Jewellery is very much a part of the tradition of watchmaking in Europe, which is the main reason WOW Jewellery exists at all. This year, the big story is Patek Philippe, for both its power as an agent of Swiss watchmaking culture, and the impressive appeal of the Geneva firm’s Twenty~4 collection, now in entirely new forms. 

“The culture of watchmaking is a living breathing thing; in many ways, so are the watches produced by the likes of Patek Philippe. It is what keeps magazines like this one going,” said WOW Editor-in-Chief Ashok Soman. Indeed, the exhibition at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre was the biggest showcase of antique watches outside of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.

Aside from this, the 2019 edition of WOW Jewellery zooms in on increasing excitement in various segments. “It seems a confluence of trends will make jewellery trade even stronger, what with brands such as Bulgari and Gucci increasingly making the case for jewellery for men,” Ashok writes in his Editor’s Note in the issue. Whether for men or women, the most beautiful offerings from the most prominent brands all find their way into the issue, contending with a few upstarts for the limelight.

Finally, the issue makes space for the annual gift guide by the editors of WOW, with both WOW Singapore and WOW Thailand represented. If nothing else, WOW Jewellery provides the right environment for a watch gift guide, since this one is all about watches to buy for one’s partner.