Wrist-y business in Balesin

Charriol painted the town purple when it launched the Charriol St. Tropez Style collection at the Balesin Island Club recently  with fashion’s movers and shakers all taking party in the wrist-y endeavor.

Leading the phalanx of purple (or prune, the brand’s iconic hue) were Alexandre Charriol himself and Thibaud Jaouen, regional sales director of Philippe Charriol International. Alexandre, Philippe’s son, is a French-American artist who carries a legendary name on his shoulders — and   his wrist, of course. He is now Charriol’s visual director.

The Philippines’ purple and prune phalanx was led by SSI Group president Anton Huang and his team headed by Malu Francisco, Bianca Cruz and Gail Cowper. SSI is the exclusive distributor of Charriol jewelry and watches in the Philippines. Charriol and SSI transformed Balesin and at least three of its villages into style destinations and cocoons of chill. Alexandre let his hair down (literally) and the dapper Anton wore flip-flops. Ruffa Gutierez and her French-Israeli boyfriend were a coosome twosome, sharing a lounge chair for one in the afternoon, having a lovers’ spat at midnight and making up at dawn. The belles of the ball lost a shoe in the party by the Balesin spa pool on the last night, and some gallant princes returned it the morning after — right before the private plane that bore the group took off for Manila.

The dreamy, nostalgic look in Anton Huang’s eyes was, as he confessed,  due to the happy memories the island of Balesin brought him. It was where he first met the beautiful Nina Herrera over a decade ago, and the rest is history. She had his back even then, Anton chuckles, because at low tide, they crossed the sea on foot between two small islets off the main island and Anton gallantly carried her on his back. Anton and Nina are now happily married parents of two, and it is his first time to have returned to Balesin since that memorable day.

But the real star of the Balesin brigade was the Charriol St. Tropez style collection — iconic watches with a twist inspired by the glamour of St. Tropez, playground of the rich and famous in the south of France.

The new St. Tropez Style is “a new sophisticated way to tell the time…with a twist,” said Alexandre, who expressed pride that Charriol has been in the Philippines for 20 years now.

This latest addition to the St. Tropez collection can be customized with interchangeable clips and bracelets to suit your mood or the style of the moment.

What I like about Charriol timepieces is that they have an iconic look — the twist —  and yet can never be dated. There are always twists, and being able to customize a watch gives one an individuality without losing the glamour and elegance associated with the Charriol brand in the first place.

According George Clooney look-alike Thibaud Jaouen, the Philippines is definitely one of the “fastest growing” Charriol markets in Asia, with women comprising 60 percent of the market.

Sales all over the Philippines are brisk that Charriol is opening up its 20th store in the Philippines this April in General Santos City, its third in Mindanao.

A reason to applaud, for economic progress in Mindanao — which the Charriol store in GenSan attests to — is an antidote to skirmishes now taking place in the region. Jobs and justice bring peace.

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It was my first time in Balesin, a 500-hectare tropical island kissed by the Pacific Ocean off Eastern Luzon. Balesin takes you around the world in half a day in these 500 hectares with its seven authentic island villages — the Filipino-themed Balesin, exotic Bali, colorful St. Tropez, romantic Toscana, the Greek enclave Mykonos, vibrant Costa del Sol, and peaceful Phuket. Each village boasts a cluster of villas that evoke that feel and architecture of their origin, plus restaurants that serve specialties comparable to those in their provenance. We heard that the most popular restaurants are those in Toscana, Costa del Sol and St. Tropez.

For those after the beach, Balesin Village has 7.3 kilometers of white-sand beach, not as powdery fine as that of Boracay, but almost as white. Balesin offers you privacy like very, very few beaches in the Philippines can. Before 8 a.m., the Balesin beachfront is virtually yours, with only the sound of the waves crashing on the shore with the wind cheering them on encroaching on your solitude. No crowds, no noise, with partying confined to certain places only (so you can’t say Balesin is dull).

We were flown to Balesin on a private plane, which takes you on a 20-minute flight from Manila to the island (but that’s not counting the traffic on the runway, where you can wait for up to 30 minutes for your turn to take off).

After a welcome lunch at the Balesin Clubhouse, we checked into our bungalows, which have a Jacuzzi at the deck and an indoor and outdoor shower. We had a sunset soiree at the nearby Bali Nusa Dua, during which we were all requested to come in white. A splendid  buffet dinner of moussaka, roast leg of lamb and other Greek gastronomic delights at Mykonos followed as the full moon shone on the white stone villas of the village.

The next day was at leisure, with a Filipino-themed lunch at the Balesin sala and  either snorkeling, kayaking, horseback riding after lunch. I chose a relaxing massage at the Balesin spa under the deft hands of therapist Carol. The spa is an all-white enclave, and each therapy room looks like a storage container, which is an all-white cocoon inside. It was not your usual Oriental or Middle Eastern-themed spa.

Then we, who are mostly behind the cameras during shoots, were given our 15 minutes of fame before the cameras with ace lensman Niccolo Cosme, who coached us to give our best angles — just like the real thing.

The highlight of the Balesin sojourn was the Charriol St. Tropez-style launch dinner and party at the Balesin Spa Garden and Pool Area — truly transporting one to the south of France with its whitewashed  structures and infinity pool, on which was mirrored the silvery moon.

Come to think of it, the moon looked like a Charriol watch. (You may e-mail me at [email protected].)