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Tag: Time

  • Sincere Fine Watches opening in Changi

    Sincere Fine Watches opening in Changi

    Sincere Fine Watches has opened a multi-brand boutique at Jewel Changi Airport.

    The only luxury multi-brand watch store at the newly opened airport shopping center spans 183sqm and was inspired by Jewel’s dome-shaped facade and modern architecture.

    Glass and rose-gold elements are used throughout the boutique, combined with warm-brown hues on the wooden panels and shades of copper to create a welcoming aura.

    The new boutique brings together 20 international labels, some of them relatively new to the market. They include Armin Strom; Baume & Mercier; Blancpain; Bremont; Graham; Hamilton; IWC Schaffhausen; Longines; Maurice Lacroix; Mido; Montblanc; Panerai; Omega; Rado; TAG Heuer; Tissot; and Tudor.

    Sincere Fine Watches plans more brands and timepieces exclusive to the Jewel Changi store soon.

  • Microsoft Launcher major update brings widget redesign

    Microsoft Launcher major update brings widget redesign

    Microsoft is making major changes to its Android launcher, many of which have been tested for about a month in the beta channel. Most of the new features and improvements are cosmetic, but there are some important under the hood enhancements included as well.

    Microsoft Launcher version 5.3 comes with a completely redesigned Time/Weather widget, which allows users to have multiple widgets for multiple locations. The detail page has been redesigned as well.

    The update brings many refinements to the app, but the most important are those made to the Home Screen, Dock and Search widget. If you’re a long-time user, you’ll most likely notice them once you start using the new version.

    Furthermore, the News tab now supports “Technology” as a news interest, while the Tasks card now features “My Day” and “Flagged Emails” features from Microsoft To Do. With the latest version of Microsoft Launcher, work profile users will be able to access their work apps fast and easy.

    Although it’s less important, you’ll probably want to know that the beta community link in Settings has been changed to Microsoft Tech Community. Microsoft Launcher 5.3 is already available for download via Google Play Store, so make sure to install the update to benefit from the latest improvements.

  • Time goes by for Apple Watch-exclusive

    Time goes by for Apple Watch-exclusive

    Time has run out for Japan’s Apple Watch-exclusive store.

    Inside Shinjuku’s Isetan department store, it is one of three pop-ups the tech titan built when launching the wearable in 2015. Its last day will be May 13.

    Apple shut down the other two pop-ups, in London and Paris, early last year. The Tokyo one closes a month after a fully fledged Apple Store opened opposite Isetan.

    According to 9to5mac and Gizmodo Japan, the shop has held a fire sale on Isetan’s website to sell its remaining Apple Watch Edition devices at prices as low as $700 (the 18-karat gold watches sold for at least US$10,000 and as much as US$17,000 when they first became available).

  • Olivia Burton launched a concept store in Ion Orchard

    Olivia Burton launched a concept store in Ion Orchard

    British accessories brand Olivia Burton, together with Asian retail specialist Norbreeze Group, has launched a concept store in Ion Orchard.

    For the first time in Singapore, the brand’s fashion jewellery collection and personalisation services are being offered at the flagship store. Its signature vintage-inspired watches have been available in Singapore since October.

    Olivia Burton was founded by best friends Lesa Bennett and Jemma Fennings in 2012 and named after Bennett’s great aunt. Its London studio creates detailed watches and jewellery inspired by nature.

    Norbreeze Group co-founder Anne Trads Juel Sauerberg describes Olivia Burton’s accessories as “fashionable and affordable luxury”.

    To celebrate its opening, the store will host experiential activities on Saturday. Guests and customers will be able to create floral crowns and be offered floral cupcakes. The first 20 shoppers will each receive limited-edition exclusive merchandise.

  • Jaeger-LeCoultre reopens Philippines store

    Jaeger-LeCoultre reopens Philippines store

    Luxury watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre has reopened its flagship store in Makati City in the Philippines, enhancing the experience for local timepiece gurus.

    Located in Ayala Center’s Greenbelt 5 in Makati, the 40-square-metre boutique was reopened last week with an official relaunch party attended by company executives including Jaeger-LeCoultre’s managing director for Southeast Asia and Oceania, Maxence Kinget.

    “It’s not a store, it’s a boutique with an experience,” Kinget told the Philstar, when describing the new store at the party.

    “For us it’s very important that there is emotion and discovery, the two key mindsets when we designed the boutique.”

    The newly reopened Philippine boutique will carry the watchmaker’s complete range of watches and accessories, as well as the famous Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time, of which just one will be stocked.

    Jaeger-LeCoultre has also launched a new Geophysic collection for men with a steel metal bracelet, said to be “very good for South Asia because with the humidity and warm weather sometimes you want a stainless-steel bracelet instead of the alligator strap,” according to Kinget.

    There’s also a women’s range, with a new take on the iconic ‘Rendez-Vous’, a round watch with diamonds around the bezel.

    Finally, the new store will stock boutique-exclusive pieces, made in collaboration with Jaeger-LeCoultre and Lucerne – the distributor of Jaeger-LeCoultre in the Philippines — that aren’t available anywhere else in the world.

    Moreover, timepiece aficionados can create their own one-of-a-kind watch with Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new bespoke service on offer.

    “There is in the Philippines a very high level of watchmaking knowledge, a very strong appetite for watches and a very strong Maison in the Philippines,” said Kinglet. “Jaeger-LeCoultre is considered a reference in fine watchmaking, as well as having a very high level of craftsmanship. Within our manufacture we have developed the biggest collection of movements — 1,200 calibers developed in our history, which is absolutely crazy — and we still produce more than 50 calibers in the collection today. We spend a lot of time trying to make sure there is a very strong connection between respect for our tradition, our heritage, as well as being oriented towards the future.

    The Swiss watch group entered The Philippines in 2000, after striking a deal with Lucerne. But it only opened its first store in 2008, which is the newly fitted Greenbelt 5 store.

    Jaeger-LeCoutlre is also sold at Lucerne Jewellers in Taguig City and at the recently opened L’Atelier Lucerne at Shangri-La at the Fort.

  • Timex opens first worldwide monobrand store in Tokyo

    Timex opens first worldwide monobrand store in Tokyo

    “Timex Tokyo” is set to open in Jingumae 6th street, near the Jingumae intersection. The store will be located on the 2nd floor of the building. The store will also feature a ‘strap bar’ for leather maintenance and engraving, and will also feature exhibition pieces.

    Timex was established by the Waterbury Clock Company in Connecticut in 1854. In the 1890s it launched the first edition of the pocket watch, Yankee, which sold 4 million units in 20 years. The label’s timepieces were also said to have been worn by the writer Mark Twain.

    The brand later released its first military-issue watch, dubbed ‘Midget.’ By the 1960s the company occupied a 50% share of the US watch market as the nation’s most popular brand, and is perhaps best known for the appearance of the ‘Ironman’ model on the wrist of Bill Clinton at his 1993 inaugural speech.

    The brand has gained visibility in Japan of late due to Timex’s Japan-exclusive collaborations, including a partnership between Engineered Garments and Japanese retailer Beams. Relaunches of classic models such as the Camper, updated last year by Timex Japan in stainless steel and limited to 1500 pieces, have also been a hit.

  • Time spent on social, messaging apps grew fourfold in 2016

    Time spent on social, messaging apps grew fourfold in 2016

    Yahoo’s Flurry this week released its annual State of Mobile report, which found that social and daily habits apps dominated time spent on mobile apps in 2016.

    Specifically, the study found that the time spent in social and messaging apps grew by four times (394%) over the last year, compared to an average growth of 69% across all tracked segments.

    In its eighth year, the study offers insights on global mobile app usage and trends gleaned from over 2.1 billion smart devices and 3.2 trillion sessions. Phablets continue to dominate with 41% of market share, while small phones now account for just 1% of the market share, said the report.

    “Over the last year, the Flurry footprint grew to track more than 940,000 applications, across 2.1 billion devices, in 3.2 trillion sessions. In this context, we define app usage as a user opening an app and recording what we call a ‘session,’ as well as the amount of time spent in the application.” said Simon Khalaf, a senior VP at Yahoo. “Compared to the year prior, overall app usage grew by 11% and time-spent in apps grew by 69%.

    Khalaf noted that not all app categories grew in tandem in 2016, observing that certain categories of mobile apps have continued growing in terms of session and time-spent at the expense of others.

    For instance, a steep decline in usage is evidenced in the personalization category, which the report attributed to diminishing value for users of these products. Ultimately, the decelerating rate of growth could signal market maturity, saturation or simply the end of the app gold rush.

    “But let us put things in perspective. The gold rush in California ended in 1855. A lot of wealth has been generated since then. We are excited to see what app developers do in the next decade and which industry they chose to disrupt, again,” Khalaf said.

  • Singapore ranks 2nd in global connectedness

    Singapore ranks 2nd in global connectedness

    Singapore is the world’s most connected and globalized country, according to DHL’s Global Connectedness Index (GCI).

    All but two of the top 10 most globalized countries in the world are located in Europe, with Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as the exceptions.

    The 2016 edition of the report shows that global connectedness, measured by cross-border flows of trade, capital, information and people, surpassed its 2007 pre-crisis peak during 2014.

    In 2015, globalization’s post-crisis expansion slowed, but the data indicate that it did not go into reverse. Currently available evidence — still preliminary in some areas — suggests that the world was about 8% more connected in 2015 than in 2005.

    North America is the second most globally connected region and leads on the capital and information pillars, with the United States as the most connected country in the Americas. Overall the US is ranked 27th out of the 140 countries measured by the GCI.

    North America had the largest gain in overall global connectedness during the past two years,

    followed by South & Central America & the Caribbean. Countries in South & Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa suffered a drop in their average levels of global connectedness.

    Suriname, Jamaica and Fiji were the biggest gainers in terms of rank changes from 2013 to 2015, moving up 23 (112th to 89th), 22 (107th to 85th) and 20 (94th to 74th) places respectively.

    Suriname’s rise was driven by a substantial broadening of its international interactions, whereas Jamaica and Fiji increased on both the depth and breadth dimensions of their global connectedness.

    Nigeria, Togo and Nicaragua experienced the largest decreases in terms of overall rank, dropping 28 (67th to 95th), 21 (72nd to 93rd) and 19 (71st to 90th) places respectively.

  • Multi-brand boutique Project X launches

    Multi-brand boutique Project X launches

    Project X, a multi-brand boutique that caters to young creative minds, has launched at Plaza Indonesia in Jakarta.

    From Time International, Project X offers a new take on men’s and unisex casual fashion and lifestyle. Its curated retail concept introduces 22 international brands and includes innovative designs in apparel, bags, shoes and accessories such as sunglasses and watches.

    project-x

     

    From Australia, Japan, South Korea and the US, the products are displayed in fun and creative surroundings, including a dessert stall, Sweet Monster, which features popcorn soft ice cream.

    The store has a palette of white and grey with wooden accents.

    “People like to shop and discover edgy pieces, and they like to hang out. It is a lifestyle,” says Time International president director/CEO Irwan Danny Mussry. “We see an opportunity here.”

    A second Project X is planned for Pondok Indah Mall 2.

    Featured brands at the boutique are Andersson Bell (South Korea), Beyond Closet (South Korea), Blankof (South Korea), BLC & BLC Gray (South Korea), Buddy Happy (Japan), Kapten & Son (Australia), Kiruna (Japan), Lapiz+ (South Korea), Luccica (South Korea), Mascolanza (South Korea), Miel Homme (South Korea), Monofold (South Korea), National Publicity (South Korea), PKG (Canada), Rawrow (South Korea), Riokairyu (South Korea), Salad Bowls (South Korea), Supercomma B (South Korea), Thank You Studios (South Korea), Thread Etiquette (US) and Ul: Kin (South Korea), United by Blue (US).

    Founded in the 1960s, Time International manages and runs both multi-brand retail stores – including @Time, InTime, The Time Place and Urban Icon – as well as mono-brand boutiques for such brands as Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Diesel, Fendi, Fossil, Liebeskind, Poney, Rolex, Tag Heuer and Tory Burch.