Kultuhr Nr. 43 (english)

Huber Watches Jewellery Lifestyle

Hilti Art Foundation

Art for all.

Arizona

Kultuhr No. 43

Spring / Summer 2014

The red country.

Weizmann Institute

Science in focus.

5 | EDITORIAL

You are what you eat. It’s as simple as that. To keep as young and as exuberant as possible, you only need to take the right precautions to revitalise – and you’re already off the hook.

Well, perhaps. You can never be too sure of this, you see, especially after you’ve had the privilege of meeting our cover model Eveline Hall, already past her 68th birthday, at a photoshoot for our jewellery pages. The studio had arranged for gorgeously bread crumbed Wiener schnitzel, mixed salad and white wine. Eveline was delighted to ask for seconds of every­ thing. She eats with great passion, doesn’t use anti-wrinkle cream and works out daily. OK, she’s packed in smoking. So what’s right here? Vitamin injections, Botox – even we men can’t completely pretend to ignore the question of how best to age gracefully, at least in terms of our appearance. After all, we tend to flock to good beauty doctors in more or less the same numbers as the fair sex. Anyone who has read Eveline Hall’s moving biography soon understands that right from the day we're born, it’s up to all of us to make the best of our lives and ourselves. And to do this it doesn’t take much more than simply to «live» life in the right way – with enormous energy and enthusiasm and a whole lot of optimism, and to understand that life is a journey. Not to get stuck in a rut, not to live in the vague hope that everything will turn out right tomorrow, but to live in the here and now. It means you can’t stop still, you have to keep moving – both in a mental and physical sense. It’s a message that can’t be repeated often enough. Against this background, it was a breathtaking experience to witness our jewellery modelled by this exuberant and cheerful lady with her extraordinary acting talent in the prime of her life – as you can see starting on page 33. You’ll be bowled over by her captivating timeless beauty and philosophy of life: «The real question is not whether there is life after death. The real question is whether there is a life before death.»

In this sense I wish all of you a refreshingly pleasant and lively summer.

Kind regards, Norman J. Huber

10 ENTRÉE Jeff Koons – the lucky guy.

14 HILTI ART FOUNDAT ION Interview with curator Dr Uwe Wieczorek.

16 WHITE CUBE Herbert Frisch and his stones.

18 EXPEDI TION Arizona. The red country.

26 WORLD OF SCIENCE Science in focus.

6 – 7 | CONTENTS

No. 43 / 2014 14 | Hilti Art Foundation.

The building site is a hive of activity. A huge amount of planning is taking place behind the scenes at the White Cube. Even though Dr Uwe Wieczorek, curator of the Hilti Art Foundation, is currently on a very tight schedule he found a little time out to talk to us.

And so we talked about the Hilti Art Foundation, the White Cube and why art is for everyone.

18 | Way to go.

Silent, endless expanses and magnificent colours that take your breath away. The landscape that has evolved in Arizona over the course of millions of years is one of the most spectacular of its kind in the world. Arizona is a classic destination for lovers of the great outdoors. And the best time to travel there… is any time of the year! The skies are always blue in Arizona.

28 CULT Chevrolet from Switzerland.

30 PEOPLE Eveline Hall – Germany’s hippest model.

33 COLLECTION Beauty is timeless.

42 MEN’S CLASSIC WATCHES Classics above and below water.

44 MEN’S CASUAL WATCHES Trend sport: elegance.

46 WOMEN’S WATCHES Ode to womanhood.

50 WELL BUILT Refuges of sensuality.

26 | Elementary particles.

Scientists and researchers need to have perfect conditions if they are to find the proverbial needle in a haystack. The quality of the research conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel is so good that US magazine «The Scientist» has ranked the institute the world’s best academic employer.

54 HOLE-IN-ONE World-class putters from zai.

30 | Starting over.

58 VADUZERHOF Your time is now.

The thought of retiring couldn’t be further from her mind. In 1961 Eveline Hall was already a ballerina at the Hamburg State Opera.

She went on to live as a showgirl in Las Vegas and was a member of the ensemble at Hamburg’s Thalia Theater. Today she has arrived as a much sought-after model in the Olympus of fashion heaven.

56 | Summer in Lech.

The summer season begins on 27 June for Huber in Lech am Arlberg. Roger Jacquat, managing director and aficionado of all things alpine, laced up his hiking boots and went off to explore the counterpart to winter’s White Ring. His conclusion: the Green Ring is «fabulous».

56 THE SKY’S THE LIMIT The Green Ring in Lech am Arlberg.

60 ANTI-AGING Bad Ragaz Aging Score.

62 HUBER STORES Contact and opening times.

his 1992 manual: «I give people the idea that you don’t have to be intelligent in life – you just need to be clever, that’s all.»

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10 – 11 | ENTRÉE

Art tour tip Founded by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the Whitney Museum of American Art in Manhattan, will be staging a major Jeff Koons retrospective from 27 June to 19 October 2014.

Photo 1: Kunsthaus Bregenz, Re-Object: Marcel Duchamp, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Gerhard Merz, 17 February – 13 May, 2007 with Balloon Dog (Blue), 1994-2000, and Tulips, 1995-2004 Photo 2: Lips, 2000, oil on canvas, © Jeff Koons Photo 3: Gazing Ball (Ariadne), 2013, plaster and glass, © Jeff Koons Photo 4: Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988, porcelain, © Jeff Koons

The «millions» poodle.

Photo 5: Jeff Koons, Photo: Chris Fanning

Pop-art provocateur Jeff Koons.

His personal assistant says he’s always in a bright and sunny mood – and not just since 12 November 2013, when Jeff Koons’ «Balloon Dog (Orange)» was auctioned at Christie’s New York for an incredible $58,405,000. Never before has so much been paid for the work of an artist in his lifetime. Some people were subsequently outraged by the filthy decadence and lucre, bitterly complaining that Koons’ works were neither particularly original, radical or profound. Koons' good mood certainly didn’t wither in the face of such vehement criticism.

Nor did the number of his admirers. Born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1955, Koons has been hailed as a superstar by many and is frequently referred to as one of the most popular living artists. Even as a young child he was fascinated by art and artistry, so he took painting lessons once a week and achieved his ambition to study art at an early age. In an interview he once revealed what he now still regards as a great blessing: «I was extremely lucky to have received lots of support. The only thing I prepared myself for was to study art. My parents strongly believed that you should always follow the interests you find attractive.» At a very young age he became fascinated by the medium of air. What started off with vacuum cleaners and soaring basketballs ultimately led to larger-than-life replications of children’s balloons made of shiny metal. While Koons may have suffered from his overtly “goody-goody” image of his earlier years, he took a step in a radically different direction by working with and then suddenly marrying the scandalous Italian politician «Cicciolina», who was born in Hungary. The roll call of the numerous and internationally prestigious museums to have displayed Jeff Koons’ works include the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Cologne’s Museum Ludwig, the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam, London’s Tate Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo. Jeff Koons, who maintains a spacious atelier in New York and spends inconceivable amounts of money each year on research, materials and paints, wrote in

12 – 13 | IN A NUTSHELL

This & That Around the world and back again.

Photo Robert Haidinger

A European can easily feel dizzy and overwhelmed in Asia due to the endless throngs of people, strange smells, deafening noise and the throbbing pace of everyday life. Robert Haidinger loves all these things. Asia’s incredibly crowded locales stand in stark contrast to the virtually unpopulated expanses of Arizona which Robert explores on our behalf as of page 18. Born in Vienna in 1963, Robert lives as an author and photographer who has fulfilled the dream of a modern nomad by concentrating on the worlds of design, architecture and travel journalism.

Over 700 of his reports and articles have appeared in such prestigious publications as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Abenteuer & Reisen, Elle Deco, Domus and La Republicca etc.

Having graduated in history, ethnology and journalism, he is perfectly equipped to pursue life just as he wishes, so he’s per-

manently off and away on one of his journeys. He writes, takes photographs and has published many travel books about India, Sri Lanka and Bali. What’s more, his exhibition of photographs entitled «Basic soccer – street football across the globe » has already caused quite a stir.

The ultra flat revolution from Piaget.

Photo Piaget

Piaget launched the 12P calibre in 1960 – the world’s sleekest automatic movement with a height of just 2.3 mm. Accomplishments like these in the field of the infinitesimally small not only represented an astounding technical achievement but also opened up completely new creative horizons. Consequently, the relatively tiny space required by these timepieces – and their subsequent models – enabled the designers at Piaget to embark on bold creative designs in the form of ultra flat silhouettes, medal watches, large scale dials and cases in all kinds of shapes and sizes: a potential which was fully exploited with enormous ingenuity by the Manufacture (first founded in La Côte-aux-Fées in 1874). Some of the more amazing creations went on to define the history of modern watchmaking. Piaget’s outstanding and creative heritage provides a wealth of inspiration for a contemporary and striking re-interpretation of historical models – and is a symbol of timekeeping for all time. This testimony to history is now immediately available from the Huber World of Watches on Rathausplatz in Vaduz.

Gifts with an emotional dimension.

Photo Peter Lindbergh

Our everyday lives are punctuated with rare, precious moments. Exceptional festive occasions can trigger emotions which we never forget in our lifetimes. And it is precisely these moments which Baume & Mercier wishes to share with its customers. So it entrusted star photographer Peter Lindbergh with the task of capturing on film the moments which make life completely special. After all, for Baume & Mercier, the Swiss label which can look back on a long tradition and eventful history ever since it was first founded in 1830, time is far more than a mere succession of seconds, minutes and hours.

Baume & Mercier regards its watches as «gifts with an emotional dimension».

In 1869 Louis-Victor Baume, the co-founder of the Maison Baume, celebrated the first communion of his daughter Mélina with the lavish gift of an ornately decorated gold wrist watch with the engraved inscription: «For our dear daughter ».

So who better to evoke such feelings than an artist such as Peter Lindbergh? His empathetic and decidedly cinematic style has produced both highly personal and universally welcomed images, all of which are carefully composed and reflect an unadulterated emotional truth. Baume & Mercier watches are now available in Huber’s new «Vaduzerhof».

From the West to the Middle East.

Photo Ben Segenreich

Hermès.

The love of leather.

Many people are utterly convinced that a luxury watch isn’t really eye-catching unless it’s worn with an exquisite strap made of genuine leather. The leather workshops which Hermès operates to the north of Paris smell of glue, beeswax and leather. Premium quality calfskin, goatskin and alligator leather are processed here in a wide variety of colours to make the straps for Hermès watches. The company was founded by Thierry Hermès in Paris in 1837 and is well known throughout the world today for its superb craftsmanship. Some select products are fashioned solely by a single craftsman. The great demand for certain handmade bags frequently results in long order lists and waiting times that can last many months or even a few years due to the painstaking work involved.

The legendary leather watchstraps started to appear in the range at the end of the 1920s. In 1978 La Montre Hermès SA was founded as the company’s in-house watchmaking Manufacture in Biel, Switzerland. Ever since then it has constantly launched new watch collections, the quality of which fully meets the traditionally stringent design and finishing standards which the company has always set itself. These collections are now available at the Huber World of Watches on Rathausplatz.

He lives with his family where worlds collide. Even so, he still manages to seem completely unfazed by the turbulent events that unfold around him. When Ben Segenreich offers his balanced nightly TV reports on a wide range of subjects as the Israel correspondent of Austrian public broadcaster ORF, or writes articles for Swiss, Austrian and German newspapers and magazines, you immediately become aware of the high standards he sets himself. Dr Segenreich was born in Vienna in 1952. After having studied physics and mathematics in Vienna and Paris and completing his PhD in physics, he began working both as a software developer and as the Austria correspondent for ‫( ביִרֲעַמ‬Maariv), the Israeli newspaper.

In 1983 Ben emigrated to Israel and started writing his very own success story there as a correspondent for numerous German-language TV broadcasters and publications. He went to see the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, on our behalf. On page 28 he files his report on this multidisciplinary education and research institute which has gained an excellent worldwide reputation for its work in the field of natural sciences.

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14 – 15 | HILTI ART FOUNDATION

All for Art. Art for All. An interview with curator Dr Uwe Wieczorek.

He comes from the Rhine-Main metropolitan region, but has long felt completely at home in the tranquil surroundings of the Rheintal valley. Art historian Dr Uwe Wieczorek has curated the Hilti Art Foundation, a major collection of private art in Liechtenstein, for a good ten years.

Text Eva Engel Photos Darko Todorovic, Heinz Preute

Dr Wieczorek, the Hilti Art Foundation and its Collections will be moving to a new home in the centre of Vaduz as of spring 2015. Does that mean that the Collections are going to be opened up to the public?

Correct. The Collections of the Hilti Art Foundation will soon be on public display in the White Cube, though only one section at a time, simply because you can’t squeeze the total inventory of artworks into an exhibition area of just 430 m².

What are the intentions behind the Hilti Art Foundation’s decision to set up its new base in the White Cube?

Our aims are quite simple and in keeping with the best principles of civil society: we’d simply like to enable the general public to become stakeholders in examples of outstanding cultural heritage. True, we owe the existence of the Collect­ ions to private initiative and passion, but we should not forget that they also need to be perceived by the public at large if they are to develop their significance and value as assets of cultural heritage. It seems fitting that all this should take place at the place where the Collections have their home and where their collectors, meaning the Martin Hilti Family Trust and the members of the Hilti family, have their livelihood – in Liechtenstein.

What can visitors look forward to seeing in the White Cube?

Our primary aim is to exhibit Classical Modernist paint-

ing and sculpture, for example works by Gauguin, Seurat, Lehmbruck, Boccioni, Picasso, Gris, Leger, Kirchner, Marc, Magritte, Klee, Beckmann, Hodler, Giacometti, Dubuffet and Wols, etc., as well as artworks from 1950 up to the present day by the likes of Albers, Fontana, Klein, Manzoni, Schoonhoven, Colombo, Uecker, Fruhtrunk, Knoebel and Scully.

Does the White Cube intend to go for temporary or permanent exhibitions?

We’d like to explore the possibilities of the Collection by playing around with it a little in the form of temporary shows.

Both for ourselves and the general public, that’s much more interesting than staging static, permanent exhibitions.

By dividing the White Cube into three floors we can also make highly interesting and exciting distinctions between each exhibition based on style, genre and theme. What’s more, we can stage exhibitions of our collections and counterpoint them with items on loan from other collections. Exhibitions featuring solo and group artists are also quite conceivable, I think. So while Classical Modernism will always remain our mainstay, post-1950 art and special exhibitions will add diversity to our exhibition programme.

How many artworks do the Collections of the Hilti Art Foundation encompass and how many of them can we expect to see in the exhibitions?

The Collections currently consist of some 200 works that meet art museum standards. Even so, we think that quality is more important than quantity, so we prefer to keep the number of artworks down to 50-60 per exhibition. In general, we stage a new exhibition once every six months or so.

What historical age do the Collections focus on? How are the collections arranged?

Thematically, though to a lesser extent in a quantitative sense, the Collections focus on the age of Classic Modernism, in other words the period from around 1880 to 1945/50.

This age takes you from the founders of Classic Modernist movement such as Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat or Auguste Rodin right through to the generation of artists who responded to the upheavals and catastrophic turmoil of the 20th century by posing what were truly existential questions. During that period you also have artists such as Wols, Jean Dubuffet and Alberto Giacometti. Above all, the Collections include characteristic works by expressionist, cubist and surrealist artists.

Do the Collections also reflect an interest in contemporary art?

Post-1950 avant-gardist tendencies such as «Zero» or «Concrete Art» were some of the key developments in art, so we’ve included them here. The Collections also feature examples of important positions in contemporary art set out by the likes of a Gerhard Richter, Imi Knoebel, Sean Scully and Helmut Federle.

What long-term goals does the Hilti Art Foundation intend to pursue?

The Hilti Art Foundation aims to enlarge, compress and, as a result, permanently establish art-historical collections within this period of 130 years or so by acquiring important artworks.

You have been the curator of the Hilti Art Foundation since 2003 and also hold lectures on art history at St. Gallen University. Could you walk us through a typical day in the life of a curator?

Well, first of all there’s plenty of routine work you’re required to do as a curator. It involves dealing with operational tasks and corresponding daily in regard to loaning works of art.

You constantly find yourself contacting museums, insurance companies and haulage contractors, for example. You also have to arrange courier shipments, meaning that items on loan have to be tracked and accompanied en route to international exhibition venues. On top of that, I’m also required to negotiate with galleries and auction houses. Monitoring the art market for new acquisitions and the extremely time-intensive research this frequently entails also plays an important role, as do participating in auctions and visiting fairs. I constantly liaise with and deeply appreciate the understanding I have with the members of the Hilti family, the advisory committees and our conservator. What else? Ah yes, I read through the specialist literature and journals, and visit exhibitions and artists’ ateliers in order to keep abreast of the latest thematic developments.

What’s more, writing my own texts for exhibition catalogues – to take just one example – also takes up most of my time at work. But the best part of my work as a curator, I often think, is acquiring new artworks, preparing and seeing through the staging of exhibitions, and the public relations work involved, such as arranging and holding guided tours in addition to talks and lectures.

Do you find yourself developing a close attachment to that sort of collection?

Yes, I do. I think it’s something you can’t really avoid. It’s not just work in the form of time and energy which you invest in a collection: a lot of thought and feelings always go into this aspect of the work, too. You find yourself asking what impact and significance an artwork actually has on you as a private person. Such questions always have an existential quality about them. Without them, I simply couldn’t imagine my work as a curator, or for that matter my life as a private individual.

Can young people also relate to the collections? Or is this project pitched at a more mature public?

I have always believed that one of my duties is also to convey this to young people. So the White Cube is also set to be a beautiful and enduring location for young people in future.

The White Cube’s location practically makes it the next-door neighbour of the Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts, an institution well known far beyond the national borders. This is a stroke of luck: how do these two establishments intend to cooperate with each other in future?

Thanks to our close proximity we plan to continue and inten-

sify the fruitful cooperation we have nurtured with the Museum of Fine Arts over the past 15 years. We’ll share a common entrance and ticket office, and we also intend to combine our external marketing activities under one single banner. The two collections may have different thematic priorities but this is precisely the reason why they will no doubt complement and strengthen each other so well in future. That is indeed a stroke of luck which can only benefit the cultural life of Liechtenstein and the entire Rheintal region.

Thank you for this interview, Dr Wieczorek.

Photo 1: Born in 1953, Dr Uwe Wieczorek studied art history, classical archaeology and accounting in Mainz and Florence.

After his time at the National Museums in Berlin (SMB) he was appointed Director of the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein and moved to Vaduz in 1992. Since 1 April 2003 he has curated the collections of the Hilti Art Foundation and also holds lectures on art history at the University of St. Gallen.

Photo 2: From the Collections of the Hilti Art Foundation on display in the White Cube as of 2015: Georges Seurat «Le tas de pierre" (1884), oil on canvas, 32.7 x 41.3 cm

16 – 17 | WHITE CUBE

Behind the façade.

The biggest artificial stones in the world.

The developers – the Hilti Art Foundation and Huber Watches Jewellery – are in complete agreement: the cube emerging next to the Black Cube in Vaduz must be white.

Not white, as in oyster shells, storm clouds or tin. But white like milk, sugar and whipped cream – so that the cube can reflect its surroundings.

There’s one man who can carry out this mission: Herbert Frisch.

Text Irmgard Kramer Photos Darko Todorovic, Laaser Mar-

morindustrie, Herbert Frisch

Concrete from the laboratory Herbert Frisch learns the complex craft of masonry from start to finish. Before long, no-one can plaster and finish off a wall as perfectly as he can. He sets up his own company, makes different plasters, goes to a college of engineering, specialises in mortar and concrete, tirelessly devotes himself to further studies and becomes a top expert in concrete technology.

In the interests of extending the service life of buildings and structures, he spends many years running a laboratory in Berneck where he tests building materials and processes to prevent any damage. Today he is an individual entrepreneur, a sole trader, and works like a five-star gourmet chef preparing a new culinary dish: he creates a recipe (a formula), ensures that the consistency is kept clean, checks the mixture and watches over the production.

For the white concrete he first needs stones with different granularities – from sandy and fine-grained to coarse-grained.

The developers have decided to opt for quartz. But the simple fact is that quartz does not appear white. What’s more, it proves impossible to find a company which can deliver the kind of granularity desired.

The purest marble in the world In the 1970s Herbert found himself importing Lasa marble for his production of ready-mixed mortar – and was extremely satisfied with the results. So once again he travels across the Reschen Pass to the Val Venosta. At first sight it’s hard to believe that the little village of Lasa (Laas) is actually home to gigantic halls of marble inside its mountain. Lasa marble has been used in the neoclassical architecture of major cities right up to today: Pallas Athena in front of the grandiose parliament building in Vienna, the monument to Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace, the Heinrich Heine monument in New York and over 90,000 military crosses commemorating the soldiers who were killed in the Second World War are made of Lasa marble. The United States wanted to use only the best and purest marble available to honour its fallen heroes on four continents. Unlike Carrara marble, Lasa marble is hard, crystalline and the only marble able to withstand de-icing salt, weathering and frost.

The formula After testing some of the initial samples, Herbert immediately realises that the marble grains are very sharp-angled. As luck would have it, a new rock grinding mill is in the process of being built – in Pontresina of all places. He asks for further tests to be carried out there and obtains unambiguous, conclusive findings. Over the course of the following months Herbert works out the ideal composition, prepares specimens, grinds and polishes away for hours to evaluate the structure and takes the samples with him to Vaduz. Each time he appears before a commission of 20 people which the developers have convened: everyone is entitled to express their opinion. If a sample passes scrutiny it is cast as a wall-sized specimen until everyone agrees on the final formula.

BU The man with an intuitive grasp of concrete and stone: Herbert Frisch, born 1 November 1937 in Uzwil.

Cast in one mould Herbert recommends the SAW concrete plant in Widnau where his formula undergoes computerised analysis. The marble is transported from Lasa to Pontresina where it is milled and brought in boxes to Widnau. Each box contains a different grain of marble. The computer-controlled process ensures that the differently sized stones are then taken along conveyor belts to a mixing tower. At this point they are immersed in cement, water and additional materials before being loaded into transport mixers. The liquid concrete is poured into the mould in Vaduz. An inordinate amount of iron is required for reinforcement because the monolithic design of the White Cube is cast in one mould. Herbert carefully checks whether the larger marble stones in the concrete mixture slip through the iron bars and ensures that there are no air pockets. The casting takes place just around the corner. «Actually, these architects are artists, you see» Herbert says. And the Art Museum’s black cube is seamless: there’s not one single gap.

The big difference and a stone in the garden What makes the two structures truly special is the gleaming façade and visual prominence of the marble stones, a feat only accomplished after 8 mm of the cast concrete has been ground away and polished again with a diamond cutter. It’s the kind of work you’d normally only expect to see in the case of floor panels or kitchen worktops. It takes five hours to complete one square metre of façade. The more grinding and polishing, the shinier the sheen. These artificial stones – the Black Cube and the White Cube – are unique.

Herbert receives enquiries from all over the world. He travels to Salzburg three times a week because the «Museum der Moderne» is also supposed to get a similar kind of concrete.

The project turns into a hotly contested political issue. The museum ends up being clad with prefabricated panels. Only the Sprengel Museum in Hanover dares to use anthracitecoloured artificial stone for an extension. The engineer in charge spends hours asking Herbert to provide exhaustive technical details.

On a journey to Vienna, Herbert feels the urge to see the sample of the Black Cube. It’s in the Museum of Architecture, or so he thinks. But he can’t find it anywhere. So he makes a few enquiries – only to be told that the museum’s director has taken the artificial stone home with him and put it his garden.

Because it looks so nice.

desert boots – and is still known in Arizona today by the name: «Father of the Arizona Trail».

The 800 or so miles of the Arizona Trail do not belong to the truly «great» long treks in the USA. But a quick glance at the appropriate travel wardrobe can easily make you think otherwise. Desert boots AND a bikini? Yeah, sure. All you need is a backpack – which is just as it should be. For the new trail strings together climate zones like the temperature marks on a clinical thermometer – zones that can sometimes remind you of Mexico Photo:

Art in the desert: James Turrell’s Roden Crater at Sunset, 2009, colour carbon print, courtesy of Häusler Contemporary Munich/Zurich

18 – 19 | EXPEDITION

The red country.

Absolutely Arizona.

In Arizona, the quality of the light, colourful boulders and silent gulches all go to paint masterpieces of desolate nature. Iconic cacti and the Grand Canyon evoke the drama of a movie set. Here and there, humans have also left their mark: Frank Lloyd Wright built monuments to modernism with the help of the wind, and James Turrell’s biggest land art work frames the sky with the aid of an art crater.

Text Robert Haidinger Photos Amanresorts, The Boulders, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, Four Seasons, Shutterstock

At one moment in Dale Shewalter’s life the globe became a straight line. He decided to see where that line would take him. So he started walking. All this happened on the Mogollon Rim, the southernmost foothill of the great Colorado plateau, the giant staircase which divides Arizona. Ponderosa pines grow here, and geological layers of rock are strewn around like a pack of scattered poker cards.

Dale, who had seen elk on this day, rested later at the place where the Apaches fought one of their last rearguard actions in 1882. Then he came to the end of the Highline Trail which linked the solitary ranches together. Dale walked onwards toward Hardscrabble Mesa. And on the next day toward Racetrack Mesa. Then Crackerjack Mesa, Deadman Mesa and simply ever onwards, a bit like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump. His true destination had long been clear: it was a route that would take him right across Arizona, from Mexico to Utah.

A trail that was to link deserts, mountains, and gulches as well as God-forsaken farmsteads and people.

Dale Richard Shewalter was (more or less in chronological order!), a talented wrestler and US marine who served in Vietnam. Later, he became a qualified geologist at the Northern Arizona University and raised cattle as a side-line on his little Timberline Ranch. He was a kind of visionary with

20 – 21 | EXPEDITION

or Canada. Hot deserts, harsh winter weather on snowy mountain tops, the lilac arteries of the world’s most famous canyon – Arizona is a landscape in delirium.

The most colourful desert in the world So let’s immediately add another vision to that – specifically, the vision of a prickly paradise captured by Jack W. Dykinga, a Pulitzer Prize winner, and just as importantly the owner of a large format camera which he lugged around for months through the expanses of the southern Sonora Desert. In winter, when the giant Saguaro cacti were dusted over with a layer of snow just like icing sugar. And in spring, when the glimmering ground under his feet was as dry as a bone and saturated with explosions of colour in the flowering season.

Mr Dykinga entered the annals of cultural history as one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time. He had the gift of portraying the world’s most colourful desert in such vibrant colours that even today its natural, unforgivingly arid environment can easily be overlooked. Situated right down in the south of Arizona, the Saguaro National Park forms one part of it: Monster cacti with multiple branches tenderly turn into owls and swallows even though, or precisely because, little birds creep into their folds and fissures. An avaricious sun that mercilessly sucks up all the water but which bathes the prickly

shrubs in a soft pale yellow backlight each evening. This isn’t a bad choice of place at all for getting to know Arizona. Probably the same can be said of the neighbouring «sky islands» of Santa Ritas, Rincon or the Huachuca Mountains: mountains which tower up out of the desert like ghostly apparitions. The fact that Tombstone, the mother of all gold digging towns, gradually emerges from the clogging dust all around, feels just right. Tarnished saloons, the constantly rehashed tale of the legendary shootout between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, the establishments dating back to the Gold Rush era – Arizona offers all this and much more.

Cinemascope country Anyone with a good knowledge of the USA’s sixth largest state is unlikely to bat an eyelid at this romanticised charge of the Wild West. For Arizona is a wonderful but slightly weird part of the world: archaic and almost trapped in a time warp. With a desolate geology that can easily bare its sharp sandstone teeth at one spot and then just a couple of dusty miles more down the trail betrays thick, gentle rumpled frowns. Etched into the landscape like walk-in sculptures, the grooves of ochre-coloured canyons are given a final touch by wind and water erosion, reflecting a spectrum of solitude.

So it’s hardly surprising that this is where movie directors and heroes have always flocked to. Arizona, after all, is also the backdrop to «Planet of the Apes». It has the parking lot where even «Thelma & Louise» briefly gulped as they stared into the Grand Canyon. Where Hitchcock had a good stab at depicting the menacing horror of «Psycho» in a deceptively peaceful suburban milieu, and where «Easy Rider» got high on a bountiful stash of dope. Much earlier, as of 1939, Arizona’s Old Tucson Studios provided the setting for «Bonanza» and classic John Wayne movies such as «Rio Bravo». Nowadays, «John Ford’s Point» in the magnificent Monument Valley – the director’s favourite perspective – is where you are more likely to see open displays of the work performed by weavers from the Navajo tribe. Arizona never really became a classic movie location in the strict sense of the word. It’s more a sort of attitude, a statement on life. Unwieldy, self-referential and pure: the perfect place for pioneers and saviours to feel completely at ease.

Wide open space for utopias Roy Walford also had a vision (and, more to the point, had also enticed a Texan oil tycoon to support him in that vision).

What the duo managed to achieve can be appreciated today by anyone who first takes the Interstate 10 from the metropolis of southern Arizona’s Tucson – don’t miss the pastel colours of the cube-shaped adobe houses in the old barrio of the Historic District – then the State Route 77, before finally screeching up to a Noah’s ark of modernity, known as «Biosphere 2». It looks like a ziggurat – a step pyramid pointing to the future. It’s an attempt to create a second world in the form of a self-enclosed ecosystem comprising a tropical rainforest, mangrove swamp and desert. Test persons have volunteered to stay inside it over a long period.

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22 – 23 | EXPEDITION

Obviously, the world under the hot-house is not a phenomenon you would call typical of Arizona. In an ideal scenario, culture and the impressive backdrop of the landscape blend seamlessly into one another – just like the bizarre rock formations and sandy-coloured relics of ancient Indian architecture that you see around Mesa Verde. Or like the modern lifestyle ensemble of such cool resorts as «The Boulders» to the north of Phoenix – those patchworks of golf course greens and round boulders sanded down by the wind, boulders that now lie like giant marbles next to archaic luxury suites. The famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright recognised Arizona’s enormous natural potential a whole century earlier: «The wind and sun are my greatly appreciated co-planners», he noted in 1910 when the search for perfect surroundings led him to a flat, treeless landscape in which fantastic buildings were to emerge and grow over the course of the 1930s: in Taliesin West, to the northeast of Phoenix, the state capital.

The quintessential modernist transplanted architectural desert scrub to this place, which now lends a charming rhythm to the skeleton pattern of dusty red wooden beams. These structures dispense with fussy posturing – and reverberate with every niche precisely for this reason: Flat yes, but crouched no. Sharp-angled yes, soulless no. The jagged mountains are also reflected in the form of form of flat mosaics of natural stone, for example. «Breaking the Box» is what the inventor of the «Prairie Style» had called his search for an open design in which each component would be interrelated with all the others: Arizona’s open skies, the resonant colour of its sharp stones, the silence of the dusty prairies at the front. It’s easy to believe the tour guides when they say that the roots of the iconic Saguaro cacti served as a model for the foundations of his «Mile High Skyscrapers» which remained unbuilt, sadly enough.

From an art crater to the Eso City Land artist James Turrell, the best-known exponent of the experimental «Light and Space Generation» in the 1960s, is also slaving away on a very special approach to anchoring Arizona – primarily with the aid of an earthmover and light.

1.3 million cubic metres of volcanic earth was shifted just for Roden Crater Phase 1. The extinct volcanic crater with its shimmering hues of red and rampant barren scrub, as wide as Manhattan and as high as the Chrysler Building is Turrell’s life work in the field of land art. It manages to achieve one thing in particular: it puts dimensions into their proper perspective, especially those of the desert and of Arizona’s starry skies.

And the same message pretty much applies to people and to the underlying theme of eternal time.

Arizona flickers more nervously around Flagstaff, not all that far away from the volcanic field of the San Francisco Peaks forming the Roden Crater area. This is where the flickering neon lights of psychedelia cross the mythical Route 66. And around Sedona the United States’ biggest Eso gas station fuels New Age aficionados. Here in the heart of Red Rock Country seven special energy fields are said to be the runways for soaring flights of the spirit.

Sedona lies 24 km to the south of Flagstaff, at the end of Oak Creek Canyon in the Verde Valley, and quite close to further stunning scenery. Take, for example, the lilac and ochre coloured arteries of the striking Grand Canyon – the exposed strata of rock you see along Desert View Drive are like an open book of geology. Grandview Point, Havasu Falls, a mule ride along Bright Angle Trail, Colorado river rafting or the crowds of visitors at the Grand Canyon Skywalk – the marketing of the biggest natural wonder in the USA is seriously impressive.

That said, even little gulches and ravines can get under your skin in the Copper State, as proved by the surreal world of the Slot Canyons, in part barely a shoulder’s width apart, which are located near Lake Powell. Fossilised folds and fissures in the desert underground make erosion burst into an explosion of colour: ruby reds and the orange colours seen on the cowls of Buddhist monks, in shimmering blue-black shadows and as ethereal columns of light piercing tight cracks in the sky just like the lances from Star Wars – the Antelope Canyon near Page is the most famous of these.

Arizona trips and tips.

Getting there Arizona is served by two international airports: Phoenix (skyharbor.com), which connects to over 100 domestic and international destinations, and Tucson International Airport (www.flytucsonairport.com) further south in the state. Numerous connections with Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, American Airlines and United, etc., take you to the hubs of Dallas, Denver and Miami, etc. A thrilling alternative is to fly direct from Frankfurt to Las Vegas: check out www.condor.com. Delta, Virgin, American, Iberia and BA also offer direct flights from London to Las Vegas.

Best time to travel Ok, there’s lots of sun (Phoenix records an average of 325 days of sunshine a year), even more heat but even so, there’s never really a «wrong» time to visit Arizona: thanks to the arid

and semi-arid climate which merges into a dry steppe climate to the north as well altitudes that can far exceed 6,500 feet above sea level, there’s always a «perfect» time to come see the state each month. The peak season for travelling to the desert in the south is from November through February. Particularly spectacular is the flowering season in April. Incidentally, Arizona’s geographical proximity to the Rocky Mountains can also cause daytime and nighttime temperatures to fluctuate by as much as 15° C. An art & architecture tour www.franklloydwright.org – offers useful ideas for visits to Taliesin West www.arcosanti.org – Here, architect Paolo Soleri offers workshops for anyone wishing to combine modern architecture with spirituality. www.smoca.org – The focus here is on contemporary art, design and architecture. Founded in 1999, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art pretty much delivers what it says on the label.

Info Arizona Office of Tourism: Luisenstr. 4, 30159 Hanover, Tel. +49 (0)511 899 890 0 www.arizonaguide.com www.arizonareise.de Hotel recommendations Situated directly east of Phoenix, Scottsdale is also known as «Desert Fifth Avenue»: the cluster of outstanding boutique hotels boasts over 200 golf courses, including the luxury golf enclave of «The Boulders» (www.theboulders.com), the oldIndian style «Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North» (www.fourseasons.com/scottsdale) and the «Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain» spa resort (www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com). A historical jewel of architecture is the «The Biltmore» which opened way back in 1929 and was influenced

by Frank Lloyd Wright (www.arizonabiltmore.com). Also in a class of its own is the «Amangiri» designer hotel situated just across the state line in neighbouring Utah (www.amanresorts. com/amangiri).

Photo 1: Amangiri Photo 2: The Boulders Photo 3: Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Photo 4: Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North

26 – 27 | WORLD OF SCIENCE

Science in focus.

Basic research at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Text Ben Segenreich Photos Ben Segenreich, Weizmann Institute of Science

In the beginning it was merely a little agricultural settlement, founded by Jewish immigrants from Poland in 1890, and specialised in growing wine and citrus fruits. Today, with its 110,000 or so residents, Rehovot may simply still be a modest provincial town but it has gained worldwide renown, at least in scientific circles. And why? Because it is also home to the Weizmann Institute. The eminent physicist Chaim Harari effortlessly explains its success with the aid of a triple «formula»: «Quite simply, our institute is completely dedicated to carrying out basic research, covers all the fields of the natural sciences on one single compact campus, and confers Master’s and Doctor’s degrees. That’s it; we don’t enrol first-year students. Of course, there’s Harvard and Stanford in the US. They also have top scientists but they’re scattered across a huge campus with 20,000 students: it’s not always easy for their various disciplines to come into mutual contact with each other. Or take Germany’s Max Planck Institute: it’s split up into 70 locations and suffers under the disadvantage that it neither educates nor trains any of its own students.»

An exemplary formula Harari, 73, combines three roles with aplomb. He is an elementary particle theorist, an administrator and a superb policy-maker in the field of education. He served as President of the Weizmann Institute from 1988 to 2001, a period which also saw the founding of the associated Davidson Institute of Science Education, of which he is still the executive chairman.

Until ten years ago Harari would have said that the Weizmann Institute was the only place on earth to have that special formula. But that was before Austria’s ISTA (Institute of Science and Technology Austria). Modelled on the Weizmann Institute it

even managed to win over Harari’s services to get the project up and running. A third centre to follow the same pattern has been operating for almost two years in Okinawa, Japan.

The fact that a seed was planted decades ago in Rehovot for what represents the hitherto most efficient research infrastructure of the 21st century is probably largely a matter of coincidence. Everything began in 1934 – 14 years before the founding of the State of Israel – with a few scientists and technicians in a modest chemical institute. The initiator was the Zionist leader and subsequent first President of Israel, Chaim Weizmann, an important chemist in his «private profession».

The project received financial support from the Sieff family of entrepreneurs who were based in London. In 1949, all these efforts culminated in the founding of the «Weizmann Institute» with money also raised by the American admirers of Chaim Weizmann. Suddenly, five departments were all under one roof.

Each one was headed by a brilliant young scientist and each one was dedicated to a combination of subjects considered «avant-gardist» at the time. And so, for example, Ephraim Katzir, who later also went on to become the President of Israel, built up a Department of Biophysics which combined the disciplines of biology and physics. In the nascent Department of Applied Mathematics, Chaim L. Pekeris started to tackle physical problems with computers. It’s largely down to Pekeris that the tiny Jewish state, fighting for its survival, a country in which food was still rationed, ironically also had the world’s second fastest electronic computer at the start of the 1950s.

Interdisciplinarity is everything «Today, computers have a ripple effect on physics, and physics on biology,» says Harari. In this modern trend towards interdisciplinarity, the Weizmann Institute enjoys an advantage that was already hardwired into its inception. «Over here, theorists and researchers in a wide range of subjects go for a coffee and a chat with each other – on the one side of the street, you have computer scientists interested in exploring the structures of the human brain; on the other you have neurophysiologists interested in the structure of the computer.» At the Weizmann Institute, a considerable amount of the total research effort is also directed at studying hereditary diseases and cancer, environmental protection and solar energy, elementary particles and astrophysics, materials and nanotechnology. In each case, the one discipline enriches and stimulates the other. Ada Yonath, professor of structural biology at the Weizmann Institute, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009. Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel, two of the Nobel Prize laureates for chemistry in 2013, worked on computer simulations of biological processes during their time at the Weizmann Institute in the 1970s. A further, related issue is academic flexibility: «European universities have professorships – so when for example a physics professor retires, someone else is appointed to his chair of physics,» explains Harari. «Quite simply, we don’t have such categories. We just look for people who are world class in their fields and then they can pretty much do what they want. That gives us a big advantage because each branch of the sciences is in a state of perpetual change.»

Pure curiosity, lucrative applications Harari emphatically points out that Weizmann’s scientific community is never driven solely by issues of practical utility but always by sheer curiosity: «How can I understand the manifestations of nature, the tiniest particle, the most monumental galaxy or the human cell?» Even so, basic research can result in lucrative applications such as medicines or materials. In this regard, the Weizmann Institute «aggressively» defends its intellectual property and takes great pains to market it through collaborative ventures with industry, for example, or through start-ups: «Among all the research universities in the world we take first place in generating income from patents and licences. Over the last ten years we’ve earned more than Harvard, Princeton and certainly all the other comparable institutions in Europe. And please bear in mind, we’re a lot smaller than they are.» The money is then re-invested into research.

Then there is a revenue stream of grants and funding which flows in abundance due to the quality of the projects – especially from the EU – as well as donations: the institute can largely finance all its requirements.

The 2,500 members or so of the teaching faculty and the students don’t just sit in their laboratories. They also go out to the people to instil a public awareness of mathematics, physics and biology. Science education takes place in the form of private tutoring and the promotion of talent in schools, at summer camps, on evening courses or at popular lectures.

As Harari says, it’s «an important contribution to society» – and should arouse the kind of enthusiasm among young children that produces professors and Nobel Prize winners.

28 – 29 | CULT

Good old Chevy.

The American Dream made in Switzerland.

«So bye-bye, Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye Singin’ "This'll be the day that I die This'll be the day that I die»

Timepieces, men and automobiles have always been magically drawn to each other. They embody personality, prestige, precision, luxury and aesthetics. The Chevrolet Corvette enjoys cult status in the US, while over here it enjoys the added bonus of being regarded as something exotic. Amazing, really, that this symbol of US sports cars actually had its starting point in Switzerland.

Text David Malik Photos Chevrolet

Louis-Joseph Chevrolet is born the son of a watchmaker in La Chaux-de-Fonds at Christmas 1878. He is the second of seven children. Successive crises in the watchmaking industry force the family to move to Beaune in Burgundy. At the age of just 11 years, Louis is also called upon to contribute to the family income. He gets his chance at the end of the street at Roblin’s, the repairer of sundry vehicles. Louis repairs bicycles, carriages and all kinds of other vehicles. He demonstrates his great talent for mechanics at an astoundingly early age.

The American Dream One day, as luck would have it, Louis is summoned to the «Hôtel de la Poste». There he is asked to repair a steamdriven tricycle belonging to some rich American. Numerous onlookers throng around the «puffing devil». The contraption is owned by William Kissam Vanderbilt II. Not even 20 years old – the same age as Louis – Vanderbilt is equally fearless and fanatical about motor engines. «Come to America. We need people like you.» With these words the young American puts a pretty large bee into Louis’ bonnet!

The path first leads to Paris – at the time, Europe’s metropolis of the motoring world is gearing up for the World Exhibition in 1900. Louis gets to know combustion engines in various workshops and saves up the fare for his ticket to America. But the money only gets him as far as Canada. Then it runs out. In Montreal he works for a few months as a driver and mechanic before setting off on his way to New York.

Let the good times roll Louis can’t stand his work at a Swiss mechanic’s workshop in Brooklyn any longer. He switches jobs a number of times, drives a Fiat in his first motor car race in 1905 and immediately establishes a speed record of 68.16 mph. Amazing! Everyone knows his name overnight. In the same year he marries Suzanne with whom he will have two sons. Family is important to him. His brothers Gaston and Arthur follow him to America.

Often, all three Chevrolet brothers appear on the start lists of major races such as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, where they become legends.

Never give up In a tenement in Detroit, Louis hooks up with a designer and develops plans for the prototype of the car that will subsequently bear his name. William «Billy» Durant, the founder of General Motors, recognises his excellent potential. In 1911 they found the «Chevrolet Motor Car Company». A few

months later, the first elegant Classic Six rolls off the production lines in Detroit.

But the collaboration only lasts two years. Durant realises that the trend is towards a cheaply produced car. Henry Ford has already shown the way forward with his Model T, but Louis doesn’t like the sound of this at all. After hefty discussions he decides to leave the company, yet leaves his name behind. Durant now has free rein and the «Chevrolet» marque becomes part of General Motors.

A legend is born Louis founds the «Frontenac Motor Corporation» and conti­ nues to drive in races. After all, he’s regarded as the world’s best racing driver. The Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression, a dispute with Arthur, the onset of diabetes and the death of his son Charles at the premature age of 27 begin to exhaust him.

Louis Chevrolet dies penniless at the age of 63 in Detroit.

Today his name stands for over four million vehicles sold every year – the native Swiss engineer has managed to fire the imagination of countless people.

30 – 31 | PEOPLE

A butterfly seeks her fortune.

Eveline Hall – Germany‘s hippest model.

She also has something timeless about her. People turn their heads around in a possible mixture of irritation and fascination when she walks past. How can a lady with grey hair exude such youthful charisma? Those in the know give a nod when they recognise Germany‘s latest and «hippest» model. They long know the secret of her age from the media. Only a moment later, Eveline Hall sinks down into the soft and heavy leather sofa with a burst of audible laughter. It is this ability to laugh which has carried her through the world and finally brought her back to Hamburg again.

Vegas and true love Even as a little girl Eveline harboured the ambition of becoming a ballet dancer. The desire to dance led her to spend part of her life in Las Vegas. But like a desert flower she found herself wilting there in dusty indifference. In the meantime, Sammy Davis Junior, Heidi Brühl and Elvis were obviously the stars of the show, the darlings of evening society. Eveline from Hamburg, who had started out as a prima ballerina for the Hamburg State Opera at the age of 15, came across a talent scout from the Paris Lido. He was looking for dancers taller than 5 feet 8 inches – not such an easy business in 1970.

True to her peripatetic moniker of «Butterfly», as her family call her, she naturally becomes inquisitive. So when it comes to the choice of working in Paris or Las Vegas she opts for the place with the mysterious double-barrelled and more exotic sounding name.

But Las Vegas is still an under-developed village. This entertainment metropolis has yet to register on the radar. It’s right out there in the boondocks, a desert dive which does its best to keep the punks and the gamblers flocking to its casinos.

The idea is that anyone who makes a killing on the tables is immediately supposed to spend their winnings on going to the shows. Her father, a well-known actor, to whom she owes her wonderful given name of Klopsch, once gave her a comforting piece of advice: «You get yourself straight back home if you don’t feel happy, Butterfly.»

Eveline now finds herself wearing feathery accoutrements, high heeled shoes and an absurdly large headdress, not the easiest thing to balance when you’re dancing. Up to that point she had always been the best, but now she feels like all the other showgirls. Ignored! Terrible! Out of sheer desperation she puts on 44 pounds.

Text Anne Siegel Photos Siegfried Pilz, Thalia Theater, Eveline

Hall, Eden Books, Mega Model Agency It’s like a scene straight out of Vicky Baum’s 1959 «Menschen im Hotel»: a tall lady with a long flowing mane enters the Hotel Atlantic and makes her way through a throng of busy guests and distinguished gentlemen enjoying the delights of hanseatic classicism. Dressed in fashionably tailored tight trousers and wearing high heels, the sleek beauty with the long silvergrey hair strides through the hotel lobby. The flowing movements of this long-legged lady are nimble – she has the body of a ballet dancer. She looks attentive and thoughtful; and the complexion of her narrow face is reminiscent of porcelain.

Eveline contemplates throwing in the towel.

One day she takes her place again in the chorus line at rehearsals with the other showgirls. A voice asks the strikingly tall Eveline to step forward and state her name: «May nem is Efelin Klopsh.» she says with a slight touch of a German accent! Everyone looks amazed – a typical response in the land of unlimited opportunities. After all, every American loves a true individual. Redeemed for now, she becomes known as «Clopshi». Her friends at the time include Siegfried & Roy, two German magicians who started out on their careers at the same time as she did. They still call her by that name today.

Showgirls display solidarity. They look after each other. So

they rally round to support Eveline and her choreographer recognises she has a great gift for performing comedic show numbers.

And, of course, the talent she has for acting is still slumbering away inside her. and there’s the neighbour in her apartment building: a taciturn Cherokee Indian who goes by the name of Mr Hall. He turns out to be the great love of her life.

Miss Klopsch soon becomes Mrs Hall and the couple move to Europe.

Always on the go Back in Hamburg, Eveline receives an offer to have a go at the theatre. She studies acting, and spends 18 years as a member of the ensemble at the Thalia Theater. Mr Hall loves her, but he’s less than enamoured by the German north. He leaves Hamburg after just seven years of marriage. Eveline is a bit of a «mover and a shaker», as she likes to say of herself.

«I’ve always caught the next train – it’s always been that way in my career and in my private life.» As it turns out, the next train takes her to Paris. In the meantime she has turned 50.

Eveline never does things by half. Instead of staying with a fixed contract for further seasons of acting and then retiring, she learns French and studies «chanson». She discovers two things: first, her mature voice and second, a highly gifted restaurant chef with whom she now lives together in Paris. Seven years later she returns to Germany and meets her old friends, one of whom has since become a well-known model agent.

He introduces her to Michael Michalsky, an up-and-coming designer in the fashion world who has an almost American knack of knowing how to stage the exceptional and extraordinary. So Eveline becomes a model at the superb age of 65. Her highly unusual appearances on the catwalk hit like a bombshell. Today, at the age of 68, she’s more in demand than ever. Her biography: «This is my show!» appears and she tours the talk shows. Just recently she was seen modelling as a punk princess for Jean-Paul Gaultier. Her face is plastered across almost all the covers of the major fashion and lifestyle magazines. She’s regarded as a role model for the way to age with style and dignity. Today, she looks even better than she did in Las Vegas 40 years ago. Eveline learns English and French every day, then sings a little before reaching out to the weights for a workout – with her mother! For Eveline shares the same roof with her again today. Her mother is also the reason why our meeting in Hotel Atlantic comes to an end.

It’s time for some serious weight training! Her Mum is also her best friend. «We just want to play along a bit, don’t we, Butterfly?» – the amazing 93-year-old lady often says to her daughter, thinking of her future. Ah, that «just play along a bit»!

All this sounds as if we can still look forward to hearing quite a lot more from Eveline. She certainly sounds up for it!

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Collection HUBER WATCHES JEWELLERY Huber Private Label Beauty is timeless.

Men's Classic Watches Complication with an extra feature.

Ladies’ Watches Time for ladies.

34 – 35 | COLLECTION

HUBER PRIVATE LABEL presents

Eveline Hall

Colour your Life Cocktail rings from MIMI featuring yellow-green lemon quartz, peridot, smoky quartz and amethyst Bracelets with dazzling gemstones of topaz, citrine, smoky quartz and mother of pearl

by Huber Private Label

38 – 39 | COLLECTION

Les petits macarons Cocktail rings in yellow and rosé gold from the MIMI collection Jewelled ring in white gold with yellow 2.63 ct diamond baguette and 4.30 ct brilliants

by Huber Private Label 36 – 37 | COLLECTION

Pure elegance Earrings with precious old-cut 5 ct diamonds, each with brilliant 1.95 ct pavé Necklace with old-cut 5 ct diamond Solitaire ring in white gold with brilliant 4.81 ct L vvs2

by Huber Private Label

Secret treasure Flexible bracelet, earrings and ring in yellow and white gold with floral motif made of diamonds Necklace (as bracelet) in bronze with rosé gold motif Ring with white, black and champagne-coloured brilliants

by Huber Private Label

On the right: Flower power «Flower» earrings white gold with brilliants «Flower» pendant white gold with brilliants «Loop» pendant with brilliant 7.46 ct pavé Ear jewellery with precious old-cut 5 ct diamonds and brilliant 1.95 ct pavé

by Huber Private Label

40 – 41 | COLLECTION

Simply the best Precious set comprising necklace, ear jewellery and ring with extremely rare pastel-coloured spinels and brilliants

by Huber Private Label On the left: Rainbow love White gold ring with rubies Rosé gold ring with yellow sapphires

White gold ring with white brilliants White gold ring with blue sapphires, green tsavorite and white brilliants White gold ring with blue sapphires

by Huber Private Label

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42 – 43 | MEN’S CLASSIC WATCHES

Full House Nowadays, soulless watches from a less than distinguished background are simply unacceptable to successful, selfrespecting men who care about their appearance and attire.

Those investing in precision mechanisms on their wrists wish to have fun and pleasure in the long run. Horological complications and practical chronographs, easy-to-read calendars, busily rotating tourbillons and easy-to-use time zone features have always fascinated watch aficionados.

For all the delights of helpful extra features, the ultra-flat finish of a movement is no less complex – a point that is frequently overlooked. At the end of the day, connoisseurs of exquisite mechanisms also like to see the cheerfully ticking soul of their reliable companion – which is exactly what you get with artfully skeletonised and carefully decorated movements.

Text Gisbert L. Brunner

Photo 1: Nothing, absolutely nothing of the highly complex interior of the white gold Jaeger-LeCoultre «Master Grande Tradition a Quantième Perpétuel 8 Jours SQ» is hidden out of sight of the viewer. The name of this precision timepiece with the Manufacture's carefully skeletonised, engraved and manually wound 876SQ calibre says it all: a perpetual calendar with a moon phase display and a power reserve of 8 days.

The index ring around the movement is characterised by the guilloché and translucent blue enamel.

Photo 2: This King Gold wrist watch is typically Hublot: an extravagantly designed one-minute tourbillon, developed and made in-house, of course, and enclosed in an elegant

sporty case in a distinguished «porthole» look. The design of the «Classic Fusion Tourbillon» with a 45 mm case diameter and water-resistance of up to 3 bar recalls the early days of the Hublot label in 1980. In contrast, the manually wound HUB6010 calibre with a power reserve of 120 hours and a 13.6 mm tourbillon cages embodies the present-day watchmaking craftsmanship of this Manufacture in ideal fashion.

Photo 3: Mechanisms really don’t get any flatter than this – period! Enclosed in its white gold case, the ticking world record «Altiplano 38 mm 900P» from Piaget measures just 3.65 mm in height. Over a development period of three years, technicians melded the case and movement into a purposeful unit. The case back serves as the base plate and the dimensions of some of the 145 components were made as small as technically possible. Due to the exceptional construction of the microcosm with a 3 Hz escapement and power reserve of 48 hours, Piaget was obliged to position the time pointers eccentrically.

Photo 4: Those wishing to see how the extraordinary Tourbillon Regulator from De Bethune performs in action need only remove this watch from their wrists and turn it over. New materials and technologies permit the creation of an ultralight «whirlwind» with just 30 seconds’ rotation time. Thanks to the use of silicon and titanium, the 63 components weigh in at barely 0.18 g. The lightest component is just 0.0001 g in weight, and even the heaviest only comes to a mere 0.0276 g. In this sense we can rightly speak of a superlative. The balance spring of the six-day manually wound DB 2119 calibre oscillates at a lively 5 Hz. Photo 5: The success story behind the elegant «Portofino» range from IWC began in 1984 with the reference 5251. For 30 years the Portofino family has been the silent star of the IWC collections. It stands for understatement and good taste.

As a highly expressive, yet stylishly restrained representative of this collection the Portofino Chronograph comes in red gold with a clearly marked argenté dial and gold plated Roman numerals and appliqués. The automatic 75320 calibre in the 42 mm case has a power reserve of 44 hours and measures time intervals down to an eighth of a second with absolute precision.

Photo 6: Less is definitely more in the case of «Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées» from Vacheron Constantin, due to the mechanism skeletonised purely by hand. The longestablished Manufacture in Geneva further elevates its ticking skeleton through engraved surfaces. The special, manually wound 4400 calibre with a power reserve of 65 hours and the Hallmark of Geneva serves as the basis for creativity. Ingenious craftsmen need 127 components to make one single watch.

Skeletonised and decorated in meticulous detailed work, it finally emerges as the 4400SQ. The appropriate «packaging» consists of a 40 mm gold case.

Photo 7: Positioned on the left, the winding and time-setting crown in the new Panerai PAM00557 stainless steel model with a water-resistance of up to 10 bar indicates that the wrist watch has been designed for left-handed wearers. The central part of the 47 mm case is curved, and a layer of Super-LumiNova is sandwiched between two discs on the dial. Users can view the luminous dial through a Plexiglas aperture. Time is displayed on a chronograph with 162 components and the manually wound P.3000 calibre created by the Manufacture has a power reserve of three days.

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44 –45 | MEN’S CLASSIC WATCHES

Faites vos jeux Casual or dress-down Fridays create a relaxed atmosphere in the office. Forget about picking the right tie to match your choice of grey or black suit! The usual dress code is waived here, at least in part. Instead, the style is relaxed and casual, and of course blue jeans feature prominently. Jeans are ideally complemented by discreet and sporty wrist watches that should never look too brash or flashy. Watch designers who have taken a closer look at this intriguing matter find they can explore virtually endless possibilities. For them, the sky’s the limit when it comes to making creative choices: unadulterated sportiness or athleticism coupled with a dash of elegance, especially in view of the approaching weekend, when outdoor activities and exuberant dives into refreshing water are high up on the agenda. For all the creative freedom we enjoy today, one maxim obviously holds true: timekeeping interiors tick just like they used to do in the good old days.

Photo 1: Few words are needed to describe the Reverso from Jaeger-LeCoultre. The double-faced wrist watch has been the talk of the industry ever since it was invented in 1931.

Completely new for 2014 is the «Grande Reverso Night & Day» with its self-winding Manufacture 967B calibre. The watchmakers at the «Grande Maison» assemble it by hand from 200 components. Also comforting to know is that it has a power reserve of 42 hours.

Photo 2: The brand new «Calibre de Cartier Diver» in red gold and steel is a true watchmaking manifesto. Designed for divers, the striking case is water-resistant to 300 metres.

Cartier tests each watch before it leaves the workshop to ensure it meets the extensive, stringent standards prescribed for diver’s watches under ISO 6425. The Manufacture automatic winding 1904-PS MC calibre is responsible for indicating the vital time spent underwater.

Photo 3: De Bethune offers its «DB28 Aiguille d’Or» with a titanium case in an edition strictly limited to 50 watches.

The golden hand at the front reminds the wearer that one such specimen was awarded at the Geneva Grand Prix d’Horlogerie in 2011. This wrist watch also has plenty to offer in technical watchmaking terms: a spherical precision moon phase display positioned at 6 o’clock, a palladium/silicon balance wheel and a power reserve display on the back courtesy of a another golden indicator. Created in-house, the manually wound DB 2115 calibre runs for six days in a row.

Photo 4: If there was ever an ideal match between a watch and a car manufacturer, then it would have to be Hublot and Ferrari. Both of them combine innovativeness, creativity, passion and an enduring commitment to achieve even higher levels of perfection. These high standards are reflected in the «Big Bang Ferrari All Black» with a ceramic case and diameter of 45 mm. Many design details evoke the racy four-wheeled models from Modena. The integrated «Unico» automatic chronograph and HUB1241 calibre with its double coupling clutch, control wheel and a flyback function represent craftsmanship par excellence.

Photo 5: IWC Schaffhausen contributes to the development of innovative diver’s watches with its Aquatimer Chronograph Edition «Expedition Charles Darwin», reference 379503. It’s the first time that the company has ever used bronze for a watch case: this metal alloy was one of the materials typic­ ally used in 19th century shipbuilding. Equipped with an IWC Manufacture movement of calibre 89365, the exceptional timepiece features a power reserve of 68 hours and is waterresistant up to 30 bar. The most striking technical change of the new Aquatimer generation is the innovative outer and inner rotating bezel with its IWC SafeDive system.

Photo 6: The only thing that anyone lucky enough to be the proud owner of a Panerai PAM00561 needs to remember is to wind up the watch. In particular, the 4.5 mm high Manufacture P.5000 calibre (15¾ lignes in diameter) possesses two mainspring barrels and comes with a remarkable power reserve of eight days. Its balance beats at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour to ensure accurate timekeeping. The oscillations can be observed through the transparent case back. This watch is impervious to water pressures of up to 30 bar. The product also comes with a second strap and little screwdriver.

Photo 7: White gold is the material from which Piaget fashions the case of its «Gouverneur» wrist watch. The watch measures 43 mm from side to side. By looking through the sapphire glass case back connoisseurs can discover the 800P calibre which measures just under 27 mm. Once again, this automatic movement underscores Piaget’s expertise in flat design and construction. The superbly crafted œuvre with a balance spring frequency of 3 Hz barely reaches a height of 4 mm. Even so, two mainspring barrels store sufficient power to last 85 hours without interruption. The watch also features a very useful date window.

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46 – 47 | WOMEN’S WATCHES

Jackpot Quite simply, the trend on feminine wrists is impossible to ignore: more and more women are adorning themselves with strikingly masculine wrist watches. The reason is obvious: for many years the watchmaking industry has been criminally negligent in servicing the requirements of the fair sex and its chronometric hedonism. Which is why sophisticated ladies turned to men’s watches – along the lines of: “Right, in that case, I’ll have his watch instead!” It turns out that they were quite right – for the choice of masculine timepieces is a sign of true emancipation and professional success. Fortunately, constant change is a quintessential part of precious time. Watchmakers have recognised and responded to this development. Rarely has the range of exquisite ladies’ wrist watches been this extensive. Sophisticated women are spoilt for choice, as the watches here impressively demonstrate.

Photo 1: The new «Limelight Blooming Rose» latches on to Piaget’s longstanding tradition of making jewellery watches.

During the daytime, «Limelight Blooming Rose» modestly displays just four diamond-studded petals. But in the evening the wearer can make this wrist watch blossom in its full glory.

As if driven by magic, it grows four more petals, you see. This ensemble produces a sumptuous rose sparkling with 265 grain set diamonds. The captivating trick is made possible by

a mechanism hidden in the upper part of the case. A quartz 56P calibre takes care of keeping the time.

Photo 2: High-quality mechanisms are what JaegerLeCoultre offers the gentle sex with its «Rendez-Vous Night & Day» model. The exclusive interior mechanism crafted by the high-quality wrist watch Manufacturer features a distinguished mother-of-pearl dial and calls itself 967A. It consists of 214 components, has an automatic winder and also displays night and day in addition to hours, minutes and second. The elegantly simple case measures 29 mm.

Photo 3: «Constellation» and Omega have almost become synonymous in the world of watches. Sophisticated ladies with a faiblesse for innovative mechanisms will be delighted by the «Constellation Co-Axial 27 mm»: after all, it was specially designed for ladies’ watches. It features a Manufacture 8520 calibre with co-axial escapement, a silicon balance spring and oscillating weight that winds the mainspring on both sides.

Once it has completely wound up the mainspring there is enough power available for 50 hours of chronometrically precise ticking. Naturally, the diamond-studded steel and yellow gold case also has a glass case back.

Photo 4: Anyone who thinks that Hublot is only capable of making extravagantly opulent wrist watches has made a big mistake. The comparatively young Manufacture is also skilled in creating highly feminine watches, as the «Classic Fusion» impressively demonstrates. Barely 33 mm in size, its eye-catching case has high recognition value and features a quartz movement that is as convenient as it is precise. Sporty elegance expresses its water resistance up to five bar. 36 diamonds on the bezel screwed to the middle part of the case present themselves as best friends of the gentle sex.

Photo 5: The feminine Tortue from Cartier requires daily attention to ensure a manual supply of energy. But given the qualities of the exclusive manually wound 430MC calibre (medium-sized model) and 8970MC (small model) with a power reserve of 40 hours, this turns out to be a far more blissful than bothersome experience. Cartier has mounted a faceted sapphire cabochon into the octagonal grip crown.

The red gold case of the elegant classic can look back on some 100 years of history and is 31 mm wide. It measures 38.7 mm in length (medium-sized model) – or 24 x 30 mm for the small model.

Photo 6: Vacheron Constantin knows exactly what ladies with exquisite taste really want. This subtle knowledge of the gentle sex has resulted in its creation of the little «Patrimony Traditionnelle» model. Here, “little” means a case diameter of 30 mm and a total height of just 6.73 mm. This quartz wrist watch more than compensates for the sleek dimensions of the discreet white gold case through a glass edge with 64 diamonds totalling 0.36 ct and a blue dial, the indices of which also consist of 18 ct white gold.

50 – 51 | WELL BUILT

Refuges of sensuality.

Carefully chosen: spas in Europe and Asia.

Spas are unusual places – and are certainly a lot more than just water and steam. Instead, they serve as refuges of sensuality and escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Three hotels in Gstaad, Milan and Bali reveal how the interplay between architecture, design and nature activates and sharpens the senses.

the 56 one-bedroom villas and 2,000 to 3,000 sq. m. for the 9 three-bedroom villas. Each villa has a separate pool with a roofed lounger area, its very own park and a pavilion detached from the main building.

In addition to its expansive area, what makes the resort so special is the way it blends the living areas with nature. The pools seem to merge seamlessly into the sea behind them even though they are actually separated by the considerable height of over 100 metres. What’s more the interior furnishings of the villas have been designed in such a way that guests can enjoy clear views of the Indian Ocean from the sofa, from their bed and even from the shower – a feature that has also been integrated into the spa treatments on offer. As a result, guests can enjoy a wide choice of treatments right in their own villa or, on starry nights, by the side of the pool.

What’s more, some of the spa villas are also appointed with herbal steam showers, two treatment beds for partner treatments and a daybed for foot massages, pedicures and manicures. Here, too, a smooth transition has been created between the indoor and outdoor areas: a harmonious meeting of nature and architecture. In addition to yoga and meditation courses, guests can also book complete all-day programmes comprising different spa and beauty treatments as well as a personalised diet plan. Also worth noting is the fact that the «Alila Villas Uluwatu» was the first resort in Bali to be awarded the renowned Green Globe certificate for sustainable tourism – in recognition of its efforts to reduce water and electricity consumption.

Text Norman Kietzmann Photos Four Seasons Hotel Milano, The Alpina Gstaad, Alila Villas Uluwatu

A spectacular spa suite has long formed part of the obligatory repertoire you can expect from any self-respecting hotel.

But hotel guests have gradually become more discerning and sophisticated. Anyone wishing to satisfy these new and demanding requirements has to deliver more than a luxurious, if frequently cold – or even interchangeable – environment.

«Many hotel chains used to be famous for looking exactly the same across the world. Guests knew what they were getting. Today, people want the opposite,» says Inge Moore, chief designer at the London office of Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), one of the leading outfitters of luxury hotels right around the world. In her eyes, a hotel must radiate trust and confidence so that guests can feel completely relaxed and at their ease. What counts most of all in designing a spa is the interplay of the senses. It’s not just a matter of water, clouds of steam or fragrances either. Interior designs can also play an important part in helping guests shrug off the stress of daily life.

The tropical: «Alila Villas» in Bali If you sometimes feel a bit claustrophobic in narrow places you might wish to consider setting off on a journey to Bali.

The «Alila Villas Uluwatu» were built above a high cliff on the south coast of the island in accordance with the designs of the WOHA architectural office from Singapore. This resort comprises 65 villas that vary in size between 291 sq. m. for

52 – 53 | WELL BUILT

The urban: Four Seasons Spa in Milan Those looking for a haven of peace and quiet in the hustle and bustle of the big city need look no further than the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan. This establishment with its 118 rooms utilises the interiors of a 15th century monastery and features an inner courtyard with its own park, even though it’s only a stone’s throw away from the bustling Via Montenapoleone.

Moreover, the spa which recently opened in the cellar vaults plays with the contrasts and expresses the historic fabric of the building in a subtle, contemporary language. Span-

ish designer Patricia Urquiola, who was responsible for the 800 sq. m. spa centre, had one particular goal in mind: she wanted to break through the conventions of so-called «wet cells». Instead of clinically smooth tiles, highly tactile materials were used, including raw natural stone, marble and laser-cut timber. «We’ve tried to transcend the boundaries between architecture, interior design and furniture,» says the designer.

She lives in Milan and built up her reputation above all by designing exceptional, sensual bathrooms. In addition to a 14 m long swimming pool, the spa zone comprises seven treatment and four massage rooms, a salon for pedicures and manicures, and a suite for partner treatments.

It’s no coincidence that guests take their place on comfortable loungers in relaxation rooms that are more like a cosy, welcoming homes. The spa is designed to lose any associations with coldness and simply feel like a temporary home.

It immediately puts people at ease. The strongpoint of the interior design resides in the fascinating way it makes the surfaces extraordinarily interesting. Above all, the walls – which are covered in subtle, relief-like decors – almost beg you to explore them with your fingers. The walls lend the rooms a sensual component which is directly enhanced through the water and massage treatments. And the fact that guests leaving the spa don’t walk out straight to some noisy street but are welcomed by a haven in the heart of the town adds the finishing touch to a memorable experience.

The interweaving influences of East and West are also reflected in 12 treatment rooms. Alongside a hamam, a floatation room, an Ayurveda and chromotherapy room, there’s also a salt cave as well as a rock room used for partner treatments. A regional influence can also be observed in the use of ingredients such as milk, honey and herbs, all of which are sourced from the hotel’s surrounding area. After all, Gstaad has never been completely dominated by the tourism industry.

As well as its hotels and ski slopes, the region also features around 150 farms, 80 managed alpine pastures and over 7,000 cows.

54 – 55 | HOLE-IN-ONE The alpine: the «Six Senses Spa» at the Alpina Gstaad Switzerland values the importance of tradition. So it comes as no surprise that plans to build the first five-star hotel in Gstaad for over a hundred years were initially greeted with some critical scepticism. But the makers of the «Alpina Gstaad» demonstrated a keen sense for the place: they stuck to the typical chalet design of the chic holiday resort. Surrounded by a 20,000 sq. m. private park, the five-storey building with its façade of fir and Ringgenberg alpine limestone blends effortlessly into its surroundings. While the interiors of the 56 rooms and suites were designed by Inge Moore and her HBA office in London, the configuration of the 2,000 sq. m. «Six Senses Spa» lay in the hands of the P49 design studio from Bangkok.

The spa suite is a tranquil space where guests can recover from their skiing exertions or lengthy hikes. Even so, it was important to add a clear sense of orientation. And so the P49 team blended traditional elements of alpine style with Asian influences while skilfully avoiding the trap of resorting to quaintly rustic or kitschy effects. The 25 m long indoor pool is surrounded by solid, freestanding lime stones which transform the space into a mixture of rock grotto and underground Stonehenge. Solid tree trunks were used for the foundations, and the ceiling with its large circular skylight was covered with wood panelling. In this way, the local setting is not experienced through the sheer sensuousness of the materials themselves rather than the traditional decorative style of the region. Meanwhile, those wishing to feel even closer to the mountains can swim out in the heated outdoor pool and grab an eyeful of the surrounding peaks as well the garden designed by French architect Jean Mus.

Stopover in Puttonia.

World-class putters from zai.

Fairy tales often begin with the words: «Once upon a time...»

– and so do true stories. So here we go: Once upon a time in Disentis, high up in the mountains, almost at the end of the Surselva in the canton of Grisons, right out in the middle of nowhere, where the locals make their livelihood from their guests, where cowbells and mountain air await you at the door, a milestone was established just under ten years ago.

Text Hannes Huggel Photos zai

The history of zai begins up there. In the heart of the abbey village of Disentis lies the little ski world of zai. When you enter the workshops you’re immediately greeted by wafts of fragrant wood – it’s a unique, strange and yet such cosy and comforting smell. So it seems apt that the people here mainly speak in Romansh, the original language of the settlers in Grisons.

The name «zai» comes from a Rhaeto-Romanic word meaning tough. Simon Jacomet, the company’s founder, hails from Tujetsch-Surrein. Just under ten years ago, he had the vision and determination to build a set of incomparable skis that would be completely in a class of their own. And so he set off on an arduous, tough path to build the best skis in the world.

In terms of design, quality, performance and the choice of

materials, the skis he had in mind were to clearly stand out from the masses of conventional skis out there on the market.

Once the best skis had been built, someone in the Surselva came up with the bright idea of also constructing the best putter, because a golf course was being built halfway up a nearby mountain. Swiss golf course genius Peter Harradine had decided to create a small, but particularly spectacular and exclusive 9-hole golf course at a location over 1,500 m above sea level, barely 15 minutes away from the factory, and not far from the source of the (Vorder)Rhein. At the final hole the challenging course takes you across the still pristine river.

You’ve landed in Puttonia.

All good things come in threes So the obvious next step for the people at zai was to start thinking long and hard about producing a putter. And not just any old putter either. Of course it would have to be something special. The first model appeared a couple of years ago and looked brilliant – simply unlike anything else on the market up to that time. Clean, clear lines and a leather handle – even the materials used for the putter head were different. But that still wasn’t quite good enough for the designers from Disentis.

And just like in a true fairy tale: they didn’t simply design, develop and build a new model. No, they ended up creating three completely exquisite putters instead, and chose to give them the name of Senda – with «The Art of Accuracy» as a modest sobriquet.

A putter for purists zai skis are absolutely state-of-the-art in their field, as are the new Senda putters. Senda fully deserves the honour of being considered a «purist». The three models are pure and free, as it were: free from unwanted external influences and completely geared towards achieving good results. Even though there are three different models – the Senda blade, the Senda hybrid and the Senda mallet – each one is a precision instrument milled from superb quality aluminium and brass. The design is typically zai, with everything reduced to the essentials.

All three models also meet the highest technical standards anyone could wish for from a putter. The unique construction features solid brass peripheral weighting enclosed by a hardanodised aluminium chassis. It produces a high moment of inertia and delivers an excellent feel on impact with the ball.

And the clear alignment aid elevates the putter to a stylish and well balanced companion who inspires confidence and promises success in your golf bag.

56 –57 | THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

The Green Ring.

A legendary hike.

Text Roger Jacquat Photos Lech Tourismus, Adolf Bereuter

An excellent time to go hiking in Lech am Arlberg is at the height of summer, when Mother Nature presents herself in all her glory. Since we always stay open in summer, customers keep telling me about an incredibly captivating hike which they’ve been on. This 3-day tour is known as «The Green Ring» – the counterpart to the famous «White Ring» in winter.

It’s supposed to help you slow down, pause and catch your breath in life – just what I need before the shop opens again from 27 June to 20 September. I lace up my hiking boots, walk to the tourist office and buy a little book about the hike.

It’s called: «A samurai on the Kriegerhorn.»

First stage: Books and a letterbox I can feel the sun shining warmly on my back as I set off from the post office and walk downriver along the Lech pro­ menade. In the cable car on my way up to the Rüfikopf I read in the foreword of my booklet that the sculptor Daniel Nikolaus Kocher and writer Daniela Egger will accompany me on my journey – with their sculptures and legends.

I get out and breathe in the tangy mountain air. At the mountain terminal I enter my name for posterity in the specially bound guestbook. Then down I go. Along the Rüfikopf geology trail I find a nautilus. Crossing meadows of herbs, I arrive at Lake Monzabon. Its waters reflect mountain peaks, fleecy clouds and a letterbox. Although it shimmers in the heat, I don’t think it’s some sort of mirage. There really is a letterbox here, at over 2,000 metres above sea level. From my booklet I take a postcard which the sculptor has designed, sit down on the wooden bench and write a few lines to one of our most loyal customers who lives far, far away to the north in Hamburg. Then I pop the card in the letterbox, wondering if it will ever get emptied.

By the wayside I discover a sign: «Hut Library». The little hut

in question isn’t far away. I peer through the door and have to laugh: bookshelves. And it smells of wood, again.

Time and again I find myself lingering on one of the many differently designed benches. A path winds its way along a stream. I cross the Flexen Pass and stand in front of an outcrop of rock which looks like a white tortoise and is gushing water. Depending on how I hold my hand in it, the water flows either into the Black Sea or the North Sea. According to an old legend, the main European water divide was a favourite playground for witches. I stop off at the «Flexenhäusl» restaurant and take the bus back to Lech. The first stage was very pleasant. Just right for the start.

Second stage: Crystal colour and Taurin the Giant The steep transport trail winds along in twists and turns. I’m pleased to be wearing shorts and relieved to be in such good condition. The crystal clear lake waters of the glittering Zürsersee remind me of a blue tourmaline (indicolite). I take a rest on the charming timber footbridge. Cows are grazing at the foot of the chairlift.

From the vantage point of a platform I look straight at a cave.

According to legend, this was where Taurin the Giant beat the retreat in winter. A glacial hollow at the edge of picturesque cotton grass fields symbolises the gateway to the glacier town on the Madloch. Crossing scree and karst terrain, I walk down a col.

A bivouac! The only shelter far and wide. In fact for a small fee you can even get a key from the tourist office and enjoy both the privilege of watching the sunset from here as well as staying overnight.

I forget the pain in my knees for a moment – the giant is standing on a crevice between the rocks and trying to carry scattered boulders back up to the top again. An impressive wooden sculpture. I cool my feet down at a waterfall, stop off at a fish restaurant and eat trout. The stage was tiring but packed full of wonders.

Third stage: Of night people and a water sprite Sculptors have been running riot for a week working on «night people» in the Sagenwald – or Legend Wood. The results are breathtaking. Just like the stone wall known as «Chluppa» which rises up by the reservoir on the path to Kriegeralpe. The wall was built in a project intended to involve local people.

While the sounds of music and theatre have long since faded, this «stone photography» is still there. 780 good souls from Lech and Zürs are enshrined with their names and places of birth, with plenty of space remaining for the unborn.

I finally reach the little Libellensee lake through a path in the woods. My senses are heightened: I immediately find the animals made by the schoolchildren. Two hikers are working a pump. The bubbles I see the pond are just like a sprite breathing underwater. I relax on the sun deck. If anyone could capture the impressions of this hike in gold it would be a real gem, of priceless value.

I few months after returning from my hike I receive a phone call from Hamburg. The postcard has arrived.

58 – 59 | HUBER NEWS

Your time is now.

Keeping up with the times at the Vaduzerhof.

We have the right watch for each budget and taste. Our quality and choice are quite amazing. Everyone should feel completely at their ease in the new Huber Vaduzerhof, which has been managed by Aurel Huber since December 2013.

Photos Roland Korner

The store’s speciality is easy shopping. Aurel Huber gets to the heart of the matter: «At the Vaduzerhof we demonstrate that there are wonderful watches to be had in each price segment as well as an enormous variety of styles. Lower priced watches can easily keep up with top price models, particularly in regard to looks and features. There’s nothing more wonderful than to underscore and set off your personality with the right watch. What’s more, of course, here at the Vaduzerhof we continue to offer the first-class watch service which our customers have come to appreciate.»

The store only offers high quality brand name watches – but in a wide range of price segments – for discerning ladies and gentlemen. Currently, the wide range of models covers ten different brands, with more expected to follow on a rolling basis.

The models on display defy comparison with each other.

Whether it’s a question of Breitling, Tudor, Aerowatch, Baume & Mercier, TAG Heuer, Frédérique Constant, Swatch, Longines, Rado or Tissot – they all differ in terms of price, design, materials and naturally, of course, in their look and function.

«Each brand has its idiosyncrasies and particularities,» says Aurel Huber. Sports watch aficionados, lovers of retro or modern design, or those preferring elegant models all find that the store has just the right timepiece for them. And, of course, it always stocks the simple classic watch.

At the age of 23 Aurel is one of the «young guard» in his field.

He knows how to appreciate the trust which his father, Norman J. Huber, has placed in him. «It’s an enormous challenge

for me: there’s always something new to learn each day as well as constant opportunities for further development.» Seven members of staff support him in his efforts. «The Vaduzerhof is intended to serve as a link between the spirit of optimism which is currently sweeping through the watches market on the one hand, and over a hundred years of our expertise on the other. Wearing a good wristwatch is the simplest and most beautiful way to pay homage to time.»

Exquisite timepieces for everyone He joined the company four years ago. In addition to completing a business studies course in Innsbruck he also spent a year in Asia working on a pearl farm. What he brings to the store are the typical Huber virtues which rest on best service delivery and high standards. «Everyone should feel comfortable when they come to the store. Speaking for myself and my colleagues, it matters a great deal to us that we appeal to as many people as possible – in fact everyone. We now have superb, top quality watches in virtually every price segment. True quality is simply much more fun!» is how the young supremo explains his philosophy.

60 – 61 | ANTI AGING

Mens sana in corpore sano.

The Ragaz Aging Score – for a healthy mind in a healthy body.

The best medicine is really to enjoy life to the full. Those wishing to get an expert opinion in regard to matters of health, vitality and youthful beauty, and who firmly believe in a bit of professional fine-tuning, are well advised to pay a rewarding visit to the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz.

Most people probably wish to stay young, active and beautiful for all time. While the eternal fountain of youth has yet to be invented, even so, it is actually possible to influence the process of aging, at least to a certain extent. Too much nicotine, alcohol and stress, or too many drugs and the wrong diet on the one hand, but also family life or being single with their

related emotions on the other can speed up the biological process of aging. And the place where you live also has an influence.

Air quality in particular is extremely important. People living in their millions in huge cities with lots of traffic, and, as a result, serious air pollution tend to suffer from symptoms such as headaches or asthma more than those in a rural environment with lower CO2 emissions. A harmonious work-life balance, exercise, sufficient sleep and a healthy diet as well as a lifestyle that does away with addictive substances – including alcohol and nicotine – all have a positive impact on health and can help slow down the aging process.

A collective medical effort No-one is spared from the natural process of aging. And yet some people are genetically predisposed with the ability to take more liberties than others.

The idea behind the Ragaz Aging Score came from Christof Mannhart, a nutritionist who works at the Medical Centre in Bad Ragaz. Mannhart looked carefully into this matter and approached Dr Clemens Sieber with his idea. After several meetings and intensive studies Dr Sieber then put together the score.

Dr Sieber worked for six months on the score. Yet he may quite possibly have to amend and readjust it in two years’ time. For medical findings are developing at a rapid pace: there are always new studies and insights, particularly in the field of preventative health.

How the score is calculated How do the medical experts arrive at this score, the number which tells them about a person’s current state of health? The way it works is that patients stay for four days at the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz. They first have a relatively lengthy consultation with Dr Sieber. This talk clears up questions about the patient’s lifestyle, diet and participation in sports activities. Afterwards, the various organ systems are examined by means of blood tests, various procedures involving medical technology and sophisticated physiotherapeutic tests. The results are then assigned a score.

The score can then be used to diagnose and frequently correct strengths and weakness in the individual systems.

Sometimes, it requires a person to change their lifestyle or alter their diet.

Sometimes, medicines need to be administered in order to improve the score – and, as a result, the overall condition of the patient’s health.

Getting to know the body Dr Sieber cites the example of an approximately 60-year-old man who said he felt fit and healthy. Results from the medical tests revealed that he was indeed fit and full of energy. But surprisingly enough they also indicated that he clearly suffered from a metabolic deficiency in terms of his liver, blood sugar and cholesterol values.

On the other hand, however, they did not point to any signs of

arteriosclerosis. Altogether, the patient had a balanced score.

Yet the patient can achieve a clearly higher score if he now works on his weak-points by doing more exercise, losing weight, eating more low-fat foods and keeping to a moderate alcohol intake. In this particular patient’s case, use of the Ragaz Aging Score clearly helped identify where his strengths and weaknesses lie and how he can slow down the aging process by making small changes to his lifestyle.

Three programmes The competence team for Nutrition, Training & Metabolic Optimisation has developed a unique anti-aging approach which boosts vitality and quality of life over the long term, and which slows down the biological aging process. The Ragaz Anti-Aging approach is designed as modular concept that can be adapted to meet individual requirements. It consists of three programmes.

Ragaz Aging Score: Determination of the actual biological age through comprehensive diagnostics of the body, organs and metabolism.

Ragaz Anti-Aging Nutrition & Training: Internal rejuvenation through optimum exercise, diet and metabolism interventions.

Ragaz Anti-Aging Beauty & Shine: External rejuvenation through beauty treatments for the body, skin and teeth. www.resortragaz.ch

Welcome to Huber.

Home of Fine Watches and Jewellery.

Flagship Liechtenstein Städtle 36, Vaduz Mon – Fri 9.30 am – 6 pm Sat 9.30 am – 4 pm

T +423 237 1414 F +423 237 1410

Closed Sundays and on public holidays. welcome@huber.li huber.li

World of Watches Liechtenstein Rathausplatz 11, Vaduz Summer 2014 Season from 1 May – 15 Oct 2014

T +423 237 1424 F +423 237 1420

Mon – Sun 9.30 am – 6 pm including public holidays

welcome@huber.li huber.li

Vaduzerhof Liechtenstein Städtle 3, Vaduz Summer 2014 Season from 1 May – 15 Oct 2014

T +423 237 1414 F +423 237 1410

Mon – Sun 9.30 am – 6 pm including public holidays

welcome@huber.li huber.li

Flagship Austria Dorf Nr. 115, Lech am Arlberg Summer 2014 Season from 27 Jun – 19 Sep 2014

T +43 5583 3737 F +43 5583 3737-10

Mon – Fri 10 am – 12 noon

2 pm – 6 pm

welcome@huber-lech.at huber-lech.at

Sat

10 am – 12 noon 2 pm – 5 pm

Closed Sundays and on public holidays.

Watchmaking Atelier Rathausplatz 11, Vaduz We care about your watch. Five highly skilled watchmakers offer you a perfect service around the clock.

T +423 237 1414 F +423 237 1410 service@huber.li huber.li

LEGAL NOTICE Publisher and responsible for content: HUBER Watches Jewellery Im Städtle 36 9490 Vaduz Principality of Liechtenstein Concept, photo and text editing: agenturengel, Dornbirn agenturengel.eu Design: Neuland, Schaan neuland.li Contributors to this edition: Gisbert L. Brunner Eva Engel Robert Haidinger Norman J. Huber Hannes Huggel Roger Jacquat Martin Johler Norman Kietzmann Irmgard Kramer David Malik Ben Segenreich Anne Siegel Cover and collection: Photography Adolf Bereuter Make-up Susan Voss-Redfern Styling Stephan Kallaus Fashion designers Irene Luft, Shirin Seyed-Ghaemi, Alida Modisterie Model Eveline Hall Jewellery cover Creoles and rings with white, black and champagnecoloured brilliants; necklace in bronze with rosÊ gold motif from Huber Private Label Print run: 15,000 For our customers and friends