PAD London

12 - 16 OCTOBER

After two years of online-only activity, PAD London is returning this month for a week long showcase of incredible design, craftsmanship and innovation.

Now in its 14th edition, the fair will once again delight art and design lovers with a world-class selection of works spanning Contemporary and 20th Century Design.

Faithful to the distinctive flair and originality that forged PAD’s reputation over the years, this highly anticipated edition will premiere outstanding works by emerging and iconic talents, while also shedding light on rare, age-old techniques, new sustainable crafts and innovative materials that inform design today.

Many of the visionary exhibitors who have contributed to PAD’s prestige are returning, joined by prominent international galleries and jewellery houses which will make their debuts at the fair.

Highlights of this year’s show include, New York dealer Cristina Grajales celebrating her 16-year collaboration with French designer Christophe Côme with a booth entirely dedicated to the artist’s oeuvre in glass and enamel. French gallerist Philippe Gravier will unveil a series of lights especially commissioned from Bernar Venet, one of France’s greatest living artists; and Athensbased design studio Voukenas Petrides (Gallery FUMI) will reveal a twisted cylindrical light sculpture in bronze from their new Haptic Nature collection.

Founded in 2007 by fourth-generation Parisian antique dealer Patrick Perrin, PAD London provides a platform for young talents with new works by emerging artists from around the world. Chinese innovative material designer Jie Wu (Gallery FUMI) will be showcasing artworks and furniture that are made by casting antique rosewood in resin of varying colours; and Chilean designer Abel Cárcamo (88 Gallery) who creates whimsical functional sculptures in the shape of animals, such as the Llama chair, will also be at the fair.

Many designers and artists in the fair focus on innovative sustainable techniques and responsibly sourced materials. These include two Mexican designers who are committed to preserving their country’s legacy of artisanal craftsmanship: industrial designer Fernando Laposse (Sarah Myerscough Gallery) who works with indigenous communities to create striking pieces of marquetry made from the colourful leaves of Mexican maize and Juan José Nemer and Mauricio Alvarez from the design duo ad hoc

Pair of Chaise Maurice armchairs, 2022 By David/Nicolas Chaise Maurice Collection Black painted steel structure, American walnut wooden armrests, brass details and upholstered with green/black cavallino. Courtesy of David/Nicolas and Nilufar © Amendolagine e Barracchia PAD London 2022

Salvia Ring by Giuseppe Penone. Courtesy of Elisabetta Cipriani.

(Ammann // Gallery) who create objects and furniture made in collaboration with local artisans, using high-quality materials such as ixtle (a natural fibre from agave).

Year after year, PAD has introduced maestros and young artisans who cultivate rare, century-old techniques, invent new crafts and experiment with unconventional materials. This year, ceramics and glass artists occupy a prime position: Italian-Taiwanese design-duo, Vezzini and Chen (Adrian Sassoon) will unveil a new wall-mounted glass installation by London-based young ItalianTaiwanese design-duo.

Since its inception in 2007, PAD’s ambition has always been to provide inspiration for the most distinctive interiors by sparking a dialogue between art and design, disciplines and periods, past and present. This year’s edition is no exception.

Faithful to the distinctive flair that forged PAD’s reputation, the fair’s 14th edition will highlight jewellery as an art form, with a world-class selection of one-of-a-kind pieces by master jewellers, contemporary artists and designers from around the world.

The fair will premiere works by emerging and lesser-known designers, as well as new pieces created especially for the occasion. Pushing the limits of artistry, some of the jewels due to go on display were created using pioneering digital technologies and unconventional materials, others result from traditional crafts and a sustainable approach. The artist jewellery in the selection also demonstrates the power of jewellery and its ability, as any form of art, to question today’s society.

Cipriani, who has contributed to transform the market for artist jewellery since the creation of her gallery in 2009 and today represents over 30 artists, will also unveil a new project at the fair: Salvia, her second collaboration with the Italian artist Giuseppe Penone. Produced in a limited edition of 10, the 18-carat gold ring depicts a sage leaf with a musical note (pictured left). The last time the gallerist and the sculptor worked together, 11 years ago, they created a necklace which is now part of the collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Other highlights in Cipriani’s selection include jewels made in collaboration with the renowned Greek sculptor Sophia Vari and Italian artist Giorgio Vigna.

This year’s edition hopes to welcome even more guests than ever, delivering an offering beyond previous years, and this presentation of jewellery is sure to bring in the crowds. Whether you are interested in buying or simply want to explore and lose yourself in the world of fine art and expert craftsmanship, PAD has something for everyone and is set to once again be the stand out event at Berkeley Square.

POSSESSION

Piaget look to the past as they delivery a stunning collection for the present. The beautiful Possession collection revolves around a spinning movement and a shape. Both unique and playful, it is more than collection, it is an invitation to turn life on and freely express our personalities.

Simple and sophisticated, the collection invites creativity and stands as a rallying sign for a community eager to experience, explore and have fun while being given a chance to tell its own story with impeccable style.

Created in 1961, the Décor Palace is the epitome of Piaget’s gold craftsmanship. Inspired by the guilloché technique traditionally used on watches, this Piaget signature adornment gives gold sumptuous light effects by meticulously texturing the precious material with irregular streaks. Manually engraved, each Décor Palace piece is one of a kind. Adding on to Possession’s exclusive turning element, the Palace Décor makes this new set of seven rings and one triple rose gold earring even more special.

Piaget’s unique expertise in gemmology is also on display with incredible gusto. On every ring and earring, the diamond is highlighted thanks to two half spheres of gold surrounding it, known as the “half-moon setting”.

Paired with Piaget’s excepetional understanding of how to mix colour, volume and textures in an unmistakably artistic approach, each piece in the latest collection makes a statement in its own right. With one or two paved turning rings, half-moon set diamonds, bigger or smaller size, white or rose gold, Piaget’s creativity and savoir-faire are perfectly expressed through these new rings. Because Piaget lives for doing things better than necessary, it took all of the Maison’s crafts mastery to add a special piece to the collection: the Possession Rainbow Ring. It displays a spectacular array of green tsavorites and coloured sapphires. Organized into a spectacular rainbow colour chart, each stone has been carefully selected to find the perfect colour and size for each gemstone to smoothly transition to the next.

Possession is a click announcing something about to happen, as the starting point of new beginnings. The collection is an invitation to play, to twist, to turn life on, offering endless possibilities to mix and match the pieces. Worn on their own or stacked together, the Possession collection and its newest Palace Décor iteration demonstrate a perfect sense of elegance combined with historical knowhow.

A NEW WAY TO BUY

Following 14 years at the forefront of the luxury pre-owned marketplace, British brand Xupes has announced an exciting new partnership with online watch marketplace, Chrono24 coinciding with the launch of a spectacular experiential destination, ‘ The Barn by Chrono24’.

Co-founded in 2009 by CEO Joe McKenzie in his hometown of Bishop’s Stortford where the businesses headquarters are still based today, Xupes’ watch business now begins a new chapter fully integrated into Chrono24 following a successful first year in partnership.

Their other luxury goods arm focussing on handbags, jewellery and accessories will remain under the Xupes name to create a distinct separation from the watch side of the business while the servicing business takes on a rebrand to ‘The Watch Atelier’ who are on hand to authenticate and service everything coming into the business while also providing services for private clients.

This latest progression isn’t just about the integration of two standout platforms, but the creation of a whole new way to experience and buy watches improving the service and interaction customers receive.

The Barn by Chrono24 will house the Chrono24 UK business within its grade II listed walls which is set within the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside just North of London. Featuring beautiful client experience spaces built upon the DNA Xupes created in the pre-owned market, this space is set to welcome clients from across the watch world, from individual buyers to dealers and collectors.

CEO, Joe McKenzie says, “Xupes has always been heavily focused on customer service and standing out in an overcrowded market. As the market has professionalised over the past few years, we’ve seen a need to do things in a more personable way, creating community and bringing watch dealers, lovers and collectors together. This new barn gives us a chance to do this in a way that hasn’t been done before in our market and continue to improve

the quality of watches and take the experience our clients have to new levels.”

The barn not only features an incredible working environment for the business and service side, but also a bar, lounge and private rooms furnished by Soho Home, which is part of the Soho House Group, whom they have established a partnership with. The multifunctional spaces stretching over 12,000 sqft are perfectly suited for intimate experiences with your choice of watches, but also able to host larger events.

The new company also benefits from dedicated spaces for creating content in-house including videography and photography studios providing the perfect platform to continue growing their online profile with the support of this new found physical base. Joe further comments: “Lockdown drove a large amount of business that would have taken place physically online, accelerating a transition that had been happening gradually. We’ve seen consumers interact with our company in new ways which we must keep pace with. We look forward to creating more video and social content focused on our expertise and passion for watches using this new environment.” The space will also enable the company to offer new services such as safe-keeping, maintenance and ongoing valuation of luxury watches.

CEO of Chrono24, Tim Stracke, said: “We are excited to have a permanent base in the UK for our customers to visit and to identify with Chrono24. The UK remains an important market for us and one which we hope to continue to develop over the next few years. This beautiful barn gives us a new way to connect with our customers and a place to run events to enrich our marketplace and the watch community we’re part of.”

This is a pioneering moment for the brands, setting new standards for an immersive client experience which is ready to welcome you now.

FORZE SPECIALI

Creating instruments to serve modern heroes, leaders whose adrenaline-fueled exploits awaken the imagination is the fundamental reason Panerai exists. The Italian Special Forces represent the manifestation of that ideal; their elite military units may be called upon at any time to carry out perilous missions.

And in a year when Panerai will highlight the importance of its Submersible collection, divers watches that are essential survival tools, the Forze Speciali inspired two references: Panerai Submersible Forze Speciali Experience Edition and Submersible Forze Speciali.

Both watches share fundamental technical specifications, though each has a specific aesthetic presence. Their 47mm cases in DLC-coated titanium are fitted with unidirectional rotating ceramic bezels. Dials featuring indexes composed of solid blocks of Super-LumiNova™ provide maximum visibility in darkness. And small seconds and chronograph subdials, positioned at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock, are in bull’s eye formations reminiscent of a marksman’s target.

A masterwork of the Panerai manufacture in Neuchâtel, the P.9100/R movement that animates the watches is a masterpiece of the brand; the caliber has a three-day power reserve and was conceived and assembled in-house. Its workings include two highly sophisticated complications, the flyback function that allows the chronograph to reset and restart with one press of the pusher at eight o’clock and the Time to Target countdown, which indicates the time until a designated rendezvous.

To operate the countdown the watch’s wearer will repeatedly push the button at 4 o’clock to set the central chronograph hand at the desired interval; pressing the chronograph stop/start button at 10 o’clock begins the countdown, indicating the time remaining until arrival at the target and time elapsed after it is reached.

Distinguished by a green ceramic bezel, Panerai Experience engraving on its caseback and a rugged rubber camouflage strap, the Panerai Submersible Forze Speciali Experience Edition is unabashed in its focus on military-ready performance. A second included strap in black Sportech with a Velcro closure offers an option with an understated aspect without sacrificing high-level performance. Also included is a tool to allow interchangeability of the straps and a screwdriver for removing the buckle.

Panerai is the first brand in the watch industry to present spectacular experiences associated to innovative timepieces. This is a brand new way of experiencing and living the brand, building a solid relationship with clients. The objective is to stage Panerai as a lifestyle brand, to create excitement, sell emotions and unique experiences that money can’t buy.

Available in a limited edition of only 50 pieces, the Submersible Forze Speciali Experience Edition integrates an element of adventure. Each purchaser will be invited to Italy to join Italian Special Forces troops in a series of exercises, putting the watches through their paces in the process.

Similarly, the Panerai Submersible Forze Speciali, is limited in number, with only 300 available each year beginning in 2022. The black DLC-coated titanium case is paired with a blue ceramic bezel. On the caseback is an engraving of a Marina Militare frogman, an artful reminder of its capacity for underwater exploits. Two black straps are included with the watch, one in rubber and one in Panerai Sportech with a Velcro closure, a tool to change the straps, and a screwdriver to remove the buckle.