SIHH 2010: Some portraits

Arnd Einhorn



Tino Bobe



Ainie and Tian Bey.




Alan Soong



Dmitry Sabirov



Francois Xavier Overstake



John Kelmanson



Michael Hickcox



Oliver Meindl



Peter Conrad



Rob Gan



Stefan Weeber



Stephen Luk



Terry Opdendyk

Scenes from Singapore: Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands...supposedly the most expensive hotel ever built to date, and a grand prize contributing to Singapore's GDP this year. All shot with the miniscule Panasonic Lumix LX-3 camera. This is a recce trip to visualise camera angles for a Hasselblad shoot later. No larger pics available.



On approach from the East, a double helix bridge leads into the complex:

Closer view of the three towers, one hotel:



The shopping area within is quite vast, and chock full of luxury stores:



The building features a skygarden. Entry for non hotel guests is by an entrance just underground. S$20 per entry.

The view was magnificent, I can imagine it looking spectacular at night. However, they don't allow tripods at the skygarden. Might be a challenge for the H3D to do night scenes.



Another view of the city...the Esplanade area:



The Singapore Flyer



Looking down onto the highway.



The view towards the Marina Barrage:



And the infinity pool atop the sky garden. Pretty cool, access for hotel guests only.

MB&F: the Frog

The MB&F's Horological Machine No 3...nicknamed The Frog is a special adaptation of the HM3...with a bit stonger visual design of the dial, providing the impact like they are buldging...like a frog's eyes.

SIHH 2010: ALS The Annual Calendar, Double Split, 1815 Chrono, and Little Saxonia

The Lange Annual Calendar...the first Lange watch to bear this complication is shown below:



The annual calendar offers a lower cost alternative to the perpetual calendar...and also a cleaner, easier to read dial layout.



Very handsome watch, clean dial layout, very legible.



Movement again in characteristic Lange finish. The annual calendar movement is under the dial (like the perpetual calendar) and from the back, the watch looks like a regular Langematic movement.

Next up, the Double Split in gold



One of my favourite watches, the Double Split...known as the secret watch of watchmakers...this is a special watch, known and appreciated for its technical virtuosity, and loved by the techies...



Absolute drop dead movement design and layout, following the cues from the magnificent Datograph, the Double split adds another layer on top of the already beautiful, layered look of the Datograph.



Detail of the movement. Showing the incredible design and finish of all the parts. Exquisite and truly a mark of true beauty.

The 1818 Chronograph was discontinued with the prior 1815 line, and when the 1815 line made its return last year, the chronograph returns in 2010.



The redesigned watch has a cleaner dial...the railway track is now gone, removing the clutter.



The same gorgeous movement adorns the new 1815 Chronograph.

And finally something for the ladies...the Little Saxonia.



Many mourn the loss of the original, small handwound watch, introduced with the revival of the ALS brand in 1994. Now it returns as a beautiful ladies piece. The bezel is set with 52 brilliant cut diamonds, weighing approx 1.3 carats. This is a beautiful piece to grace a feminine wrist.



The original L941.2 adorns the new watch. Case also remains unchanged at 34mm.

Vianney Halter: Antiqua Perpetual

Vianney Halter is an exceptional watchmaker. Supremely creative in his approach. His first watch to be unveilled to the world is a result of a collaboration with Jeff Barnes. The legend goes that Jeff and Vianney were having a drink, when the latter challenged the former, who is an industrial designer, to design a watch and he will build a movement to fit the design.

Responding to the challenge, Barnes designed what seemed to be an impossible design for a perpetual calendar, with 4 seperate indicators in its own dial. The Antiqua was born. Vianney got to work, and was highly successful in making th design work.

Visually, the impact of the watch is amazing. Like Captain Nemo's submarine...



The largest of the dials is the time indicator:



The movement features an "invisible rotor"...which swiftly rotates with the smallest provocation...allowing the amazing movement, which is loosely based on the Lemania base plate. To be fair, the movement is so highly modified that it qualifies as its own caliber - none of the movement plates are shared with the original donor base. And the addition of a perpetual calendar adds to the complication



Every part is hand made and finished, including the very complex crown, made by individually screwing in each small rivert to form a ribbed surface for improved grip of the crown. Amazing attention to detail characteristic of Vianney.

Experiments with one light on a model

Just one light...shot in the Shriro Studio in Singapore. Lighting by Profoto, camera is Hasselblad H3DII-39 with HC2.8/80.