MANILA, Philippines – When I asked Isabelle Maujean why “Glam Rock” for a name of a brand of time pieces, she explained to me that the time the watches were first being created, everything was all about glam. And after a day’s work, she would call it a night with martini, on the rocks. Thus, a suitable day-till-night timepiece slash accessory slash jewelry brand, also known as “the couturier of horlogerie” was formed in Miami in 2005.
Isabelle was in such high spirits as she took me on a tour of the exhibit of her prized Smalto collection by Power Plant Rockwell’s fountain area. What makes it different, I inquired. “See for yourself,” as she made my eyes wander around her art pieces designed for the wrist. Behind me were watches with not just python print as straps, it also had case covers in the same material! I also saw one watch with Bottega Veneta-like leather straps. “We get it from the same leather supplier, as with Hermes,” explains Isabelle.
With fine leathers like python and alligator handcrafted in France, and the movements strictly Swiss made, the people who attended the event, a mixture of the city’s femme fatales and junior jet set, the brand addresses a clientele who has “no geographic or cultural boundaries.”
I later found out that what sets this brand apart is its interchangeable case covers and straps that you can match with whatever the season’s “It” bag of the moment is. With “It” entering and exiting the scene faster than a stroll in the mall, it is best to invest in pieces that can shift looks, almost chameleon-like. It’s like having the “Infinite Dress” on your wrist.
The brand started with fashionable oversized timepieces that radiated with Miami vice — that of avant-garde looks that are perfect for a night on the town and can cast you a spell towards an endless summer. Endless seems to be an understatement, as more collections came out in no time at all. Which one is your favorite? I looked around the brilliant timepieces on display, some jewel-encrusted while others Pucci-printed. ”Hmm,” Isabelle looked around and had a hard time answering my last question. “I guess this,” and she showed me her own Glam Rock, filled with rocks, on an orange leather strap.
I noticed that the brand is not really seen on the watch and more emphasis is placed on the design, the materials used, and the finishing. ”Whatever brand of watch you are wearing is not important, what is important is how happy you are with the watch that you are wearing,” says the inspired ambassadress, on the rocks.
Trendsetters, your time has come.
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Glam Rock watches offer a core collection ranging from P50,000 to P120,000, and are available at Chronos Power Plant Mall, Lucerne Glorietta 4, and Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Wrist Pod The Fort, and Adora Greenbelt 5.