(1888PressRelease)
September 29, 2009 - Azimuth Redefines Timekeeping with Two New Limited Edition Timepieces Luxury watch manufacturer takes you Back In Time with the world’s first single-hand backwards watch and takes a gamble on Roulette, whose design, inspired by the opening of the Integrated Resorts, has won the hearts of watch connoisseurs.
28 September 2009, Singapore – Luxury watch manufacturer Azimuth, known for its distinctive avant-garde designs, has once again pushed innovative design to new heights with its two latest pieces, inspired by both history and the future.
Round-1 Back in Time, which draws on the earliest of watch designs, will be the world’s first single-hand watch that goes anticlockwise. Inspired by the first timekeepers of our time, like sundials and church steeple clocks, it is the perfect synthesis of innovative design and manufacturing excellence.
The design was a challenge thrown to them at BaselWorld 2009 by their French distributor, who wanted a fresh, innovative design. Azimuth answered with the Round-1 Back in Time, something interesting, quirky, to take on the watch world with its single hand counter clockwise function.
“We wanted an innovative piece that was both stylish, yet drew on the watch’s history. What better than a design that spoke to the most traditional way of telling time,” said Mr Alvin Lye, one of Azimuth’s two founders and Director.
Just 100 pieces of this unique timepiece, will be available exclusively in the Singapore and Malaysia Azimuth Exclusive Boutiques from the end of October 2009.
A three-hand Round-1 Back In Time version is also available at all Azimuth authorised retailers. A limited 80 pieces of the chocolate face and 120 of the beige face will be available for 2009.
Both single-hand and three-hand versions will retail at S$1,999.
Specifications for Back in Time
• Case: 316L stainless steel
• Movement: Base ETA 2836, modified in-house by Azimuth
• Glass: Domed sapphire crystal
• Power Reserve: 40 hours
• Functions: Backwards movement, date function
• Band: 22 mm leather strap with deployment buckle
Azimuth’s second revolutionary design is the SP-1 Roulette, specially conceptualised to coincide with the opening of Singapore’s upcoming Integrated Resort at the end of this year. Already, the watch has won the hearts of the editors of iW, International Watch Magazine, the largest and most respected US watch magazine. They voted it their favourite watch in BaselWorld 2009. BaselWorld is the world leading Watch and Jewellery Show.
Gamble on the go, this luxury novelty time-piece, which has its own fully-functional mechanical roulette game invites you to “Beat The Casino” etched on its high grade metal casing, which shows the movement through a porthole in the back. The three-dimensional roulette dial gives the impression of a miniature roulette wheel encapsulated in a sapphire crystal. The die-shaped crown sets the time but also doubles as trigger to set the roulette ball spinning, going around and randomly stopping in the one of the slots set below the numbers. The watch’s hands are also cut out in the middle to allow the wearer to see the ball better as it spins under the hands.
Beyond just entertainment, though, this fun timepiece is designed for comfort. While it might look a little bulky, its 45mm by 34mm stainless steel frame – reflecting the roulette table – also has a highly-curved back case, and is ergonomically designed. It sits comfortably on the wrist with the trigger for the roulette ball set on the left hand side to allow a right-handed person to comfortably use his thumb to depress it.
Just 500 pieces will be released this year through 2010 and it will undoubtedly be the ultimate fashion accessory to don when raising the stakes at the tables.
It will retail at SGD$4,350.
Specifications for Azimuth’s SP-1 Roulette
• Case: 316L stainless steel, 35 mm width x 55 mm lug to lug length, water resistant 5 ATM
• Movement: Base ETA 2842, modified in-house by Azimuth
• Glass: Sapphire crystal
• Power Reserve: 40 hours
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, spinning roulette hand
• Band: 22 mm leather strap with deployment buckle
“Our latest pieces draw on elements that are clearly close to our hearts, Swiss manufacturing precision and innovative design, inspired by the illustrious history of time-keeping past and the promising future of the country we call home. These will be defining collectors’ pieces for all watch enthusiasts,” added Mr Lye.
Azimuth watches currently retail worldwide via partners and distributors. In Singapore and Malaysia, Azimuth is retailed at Azimuth Exclusive Boutiques in Mandarin Gallery (333 Orchard Road, #02-20 Mandarin Gallery) and Starhill respectively and at selected specialty watch boutiques. Prices for Azimuth watches range from S$1,999 – S$120,000.
About Azimuth Watch Company
Azimuth, the brainchild of two Singaporean watch enthusiasts – Christopher Long and Alvin Lye - is one-of-a-kind end-to-end luxury watch manufacturer. It manages the entire mechanical timepiece production from research and development and manufacturing, to retailing, distribution and delivery worldwide. Azimuth is now shaking up the horological world with its avant-garde designs for luxury timepieces. Azimuth watches sport a variety of styles, from race car instrument panels to vintage military watch designs.
Azimuth’s four foundational pillars that guide its watchmaking philosophy are: avant-garde designs, mechanical complications, Swiss-made quality and competitive pricing. As of June 2009, Azimuth established its atelier in Bienne, Switzerland, to research, model and assemble its watches.
Azimuth is distributed in Europe, North, South and Central Americas, the Middle East and Asia. In Asia, its distributorships are in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
For more information, visit www.azimuth-watch.com.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Angela Sim
Violet Lee
Email: angela ( @ ) roi-strategy dot com
Email: violet ( @ ) roi-strategy dot com
Tel: 6284 4727 / 9698 8485
Tel: 6284 8353
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