On 27 November, the 2024 edition of the Ball in Monaco will take place—the ninth iteration now of the Singapore branch of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s flagship event in support of climate and environmental action. This year’s edition is titled ‘The Glaciers’, with a theme and focus on protecting our planet’s glaciers. The event will be graced by the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, and guest-of-honour and Singapore foreign affairs minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
The Ball in Monaco is created by Sophie Arnaud-Deromedi, dedicated to raising awareness and funds for critical global issues. This year’s Glacier Edition theme was chosen to align with the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration of the years between 2025 to 2034 as the decade of action for cryospheric sciences. In other words, a decade wherein one of our most urgent climate issues is the health of our glacial and ice masses.
This year’s gala will include an immersive show. The aim, says Arnaud-Deromedi, is to “convince our audience [with] unforgettable emotions, and a [truly] captivating, exclusive and unique experience.” The goal is to turn guests into committed ambassadors and champions of the cause, both within and beyond Asia.
Past editions of the Ball in Monaco have promoted projects and initiatives such as agricultural development in Bangladesh, renewable energy in Myanmar, the protection of endangered animal species in Vietnam and China, and combatting deforestation in Myanmar and Indonesia.
Ahead of the 2024 edition, here are some highlights of the Ball in Monaco Glacier Edition to look forward to.
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An 'Ice & Snow White' fashion show by Anne Fontaine
French-Brazilian fashion designer Anne Fontaine is returning with another tailor-made show for the Ball in Monaco, after a successful outing in 2022 with the Ocean Edition. This year’s is themed ‘Ice & Snow White’, and will express both the designer’s sense of French glamour and her passion for social and environmental causes.
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A unique Anne Fontaine breastplate corset
As part of the charity fundraising auction at the Ball in Monaco, the maison Anne Fontaine is putting up a unique corset from its Agata collection up for offer. The Agata collection is a noteworthy chapter in the brand’s history—and one that echoes the Ball in Monaco’s future-forward concerns for the environment—as it is designed with Anne Fontaine and her daughter Clara. “Working alongside your child,” comments Anne, “is a magnificent journey.”
The corset is handcrafted from a customised polymer material, and moulded to create a fluid and feminine silhouette. An Agata corset is available only in select locations worldwide on special order.
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A pièce unique F.P.Journe Chronomètre à Résonance
The independent watchmaker François-Paul Journe is a living legend, whose handcrafted pieces are rare and highly desirable. The brand which bears his name produces only around 1,000 pieces a year. Which makes it all the more special that Journe has created a unique, one-of-a-kind piece specially for the Ball in Monaco’s fundraising auction—the third time now that he has supported the event. In past editions, F.P.Journe created for the Ball in Monaco a Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante in 2018, and a Chronomètre Optimum in 2022.
The watchmaker is set to put something truly special up for auction in this edition: a Chronomètre à Résonance, the only wristwatch in the world that features acoustic resonance. It’s a complication in which two independent balance wheels harmonise and oscillate in opposition to cancel out and compensate for external disturbances to keep precise time.
To mark this platinum-cased pièce unique, the timepiece features a burgundy dial design, and typography with modern Chinese numerals and numerals inspired by Oracle Bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing that dates back over 3,000 years.
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The back of the F.P.Journe Chronomètre à Résonance reveals its two movements in 18K rose gold. The unique piece will bear the serial number 638-RQ, and “S.A.S Albert II Singapore 2024” engraved on the movement.
Auction house Phillips will be partnering with F.P.Journe for the third time at the Ball in Monaco to support the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Says Thomas Perazzi, Phillips’s head of Watches Asia: “Phillips is extremely humbled and honoured to have been chosen as supporting auctioneer”. Perazzi is confident, he adds, “that this exquisite timepiece will gather finest collectors’ interest and exceed the previous F.PJourne record obtained at the 2022 edition.”
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A polar bear bracelet by Faidee, set with rare Burmese rubies, diamonds and sapphires
The jeweller Faidee is returning once more this year to support the Ball in Monaco. The brand, which has been an expert for over a century in rare Burmese rubies, has created a bracelet, dubbed ‘Starry Warmth to Glacial Cold’ for the charity auction. It’s been designed specially for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation as an elegant embodiment of environmental consciousness, with polar bear and iceberg motifs to draw attention to the climate change issue of melting glaciers.
The bracelet itself has been crafted from 18K yellow and white gold, with a panoply of 478 gemstones in total: sparkling diamonds, glacial gradients of blue sapphires, and an extraordinary ensemble of matched unheated Burmese rubies.
The Ball in Monaco Glacier Edition will be held on 27 November. All profits will benefit the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, acting for the protection of the environment.
