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A watchful eye

Luxury buying markets may have slowed down a little in recent months, but big things are happening in the world of watches, noted in new releases from some of the biggest names in the business. Josh Sims takes us on a timely market update

With jewellery shops closed and trade shows cancelled, the watch world has been greatly diminished over recent months. It would be too much to see this as being behind a key trend of 2021 - after all, watch designs are often years in development - but that there’s a distinct down-scaling in case sizes perhaps suggests a reappraisal of the watch as a more personal, more intimate object than the outsized ostentatiousness that has dominated much of the last decade. In a watch a matter of millimetres can make all the difference, and all those 45mm-plus models seem to be slinking away in favour of more modest proportions - Rolex’s new take on its Explorer sees it drop to a positively dainty 36mm, for example. Panerai, the Italian Navy commando brand that prided itself on its serious proportions and in many respects drove the trend for thinking big, has downscaled its Submersible from 47mm to 42mm - much smaller, if not exactly small. Even IWC’s Big Pilot - a watch that referred to its heft in its very name - now drops from 46mm to 43mm. This shift is likely a response to the inexorable rise of interest in and demand for vintage watches - always much, much smaller than contemporary pieces - a market many makers have long tried to tap through the launch of archive re-issues. Few makers, however, have had the nerve to actually replicate those vintage proportions, until now. But it also has the benefit of making many ostensibly macho

watches more proportionate to female wrists. In downsizing, many of 2021’s new releases are more akin to unisex styles. Maybe the desire to make watches that much more accessible - more wearable, less gender-specific - also explains this year’s definite shift towards elegance. Of course, tool-like sports watches remain a staple style, and for this year’s there’s a definite emphasis on stainless steel-less as a practical, hardy choice, and more as an aesthetically-appealing material in its own right. Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak - designed by the legendary Gerald Genta - may have pioneered the idea that steel can be luxurious back in 1972, but now the likes of the Chopard Alpine Eagle, Baume & Mercier’s new Riviera collection and Piaget Polo all make a proper show of the steel bracelet too. It brings a dressy touch to sports models. Indeed, this is in-keeping with a renewed attention for modern dress watches too - in part due to some birthdays to celebrate, but coming just as much out of the need for watches to again appeal visually rather than appeal primarily to the fulfilment of the fantasy that you are, in fact, a fighter pilot or deep sea diver. There’s the likes of Vacheron Constantin’s Historiques American 1921, launched to celebrate the model’s centenary this year, or Jaeger LeCoultre’s new green-dialled Reverso, marking the design’s 90th anniversary. Colour, indeed, looks to be something of a trend too, and, boy, do we need some colour these days. Cartier’s relaunch of its Must de Cartier quartz collection from the late 1970s, now in blue, burgundy and green, is a stand-out example. Green, certainly, is the shade of the moment - IWC uses it for its new Pilot’s Chronograph and Patek Philippe for its latest Nautilus - though A. Lange & Sohne prefers shades of salmon, notably with its graceful Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar; Oris releases its bronze Sixty-Five diver with dials in edible shades of ‘cotton candy’ - aqua, teal and proper bubblegum pink; Zenith its 21 Defy Spectrum - with an open work dial picking out certain parts of the mechanism in, say, orange or purple; and Hublot even has a ceramic model in yellow. So sophisticated understatement isn’t entirely the order of the day. For all of the modesty and subtlety on show this >>

Colour, indeed, looks to be something of a trend too, and, boy, do we need some colour these days

Time Trader is one of the leading and fastest growing luxury watch dealers in the UK. Founded in 2017 by Arron Honzik, Time Trader quickly became the North East’s number one destination for Swiss timepieces.

Our boutique showroom in Teesside’s beautifully historic, Grade I Listed Acklam Hall, boasts an astonishing collection from brands such as Rolex, Patek Phillippe, Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille.

Acklam Hall Hall Drive Middlesbrough TS5 7DY 01642 268 343 | info@time-trader.co.uk www.time-trader.co.uk

The desire to make watches that much more accessible - more wearable, less gender-specific - also explain’s this year’s definite shift towards elegance The experience behind the tailoring

For me, tailoring is more than just finding a suit. Tailoring is about quality, fit and experience. At Walton & Sutherland, we aim to provide all of this. High-quality tailoring, with a bespoke service, made just for you.

year, there’s the inevitable counter-reaction too. If the watch industry has rightly been criticised for its playing safe over recent years, 2021’s new batch not excepted - all those re-issues, all of those brands depending on the most gentle of updates to their bread-and-butter watch icons, smaller budgets meaning an appeal to more cautious, conservative buyers - there does appear to be a glimmer of a push, at last, towards more radical design. Watch industry stalwarts will tell you that the mechanical watch is, essentially, functionally redundant - a temperamental throwback long since outmoded by electronics, and above all by the ubiquity of the smartphone. Arguably that’s a tacit acknowledgement - even among those brands known for their classicism - that there’s a need for watches to impress less for their mechanics, less for their brand, and more for their distinctive design agenda, which is, after all, the first point of connection for most wearers. This is an idea independent brands have long grasped, but now more historic makers are too. Such looks can be subtle to the point of invisibility, through a play on materials - Tudor’s Fifty-Eight 925, the latest take on its Black Bay, the model that relaunched the brand with such success, now comes with a case in warm, tarnish-resistant silver, a metal long overlooked by the watch industry. Likewise, Panerai has a take on its prototype, Submersible, made from 98.6% recycled materials, which is impressive when you know it, the point being, of course, that you can’t just on sight. Ulysse Nardin’s chiming Blast Hourstriker - winner, surely, of the best watch name for 2021 - is the product of a collaboration with audio tech company Devialet to create a titanium membrane that gives its chime an impressive, and certainly hard to ignore, 85dB. But they can be completely out there too - as with Zenith’s Defy Extreme, or Hublot’s Big Bang Sang Bleu II ceramic chronograph, which, all dark layers and jagged angles, looks like some alien artefact. IWC’s ultralight Big Pilot’s XPL automatic concept watch - from the brand’s new experimental division - is certainly innovative, with a pioneering spring suspension system said to handle impacts beyond 30,000G, but it looks incredible too. You can’t buy it - which is maybe just as well, because if the wearer were to experience anything like 30,000G, it would be fatal - but it’s a hint of what’s to come. Somewhere in between these extremes are designs that just feel fresh without being too much for most. Enter then the likes of H. Moser & Cie’s Endeavour Tourbillon, complete with hard-stone dial, or Hermès modernistic H08, with its rounded square cushion-shaped case, made of lightweight titanium and the wonder material graphene. Watches that don’t feel as though you’ve seen them a thousand times before are out there, but you have to keep on the lookout. May many more follow them next year. The experience begins when you enter our Durham boutique, we begin with a by-appointmentonly consultation, to find out your exact needs and style. You will browse a library of over 1,200 fabrics, before having your measurements taken by our trained and experienced tailors. Each piece will be made-to-measure and bespoke to you. The epitome of luxury. Following the consultation, you will visit the boutique for your initial fitting, where we can ensure that everything meets your needs. The journey is bespoke to you from there. I learned my trade working for one of the world’s most reputable menswear brands, where I truly learned to appreciate strong tailoring and was able to develop my knowledge and skills of made-to-measure. I believe a great suit acts as a canvas for the inner personality. Confidence, strength and success. But I also believe that each suit should carry an experience, it should be a talking point - whether it’s designed for work, a wedding, or an event. That is exactly what we aim to achieve.

Jack

Walton & Sutherland are now taking appointments. Visit waltonsutherland.com for more information.

Walton & Sutherland, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens, Woodland Rd, Durham DH7 9RH

LUXE LOVES

Purple rain

This dazzling Selfwinding Chronograph adorned with a sunburst smoked purple lacquered dial and matching alligator strap is the perfect timepiece to make a style-conscious statement this season.

audemarspiguet.com

Selecting a new watch should always be an event.

As a champion of design, style and quality, Berry’s Jewellers offers the ultimate watch-buying experience in the ultimate setting, and now is the perfect time to get your pick of the very latest models from the world-leading names in horology. Taking place every spring, ‘Watches and Wonders’ is the premier luxury watch event where prestigious brands come together to reveal their latest releases for the year, and this year has seen a celebration of watchmaking excellence with everything from elegant Italian styling such as the sophisticated Panerai Lumino Chrono with a polished steel finish and a sunburst blue dial, to re-imagined classics such as the TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300. So, if you are looking for the very latest in watch technology or a quintessential timepiece that will withstand the test of time, our extensive range of luxury watches will be sure to deliver. They say that a watch is an extension of your personality, so whatever your taste and whether it is functionality or aesthetics that is important to you, be individual and make a statement - with our expert knowledge and assistance, there’s no better place to find that perfect watch.

Breitling Premier B25 Datora 42 £9,250 Chopard Happy Sport the First 33mm Automatic Limited Edition £8,630 IWC Big Pilot’s Watch 43 £7,200 Panerai Luminor Chrono £8,700

Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm £6,800

TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300 £3,500