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As the festive season casts its magical glow, there is no better time to celebrate moments that matter. Zenith, master of chronographs and precision, brings brilliance to this time of year. From their iconic chronographs to contemporary marvels, each Zenith timepiece is a reminder to cherish every second.

Santa’s not the only one who knows how to keep perfect time. Meet the Master of Chronographs!

Zenith’s legacy in precision chronometry takes centre stage this festive season with a trio of chronographs that epitomise the art of timekeeping, blending heritage with contemporary elegance. Across Zenith’s family of creations, the El Primero remains a constant throughout, existing as the pride and eternal soul of the Le Locle-based manufacture.

The Chronomaster Sport Green Dial is a vibrant tribute to Zenith’s pursuit of precision. Its striking green ceramic bezel and matching lacquered dial are paired with the iconic tricolour counters in shades of grey and blue. Whether the watch is fitted on the classic steel bracelet or the green rubber strap, this sporty yet refined chronograph is ideal for those who appreciate precision and performance​ in one compelling watch. For those seeking the extraordinary, the gem set Chronomaster Sport redefines opulence. A rose gold case adorned with baguette-cut diamonds, sapphires, and spinels and a meteorite dial bring celestial sparkle to your wrist.

Conversely, the Pilot Collection channels the adventurous spirit of aviation pioneers. The Pilot Automatic, featuring a 42.5mm black microblasted ceramic case, horizontal-grooved dial, and oversized crown, merges precision with timeless style. The high-frequency El Primero 3620 movement ensures flawless timekeeping accuracy, while the quick-change strap system adds versatility, making it a perfect companion for dreamers and adventurers alike​.

Architectural design meets high-performance engineering in the DEFY Skyline Chronograph. Its 42mm stainless steel case features a dodecagonal bezel, reflecting an urban and edgy aesthetics. The “starry sky” patterned dial is rendered in captivating shades of blue, black, or silver tones that pair perfectly with the watch’s geometric design. The exceptional high-frequency El Primero 3600 movement boasts a 1/10th-second chronograph and delivers a 60-hour power reserve that can keep up with even the busiest holiday schedules.

“How fast is too fast? Discover El Primero’s lightning speed, faster than that of a reindeer on Christmas Eve!”

When it comes to sheer precision and unmatched chronograph recording speed, Zenith’s chronographs are in a league of their own. At the heart of it is Zenith’s iconic high-frequency El Primero chronograph movement designed for those who thrive on dynamic energy and cutting-edge performance. This festive season, embrace the exhilaration of perfect timing with models that exemplify Zenith’s El Primero ethos that is as swift and spectacular as Santa’s sleigh.

Housed within the extraterrestrial-like fully mirror-polished stainless steel exterior of the DEFY Extreme Mirror is the pinnacle of Zenith’s chronograph innovations, the El Primero Calibre 9004. The double escapement movement features two independent high-frequency regulating organs for the timekeeping (5Hz) and chronograph function (50Hz) that offer unparalleled levels of precision. While the extra 1Hz over industry standards of 4Hz does not seem much, the current holders of the world’s fastest automatic high-frequency chronograph calibre in production will certainly be a party trick to impress Christmas guests. Once activated, the chronograph hands whizzes in double quick time and can record 1/100th of a second.

The most recently launched DEFY Extreme Jungle houses the same El Primero Calibre 9004, albeit in a different case execution. The monolithic design makes way for an expressive design reminiscent of jungle scapes with a green and brown colour combination. Part of the collection’s allure is incorporating exotic materials into the case structure, which sees the dodecagonal bezel and pusher protectors fashioned from precious tiger’s eye quartz. While the burly 45mm timepiece might seem like a wrist weight, its titanium case significantly reduces heft without compromising robustness and toughness.

Zenith’s Watches & Wonders 2024 poster child, the DEFY Extreme Diver, rounds up the Le Locle manufacture’s high-frequency movement showcase. Unlike its two counterparts, the DEFY Extreme Diver is powered by the 5Hz three-handed El Primero 3620 SC movement. This might raise an eyebrow or two, but not all El Primero calibres are chronographs after Zenith introduced the time-only iteration of the calibre in 2022 DEFY Skyline. Given the watch resides firmly within the DEFY Extreme lineup, much of its aesthetic appeal lies in the robust construction and the characteristic dodecagonal bezel. Water resistance is naturally higher since this is a dive watch, coming in at 600m, three times that of the chronograph duo mentioned here. 

“Time to reach for your star? The limited and boutique edition watches might just outshine the Christmas star.”

The holidays are a time to celebrate brilliance, and Zenith’s exclusive creations embody the spirit of reaching for something extraordinary. These limited and boutique edition watches are more than just timekeepers — they are celestial statements that capture the magic of the season. And as apt as Zenith’s slogan “Time to reach your star” gets, it is time to gift yourself or a loved one a piece of the stars.

After Zenith unveiled the DEFY Skyline Chronograph at Watches & Wonders 2024, the slate grey and gold iteration takes the honours as the collection’s first-ever boutique-exclusive edition. The collection known for its “starry sky” dial sees gold stars, watch hands and hour indices juxtaposed against a slate grey base. While this combination is not new in the watch world, it is still a unique enough palette that departs from Zenith’s bread-and-butter blue, black and white trio and lends a touch of sophistication to the sports chic chronograph.

One of Zenith’s “return to form” sees the iconic Chronomaster Triple Calendar reprise its appearance amongst Zenith’s contemporary offerings. The Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar takes the much-loved double complication, a chronograph and triple calendar, and makes it even better with a neo-vintage touch. An olive green reverse panda chronograph execution reserved solely for Zenith boutiques comes in a 38mm case in line with its 1969 predecessor’s blueprint. Within the watch lies the high-frequency El Primero Calibre 3610.

Blue is one of Zenith’s signature colours, and it only fits that the boutique exclusive Pilot Automatic, imagined for the skies and horizons, comes in a deep blue dial. The revamped Pilot collection sees all but one detail changed: the “Pilot” signed dial, which only Zenith holds the right to mark its dials with the term. Apart from that, the telling differences include a rounded stainless steel case with a flat-top round bezel and a corrugated-inspired grooved dial with a big date. The patented complication is powered by the El Primero 3652, which is geared to allow the date change to jump and stabilise within 0.007 and 0.02 seconds, respectively.

“Did you know Zenith watches get special treatment too? Wrapped with care, straight from Santa’s elves to your wrist!”

Pop by the Zenith Marina Bay Sands boutique to discover the wide range of chronographs for yourself. There is something truly magical about unwrapping a Zenith watch during the festive season. With thoughtful packaging and a touch of holiday charm, each timepiece is prepared with the same care Santa’s elves give to their most cherished gifts. Let Zenith’s craftsmanship make your celebrations unforgettable, right down to the details. 

Visit the Zenith Marina Bay Sands boutique at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, 2 Bayfront Ave, B2M-205 Bayfront MRT Exit C, Singapore 018955

This article was first seen on Men’s Folio Singapore.

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The post Christmas with Zenith: A Season of Precision appeared first on LUXUO.

It’s been a busy time for Singapore-born, Berlin-based artist Charmaine Poh. With a practice spanning photography, media and performance, Poh explores ideas of agency, repair, and the body. Earlier this year, Poh was one of the first Singaporean artists to be shown in the 60th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2024, one of the celebrated events in the international art world. More recently, Poh was announced as Deutsche Bank’s “Artist of the Year” 2025 and will debut a new commission at a solo exhibition at Berlin Art Week in September 2025.

As we speak, Poh tells me that she has freshly returned from a trip to Thailand—with the team behind independent media platform Jom, of which she is the head of visual culture and media—and is about to jet set off to Italy, where she’ll be taking part in Visio – European Programme on Artists’ Moving Images.

Ahead, Poh tells us more about her beginnings as an artist, the process of making her art, and how the notion of family ties into her practice. 

Can you tell us how you began your artistic practice?

Charmaine Poh (CP): I didn’t think I’d become an artist. When I was studying International Relations at Tufts University, I took a class in documentary practice, which involved documentary photography, video, audio, and text. It was set up by a lecturer who was a war photographer. I quickly became obsessed with it, poring over photo books day in and day out, and thinking about the still image and its potential. 

I was so riveted by how being a photographer can change your life: when you’re embedded in a situation, you’re engaging with the world around you. You’re living in that moment with other people and that changes your life. This wasn’t my major, but I spent virtually all my time on this.

I started with the performing arts, and I loved acting because it took me to another world. You have to be fully absorbed in the character’s world and I found that photography and acting have that similarity. 

I didn’t understand what it meant to be an artist. I didn’t come from any background with any generational influence over the arts, so it was certainly a gradual process.

When I graduated, I started to undergo mentorship programmes and youth opportunities to find a voice aesthetically and philosophically—all while finding some jobs to make money. It was really about cobbling together different parts of my life, and in 2015-2016, one of my projects Room was exhibited a lot more. So that was my start, and it took a long time, but then everything slowly came together. 

What are your favourite things about the mediums of photography and film?

CP: (Compared to photography), video is not a static thing you hang on the wall. The type of ideas you want to execute have different facets as you tie together audio, moving image, and possibly performance. It becomes a lot more complex technically. That’s what my practice came to after working solely in photography for five years. I started to hunger for other ways to execute my ideas, so it seemed like a natural progression. Kin was my first video work. 

You’re currently based in Berlin pursuing your PhD in Visual and Performing Arts at Freie Universität Berlin. How has this fed into your artistic practice?

CP: In terms of grounding my thoughts theoretically, the programme’s really helpful. Independent artistic work can feel unstructured and endless. With theoretical references and grounding, you can build a foundation for where you’re going, because there’s an [artistic] canon and methodology. If you want to break the canon, that’s fine, because you always have a point of reference to return to.

Much of your earlier works feature photographing portraits of women—be it school girls (Room (2016)); the ma jie (Chinese female migrant workers who served as domestic helpers in Singaporean households from the 1930s-1970s); Taiwanese butch culture (Pretty Butch (2018)); and women in the Singaporean workforce (All in her day’s work (2017-2018)). What compelled you to tackle such a broad variety of subjects? 

CP: I didn’t really think about them as broad; I felt like each portrait spoke to a part of the human psyche. Room was about memory, youth, and adolescence, while Pretty Butch was a lot about the performance of identity and coming to terms with masculinity. 

The ma jie project came through as an initial commission about Chinatown. Some artists and I were asked to make a work about Chinatown. The programme tried to connect us with different parts of Chinatown and I heard someone say there was a ma jie in a community centre, and I was like, “What is this?”

I started to research and look for them, and I was quite struck by their radical way of living. These ma jie stepped away from marriage and dedicated their lives to hard work, labour, and migration. [Their lives] entailed celibacy and they underwent a ritual of honour where they tied their hair up in a sor hei (combing up) ceremony. It’s very under-recognised, and I felt passionately about it because I knew there were very few ma jie left. There were very few ma jie [when I shot the project], and even fewer now.

I find a personal connection to each project. Even if it’s not the lived experience, there’s an emotional resonance. I find them quite personal, despite spanning backgrounds.

Themes of queerness, care, and belonging take centre stage in Kin, one of your recent works. Filmed in 2021, the short film proposes an imaginary safe space for queer life in Singapore. What drove you to explore this idea — especially during the pandemic?

CP: This was another accident. I had a friend who had a few commercial-grade lenses for a few extra days and they asked me if I wanted to do something with them. That was how it started. It was two weeks from the day I learned about the lenses to the shoot. We borrowed someone’s house and we shot for half a day. We gathered cars and everyone did it for free. Everyone was also itching to do something.

This was potentially in response to the pandemic; the idea of the importance of safety in shared spaces and finding belonging. A lot of queer people, if they live with their family, may not have the support they need. So this film was a gesture towards a possibility. It was one of those instances where I felt photography wouldn’t suffice.

The concept of family plays a major role in What’s softest in the world rushes and runs over what’s hardest in the world, which offers a glimpse of the struggles of queer parenthood in Singapore. What was your inspiration behind pursuing the project?

CP: I had been discussing an expansion of Kin with Adriano Pedrosa (the Curator of the 60th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2024) and I thought the best approach would be a part two. With queer parenthood, I thought it would be an opportunity to expand on the narrative of the nurturing of new life. It felt more cosmological, because debates surrounding nature and nurture are always placed upon queer people.

I had been reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s rendition of the Chinese classical text, Dao De Jing, and spending a lot of time in the lakes around Berlin. All this subconsciously flowed into how I approached the project. I didn’t want to focus on the queer parents solely as documentary subjects, but to bring out these questions about world-making, the natural world, and how we’re all interconnected. 

I already knew one of the parents, so I slowly contacted the rest from there. I had been working on these related stories for a few years, and I felt that it was necessary for this topic as some people were a little wary of having their identities known—especially when it comes to protecting their children, worrying about their children getting bullied or people in their workplace knowing. 

I think there’s still this fear because [these parents] sit in a grey area, where one of them is legally not related to the child. So there are a lot of question marks around family-making in Singapore, which informed this approach not to show faces in the work. 

What does “family” mean to you?

CP: To me, family is a communal exercise of generosity, solidarity, non-judgment and care. These principles have really helped me in my life; I couldn’t have been able to do any of this alone. 

You’re also a member of the Asian Feminist Studio for Art and Research (AFSAR), which archives contemporary feminist discourse and artist research. How did you get involved with that and why was this an important cause for you to be a part of?

CP: I got involved with that by joining AFSAR’s study group for the book Art and Cosmotechnics by Hong Kong philosopher Yuk Hui. AFSAR is part collective, part network, and part platform that has these study groups based on theory and artistic practice. From there, it opened a lot of ideas of how we view the world. 

There’s also another study group called Asia as Principle, which is about disentangling previous notions of what Asia is, as well as what feminism and queerness are. It goes into these non-Western notions of these important questions. 

To round out the interview, how would you describe your practice in three words?

CP: Buoyant, tenacious, and emotive.

This article was first seen on Grazia Singapore.

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The post Meet Charmaine Poh, The Singapore Artist Examining Social Relationships Through Art appeared first on LUXUO.