At the start of every year, the watch community knows there is one event where the trends that we will all be talking about for the next twelve months will be set. That is SIHH, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève.
Bringing together some of the biggest watch houses in the world along with some of the most innovative independents, a whole range of what the watch industry has to offer is on display and each brand is showing their greatest and best.
Here is a sneak peak on what to look out for from this week’s show.
Cartier bring back the Tonneau
Originally made in 1906, the Tonneau — meaning barrel — shaped watch was introduced by Cartier to bring a sense of modernity to the wristwatches at the time. Now they’ve re-introduced the model with very modern upgrades.
They’ve kept the curved case to sit perfectly on the wrist and it has been expertly sealed to make it perfectly water resistant. Made in a limited run and only in platinum (as it was in 1906) and rose gold, you’ll want to get your pre-orders in for these classic timepieces early.
Jaeger-LeCoultre head to the moon and back
They’re bringing the painstaking handcrafts of guilloché and enamelling to the forefront with this new addition to their Master Ultra Thin model. While Jaeger-LeCoultre might be best known for their small, square reverso watches, their round-cased models should not go ignored.
The deep midnight blue colour of the dial is achieved through the enameling process which is only done by a handful of craftsmen in a corner of Switzerland because it is so tricky to get right. This is a great teaser of what we can expect from the Vallée de Joux manufacture in the year to come.
A. Lange & Söhne celebrate an anniversary
Asymmetry is not normally considered beautiful design but, 25 years ago, the German genius at A. Lange & Söhne set out to challenge this belief. Now all you have to do is look at the success of the Lange 1 family of watches to know that asymmetry can be beautiful.
The newest iteration of this now-historic family is going to be just the first in the “25th Anniversary” family that Lange appear set to release throughout the year. We can’t wait to see what follows this stunning model.
IWC take a journey around the world
Pilot’s watches are somewhat of a speciality for IWC and for good reason — they’ve been making some of the best since the Second World War. Now they are taking the most famous planes from that era, the Spitfire, and flying it around the world.
To commemorate this journey, they have produced this fantastic world timer with an incredible in-house movement powering it. Cast in tough stainless steel with a black dial and dark green textile strap, it is reminiscent of a Spitfire cockpit instruments.
Panerai have us all holding our breath
PAM00982
Having to hold your breath for longer than four minutes is just an everyday activity for the likes of freediving champion Guillaume Nery. He has even gone down to a staggering depth of 126m and back up in one breath.
Built to Nery’s specifications, this deep sea chronograph can survive up to 300m underwater and has been built in a titanium case for lightness and ease of wear while out of the water. The flyback chronograph that Panerai have fitted to this is top of the line and gives breathtaking accuracy when timing your next dive.
Now check out our guide to some last minute gifts for watch enthusiasts…
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