https://www.scmp.com/rss/514431/feed Every year XXIV takes time out with 24 thought leaders and celebrities from the worlds of art, culture, fashion, finance and more en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com A gorgeous timepiece is crucial to any ensemble for a night out, and it stands to reason that the more special the occasion, the more sparkling the timepiece must be. For the team this year, there are few better choices for a dazzling watch than these six picks. Any of these showstopping pieces – many of which come from some of the finest jewellery houses in the world – more than deserve the place as the crown jewel of your collection. 1. Graff Classic Butterfly Diamond Graff revisits its... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205863/6-most-dazzling-diamond-encrusted-ladies-watches-rolexs-oyster-perpetual-lady-datejust-cartiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205863/6-most-dazzling-diamond-encrusted-ladies-watches-rolexs-oyster-perpetual-lady-datejust-cartiers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jan 2023 01:00:13 +0000 There’s something inherently masculine about watches. Perhaps it’s the precision engineering that goes into them or maybe it’s simply the obsession with performance. Starting centuries back though, watchmakers sought to soften this effect, beautifying their creations with feminine touches, transforming timepieces into coveted jewellery, all in the name of masking the stigma of the once unladylike act of wearing a watch. Today, timepieces doubling as jewellery remain an important segment in the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205843/how-luxury-watch-brands-work-jewel-artisans-queen-elizabeths-pearl-bracelet-patek-philippe-timepiece?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205843/how-luxury-watch-brands-work-jewel-artisans-queen-elizabeths-pearl-bracelet-patek-philippe-timepiece?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:17 +0000 Watches are pieces of art in themselves, albeit in miniature form. While there are similarities between classical artistic crafts and watchmaking, ranging from gold sculpting and engraving to miniature painting, it does not end there. Although steeped in tradition and expertise developed over centuries, watchmakers are not afraid of drawing inspiration from contemporary references. Watch dials sporting contemporary art and pop culture offer a unique juxtaposition of tradition and the pushing of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205822/why-watches-and-pop-art-are-match-made-luxury-heaven-lebron-james-and-serena-williams-own-marvel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3205822/why-watches-and-pop-art-are-match-made-luxury-heaven-lebron-james-and-serena-williams-own-marvel?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jan 2023 06:54:24 +0000 “I began my interest in watches when I had to stop tinkering with cars as I moved back to Asia,” says Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) chief adviser Carson Chan. It was the disassembly and reassembly of kit watches that appealed to Chan’s love of mechanics and jump-started his almost 20-year career in horology, across various roles in the auction, watch house and now advocacy spaces. “I’m very blessed to work in an area which I enjoy,” Chan muses. “As soon as I saw the opportunity to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204806/how-luxury-watch-industry-has-changed-50-years-according-carson-chan-chief-adviser-fondation-de-la?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204806/how-luxury-watch-industry-has-changed-50-years-according-carson-chan-chief-adviser-fondation-de-la?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Dec 2022 00:00:12 +0000 Carl Sagan, the late American scientist and author, once described books as “proof that humans are capable of working magic” – recognising their unique ability to place a reader in the mind of a writer, possibly dead for thousands of years, breaking through the shackles of time. For Kirstin Chen, author of the recent hit novel Counterfeit, time’s connection to writing is less fanciful, more personal. “I am a slow writer. It takes me four to five years to write a book,” she says. “When I was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3204791/bestselling-author-kirstin-chen-regenerative-gift-time-her-hit-third-novel-counterfeit-explores?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3204791/bestselling-author-kirstin-chen-regenerative-gift-time-her-hit-third-novel-counterfeit-explores?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Dec 2022 00:00:17 +0000 CEOs don’t often conflate philosophy and business outside of Randian discourse on the benefits of self-interest and the merits of unfettered profit – a philosophy best exemplified in Gordon Gecko’s classic line that “greed is good”. Speak with Aaron Lau, founder and CEO of Gusto Collective, for any length of time and it quickly becomes apparent that he feels the need for a loftier motive. Lau talks about how his business needs “a reason to exist”. Perhaps this is unsurprising given Lau has... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3204780/gusto-collective-founder-aaron-lau-business-raison-detre-meet-hong-kong-tech-ceo-who-explains-why?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/3204780/gusto-collective-founder-aaron-lau-business-raison-detre-meet-hong-kong-tech-ceo-who-explains-why?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Dec 2022 06:11:18 +0000 “I didn’t like myself five years ago,” Sarah Vee says starkly. “I would never have sat with myself five years ago for dinner, for a drink or even for breakfast.” It’s an odd sentiment for someone who founded an empowering networking initiative whose membership now numbers in the thousands. But for Vee it has always been about the journey rather than the destination. With the Women of Hong Kong, she brings to bear all of the tools and knowledge she has gained from past stints as a nightlife event... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204396/meet-community-builder-extraordinaire-sarah-vee-founder-women-hong-kong-and-partner-muay-thai-champ?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204396/meet-community-builder-extraordinaire-sarah-vee-founder-women-hong-kong-and-partner-muay-thai-champ?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:12 +0000 Few things encapsulate time’s role as creator better than wine. And few people understand that better than James Suckling, who embarked on his career as a wine critic more than 40 years ago and is today one of the busiest and most influential critics in the world. “A bottle of great wine is a time capsule,” he says. “You open a bottle and drink it and it takes you back to the moment the grapes were harvested and when the wine was made. There’s no other consumable product that can do that, except... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204409/40-years-wine-tasting-renowned-critic-james-suckling-how-bottle-1966-chateau-lafite-rothschild-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204409/40-years-wine-tasting-renowned-critic-james-suckling-how-bottle-1966-chateau-lafite-rothschild-his?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Dec 2022 00:00:15 +0000 The incredible smile of Julia Roberts, the actress who is the face of Chopard’s Happy Sport and its latest models, says a lot about the joyful mood those free-floating diamonds inspire as they whizz around between the dial and outer sapphire crystal of this iconic sports watch. Roberts personifies the joie de vivre motto of the Happy Sport collection, which was launched in 1993, just three years after she made her name in Pretty Woman. The watch, with its dancing diamonds on a stainless steel... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204380/who-says-ladies-watches-have-be-teeny-and-cutesy-women-seek-bolder-gender-neutral-looks-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3204380/who-says-ladies-watches-have-be-teeny-and-cutesy-women-seek-bolder-gender-neutral-looks-luxury?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Dec 2022 00:00:12 +0000 “Having prominent parents is a double-edged sword,” says Emily Lam-Ho. “People do constantly compare me, but I think it’s important not to compare myself because they succeeded in their own right, whereas I’m paving my own road.” Lam-Ho’s parents – and her husband’s parents – are all prominent figures in various key Hong Kong industries. She is the daughter of Lai Sun Development chairman Peter Lam and actress-turned-painter Lynn Hsieh. Her husband Kent Ho – himself the founder of venture... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3204224/meet-hong-kong-activist-and-heiress-emily-lam-ho-founder-green-initiatives-8shades-and-ecodrive-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3204224/meet-hong-kong-activist-and-heiress-emily-lam-ho-founder-green-initiatives-8shades-and-ecodrive-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Dec 2022 00:00:14 +0000 He dropped out of school to play chess, then he dropped chess to trade stocks … and then his life changed forever. Now Nikhil Kamath is one of India’s youngest billionaires thanks to Zerodha, the disruptive trading platform he co-founded with his brother, as well as True Beacon, an investment management firm for ultra-high net worth investors – and he is not oblivious to the impact time has had on his success. Boss babe billionaire heiress: inside Isha Ambani’s momentous 2022 “Timing is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3204089/zerodhas-nikhil-kamath-becoming-self-made-billionaire-meet-chess-nerd-who-co-founded-indias-largest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3204089/zerodhas-nikhil-kamath-becoming-self-made-billionaire-meet-chess-nerd-who-co-founded-indias-largest?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:11 +0000 Few Hong Kong bands are culturally ubiquitous in a music scene dominated by solo singers – Supper Moment, Beyond and now Mirror come to mind – and even fewer have punk rock quartet Dear Jane’s longevity. The group have been continually active since forming in 2003. “After the almost 20 years we’ve been together, I still enjoy sitting down with my bandmates to interact and create something together,” bassist Jackal Ng says. “You have to make music and decisions based on what makes you happy, and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3203980/dear-jane-bassist-jackal-ng-how-band-stays-together-cantopop-dominated-music-scene-hong-kong-punk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3203980/dear-jane-bassist-jackal-ng-how-band-stays-together-cantopop-dominated-music-scene-hong-kong-punk?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:15 +0000 Christine Chiu will never forget the day she and her plastic surgeon husband Gabriel Chiu were approached to help develop an all Asian and Asian-American ensemble cast for a planned Netflix docu-series. “It was poised to be the first of its kind in American mainstream media, and we could not refuse,” Chiu says. The show, of course, became the monster reality TV smash Bling Empire, and Chiu became an overnight celebrity. “Although I had previously declined opportunities for reality television, I... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3203844/christine-chiu-bling-empire-and-family-life-dr-gabriel-chiu-and-baby-g-netflix-producer-was-inspired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3203844/christine-chiu-bling-empire-and-family-life-dr-gabriel-chiu-and-baby-g-netflix-producer-was-inspired?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2022 19:00:12 +0000 Gwei Lun-mei can truly appreciate how time can change and shape a character. Over the course of a 20-year career that has turned her into one of the most recognisable faces in Asia, Gwei has embodied all kinds of characters, including a time traveller in Secret, a cafe owner in Taipei Exchanges, a femme fatale in The Wild Goose Lake and a student activist in the award-winning Girlfriend, Boyfriend. In her new hit streaming series, Women in Taipei, she plays out the 20-year evolution of a woman... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203586/women-taipei-star-gwei-lun-mei-her-20-year-career-award-winning-taiwanese-actress-debuted-youth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203586/women-taipei-star-gwei-lun-mei-her-20-year-career-award-winning-taiwanese-actress-debuted-youth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Dec 2022 01:00:16 +0000 The devil is normally in the details, but horologists revel in the minuscule but overwhelming assembly of delicate, crucial components in a mechanical watch. In some cases, this assembly begs to be shown off as these six picks reveal as much of the energy and excellence these maisons have poured into these pieces as possible. 1. Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Self-winding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph This limited-edition piece employs a double-curved sapphire crystal that gives ample depth for the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203563/devil-details-6-most-stunning-intricate-watches-2022-hublots-42mm-big-bang-and-taiko-inspired-grand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203563/devil-details-6-most-stunning-intricate-watches-2022-hublots-42mm-big-bang-and-taiko-inspired-grand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Dec 2022 00:00:18 +0000 In 1957, Piaget launched the first of many very seriously skinny movements. The 9P measured just 2mm and was rightfully dubbed the thinnest hand-wound mechanical watch in the world at the time. The design and functions of these ultra-thin pieces have often been simple: a three-hand round watch with hair-thin baton hour markers punctuating the dial. The skinny watch has become a big part of Piaget’s watchmaking identity. In 2018, the 4.3mm thick Altiplano 910P, fitted with a peripheral rotor, was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203288/inside-race-create-worlds-thinnest-watch-bulgaris-latest-richard-milles-rm-01-ferrari-and-audemars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203288/inside-race-create-worlds-thinnest-watch-bulgaris-latest-richard-milles-rm-01-ferrari-and-audemars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Dec 2022 01:00:17 +0000 Mechanical and functional timepieces have followed and supported us through history to the ends of the earth and the depths of the sea. They have followed us as we broke records in speed, set records above water and in the air, and followed us as we soared ever higher, even into space. Though technology has caught up with the times and watches are no longer the sole piece of precision equipment used to break such records, maisons have found ever more creative ways to remind us of just how... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203270/6-most-macho-luxury-watches-2022-iwcs-top-gun-pilots-timepiece-breitlings-cathay-partnership-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203270/6-most-macho-luxury-watches-2022-iwcs-top-gun-pilots-timepiece-breitlings-cathay-partnership-and?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Dec 2022 08:28:28 +0000 For watch connoisseurs and novice enthusiasts alike, a timeless, classic design is unmistakable. These are the pieces that one remembers from childhood as a treasured possession of a family member to be passed down, or that lure the curious into the deep world of horology. If a design is recognisable, chances are that it has seen years – maybe decades or centuries – of history. So, naturally, each house wants to create the enduring timepiece of tomorrow. These are the six pieces from 2022 that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203134/6-most-classic-and-timeless-watch-designs-2022-breitling-chronomat-gmt-40-and-patek-philippes-latest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3203134/6-most-classic-and-timeless-watch-designs-2022-breitling-chronomat-gmt-40-and-patek-philippes-latest?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Dec 2022 09:23:48 +0000