Among Junghans’s four collections, the Meister is arguably the one which affords the brand’s designers the greatest freedom to flex their creative muscles. Unlike the minimalist Max Bill, the classic Erhard Junghans, or the sporty Performance collections, the Meister line isn’t based on a single theme. Rather, watches from the collection draw their inspiration from the brand’s timepieces produced from the 1930s to the 1960s, which encompasses a wide range of design languages and subject matters.
For 2016, Junghans has added two notable lines to the Meister collection based on old pilot’s and driver’s watches. The Meister Driver Chronoscope is part of the latter, and styled like a vintage chronograph that will belong on a driver’s wrist. According to the brand, automobiles built by Maybach in the 1930s and Mercedes in the 1950s were the inspiration behind the new watch. Their influence on the timepiece’s vintage styling is easily seen in the typeface used on the dial, as well as the usage of contrast between different dial elements. Even the dial colours look appropriately aged with their earth tones and low saturation. Less obvious, though, are the choices of plexiglass for the watch’s crystal, and the case back design, which secures the movement to the watch with four screws à la some vintage timepieces.
In a departure from the typical Valjoux 7750, Junghans has opted to power the Meister Driver Chronoscope with the self-winding J880.3 movement – an ETA 2892 calibre with Dubois Dépraz’s 2030 module stacked on it for the chronograph function. As a result, the chronograph layout is slightly unusual with the minute totaliser at nine o’clock, and the small seconds sub-dial at three o’clock instead.
Specifications
Dimensions: 40.8mm
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Movement Self-winding J880.3 movement consisting of an ETA 2892-2 base with a Dubois Dépraz 2030 chronograph module; 42-hour power reserve Material: Steel
Water Resistance: 30 meters Strap: Maroon/brown calfskin strap with ardillon buckle, or steel bracelet
This article was first published in World of Watches.
Marking 60 years since it was first introduced to the world, the Eames Lounge Chair from Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra, is back. This time, the creation by Charles and Ray Eames comes in a fabric-upholstered limited edition called the Lounge Chair Twill.
The chair took its inspiration from the English club chair, albeit with a few additional touches. The result was a leather-upholstered chair that was light, modern, soft and comfortable. While the manufacturer has produced the chair exclusively in leather since 1959, this year Vitra will offer a limited edition of the chair and ottoman covered in a twill fabric.
The Lounge Chair Twill will be offered in the classic color combination of black with dark-reddish palisander wood. Each of the fabric-covered Lounge Chair Twill and Ottoman’s will come with a “60 Years in Production” certificate and will be marked with a corresponding label. The chairs will be available from selected Vitra dealers till January 31.
“Samlee is a Bangladeshi magician. Formerly known as Kasim, he and his family started coming to my studio, where he modelled for my paintings, since 2014. In fact, Samlee had achieved a certain degree of fame in Thailand as a member of the Philip Magic Troupe some twenty years ago.” So begins the wall text for the sold-out solo exhibition of Thai contemporary artist Natee Utarit’s latest series of artwork at the booth of Richard Koh Fine Art at Art Stage Jakarta 2016. Interestingly, the text is written not by a curator but by the artist himself, who goes on at some length to write about the magician’s unfortunate, premature retirement from his career, and the circumstances that brought Natee to paint him and his family.
Natee Utarit, ‘The Magician King’, 2016, oil on canvas, 90.5 x 68.5 cm. Courtesy of Krisada Suvichakonpong and Richard Koh Fine Art.
To tell Samlee’s story, Natee asked the young Thai artist Krisada Suvichakonpong, who had photographed the making of his ‘Illustration of the Crisis’ series earlier in 2013 to photograph the time that the artist spent with Samlee and his family in the studio. “When I decided to paint this magician and his family, I thought that it would be great if I could tell more of the story regarding my painting process to explain how I collaborate with them as models,” says Natee. “The final photos were selected from hundreds of shots showing different moments between the artist and the models during a seven-day period in the studio. For me, it is quite amazing to capture Samlee’s character and his personality and then communicate the whole story with both the paintings and photobook.”
Beckoning fairgoers to the booth are the words ‘Samlee & Co. The Absolutely Fabulous Show’ in a grand carnival-esque font. The 18 paintings, completed this year, look like prints of charmingly imperfect hand-painted circus posters. While most of the paintings feature Samlee, such as ‘Blue Stripe’ and ‘Pietà’ there are also other subjects, including Samlee’s children in ‘Magician’s Daughter’ and ‘Moody Boy’, as well as Samlee’s props as a magician in ‘George’ and ‘Jog’. The paintings all like posters that might once have been vibrantly coloured but now look smudged and gritty, and feature unsmiling faces, seemingly in reflection of the life story of Samlee, whose 15 minutes of fame ended all too quickly.
Natee Utarit, ‘Billie Jean’, 2016, oil on canvas, 90.5 x 68.5 cm. Courtesy of Krisada Suvichakonpong and Richard Koh Fine Art.
The rough-hewn quality of the portraits may seem incongruous with Natee’s signature realist paintings. However, this is not the first time he has produced works that have been purposefully treated to look less than perfect. In ‘Reasons and Monsters Project’, realised in 2001-2002, he stained his paintings based on Old Master paintings from Titian and Caravaggio to question traditional notions of beauty in Western art. He did the same in another series ‘Last Description of the Old Romantic’ in 2005, which featured floral still-lifes taken from classical paintings.
The rawness of the paintings in ‘Samlee and Co.’ captures the imperfect humanness of his subjects, and reflect the introspective nature of the work. “They had a very personal touch to them and it wasn’t really about the people he was painting,” says Richard Koh. “Natee, every now and then, does a small body of work that has a very personal narrative to it and most times, it just records his thoughts and emotions at that point in time.”
Indeed, it appeared that the meeting with Samlee and his family threw up questions for the artist about impermanence in life, as well as the trials and tribulations that everyone inevitably has to go through. “Samlee and his family are very interesting, and they have made me search for an answer for the existence of life in the world today,” says Natee. “His personal character reminds me of old stars who try very hard to make a comeback in the real world. I can see all of this from his family, from his magic objects and props. Everything looks wrong and it’s not easy… really not easy.”
A particularly poignant line in the artist’s wall text for the exhibition is “nothing is arbitrary, there are no miracles and there is no magic, and above of all, nothing is unilaterally true”, a rather pragmatic, pessimistic outlook on life as seen through the personal tragedy that Samlee has lived, and one that the artist empathically portrays in this body of work
For four days, the Raffles Marina was transformed into a bustling hub for all things luxury lifestyle thanks to the inaugural SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS. The event marked the first time that various luxury lifestyle components were brought together under one roof in Singapore. From luxury properties, yachts, supercars, classic cars, watches, fashion, art, fine food, wines and champagnes, over 5,800 guests were able to enjoy the best that selected brands had to offer.
The Venue
Kicking off the event was a lion dance troop that on a winning performance that wowed the audience at the Raffles Marina. With Band on the Run – who funked up the crowd on all four days – serenading the assembled guests, the atrium proved to be a glimpse of what was in store for the weekend. As guests explored the venue, they were treated to Artheline’s range of quirky and fun creations. The art duo’s famous hippos and whales helped to brighten up the lawn as visitors enjoyed the JetLounge as well as vintage and super cars.
Supercars and Vintage Cars
The SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS featured several modern classic cars from the region such as the 1959 Jaguar XK150 FHC (below), 1939 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe and 1966 Alfa Romeo 2600. Supercars such as those from Lamborghiniwere out in full strength over the four days.
Apart from its official supercar display, visitors were also treated to a parade of 20 cars thanks to the Lamborghini club. Joining this impressive showcase of motoring goodness were the ExotiCar club, Driving Passion Porsche car club, the Ferrari car club and the Jaguar car club.
The final yacht exhibitor to join the list was Simpson Marine, who did more than present the Lagoon 42 that made its debut earlier this year. The brand also promoted its Yacht Care service that allows for absentee owners to leave their yachts docked in Thailand. Additionally, Simpson Marine also promoted its charter program that allows yacht owners to cover operational costs by chartering their yachts.
Luxury Properties
In the ballroom of the Raffles Marina, 15 leading property developers showcased an impressive array of projects. From Malaysia and Thailand were tropical waterfront properties such as BRDB, UEM Sunrise, Anamaya, Samujana and Glam Habitat. From Australia were urban condominiums proudly presented by Central Equity and Little Projects. Rounding up the property developers were exclusive projects from the French Riviera, Corsica and Brittany that featured the finest luxury properties that France had to offer. From Brittany for instance, was a chateau on a 53-hectare property surrounded by woods, a bio-farm, a fishing lake and an equestrian center.
Luxury Watches
The atrium of Raffles Marina was home to a booth by deLaCour that featured the finest wares that the luxury watch brand had to offer. The official timepiece partner of the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS, also brought along the Reflect Tourbillon (above) that made its Asian debut at the event.
Anniversary Parties
Along with kicking of what is set to be an annual event, the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS hosted the anniversary parties of two publications under Heart Media and Lux Inc Media. The first, was the WOW Anniversary Party that celebrated 15 years since the first watch periodical was first published. Held in the JetLounge, the anniversary party was the perfect opportunity for guests to mingle and get to know the team behind the publication. During the party, two of WOW’s longstanding partners Jager-LeCoultre and Omega brought along some of their finest creations to highlight their watchmaking savoir faire. As guests explored the JetLounge and enjoyed the beats from HED KANDI, they were treated to fine Italian wine sponsored by SSMA Enterprises.
The second party held at the the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS, was for the luxury property magazine, PALACE. A publication under Lux Inc Media, the party was held to commemorate the fifth anniversary of PALACE Magazine. Held in the Veranda, guests were able to enjoy not only the scenic view of the Raffles Marina but also complimentary wines from Épicurio.
Food & Beverage
The lovely champagne served by Perrier-Jouët
We need to give you no further introduction to the partners who kept everyone well fed and hydrated over the course of the event but we certainly would love to share more about what they had in store for us. With their very own lounge, Perrier-Jouëtwas proud to present the latest Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Autumn 2005 as well as the Perrier-Jouët Blason Rosé. Another of our favorites was the set up by The Lifecycle Concepts — Coastal Lifestyle who provided us with their signature concept. This included a sunset bar, live acoustic music, vintage cars, a Vespa display and a Somersby cider van that treated all with refreshing cider slushies.
Épicurio Wine Fair
Away from the heat but still with an impressive view, was the Épicurio wine fair that gave guests a chance to sample and purchase wines that had been specially curated for the event. On the final day of the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS, the Royal Albatross hosted the Opera Dinner by SingExperience, the first ticketed event of its kind in Singapore.
The Royal Albatross that hosted the Opera Dinner on the final night of the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS.
Entertainment
The Deboneire fashion show
Apart from Band on the Run, who performed Top 40 hits, SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS provided more dance-friendly entertainment options with the HED KANDI DJs at the JetLounge. The JetLounge was proudly sponsored by JetCoin. The lounge also served as the backdrop for the DEBONEIRE Affaire fashion show (above). Speaking of fashion, our friends at L’Officiel Singapore had their very own photo exhibition that featured images from the cover spread of the luxury fashion publication’s September issue.
The Monaco Experience
Winner Nick Tay with Benoit Badufle, Regional Director of Monaco Government Tourist Bureau Asia.
One lucky couple won the coveted chance to travel to Monaco thanks to the Monaco Government Tourist Bureau. Included in the package that Nick Tay (above) collected were round trip business class tickets, limousine transfers in a Maserati Quattro Porte and a three-day two-night stay at the iconic Hôtel Hermitage Monte Carlo.
The Panel Talks
It wasn’t just fun, games and luxury lifestyle at the SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS. The event also featured panel talks by industry insiders such as sports heritage magazine publisher Eli Solomon, champagne partner Perrier-Jouët, photography partner Leica and Alfred Terzibachian of luxury watch brand deLaCour.
Photography
To capture the events and happenings over the four days, SINGAPORE RENDEZVOUS partnered with none other than Leica. Apart from the professional photographers who were out and about throughout the weekend, Leica also brought along several professional cameras and binoculars for guests to enjoy. In fact, every single image you see here was captured on Leica cameras. Experts were also on hand to pass along tips and tricks to help capture scenic photography.
What is the point of high fashion these days? Is there a reason that designers still get to sit on their high horses when the most talked about brand these days is Vetements, with all its nonstop talk about “clothing people actually wear”? It’s really an issue of the industry failing to catch up with the times, which is strangely ironic considering that fashion is supposed to represent and extol the times it lives in.
In the aughts of haute couture, and really since before the time of Charles Frederick Worth (considered the progenitor of high fashion) and Marie Antoinette, what fashion represented in the zeitgeist and times was desire. Plain and simple, it was about elevating and making clothing so beautiful, flattering, and jealousy-inducing that it was a means to a social end. Fashion is so strikingly bourgeois and hierarchical today precisely because it has, for so many years, represented a certain degree of sophistication and, indeed, wealth.
Chanel
So what is high fashion for today, if Chanel is no longer haughtily pronouncing items of clothing démodé and instead, planting emojis onto accessories and clothing? If a brand as vaunted and intellectual as Prada is selling bags straight off the runway, can it still maintain a cachet of luxury and intelligence without the stink of shilling products (perhaps by making customers wait for the rest of its seasonal fashion direction)?
Balenciaga
I posit that high fashion today is returning to its core, plain and simple, all over again. It is about beautiful clothing, wonderful things people feel an urge to wear, and representing the cultural values of the times. It is why Balenciaga under Demna Gvasalia feels so… right. With its post-modern melding of old-world techniques and new-age street-wise tricks, it has been vaulted right back into the fashion consciousness – and it is worth paying attention to again. With the advertising and PR money of fashion, it sometimes becomes difficult to differentiate what’s worth the time and what’s paid for. The purest reaction, then, is clothing that can convince customers to part with money to put on their back.
Vetements
The ’90s were all at once the best and worst time for intellectual fashion, but that’s gone down the drain now. Conglomeration of brands and companies meant that fashion as an art and a means to an end was becoming monetized. Think of LVMH, Kering and Prada group’s expansions at the time.
Today, LVMH’s brands are represented in a good half of all fashion magazines’ front bumper of ads. Louis Vuitton, Dior, Céline, Loewe, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Fendi – even jewelry and watch brands such as Bulgari, Chaumet, Hublot, TAG Heuer, etc. Kering rounds it up with Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, etc. Where did the mavericks like Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela go?
In an environment where people simply demanded more and more clothing, it became hard for such intellectually-driven and conceptual designers to continue – never mind that the clothes they designed and created were eminently wearable and beautiful. But it was tricky, because the old shows from Prada, for instance, were such subtle exercises in decryption. Meaning was layered and veiled, and it took a trained eye and mind to pick apart what exactly Mrs Prada was saying each season. Today, a collection like its FW16 vagabond girls-on-the-run one is, while beautiful, almost obvious to interpret. In recent seasons too: fast cars and sweaty glamour, stiff Stepford wives’ tailoring, duney desert travellers. They make big political and cultural statements, but they’re plain to see.
Saint Laurent
Therein lies the problem. When fashion becomes grounds for intellectual concepts, customers get frustrated. It was famously hard for people to grasp Craig Green’s debut SS15 collection with flowing judoka quilts and banners bound to the models. But it struck a chord with the industry collective viewing the show – inspiring some tears, even. Here was a collection set against an Enya soundtrack, resplendent in creative liberty and in the luxury of time it took to craft. It was beautiful and it sold. Next season, he did a similar thing – line and silhouette were only slightly different, but there was a complete reversal in the reaction of the press. Lambasts of similarity and repetition abounded, and it became clear that the industry was on the same page as its readers’ attention spans. Never mind giving designers time to develop an idea and letting it stew, mutate, evolve and be felt out. We wanted more and more of the new.
Prada
So where is intellectual fashion’s place in today’s fast-paced commercial churning environment? It is a conundrum that is hard to solve. Perhaps that is why Vetements is so successful – because it makes you feel like you’re thinking and being smart about things while contributing no effort at all. Perhaps it is why Hedi Slimane’s Saint Laurent was such a runaway commercial success – because you didn’t have to think while wearing his clothes, you just had to partake in his vacuous vein of L.A. grungy cool. Perhaps it is why Phoebe Philo’s Céline is so influential – women don’t have to think about what they’re representing to the world because Philo’s clothing whispers refinement for them. Perhaps it is why Alessandro Michele’s Gucci is so refreshing – they’re simply fun to wear (the same, season after season) and don’t offer much by way of a political or cultural message.
I am not against any of this.
Jacquemus
On the contrary, it is the way fashion is today, and to whine about time gone by is to be astoundingly near-sighted – rather, rear-sighted. Karl Lagerfeld has been so good for Chanel exactly because he takes to the times he lives in like a cultural sponge. There’s a respect to the historical foundations of the brand, but even more surely a perspective of today.
Gucci
What I’m saying is that “commercial” isn’t necessarily a bad word. We’ve been wary of the financial beast for long enough; it’s time to be smart about it and synthesize what we know with what we want. There’s a reason designers such as Christian Lacroix went out of business despite his reign in the ’80s and ’90s in Paris: extravagance and bonanza dresses stopped becoming relevant. After sobering financial crashes, actual plane crashes and a global worldview of uncertainty, the dream was over.
Dries Van Nolen
Today, the new dream is perhaps clothes that slide right into daily life. A note: I’m not saying poorly designed and poorly made clothes with nary a thought or smarts should get a pass for being easy to buy and wear. I’m talking about fashion that has a contextual place in contemporary culture and represents a designer’s point of view. Ultimately, that’s the place of fashion: on our backs.
In developing the new flagship Lotus Evora Sport 410 coupé, Lotus wanted to create a proper icon, not just another quick fix for the weekend racing crowd. This turned out to be a job that took thousands of hours going over the existing model in microscopic detail looking for any way to boost road and track performance without adding weight. Lotus wanted to build a “pure” supercar that could be considered the successor to its last genuinely iconic model – the Esprit Sport 300.
In terms of vital statistics it does this with aplomb. With a 410hp, 3.5-liter supercharged V6 under its carbon fiber hood, it goes gangbusters. The Lotus Evora Sport 410 demolishes the race to 60mph in 3.9 seconds and climbs to a top speed of 190mph. The Esprit Sport 300 needed an extra 0.8 seconds to hit 60mph and reached its limits at 168mph.
However, what both cars have in common is that they are as light as technological advancements will allow and have been engineered to stick to a track or a back road as if the tarmac is made of steel and the car is magnetized.
Whether both cars will be thought of as iconic Lotus models will not ultimately be about the numbers game though or even how well the new car handles. This will be down to how the passionate Lotus clique of owners and enthusiasts comes to feel about the car. Nevertheless, Lotus clearly fancies its chances with the Evora Sport 410.
“[The car] defines a period in which we are producing our best ever cars,” said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc. “Its ballistic pace means that, in the right hands, it’s unbeatable. We have achieved so much in the development of the Evora platform, and the Sport 410 is possibly the most accomplished car we have ever built.”
At £82,000 (€108,500) it is also one of the most expensive series production models in Lotus history. That price point puts it head-to-head with the likes of the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type Coupe and a host of M-powered BMWs and AMG Mercedes.
But the Lotus should still stand out in this crowd because it is built so that a keen driver can use all the car’s capabilities all of the time. Lotus promises that even when the car is at its 190mph limit, there is still traction on tap.
“[It] delivers the power and precision that Lotus cars are renowned for. We’ve taken the war on weight to a new level, demonstrating perfectly our principle of intelligent engineering,” said Gales.
Yet, the car should still be comfortable. There’s an Alcantara-trimmed cabin, a touch-screen infotainment system plus the option of complete bespoke detailing via Lotus’s recently launched Exclusive program.
The Evora Sport 410 will be limited to just 150 examples a year and a North America specific model will be rolling out next summer.
