[Fashion]
Hugh Jackman flew in as a surprise special guest of Montblanc at the Watches&Wonders exhibition in Hong Kong in September 2016, unveilling the latest Montblanc timepieces and attending a glamorous gala dinner where he was the guest of honour.
The gala dinner was a luxurious and exclusive affair with dramatic allusion of a sky strewn with crystal stars threaded with constellations and navigational symbols enthralling guests as they made their way to long glowing tables. At the dining table, corked bottles served as placeholders and contained evocative coiled scrolls –menus that resembled timeworn treasure maps. The richly imaginative menu of four (4) courses recalled the different steps of Vasco da Gama’s trip; an Alaskan crab salad with crystal caviar and avocado cream, an oven-baked fillet of a 51-toothed fish and The Globe – Beyond 2015, a delicate dark chocolate sphere with cinnamon-infused caramel mousse, raspberry marshmallow and hot chocolate sauce.
At the event, Montblanc gave a special video screening championing Da Gama’s uncharted journey that added to the evening’s entertainment, which culminated in enthusiastic calls for Mr. Jackman to make a speech.
Hugh Jackman revealed the newest edition to the Montblanc Heritage Chronométrie Dual Time Vasco Da Gama series at Watches&Wonders with the Limited Edition 238. The elegant 41mm watch features an 18K red gold-finished bezel and is driven by Montblanc’s in-house developed 29.19 automatic calibre complete with dual time complication. The functional movement can be viewed through a transparent caseback that displays an image of Vasco da Gama’s ship, the São Gabriel, next to the explorer’s signature. For this limited edition, just 238 pieces have been made. Each features, exclusively, a home-time counter at 12 o’clock decorated with a representation of the night-sky in the southern hemisphere and a adorned with a 3-D miniature map of the world.
Chronométrie Dual Time Vasco Da Gama Limited Edition 238
Montblanc Brand Ambassador Hugh Jackman with Montblanc Fine Watches Trainer & Consultant, Julien Miribel at the Montblanc booth.
At the gala, Hugh Jackman debuted the Montblanc Villeret Tourbillon Cylindrique Geosphères NightSky created to share the story of Da Gama’s spectacular method of navigation using the night skies. Made in the spirit as his legacy, with innovation, precision and determination, this highly complicated piece of haute horology became a showpiece on its release at this year’s SIHH, where it was presented in a warm red gold.
The 47mm timepiece displays a striking dial unifying a cylindrical tourbillon with two curved globes depicting the southern and northern hemispheres vividly rendered in hand-painted enamel. Home time is shown on a sub-dial reminiscent of a compass rose at 6 o’clock and operated by a small corrector in the case, while local time is indicated via two open-worked hands, adjustable using a large pusher at 4 o’clock. For Watches&Wonders, Montblanc debuted the timepiece in a limited edition 18K of which just 18 pieces were created.
More info at www.montblanc.com
Images courtesy of Montblanc Malaysia.
MHB Digital 