Simply Abu Dhabi XXVI

S ince 1925, the Fendi name has been synonymous with exquisite craftsmanship, creativity and style. Whether it’s ready-to-wear fashion, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear or accessories and timepieces, the Italian luxury fashion house always delivers the highest quality. Now the fashion giant is bringing its renowned Made to Order service to its timepieces. During Baselworld in March 2017, the world’s foremost watch and jewellery fair, Simply Abu Dhabi sat down with Fendi Timepieces CEO Domenico Oliveri to discuss the brand’s new timekeeping novelties. Simply Abu Dhabi: What’s the relationship between Fendi’s fashion and timepieces? Domenico Oliveri: Our timepieces are the continuation of what we do in fashion. Fendi is about design, playfulness and innovation, and we also want that in our watches. For this reason, what we create always combines these three elements. Our watches are complementary to our clothes. SAD: What is your principal highlight for this year? DO: For 2017, we launched the IShine watch, a watch that combines all the Fendi characteristics. The particularity of this watch is that we patented a mechanism that works by moving the crown to rotate the indexes on the dial from which you can choose three different type of stones: 12 white topazes, 12 red topazes and 12 black spinels. To create this watch we worked for three years and in fact we had to create a new mechanism that allowed the stones to rotate. To do that you have to find the right proportion without compromising both the design and the quartz movement. The watch is then presented with a steel and gold bracelet and case, but we also created a luxury version: fifty pieces that encapsulate Fendi’s craftsmanship, which are all in gold with diamonds. SAD: Do you have hopes for a new iconic product? DO: We present the made-to-measure version of the Policromia watch. We launched the watch designed by Delfina Delettrez Fendi last year, and it was a huge success since its strong design recalls Rome and its architecture. So, this year we presented the Made to Order version which means the customer can choose between hundreds of thousands of combinations of materials and designs to create their own Policromia watch. Our designers help and guide the client through the creation, and after six months the customer receives the final timepiece. We also guarantee a very important thing: uniqueness. In fact, once the watch has been created following the client’s specifications, it will no longer be possible to create a watch like it. It’s like a haute couture service where the client can apply their own style to choose and create their personalised Fendi Policromia watch. Fendi: Time… Made toOrder B y I v a n A l l e g r a n t i 1 7 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Domenico Oliveri - CEO Fendi T he legendary Italian luxury house, with over 90 years of history on the world stage as a purveyor of the finest fashions, first entered the rarefied world of watchmaking almost thirty years ago. Since 1988, Fendi Timepieces has created some unforgettable designs for both men and women’s watches, marrying together a distinctly Italian sense of style with a Swiss passion for precision and craftsmanship. The Italian ancestry in the roots of the brand is expressed through the dynamic use of colour and materials, whilst all Fendi Timepieces are entirely manufactured in Switzerland. Silvia Venturini Fendi, who is the third generation of the Fendi family, has been a driving force behind the success of Fendi Timepieces, and the Swiss savoir-faire and high- end Italian design sensibility has flourished under her guidance. At Baselworld 2017, Fendi Timepieces presented the new Fendi IShine watch collection, which is certain to be a hit in multiple markets around the world. The innovative design combines noble materials and precious stones and allows the wearer to change the appearance of the watch as and when they please, depending on the event or their mood. Taking the essence of life – light – as the core inspiration, each watch dial in the Fendi IShine watch collection can be altered by rotating the crown adorned with a prong-set precious stone at 3 o’clock. The turning of the dial causes the gemstones that make up the hour indices to change to three different stones. The wearer can have 12 white topazes, 12 gradient pink and red topazes, or 12 black spinels adorning the dial, alternating with Arabic numerals and indexes for shining effects. The new concave and convex case design adds to the striking impact of this watch, and the polished and satin- brushed case flanks are naturally emphasised. The IShine is available in a range of versions. One features a black lacquered dial enhanced by a faceted white mother-of-pearl cabochon at the centre, which is in beautiful contrast to the 18-carat gold-plated bezel, case flanks and black spinel-adorned crown. This is mounted on a satin-brushed stainless steel bracelet featuring faceted 18-carat gold plated central links. Another version comes in polished and satin-brushed stainless steel and features a white lacquered dial enhanced with a white mother-of- pearl central zone, a pink topaz-set crown and pink soft- touch flanks. The pink tone-on-tone stitched leather strap in semi-matt alligator is edged with matching pink matt rubber and lined in calfskin leather. Whatever the option, the new Fendi IShine collection strikes a balance between tradition and innovation and will appeal to a huge number of discerning watch admirers from around the globe.