So, the pandemic had us all couped up and when the Singapore government announced the relaxation of the rules, it was a huge relief for many of us. The requests came in very quickly - when are we going to have our long awaited get-together? It took all of 3 weeks to round up the gang and find a location that could accommodate us.
Very quickly we settled down on the date and the venue - a place we are all familiar with, XiYan Private Dining. The theme - Unusual dials and any "New" purchase (#NWA)...
Let me start with my favourite unusual dial for the evening - the Vacheron Constantin Great Explorers Christopher Columbus Expedition. What a timepiece - actually, I would call it art-piece. Enamel dial with a wandering time complication to boot. Had to showcase this one first.
XiYan Private Dining at Maxwell Chambers was the perfect location for us - privacy guaranteed and great food.
For those of you who have not been to XiYan, their private dining is a culinary experience - the food is not only delicious but a feast for the eyes too. Take a look at the first course - the Parma Ham, Smoked Salmon & Asparagus green salad with Xi Yan special dressing. They present the dish, explain what goes into making the dish (what ingredients and how it is prepared) before apportioning for each individual.
Some of the other dishes we had (total 8 course) - the braised abalone, steamed garoupa on rice noodle and cinnamon ribs with Osmanthus. Great company, excellent food and even greater selection of timepieces!
Next up on the like meter scale is this yellow gold LM101 Frost by MB&F.
I have been a fan of Max Busser and the LM101 represents (to me) the purest expression of his work - avant-garde. Not only is the LM101 innovative and progressive, I find the design bold and totally out of the ordinary. This is what you can expect from MB&F and for the longest time, LM101 was (and still is) one of my grail watches... if only I could afford it. Pardon the patina on the case - the humidity in Singapore is something we all have to contend with.
Up next is a microbrand not heard of much in the watchmaking world - Leinfelder.
The Pop-Art definitely qualifies for an unusual dial (above) and the movement made by Uhren-Werke-Dresden (UWD) is a sight to behold.
A few more unusual dials and the next one definitely is coming out from the left field. Parking meter in a watch? What do you think?
I think it is so cool to have this Stowa Mini-Stop (parking meter) from the 60s... so retro and so period appropriate. I am sure the Gen Zs won't get it.
The fun part about such gtg is that you get to see all the different kinds of watches you would otherwise see only in media. The group is diverse and so are the interests of each collector. Take for example the automotive inspired Contagiri by Italian watchmaker Giuliano Mazzuoli.
And the Gruppo Gamma Nexus...
Taking inspiration from the depth gauge and incorporating a jumping hour complication, the large hand tells the minutes with a jumping hour showing at the window.
Another not often seen is this Swatch Automatic Golden Sixties with a flexible strap. So Swatch, so retro and so cool. And so not MoonSwatch :-)
And my friend tells me he paid $194 for this watch back in 1994! A steal in my opinion. But come to think of it, who would have bought a mechanical Swatch back then???
Another brand I hear a lot nowadays is Undone. They started off as a watch company allowing their customers to "customize" their watches - either using quartz or mechanical movements. This Popeye, while not customized, belongs to a discerning friend.
How many of you have heard of Schauer? Come on, let's be honest here... This Schauer Einzeiger (one hand) is part of a limited edition series made by German watchmaker Jörg Schauer. A perfect "weekend" watch - when the exact minutes is not that important - things seem to move slower with this timepiece!
Clearly the largest timepiece on the table has to be the IWC Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar. This is one of my favourite version with the orange accent markers making the dial a lot more legible.
And how can one forget a timepiece like the Audemars Piguet Star Wheel - what a stunner! My first encounter with the actual timepiece.
Last but definitely not the least is this lady's Omega DeVille in a chocolate bar case. Out of this world!
Watch collecting and get-togethers are fun when we ask for special themes. What was on show tonight were pieces from a very wide spectrum and that is what such gtg aims to achieve. Bring along pieces that you think is unique and that others might not know of.
Following this post, the next post is featuring some "new" acquisitions, not necessarily new watches but at least something they bought in the last 12 months. Look out for that post.
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