CH Premier is excited to be partnering with Swiss watchmaker Blancpain in bringing the Blancpain Ocean Commitment Exhibition to Westfield Valley Fair, Santa Clara from April 29 to May 17. The display has traveled all around the world: China, Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo, and Moscow. This will be the next showing in North America following Las Vegas at January.For that the length of the display, CH Premier will soon be incorporating an extensive assortment of Fifty Fathom timepieces. This group embodies Blancpain’s enthusiasm for the underwater world since 1953 by creating the very first modern dive watch. Each Fifty Fathom model features the signature elements from the original diver’s watch and layout options based on the dangers and requirements in the diving world. Latest editions added to the group cover tribute to the leaders of diving, whose passion and dedication has continued to inspire Blancpain to create timepieces with technological progress and advanced materials for underwater explorations.On May 5, 2016, CH Premier and also Blancpain will be hosting an evening cocktail reception and talking engagement with Blancpain US Brand President, David Gely, at which he will discuss the brand’s longstanding link to the underwater world and its own dedication to preserving and protecting the world’s oceans.We invite people of all ages to explore and find the underwater world through breathtaking images and find out about the environmental initiatives Blancpain supports to explore, protect, and conserve the world’s ocean. Limited to 250 pieces, this exceptional timepiece includes Blancpain’s in-house motion and a special gray ceramic case and blue dial and bezel. Blancpain will earn a charitable donation in the amount of 1,000 Euros for every watch sold in the limited series.
Over the weekend four timepieces from Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Zenith were auctioned in Singapore. All sold for well above the retail prices, raising nearly S$100,000 for the Community Chest.
On 30 November Singapore charity the Community Chest held its annual fundraising dinner (full disclosure: I was a member of the event’s organising committee), which included an auction of items donated for the event. Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Zenith generously contributed timepieces for the charity auction. The four timepieces raised S$96,000, with all selling at above the recommended retail prices. The top lot of the event was the Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 in rose gold, one of the most distinctive models in the Millenary collection, featuring an open dial that reveals the wonderfully decorated movement. This hammered at S$54,000, above the tax free retail price of S$49,500.
That was followed by the Zenith El Primero 410 Singapore Edition. Inspired by the original El Primero 410 of the seventies, this is a limited edition of 45 pieces available only in Singapore. With a retail price of $14,800, it sold for S$20,000.
Also selling for S$20,000 was the Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos Classique clock, the ingenious clock that runs on air and Swiss government’s gift of choice for foreign dignitaries. The hammer price was more than double the retail price of S$7860.
And finishing up the quartet was a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms wall clock, modelled on Blancpain’s signature diver’s watch. Typically only found in Blancpain boutiques and never offered for sale, the wall clock sold for S$2000.
The event raised S$2.8 million in total for Community Chest, a charity overseen by the Singapore government. As a member of the organising committee for the Community Chest Gala Dinner 2014 I would like to thank Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Zenith for the support.