Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2018 i Tatler Singapore

AKE UP IN A NEW PLACE every day with nothing but the sun and the sea for company with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. This is a unique first for the luxury hotel operator as it brings its legendary hospitality to the high seas with a bespoke yachting experience. Each custom-built yacht measures 190m in length and can only accommodate up to 298 guests, assuring passengers of a vessel that is so luxurious and spacious that even the worst of claustrophobes will become converts. But if you seek complete privacy, the vessels of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection are also available for private charter. Just like its hotels, these bespoke cruises will have all the amenities of The Ritz-Carlton brand, including its famed spa as well as fine dining options such as…

FANS OF THE AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Offshore are sure to rejoice—the year 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the rugged Royal Oak sibling, and Audemars Piguet has accordingly issued a re-edition of the 1993 original, refreshed with today’s savoir faire. This re-edition of the original Royal Oak Offshore is especially satisfying, considering that the confidence in the first edition of the watch was so low that the brand only emblazoned the words “Royal Oak” on the back, with the intention of disguising it as a version of the Royal Oak and shuffling it into the archives should it prove unpopular. Now, 200,000 Royal Oak Offshores later, the watch is a key pillar for Audemars Piguet. On the more technical end of the spectrum comes the Royal Oak RD#2 (pictured…

GIRARD-PERREGAUX’S MINUTE REPEATER TRI-AXIAL TOURBILLON HAS ONE OF THE CLEAREST AND LOUDEST CHIMES THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM A MINUTE REPEATER THE RESURRECTION OF THE LAUREATO collection as a limited-edition series back in 2016 was merely a teaser for things to come: a year later, Girard-Perregaux unleashed an incredible number of references to beef up the collection to become a signature pillar for the brand. This is unsurprising as the luxury sports watch came at a time when Girard-Perregaux’s stable of beautiful watches was very heavy on the high-end, high-complication spectrum, and the brand needed a slightly more accessible timepiece that would nonetheless appeal to discerning watch collectors. In 2018, Girard-Perregaux is continuing its Laureato mission, introducing four new lines in the collection as well as adding references to the…

THE YEAR 2018 PROMISES TO be a triumphant one for IWC Schaffhausen. Not only is the brand celebrating its 150th anniversary, but its new collection includes one of the most talked-about watches at SIHH 2018. The Jubilee collection comprises a total of 28 models across all four IWC watch families, but the highlight for the year is without a doubt the Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years”, which has no contemporary parallel. The timepiece harks back to the Pallweber pocket watches from the earliest days of IWC. A patent for the digital display mechanism was granted on February 24, 1885, which is astonishing considering how modern the concept and aesthetic of a digital watch is. The Pallweber pocket watches had apparently been very popular, with over 20,000 produced, but they…

AN ORDINARY WATCH COULD SHATTER WITHIN SECONDS ON THE POLO FIELD RICHARD MILLE HAS NEVER BEEN one to shy away from difficult tasks. This year, the watchmaker decided to tackle the world of polo, and launched the RM 53-01 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough. As its name suggests, it was created to meet the needs of renowned polo player Pablo Mac Donough, whose sport is so vigorous that an ordinary watch could shatter within seconds on the field. Two main problems Richard Mille sought to tackle: easily-shattered sapphire glass, and the movement’s structural integrity given strong impacts. To combat the first problem, Richard Mille worked with sapphire glass specialists Stettler to produce a laminated glass, comprising two thin sheets of sapphire glass separated by a thin polyvinyl film. This glass might…

VACHERON CONSTANTIN’S NOVELTIES THIS year truly spanned the entire spectrum, with something for everyone, from a completely new entry-level line called FiftySix to exquisite Métiers d’Art watches that showcase the best of the brand’s expertise in artistic crafts. The FiftySix collection, like many new launches these days, was inspired by an iconic historical reference from the brand’s archives. In this case, it was the reference 6073, which was originally launched in 1956, and was one of the first watches from its manufacture to be equipped with a self-winding movement. The FiftySix draws from the 6073’s round case and distinctive lugs that evoke the shape of Vacheron Constantin’s logo, the Maltese cross. The collection comprises three different models—a date model, one with the day, date and power reserve indicator, and one…

THE MOTORING WORLD WAS AGHAST WHEN Porsche first announced that it was launching an SUV in 2002. In retrospect, it was arguably the marque’s smartest move as the model is now one of its bestsellers. So successful was this first SUV, the Cayenne, that Porsche actually attempted to acquire its ally, Volkswagen, with whom it had collaborated with for the car. That didn’t come to pass, but the Cayenne name lives on, and is now into its third generation. It has even led to the birth of a smaller and more successful Porsche SUV, the Macan. With the latest Cayenne, Porsche didn’t venture too far afield with its styling, so it can be a little difficult to tell the difference from its previous incarnation, particularly if you are looking from…

For over a decade, Singapore Tatler Homes has been chronicling Asia’s colourful design scene by featuring the most influential tastemakers and the most stunning projects in the region. To celebrate Singapore’s most creative, the award-winning magazine hosted its second annual Tatler Design Awards in February and highlighted nine of the most impressive projects featured in its pages. This year’s event, which was held at Stellar at 1-Altitude, introduced three new award categories, including Architecture of the Year, Innovation of the Year, and Design Project of the Year. The intimate occasion brought together leading designers, top brands and design lovers within the Tatler family. TOPNOTCH CUISINE The Singapore Tatler Homes Design Awards saw 1-Altitude executive chef Christopher James Millar create a divine three-course menu for the guests AND THE WINNERS ARE...…

“Crazy hours” is the perfect descriptor for Franck Muller’s blowout celebration feting the 15th anniversary of its much-beloved watch of the same name. Arrival cocktails began sedately at 8pm, and were shortly followed by lunch at 8.30pm, breakfast at 9pm, and then dessert and drinks at 9.30pm—each half-hour interval saw a new room being unveiled, decked out to fit the mood of the moment. Naturally, titbits and tipples flowed like a river, and guests feasted on everything from diner-style sliders to avocado popsicles. The dancing didn’t start until dinner at 10.30pm, when the festivities really ramped up to a fever pitch. Franck Muller himself graced the event and proved to be the life of the party, which went on late into the night. LUNCH IS SERVED Who knew that 8.30pm…

AFRICAN GEM South African tycoon Sol Kerzner, founder of hotels such as One&Only Mauritius, Atlantis The Palm and Sun City, recently entered the luxury residential market with the opening of the Kerzner Estate in Leeukoppie, Cape Town. The property has been designed with an eco-friendly slant, and will integrate the homes within the natural surroundings —expect floor-to-ceiling glass walls that open up to the surrounding greenery, and the use of natural building materials such as wood and stone. Moreover, rainwater and grey water will be harvested for the landscaping. There will be 48 luxury homes, each sitting on a 1,500sqm plot of land, available for purchase, and the estate will also offer facilities including horseback riding and more. kerznerestate.com ASIAN PERSUASION With reduced barriers to entry for foreign investors and…

Nestled in District 10, Mon Jervois is a boutique development with 109 apartments and penthouses, all ready for occupation. High ceilings give the spacious property an airy and bright atmosphere, while floor-to-ceiling windows fill the space with light. Outside, the homes are surrounded by lush green spaces and water features, creating a resort-like atmosphere. A place to relax and unwind, or to work up a sweat, the facilities at Mon Jervois include a golfing green, lap pool and indoor gym for the energetic; and a secret garden walk, Jacuzzi pool and hammock island for those who like to take it slow. At the heart of the development is its large pool, from which buildings and residences radiate out, making the pool area a central hub. A number of features are…

Set on the prestigious Shenton Way, the UIC Building was for the longest time the area’s tallest tower at 39 storeys high. Today, the building has been transformed into V on Shenton by UNStudio, the award-winning Dutch architectural firm known for its impeccable designs and focus on sustainability. V on Shenton has therefore been designed with sustainability in mind, and harmoniously melds art and nature. Shapes and structures inspired by the natural world interplay with a series of lush green sky gardens, creating an oasis of calm in the heart of the city. The building’s elegant honeycombed structure creates a pattern of light and shade designed to respond to Singapore’s tropical climate. Two modules rise from its base—a 23-storey office building and a 54-storey residential tower—and at its doorstep lies…

Across the world’s luxury sectors, from hotels to fashion, companies have found that partnering with complementary brands can boost sales. It is a mutual positive reinforcement: promotion by association. Many London property developers have fully embraced the concept and are adding value to their new projects by linking up with top brands to provide additional services for their residents. Five-star hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, celebrity florists and celebrated beauty specialists are among the services from an increasingly diverse range of fields collaborating with London property companies. As developers collaborate with multiple brands, their schemes evolve from being places to live, into destinations for residents who seek a certain kind of lifestyle. ONE BLACKFRIARS, SOUTHWARK The developer, St George, is building a 170m tower with a landscaped public piazza close to the…

IT HAS BEEN AN ACTION-PACKED FIRST quarter of the year on the fashion circuit. But more than just the stylish threads on the runways of New York, London, Milan and Paris, what had the fashion world buzzing was the action off the runway. In January, Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director Kim Jones dropped a bombshell that he would exit the French maison after presenting his final autumn 2018 collection. The fashion cognoscenti was understandably dismayed, as the Briton had injected a new wave of cool into the storied house with recent and highly successful streetwear collaborations. (It was recently announced that Jones will head Dior Homme this month.) A few days later came the big news at Céline—fashion wunderkind Hedi Slimane would replace Phoebe Philo and become its new artistic,…

THE FINALISTS OF THE 2018 Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards have been announced, and among them, six will be named this year’s laureates at a prestigious ceremony on April 26 at Capella Singapore. The women, all bold innovators in their own right, will be selected based on their inspiring contributions to society, through creative, effective, affordable and sustainable solutions that better the lives of current and future generations around the globe. Cartier has also partnered with Ted, the non-profit organisation behind Ted Talks, to hold a series of lectures featuring female entrepreneurs and industry heavyweights who will speak about the ways to solve the world’s most critical challenges. cartierwomensinitiative.com Welcome to Rio For the 15th edition of its annual Passion Ball on April 7 at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, non-profit charity…

1 CHANGE OF HEART Executive chef Taro Takayama never nurtured childhood ambitions of becoming a chef. “I did my undergraduate studies in law hoping to become a lawyer,” he confesses. But one day, he saw a photo of a chef preparing sashimi, and instantly knew that was what he wanted to do. He trained under top chefs in three Michelin-starred Japanese restaurants, and was appointed master chef at the residence of the Japanese ambassador in Singapore before setting up his eponymous restaurant offering omakase menus. 2 FLAVOUR POWER Chef Takayama prepares an omakase menu influenced by the port city of Osaka and Japan’s four seasons. “I use seasonal produce and preserve the integrity of their flavours,” he says. At Takayama, you will find lightly grilled kinmedai fish, or his signature…

AS WE AGE, OUR SKIN TENDS TO dull, losing its resilience and the bouncy plumpness of youth. This, according to Sulwhasoo, is “skin shadowing”, the result of dehydration, an excessive production of melanin and the loss of skin elasticity. The key to restoring the skin to its bright and dewy self lies in the brand’s Snowise line, which delivers an effect it terms “volume brightening”—where fine lines are plumped up and the overall complexion becomes brighter and more radiant. The main ingredient powering Sulwhasoo’s Snowise line is the white ginseng saponin, which it touts as the world’s first whitening ingredient derived from ginseng. Enriched white ginseng polysaccharides also help to hydrate the skin and reinforce its collagen structure from within to make sure that it stays bouncy and resilient. Plus,…

THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT FRISSON OF ENERGY IN THE AIR AT the annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2018—people were excited to see the new releases, and sentiments were buoyed following the recovery of the watch market towards the end of 2017. In general, brands were still cautious, with a number releasing new collections and pieces targeted at a more commercial market. Despite the lack of revolutionary zeal, however, there were quite a number of watches that generated buzz among the journalists: the record-breaking ultra-thin pieces from Piaget and Audemars Piguet, for instance, were lauded as technical triumphs for the brands, as was the Triple Split for A Lange & Söhne. The startling beauty of the Cartier Révélation d’une Panthère jewellery watch impressed even the hardcore technical movement specialists,…

BAUME & MERCIER HAS FINALLY RAISED THE BAR WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF ITS FIRST-EVER IN-HOUSE MOVEMENT BAUME & MERCIER HAS NEVER been particularly well-known for its technical chops, but it finally raised the bar this year with the introduction of its first-ever in-house movement. The Clifton Baumatic is a three-hand watch with a date window, and houses the new self-winding calibre BM12-1975A. The Baumatic movement offers an impressive 120-hour power reserve thanks to a special alloy used for the barrel, while Powerscape technology in the escapement increases energy transmission efficiency and reduces friction. Moreover, the Twinspir silicon hairspring allows for better management of temperature differentials. Combined, this means that the movement is very accurate, deviating by only -4/+6 seconds per day, certified to COSC standards. Thanks to the use of…

GREUBEL FORSEY IS THE YOUNGEST of all the brands at SIHH 2018, having only been founded in 2004, but its offerings are, as always, technically masterful and visually striking. There were three novelties introduced this year, of which only the Differentiel d’Égalité is a completely new release. We heard the first murmurs of the Differentiel d’Égalité at Baselworld 2008 when Greubel Forsey announced that it had come up with a way to ensure a steady distribution of power from the mainspring barrel to the regulating organ. The energy from the mainspring doesn’t go straight to the regulating organ along the usual gear train, but instead winds a spring remontoir that in turn releases its energy to the regulating organ. The remontoir winds and discharges exactly once per second, ensuring the…

THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN IN RECENT years has seen watchmakers reach into their illustrious archives to find historical pieces that they could re-release at a more accessible and commercial price point. For Jaeger-LeCoultre, that historial piece was the 1968 Memovox Polaris, a dive watch with an alarm. Today, the timepiece has inspired the new Polaris line of elegant sport watches. What sets the Polaris apart is its characteristic dual-crown system, which was a signature of the original from 1968. One allows the wearer to set the time, while the other controls the inner rotating bezel. The Polaris collection features five different watches—a three-hand automatic, a three-hand with date, a chronograph, a chronograph world time, and a Memovox. The new Polaris Memovox is a direct descendant of the 1968 original, with the…

ROGER DUBUIS’ PARTNERSHIP WITH LAMBORGHINI LENT ITSELF TO DEVELOPING A HIGHLY-ENGINEERED WATCH ROGER DUBUIS IS LIVING LIFE on the fast track this year. The brand is strengthening its partnership with tyre manufacturer Pirelli, and forging a new one with luxury sports car brand Lamborghini Squadra Corse. The Excalibur Spider Pirelli Automatic Skeleton is not new per se—the brand introduced it last year with accents of yellow or red. This year, the accents are black or white. The watches incorporate one of Pirelli’s proprietary race-winning tyres into the strap. Each strap will be certified and stamped with the serial number of the exact tyre that went into its making—no small feat considering the intense security surrounding the formula of Pirelli’s tyres. The watch itself also has an “expiry date”—the white model…

IT WOULDN’T BE AN EXAGGERATION TO CALL THE VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS PLANÉTARIUM A MINIATURE UNIVERSE WHEN IT COMES TO WATCH complications for women, there are few houses which can rival the whimsical creations of Van Cleef & Arpels. This year, the maison once again impresses with its new Lady Arpels Planétarium Poetic Complications watch. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call the Lady Arpels Planétarium a miniature universe. The aventurine dial gives the illusion of a star-studded sky, and plays host to three planets that the maison specifically chose to represent on this watch—Mercury, Venus and Earth, which have a more feminine energy, says Van Cleef & Arpels. The sun remains at the centre of the dial, while the planets revolve around it in real time.…

The Singapore Tatler Fashion Awards 2018 recipients—(from left) Carmen Ow, Fanty Soenardy, Jeffrey Piak and Yenny Then write their own style rules Carmen wears High Jewellery Serpenti necklace in white gold with aquamarine, sapphires, tanzanite beads and diamonds, and Serpenti ring in white gold with diamonds and emeralds, both by Bvlgari; Fanty wears High Jewellery Serpenti earrings in white gold with emeralds and diamonds, and High Jewellery Serpenti bracelet in white gold with emeralds and diamonds, both by Bvlgari; Jeffrey wears Bvlgari Bvlgari Roma Finissimo Tourbillon watch in pink gold by Bvlgari; Yenny wears Serpenti earrings in white gold with diamonds, High Jewellery Serpenti bracelet in white gold with diamonds and Serpenti ring in white gold with diamonds and sapphires, all by Bvlgari…

Porsche’s SUVs may be experiencing resounding success, but some purists of the German marque remain unconvinced. This is where the Porsche Motorsport department steps in. It is responsible for creating motorsport legends such as the 959, 911 2.7 RS and more recently, the 918 Spyder. Its latest creation, however, is its most exciting yet—the second-generation GT2 RS. The first-generation GT2 RS arrived in 2010 and its raison d’etre was to help Porsche wrest back the title of the fastest production car around the infamous Nürburgring circuit. Since then, the marque has reclaimed the title three times from competitors, with its newest GT2 RS attaining the latest win. The car was the result of a carefully calculated engineering strategy by Porsche Motorsport, which combined a 700hp engine and the 991 GT3…

When the late Tay Choon Hye established SUTL in 1968, he probably didn’t envision that his humble ship-chandelling and duty-free supply trading company with just 20 staff would one day celebrate its 50th anniversary. Today, SUTL is a multimillion-dollar enterprise with a strong presence in 18 markets across Asia and over 4,000 employees. To mark this golden jubilee, more than 300 guests were invited to One°15 Marina Sentosa Cove in February to partake in the festivities, including minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran and former minister Mah Bow Tan. SUTL chairman and CEO Arthur Tay together with the minister also presented a cheque of $50,000 to the West Coast CCC Development Fund. Said Tay, “I am very proud that community work is very much part of SUTL’s corporate…

The style set descended upon Ion Orchard on a Friday evening in February to fete the reopening of the Fendi boutique. Local and Asian celebrities, social influencers, as well as society’s most fashionable—all dressed in Fendi, of course—discovered the new Roman-inspired space over champagne and canapes, and also took the opportunity to browse the Italian fashion brand’s latest offerings, including its signature bags and fur accessories. A DJ booth, nestled within the boutique, kept the party pumping until the late hours.…

TRADITIONALLY, CONSTRUCTION IS ONE OF the biggest transgressors to the environment. According to the US Green Building Council (USGBC), construction in the US accounts for 41 per cent of the country’s energy consumption—but this is set to change with the rise of environmental awareness. A USGBC and Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report highlighted that survey respondents from nearly 70 countries forecasted that 60 per cent of their projects will be green by 2018, proving that sustainable living is anything but a passing fad. We take a look at six game-changing green properties around the world that combine aesthetic and sustainable design. 01 ZEB PILOT HOUSE LARVIK, NORWAY COMPLETED 2014 GREEN CERTIFICATION ZEB-OM ARCHITECT SNØHETTA The Zero Emission Building (ZEB) pilot house, which is essentially…

HAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE named a Singapore Tatler Fashion Award winner? It is not just the ability to keep up with the current runway trends or the status of being a VVIP client of a luxury fashion house. It is the combination of amazing personal style, grace, character and, most importantly, presence. And we can safely vouch that all four of our 2018 recipients Carmen Ow, Fanty Soenardy, Yenny Then and Jeffrey Piak perfectly embody these traits. For the cover of our biannual fashion-themed issue, Singapore Tatler got each one of them to wear specially customised slogan T-shirts, paired with denims by Prada. Most Stylish Woman Yenny, who flew in from Perth, Australia, just for the shoot, was first in line. As she expertly posed in top-to-toe Louis…

CELESTE BASAPA “I was living in the US and my husband Larry and I were invited to our first New Year’s Eve Ball at the Fairfield County Hunt Club. The dress code stated was simply ‘black tie’, so I wore my Emanuel Ungaro ballgown. To my horror, all the female guests were in their LBDs! Of course, I felt overdressed and didn’t get up from my seat the whole night.” BERNARD CHEONG “Three years ago, I wore a tux made of a special material to YTL’s Journey Through Time gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur. I decided to wash it before the event, but didn’t follow the instructions. I ended up looking like I was wearing a suit made from trash bags—it was totally crinkly! I was oblivious to the situation…

DAVID HOCKNEY: 82 PORTRAITS AND 1 STILL-LIFE LACMA, LOS ANGELES APRIL 5 TO JULY 9 From Larry Gagosian to Frank Gehry, John Baldassarri to Benedikt Taschen, the show displays intimate, vibrant portraits of some of David Hockney’s closest friends, family and collaborators. Executed over the course of 50 years, the majority of the portraits were painted in the English artist’s Los Angeles studio, all from life and each over a period of two or three days. lacma.org ROBERT HUNTER NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, MELBOURNE APRIL 27 TO AUGUST 26 This ambitious survey of the work of the late Robert Hunter, arguably Australia’s pre-eminent minimalist painter, marks the 50th anniversary of his first solo exhibition in the country, at Melbourne’s Tolarno Galleries in 1968. Hunter’s aesthetic changed little throughout his career,…

Scottish spirits company Edrington’s employee-driven philosophy on corporate social responsibility has resulted in ground-up initiatives that are passionately and sustainably run by its staff. Grace Ma finds out how EVER SINCE EDRINGTON SINGAPORE employee, Chang Xinyue, volunteered to organise the company’s first charity cycle from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore in 2015, she has progressed from simply accompanying the riders and overseeing the event logistics to becoming a cyclist herself, participating for two consecutive years. In 2016, the executive assistant trained for six months to cycle 500km over four days from Taipei to Kaohsiung in Taiwan. Last November, she pedalled 600km over five days from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville in Cambodia. She was joined by 49 other colleagues from Edrington’s Asia offices to raise funds for M’Lop Tapang, a shelter for…

WHEN LOUIS VUITTON CREATIVE DIRECTOR Nicolas Ghesquière wants to give us a lesson in history, he doesn’t take the task lightly. And what better way to do this than to stage its spring/summer 2018 show deep within the bowels of the Louvre in the recently opened Pavillon de l’Horloge? It was a show that could only be described as sportswear meets the 18th century, befitting of a location whose business is history. It was French history meets French royalty, with equally majestic clothes to boot. But all that extreme decadence and excess that were once celebrated by the aristocrats in the past are now shunned by today’s consumers in favour of a more understated look. So how does Ghesquière tone down all that frivolity while still retaining the allure and…

CARTIER HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY BUSY over the past few years, and there are no signs of the maison slowing down as this year brings yet another burst of renewed energy with the revamp of its legendary Santos de Cartier collection (pictured above right), which is one of the icons of the industry. Find out how this Cartier icon has evolved for the 21st-century on p.116. Of course, the Santos de Cartier was not the only highlight—our favourite jewellery watch release this year is Cartier’s Révélation d’une Panthère watch. Its name—the revelation of a panther—somewhat gives away the main feature of the watch, which involves hundreds of tiny gold beads cascading slowly down the dial to form the outline of a panther’s head. The beads move with the wearer, and never…

MANY WATCH BRANDS ARE COMMEMORATING milestone anniversaries in 2018, and Montblanc is one of them—its famous Minerva manufacture turns 160 this year. Minerva holds an interesting spot in Montblanc’s history, given that it was once an independent company specialising in mechanical movements. It was acquired in 2006 by Compagnie Financière Richemont, Montblanc’s parent company, for the express purpose of furthering Montblanc’s expertise in watchmaking. Today, Minerva handles the development, prototyping and assembly of all in-house movements, and is one of the few manufactures in the world that produces its own balance springs. In 2018, Minerva’s importance is duly highlighted. All new releases for the year have historical analogues from Minerva’s archives. The Montblanc 1858 collection, for instance, harks back to Minerva’s history as a producer of military watches in the…

BACK IN 2016, CARTIER made the call to stop the production of the Santos de Cartier collection, much to the disbelief of the watch cognoscenti. A household name, the watch was first designed by Louis Cartier in 1904 for his friend and celebrity pilot Alberto Santos-Dumont (pictured above), who had lamented that checking his pocket watch while flying was troublesome. Louis Cartier strapped a timekeeping mechanism onto a tiny leather belt, and thus the Santos de Cartier was born. In the ensuing century, the collection attracted legions of fans with its signature square frame, strong lines and beautiful curves. Famous faces including actors Timothy Dalton and Tom Cruise, reality star Kourtney Kardashian and rock and roll legend Mick Jagger have sported the horological icon, and it has even made cameo…

FOR THE UNINITIATED, Singapore’s cosmopolitan dining scene can be tricky to navigate. Losing yourself in a gastronomic abyss sounds romanticised, but it can be a bit of an exasperating game of hit-and-miss for those looking to hone in on a particularly winning style of cuisine. And this is exactly why stalwart Majestic Restaurant’s recent move to a more central location at The Heart (East Tower) of the prestigious Marina One property is a blessing in disguise. Fans of the original restaurant at the now defunct New Majestic Hotel in Bukit Pasoh Road (which now houses swanky private members’ club Straits Clan) were understandably apprehensive, but it is worth the trek—especially for lunch. The reason is the full dim sum menu, which is the direct result of a bigger space, shares…

THERE ARE ARGUABLY A FEW things more romantic than a stroll down the beach at sunset—even more so when it is along the stunning shores of the Maldives. But in a country where beautiful resorts are the reason for a booming tourist economy, how does one go about choosing the best spot for a honeymoon? Of all the luxurious abodes to be found, Cheval Blanc Randheli stands out thanks to its stunning location and unbeatable hospitality. The Cheval Blanc experience begins the moment we touch down in the Maldives. Once out of immigration, we are chauffeured to a private lounge where we await, drink in hand, for our de Havilland Twin Otter seaplane to arrive. The journey from Male airport is about 40min, but a bird’s-eye view of the pristine…

GEORGE CONDO WISHES HE COULD return to 1988, when he wrote Notes on Artificial Realism, a treatise describing his artistic direction. In it, the American artist emphasised the artificiality of his drawings—“an object that was real is made artificial in order to bring it back to reality”— and coined the term “fake paintings” to define his oeuvre. Today, in Trump’s America, that haunts him. “The phenomenon of fake news is precisely defined in the treatise,” he says from his studio in New York. “Had I known those concepts would blur over into the real world in today’s politics, I would never have written about them.” That wouldn’t have changed much of his practice, however. For the past three decades, Condo has been creating abstract and figurative canvases, sculptures and drawings…

The annual George Washington Ball, a fixture in Singapore’s society calendar since the 1930s, saw the ballroom of the W Singapore Sentosa Cove transform into a whimsical circus befitting of this year’s theme, “Cirque Spectacular”. Organised by the American Association of Singapore, the 85th edition of the ball welcomed 350 guests, including Dana Cheong and Paulina Böhm who were both part of the ball organising committee. An official march by the US Navy Color Guard, followed by a performance by gymnasts from the Singapore Gymnastics’ National Training Centre, kicked off the celebrations. Guests enjoyed a four-course meal with free-flowing champagne, wine and draft beers, while bidding on an auction that benefited the Singapore Children’s Society. As is tradition, there was plenty of dancing—even before the soup course was served, the…

Nana Au-Chua’s annual Chinese New Year celebration has become one of the most awaited events on the social calendar, and this year’s luncheon at the Empress restaurant didn’t disappoint. The COO of Million Lighting invited her closest girl friends to welcome the Year of the Dog with free-flowing wines, rousing loheis and plenty of good wishes for the year ahead. Guests came dressed in bright shades of pink and red, and the host herself looked resplendent in a vibrant fuchsia dress. PUP PALS To celebrate the Year of the Dog, Nana Au-Chua gave out personalised stuffed toys to each guest…

N SINGAPORE, PROPERTY NEWS IS constantly at the tip of people’s tongues. Some go into a mad frenzy when an old estate is sold en bloc for a princely sum, or when redevelopment plans for land parcels are announced. Our land is a precious commodity, which is why Singapore regularly features high up on lists that rank the most expensive real estate in the world. The sluggish climate of the past few years seems to be finally picking up. A recent report by Morgan Stanley Research predicted that local home prices would rise 8 per cent in 2018 and 2019. It is timely then that we decided to revive our Property supplement after a few dormant years. We have curated a read that is focused not just on short-term trends,…

SAM GOI EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, GSH CORPORATION “The best investment potential for property is in the location, and at GSH, we are always on the lookout for unique and prime locations such as our Sutera Harbour Resort and two condominium developments in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, which are in the heart of the city, and overlook the sea and the mountains. China is also a huge market potential. With its massive economy and large, urbanising population, the country continues to be on our radar, further buoyed by the prospects of its One Belt, One Road strategy, which seeks to economically link China to the rest of the world.” MARILYN LUM DIRECTOR, LUM WEN KAY HOLDINGS “Western Europe is a potential investment area, especially the cities of Lyon and Bordeaux in France. France…