TALKING TIME

THIS DIEHARD PANERAI FAN IS ALL ABOUT BUILDING BONDS THROUGH HOROLOGY.

BRAND BAND:

“In 2016, a few of us, who were active on a Panerai sub-forum, started a WhatsApp group we called GPF Appassionati. GPF stands for Guido Panerai & Figlio – a precursor to Panerai that was established in 1864 – and ‘appassionati’ means enthusiasts in Italian. There are 40 of us, and we talk about everything – but mostly, we share our new acquisitions and discuss launches.”

HEIRESSES TO THE CROWNS:

“Aside from Panerai, I’m also into Rolex. I really like the Rolex GMT-Master II because of its ease of use. I have the ‘Pepsi’ (red and blue bezel, pictured) and the ‘Coke’ ( red and black bezel), and intend to pass them onto my two daughters in the future. They’re three and six years old now. I laid out the watches and asked them: ‘Which do you want?’ My older girl pointed to the former, and the younger one was fine with having the latter. (Laughs.)”

COME TOGETHER:

“I discovered Panerai in 2007. After researching the brand, I realised that the most powerful story behind it is its community. At that time, there was this American guy on the Paneristi.com forum. (Paneristi is the community’s term for Panerai enthusiasts.) He was so passionate about the brand, even though he couldn’t afford a Panerai. One day, the forum members decided to chip in and buy him one. That’s friendship.”

TIME TO EXPLORE:

“After meeting Panerai ambassador and explorer Mike Horn in 2018, I had to own a Mike Horn edition. I asked him which of those bearing his name was his most memorable. He said The Luminor North Pole GMT PAM 252 because he felt he had earned the watch, which was produced to commemorate his successful North Pole expedition. I plan to wear it when I go to Hawaii for a holiday with my family this year. I’m also going to meet up with a few Paneristi while I’m there.”

TEAM SPIRIT:

WATCHES
THAT BEST REPRESENT MY COLLECTION

Breitling Avenger Hurricane in carbon composite

01 A GOOD RUN

Ending a six-year run, richard Mille and Yohan Blake have made their last watch together.

This year’s summer Olympics in Tokyo will be the last time champion sprinter Yohan Blake of Jamaica will participate in the quadrennial event. As such, this will also mark the end of Blake’s sixyear partnership with Richard Mille, making the RM 61-01 Ultimate Edition the last collaborative watch between the two.

The sombre news may explain the restrained choice of colours in the Ultimate Edition, disappointing fans who loved earlier RM 61-01 models in shades as bright as Blake’s personality. Still, there must surely be collectors who prefer their Richard Mille watches to be less ostentatious.

And although it is not the first time an RM 61-01 has appeared in black and white, it is the first with a Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT bezel and caseback. This material – produced by interweaving 600 layers of Quartz TPT and Carbon TPT and orienting the fibres at 45 degrees before they are heated, pressed and milled – is characterised by a strikingly unique woodgrain pattern.

The movement is a skeletonised titanium calibre that beats at 4Hz and comes with a power reserve of 55 hours . It also includes another Richard Mille hallmark: the ability to withstand impacts of over 5,000 Gs. It’s limited to 150 pieces.

02 AIR TIME

EAST GREETS WEST

Grand Seiko opens its first european boutique this month in the esteemed Place Vendome district in Paris. With two floors covering over 2,045 sq ft, it will be the largest Grand Seiko boutique in the world.

03 CLEAN SLATE

04 A STAR IS REBORN

TEXT CHARMIAN LEONG