News At the beginning of December, the capital of Malaysia became for a few days the epicentre of the watchmaking world. The FH thematic exhibition joined in the proceedings.
Francis Yeoh had said as much: "I want to put Kuala Lumpur on the map". And he kept his word by organising from 3 to 12 December last year in his Starhill Gallery – he prefers not to use the term shopping centre – a watchmaking event entitled A Journey Through Time, which was attended by Think Time - Think Swiss Excellence, the thematic exhibition of the FH. For ten days, in the veritable temple of luxury that is the Starhill Gallery, the latter played host to numerous connoisseurs from the world of watchmaking, all of whom owned several premium brand Swiss watches.
In this context, the FH exhibition played its role as an industry shop window to perfection, as well as hosting three talks given by Jean-François Meyer, head of the Promotional Affairs Department of the FH. On these occasions, the operation of different types of watches and the mysteries of complications were explained to the ranks of journalists and consumers, along with timing and the role of the tourbillon.
During the event, open every day from 10am to 10pm, many retailers, representing more than 100 Swiss watch brands, took over the space in front of their points of sale to erect presentation stands and organise drinks or various other events (product launches, etc) in the presence of representatives of the relevant manufacturers.
The official day was presided over by HSH Raja Perlis, Tuaku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail and his wife Raja Perempuan Perlis, Tuanku Fauziah binti Al-Marhun Tengku Abdul Rashid. On another occasion, the Queen of Malaysia was called upon to unveil, for the first time in Asia, the 88-carat Korloff black diamond. Other visitors of note included several members of royalty, including a prince from Brunei, government dignitaries and numerous ambassadors (in our photo, Lody Embrechts, the Dutch ambassador (second from left), and Urs Stemmler, the Swiss ambassador). This helped to ensure important media coverage of the event in places as far away as Singapore, Hong Kong and even China.
On the last evening, devoted to the 2007 Starhill Gallery Watch Awards, Francis Yeoh promised to do even more for subsequent editions - dates have already been pencilled in for the next four years. And since he is unaccustomed to speaking unless there is something worth saying, there can be little doubt that the 2008 event will be even more sumptuous, making the beginning of December in Kuala Lumpur a date not to be missed in our diaries.
Double jackpot for Blu!
With its floor space of 3,500 m2 dedicated to the art of watchmaking, the Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur is a veritable Mecca for watch enthusiasts where all brands counting for anything in the industry are well established. It’s easy to understand therefore why Bernhard Lederer chose this luxury shopping centre to open the planet’s first Blu boutique at the beginning of December. And, since good things often come in twos, the master watchmaker based in Colombier was presented a few days later with the "The Malaysia Most Revered Watch 2007" prize for his Majesty Tourbillon MT3.
January 29, 2008
