Bal Harbour

Between cocktail parties and booth hopping, scintillating conversations with artists and the arduous task of fi nding that perfect piece, the experience can leave one feeling equal parts inspired and breathless. A new respite is now underway from Audemars Piguet. In partnership with Fernando Mastrangelo—a New York-based designer blending form and function in a series of sculptural design objects cast from organic materials—the watchmaker presents e Vallée, a serene hideaway that's popping up at Art Basel Miami Beach in December. Inspired by the idyllic Vallée de Joux, the Swiss capital of haute horlogerie and the brand's home, the immersive lounge (accessible only by VIP cardholders) will transport guests into the cradle of the Jura Mountains while off ering a sneak peek of the collection that inspired the project, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet. "I felt like I won the sweepstakes," says Mastrangelo of his selection for the project. His design studio has long challenged the boundaries of his chosen materials, probing how they might unravel a story or further a conversation. e partnership with Audemars Piguet was just the right fi t. "In my studio, we're always trying to master our materials and that felt like a direct parallel for Audemars Piguet and its culture," explains Mastrangelo. Code 11.59 is the newest collection from Audemars Piguet and highlights the watchmaker's long history of fusing the traditional with the avant-garde. Defying the brand's customary octagonal watch faces, the Code 11.59 series embeds an octagonal middlecase within a round case, creating a sleek, infi nite circumference. With a directive to highlight this singular new collection, Mastrangelo took a jaunt to the Vallée de Joux. Over the course of several days, he became intimate with the watchmaker's expansive atelier, observing how each timepiece was built while acquainting himself with the brand's history and the surrounding, dramatic landscape. "I wanted to remake the experience that's inherent to this collection," says Mastrangelo. A stunning sand, silica, salt and limestone strata wall forms the backdrop of a watchmaker's desk while display cases emulate the Vallée de Joux's quiet spruce forest. Rounded seating implores guests to contemplate the gradient colors of a Swiss sunset over the Jura Mountains, an experience Mastrangelo built by capturing the natural light of the Vallée and projecting it onto LED screens in the lounge. With a two-year partnership with Audemars Piguet underway, Mastrangelo marvels at the synergy between art and watchmaking. " e art of watchmaking requires an innate ability to make a watch more and more complex," he says. "When you purchase an Audemars Piguet, you connect with talented people who are able to translate their vision in the same way an artist might." 98 BAL HARBOUR ART FAIRS CAN BE A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE. From top: Scenes from The Vallée, an immersive lounge, commissioned by Audemars Piguet to showcase its latest horological masterpiece, the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection, including the Minute Repeater Supersonnerie, seen here. WHICH IS YOUR GO-TO MENSWEAR STORE IN BAL HARBOUR SHOPS? Rag & Bone pretty much has me covered. I like when you can't always tell who someone is wearing, but you recognize that it's well-made and just on-trend enough. SPEAKING OF TRENDS, WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED FOR THIS FALL? I'm excited about so much of the fashion that mixes streetwear with high-end craftsmanship: brands like Heron Preston, Off -White and anyone mixing genres with high craft. WHAT ABOUT THE BAL HARBOUR SHOPS VIBE DO YOU CONNECT WITH? That's easy: the tropical fl avor is what brings me back to Miami every time. The Shops defi nitely captures that, and then elevates it in its own way. WE'VE NOTICED YOU HAVE A PENCHANT FOR SHADES. DO YOU HAVE A BR AND THAT YOU'RE PARTICULARLY LOYAL TO? Well, to be honest, I'm most inclined to purchase vintage eyewear. But when it comes to something new, there are a few pairs of aviators from Linda Farrow that have caught my eye lately. —Tali Minor MY BAL HARBOUR STYLE: Fernando Mastrangelo

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