Sublime = Rolex + Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Recently we received and invitation from J Farren-Price to attend an evening with Rolex to see the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House. Of course we jumped at the chance.

On a wet and chilly Thursday we arrived at the Sydeny Opera House and made our way to the Utzon Room. Located on the eastern side of the Opera House it offers views across the Harbour, Fort Denison and the eastern suburbs. While mingling with the other guests and representatives from Rolex, the Orchestra and J Farren-Price, we enjoyed some Veuve Clicquot and delicious canapes.


Then it was time to head to the Concert Hall. The magnificent Concert Hall is designed for acoustic performances with its high vaulted ceiling and interior finishes of brush box and white birch timber. It seats 2,679 and is the largest interior venue at the Opera House. The Concert Hall is also home to Grand Organ, a technical wonder, it is the world’s largest known mechanical action organ. The instrument has 10,154 pipes, 200 pipe ranks and 131 speaking stops with electrical stop action. Unfortunately we got to see but not hear the organ.

The Vienna Philharmonia program for our evening consisted of Johannes Brahms Tragic Overture, Op.81, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No.34 in C, K338 Allegro vivace, Andante di molto and Finale (Allegro vivace), and to finish the evening Anton Bruckner Symphony No.4 in E flat, Romantic Bewegt, nicht zu schnell Andante quasi allegretto Scherzo(Bewegt) Trio(Gemachlich) and Finale(Bewegt,doch nicht zu schnell). For the encore we were treated to a performance of The Blue Danube by Strauss.

Thankyou to Rolex and J Farren-Price for inviting us to a wonderful evening!

Some things are worth waiting for!

We often read on the forums on how long collectors have to wait to get their beloved Patek Philippe back from service. Last year around this time, I too was somewhat anxious in sending my treasured 3971 on its long journey back to Geneva where it was conceived in 1990. What made it an even more difficult decision was the fact that I only had the watch in my possession for 8 months.

After a long wait, today I was going to find out if I made the right choice.


Even through the protective plastic I feel as if I’m looking at a completely new watch.

It has had a very light polish and the front crystal was replaced as there was an inclusion in the original. The lugs with all the hallmarks remain crisp. Well done Patek! I for one appreciate your no compromise approach even if that means a long wait.

After its long journey I’m glad my 3971 is back downunder. Its beauty is so enthralling that I’m yet to put it on my wrist.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day!

P.S. Steve Jobs thank you for the iPad and may your vision continue to inspire us all.

Hong Kong Rendezvous

We decided in June to book our annual "Escape Winter" holiday. Destination: Hong Kong and Macau. This was to be our longest time in Hong Kong as usually we are there for 4 or 5 nights, this time however we were there for 11 nights.

Just after making our booking we realised we needed to confirm if friends who live in Hong Kong would be there while we were on holiday. As luck would have it they would be there and we received an invitation to a birthday party as well.

We arrived in Hong Kong glad to leave the Sydney cold behind and welcomed the pleasant 30C heat. Having used the private car for the hotel before, we had pre-booked it for this trip as well. Vikki enjoyed the trip from the airport to the hotel in the Mercedes S500. Nothing like a little bit of luxury to start your holiday.

On our first Monday in Hong Kong we were invited to attend a Greubel Forsey collectors dinner, with the hint of something exciting being announced, but that was for Thursday so a few days of shopping, looking around and a trip to Macau.

On Wednesday we headed off for our first visit to Macau. We caught the jet cat from HK and arrived in Macau an hour later. Customs was hectic and took a while to get through. For our first visit to Macau we decided to stay at The Venetian. Wow, massive. Our room was impressive, the bathroom being larger than out bedroom at home.


After settling in, we decided to head down to the main “canal” where the gondoliers were in full voice. We wandered for a bit and then decided to get out and go across to City of Dreams for a look.

Had to go to the Hard Rock shop of course (HRC wasn’t open when we were there) to pick up a shot glass. Had a look at the gaming floor which was huge and surprisingly not very busy. The House of Dancing Water show was not on the day we were there, so we missed out. All the usual big name luxury brands had boutiques, so we had to have a look, just in case there was something special we haven’t seen before.




Then back across to the Venetian for a sit down and relax before contemplating dinner. So many places to choose from for something to eat. We ended up choosing Italian and both had lobster with a bottle of Prosecco. After dinner more boutique browsing, and then back to the room for a goodnight’s sleep.




Thursday saw us up early for some reason, so we got to have another look around before checking out and heading back to Hong Kong. We were a bit nervous about timing for our trip back to HK as we had to get to the Greubel Forsey dinner. But we need not have worried, thanks to being able to get on a standby line for an earlier ferry and left an hour earlier than originally planned.

Getting back to HK we decided to take a cab to our hotel. In peak hour and it still only cost us A$15. Imagine getting a cab from Central Station in Sydney to the airport in peak hour, similar distance 10 times the price. Got back to our hotel freshened up and caught the Star Ferry back to Central on HK Island and headed to the Four Seasons Hotel to meet up with the Swiss Prestige team and Stephen Forsey.

Wonderful food served with great French wines. Somehow we forgot to take photos of the food except for dessert.


Some shots of the video going throughout dinner.Great video with wonderful shots of the movements.


It was great to catch up with Stephen Forsey again having met him at the Sydney Greubel Forsey event organised by J Farren Price.

So what was the special announcement from Greubel Forsey? Well you are just going to have to wait for the official release but and believe me it will be worth the wait.

We were also able to get to the Hong Kong Watch and Coin Fair at the Holiday Inn. Amazing to see so many watches and coins/banknotes for sale under one roof. Not an event to go to if you don’t like crowds.

Our other event was a friends 60th birthday, held at the members only The China Club. Decorated as a touch of old China from the 30’ and 40’s, the club has a wonderful old school ambience. Vikki remembered to get photos this time.



No, this is not a man jumping rope, he’s jumping noodles, not sure if it will catch on as a fitness routine LOL. It was interesting to watch how fast the noodles are formed.


We were also astounded by the speed, flexibility and agility of the tea pourer.


And of course no great birthday party could end without having cigars and whisky on the balcony.


The rest of our holiday gave us a chance to relax. We did lots of window shopping, saw some watch models and brands that we haven’t seen here in Australia and did a little bit of shopping(John Lobb shoes for me and a Vivienne Tam dress for Vikki). It is always good to be away on holiday but it is just as good to get home and remember all the wonderful times you had while away.

Winter Charm

On a cold Friday night, Sydney watch collectors descended on Fix St James for what was going to be a remarkable night of food, wine and watches. Bertrand Bourgeois of Manufacture Janvier was visiting Sydney and we were very fortunate to be introduced to the whimsical world of Vianney Halter.

I was one of the first to arrive and couldn’t wait to cast my eyes on what to this day remain some of the most original watch designs.

Our expectations were surpassed as the watches where unveiled one by one. As Vianney mentioned in the film ‘Timepiece’, “when you look at a watch you open a window into another world”.
A very special Janvier with equation of time and lunar cycle complication, one of only twelve. It was a privilege to be able to see this watch.

I was first made aware of Vianney Halter’s ‘Antiqua’ browsing through an auction catalogue and it definitely is a relic of the future.

The level of subtle detail is astonishing from a craftsman that openly admits that because his creations are made entirely by hand they are full of imperfections.

The designs may not have broad appeal but for the very fact that they stir such emotion supports the idea of a soul like quality to the product. It was a true privilege to be part of such a unique and very personal event.

Chanel J 12 Chromatic Launch

While in Singapore, I had the chance to fulfill one of my lifelong ambitions, which was to attend an extravagant watch launch party, courtesy of Chanel and my host Bernard. We arrived at the Helutrans Gallery, nestled in the Tanjong Pagar heavy industrial estate in Singapore. One could say this is a rather unusual setting for the launch of a luxury watch. Any misgivings were quickly dispelled once I saw the array of high end cars parked in front of the complex. We were ushered through the red carpet into a cargo lift, which, when the doors opened was completely painted black except for the Channel logo on the back wall.

Catering was provided by Michael Han’s (ex Fat Duck) 53 Restaurant and the Hors d'oeuvre were sophisticated, tasteful, surprising but not too radical. I loved the ‘vege patch’ with the carrots and radishes stuck in the faux soil.

The Channel J12 was launched in 2000 for both Men and Women and was full ceramic. In 2003 J12 White broke new ground and now in 2011 we witnessed the premier of the J12 Chromatic which is essentially a non colour i.e. like stainless steel. The show was modelled after an installation-style exhibit. Guests were invited through different halls meant to evoke the birth of the mechanics of time, with the first corridor being lit with tableaus of stormy grey skies and an aurora borealis.


The significance of the Number 12 is explained.



The final room unveiled the J12 Chromatic watches which are made from a titanium ceramic which is highly scratch resistant and almost as hard as sapphire.

The Chromatic colour oscillates between black and white, Coco (Gabrielle) Chanel’s two favourite colours. The House of Chanel has developed exclusive polishing techniques to achieve this rich palette of reflections inspired by processes using diamond powder for polishing sapphire.


This was one tasteful experience on many fronts including the watches. Then again one should not expect any less from the House of Chanel.