If I had to compare Parmigiani Fleurier's Tonda PF Automatic 36mm to a film, it would be Legally Blonde. In case you're unfamiliar with it (ask to watch it with your partner, you're welcome), in the film, Elle Woods—played by Reese Witherspoon—is dumped by her boyfriend because he needs a serious, elegant and book-smart woman to be his wife. In an effort to prove that blondes have brains too, she applies to Harvard’s law school. Her admittance essay-video is sparkly and bubbly, her resume is pink and perfumed, and her outfits to court are unapologetically flamboyant and effervescent. By the movie's end, she’s delivering the commencement speech at graduation as a top student in her class, her identity still intact.
Besides the obvious connection between Elle's blonde hair and the watch's gold colour, I spy much of the film’s themes reflected in the new collection of timepieces from Parmigiani Fleurier. A major gripe I often hear about “women’s” watches is that they’re too wrapped up in how they look, as opposed to how they really function—I hope you see where this is going. Parmigiani believes, however, that a woman’s watch can be many things at once—sparkly, pragmatic, and powerful. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève affirmed this belief by awarding the Women’s Watch Prize to the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm in 2022. Given its impressive pedigree and the values it represents, this timepiece could make a meaningful gift for your partner.
The Tonda PF Automatic 36mm challenges the notion that women's watches prioritise aesthetics over functionality. The PF770 calibre powers the watch, boasting a 60-hour power reserve with its automatic winding movement. A skeletonised oscillating weight ticks at a smooth 4Hz above the calibre, with its beautiful Côtes de Genève visible through the sapphire caseback. More impressively, they’ve managed to squeeze all this into a slender 36mm case, greatly reduced from the typical 40mm that the house has stuck to for many of their Tonda PF models. This blonde's packing some serious precision.
Now that the technical stuff's out of the way, we can get to the part that will really get your partner going.
The collection will feature three different iterations: Sand Gold, Warm Grey, and White Citrine. The Sand Gold Dial materialises from 18-carat pink gold and 232 precious diamonds, embellishing everything from the indexes and bezel to the bracelet's edge. A grainy textured dial creates an intriguing juxtaposition against the delicate and silky exterior of the watch.
The Warm Grey Dial cater to the purists; crafted entirely from 18-carat pink gold, this model rocks a dark dial that spotlights the baguette-cut diamond hour markers, which also trace the bezel. For something with slightly more finesse, the White Citrine Dial artfully marries stainless steel with rose gold, creating a contrast that magnifies the warmth of the precious metal. Usually I'd apply the adage "less is more" here, but the addition of baguette-cut diamond hour markers suggests otherwise. After all, in a collection like the Tonda PF Automatic 36mm, less is never really quite an option—but it never is when it comes to your partner, wouldn't you agree?
Anniversaries—that one day each year when the need to cram all our appreciation and acknowledgement is high. Also, the pressure to have a grand celebration is even higher. Esquire Singapore celebrated our anniversary just last Thursday at the stunning HighHouse. Having been in Singapore for over 12 years, this was actually our very first anniversary with Heart Media Group. The Townhouse party was quite honestly a whirlwind with a turnout of 320 attendees. But we’re proud to say that it was grand, and there was plenty of appreciation going around.
In the earlier part of the day, we hosted a series of panels and a masterclass that featured creativity, property and whisky. The first panel was moderated by editor-in-chief, Wayne Cheong with guests Toby Tan aka tobyato (@tobyato), Aundraj Jude (@assthrowknot) and Chong Keng How (@birocompany; @aai.online; @masteryatelier). It was a lively discussion as the panellists revealed what it takes to be a creative today and the unique hurdles and possibilities faced by creatives in a landscape that often views the arts as non-essential.
In between panels, there was a mini-tasting session of Sturion Caviar. Guests get to sample some of the creamy goodness as their palate gets to experience the umami-ness that only the privilege gets to experience.
The second panel focused on something that's near and dear to every Singaporean's heart: property ownership. On the panel, we had Alice Tan, head of consultancy at Knight Frank; William Tan, associate division director of SRI Pte Ltd and Prident, and Eugene Lim, marketing manager at ERA. Once more this panel was moderated by Cheong as the discussion unpacked the Singapore property market and delved into the realities and hurdles of purchasing housing in our country.
Brand partner, Auchentoshan, conducted a whisky tasting later in the afternoon. Hosted by Suntory's brand ambassador, Mark Tay, guests for the session were treated to the Three Wood Single Malt Scotch Whisky and other offerings from the distillery’s collection.
If shouting over blaring loud music (shoutout Eden on the decks and Devialet for the audio output) while trying to meet new people is your thing, you'd love this part of the evening. Hosted by Edward Russell, who brought in the evening's first entertainment: comedy. Stand-up comic, Jacky Ng, warmed the crowd up for speeches from Cheong and CEO of Heart Media Group, Olivier Burlot. Tay explained the cocktails in everybody's hands as they toast to the publication's anniversary celebration before we return to the revelry.
When it was time to be set free and easy, guests were treated to caviars and oysters on deck, alongside complimentary drinks courtesy of Auchentoshan. Photo walls and photobooths with Teletubby props (whose idea was that and can we give them a raise?) captured the evening and sent everyone home with a tangible memory of our anniversary. And all this happened at the peak of the highest skyscraper in Downtown Core, overlooking an entrancing view of the surrounding structures across the marina bay. Give it up for HighHouse.
The evening felt a little brighter with the presence of some local personalities in the crowd. Individuals like Benjamin Kheng, Oon Shu Ann, Kirsten Tan, Daisy Mitchell and Josh Makazo took time out of their schedules to grace us with their presence.
No one shined brighter than our best-dressed winners, though. Have a look at these stunning fits.
Good thing it was a competition on smiling or else they wouldn't have won, no?
Anyway, the winners received a Sturion Caviar Deluxe Gift Set and Luminox watch worth SGD1,645 and SGD1,800, respectively. Thanks to our generous sponsors Sturion and Luminox, our winners can shine even brighter with the "glitter" on their wrists.
There was another competition as well. And the best part? Contestants could be rewarded through the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP. By snapping some pics with their friends and tagging @auchentoshansea, three chosen winners bagged a bottle of Auchentoshan. Those who didn't win, chose to post different versions of themselves instead of their friends... and you know what? More power to them.
