Singapore, Beijing For Your Wrist

The year began with the introduction of the Vacheron Constantin’s Métiers d’Art Villes Lumières Beijing Edition and now we have the Louis Moinet Singapore Edition watch which was launched recently. Hiren Kumar Bose on the two wonderful watches

Louis Moinet Singapore Edition

Two different continents and cultures were merged in the Louis Moinet Singapore Edition watch, a mechanical timepiece combining Swiss precision with Singaporean soul. The limited edition watches, 19 in gold cases and 65 in stainless steel cases, is endowed with decorative elements which constitute references to the past and to symbols of Singapore, The Lion City. The first one is of the Singapore skyline with its most characteristic buildings, such as Marina Bay Sands Hotel, Gardens By The Bay, Art Science Museum and the Singapore Flyer. This artistic portrayal of local architecture has been engraved in the bottom part of the dial and shows the vitality and creativity of contemporary Singapore. Over the skyline, you could find the moon facing the five small stars, which is a reference to the flag of Singapore. In addition, the dial is partly open, allowing one to observe each and every beat of the calibre. This also shows the passing of time and powerfully represents and allows us to reflect on each second of Singapore’s independence. Moreover, the rotor of the watch is decorated with a concentric version of the Clou de Paris pattern. Available in original Louis Moinet stainless steel and 18-ct rose gold Neo cases, the timepiece is powered by the LM45 automatic movement, designed and manufactured in-house. The frequency of the balance is 28,800 vph (4Hz) and the movement contains 22 jewels. This 84-piece unique watch, a tribute to Singapore history, has been created by Louis Moinet, in cooperation with Wealth Solutions Singapore— a local branch of the Polish company specialising in delivery and creation of unique collector items, and The Singapore Watch Club — the most important association of timepiece aficionados in Singapore.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Villes Lumières Beijing Edition

With Beijing Vacheron Constantin adds to its fourth reference to the ‘city light’ collection, the earlier ones were dedicated to Paris, Geneva and New York. Creating a bird’s eye view of some of the world’s most famous cities by night and then recreates this image in miniature form on the dial of a watch, that’s what the Collection is about. The Manufacture has exercised its creative license to highlight particularly important monuments and landmarks of the Imperial City, such as the Meridian Gate, the Gate of Heavenly Peace and Tiananmen Square, which are all framed in gold. Conversely, the Forbidden City, at the centre of the dial has been purposefully subdued, giving it an added air of mystery. The surrounding streets meanwhile feature smatterings of light, giving the impression of a city that is constantly illumined. With a breath-taking dial which outlines the shapes of the streets, gardens and stretches of water, the successive layers of translucent coloured enamels and the use of precious powders namely of gold, diamond and platinum creates a stunning chiaroscuro effect. Each of the powder specks chosen according to its size and its shimmer, then worked on from several angles and with various types of light, to ensure enhanced radiance and realism. Taking more than 3 months to hand-craft, its mechanical self-winding Calibre 2460 SC is visible through a sapphire caseback. The first thing to catch your eye is the 22-ct gold oscillating weight, which features a finely executed decoration inspired by the Maltese cross, the Vacheron Constantin signature emblem. As a final mark of quality, all timepieces in the Métiers d’Art Villes Lumières collection are certified by the Hallmark of Geneva, a testament to their precision and reliability. Presented in an 18-ct white gold case measuring 40mm in diameter and 8.9mm thick, the Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Villes Lumières Beijing Edition is a remarkable work of art. As a final touch, the name of the city, in this case, Beijing, is engraved on the caseback.