Timepiece as valuable as the time
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta
Time is money. And for the busy wearer, a timepiece is invaluable and in some cases, priceless.
A luxury watch may cost millions or even billions of rupiah. For most people, a watch is both functional and decorative; a device for which to negotiate the day, and a fashion accessory that enhances one's physical appearance. It can also be a precious item in a collection, and it is invariably a symbol of status.
Watch collectors or people who really care about timepieces will not hesitate to spend large amounts of money to acquire the item they desire. There are many boutiques in Jakarta selling expensive watches, which are easily found in posh shopping malls like Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia, Mal Taman Anggrek and Kelapa Gading Mall.
Name a classy brand, and many of us might mention Rolex, Omega, Cartier, Raymond Weil, Piaget or Longines. Most of these top brands are long-established with impressive histories. Longines, for example, was first made in 1832, Rolex in 1908 and Cartier in 1888.
As time passes, more watchmakers are creating exclusive pieces with new names. Some are likely to sound unfamiliar to people here due to their exclusiveness. And they are also available only at certain boutiques.
Late last year, Franck Muller opened its boutique in Plaza Senayan, offering luxury watches with innovative designs that can carry hefty multi-billion rupiah price tags.
And just a few days ago, another exclusive watch boutique, Yafriro Cilibrer Le Temps (celebrate the time), opened at Plaza Indonesia. It carries 12 Swiss brands and each is distinctively characterized to form the shop's entire collection. The watches ranges from the fun, architectural designs of Alain Silberstein, the austerity of the Parmiagiani and Jean Daniel Nicolas watches and other fashionable pieces from Nubeo and Jacobs, Bovet, De Witt, Richard Mille, BRM and Jean Dunand.
SMJ Iwan K.C. Hew, the founder of Singapore-based Yafriro International Pte Ltd says Bovet watches best suit art lovers, while the masculine creations of Richard Mille and BRM are often associated with Ferraris and racing cars, while Jean Dunand offers innovation.
"We carry brands that are different from the others," Iwan said, explaining why his boutique did not sell more well-known luxury brands like Rolex or Cartier.
Its first watch outlet, Parmiagiani Fleurier Boutique, opened in 1999 and Yafriro opened in 2002. Both are located in Singapore. In 2003 Yafriro opened in Malaysia and later this year it will open in Bangkok.
Yafriro came to Indonesia because many of its customers, Iwan says, are Indonesians, mostly businessmen and top government officials.
"We have many customers from Indonesia. They like new things and the prices are not bad."
So how much can a watch at Yafriro cost?
The luxury watches carry a price tags ranging from S$15,000 to more than S$2 million, or about Rp 11 billion.
What is surprising is that not all of the expensive watches are studded with diamonds or other precious stones.
"They are priceless because they are works of art," said Alain Silberstein, an architect who has dedicated himself to watchmaking. Being handmade also makes a watch expensive. Each of the pieces is handled by highly skilled craftsmen and the process to make a watch may take between three and six months.
The production of many brands is, of course, also limited. Some watchmakers produce 2,000 pieces a year, while others make only dozens. Exclusive timepieces can also be made to order for a special occasion, allowing the customer to wear a watch which is the only one in the world.
"For every watch, we make only one," said Thierry Oulevay of Jean Dunand.
Jean Dunand was established by watchmaker Christophe Claret and Oulevay, an entrepreneur, in 2003. The brand was named after Jean Dunand (1877-1942), an artist of the Art Deco movement.
Its first unique piece, Tourbillon Orbital, is a high- precision wristwatch featuring a one-minute flying tourbillon that orbits the dial once an hour on a revolving movement. The watch's glass is a non-reflecting domed sapphire crystal; two domed sapphire crystals decorate the caseband and one is housed in the caseback. The dial and the hands are in 18k gold and the case is in pink gold, white gold or platinum with a matching buckle.
Greubel Forsey's Double Tourbillon 300 is the first mechanism developed by the brand under the Experimental Watch Technology. EWT, label. It has two nickel silver plates with fine circular graining centered around the tourbillon, finished in jade gold. The case is in red, yellow or white gold with convex sapphire glass while the security screws are in white gold. The name of the model and the watch's individual number are hand-engraved.
"When Prince Albert of Monaco visited Singapore recently, he bought one of this type," a Yafriro sales executive said.
The Double Tourbillon 300, like the Tourbillon Orbital, costs around S$500,000, or Rp 2.8 billion.
While the watches are top-tier luxury items, there is certainly a demand from well-heeled Indonesians, Iwan says, as was proved by the initial sales during the shop's opening on Tuesday evening.