already been sold. And what purportedly started as an experiment for TAG Heuer looks like it is gaining traction among its intrepid collectors. Following last year’s introduction, TAG Heuer has unveiled two new creations for 2023: a more extravagant Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon priced at S$720,000, and a ladies’ model featuring pink coloured stones priced at S$130,000. Both…

Mixology Salon Asian tea in a cocktail might sound uncool or unusual, but give oolong or hojicha a whirl and you will see. More than just a flavouring agent, tea can lend layers of complexity to a cocktail in a way no other ingredient can, and to delicious effect. Not that we are talking about the bottled green tea we added to cheap whisky back in the day, no. Unlocking tea’s potential as a bartender’s versatile ingredient is Mixology Salon, a celebrated cocktail destination from Tokyo. Founded by Shuzo Magumo, a master in ‘tea-tails’, this tiny bar from Ginza now calls Singapore home, too. Tucked inside a quiet corner of InterContinental Robertson Quay, the bar is overseen by Magumo’s protege Kaoru Takii, who ensures that tea shines bright in every…

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS of last year’s inaugural Robb Report Golf Masters, this year’s edition saw a return to Laguna National Golf Resort Club, where our golfers had the opportunity to refine their strokes at the 18-hole championship Masters Course. A grand total of 112 golfers were distributed across 28 flights, their hearts set on a series of swoon-worthy hole-in-one prizes, including an IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 42 (worth S$37,800), a Hästens Maranga bed (worth S$34,780), a Ciclotte Teckell crystal exercise bike from Cycling Bears (worth S$26,885) and a S$100,000 cash prize. During the course of the game, custom cocktails courtesy of House of Suntory and Roku Gin were provided at the halfway house whenever any golfer needed to refuel. Following the day out on the course, an eight-course dinner…

OBJECTIFIED Timekeeping is what makes a race truly a race, and Montblanc is yet again proving itself to be inextricable from the cosmos of the track. Following the release of the Star Legacy Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph in 43mm cases last year, Montblanc has rolled out two more contemporary updates: one in steel with blue dial, and another in DLC-coated steel in anthracite dial, which is limited to 500 pieces. Sporting the collection’s distinctive chronograph dial layout inspired by Nicolas Rieussec’s epochal inkwritten timing device from 1821, the watches are equipped with a monopusher chronograph and second time zone. Though endowed with a more refined silhouette and design for a contemporary touch, the watches exhibit their links to the past with decorative Clous de Paris guilloche work on the dial, and…

THE TRAVEL ISSUE They call them Aldo's Fish. The brightly coloured, distinctly mid-century patterns on the plates at Villa Bologna Pottery in Malta were designed by Aldo Cremona, who worked there for more than 70 years. Born deaf to a poor family, he had limited schooling and never learnt to speak, communicating instead through his vibrant artwork. The facility’s signature scroll design was his handiwork, too, as were a series of water jugs, jauntily daubed with splotches of paint to resemble women. “They were supposed to be saluting admirals, but Aldo didn’t like painting men, so he made them ladies instead,” says the pottery’s owner, Sophie Edwards. Cremona died last year, but there’s still a shelf full of those jugs in the workshop acting as templates for the designs. A…

THE TRAVEL ISSUE OF THE MANY things InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is worthy of applause for, chief among them is its self-awareness. In an official release, it describes itself as a paradise. This is not self-praise. The resort and the scale and sweep of its proffered experiences, services and amenities are a paradisiacal world ready to embrace a traveller seeking refuge from the city. As I cross the threshold into its embracing lobby, it dawns on me that the best way to savour the resort is to lean into its isolation from noise and to thrust myself into its quiet but teeming expanse. Panoramas, Everywhere Simply put, InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort has won the lottery of geography. The most compelling natural feature of the 39-hectare property is its…

Dream Machines | WHEELS Denmark is not the friendliest nation to the car enthusiast. The highway that leads you away from Billund Airport toward the small city of Vejle runs through vast fields of piercingly bright, sharp-yellow rapeseed flowers broken only by occasional wooden farm buildings painted in the distinctive, flat red so redolent of southern Scandinavia. The road is pan-flat, arrowstraight, perfectly surfaced and largely empty, but if you’re tempted to indulge in a harmless burst of acceleration, remember that Denmark’s relatively low speed limits are ruthlessly enforced. If you’re caught doing twice the maximum, or over 200km/h, or if your driving is considered reckless, your car can be confiscated and sold, the loss made all the more galling by the fact that, if you’re a Danish resident, you’ll…

Special Feature THE SKIES BECKON with new horizons to explore, people to meet and deals to make. The question, though, is how are you jetting to your destinations with maximum comfort and minimum fuss, and at a level of extravagance that you are well-accustomed to? Private air travel is the undisputed choice for discerning travellers who desire to be unencumbered by the constraints of commercial aviation. As the world gears up for global travel, there is nothing more intrusive than crowded terminals, busy lounges and spending extended hours with unfamiliar faces on your flight. If you want to fly freely with your loved ones, have your pet with you on a vacation or conduct important discussions away from prying eyes, travelling in a cocoon of privacy is your best option.…

Special Feature CLOSE YOUR EYES and picture a Franck Muller watch. What do you see? A stupendously engineered tourbillon? Or, perhaps an exuberantly coloured and bejewelled watch? Regardless of the type of Franck Muller watch you are thinking of, chances are, it will come distinctively shaped; housed in a case that is curved all over, at the front, as well as at its sides and back. The unmistakable profile is known as Cintrée Curvex and it is a signature silhouette that has dominated Franck Muller’s watches since 1992. French for ‘arched in a curve’, Cintrée Curvex takes the traditional tonneau case shape and endows it with three-dimensional curves so that the watch displays soft lines and contours from all angles. Synonymous with Franck Muller, Cintrée Curvex is also a collection…

FOUNDER H WILLIAM HARLAN had floated the idea to Cory Empting (pictured above) in 2013 to recognise the vocation of vineyard workers who were in touch with the soil and vines. It would be imperative to keep alive their intangible heritage across the generations to realise Harlan’s 200-year plan to establish a California First Growth. By the end of 2015, the programme was in place, and seven years on, the vine masters inhabit the slightly more than one-hectare blocks for which they are responsible. “They always had the curiosity, but now it was so personal they couldn’t not know what happened to that year’s vintage,” Empting says. “This was my hope in the beginning, but I had no idea how quickly it would change. The programme was designed to get…

BASED IN GLASHÜTTE, Germany, A. Lange & Söhne has steadfastly upheld the mantle of fine watchmaking since its inception in 1845, nurturing this legacy with an unparalleled devotion to technical innovation and artistic brilliance. Evoking a timeless trinity of luxury, precision and quality, each creation from its atelier has found its esteemed place within the cherished collections of watch aficionados. During an exclusive event, a group of Robb Report Singapore’s distinguished readers gathered at A. Lange & Söhne’s boutique to immerse themselves in an evening of horological appreciation. Time itself appeared to yield to the spell of the occasion as conversations flowed among the horology enthusiasts and collectors, who expressed their shared appreciation for A. Lange & Söhne’s remarkable timepieces. The new Lange 1 Time Zone was undoubtedly the star…

Obsidian is the first superyacht from Dutch standard-setter Feadship this year. It boasts two head-turning virtues: an expansive 84.2m length and a biofuel hybrid propulsion system, which is poised to nudge the superyacht industry towards greater sustainability. Recent tests have concluded that Obsidian’s generators, which use second-generation biodiesel, are capable of a 90 per cent reduction in carbon emissions as opposed to yachts that operate on fossil fuels. And as energy-efficient as it is, it can also reach a maximum speed of 17 knots and cruise at 12. Matching all that power and thoughtful engineering is sublime luxury. The craft boasts seven staterooms, which can host up to 14 guests, room for a crew of 27, a bow observation lounge with glass floor-toceiling windows, and a swimming pool tucked away…

CALL IT TRAVELLING for Life. In the wake of the pandemic, many of us have come to see travel very differently than we did before. It’s no longer an escape from the routine but rather a respite within it, an element of our everyday. One indication of this trend: just ask any high-end agent about how much more frequent their communiques with clients have become. Tanya Dalton, managing director of Greaves Travel Limited, says that around 30 per cent of her clientele now contact her outside regular office hours, a rarity pre-pandemic. The new ease of working from anywhere has helped put affluent travellers on the road more than ever. Indeed, elite specialist Cookson Adventures now often bundles services such as Starlink for itineraries to hardto-reach sites. The retinues clients…

THE TRAVEL ISSUE WELL, I AM late to the party, okay? After all that has been posted, vlogged, tagged and shared about the Maldives by every beach-loving, social media-reliant acquaintance I know, I finally get my turn. It’s not that there weren’t chances to visit. It is just that the Maldives, for all its cobalt-and-sand tinted renown, didn’t feel as big a draw to me as it should. Not when the legendary beaches of Indonesia’s Nusa Penida or Thailand’s Koh Tao are just a little over two hours away by air from Singapore. So why get on a four-hour flight to Malé (the Maldives’ capital city), followed by a bumpy 50-minute seaplane ride to an island resort in the middle of the Indian Ocean, when our neighbouring beach getaways are…

IMAGINE MY SURPRISE when I discover that the private beachfront resort I am staying in was initially conceived as an art academy. But it is not that the two-hectare property with its 15 villa suites, two 25m infinity pools, and full-sized tennis court previously sat as a school—nor was it designed to be one. Allow me to go back to the beginning of my experience at Àni Sri Lanka for clearer context. A three-hour drive from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport to the southernmost, palm-fringed tip of the country certainly sets the scene for an idyllic coastal retreat. The first encounter upon arrival treats the senses to the views and sounds of powerful waves on the Indian Ocean. Paths wind to the villas, which are split into Classic, Family and Split-Level…

BY THE LOOKS of it, Mercedes-Benz is well on the road to electrification. Embracing a new era of electric mobility, Mercedes-EQ—the German automaker’s electric-vehicle subbrand—launched the flagship EQS in 2021. Following this is the EQE, a more compact sedan that inherits the same EVA2 architecture underpinning the brand’s electric range. Putting the new Mercedes-EQ EQE 350+ AMG Line through its paces, I found that it delivered a silky and effortless ride. Powered by a single motor that puts out 292kW/hp and 565Nm of torque, it reaches 100km/h in 6.4 seconds and hits a top speed of 210km/h. Other than the resulting lean that comes with hustling the accelerator, the one thing you can’t help but notice is the sheer stealth with which it glides. Even in the more aggressive Sport…

HOVERING 10FT OVER the ground, I feel like Aladdin on his flying carpet, save for the fact that I’m clutching two joysticks that control every move and I have the advantage of being generally familiar with non-carpet airborne experiences. My seemingly magic ride is courtesy of the Ryse Recon, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) craft that requires just a 15-minute tutorial that mostly covers how to operate those joysticks—left for altitude, right for speed and direction. Piloting sans pilot’s licence may sound like a bad idea (not to mention illegal), but here I am, gently making forward progress and fluidly moving side to side while strapped into the single seat, which is designed to withstand a crash generating up to 8 Gs. Within no time, all I want…

SPATIA MELIDES MELIDES, PORTUGAL This secluded 170-hectare estate occupies a prime location on Portugal’s beautiful Atlantic coast. Developed by Eurosuez Real Estate, an independent boutique developer based in Portugal, Spatia Melides will have a mix of two- to fivebedroom homes. Residents will enjoy views of woodlands and/or the sea, a private garden with amenities such as a pool, outdoor kitchen and fire pit, and direct access to Pinheirinho beach. Top-of-therange finishes and appliances with natural materials, high ceilings and sliding glass walls will ensure that residents will enjoy the perfect indoor-outdoor lifestyle. The development will also have an array of recreational and wellness facilities for residents. These include restaurants, a spa and events venues. In addition, residents will be pampered by the services that are usually offered by luxury hotels,…

FOLLOWING THE DEBUT of The Macallan Experience in October 2020, it was only a matter of time before we saw Raffles Hotel Singapore welcome the exceptional single malt Scotch whisky with its own official turf. From an exclusive immersive exhibition to 279sqm of retail space that showcases the best of art, nature and whisky craftsmanship, The Macallan House Singapore delivers nothing short of a multisensory journey. Designed by acclaimed architect Jamie Fobert, who is known for his work on the historic Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice, the space expresses the brand’s essence through contemporary interiors. Sights and senses are teased with the four distinct microclimates of The Macallan Estate in Scotland: the barley field, the River Spey, the woodland and Easter Elchies House. The design codes also pay tribute to…