The grey dial of IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks” references the colour of the species it was named after
New watches are often called novelties and the origin of this is from the French word “nouveauté” [this is disputed but not disproved – Editor] but translated as “novelty” due to the linguistic quirks peculiar to the watchmaking trade. Sometimes, new watches fit the novelty bill to a tee, as in the case of the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks”. Surely, offering a watch as part of a package with a book, all presented in a bite-proof metal shark cage, must count as novel!
Called Sharks, the book in question is by American photographer Michael Muller and it is one of those heavy-duty Taschen affairs. This limited-edition collector’s item comes with the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks”, and is a boutique exclusive for IWC. So don’t go looking for it in Kinokuniya, folks.
Obviously, the Chronograph Edition “Sharks” is the same Aquatimer we looked at a couple of years ago, with some tweaks. The watch is limited to 500 pieces and features a hammerhead shark engraving on the solid case back. We’ll revisit some of the other details in a bit. First, more about the photographer, his project, and why IWC was interested.
If the name Michael Muller sounds familiar, but you aren’t a devoted follower of the National Geographic Channel (NGC), don’t fret. Actually, his work was featured on the Travel Channel, not NGC. Banter aside, Muller photographs celebrities and works on advertising campaigns. You’ve probably seen his work and not even guessed it. Happily, he’s not just Insta-famous…
Anyway, sharks are Muller’s particular passion and he travelled the world documenting shark species for this book. IWC describes his work here as having “an unprecedented degree of technical perfection”, which probably explains why the Schaffhausen-based watchmaker was drawn to him.
Hammerhead sharks are featured on the back case of the IWC Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks”
Muller’s work in “Sharks” illustrates the plight of the fish species, of which an estimated 100 million are caught and killed every year. This unbelievably large-scale slaughter drew IWC to the project. Raising awareness is the name of the game here, so we’re happy to play our part too.
“Protecting endangered species is one of the key themes in IWC’s commitment to environmental issues. That is why, since 2009, we have also been working intensively with the Charles Darwin Foundation as it campaigns for various causes such as the preservation of the shark populations in the Galapagos Marine Reserve,” explains Georges Kern, CEO of IWC.
So, what is different about the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks” then? Aside from the engraving on the case back, the grey dial is meant to evoke the distinctive colouring of many shark species. In terms of hands, hour markers, numerals, functions, and movement, this edition is the same as the standard Aquatimer Chronograph.
It is also worth noting that the edition of Muller’s “Sharks”, which comes with the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks”, is signed by the photographer.
Specifications
Movement Self-winding Calibre 89365 with flyback chronograph Power Reserve 68-hours Case 44 millimetres in stainless steel Water Resistance Up to 300 metres Strap Black rubber with stainless steel pin buckle Price S$17,400
Chef Daniel Humm of Eleven Madison Park restaurant
It is a tough job, having to scour the world and pick out the best restaurant out there. This we say without a hint of sarcasm. Thankfully there are those who rise to the occasion and present us with the World’s 50 Best Restaurant — around 1,000 international leaders in the restaurant community to be exact. While the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy only unveiled the list last night, they did send a few teasers our way in the lead up to the awards ceremony in Melbourne.
Held at the historic Royal Exhibition Building, the award ceremony saw Eleven Madison Park in New York, clinch the coveted spot. The restaurant first made its debut on the list back in 2010 and has since risen to the top by winning The World’s Best Restaurant and The Best Restaurant in North America for the latest edition. Owned by Will Guidara and Swiss-born chef Daniel Humm, the fine-dining restaurant is housed in an art deco building that has a view of Madison Park. The seasonal tasting menu is one that features multiple courses that help narrate the history of the city.
Other restaurants that joined the international list include nine new entries, of which three of them are re-entries that have managed to climb back on track. Asia had a stronger presence in the list, with seven restaurants from the continent earning a spot in the top 50. Japan and Thailand, which included Gaggan in Bangkok that clinched the seventh spot as well as the title of The Best Restaurant in Asia. Representing Singapore, was Restaurant André who secured the 14th spot.
The top restaurant in 2016, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy came in second but still held its crown as The Best Restaurant in Europe. “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is proud to bring together the leaders in global gastronomy for this annual celebration. All 50 restaurants represent the very best in culinary experiences and talent” said William Drew, Group Editor of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. He added, “We congratulate each one, as well as all the individual award winners, on their remarkable achievements, innovation and creative passion.”
The vessel is a serious development of the highly successful Princess 72. Newly introduced is a slightly modified Olesinski deep-vee hull flattening aft to enable yet faster lift and fuel-saving planing ability, powered by her twin MAN V12 engines capable of 32 to 34 knots.
Refinements to the master suite layout, a much larger flybridge, and a wide range of other innovations and upgrades, including those spectacular wrap-around windows, are a potential pleasure for Princess aficionados and to those as yet unfamiliar with the brand. The Plymouth, England-based yard celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and having seen off a turbulent period for some rival builders, is back at its best, unveiling another new model, the Princess 60 S-Class, at the 2017 London Boat Show a few months ago. Owned by L Capital of the LVMH group, Princess Yachts is at the forefront of luxury design and detail. More than 2,000 skilled employees ensure the highest levels of quality are achieved and every yacht exceeds their customer’s expectations.
Princess Yachts is represented in Southeast Asia by substantial Boat Lagoon Yachting, a subsidiary of long-standing Phuket Boat Lagoon, which has extensive sales interests plus marina and refit and repair facilities in the region. Princess Yachts Greater China handles Hong Kong, Macau and China.
Their model range begins with the sports style Princess V39 to V62-S in the V-Class. Then come the Princess 43 to 68 Flybridges, the also sporty Princess S60 to S72 in the S-Class, the imperious Princess 72 to 88 Motor Yachts, which have flybridges too, and finally the Princess M-Class superyachts, so far in 30, 36 and 40metre LOAs.
The Princess 75, if one looks at her specs, is actually nearly 81 feet LOA, or 80 feet subtracting the short pulpit. That’s a lot of boat, and a 19 feet beam adds to her interior volume. The twin MAN 1800 HP engines are going to give her an exciting ride capability. Options are the also popular twin Caterpillar C32s in 1622 HP or 1732 HP versions, the latter clocking 32 to 34 knots.
The award-winning yacht is in typical Princess style. It features an abundance of outdoor space for sunbathing or dining and the ability to walk through the foredeck, allowing for an ergonomic flow for everyone on board. And there will be many on board, as all your friends are going to want to be invited for a cruise. Fortunately, there’s plenty of seating on the main deck and the flybridge. The main deck’s design allows for a lot of light to be let in through the full height windows spanning the length of the cabin on the port side. This makes sitting in the saloon a delight. Up top, a crane can also be fitted to allow for easy movement of the available tender.
Inside on the lower deck, there are three guest cabins that are all en-suite. No need to share washrooms on this yacht. They can be fitted with either a double or twin beds at the push of a button. The owner’s stateroom is located amidships and has special access via a private staircase and lobby. The theme of allowing lots of light into the cabin continues here through large windows. Saying the stateroom is spacious is an understatement and it’s packed with functional features and entertainment options, including a 46-inch television. The new Princess S-Class 60 released in London is described by the yard as powerful yet elegant. It’s fast, with a top speed of up to 38 knots in Twin Man V8 1200 spec, meaning you’ll be cruising from marina to marina with exceptional ease. At almost 63 feet, the S60 is larger than her name suggests, reflecting a decision by Princess long ago to “round down” the actual LOA of its vessels rather than up. And a sleek exterior design ensures her lines match her performance credentials.
The main deck has ample space with its open plan design. The dining and galley aft make entertaining effortless. And when the weather’s nice and you want to enjoy your company outside, large sliding doors open up to a U-shaped sofa area. There’s plenty of space on the sportbridge for outdoor lounging. Wood is featured throughout, showing off the quality we’ve come to expect from the British manufacturer and owners can choose between an almost endless list of options to attain the S60 that suits their personal taste best.
Heading downstairs, up to six guests can enjoy the S60 in three cabins. The owner’s cabin is full beam and en-suite, while the other two cabins share a washroom. With that being said, there’s ample room to spend several days of relaxation on board. Princess Yachts is a British icon and one of the few great brands still manufactured in the U.K. As the Princess 75 heads down the Strait of Malacca for Singapore, be sure to check her out in April.
Among her more prestigious trophies so far, after proper onboard test drives by experienced reviewers, the Princess 75 as named “Best Flybridge over 55 ft” in the Motor Boat Awards in January, announced during a gala dinner at the Rosewood Hotel in London. The Princess V58 Open also won the “Best Sportscruiser over 45 ft” Award. Motor Boat’s Jack Haines said in a seven page report that it felt like trying out a five-star hotel, where everything was expected to be ultra-luxurious and spot on anyway, “so when you get to this size of boat, it’s the little things that make the difference, the things that make you stop and stare and coerce you into picking a particular brand over another.
He goes on to mention features highlighted by Yacht Style above, then says: “However, the real clincher of the Princess 75 is its main deck and in particular, the simply stunning salon. Rarely have I been inside a salon that so temptingly invites you to come on in, take the weight off, and relax.“The first thing you notice is the totally flat deck, which runs from the transom all the way to the companionway steps forward. Then you realise that this wonderful space is being amplified by the sheer amount of light cascading in from all sides. Take a look at the profiles of the 72 and 75, and you can see why the effect is so impressive. The windows on the 75 are truly gigantic, and even with Princess’ styling lines observed, natural light fires in from all angles”.
He is critical of some aspects, suggesting that Princess install a better wind deflector for the helmsman if using the flybridge controls. But the overalll verdict: “Here we have a boat with four stunning, spacious ensuite cabins, a spell-binding salon, huge flybridge, fantastic engine room, sumptuous design and detailing, and a barnstorming performance”. He liked it.
This article was first published in YACHT STYLE Magazine.
Claire Morgan, Gone With the Wind, 2008, wild flower seeds, kittiwake gull (taxidermy), nylon, lead, acrylic; 220 x 200 x 1100 centimetres in height, width and depth
Visually arresting, Claire Morgan’s installation and paper works achieve their resonance by tapping into a sense of the uncanny. Bringing into question our perceived notions of organic life and movement, the animals in Morgan’s works are lifeless shells preserved through her skill as a professional taxidermist. Different species of animals suspended in motion move through spaces constrained by geometric pattern and regularity.
There is a stillness to Morgan’s works that acts as a poetic juxtaposition to the active postures that many of her animal subjects possess. The environments they are situated within are immersive, densely overwhelming, and composed of delicate and painstakingly mounted materials that range from individual seeds to scraps of polyethylene and cellophane. Morgan acknowledges then, the fragility of these rigidly imposed spaces. Nevertheless, her subjects remain trapped —wild animals caged in a perpetual quietude.
Claire Morgan, ‘The Beauty and the Beast’, 2012, watercolour, pencil on paper, 40.6 x 30.5 centimetres in height and width
Morgan is also known for her “blood drawings”, works on paper that depict the conceptual process leading towards a completed sculpture or installation. Passionately gestural, the works on paper capture pathways of motion and energy that run through the final works, often alongside detailed renderings of the built environments that will eventually come to confine them.
Seen in relation to the completed sculptures, the paper works draw attention to the intentional construction of a mechanical order of straight lines and grids that is intercut by the order of nature. The organic lines of nature represented through flowing lines and animal forms gently but surely disrupt the linear composition of their surroundings. As we enter a period of global uncertainty, Morgan’s works inspire deep introspection within the increasingly relevant conversation of the human impact on environmental degradation and change.
Claire Morgan, ‘My God-shaped Hole’, 2016, residues of taxidermy process, salt, graphite, and mixed media, on paper on canvas, 100 x 100 centimetres in height and width
Her first solo show in the United States, ‘Stop Me Feeling’ runs at Frist Centre for Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, from February 10 to May 7, 2017. Fondation Francès in Senlis, France, will display a solo show, ‘Resurgence — My God-Shaped Hole’ from March to December 2017. In Autumn 2017, Paris-based Galerie Karsten Greve, will also present a solo exhibition of new works.
This article is written by Teo Hui Min and was originally published in Art Republik 14.
A Parody?: King of Pop Art’s portrait of the former Chinese Community Party leader fell short of its estimate at a Hong Kong auction. The painting is shown here at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Gallery. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s Facebook Page
A classic Andy Warhol portrait of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong fetched US$12.7 million at an auction in Hong Kong on Sunday, Sotheby’s said — well short of the top estimate of more than US$15 million.
The sale of the 1973 screen print by the legendary US pop artist attracted plenty of attention before going under the hammer in the semi-autonomous city owing to sensitivity about any use of Mao’s image in China.
The top sale price estimate of more than US$15 million was the highest the auction house had ever seen for a painting in Asia. The identity of the buyer was not released. Sotheby’s had described the event as the first “significant” sale of Western contemporary art in Hong Kong, which was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.
But while buyers from mainland China have developed massive market clout, Warhol’s images of Mao have drawn controversy there. A major touring retrospective of his works removed pictures of the former leader when it visited Shanghai and Beijing in 2013.
Mao’s legacy as Communist China’s founding father makes him inseparable from official propaganda extolling the party’s ruling legitimacy, and his huge portrait still overlooks vast Tiananmen Square and appears on Chinese banknotes.
Yet his mistakes, such as disastrous economic policies blamed for mass starvation and the political witch hunts of the 1966 to 1976 “Cultural Revolution“, left a bitter aftertaste and depictions of him otherwise remain strictly controlled.
In order to underline its historical rock n’ roll credentials, carmaker Rolls-Royce has collaborated with a host of British music icons to create a set of totally bespoke Wraith coupés that reflect each star’s personality, tastes and achievements. Recently unveiling their ‘Wraith Inspired by Music’ motor cars, each of these cars were crafted with unique design touches that celebrate the success of British music.
The stars approached for the ‘Wraith Inspired by Music’ collection include The Who frontman Roger Daltrey, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, and the recently knighted Sir Ray Davies from The Kinks. Bespoke Designer, Matthew Danton, under the leadership of Design Director Giles Taylor worked with each artist to capture the most iconic and personal elements from of their body of work. What is delivered are classic one-of-a-kind collectors’ pieces.
Amongst these musicians is Giles Martin, son of music producer extraordinaire, Sir George Martin. He was approached to create a car as a fitting tribute to his late father’s memory and the role he played in making The Beatles the biggest pop band in history. “My father had a huge impact on British music during his career, and I wanted the Wraith to celebrate a lifetime of achievements,” said Giles Martin.
Martin hit upon the idea of embroidering each number one single his father worked on into the car’s leather upholstery and on filling the cabin with hand-written lyrics plus his father’s quotations including the legend “The recording is not what one hears, but what one must make others hear” engraved in the copper door flights. “I hope this is a fitting tribute to a figure who did so much to influence and enhance the world’s perception of a golden era in British popular music,” said Martin.
Rolls-Royce Wraith Inspired by Music, March 2017
Another renowned musician is Sir Ray Davies, who was also inspired to use lines from his own back catalogue. Lyrics from “Shangri-la” and “Drivin'” are engraved on the door lights, and “When it’s raining on a sunny afternoon, in the summer time” is engraved on the handles of the car’s pull-out umbrellas.
“Working with Rolls-Royce’s designers on this car has given me the chance to express some of the themes of the music The Kinks enjoyed performing for many years,” said Sir Ray Davies. “It was fun to create this unique collectors’ item and it’s gratifying to know that important charities will benefit.”
Rolls-Royce Wraith Inspired by British Music
A percentage of the proceeds from each car’s sale is being donated to charity. For example, funds raised from the George Martin car will go to The Fly Navy Heritage Trust, a charity that Martin supported during his life. Meanwhile, money raised from the sale of the two cars Roger Daltrey has helped design — one in honour of the group’s most important album “Tommy” and one that reflects Daltrey’s own legacy — will go to The Teenage Cancer Trust.
Songs may change, but Rolls-Royce ownership as an ingrained rite of passage for even anti-establishment rock stars has stayed the same. Even erstwhile Oasis guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher felt he couldn’t say he’d ‘made it’ until he had a chocolate brown Rolls-Royce (even though to this day he still hasn’t passed his driving test).
“This collaboration — with some of Britain’s most celebrated musicians — promises to add to this legacy, creating truly unique collectors’ items which also support worthy charities,” said company CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
