A GRAND OLD TIME
AS WE COME TO THE END OF 2019, LET US REVISIT ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE WATCH EXHIBITIONS OF THE YEAR: PATEK PHILIPPE’S WATCH ART GRAND EXHIBITION. JOEZER MANDAGI REPORTS FROM SINGAPORE
Patek Philippe’s first Watch Art Grand Exhibition, which was held in Dubai in 2012, took the world by storm. The brand then outdid themselves with the second one in Munich, then again in London with its famous Royal Room, followed by the fourth in New
York a couple of years ago. As memorable as the previous events were—read our coverage of the New York event in our August/September 2017 issue or online on daman.co.id— this year saw the grandest Grand Exhibition yet. And the event was held quite close to home, in what has now become the hub for horological happenings in Southeast Asia: Singapore.
Now, if anything, the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 didn’t really come as a surprise. For months, those arriving at Changi airport were greeted by a huge banner announcing the event placed right above the immigration counters. Much like during the days leading up to the New York edition, the distinctive red posters for this year’s exhibition started popping up on taxis everywhere you went. For watch enthusiasts—such as yours truly—this only added to the sense of anticipation.
Now, the Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 ran from September 28 to October 13 and was held at the Marina
Bay Sands Theater—making it the longestrunning and largest Grand Exhibition to date. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition twice: First on the 27th for a mediaexclusive preview and then on the 28th for the official opening of the exhibit.
The exhibition greets visitors with a vast hanging paper sculpture created by Tokyobased French artist and designer Emmanuelle Moureaux titled “Majulah Singapura,” which is also the country’s national anthem. This edition of the Watch Art Grand Exhibition also coincides with the celebration of Singapore’s Bicentennial year, so the opening act of the venue—which, by the way, is composed of
11,000 paper flowers modeled after frangipanis in 100 different colors—reflects the beauty, spirit and dynamism of the country. Furthermore, the immense precision it took to create the installation is a quality shared by Patek Philippe’s watchmakers and craftsmen.
In the same space, visitors will also see the
Singapore and Southeast Asia Room. Now, if you were to follow the intended flow of the exhibit, this display would actually come last; but it is simply too alluring to save for later. A series of glass displays containing three dimensional papier-mâché renditions of natural sceneries, traditional clothing and other Singapore-related images form the outer part of the “room.” Showcased behind them are various timepieces—both vintage and contemporary— related to Singapore and the region, including a dome clock crafted to commemorate Singapore’s
“The most spellbinding experience to be had at Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 happened at the Rare Handcrafts Room”
“Perhaps the most interesting observation I made during my time there was just how many people visited as families, with parents bringing their children with them”
Golden Jubilee in 2015 and a pendant watch originally owned by King Rama V of Thailand.
Moving on to the actual start of the exhibition there is a small Theater Room where a short movie chronicling the history of Patek Philippe is played on loop. Beyond that is the Current
Collection Room which—as the name implies—is reserved for the presentation of Patek Philippe’s current collections. The interior of the room is inspired by the Patek Philippe Salon on Rue du Rhône in Geneva, Switzerland.
If the Current Collection Room is inspired by the Patek Philippe Salon in Geneva, the
Napoleon Room will transport visitors there through a huge motion-picture panoramic view overlooking Lake Geneva. This room is also where visitors will first come face to face with the limited special editions created explicitly for Southeast Asia, such as the Ref. 5167A-012 Aquanaut Singapore 2019 and the Ref. 5930G011 World Time Chronograph Singapore 2019.
Stepping into the room that follows, visitors are transported to the past. The famed Museum
Room vast array of timekeeping instruments flown in from the Patek Philippe Museum.
Much like the actual museum in Geneva, the Museum Room is divided into two departments. First, we have the Antique Collection, which provides visitors with a wonderful historic panorama of the history of watchmaking with some of the very first portable timepieces from the mid-16th century, richly enameled pocket watches, musical automata and technical timepieces crafted by Europe’s most gifted watchmakers. And then there’s the Patek
Philippe Collection, which, obviously, showcases a selection of the manufacture’s most splendid creations from 1839 to the present day. A particularly notable specimen is the Star Caliber 2000—a monumental timepiece crafted to usher in the new millennium. No less impressive is the Patek Philippe Calibre 89, which held the record for “most complicated watch” from when it was created in 1989 until 2015.
As intriguing as the museum pieces are, the most spellbinding experience to be had at Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 happened at the Rare
Handcrafts Room. The timepieces featured in this space are decorated with artisanal crafts such as enameling, miniature painting and engraving, or—unique to Patek Philippe—wood marquetry. Some of these arts, namely wood marquetry and guilloche—are demonstrated live. Lucky visitors might also catch a glimpse of legendary enameller Anita Porchet—a frequent collaborator with the brand—give interviews or introduce some of the timepieces. Also noteworthy are a series of dome clocks featuring a range of batik motives in cloisonné enamel.
The theme shifts to watchmaking as visitors continue to the Movements Room and the
Engineer Room. The latter is dedicated to the extensive range of Patek Philippe movements— from simple calibers to highly elaborate ones developed for the world’s most complicated watches. A huge moving sphere housing various movements dominates the room. There’s also an interactive display in the back of the room showcasing the length and breadth of Patek Philippe’s mechanical creations and VR stations for an even more immersive experience into the workings of the brand’s movements.
The Engineer Room, meanwhile, offered visitors the chance to discover the smallest, most intricate parts forming Patek Philippe’s watches through microscopes. Technical specialists would be on hand to explain the finer details of
mechanical timepieces. Once in a while, Philip Barat, Head of Watch Development at Patek Philippe, would make an appearance. This is actually the spot where I interviewed Mr. Barat for an exclusive story featured in our recentlylaunched DAMANCaliber2019 .
The next room is where wish lists are built. The
Grand Complications Room houses some of the most complicated and innovative Patek Philippe timepieces ever created. While it was incredibly hard to pick a favorite from a room full of masterpieces, two watches were particularly noteworthy: There is the Ref. 5531R World Time Minute Repeater Singapore 2019 with a map of the city in cloisonné enamel on the dial, which shares the stage with the Ref. 5303R-010 Minute Repeater Tourbillon Singapore 2019 with a skeletonized construction, which allows for both the tourbillon and the hammer and gongs of the minute repeater to be shown in all its glory.
After the “what” comes the “how,” as visitors— having seen so many incredible timepieces—are introduced to the inner workings of mechanical timepieces in the Watchmakers Room. Actual Patek Philippe watchmakers are posted at four desks to demonstrate certain aspects of a mechanical movement.
Finally, the tour comes full circle as visitors find themselves back at the entrance hall and the Singapore and Southeast Asia Room. For sure, Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 was quite an experience, covering hundreds of years of watchmaking and innumerable horological wonders.
All that being said, perhaps the most interesting observation I made during my time there was just how many people visited as families, with parents bringing their children with them. And actually, Patek Philippe also organized a couple of Family Days as part of the event. Of course, this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as family values have always been an integral part of what is the last family owned Genevan watchmaking company. “You never actually own a Patek Philippe,” the brand’s famous slogan goes, “you merely look after it for the next generation.” And during the two weeks of Watch Art Grand Exhibition Singapore 2019 a new generation was introduced to the wonders of traditional Swiss watchmaking as embodied by the one and only Patek Philippe.