Mandarin Gallery Blog

Father’s Day is right around the corner and while Dad may be the more low profile parent, it does not mean that he does not need your display of affection. If daddy dearest is a tech geek who cannot resist the latest gadgets, these little pleasures of life will have him grinning from ear to ear with glee – a beautiful mechanical watch, earphones that guarantee excellent sound quality or a luxurious new smart phone that can do everything. Surprise him with a nicely wrapped gift box and show him that he is still the most important man in your life.

Vertu Signature Phone
The name Vertu is synonymous with luxury and top-notch quality. With the Signature, Vertu invested in a commanding design of tall, lean proportions that demands attention. Inspired by Grand Complication timepieces and the finest jewellery, the Signature is much more than a mere mobile phone – it is a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Each VertuSignature is hand-built by a single craftsman who has taken many years to learn the necessary skills. The Signature is a mark of exclusivity, craft and innovation.

Pick up your very own Vertu Signature from SGD53,000 at #01-02, Mandarin Gallery

Bell & Ross Vintage Original Carbon Watches
For 2011, Bell & Ross updates their Vintage series with two Vintage Original Carbon watches that retain the nostalgic designs of yesteryear but also contain the cutting edge spirit of today’s watch-making technology. With sturdy brown straps and handsome black faces, these are practical timepieces with enhanced features and high-level Swiss movements. Inspired by the mid-20th century pilot watches, this will make a fantastic addition to the horology fan’s collection.

The Vintage Original Carbon watches are available for SGD4400 to SGD6700 at #01-15, Mandarin Gallery

Bose In Ear Earphones
Designed for maximum portability, the Bose In Ear Earphones are compact, sleek and powerful. Boasting rich audio quality and a comfortable fit, these earphones are also pleasingly affordable. With an acoustic design that helps music sounds smoother and more natural, they are definitely value for money. Coming in a protective carrying case, it is perfect for the frequent traveller. While conventional earphones wear out easily, these power players from Bose promise improved durability so they can be enjoyed for a longer period.

The Bose In Ear earphones are available at SGD165 at Green Light, #03-15, Mandarin Gallery.  Stay tuned for part two of our Daddy Dearest gift guide!

Haute horography is both an art and a science. Beautiful design, top-notch craftsmanship and precision engineering come together to create a watch that will stand the test of time (pun intended). Lovers of quality timepieces will understand that it is not just about telling the time – it is also a celebration of the fusion of beauty and technology!

Whether you are an aspiring designer looking to break into the prestigious luxury watch-making industry or just on the lookout for a gorgeous new watch, these contests hosted by Azimuth and Bell & Ross respectively will make your dream come true.

Azimuth National Day Watch 2011 Design Competition
The avant-garde watchmaker is opening up its doors and inviting fresh, innovative young minds to try their hands at designing its National Day 2011 watch. Following in the brand’s tradition of striving for the unprecedented, contestants’ design submissions will be judged on originality, uniqueness and of course, how appropriate they are to the theme of our nation’s independence day.

If you are aged 16 and above and are enrolled in an educational institute as of 1 January 2011, get your creative juices fired up and start sketching up that watch design because the winner will claim the bundled prize of an Azimuth watch, SGD1000 and an additional SGD1000 book prize!

The National Day Watch 2011 Competition will be closing on 30th April 2011.

For more information, log on to the Azimuth website

Bell & Ross Vintage Photo Contest
For those of you who have been lusting after the Bell & Ross Vintage collection since its launch last September, this is your chance to get your hands on the gorgeous Vintage BR 123 Heritage. Modelled after the original pilot watch from the 1940s, the BR 123 Heritage features a clean, simple watch face with bold, beige markings and a handsome tan strap.

And here is how you can win one. Simply print out an actual sized picture of the BR 123 Heritage from the Bell & Ross website, take a picture of it in an authentic vintage environment, and post your photo on the contest’s Facebook page.

The photo with the most number of ‘likes’ wins! The sky is the limit, so think out of the box and be creative.

The Bell&Ross Vintage Photo Contest will run from 9 February through 1 March 2011 on Facebook

This year, rebel against the cliche of a white Christmas by channeling the allure and mystique of the dark night with shades of rich blues and deep black. Strong and masculine, these colours are perfect for that special man in your life. Regardless of whether he is a tech geek or a stylish epicurean, there is bound to be something he will find pleasing in this gift guide that melds function with aesthetics.

Clockwise from top left: Ursus Mountain Boots (SGD729, BAPE Store), Blackbird, Fly Camera (SGD380, Egg3), Anthology Fragrance in 1 (SGD98, D&G), Prokeeper iPad Protective Sleeve (SGD49, Green Light), Canon Powershot A495 (SGD199, Green Light), Minijet Lighter (SGD235, S.T. Dupont), Diver’s Watch (SGD5900, Bell & Ross), Eva Solo Thermal Cups (SGD79 per pair, The Touch), Printed Silicon iPhone Case (SGD60, Marc by Marc Jacobs), Fabric & Calf Leather Wallet (SGD200, Montblanc).

Last week, on September 15, Bell & Ross threw a glamourous party to celebrate the launch of its Vintage Collection at the prestigious National Army Circle in Paris. Having unveiled two of the vintage-inspired watches at Baselworld earlier this year, the watchmaker brand is now introducing four more pieces to the series. Inspired by mid-20th century aviation, the collection pays tribute to military pilots, who were the first professionals to use the wristwatch as a tool on their missions.

Stepping away from its iconic square case, these watches feature traditional round 41 mm faces, which exudes the old world charm of timepieces of yesteryear. The Vintage Collection consists of two separate lines, the Vintage Original and the Vintage Heritage. Both lines are crafted along the same design principles but each one is stunning in its own distinct way.

With black or beige dials, stainless steel cases and white hands, the Vintage Original line are modern versions of the 1940s aviator watches and remain faithful to their classicism and simplicity. In the Vintage Heritage line, vintage is given a contemporary facelift with sleek matte-black PVD cases and stylish beige hands. To further distinguish the two lines, the straps of the pieces are also stamped with the Bell & Ross ‘ampersand in a circle’ logo.

While there are a total of 6 models, the BR 123 and BR 126 definitely stand out as the focus of the collection. The BR 123 is a time and date model that showcases a small second and date dial at 6 o’clock, while the BR 126 chronograph is more complex with a central second hand, a 60 second counter, a 30 minute totalizer and a round date opening. Both models are equipped with water resistance up to 100 metres.

With the help of more developed watch-making techniques, Bell & Ross is able to improve upon the original aviator watch and fuse its alluring vintage elements with 21st century reliability. Although the domed crystal recalls the crystals of the 1940s, they are made of sapphire crystal instead of the acrylic crystal used previously, which renders them impervious to scratches. The pieces’ modern ergonomics ensure comfort and their refined dial graphics optimise readability.

Bell & Ross enthusiasts need not wait for long to get these handsome darlings on their wrists. Shipment of the Vintage Collection is set to hit the Bell & Ross boutique at Mandarin Gallery (#01-15) towards the end of this month. With a wide array of straps in various colours and styles to chose from, picking just one will be a real task.

Time and date models of the Bell & Ross Vintage Collection are priced from SGD4400 while prices of chronograph models start from SGD6700