Next week, the world’s biggest horological event, Watches & Wonders, kicks off in Geneva. Bringing together 48 exhibiting brands from Mar 27 to Apr 2, the show combines the luxury trade event formerly known as the Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) and key brands from the beleaguered watch fair Baselworld.
However, ahead of Watches & Wonders Geneva, several participating brands launched timepieces as a precursor to the event proper. It has become increasingly important for watch names to keep the buzz going throughout the year — especially after the pandemic upended not just the major trade shows, but the ways that brands do their outreach as well. To set the stage for more to come, here are highlights of the horological appetisers unveiled in the first quarter of the year.
While there are many high-jewellery watches, Cartier’s pre-Watches & Wonders releases stand out among glittering horological creations. To be sure, there is a lot going on in the five models of the new Clash [Un]limited collection. There are gold beads, pointed picot studs, pyramidal clou carre studs, faceted links, sapphire-crystal glass, and gemstones galore in each watch. Many of these elements can also be found in the Clash de Cartier fine-jewellery range, which has been frequently updated since its 2019 debut.
However, despite the numerous elements in the Clash [Un]limited watches, the design is balanced, so the overall look is elegantly punkish, rather than chaotically messy. Aside from the boldly contrasting shapes of the links and beads, which are articulated and mobile, respectively, we also like the chromatic mixes of these timepieces. In the rose or yellow gold models (pictured here), matte brushed surfaces complement shiny polished ones, while a special new gold alloy in a shade of violet adds subtle yet compelling contrast.
The three gem-set versions, on the other hand, have something to offer across the colour spectrum. The most minimalist is the white gold edition set with diamonds, while a second model mixes white gold and diamonds with black spinel and obsidian for a classic black-and-white palette. Artistically combining gold, green, red and black, the most colourful model of the lot (pictured in main image at the top of this page) mixes rose gold and diamonds with spinels, tsavorites, coral, and chrysoprase. No limits, indeed.
The Globetrotter is Arnold & Son’s take on the world-time watch. At the centre is a sculpted, chemical-etched and lacquered dome representing the Northern Hemisphere that completes one anti-clockwise rotation every 24 hours. The caveat is that you have to know your geography before you can pinpoint a country on the map to trace the time back to the encircling 24-hour scale. What’s new — and covetable — about the latest version of this 45-mm model is that, for the first time, the case is made of platinum.
Having previously presented its go-anywhere, versatile H08 timepiece in titanium or a black graphene composite, Hermes now offers the dressiest version of this watch yet. The latest H08 unites a rose gold case middle with a black DLC-treated titanium caseback and a black ceramic bezel and crown. As with previous H08s, a variety of finishes, such as the grained dial and black nickel-treated hands, give the watch a sense of depth and dynamism. Measuring 39mm, the cushion-shaped timepiece is powered by a self-winding manufacture movement.
Related: Hermes releases a cool blue version of its sporty-chic h08 timepiece
In 2020, IWC presented a slightly scaled-down version of its Portugieser Automatic, in a new 40-mm version instead of its regular 42.3-mm size. Powered by the IWC automatic calibre 82200, the Portuguese Automatic 40 has so far featured white, blue and green dials. Its latest iteration comes with a dial in a vivid salmon — one of horology’s most enduring and striking colours. It especially stands out because of the Portugieser’s signature stripped-down style and open face, accented neatly by elements such as a railroad minute track, and a seconds subdial.
Inspired by a sporty-chic gold timepiece designed by Yves Piaget in 1979, the Piaget Polo was relaunched in 2016 in stainless steel. Since then, the family has grown to include not just time-and-date models, but also chronographs and skeletonised ultra-thin models, and in steel as well as precious metals.
Piaget puts the Polo under the spotlight in a big way again with the release of the Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin. One of horology’s most sought-after high complications, the perpetual calendar keeps track of the day, date and year until the year 2100, automatically accounting for irregularities such as different month lengths and leap years, as long as it’s kept wound up.
Measuring 42mm across and just 8.65mm thick, the Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin is powered by the new 1255P calibre, a self-winding movement just 4mm thick. Cased in steel, the watch features a deep emerald-green dial with a horizontal guilloche pattern, and subdials for the date, month (including the leap year) and day, as well as a moon-phase display.
Last year, Montblanc unveiled its first dive-watch collection with the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date. These were characterised by unusual dials — black, blue or green — that featured patterns inspired by the glaciers of the Sea of Ice on the Mont Blanc massif. The latest addition has a red dial. The fiery colour of the 285-piece limited-edition 1858 Iced Sea Minya Konka pays tribute to the sunset hues of Minya Konka or Mount Gongga, the highest mountain in China’s Sichuan province. The 41-mm steel timepiece is powered by an automatic movement.
Three years after its launch, we remain intrigued by the architecture of Ulysse Nardin’s Blast Tourbillon — defined by a rectangular frame accompanied by X-shaped movement bridges, which the brand says stand for exploration (hmm). Now, it introduces the love-it-or-hate-it design in rose gold and blue PVD titanium. The 45-mm watch is driven by the UN-172 in-house calibre, a self-winding flying tourbillon movement with a silicon escapement. Complementing the unusual design is an unconventional strap — a blue velvet rubber band with a rose gold and blue PVD titanium folding clasp.
An attribute of sport chronographs designed for legibility, the “panda dial” refers to a dial with a white or silver background and black chronograph registers. That popular combination now finds its way into the Overseas Chronograph by Vacheron Constantin, which previously offered the same model with a “reverse panda” dial — that is, black with white subdials. Housed in a 42.5-mm steel case, the new timepiece is powered by the in-house Calibre 5200 with column-wheel chronograph and a vertical clutch.
Related: Vacheron Constantin’s latest creations mark a feminine evolution