Shanghai Tang’s
Executive Chairman, Raphaël le Masne de
Chermont, with Shanghai Tang’s Menswear designer Armele Barbier and friends

Last week, Shanghai Tang’s Pedder store in Hong Kong was as wet and festive inside as it was outside, given the recent stormy weather on the island. The aqua-themed interior was part of the launch event for the Scuba Class 888 watch. Guests, including Shanghai
Tang’s Executive Chairman Raphaël le
Masne de Chermont,  braved the rainy typhoon and splashed into
the Shanghai Tang boutique, where blue lagoon cocktails and macaroon lollipops
were served and where they could amuse themselves by peeking through the aquarium watch display and posing
for their “underwater” Polaroid pictures.

Above: The azure-themed decor of the launch event; Shanghai Tang Scuba Class 888 Diving Watch

The star of the event, the Scuba Class 888, is the first
diving watch to be inspired by China’s
innovations in underwater engineering, and models its design features after the Yuan Class
Type 041, the cutting-edge diesel-electric submersible watercraft owned by the People’s
Liberation Army Navy. Its sleek, robust and modern features recall the bold black
and white graphics of gauges and machinery details.

Further burnishing the watch’s affinity for Chinese culture, the auspicious number eight is highlighted as the only numeral represented
as a Chinese character (八) on the dial.  The all-black
watch face features striking white numerals and luminescent minute and hour
hands.  Additional details, such as the
second hand, are accented in bold orange or royal blue. The 44mm stainless steel case also boasts a transparent back, all the better to showcase its 22-jewel
automatic mechanical movement.  It also
features a unique screw down crown engraved with Shanghai Tang’s star motif,
and guarantees water resistance up to a depth of 888 feet. The Scuba Class 888 is
available in gun metal or jet black with a royal blue or orange polyurethane strap.

Model Brian Li posing with the Scuba Class 888

Shanghai Tang’s
Executive Chairman Raphaël le Masne de
Chermont, Vanessa Handa and
friends

Shanghai Tang