October 2012

Sunday 28 October 2012

Me & My Bond Girl got some Gold Class treatment for the Singapore Gala Premiere of Skyfall

A huge HUGE thanks to the wonderful team at Omega for their invite for me and my partner in crime to Skyfall, the 23rd Bond installment and released on the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film, Dr No.
Me and the Mrs hardly ever go to movies and the last time we did was in Dec 2011. that was an actioner as well but this... this is different... This is Bond!

On a personal note, i grew up watching Connery and Moore play Bond and I loved the shows when I watched them growing up. looking back at some of it now, it doesn't resonate as much but there are moments that still thrill and moments that take me back to a 6/8/10/12 year old boy and teen going 'this is sooo awesome' which followed with the 'i need to get me that watch/car/gadget someday' thought.

Me and my Bond girl :)

She was happy taking a pic with this Bond villian, wait a moment, that's no Bond villian, it's local Singapore Radio Personality, the Flying Dutchman aka Mark Van Cuylenburg

fast forward to the present and we have Skyfall... the latest James Bond movie with Daniel Craig playing the role and with Adele belting the wonderful opener. the movie itself to me is just excellent! they are looking to make him relevant but not do away with everything that was quintessential or classic Bond. to be honest, it was some of the classic touches that were just amazing moments for me. won't give anything away of course :)

the night itself was just fantastic... Omega had booked out the GV Gold Class theatre and Lounge and provided cocktails before the Main Event and the gold Class Seats were really spacious and comfy. attendants bringing us drinks and popcorn was nice :) this is the proper way to catch a movie... and what a Great Movie it was! Again no spoilers from me but i would highly recommend the trip down to the cinema fo shizzle ;) i'm actually planning for a second trip to watch it, hmm maybe in imax the next time..

it opens in Singapore on 1 Nov so...

for folks who got to the premiere, they have a mission they have to choose to accept

other sponsors like Heineken, Sony Pictures booked out gvmax for their guests, Omega got the gold class cinema for us

Omega were also kind enough to provide some nice goodies as well for the night

Want to know more about the watch on the British Secret Agent with a License to Kill? See the post below this with details on this special agent's timepiece :) Cheers, Raph

Let the Skyfall ~ 50th Anniversary & 23rd Bond Film and Omega

I will be doing a 2 parter. the first will be the press release materials kindly provided by Omega at the Skyfall movie premiere in Singapore and the next will have my short take on it all. huge thanks to the folks at Omega for the invite to this wonderful occasion for this Bond fan.

before going into the press materials though, i would like to note that Omega is doing a smart thing partnering with the longest running film franchise as it's an excellent marketing platform and it has a great style icon in Bond, James Bond. the movie, daniel and the bond girls were just fantastic and they looked great sporting Omegas on their wrist. so to the official word then :)

James Bond’s new watch in SKYFALL: the OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M 42 mm

“007 reporting for duty.”
When Daniel Craig reprises his role as James Bond in SKYFALL, he will be wearing an OMEGA Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M 42mm with a black dial and a matt black ceramic unidirectional rotating divers’ bezel.

Bond fans and OMEGA enthusiasts will know that the world’s favourite secret agent has been wearing Seamasters since 1995 and the Planet Ocean has been his choice since CASINO ROYALE in 2006.

James Bond’s choice
For SKYFALL, Bond’s choice is the steel on steel Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M OMEGA Co-Axial Chronometer, whose design features can be traced directly back to the classic Seamasters of the 1950s.

Inside the case it’s a different story: the watch is driven by the OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8500 whose revolutionary Co-Axial escapement and free sprung balance deliver long-term stability and precision, dramatically reducing the need for servicing. Also equipped with an Si14 silicon balance spring, the watch is delivered with a four-year warranty.

The hands and indexes have been treated with Super-LumiNova and are legible in all lights and conditions and offer a stark contrast to the matt black surface of the dial. The Super-LumiNova on the indexes, the hour hand and the seconds hands emits a blue light; the luminescent material on the minute hand and the dot on the bezel appear green. This contrast means that divers can tell at a glance how much time has elapsed when they are underwater. Even the sweep of the luminous orange-tipped seconds hand can easily be read in the dark. There are Arabic numerals at 12, 6, and 9 o’clock with a date window at the 3 o’clock position on the dial.

A professional divers’ watch
A professional divers’ watch, the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M OMEGA Co-Axial Chronometer is equipped with a helium escape valve. The stainless steel bracelet features a diver’s clasp which allows its length to be extended to fit around a wetsuit. As its name suggests, the Planet Ocean 600m is water resistant to a depth of 600 metres (60 bar / 2000 feet).

OMEGA and the world’s most stylish spy
James Bond has worn an OMEGA Seamaster in every film since GOLDENEYE in 1995. Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming first introduced Bond to OMEGA. She described Bond as a naval man and a discreet gentleman of the world, so the Seamaster was the obvious choice. OMEGA couldn’t agree more!

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Celebrating the new James Bond film:
the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M”SKYFALL” Limited Edition

In SKYFALL, to be released in autumn of 2012, James Bond will take to the screen for the 23rd time with Daniel Craig reprising the role of the world’s favorite secret agent for the third time running. And once again, agent 007 will wear an OMEGA Seamaster.

To celebrate the launch of SKYFALL, OMEGA is launching the Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M”SKYFALL” Limited Edition watch.

Like every Planet Ocean, the new watch is ready for underwater adventure. Equipped with a unidirectional rotating diving bezel and a helium escape valve, the watch is water resistant 60 bar / 600 metres / 2000 feet.

The watch has a 42 mm brushed and polished stainless steel case and a matching patented screw-and-pin bracelet whose divers’ clasp is engraved with “007”. The rotating diving bezel is distinguished by its matt black ceramic ring with a chromium nitride diving scale.

The applied indexes on the matt structured black dial are coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue light as are the polished, facetted rhodium-plated hands. The exception is the minute hand which emits a green light, as does the dot on the diving bezel. This feature makes it easy for divers to keep track of their time at a glance. At the 7 o’clock position is a 007 logo and at 3 o’clock, there is a date window.

The Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL Limited Edition is powered by OMEGA's exclusive new Co-Axial calibre 8507. SKYFALL 007 is on its rotor in black-varnished engraving. The movement is visible through sapphire crystal in the brushed screw-in caseback.

Along with OMEGA’s industry-changing Co-Axial technology, the watch is equipped with an "Si14" silicon balance spring. The combination is so stable and reliable that the Planet Ocean comes with a full four-year warranty.

The Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M SKYFALL wristwatch is being produced in an edition limited to 5,007 pieces and is delivered in a special presentation box.

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Introducing Bérénice Marlohe and Naomie Harris: the Bond Actresses in SKYFALL
In SKYFALL, the 23rd film in the franchise, two actresses will charm the world’s favourite spy; Bérénice Marlohe who plays the glamorous, enigmatic Severine and Naomie Harris, plays Field Agent Eve. Like James Bond himself, both Eve and Severine wear OMEGA wristwatches in their on-screen roles.

SKYFALL marks the English-language acting debut for Bérénice Marlohe whose previous film roles have been in her native French. About her role, the French actress said, “I wanted to create a character who couldn’t be stereotyped. It should not be obvious immediately what kind of person she is.” She adds, “Daniel Craig has added something special with James Bond – he’s both tough and vulnerable and it’s not always clear what he’s thinking. I want to do the same thing with Séverine – she’s not just on the screen to be saved by Bond.”

Naomie Harris has acted in films and on television since she was a child but attracted international attention when she starred in the Danny Boyle film, 28 Days Later. She also appeared in the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean features. The Cambridge University graduate studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and in addition to numerous film and TV roles has also distinguished herself as a stage actress.

In SKYFALL, Naomie Harris’ character Eve will be wearing an OMEGA Aqua Terra with a black dial, a stainless steel case and a matching bracelet. Bérénice Marlohe’s character Severine wears an OMEGA De Ville Prestige with a mother-of-pearl dial, a stainless steel case and a stainless steel bracelet.

Saturday 20 October 2012

Which Royal Oak next and a wrap up of the 40th Anniversary Exhibition Event

before going into part 2... do check out this post for cool APs LINK so to finish off the event... just a couple more pics from the night...

as some folks are od'ing on RO pics we'll start with one of my fave non-Royal Oak APs that was spotted on a lady's wrist... a great choice for the night

other non-Royal Oaks were these guys :) Audemars Piguet’s new CEO, Francois-Henry Bennahmias

& Oliviero Bottinelli, CEO of AP Singapore and SE Asia

& another nice cuban for the raphmeister...

Guests for the night received a 300-page book, the "Royal Oak"– a compilation of 233 illustrations and photographs outlining the rich history of the Royal Oak. A wonderful gift and further poison for someone that's already at the edge :)

and to all important question... which royal oak next? ;) let's look at the modern iterations of the classic RO...the previous incarnation of the 15202 (list US$22,300) and the base RO the 15300 (list US15,400)...

AP at 12

the 2012 versions of the 15202 and the upgraded to 41mm 15400. much closer to the original RO and better for it impo. between the 2 the jumbo is the winner in the looks department but it costs a fair bit more. (US$22,500 vs US$16,900 for US ~ sorry didn't check SG list)

15400 wristshots... which tell me that this watch has some flaws i can't live with. the automatic text is too high on the dial and the date is a little too deep

and the movement differences... both the 2121 and 3120 are good movements. the 2121 being extra thin with the rotor on rails. the older rotor in the 2121 is nicer than the new one impo. AP shouldn't have changed that

what they all got in common :) beautifully finished octagonal bezel and white gold hex screws

between these 4 versions then, if i had to choose, the new 15202 looks to be the winner but i do have to try it on for size and fit. never buy based on pics of course. i believe the rotor can be changed out to one with your initials on it similar to the past versions so you can change out that newer rotor but at some expense$$$ of course...

or maybe i should save my pennies for a nicer royal oak... one of my fave pieces, the RO QP Squelette... or wait to strike the lottery as usual ;)

the one pictured in plat but if i were to buy of course i'll have to go with the steel version... i mean it's a royal oak yuh steel is where it's at :)

Sunday 14 October 2012

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Exhibition & Event

Audemars Piguet was kind enough to invite me down to the last night event for the Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Exhibition which was an event held together with Sincere Watches in Singapore. My gratitude to AP Singapore for the invite.

A short video on the exhibition

Some exceptional Royal Oaks and Offshores were on display that makes me think that I need another Royal Oak in my watch box ;) Before we delve into the post itself, if u didn't already know it, i love the Royal Oak and the Royal Oak Offshore design so if i gush a little, well u now know the reason :) i highly recommend folks watch this set of videos that was shown at the exhibition too on the making of a royal oak LINK

So this is going to be a long post. I'm gonna do it in 2 parts. this one will have
(1) Watch Pics ~ Sorry for the quality as i didn't shoot with my better gear
(2) Set of pics around the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station exhibition space

(3) Pics of the guillochage machine for making the tapisserie dial and a guillocheur from Audemars Piguet
The next one will have other stuff and press info

(1) Watch Pics... onto the watches then :) Some Royal Oaks first...

2012 Openworked Tourbillon