5 minute read
KEEPING UP WITH THE TIMES
WORDS CHRIS HALL
Keeping up with the times with the times
What does a new crop of luxury watches tell us about the direction of travel in this most stately of industries?
The world of luxury watches can be bemusing to follow from afar, with its neverending talk of hyped-up fashion the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. As both the single most in uential design of the last half century and one of the most in-demand watches right now, Audemars Piguet was never going to overhaul it drastically, instead playing it safe with a range of collaborations, tourbillons and new designs that delighted purists, titanium at one end, and intense while introducing a new automatic technical jargon at the movement as a other. It helps, I nd, to consider everything Every watch brand is reminder that substance, as well on a spectrum from engaged in constant as style, has a tradition to modernity: dialogue with its part to play. every watch brand is engaged in a constant past while ghting Ploughing a similar furrow dialogue with its past to stay relevant is Vacheron while ghting to stay Constantin, relevant in a rapidly which stole the changing world. show at Watches and Wonders in SLICK OVERHAUL Geneva in April A good example is one with a revival of its of the biggest stories in 1970s icon Historique the watch world this year, 222 in period-correct the 50th anniversary of yellow gold.
ABOVE:
Vacheron Constantin Historiques Ref 222
RIGHT & BELOW:
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th anniversary watch
is le all eyes on Patek Philippe, whose Nautilus is commonly bracketed alongside the Royal Oak and 222 as part of a ‘holy trinity’ of 1970s designs that melted the divide between high-end luxury and sporty, practical design. Last year, Patek discontinued the Ref 5711 Nautilus, before stoking demand to new heights by releasing limited-edition ‘end-of-run’ models, most notably in collaboration with Ti any.
A new Nautilus design was widely expected to be announced in Geneva, but fans were le waiting as the brand instead chose to focus on introducing a more youthful, playful aesthetic to some of its other lines, with a strong focus on travel time and chronograph complications. e 5326 Calatrava Annual Calendar Travel Time is classic Patek Philippe given a new VENERATED CLASSICS A renewed focus on the staple genres of tool watches – a er a year of headline-grabbing limited editions and collaborations – was evident at the more mainstream brands, too. Rolex and sister brand Tudor both led out with GMT models; the opinion-splitting le -handed GMT-Master II for Rolex, and the Black Bay Pro for Tudor, while the same idea prevailed at Longines with its handsome Spirit Zulu Time, and at Seiko with its Grand Seiko range (there are many similarly impenetrably-named models, but the Spring Time GMT Ref SBGE283 is a highlight, with its steel bezel and deep blue dial).
From the big-name chronograph brands has also come a crop of updates to venerated classics:
RIGHT: Patek Philippe Ref 5470 1/10th Second Monopusher Chronograph
new Autavia chronographs from TAG Heuer line up alongside Breitling’s refreshed (and much more colourful) Navitimer collection and Omega’s latest Speedmaster ’57 in the ranks of entirely modern takes on designs from a misty-eyed golden era of chronograph creation.
spin, with a charcoal grey dial described as reminiscent of vintage camera bodies, while the camera bodies, while the Ref 5470 1/10th Second Ref 5470 1/10th Second Monopusher Chronograph Monopusher Chronograph is a stunning reminder that is a stunning reminder that this most idolised brand is rst this most idolised brand is rst and foremost an engineer of and foremost an engineer of incredible watchmaking rather incredible watchmaking rather than merely a vehicle for social than merely a vehicle for social media activity.
BELOW AND RIGHT:
The Tudor Black Bay Pro marks Greenwich Mean Time
DEEP DIVE It is with dive watches It is with dive watches – that most simple – that most simple horological template – horological template – that we have seen a real that we have seen a real urry of modern, high urry of modern, hightech approaches, however. tech approaches, however. Montblanc has dipped a toe Montblanc has dipped a toe in the water for the rst time in the water for the rst time with the 1858 Iced Sea, a solid with the 1858 Iced Sea, a solid diver that stands out with its ne diver that stands out with its ne dial representing glacier ice. dial representing glacier ice.
Panerai’s latest Submersible Panerai’s latest Submersible models continue its commitment models continue its commitment to recycled steel, or eSteel, as it calls it. And some of the biggest names in underwater watches have pushed to new depths. TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver will take you down to 1,000m without complaint, and boasts a ni y new crown-protection system, while Omega’s Planet Ocean ‘Ultra Deep’ range is rated to a phenomenal 6,000m of pressure.
BELOW:
Left-handed watch Rolex GMT-Master II Green and Black ‘Destro’
ABOVE: TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 1000 Superdiver BELOW RIGHT: Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch; a collaboration between Omega and Swatch
INTO THE FUTURE One watch launch, however, has dominated the news so far this year like no other: a collaboration between stablemates Omega and Swatch that saw the look of a Speedmaster Moonwatch carried onto a chunky, bioceramic-cased, quartz-powered Swatch. Released in 11 di erent colours (each one named for a body in the solar system), it was announced in March to the kind of fanfare usually reserved for Apple ‘drops’ – watch fans slept on the streets of London, Tokyo and New York to have a chance at buying the ‘Moonswatch’, as it was christened. Some couldn’t understand the hype over a £200, non-limited edition watch; others felt this particular balancing act between tradition and modernity was a little o , but within 24 hours, millions had heard about it and all available stock had sold out worldwide. If anything represents the future of watches, this is probably it.
