INTERVIEW: 15 minutes with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – “Elegance is an attitude”
Time is a funny thing. The PR schedule was fast and furious when Longines Ambassador of Elegance Aishwarya Rai Bachchan held court at her Four Seasons suite during the afternoon prior to the Sydney opening of Longines’ flagship boutique. But sitting in front of the world’s most famous grey-green eyes, as they surveyed the harbour far below, time slowed. Mixing regal bearing with warmth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan speaks in a considered, melodious flow. Most of the Australian pack wanted, of course, to ask for her thoughts on the #MeToo movement, a topic she politely addressed, but we felt we had to find out how she balances her international schedule. Evidently, hers is a demanding life. Bollywood icon, a mother to a young daughter, committed to various charity roles, and maintaining some very special brand relationships, like her 18-year Longines role. She laughed when the balancing act was raised, sitting perfectly poised in a sea foam-hued ball gown. “Someone was asking me earlier if I had to choose a Commonwealth Games sport, what would I choose. I said I think [I’d be] a gymnast. It’s very graceful and a beautiful sport, but every working woman would see herself as that.” Her…
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When you think of H. Moser, a select handful of words come to mind: classic, traditional and, of course, fumé. There’s also the other side of the business that loves taking potshots at the industry with its polarising marketing tactics (as we all saw once again during SIHH), but in the halls of SIHH our focus was set on the brand’s latest creation: the new Endeavour Flying Hours. Looking solely at its sleek case and the blue hue of its dial, the piece still oozes H. Moser design DNA; however, its time indication is something entirely different. Using a unique satellite-style time indication — one very reminiscent of the Urwerk UR-103, to be fair—this latest release came as a bit of a surprise. From a static first glance, it’s hard not to draw the Urwerk parallel, but seeing the caliber in action reveals a few significant (and needed) differences. Unlike UR calibers where the satellites orbit around the centre of the dial, the satellites of the Endeavour Flying Hours are fixed. Mounted on a round central bridge finished in black DLC, three funky blue discs are used to display the current hour. On a clear sapphire disc resting above its…
Think of Lange’s colour palette and the word ‘sober’ probably springs to mind. Or restrained. Limited. Calm. Muted. Subdued. Discreet. Anything but vivid and daring. Now, let’s for a moment think not of A. Lange & Söhne but only of the colours: white, black, grey (dials); black again, brown, (straps); pink gold, white gold (platinum looking more or less the same), a rare dash of yellow gold. Yes, there are some exceptions (we’ll come to those later), but put Lange’s entire catalogue of the past 20-plus years into a flip-book and that’s pretty much what you get. Based on those limited ingredients, if it were a cookery book you could be looking at the plainest meat-and-potatoes menu this side of a 1960s boarding school dinner. If it were another watch company … Well, sadly, the world is swamped with insipid, play-safe watches that are about as easy to distinguish from each other as boiled potatoes. But give those restricted ingredients to Lange and we get watches with richness and liveliness, with immediately recognisable character and great presence. It’s a remarkable trick. How does Lange do it? Let’s look back at the ‘famous four’ watches that announced the rebirth of the…
If you had said to me, on the eve of SIHH 2018, that the one brand I would be most surprised by at SIHH would be Panerai, I honestly wouldn’t have believed you. Panerai have gotten to where they are today by following the sort of slow and steady product development path that luxury and timeless style is built upon. Next thing you know, I’m in the Panerai press presentation, quietly losing my mind (and not because of the incredible Lo Scienziato). No, I’m losing it because Panerai’s 2018 line-up is dominated not by the big, bold 45mm watches I’ve come to expect, but instead by more delicate 38 and 42mm cases — the latest members of the Luminor Due family. While the significant expansion of the Due line included some 45mm options, including the mesmerisingly handsome GMT, it was the smaller 42 and 38mm options that really got people talking. And not just because the 38mm is the smallest PAM to date, but because these watches make Panerai a viable option for people who might not before have considered them an option. Don’t be fooled by the small case sizes though, these watches pack just as much of a…
With aeronautical instruments remaining a main source of inspiration for Bell & Ross, it’s fair to say they’re passionate about aviation. And while we’ve come to expect flight-ready four-sided designs from the Parisian brand, last year’s third-generation Vintage collection not only evoked the look of instrument panels from aircraft of the 1960s but also featured a more classically styled round case. This year, as a preview to Baselworld, the collection has been given an update and an even stronger vintage feel with the release of two new Steel Heritage versions of the BR V2. They’re designed to meet modern military specs while also paying tribute to the best of days gone by. The three-handed BR V2-92 and the BR V2-94 chronograph now feature sand-coloured luminous hour markers and hands – a look we’ve seen in other collections from Bell & Ross – that recall the patina of aged tritium and add to the new-old charm of the collection. A red line of text for the printed 100m depth rating also replaces a previously white one on the dial. And the vintage theme is continued elsewhere with both versions now available on an old school-style tropic rubber strap – as well…
Wherever Aishwarya Rai Bachchan goes in India there is a monumental crowd surge, and it was no different in Sydney at the weekend when Longines launched their flagship boutique in Australia and celebrated their starring role in the upcoming Commonwealth Games. Some local Indian film fans had brought their entire clans and staked out a viewing spot when the Queen Victoria Building opened that morning, even though the superstar was not due to arrive until 6.30pm. The press scrum was on when the world-famous beauty made her entrance, flanked by intimidating security, followed by countless hands launching mobile phones high. But the crowd was in respectful awe; there was no pandemonium. As Longines’ Ambassador of Elegance welcomed her audience with the Hindu greeting, Namaste, the crowd listened intently to their icon. Alongside Juan-Carlos Capelli, Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing, Rai Bachchan graciously held the 2018 Queen’s Baton aloft, after it was handed to her by Australian high jumper Amy Pejkovic. “The pleasure is all mine being here this evening,” she smiled. “Thank you Longines for having me enjoy this wonderful little adventure of receiving the Queen’s Baton. It’s been a privilege for me receiving the baton.” She…
Editor’s note: Even though the dust of SIHH has barely settled, things are heating up for Baselworld. And one of our burning questions is … what awesome heritage piece is Longines going to pull from their archives? They’ve had a good run over the last few years, including this cracking take on a traditional trench watch – the Longines Heritage 1918. Justin Mastine Frost explains … There’s no arguing that the vintage reissue trend is still going strong, though this latest offering from Longines digs further back into the archives than we were expecting. Their newly unveiled Heritage 1918 draws on the brand’s early history, having a very early pocketwatch-conversion vibe to it that — though a little unconventional at first — has grown on us quickly, and reminds of the Longines Heritage Spirit. Its rich lacquered dial, contrasting honey-brown varnish painted numerals, and blued cathedral hands scream classic early 1900s watchmaking. Unlike the faux-tina lume we have seen from countless other brands in an attempt to appear aged, this paintwork feels much more honest and will no doubt go over well with those seeking a heritage piece that’s a little different to the mid-century style that’s so trendy at the moment.…
There are few dials as instantly recognisable in the world of modern watchmaking as that of the Lange 1. This circular watch, with its off-centre hours and minutes dial, subsidiary seconds, power reserve and that instantly recognisable big date. In the opinion of Caragh McKay, watches and jewellery director at Wallpaper* (and founder of McKay Gurney), this distinctive dial is a real classic. “The Lange 1 is the core model for me … the codes are such – clean, big, sublime finishing – that you’d always recognise a Lange design across a watch-crowded room. I’m always drawn to the sheer clarity of their dials – the proportions seem slightly out of kilter, but work as a whole.” A modern icon then? Well, the ‘i’ word is a loaded one in watchmaking, prone to hyperbole and abuse. Anthony de Haas, Lange’s Director of Product Development, has issues with it: “People say we design icons, but we don’t. By definition, that is not possible. If a watch becomes an icon it happens over time – or it does not. The most we can do is have a good feeling about the design.” And while it’s hard to disagree with de Haas’ sentiment,…
If you’re looking for a watch with bells, whistles and some serious style, you should probably check out this feature-heavy diver, the Seiko Prospex SSC673P. It’s part of a series of three limited edition blacked-out divers called — appropriately enough — the Black Series. The other watches are time-only affairs, in automatic and solar configurations, whereas this addition adds some complication to the equation. But first, the basics. With a substantial 43.5mm case, screw-down crown and pushers, and a broad black aluminium bezel topping off the fully black case, this watch clearly has a bold on-the-wrist presence. Add to that the incandescent orange hour hand and (slightly) more subdued burnt orange lume details and this watch has the style wars all but won. And then there’s the functionality. Not only is this watch a dive-ready chronograph (remember those screw-down pushers), it’s also a solar-powered beastie, meaning that — through the magic of Japanese technology — light is transformed into pure energy, which is cool! If you had to find fault with this watch, you could argue that there’s a lot going on with the dial — text, subdials and date. It’s got it all going on. But, for all that, legibility is…
Late last year, Seiko announced a series of limited edition Prospex divers, featuring blacked-out cases and the evocative name of ‘The Black Series’. The story behind the name and the black-and-orange concept is the murky, mysterious world of night diving. But honestly, for me this watch is less about the story behind it and more about the sheer hotness of the watches. It’s fair to say that the darling of the trio is the SRPC49K, a stealthy take on their popular ‘Turtle’. But there are two other options in the mix. We’ll look at the chronograph tomorrow, but today we’re focusing on the three-hander, which is perhaps the most conventional of the three. Formally known as the SNE493P1, this 43.5mm cased watch is the epitome of a classic dive watch, albeit in a much darker livery than usual. The dark case doesn’t have any impact on legibility, with a multi-layered dial dominated by the large hour markers filled with a rich, orange/tan luminous materials and a familiar Seiko diver’s handset, with a bold, neon orange minutes hands, a choice driven by the strict visual hierarchy of a dive watch — where the minutes are more critical than hours. There’s also…