At the 28th year of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), 34 exhibitors showcased iconic timepieces to collectors, horologists and the media from around the world. The grand watchmaking event took place in January this year in the Swiss capital. Here are the highlights of what was exhibited at the watch fair. Jazreen Deboo reports.
Triple Split by A Lange & Söhne
A Lange & Söhne has launched its first triple rattrapante (split-seconds chronograph) chronograph. The most distinctive feature of the watch is that it allows multi-hour comparative time measurements. It uses additional hands to stop lap and reference time of events. With a 55-hour power reserve, A Lange & Söhne says this is “the first and only split-seconds chronograph in the world that can measure additive and comparative times for as long as 12 hours” and ”is in a league of its own”. This limited edition of 100 pieces has a silver dial encased in 18k white gold. alange-soehne.com
Strap: Alligator leather strap with white gold folding buckle
Case diameter: 43.2mm
Water resistance: not specified
Royal Oak RD#2 by Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet’s new RD#2 — a Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin model took five years to develop. It is the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar watch in the world, with a thickness of 6.3mm. The engineers at Audemars Piguet managed to make the model almost 30 per cent thinner than any other watch in the world. The redesigned case shaves almost 2mm off the Royal Oak Extra Thin Jumbo. The watchmaker has managed this reduction by combining its three-storey movement into a mechanism with a single, flat row of integrating components. It sports a blue dial with white gold index markers encased in 950 platinum. audemarspiguet.com
Strap: 950 platinum bracelet
Case diameter: 41mm
Water resistance: 20 metres
The Clifton Club Indian Legend Tribute, Chief by Baume & Mercier
The Clifton Club has been launched under Baume & Mercier’s Clifton Collection. It pays tribute to the Indian Motorcycle brand that launched classic speedsters like the Scout and the Chief. At SIHH, Baume & Mercier introduced the Clifton Club Indian Legend Tribute, Chief, a limited edition piece dedicated to the iconic bike model by Indian Motorcycle. The riveted indexes next to the hour and minute hands are coated with green emission Superluminova, intensifying the full black dial effect. A tachymeter scale for speed measurements surrounds this. The date disc with the inscribed “1901” denotes Indian Motorcycle’s founding date. This number is also engraved on the back of the case along with the Indian Motorcycle Headdress logo. The red chronograph second hand features the Indian “I”. baume-et-mercier.com
Strap: Steel bracelet
Case diameter: 44mm
Water resistance: 50 metres
Révélation d’Une Panthère by Cartier
At a flick of the wrist, gold beads encased within the watch move across the surface of the dial to create a panther motif for a few seconds before settling at the bottom. This model comes in a 37mm 18k pink gold case with 45 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 1.64 carats. There are three different dial colours to choose from — red, green, and black. The model’s gold-finish steel apple-shaped hands feature on a black lacquer dial and it is powered by the manually-wound calibre 430 MC. It features a shiny black alligator-skin strap and its additional strap is in burgundy alligator skin. The red and green variants of the timepiece are limited editions with only 100 pieces available. cartier.com
Strap: Alligator leather strap with double adjustable folding buckle
Case diameter: 37mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Cat’s Eye Day and Night by Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux’ enchanting Cat’s Eye collection has been adorning women’s wrists for over a decade. Its latest launch, the Day and Night is a high jewellery timepiece featuring a dark blue aventurine dial, studded with 149, 52 and 14 brilliant cut diamonds on the dial, case and buckle respectively. The precious stones on the dial are meant to signify stars in the night sky. The watch is powered by a self-winding mechanical and has a 46-hour power reserve. The special window depicts the night sky, in which the shape of the moon and sun changes as the day advances. girard-perregaux.com
Strap: Alligator Blue leather strap with a white gold folding buckle
Case diameter: 36.90mm x 30.75mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
GMT Earth by Greubel Forsey
The GMT Earth is a visually complicated timepiece. The watchmaker has challenged the limits of horology by placing a rotating three dimensional globe on the dial. The three-dimensionality is also present in the hour, minute and small seconds and GMT indications, continuing onto the long hand for the power reserve. The globe simultaneously displays three time zones. Summer and winter times of additional 24 time zones are displayed in the “movement” section of the watch. The complex movement of the piece is revealed by its sapphire crystal case back. It has a power reserve of 72 hours. The limited edition watch in white gold has only 33 pieces available in the market. greubelforsey.com
Strap: Black rubber or hand-sewn alligator with a white gold folding clasp
Case diameter: 45.50mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Carré H by Hermès
Marc Berthier, a famous French designer and architect, designed the iconic square-shaped timepiece Carré H for Hermès in 2010. The concept behind it is “modern aesthetic, designed for instant legibility”. This year, to celebrate the eight anniversary of his creation, Hermès has unveiled an updated version of the Carré H. The 2018 version has a larger stainless steel square case of 38mm length. Depending on the colour of the strap, the second hand is a bright yellow for the brown strap, and bright red for the black strap. Both stand out against the dial with its right-angled guilloché work. It has a power reserve of 50 hours. hermes.com
Strap: Brown Barenia calfskin or black calfskin with a pin buckle
Case diameter: 38mm x 38mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 years” by IWC
In 1883, Josef Pallweber, an Austrian watchmaker manufactured the “first so-called Pallweber pocket watches”. The hours and minutes were displayed in a digital format — large numbers on rotating discs. This year, International Watch Company (IWC) commemorates the milestone with the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years”, limited to 500 pieces. The watch is slim at a thickness of 12mm, has a manual-winding movement. iwc.com
Strap: Alligator leather strap by Santoni, a high-end Italian shoe manufacturer
Case diameter: 45mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Polaris Memovox by Jaeger LeCoultre
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the original Memovox Polaris watch that was created in 1968. The 1,000-piece limited edition features, what it terms as, “an iconic triangle”: the centre of the dial has a rotating disc with a small triangle, which is the alarm. On pulling and turning the crown located at the second hour, the disk rotates to align the triangle with the desired time. The case back is engraved with a diving helmet, replicating the symbol etched on the original model; and a “50th anniversary” inscription. jaeger-lecoultre.com
Strap: Black rubber
Case diameter: 42mm
Water resistance: 200 metres
Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic by Panerai
Panerai’s Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic collection is the thinnest and smallest Panarai creation, with a thickness of no more than 11.20mm and a case diameter of 38mm. The model also come in 42mm and 45mm. It features minimalist lines and a redesign of the original Luminor model. The model launched in SIHH this year is made from AISI 316L stainless steel, a steel alloy with properties of “corrosion resistance” properties. The anthracite dial with “satiné soleil” finish has large bright hour markers and figures. It also has the 1956 Panerai patented winding crown “protected by the classic bridge device with lever”.
Strap: Tone on tone
Case diameter: 38mm, 42mm and 45mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Kalpa Chronor by Parmigiani
This year, Parmigiani has revived its Kalpa collection with the Kalpa Chronor, also known for its tonneau shape. It functions on the first watch movement created by Michel Parmigiani in 1998 — “a shaped movement PF110” — to mirror the curves of the watch’s body. Kalpa Chronor is powered by the an all-gold self-winding integrated chronograph movement — the PF365 movement. It oscillates at the high frequency of 36,000 vibrations per hour to achieve a reading accuracy of one tenth of a second. parmigiani.com
Strap: Black Hermès alligator strap with an 18k rose gold folding clasp
Case diameter: 48.2mm X 40.9mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch by Piaget
Breaking a world record, Piaget has created the thinnest hand-wound watch in the world at only 2mm overall thickness. After four years of research and development, and the filing of five patents, Piaget finally unveiled the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch to the world. The timepiece is a product of precision, engineering and design. A high-tech cobalt-based alloy makes it possible to be uniquely thin and durable at the same time. This theme of thinness continues in its 1.1mm strap too. The main plate and the case back are treated with black PVD. int.piaget.com
Strap: Alligator skin and a kevlar core lined with suede calfskin
Case diameter: not specified
Water resistance: not specified
RM 07-01 by Richard Mille
Richard Mille RM 07-01 has a gem-studded dial with curves and a tonneau shaped case design. Following the lines on the case, the bracelet’s many micro-blasted, satin-brushed and polished links are built in harmony with it. The bracelet is available in red gold or white gold. The watch has a calibre CRMA2 skeletonise automatic movement with hours, minutes and an adjustable rotor geometry. The movement is fully visible through the back and partially through the front. Set with diamonds, the dial is made of onyx and red gold. richardmille.com
Strap: Black rubber strap
Case diameter: 45.66mm X 31.04mm
Water resistance: 50 metres
Excalibur Spider Pirelli by Roger Dubuis
Roger Dubuis has partnered with racing tyre maker Pirelli to create the Excalibur Spider Pirelli. This 88-piece limited edition has been inspired by motorsports and features a self-winding mechanical calibre. It follows the colour code of Pirelli and its strap has rubber inlays from certified, “Pirelli winning tyres” that have actually competed in races. They also have the well known tread motifs of the Pirelli Cinturato intermediate tyre. The case back of the skeleton dial watch is made with black DLC-coated titanium. rogerdubuis.com
Strap: Black rubber base and Pirelli special tyre inlay
Case diameter: 45mm
Water resistance: 50 metres
FiftySix Day-Date by Vacheron Constantin
At SIHH this year, Vacheron Constantin debuted an entirely new collection called FiftySix Day-Date inspired by its vintage models and is contemporary in feel and design. Indications on the metal dial include hours, minutes, hand-type date, center seconds, power reserve, and hand-type day of the week. The model is powered by the Vacheron Constantin calibre 2475SC/2, which provides a 40-hour power reserve. The automatic timepiece features 27 jewels. vacheron-constantin.com
Strap: dark grey with a deployant buckle
Case diameter: 40mm
Water resistance: 30 metres
