It’s been three months since we went through the second wave of lockdown. Three months of waiting, changing, adapting, expecting, frustrating, and continuing to wait like a long loop makes time a very relative concept. One summer went by but we still haven’t had a true long-distance trip. A long holiday has just ended without a change in the rhythm of life; a back-to-school season comes not through a ceremony with flags and balloons but a narrow screen. Life is confined to a finite space that makes time seem to move more slowly in a way we don’t want.

As actor Gaspard Ulliel said in a conversation with World of Watches (WOW) Vietnam: “Is time friend or foe? Again, that’s the perception of each person. Time can be very long when we are forgotten or very short when we are successful.” And what should we do to make this extended period more meaningful? Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of CHANEL’s Watchmaking Creation Studio, suggested this: “I have never tried to master or control time because that is unthinkable. To me, time management is a strange idea. I’m just trying to make the time better.”

Unknowingly or unconsciously, the time of distancing and working from home has given the WOW team the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting personalities in the world of watchmaking, and those conversations will be revealed in this publication: From Philippe Delhotal — Hermès horologer’s Creative Director (p. 148) to Wilhelm Schmid — CEO of A. Lange & Söhne (page 154); from watch sculptor Tran Ngoc Chien (page 60) to watch collector Dinh Cong Tuan (page 64).

Besides, we also have the opportunity to learn and bring the most sophisticated time-crafting to a wide range of readers such as the special Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback Green version with a green dial, which is also the watch model featured on the cover (page 50); elsewhere, the icon of the elegance Cartier Tank Must (page 54) is also featured.

Continuing the in-depth articles on the world of watches and updates on impressive new products, this WOW issue also equips you with the foundational knowledge for you to start the elaborate watch game through the article “Playing with watches” (page 68); or find the answer to whether there is an ideal weight for a wristwatch — as the race to produce ultralight watches becomes even more intense through the Golden Ratio (page 118). As a true watch fanatic, you also cannot ignore two sets of contrasting artistic photos: a colourful world of fashion watches with the brand’s signature textures and materials (page 110); and a contemplative deposition of classic timepieces alongside artistic masterpieces (page 128).

Thank you for always accompanying WOW Vietnam publication.