https://www.scmp.com/rss/505966/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com In the watch world, where technical expertise reigns supreme, there is one complication that represents the pinnacle of both watch collecting and watchmaking savoir faire: the minute repeater. At the push of a button, it will chime out the hours, quarter hours and minutes in a series of high-pitched notes, each generated by a tiny hammer and gong housed within a case no wider than a human wrist. The minute repeater is widely accepted as the most elaborate complication in watchmaking. Former LVMH... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3174089/what-minute-repeater-everest-watch-complications-makes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3174089/what-minute-repeater-everest-watch-complications-makes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Apr 2022 08:00:25 +0000 Amazon, Alibaba, TikTok, WeChat. These are just some of the biggest and most dynamic companies of today that are probing an uncertain new digital frontier in luxury. Traditionally reluctant to go online, and usually confined to proprietary websites or multi-label e-commerce specialists like Net-a-Porter and Farfetch, the luxury industry has been expanding its digital footprint in recent years by actively seeking new partners. Online marketplaces such as Amazon, Alibaba’s Tmall (Alibaba is also... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3172127/e-commerce-and-social-media-next-big-frontier-luxury-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3172127/e-commerce-and-social-media-next-big-frontier-luxury-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Mar 2022 08:21:26 +0000 Jewellery, for all its flashy eye-catching beauty, has been used to hide secrets for time immemorial. Queen Elizabeth I was said to have worn locket rings that hid a miniature portrait of her mother Anne Boleyn – the unfortunate second wife of Henry VIII – while others used jewellery to conceal everything from poison to perfume and lover’s mementos. And up until the 1930s or so, jewellery was also often used to hide something rather unexpected: time. Until the early 20th century, it was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3160070/what-are-secret-watches-and-why-are-they-so-coveted-queen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3160070/what-are-secret-watches-and-why-are-they-so-coveted-queen?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Dec 2021 22:00:24 +0000 What: Van Cleef & Arpels Zip necklace When: 1950 Legacy: Technical mastery that made an everyday object extraordinary Dazzle like Kate Middleton with these 5 jewellery pieces Designers often say that extraordinary inspiration can come from the most ordinary of places. The archetypal example is surely Van Cleef & Arpels’ legendary Zip necklace. The story dates back to the late 1930s, when then-Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, was talking to then-creative director of Van Cleef & Arpels, Renée... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3156115/how-van-cleef-arpels-made-high-jewellery-out-humble-zip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3156115/how-van-cleef-arpels-made-high-jewellery-out-humble-zip?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Nov 2021 02:00:24 +0000 Among all the complications in the world of luxury watchmaking, there are few that are as visually captivating as the tourbillon – literally the “whirlwind”. Developed in 1795 then patented by Abraham-Louis Breguet for Napoleon in 1801, the complex whirling escapement was originally intended to counteract the effects of gravity, which would cause the regulator to oscillate at an irregular rate and decrease its timekeeping accuracy and precision. In an era when pocket watches were confined to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3153708/how-does-tourbillon-work-and-how-did-it-revolutionise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3153708/how-does-tourbillon-work-and-how-did-it-revolutionise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Oct 2021 06:24:38 +0000 The watch world has seen its fair share of collaborations in the past, but few, if any, can match the unexpectedly delightful pairing of Audemars Piguet and the Marvel Cinematic Universe – yes, the one with the Avengers. Auctions of luxury watches, jewellery and art, driven online, are fast becoming the norm The collaboration came about thanks to a friendship between Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias and actor Don Cheadle, who plays War Machine in the Marvel franchise. “I first... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3126174/avengers-assemble-audemars-piguet-teams-marvels-don?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3126174/avengers-assemble-audemars-piguet-teams-marvels-don?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Mar 2021 09:22:03 +0000 When the world shut down early this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it seemed like trips to the local watch retailers – and indeed almost any shops – would be impossible. But were they? Products from the Richemont maisons, such as Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre, were already available on various e-commerce platforms. In 2019, Richemont and Alibaba Group formed a strategic partnership with the opening of the Net-a-Porter flagship store on Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion. The joint venture put... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3104260/cartier-piaget-iwc-jaeger-lecoultre-join-alibabas-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3104260/cartier-piaget-iwc-jaeger-lecoultre-join-alibabas-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Oct 2020 22:00:15 +0000 The world of watches has certainly seen plenty of disruption this year. Not only did Covid-19 cause manufacturers and shops to close, it also meant that the biggest horology events of the year – namely the Watches & Wonders Geneva (formerly SIHH) and Baselworld fairs, which were expected to happen simultaneously for the first time in April and May – were cancelled. But as the saying goes, the show must go on. Just, in this case, in a different format. As 5 big luxury watch brands quit, can... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3089286/watches-wonders-2020-highlights-cartier-panerai-hermes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/watches/article/3089286/watches-wonders-2020-highlights-cartier-panerai-hermes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jun 2020 19:00:14 +0000