Style -- 10 hours ago
Words: Violet
The after effects of the global recession may be lingering in some quarters, but there has been little sign of it at Geneva’s 24th Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), the world’s most exclusive watch show. If, for example, you’ve got GBP 970,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you could have yourself a platinum-cased Cartier with a dial made from stone mosaic arranged in the image of a prowling white tiger. You’ll have to pounce on it though – just five are being made, and rumour has it that they have all been reserved by Asian collectors.
A more affordable Sfr 670,000, meanwhile, will get you the product of 15 years worth of research by the boffins at haute-horlogerie brand Greubel Forsey, which makes just 100 watches per year. The new ‘QP’ model (for quantieme perpetuelle, or perpetual calendar) isn’t so much a watch as a 550-part mechanical computer which, as long as it is kept running, will display the correct day, date, month and year for the next century, automatically accounting for leap years and short months.
But it’s not only the super-expensive pieces that amaze. Piaget, which found fame with its ultra-elegant dress watches favoured by the ’60s jet set, has maintained its status as the maker of the world’s thinnest timepiece with its new, 39mm diameter Altiplano containing the 900P movement – including the case, it measures a wafer-thin 3.65mm.
Audemars Piguet has also wowed the crowds with a revamp of its signature, octagonal Royal Oak sports watch. The new ‘concept’ piece is designed to be both tough and dramatic looking, using lightweight titanium for the case and scratch proof ceramic for both the bezel and the main movement bridge to support the hand-wound movement which incorporates a tourbillon escapement and dual time zone.
The SIHH is an invitation-only show staged by luxury goods giant Richemont and showcases the latest horological creations of 16 of the world’s top brands. For more on the latest creations from the marvellous world of micro mechanics, ‘watch’ this space.
By Simon de Burton
