Look who turned up for Bak Kut Teh!

Look who turned up for Bak Kut Teh at Rangoon Road.

Mr. Philippe Dufour is no stranger to the Singaporean epicurean adventure and this time around, he had wanted Bak Kut Teh. So we ended up in Founder Bak Kut Teh for breakfast.

Peter cycled there (being Friday) and Larry and I took the easy way out - made our COE work harder for us. Philippe is in Singapore for the Super Machines Horological Heroes - Grandmasters of Independent Watchmaking exhibition currently being hosted by The Hour Glass at Paragon. Visit the pop-up store and enjoy the watches on display especially those from the independent brands. Exhibition ends 30th Sep.

IWC Portuguese Jubilee - 1868 to 1993

The IWC Portuguese Jubilee. One of may favorite timepieces.

Simple watches are probably the most difficult to make - how to make an iconic and instantaneously recognizable three handed watch? Well to mark their 125th Anniversary, IWC came up with the Portuguese Jubilee featuring the Calibre 9828 pocket watch movement. I am sure IWC did not start out to create an icon but the watch has garnered much success since.

Reference number 5441, this beauty was made in limited numbers to commemorate 125 years of IWC watchmaking. Released in 1993, one thousand were made in steel, 500 in rose gold and 250 in platinum.

The pocket watch movement is well decorated and well finished. Calibre 9828 manual winding movement beats at 18,000 vph.

The front crystal is plexiglass which gives the watch a vintage look to it but also adds height to the watch. The encased watch is relatively slim for a watch this size - 42mm. Back in the 1990s, a watch sized at 42mm was considered huge. And I believe it was not an instant hit till much later. The Jubilee is a very close replica of the original Portuguese.

This watch is a keeper for me. Enjoy the pocket watch movement...

Enjoy more of the Portuguese Jubilee on Peter's blog Portuguese Jubilee

The IWC Portuguese Jubilee - Ref 5441

The IWC Portuguese Jubilee. One of the most iconic watches of the brand.

Simply beautiful - simple yet beautiful!

Thanks to my good friend Peter Chong for this image. Perfectly taken! More of the watch to come - stay tuned!

Parmigiani Kalpa Hebdomadaire

The Parmigiani Kalpa XL Hebdomadaire. Hebdomadaire mean "Weekly" in French hence the 8 days of power reserve this watch comes with. My first tonneau case watch.

Oddly enough, the blue Guilloché dial got me sold!

What I really like about this watch is the level of finishing. The Delta-shaped hands are polished steel and the indices are rhodium-plated appliqués.

The bracelet comes with a satin finish and the sunray Guilloché dial is a beauty. The back of the movement comes with "Côtes de Genève" decoration and bridges are hand bevelled.

Beating within the steel case is the manual winding Calibre PF110. I understand that this is an in-house developed movement and almost every component is made in-house. The twin barrels gives the 8 days of power reserve. Comes with a folding clasp.

If I may say, the watch is pretty.

For more on the Kalpa, do visit the blog by my friend Peter Chong