Mandarin Gallery Blog

You may find it a little hard to believe, considering how it is as hip and fun as ever, but Marc Jacobs’ younger sister, Marc by Marc Jacobs, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! After a full decade of offbeat, playful and cool style, it is marking this special milestone with a limited edition anniversary watch. Fans of the brand’s irreverent quirkiness, cute prints and street-chic aesthetic will be delighted with how this watch has managed to capture the quintessential Marc by Marc Jacobs spirit – youthful and trendy with just a touch of devil-may-care.

Produced for both men and women, the 10th Anniversary Watch features the signature Marc by Marc Jacobs silhouette and is available in either a polished stainless steel or black ion plated case. The brand’s iconic skull print, one of its most popular prints over the last ten years, is found on the eye-catching dial, which is topped by an etched logo top ring. The stand-out details of the watch include its striking lightning-rod hands, an over-sized 10 index and a Love Marc Jacobs etched inscription at the back of the case. To up the fun factor, each watch also comes with easily interchangeable straps in metal and leather to suit your needs and whims.

Whether you are a die-hard groupie or just a casual admirer of Marc by Marc Jacobs, the 10th  Anniversary Watch will be sure to be a treasured collector’s item. Coming in a specially designed box, it will also make a fabulous gift for a lucky friend!

The Marc by Marc Jacobs 10th Anniversary Watch will retail for SGD490 at #01-11, Mandarin Gallery

With the season of giving just round the corner, there is no better time to check out what Montblanc has to offer for both him and her. First up, the stunning Montblanc La Vie De Boheme Wallet (SGD400), an elegant culmination of  lizard-embossed calfskin and finest French nappa, just the perfect gift for that someone special.

If timepieces are more her thing, check out the Montblanc Profile Lady Elegance Diamonds, a SGD7010 ladies watch with a gorgeous mother-of-pearl dial set with 482 VVS diamonds.

For the men in your life, check out the Montblanc John Lennon Special Edition Writing Instrument, a hand-engraved 18K gold nib set alongside the barrel that has John Lennon’s self-portrait etched on. Priced at SGD1330, get this for the man who’s a fan and pay tribute to John in a fitting way.

Also available this season are the Montblanc Architecture Cufflinks, combining pure stainless steel with inlays of sapphire glass, a unique combination usually reserved for luxury watches. Retailing for SGD560 a pair, they were developed in partnership with Hamburg-based architect Hadi Teherani.

Montblanc is located at #01-01 and #02-01, Mandarin Gallery

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

The radiance of true stars never dies. This explains the enduring fascination with the film icons of old Hollywood. Montblanc pays homage to some of the most charismatic screen sirens of the 20th century with its Diva line of exquisite writing instruments that celebrates the legendary talent, outstanding character and pure magnetism of these strong, elegant women who dominated the silver screen with their glamourous presence for decades. Following the success of the Greta Garbo Special Edition, Montblanc has launched two other collections in tribute to the equally renowned actresses Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich.
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