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How luxury is made

How luxury is made
A look behind the scenes at the artisanal expertise that go into creating the world's renowned luxury goods
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Looking back at simpler times (from left): Grand Seiko SLGW005, Piaget Polo 79, Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve. Photos: Handout
Timepieces

Blast from the past: watchmakers delve into their archives to revive classics

Some watch designs are so enduring, their appeal defies the passage of time and syncs with contemporary trends and styles, making them desirable through the decades.

High Jewellery

Paris’ rising stars: 6 independent jewellery brands to check out on your next visit

High Jewellery

Why geometric jewellery has always been timeless, as Chaumet and Chopard show

High Jewellery

Zodiac jewellery is enjoying a resurgence – Rihanna and Hailey Bieber love it

The cosmos is stamping its identify on jewellery, bringing individuality and a singular style to the wearer that’s beyond mere aesthetics.

A-list style icons like Rihanna have a penchant for zodiac jewellery too. Photo: Handout
High Jewellery

How jewellery brands are helping to preserve traditional crafts

In a rapidly evolving industry, luxury brands are investing in education to safeguard the artisanal skills that transform design visions into exquisite jewellery.

Watch Edit

Watch Edit: Tudor adds a Formula One model to its long dive heritage

Metas-certified Black Bays add to the brand’s technical chops while the latest Pelagos maintains the proud lineage of models worn by the French Navy.

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Icons and Influencers

Cindy Chao marked 20 years of jewellery artistry with a retrospective in Taipei

Chao’s pieces have been displayed at prestigious institutions and earned her France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters; creations on show in Taipei included a Sarah Jessica Parker collaboration.

Jewellery artist Cindy Chao marked 20 years in the industry with a retrospective at Taipei’s Fubon Art Museum – and Matthew McConaughey and Michelle Yeoh wore her pieces to this year’s Oscars. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Nicolas Bonneville created 3 new scents for Jaeger-LeCoultre

As part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers programme, Bonneville has created 3 extraordinary scents inspired by some of the Swiss watchmaker’s timepieces and ethos.

Jaguar Cars

With the Jaguar rebrand comes a question of identity for heritage brands

Heritage brands like Jaguar and Campbell’s possess an identity that makes an impression on the consumers that engage with them – so where does rebranding leave these iconic companies and their fans?

Style Edit

Style Edit: How Brunello Cucinelli SS25 blends Riviera charm with desert allure

The collection sees timeless classics such as blazers, skirts and trousers accented with new forms and functions, while matching sets combine the masculine and the exotic.

Brunello Cucinelli’s spring/summer 2025 collection. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Graff’s I Wish campaign – dazzling jewellery for the holidays

Each piece in the collection embodies the brand’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship – blending heritage with innovation to create timeless heirlooms for successive generations.

London-based jeweller Graff has unveiled an exquisite collection of jewellery for its I Wish campaign. Photo: Handout
High Jewellery

Ahoy there! Van Cleef & Arpels’ new collection sets a course for adventure

The whimsical range is the brainchild of Nicolas Bos, group chief executive of parent company Richemont, which also owns Cartier, Jaeger‑LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Piaget.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Van Cleef & Arpels unveils 4 stunning Rose de Noël pieces

The intricate designs, including grey mother-of-pearl and vibrant turquoise gemstones set in gold, are inspired by winter flowers and dedicated to the beauty of nature.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Swatch’s Mission to Earthphase offers a stunning view of Earth

Showcasing both moon and earth phases on its dial, the watch is a visual delight, with contrasts in the blue planet’s oceans, deserts and forest depicted in amazing detail.

The Mission To Earthphase watch from the Swatch x Omega Bioceramic MoonSwatch collection features a first. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: How Richard Mille and Rafael Nadal broke horological boundaries

The series of groundbreaking timepieces has broken records with each iteration, from the lightest tourbillon to the most resilient, and the use of new materials.

Richard Mille’s horological collaborations with tennis great Rafael Nadal began in 2008. Photo: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: King Fook Jewellery celebrates 75 years with a HK$1.8m lucky draw

The exhibition showcased the brand’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship through traditional and contemporary designs embodying the spirit of good fortune.

High Jewellery

How colourful Y2K beaded jewellery is making a sophisticated comeback

Taylor Swift brought back the friendship bracelet, which millennials will remember from the playground – now, designers are creating luxe versions of the playful, nostalgic baubles.

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Style Edit

Style Edit: Chopard’s sustainably sourced Ice Cube high jewellery collection

Hadid was shot by British fashion photographer Charlotte Wales wearing the Bauhaus-inspired collection – its choker, bracelet and rings all featuring cubes of gold and diamond.

Bella Hadid fronts Chopard’s Sculpted by Light campaign. Photos: Handout
Fame and celebrity

The truth behind Trump watches: Rolex rivals or overpriced knock-offs?

The US president-elect’s latest venture – a line of luxury watches featuring his name, image and likeness – has sparked controversy, with experts questioning their price and manufacturing origin.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Going beyond the ballroom with Cartier’s Tuttitutti collection

Seeking to appeal to a modern generation, the rings, necklaces, bracelets and watches are playfully driven by a clash of unlikely materials and peacock hues.

Chow Tai Fook

How Chow Tai Fook is reviving ancient Chinese culture for the 21st century

The Guangzhou-founded, Hong Kong-based jewellery brand is honouring the traditions and craftsmanship of Chinese culture, while infusing them with design sensibilities resonating with modern consumers.

Models wearing pieces from Chow Tai Fook’s Palace Museum collection walk down the runway at the brand’s 95th anniversary presentation at Rosewood Beijing. Photos: Handout
Style Edit

Style Edit: Hermès latest homeware collection embraces its equestrian legacy

Studio Hermès referenced modernist traditions with its Diapason d’Hermès chair, while other items draw from the brand’s heritage, using earthy materials and equestrian references.

Hermès embraces its equestrian legacy once more with its homeware collection for Milan Design Week 2024. Photos: Handout
Africa

Premium cigars from Africa? Why not? The tobacco grows there

Cigars made in Mozambique may sound surprising, but Bongani Cigars rolls thousands a day. Its founder talks filling a gap in the market.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Richard Mille’s McLaren W1 is another masterpiece in excellence

This is Richard Mille’s fourth partnership with the British luxury car maker, which just launched the W1 – it builds on the legacy of McLaren’s F1 and P1 models.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Messika dazzles with high jewellery inspired by haute couture

At Paris Fashion Week, the maison showed how it is redefining and pushing the boundaries of high jewellery and haute couture with its daring visions.

K-pop star Miyeon at Messika’s 2024 high jewellery show, part of Paris Fashion Week. Photo: Getty Images
Style Edit

Style Edit: Technology forms the core of Boucheron’s Quatre 5D Memory ring

The French jewellery house has a special something embedded in its Quatre 5D Memory – a recollection of a childhood by the ocean, in the form of audio data.

Boucheron’s Quatre 5D Memory ring has audio data embedded in it. Photos: Handout
Jaeger-LeCoultre

Q&A | Why Jaeger-LeCoultre has debuted a scent collection by a self-taught perfumer

Consisting of 3 bold perfumes, the new collection is part of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Made of Makers portfolio, which sees the Swiss watch maison partnering with innovative creatives.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Bulgari’s Tubogas design gets a modern makeover in a new collection

The legacy design’s interlocking strips of gold, without any soldering, was a bold departure from the norm when it was launched in the 1940s.

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