Pink MoonSwatch, Louis Vuitton x Voutilainen collab, watch documentary from The Hour Glass

The Persistence Of Time by The Hour Glass

Singapore watch retailer The Hour Glass has released an evocative film, The Persistence Of Time, which looks at the evolution of horology from 18th-century mechanical breakthroughs to creations by today’s independent artisanal watchmakers.

The film weaves together three key initiatives by The Hour Glass: IAMWATCH (2024), a platform for dialogue between makers and collectors; The Lives Of Artists (2020), a series chronicling master watchmakers; and The Persistence Of Memory (2021), an online archive celebrating 50 years of independent watchmaking.

Watch enthusiasts will glean insights from industry luminaries including Mr Aurel Bacs, senior consultant at auction house Phillips; Mr Felix Baumgartner, watchmaker and founder of Urwerk; Mr Kari Voutilainen, Finnish clockmaker; Mr Michael Tay, managing director of The Hour Glass; and well-known Singaporean watch journalist Su Jia Xian.

The documentary offers a captivating look into independent watchmaking, showcasing how artisans push the boundaries of horology and explore the intricate world where time itself becomes both their canvas and inspiration.

Watch it at

str.sg/NetS

Richard Mille’s RM 43-01 Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph Ferrari

Limited to 150 pieces, this collaboration between Richard Mille and Ferrari comes in two variants: 75 in microblasted titanium with a Carbon TPT (Thin Ply Technology) caseband, and 75 in full Carbon TPT. Carbon TPT is Richard Mille’s proprietary composite, consisting of layers of carbon filaments that are exceptionally light but strong.

Ferrari’s design centre Centro Stile played a crucial role in shaping key elements of this watch, from the crown to the strap pattern inspired by the seats of the Purosangue, Ferrari’s luxury SUV.

Developed over three years, the movement has a Grade 5 titanium baseplate with an impressive 70-hour power reserve. Especially impressive are the off-centre tourbillon and innovative active seconds display with rotating radial blades.

Mr Julien Boillat, Richard Mille’s casing technical director, describes the two versions as having distinct personalities. He says the titanium case embodies a refined “gentleman driver” spirit, while the carbon version captures a bolder, high-octane attitude.

Price: $1,995,500 (titanium), $2,295,600 (full Carbon TPT)

Louis Vuitton x Voutilainen LVKV-02 GMR 6

The LVKV-02 GMR 6 is the second creation in Louis Vuitton’s five-part collaboration series with independent watchmakers. The first was with Kosovo-born watchmaker Rexhep Rexhepi in 2023.

This time, the French luxury house joins hands with Finnish master watchmaker Kari Voutilainen to create an eye-popping 40.5mm timepiece. Based on the maison’s Escale travel watch model which made its debut in 2014, it features a tantalum case with platinum accents, paying homage to Louis Vuitton’s heritage as a maker of luxury travel trunks.

The eye-catching dial – which tracks a second time zone on a 24-hour scale – combines Voutilainen’s famous hand guilloche with Louis Vuitton’s miniature painting expertise. Inspired by ancient stained-glass windows, it showcases intricate miniature paintings which use 28 colours, take 32 hours to execute and eight hours to kiln-fire. The same motif is echoed on the mainspring barrel cover.

Limited to five pieces, each LVKV-02 GMR 6 comes in a bespoke hand-painted trunk, mirroring the watch’s intricate design.

Price: $750,000

Limited-edition Blancpain Ocean Commitment 

A handsome addition to Blancpain’s iconic dive watch collection, the 45mm Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Tech Ocean Commitment IV is crafted from Grade 23 titanium.

Limited to 100 pieces, the watch is robust yet lightweight with a helium valve for saturation dives and a unidirectional bezel with a domed black ceramic insert for underwater use. Readability is excellent, thanks to the watch’s “absolute black” dial which absorbs 97 per cent of light, and luminescent hour markers and hands.

The in-house calibre 1315A automatic movement offers a solid five-day power reserve, a silicon balance spring for anti-magnetic precision and an 18K gold rotor engraved with the Ocean Commitment logo. 

The sale of each Fifty Fathoms Tech BOC IV will see €1,000 (S$1,450) going to the Blancpain x Sulubaai Marine Research Center in Palawan, Philippines, which helps to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable resource management.

Each watch is presented in a Pelicase box with a donation certificate and an exclusive photograph by French wildlife photographer Laurent Ballesta, depicting the endangered horseshoe crab in its natural habitat.

Price: $30,700

MoonSwatch Mission to the Pink Moonphase 

Swatch and Omega will be dropping a limited-edition Bioceramic MoonSwatch, Mission to the Pink Moonphase, in April as a tribute to the celestial beauty of April’s Pink Moon.

Available at select Swatch stores starting April 1, it celebrates the micromoon – a phenomenon when the full moon appears slightly smaller and dimmer as it reaches its farthest point from Earth.

It is an attention-grabbing watch, with a striking black and silver-pink opaline dial, a moon-phase indicator at the two o’clock subdial and two Super Luminova-coated pink moons that glow in the dark, with hidden details revealed under UV light.

Making it even more playful is the two o’clock push button. It is embossed with a heart to reference its pulsometer scale – a tool for measuring heart rate. A pink Velcro strap adds the finishing touch to its astronaut-inspired look.

Those keen to get the Mission to the Pink Moonphase need to embark on a small adventure. Miniature Rolling Planets – Swatch’s iconic themed cars, known for touring the world with the MoonSwatch collection – will be going to selected Swatch stores offering this exclusive timepiece. 

To find out where they land, fans should monitor Swatch’s Facebook and Instagram at

facebook.com/SwatchSG

and

instagram.com/swatchsingapore

Price: $430