Guests assembled on the residence’s pool deck to get a look at a trove of Swiss watches
Words by THE C MAGAZINE EDITORS
Photography by JAKE SHIDELER
On Wednesday, June 4, C Magazine and founder Jennifer Smith and IWC Schaffhausen threw a celebratory dinner party at the Corazza House, the home of John McIlwee and Bill Damaschke. Designed by architect Raúl Garduño in Trousdale Estates and built in 1971, the low-profile design proved an ideal gathering place for guests from the worlds of art and design, as well as timepiece collectors with an eye for particular watch models. The limited-edition Ingenieur Automatic 40, with a green dial and stainless steel case and bracelet, was a particular draw, inspired by the bespoke watch worn by Brad Pitt’s character, Formula One driver Sonny Hayes, in the upcoming F1: The Movie.
Interior designers Ross Cassidy, Oliver Furth, Luis Fernandez, Giampiero Tagliaferri, and Severine Tatangelo were on hand, as was landscape designer Scott Schrader. Mixed-media sculptor Carl Hopgood, art consultant Tracy O’Brien, and actor Monet Mazur joined Christine and Dr. Gabriel Chiu and NJ Falk and Mark Goldston, Cosima and Beau Swayze, and producer Christina Steinberg and Scott Mattingly for a look at IWC’s innovative watches, including Ingenieur models, one of the storied watchmaker’s best-known and understated designs.
Tables near the house’s crescent-shaped pool held groups of wristwatches including pieces inspired by aviators, engineers, divers, and drivers; designs that ranged from sport models to Pilot’s Watches to the elegant Portugieser, with its references to classic pocket models. As the sun set candles were lit for dinner by Chef Sandy Ho with wines paired by La Jota Vineyards, and the house’s half-acre hillside perch grew dark and city lights twinkled in the distance, beckoning adventurers of all stripes.
June 12, 2025.
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