Kee Hua Chee Live!: FINE STRAPS FOR FINE WATCHES

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

FINE STRAPS FOR FINE TIMEPIECES

IWC Schaffhausen and Sincere Fine Watches presented an Exclusive Santoni Showcase in Malaysia on 29 May
featuring the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days timepiece.

SINCERE FINE WATCHES ARE AT SURIA KLCC, THE PAVILION AND THE GARDENS MALL. 03-2166 2181

Alex Tan, Tay Liam Khoon, Jeffrey Yap, Ling, Gary Chow and Gilbert

Goris Verburg of IWC and Tay Liam Khoon of Sincere Watches and guests admiring a classic Santoni shoe

It was an evening of elegance as Swiss watchmaking
company IWC Schaffhausen and its retail
partner in Malaysia, Sincere Fine Watches
hosted an exclusive event, showcasing the
partnership of IWC Schaffhausen with the
Italian luxury shoe manufacturer, Santoni.

Master of their respective crafts, the IWC
Schaffhausen and Santoni stand for unique
products of the highest quality. IWC and
Santoni have signed a 5-year partnership
and the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days
is the first of more projects to come, yielding
a selection of watch straps manufactured by
hand exclusively for IWC Schaffhausen.

Held at the Sincere Fine Watches flagship
store at Starhill Gallery, watch connoisseurs
and IWC enthusiasts were invited to a
private showcase of the classic elegance of
the Portofino Hand-wound 8 Days and the
bespoke beauty of the Santoni watch straps.
Gracing the event were Goris Verburg,
Managing Director of IWC South East Asia, Tay Liam Khoon, Executive Director of
Sincere Fine Watches Sdn Bhd and
Andrea Casavecchia, representative of
Santoni.

Tay Liam Khoon, Executive Director of
Sincere Fine Watches Sdn Bhd started off
the night by addressing the guests, “As the
retail partner of IWC Schaffhausen, we are
extremely excited to be part of today's
memorable event. The noteworthy
partnership between IWC and Santoni will
be experienced by all and I can confidently
say that you will be amazed of what have
been put into making the straps of Portofino
Hand-Wound Eight Days timepiece you are
about to see.”

Goris Verburg, Managing Director of
IWC South East Asia said, “Santoni has created a legacy in
leather making for 40 years. We are
honoured to have the opportunity to work
closely with Santoni in making these
stunning alligator straps for our Portofino
Hand-Wound Eight Days and adding a feel
of true Italian dolce vita to these timepieces.”

Throughout the evening, a Santoni craftsman
was on hand to demonstrate the intricate
application of anticatura-coloured dye onto
the leather, all done by hand, this technique
requires a consistency of strength and
stroke, resulting in a beautiful and subtle
layering of colours.

"It takes an experienced
craftsman a few hours to a few days to
complete a pair of shoes, and for the
Portofino watchstrap, more than a week to
paint and allow the colours to layer and stay
fast into a beautiful vintage effect. The
underside of the strap is in the
distinguishable Santoni orange.

Guests were treated to classic Italian
canapés through the night, including pasta,
risotto and bruschetta. The night would not
be complete without refreshments such as
mocktails and champagne paired with
decadent desserts such as lemon meringue,
mini tiramisu and berry trifle.

Mr. Goris Verburg also provided guests
insights about the timepiece addition to the
Portofino family as well as Santoni, the
leather shoe-maker whose impressive
colouring and design work is now known all
over the world.

For those who enjoy the art of fine
watchmaking, the Portofino Hand-Wound
Eight Days is the perfect timepiece to
have.

Its newly developed IWC-manufactured
calibre movement runs precisely and
reliably for a full 192 hours, or 8 days,
before it automatically stops. This
timepiece has a see-through sapphireglass
back and alligator leather straps by
Santoni.

The stylish and classy interior of Sincere Fine Watches was the perfect foil for Santoni's shoes and watch straps

A Santoni craftswoman at work