New watches for the picking

Chanel: Premiere Sound Watch

Current fashion says earbuds are cool, and trendsetter Chanel, which is also a watchmaker, has been quick to seize on the popularity of earpieces and pair them with timepieces.

The result is the Premiere Sound Watch, which has a bracelet that doubles as a necklace that connects in a click to a smartphone, or any audio device. Fitted with a microphone, the headphones also have a remote control for volume, audio and video playback as well as phone calls. 

The watch is an improved version of the Premiere Edition Originale and retains the octagonal case of the first watch, which was introduced in 1987. Framing a black-lacquered dial, the Premiere Sound’s case is steel-coated with 18K yellow gold. The timepiece is powered by a high-precision quartz movement.

While the shape of the Premiere Sound’s case was inspired by the bottle of Chanel’s perennial bestseller No 5 perfume, its flexible bracelet is a nod to the chain shoulder strap of the French fashion house’s iconic bag.

Created with state-of-the-art sound technology, the earbuds are designed for high-quality audio production and equipped with passive sound insulators that cancel external noise interference. The removable steel-wired earset, in black and yellow gold, is fitted with sapphire glass and silicon tips.

Price: S$21,450

Hermes: Slim d’Hermes Pocket Mysterious Rider

While pocket timepieces may not be as handy as wristwatches, they are arguably a better expression of art and beauty. The Slim d’Hermes Pocket Mysterious Rider watch brings together a 45-mm-wide pristine white gold case and a delicate, slimmer dial and cover.

Crafted in a three-piece limited edition, the timepiece is a reinterpretation of the Mysterious Rider silk scarf motif created by illustrator and designer Viktor Hachmang, a finalist in the marque’s international scarf design competition, the Grand Prix du Carre Hermes.

The Dutch artist specialises in combining colourful, futuristic graphics with refined Japanese art and comic book pop culture. His bright hues and geometric designs make the mysterious rider on a gleaming motorbike come alive against a shopfront that recalls the legendary and historic 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris.

SEE ALSO

New Louis Vuitton watches capture the spirit of travel

The colourful biker and his roaring motorcycle on the watch’s cover are crafted in champleve enamel – a demanding technique that requires carving tiny cells in the metal, filling them with coloured glass powders mixed with natural oils, then firing them several times in a kiln at very high temperatures to fix the pigments in place.

The cover frames a refined white enamel dial, which is created by applying a multitude of enamel layers successively dried and fired, before being decorated with hand-painted red numerals and hour markers.

The Slim d’Hermes Pocket Mysterious Rider runs on an ultra-thin mechanical self-winding movement. It comes with a strap and pouch in matt alligator leather, crafted with the same expertise used for Hermes’ famed saddlery and leather goods.

Price: S$233,000

H Moser & Cie: Pioneer Perpetual Calendar Concept MD Purple Enamel

Moser’s famously simple-to-operate perpetual calendar has come to celebrate Sincere Fine Watches’ 70th anniversary in a mesmerising purple enamel dial encased, appropriately, in platinum.

Started in 1954, Sincere is a local watch retailer which champions independent watch brands such as Moser. Only 20 pieces of this purple edition of the complication, which requires virtually no adjustment in telling the time as well as the date and month, are produced for Sincere’s platinum jubilee.

The captivating Pioneer Perpetual Calendar Concept MD Purple Enamel, equipped with a hand-wound movement with a seven-day power reserve, is also a first for Moser’s Pioneer collection, showcasing a “grand feu” enamel dial in purple hues – a testament to the labour and craftsmanship involved.

Price: S$130,000