SINGapore WISdom

In late May, I was invited to speak at a high brow Quantitative Finance conference in Singapore which presented a great opportunity to leverage some of the latest thinking post the Global Financial Crisis and to showcase some of Australia’s investment insight and capabilities. Another unforseen yet pleasant outcome was the opportunity to meet some of the local WIS collectors and impart opinion on the latest watch trends collecting experiences.

I could sense my Qantas flight was going to be an eventful one. The fantastic bonus was the fact that I was sitting in 10b which is the first row on the second level on a Boeing 747 – 400 (I always take the aisle seat during long flights) with no one sitting next to me.

The bad news was the fact that we were stranded at the airport for nearly 2 hrs due to engine maintenance issues. It was only the soft bubbles of the complementary Charles Heidsieck that kept my frustrations at bay.

My first observation of Singapore was that the skyline has changed more over the last 12-18 months than the previous decade. I come here regularly but this was the first time since the completion of Marina Bay Sands, ION Orchard and Knightsbridge.

The Hour Glass Malmasion in Knightsbridge was everything I hoped for and expected, this concept sets a new standard for luxury retailing. The brainchild of Mr Michael Tay Director of the Hour Glass, it is a sanctuary for passionate collectors and friends to experience some of the finest watches and handmade luxury goods.

ION Orchard is now the central shopping anchor on Orchard Road. Designed by leading architecture firm Benoy, who brought shoppers iconic malls such as the Bullring in Birmingham, UK, ION Orchard’s signature futuristic architecture has won two prestigious awards at MAPIC 2006 against stiff competition from submissions from around the world.

The watch boutiques are simply awesome!



Shame that the Panerai Boutique was not yet open, gives me a further excuse to revisit Singapore sooner rather than later.

Apart from the wonderful watch and clothes boutiques in the ION complex, the chief reason I was spending so much of my final hours was the opportunity to meet up with the uber inspiring Bernard Cheong and SXJ. An added bonus was that I also had a chance to meet Dr. Melvyn Teillol-Foo literally a few hours before he was embarking on his journey to host the International Gathering of the Purists Tribe 2 (IGOTT-2) in Las Vegas. The Hour Glass in ION Orchard was the gracious host of our little gathering.

Bernard openly shared his passion for watches and we discussed his favourite independent watchmakers.


SXJ also had some prototypes such the Panerai 372 and the new Richard Mille RM35. Naturally I had to try on both.

The Panerai 372 is everything I hoped for and more. I can’t wait for mine to arrive later this year.

It was a real privilege to spend the time with such savvy, established collectors and share our common passion and experiences.

Singapore is a special place but it is the openness of its people that makes my journeys there truly memorable.

Thanks for dropping by!

Greubel Forsey and Krug Dinner May 2011

In a world of tight budgets, concession and speed to market, it is refreshing to see that true uncompromised luxury is still a vision and promise that brands such as Greubel Forsey and Krug deliver on.
Sydney’s Aria restaurant provided the ideal setting for what was in my view going to be a pre-eminent watch experience.

Executive Chef Matt Moran, an avid watch collector, gave us a wonderful account of the special menu he developed to accompany the various Krug vintages that were going to be served throughout the evening. As one can tell from the menu, no expense was spared.

It takes considerable courage and vision to introduce a brand like Greubel Forsey to Australia, personally I’m glad the bar has been raised. We might be a bit slow downunder, but we are very good at distinguishing between substance and pretence.

Stephen Forsey eloquently yet humbly communicated the brands raison d’être; innovation, craftsmanship and aesthetics. Their inventions with regard to the tourbillion are all aimed to minimise positional errors due to gravity, especially when the timepiece is at rest.

When looking at a Greubel Forsey I don’t really see a watch, rather a mechanical sculpture that embodies the pinnacle of horological art and passion. Any true collector will gasp at the exceptional level of hand finishing. Greubel Forsey signature techniques include frosted bridges and plates, hand polished bevels and flat black polishing.

A sombre fact is that evenings such as these just end too quickly, so quickly that yours truly actually forgot to take pictures of the watches presented. Maybe the smooth flowing Krug had something to do with it.

Auckland Escape

Despite it only being a 3hr flight from Sydney, after all this time and global travel we never quite made it New Zealand before. The ‘City of Sails’ was our first foray into this magical country and we weren’t disappointed. Auckland sprawls over a narrow isthmus between the sparkling waters of the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. A cloak of rainforest covers the surrounding hills, dozens of dormant volcanic cones dot the landscape and enchanting holiday islands are scattered throughout the vast Hauraki Gulf.

Staying in luxury at the Langham Hotel gave us a good vantage point to explore what the city had to offer.


The Auckland Sky Tower is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere.

We were pleasantly surprised by some of the unique speciality food and drink venues that the city has on offer.

This must be one my favourite places for lunch and judging by the lunchtime crowds the locals must agree. Elliott Stables in Elliott Street is a fantastic collection of little cafes and restaurants. It is organised with restaurants and cafes around the edges of a seating area. While you order and pay at each place, meals are delivered to your table. There is even a bottle shop and a well stocked whisky/whiskey shop. An added bonus is the Kapiti Dairy shop on the corner for some ice cream or cheese.

For such a petite city the nightlife had some surprising atmosphere we enjoyed having a few drinks at the Northern Steamship Co. Brewbar which is located in the 130year old headquarters of the Northern Steamship Co. Of particular interest were the upside down floor lamps(real retro) which made it even more funky not to mention the fabulous Macs beer. They even have pots of hop plants growing, very apt for a brew bar.

Vulcan Lane was another great place to spend time when you are hungry and thirsty. All manner of food and drink is available in this heritage lane. With the establishments also retaining the heritage feel in their decor. Laneways such as this is something that Sydney desperately lacks. Even the adaptation of heritage bank buildings in to restaurants was a great reuse of spaces. One such example that we stumbled upon was O’Connell Street Bistro. Ambience is as important as the food and O'Connell Street Bistro does both really well.

The highlight of our holiday was definitely a private tour of Villa Maria Estate’s Auckland Winery. The winery was founded in 1961 by George Fistonich who, through his dedication to quality, has led Villa Maria to become the New Zealand wine icon it is today. Villa Maria Estate is New Zealand's most awarded winery and remains proudly family owned.

The winery is not far from Auckland airport so we hired one of the cute Langham cars (Toyota IQ) to get there.

The Auckland vineyard is situated at the winery site in the base of an extinct volcano, on the Ihumatao peninsula in Mangere.

Twenty hectares of vines are planted. Auckland enjoys a warm coastal climate without extreme temperatures.

The vineyard park with its volcanic soils, is planted with Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Verdelho. The vines are predominantly Gewurztraminer as the variety has a history of producing excellent examples of this style in the region.

We met Mary Winstone, Ville Maria’s guest co-ordinator who took us through to meet Mark Polglase(cellar door manager) and Ian Clark(export and PR manager). We left Mark to organise the wines for us while Ian took us on a tour of the Villa Maria production facilities. Villa Maria’s very modern and efficient facilities were amazing to see. The use of eco friendly systems for lighting, heating and cooling was very interesting to observe.


Bottling was exciting sight to, even more so given the focus on sustainability. Rather noisy in the bottling room as they fill and cap around 12,000 bottles per hour.

Now we turned to the serious side of the visit, the wine tasting and we weren’t disappointed. We arrived at the tasting table to be confronted by 12 bottles of wine lined up ready for us. Unfortunately Vikki was driving, so she could only taste and spit while I got to really enjoy the selection chosen for us. The wines we tasted were:
Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Villa Maria Cellar selection Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Gris 2010
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Gris 2010
Villa Maria Private Bin Chardonnay 2010
Villa Maria Reserve Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2009
Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir 2009
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2009
Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot 2009
Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah 2008


After our tasting session we were invited for lunch in the Villa Maria restaurant. Set in the cellar room which opens on to a broad terrace, it has a spectacular view of the vines. Not only do they operate the restaurant but there are also several options for functions depending on size. Vikki had wild pork and game rillete with plum, apple and ginger relish, poppy seed toast and micro salad, while I had seared tuna pepper crusted with anchovy, basil, roast capsicum and caper salad followed by oven baked lamb rack with crushed new potatoes, bean, olive and truss tomato salad,
tahini dressing, we ended with lemon tart. All very delicious and enhanced by the beautiful views and wines. After that it was back to the hotel for a much needed afternoon nap.




We had a relaxing, slightly wet, but quick week of enjoying some of what Auckland had to offer. We will definitely be heading back again to explore more of Auckland and New Zealand.

As the Maori would say: Ka kite anō (see you again!)

A Rare Treat From Hublot

Parcels that arrive from overseas are always a lovely surprise. Especially when you know that you haven't bought anything.
I got a message on my Blackberry just before Christmas, saying that there was a parcel for me and did I know what kind of wine it was and what was the alcohol content. Well this was a total surprise to me. So I rang Fedex and found out a little more. Contacted the lovely Miwa Sakai at Hublot who forwarded all the relevant details to Fedex.
Soon after, Vikki went to pick the wine up.
We opened the box not knowing what to expect and found a bottle of Hublot Chasselas, a Swiss wine which we have not come across here In Australia.

A very nice and much appreciated gesture from the Hublot team.

Nautilus on Ice

My recent AD visit brought back memories of my first majestic encounter with a 5722G at the London Patek Philippe Boutique. This Nautilus is adorned with 32 baguette diamonds (~5.7 ct.).

This time round, I was lucky enough to have a camera.

The diamond bezel is breathtaking and less prone to scratches (quite practical actually). The leather strap is a very deep blue which complements the case and dial.

5722G is for the brave. I think this watch sits well both on a female and male wrist. Only downside is that it costs more than 5x the amount for a 5712/1A.

Some bling does deserve serious consideration.

A Night To Remember - Many Stories Shared

Watch events in Australia are never the marketing extravaganza that the rest of the world gets to witness, which certainly goes with my preference of ‘style but with substance’. This year’s Hublot event was held at the exclusive Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron which is a private members only sailing club established in 1862.

We arrived around 6.00pm in the evening and on this night the weather did not disappoint.

It wasn't hard to see that this was going to be a King Power event.

The tables were set for some serious dining.

The watches were poised like supermodels.

My personal favourite Hublot of all time.

Emil’s big grin is a tell tale sign of the energy and excitement building in the room.

Combined with some of the best wines from Penfolds(including the world renowned ‘Grange’) and Mr Biver’s cheese, this was going to be a very memorable night.

As Jean Claude Biver could not join us this year in person, it was up to his son Loic to come up with an innovative twist. Personally I’m in the camp that believes that communication technology can at times hinder human interaction (why not just pick up the phone as opposed to texting).

However, JCB’s presentation over SKYPE was one of his most personal and emotive. A few days earlier it was announced that HUBLOT won the prestigious Walpole Award and we were very fortunate to hear an extensive retelling of his now very famous speech about success and my favourite part, that the real success after life is when you don’t die by leaving two traces behind; a trace of love as it never dies, the trace of your passion.

HUBLOT and JCB continue to inspire and surprise. I’m certain 2011 will be another significant marker in their history.