The most anticipated event on the Singapore watch calendar, The Hour Glass’ IAMWATCH has just begun at The Singapore Edition, and alongside a celebration of community, conversation, and independent artisanal watchmaking, there are, of course, new watches to look out for.

Four of those watches are worth special attention, as they’re limited editions made exclusively for The Hour Glass, and while they’re stylistically diverse, what unites them is a commitment to the finest traditions of watchmaking, and a love of green.

The Flamingo Singapore Edition, Anton Suhanov

Russian-born ACHI member Anton Suhanov might be an up-and-comer on the independent scene, having launched his eponymous brand in 2018. Still, there’s no mistaking the design sophistication and watchmaking savoir-faire of this locally-themed take on his latest design, the Flamingo. Before we get to what makes this version (limited to 18 pieces) unique, let’s have a quick look at why the Flamingo stands out. This watch, with a fiully in-house calibre, might lack the multi-axis tourbillons for which Suhanov is known, but the balance is still something quite special. It’s what Suhanov calls a Flaming Balance, mounted front and centre on the dial side and, on top of that, fitted with three luminous inserts, creating a continual ‘flaming’ blur that adds more than a dash of drama.

The Flamingo Singapore Edition adds plenty of green highlights to the front and back of the watch (green will be a recurring theme in these special editions), and even more dramatically, the bridge is shaped like a Merlion (half lion, half fish), one of Singapore’s most famous symbols. In a neat example of art and function combining, the tail of the Merlion gently moves when the watch is wound. Other easter eggs can be found on the dial, like the five stars of the power reserve, a nod to the Singaporean flag, the red and white colours of which also underscore the grey and green details of the watch, making this Flamingo a fitting tribute to the island nation.

The Inspiration One, Mathieu Cleguer

While the headline of this article suggests four limited editions, you can make a strong case that the correct number should be 9. Because Mathieu Cleguer has created not just one new version of his Inspiration One, but six. The Inspiration One is Cleguer’s debut watch — an impressively restrained design with a proprietary escapement with a free-sprung balance wheel that’s prominent on the dial side. The initial souscription series of 12 watches, all cased in titanium, has been accounted for, making this series of six unique references even more enticing.

These six watches are made to show how Cleguer’s debut design can highlight and showcase various traditional techniques, using precious metals, grand-feu champlevé enamel, malachite, and emeralds. Two watches (references 1 and 3), in white and yellow gold, showcase champlevé enamel. References 2 and 4 make use of malachite dials, while references 5 and 6 add emerald-set cases to the malachite dials. While each watch is unique, what shines through is Cleguer’s distinctive horological vision.

The RP2 The Hour Glass, Raúl Pagès

Limited to just three pieces, this exclusive interpretation of Raúl Pagès’ second creation, the aptly named RP2, offers a dramatic inversion of the original design. The inital RP2, a timeless three-hander, was defined by its white agate dial frames with blue; here the central dial is a lustrous blue mother-of-pearl framed by black nickel-plated German silver. Of course, there are some differences on the rear also. Inspired by marine chronometry, the hand-wound calibre of this edition eschews the Geneva stripes in favour of a more stark frosted finish, albeit one amplified by the meticulously polished bevels and crisp inner angles.

The Laureato Fifty Three Gold Bridges

The final limited edition for The Hour Glass is a dramatic twist on the instantly recognisable Laureato Fifty Three Gold Bridges. Combining the integrated steel case of the Laureato with the watchmaker’s famed Three Gold Bridges movement architecture already makes for a strong statement. Elevating it even further is the fact that the eight-sided white gold bezel is set with 32 baguette-cut green sapphires, perfectly framing the historically significant movement in a colour inspired by the lushness of Singapore.