The best of times at Paragon

The Siam Paragon Watch Expo 2012 from July 31 to August 19 will feature more than 30,000 timepieces from 200 top brands, many of them unveiled this spring at Baselworld in Switzerland, the planet’s biggest watch fair.
The premier-quality models in the Siam Paragon event’s Masterpiece category unite technology and design. The Luxury segment emphasises gems and other precious materials. Trend is about watches that can reflect your personality on any occasion.
At a press preview this week, Varit Hongsananda presented Franck Muller’s Giga Tourbillon, which features a highly complex, 20mm-diameter mechanism that fills half the watch. The bridges of the reverse movement are on the dial side, the hour setting and winder are at the base, and the hour hand is in the minute position.
Actress Woranuch Bhirombhakdi wore a Piaget Limelight, a tonneau-shaped watch in an 18-carat pink-gold case set with 86 brilliant-cut diamonds. The dial contains 293 diamonds and the hour markers are 18-carat pink gold. On the crown is a single diamond, and on the 18-carat bracelet 600 more.
Krit Osathanugrah showed off TAG Heuer’s Carrera Heritage Calibre 16 Chronograph, part of a collection that celebrates motor racing. The polished case and TAG Heuer logo gleam and the hands are a deep burnished blue. Exquisite flinque engraving adorns the dial. The raised Arabic numerals come from a 1945 Heuer watch, as do the push button, digits, crown and index designs.
Other top brands participating in the exposition are A Lagne & Sohne, Breguet, Bvlgari, Chanel, Chopard, Officine Panerai, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and Yafriro.
Always proud of being the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, Omega has produced 2012 editions of its Seamaster Aqua Terra collection, with distinctive dials in blue with vertical lines. There are two versions of the Co-Axial Chronograph London 2012. One has a two-colour polished and brushed case of 18-carat red gold and stainless steel with a dark-blue leather strap. The other is stainless steel with a matching bracelet.
Patek Philippe focuses on extreme complications, which it believes appeal increasingly to women as well as men. There are the classic Ref 5204 split-seconds chronograph with a perpetual calendar, the ultra-thin Ref 7140 Ladies First Perpetual Calendar boasts a fiery complement of diamonds, and the equally slender Ref 5940 perpetual calendar for men with a cushion-shaped case.
Rolex’s Oyster Perpetual Day-Day in 18-carat Everose gold has a fluted bezel and gem-set dial shining with rubies. On a chocolate-coloured dial, the hour markers at 6 and 9 o’clock are baguette-cut rubies.
Chopard’s Mille Miglia GMT Chrono 2012 pays homage to the great automobiles of history.
Parmigiani’s luxury timepieces stress creative details, as in the Toric Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton in rose gold, whose mechanism can be observed through the back of crystal-sapphire case.
There are only 10 of these watches in the world.
Among the new brands represented at this year’s exposition are Ferragamo, Ice Link, Junghans, Cover, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Arbutus.
And Gucci Timepieces will be marking its 40th anniversary. Siam Paragon and Gucci will mount the exhibition “Artisan Corner: The Ultimate Combination of Italy Craftsmanship and Swiss Watch Making” in the mall’s Hall of Mirrors from July 31 to August 5.
You’ll be able to look on as an Italian master watchmaker labours on the top-quality Gucci Bamboo.