It is a perfect, cloudless day -- with the brilliant blue sky and the equally sparkling turquoise waters setting up a perfect photo op. At the head of the yacht, an eye-catching beauty in a fluttering pink dress and her female company are having some fun taking photos. In fact, the 40 other people on this yacht have already gone through this process too, but none quite give off the modelesque aura, nor are they quite as captivating to look at.
When another man occasionally joins in -- he looks kind of like a European version of Bradley Cooper -- they both turn into something like magazine-ready portraits, as if an editorial photo shoot was happening right on-board. It's hardly surprising, when the posing woman is none other than national sweetheart Anne Thongprasom. The gentleman is Omega's head of product management, Gregory Kissling, although he'd probably pass for a model too on any shore. It's not a requisite that the watches must be seen in the photos and the extremely watchey-pose is actually Anne's cheeky excuse to put a hand on the dashing Swiss man's chest.
Anne Thongprasom and Gregory Kissling.
Never short of a snazzy splash when it comes to hosting an event or party, it couldn't have been more fitting that Omega's sea watch was launched by the ocean. The clear waters of the Andaman Sea definitely set the tone for the launch of the new Seamaster Aqua Terra collection, which was held earlier this month in Phuket. Celebrities, fans of the brand and top-spenders were flown into Como Point Yamu, where the highlight to showcase the inspirations behind the watch, as well as stunning vistas of the Phanak and Hong Islands, took place on a luxurious yacht trip and at the cocktail celebration in the evening. To end the night, fireworks lit up the sky to mark the official launch. They didn't come in the shape of the seahorse, which is the emblem of the Seamaster line, but well enough gave us our festive fill that we don't even crave to see anymore on New Year's Eve.
On the women's side, two new models were presented, with radiant diamond indexes and a diamond-paved bezel as its striking detail. However, homage to the sea is still seen in the Tahitian mother-of-pearl dials, where Kissling reveals that only the centre of the shell is used, in order to obtain the most beautiful patterns. Coming in 34mm or 38mm, it provides a better fit for wearers with slim wrists, making for a clean, yet elegant number. Yet, however beautiful it is, it's also solid in the technical department. Asked what he likes most about this latest collection, Kissling says it is the obvious elegance, but also how robust the timepieces are and how they function. For the case back, a wave-edged design with sapphire crystal reveals the Omega Master Chronometer calibre 8800 inside. Boasting the highest level of certification for precision and performance as approved by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology, what this means is these Aqua Terra pieces are warrantied to withstand anything that could affect perfect timekeeping.
According to Kissling, 70% of mechanical watches run wrong because of magnetic fields from seemingly unthreatening objects such as iPads, where forces can cause the watch to run slower or faster by seconds. As these new timepieces can resist magnetic fields of 15,000 gauss, those such as doctors who must work with magnetic machines can rest assured that their Seamasters are ticking right on time.
The men gets no diamonds, but the ocean spirit still rings loud and clear in the Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer collection, which gets a refreshing look. Reflecting the glorious, sunny day on the boat with superstar/goddess Anne and the hot decks that are sometimes sole-blazing to walk on, Kissling says the dial for the men was mainly inspired by and modelled after the luxury teak that is used on the decks of luxury yachts. Making for a simple but defining detail, the horizontal teak pattern pays homage to the sea in a discrete but sophisticated style. Three new models are presented, with the first 41mm model made with Sedna gold. Coming with a rubber strap, which is new to the Aqua Terra, more inspirations are drawn from the sea, with the patterns of ropes embedded onto the rubber. For a little less shine, the 41mm model that comes on a brown leather strap and includes orange accents on the seconds hand and numbering at the four cardinal points linked with sailing navigation and compasses. Those who are pure stainless steel devotees will appreciate the 38mm model which comes in a deep blue dial.
It may not sound like the most original or exciting thing to learn that a new Seamaster watch is well, blue, but a chat with Kissling reveals how blue he was back in the day, before the acceptance and popularity of blue watches was prevalent. The first watch he designed for Omega was a woman's Chocolate which came out in 2004, but one of his greatest challenges has been to push blue to the forefront.
"There was black and there was all these fancy colours that don't sell," he laments. "I wanted to bring blue but people were sceptical at first. But today, we're selling more blue than black watches thanks to the fashion industry [shining a light on this colour]. It matches with a grey or blue suit so it's a good option. Black is nice, but you don't really wear black tie everyday. Blue is the new black."
The Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer Ladies Collection.
Visit Omega at Central Embassy, Siam Paragon and Emporium.
Seamaster Aqua Terra World Time
Only 87 pieces of this model are available worldwide and can be ordered into Thailand by request. A don't-miss for Thai fans as the dial also features our city, Bangkok, among other capitals around the world. Kissling reveals that cities are sometimes chosen by sales volumes — with Beijing chosen for bringing in some of the highest numbers in China — but there are also cultural markers. Instead of Bern, Bienne is included on the dial for being the watchmaking capital of Switzerland. What's truly special, however, is the fact that no two watches are exactly the same as all the maps must be hand-painted. "The cherry on the cake is the human touch at the end," says Kissling.
Seamaster jewellery
These glitzy, diamond-studded pieces for the ladies will be showcased in Basel next year. At the back of the case is a stunning detail of diamonds embedded into sapphire glass. The seahorse emblem is lasered onto the sapphire and then liquid metal fills in the void, before diamonds are set into the pattern.
