Part 5, Seven Days, Seven Watches, One Pagani – Art Basel Miami

Today I’m bringing you the final installation of my five part Art Basel Miami series! For Art Basel Miami this year, I decided to have a little extra fun. I would mix three of my passions: my love of contemporary art with my love of watches and sports cars. Here’s Part 5:

Day 7 – Perez Art Museum Miami Gala
And so it was, our week had come to an end. To close out Basel, we headed to the granddaddy of all events: the gala for the opening of the new Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). As the second black tie event and the final bash of the week, something special was in order.

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Annual Calendar and Equation of Time
This is a watch that I have had my eyes on for quite some time. With a 40mm rose gold case that is only 11mm thick, it’s contemporary in size but still an appropriate black tie watch. As one of the very few watches with an ‘equation of time’ complication, and the only one I am aware of for less than US$35,000, it’s a watch to notice. Equation of time is a complication which shows the deviation between solar time (similar to a sundial’s time) and civil time (the time commonly shown on a watch). This deviation is shown on the dial by a – or + 15m. It also features an annual calendar complication which means the date function only needs to be corrected once per year.

And for my wife, the Girard–Perregaux Cat’s Eye Bi-Retro in pink gold with moon phase indicator, one of the most elegant women’s watches on the market and already a classic.

Arriving at the Gala in the Pagani Huayra, it was difficult not to make a grand entrance.

Despite having been to the PAMM several times during the week, the museum continued to impress. Architects Herzog & de Meuron really created a masterpiece; it works during the day with an open floor plan boasting lots of natural light, and it works at night, with brutalist-style industrial florescent lighting which could be considered an art installation in itself.

Developer Jorge Perez, whose name is on the PAMM and who is largely responsible for Miami’s new skyline, joined art collectors, Miami’s movers and shakers, and even a few celebrities at the event.

Our way out of the PAMM was delayed by one of Miami’s signature 30-minute torrential rain storms, while we waited for the valet.

The night ended as the week had begun, at the Soho Beach House VIP tent. Thank you all for a fantastic week!

If you missed the earlier installments of my Art Basel recap or you want to read them again, check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. And for more exclusive watch content, make sure to follow me on Instagram!

Shout-out to my friends at Basico Miami for their great men’s blazers, Espiritútara for my bracelets and Noble Experiment for their pocket squares and accessories.

Photo credit: Nicolas Stipcianos, Manny Hernandez and Daniel Novela.