Note from the project editor, Petrina Fernandez:
For the past 16 months as Covid-19 ran rampant, parts of our lives seemed to exist in suspended animation. The watch industry, however, has lived through two World Wars and its share of recessions, depressions and pandemics. It would take more than the temporary upending of reality as we know it for its march of progress to halt.
Instead of being on the ground at some of the most exclusive watch events around the globe, we channelled our adrenaline into a full schedule of Zoom calls, digital presentations and live launches across social media platforms. The requests came in fast and furious — there were so many watches to see and people to speak to as brands were eager to prove they had spent the past few months constructively despite the chaos of Covid-19.
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This ensured we had plenty to marvel over this season, from works of exquisite artistry to avant-garde inventions right out of science fiction. Novelties spanned high-performance tools, bejewelled treasures that are as much nifty instruments as they are ornaments, and whimsical compositions of sheer fantasy and escapism. We saw practical developments such as advanced shock absorbing systems launched around the same time as the world’s first luminescent diamonds in a timepiece.
In this edition of Calibre, we explore special releases by individual brands as well as compile our top picks for trends such as green dials, oversized watches and homages to heritage. Such curiosities perfectly capture the allure of haute horlogerie as a foundry of sophisticated engineering and craftsmanship.
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While the centuries-old industry has successfully accelerated its digital adoption to navigate these unusual circumstances with ease, immediacy and accessibility, timepieces have never been solely about convenience. As you browse through these pages and earmark your favourites, we hope they remind you of the gratification of intelligent design and the tactile pleasure of precious metals and materials. It won’t be long before we return to our known normal and when we do, you will be ready to put your best wrist game forward.
Calibre is complimentary with every copy of The Edge Malaysia (July 26 issue).
