Throughout 2022, eight leading brands celebrated Cortina Watch's 50th anniversary with their special editions.
In February, the series began with Patek Philippe's unique dome table clock and a white gold Ref 5057G-010 Calatrava, powered by an ultra-thin, self-winding movement.
The following months saw collaborations with Chopard, Blancpain, H Moser & Cie, Franck Muller, Corum, Tag Heuer and Cartier.
The celebrations culminated with a gala dinner and exhibition of the commemorative models, recently held at The Ritz- Carlton Millennia Singapore.
Patek Philippe's Singapore Skyline dome table clock in cloisonné enamel portrays landmarks such as the Merlion, Central Business District and Marina Bay Sands.
Amid the quartz crisis, Cortina Watch opened its first boutique at Colombo Court in 1972. It has subsequently become a publicly-listed company with over 40 boutiques in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.
Since its establishment, the luxury watch retailer and distributor has the longest-standing relationship with Patek Philippe while ties with Chopard began in 1992.
Five dancing diamonds swirl on the dial of the Happy Hearts Cortina 50th Anniversary model, while the red heart represents the company's efforts to give back to the community. Net proceeds from the sale of this special edition were donated to the Singapore Heart Foundation.
Chopard also released Happy Moon Cortina 50th Anniversary models boasting a dial in blue or green aventurine or red mother-of-pearl that shimmer against the ethical gold case.
Blancpain reinterpreted its everyday dive watch in innovative materials. The Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Limited Edition is housed in a 43mm titanium case, with the unidirectional bezel in Sedna gold, bezel insert in ceramic and markers in Ceragold.
Three brands pay tribute through avant-garde tourbillons.
H Moser & Cie's red gold Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton features a meticulously openworked dial and a fumé sub-dial in Funky Blue.
The Schaffhausen-based maison engineered its cylindrical tourbillon with a concentric motion to evoke a beating heart, while Franck Muller's Revolution 3 with a tri-axial tourbillon counteracts the effects of gravity from all directions.
The five Vanguard Revolution 3 Skeleton unique pieces are festooned with baguette-cut diamonds, rubies or emeralds, paired with either rainbow-coloured or sleek black dials. The domed element on the sapphire crystal magnifies the tri-axial tourbillon to create an airiness, with the effect extending to the rest of the watch.
Corum's tourbillon watches often have openworked dials but the Admiral 45 Tourbillon Cortina Watch 50th Anniversary Special Edition differs with a closed dial. Fluctuating layers of carbon composite with gold inclusions give the dodecagonal-shaped case a unique pattern. The cutting-edge material further enhances the striking gold elements, stark black sunray-finished dial and impressive tourbillon.
Seldomly using gemstones as a dial material, Tag Heuer crafted the Carrera Chronograph Cortina Watch Limited Edition in jade-albite, giving the tri-compax layout a lush shade of green, while the 42mm gold case makes it a luxurious sports model.
Last month Cartier rounded off the commemorative series with the Baignoire Allongée MM Cortina Watch Golden Jubilee Edition. Designed in the 1960s, the oversized Baignoire Allongée stretched across women's wrists.
Through a local agent, Cortina Watch began selling Cartier's creations in the late 1970s. The close partnership is expressed through the exclusive diamond-set pink gold timepiece, whose opaline dial features Arabic numerals. In place of the number 5, a 50 stands out in burgundy-red to mark Cortina Watch's half-century milestone.
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