The character of the Salon de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) changed irrevocably with the addition of the Carré des Horlogers in 2016, a dedicated hall for independent creators and boutique brands.

At the 2019 edition, visitors to the fair can expect to find 17 independent watchmakers and boutique brands in this hall. Here is a sampling of some of the pre-announced watches that we can expect to see there.

Ressence Type 2

Ressence “broke” the SIHH in 2018 by very surprisingly showing the watch world what the future of timekeeping could possibly look like. The Belgian boutique brand brought a prototype of a truly modern, efficient, and sustainable hybrid creation that garnered crazy amounts of attention – justifiably so. Joshua Munchow summed up the Type 2 e-Crown concept in Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept: The Right Combination At The Right Time.

Ressence Type 2 on the wrist

And now the final version of the Type 2 is here. And it is next level: the first mechanical watch with a smart crown. One that is meant to take the place of the ubiquitous smartphone in some ways.

Ressence Type 2

Quick Facts Ressence Type 2
Case: 45 x 12 mm, titanium
Movement: automatic ROCS 2 (Ressence Orbital Convex System) driven by minute axle of customized ETA 2892; 45 jewels, 37 gear, e-Crown: 87 components, 1.8 joules energy per day
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; mode selector,
e-Crown functions: second time zone, mechanical power saver, self-setting, time monitoring
Price: CHF 42,500 excluding taxes

Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance: Masterpiece 1

Introduced in titanium in late 2018, the Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance features masterful technical prowess and superlative finishing. And it arrives at SIHH 2019 in new white and pink gold cases.

Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance in pink gold

The layout of this watch is driven largely by the construction of the movement – or perhaps, more precisely, two movements – that is not only perfectly symmetrical but also incorporates Armin Strom’s brand of resonance first seen in the Mirrored Force Resonance.

Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance in white gold

See more at Armin Strom Masterpiece 1 Dual Time Resonance: Simplifying With Complexity.

Quick Facts Armin Strom Dual Time Resonance: Masterpiece 1
Case: 59 x 43.4 x 15.9 mm, white or pink gold
Movement: manual winding Caliber ARF17 with two resonant movements
Functions: hours, minutes; second time zone, 24-hour display, double power reserve
Price: CHF 200,000/$268,000, excluding taxes

Grönefeld 1941 Principia

Three years after releasing the multiple award-winning 1941 Remontoire – see What We Liked And What We Didn’t At The 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève for information on its most important prize – the Dutch Grönefeld brothers announce their latest timepiece: the 1941 Principia.

Grönefeld 1941 Principia in white gold with salmon-blue buffalo strap

Its name referernces Sir Isaac Newton’s Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (often referred to as simply Principia) combined with the birth year of Bart and Tim Grönefeld’s father, Sjef Grönefeld. Housed in the same style case as the 1941 Remontoire, the Principia’s main theme rotates around handsome, legible dial design based on solid silver dials and powered by the Horological Brothers’ own automatic movement.

Two Grönefeld 1941 Principia variations in red gold and white gold

Quick Facts Grönefeld 1941 Principia
Case: 39.5 x 10.5 mm, red gold, white gold, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Grönefeld caliber with stainless steel bridges; free-sprung Phillips overcoil balance; several jewels set in gold chatons; 56-hour power reserve; 21,600 vph/3 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds
Price: €29,950 (stainless steel); €37,300 (red gold); €38,750 (white gold), all excluding taxes
Remark: delivered with a watch winder made by Bernard Favre

MB&F Horological Machine 6 Final Edition

One of MB&F’s most alien-like “machines” is the HM 6 with its sensuously curved case, bulbous domes, and wild design. And this odd case shape follows the movement architecture, which is the second by MB&F to include a tourbillon.

MB&F HM6 Final Edition on the wrist

There have now been three different versions of this machine, including the transparent HM6 Sapphire Vision and the HM 6 Alien Nation outfitted with little alien pilots within the movement. But, like all good things at MB&F, it’s time for this edition to come to an end. And this final edition, which is set to contain only eight pieces, is one of the rare watches by MB&F to be issued in stainless steel.

MB&F HM6 Final Edition

Quick Facts MB&F Horological Machine 6 Final Edition
Case: 49.5 x 52.3 x 20.4 mm, stainless steel with 10 sapphire crystals
Movement: automatic caliber with one-minute flying tourbillon, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency, 72-hour power reserve
Functions: hour and minutes on separate semi-spherical aluminum indications, retractable tourbillon cover, dual turbines to regulate automatic winding speed
Limitation: 8 pieces
Price: $215,000/CHF 210,000 plus applicable taxes

Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar Montre École

A winner at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in the Men’s Complication category, Laurent Ferrier introduces its acclaimed annual calendar in two new variations at SIHH 2019: opaline black and white dials with vintage-inspired numerals that are purer in their design than the previously released sector style.

Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar Montre École

As Joshua Munchow wrote in Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar Montre École: Back To School, this timepiece is not only attractive and easy to understand and use, it also boasts a new in-house movement, something not regularly released by many brands. Caliber LF126.01 is in fact the fifth movement created by Laurent Ferrier.

Quick Facts Laurent Ferrier Galet Annual Calendar Montre École
Case: 40 x 12.64 mm, red gold, yellow gold, stainless steel
Movement: manual winding Caliber LF126.01, 80-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; annual calendar with weekday, date, month; power reserve indication
Price: $58,000/€45,000 in stainless steel, $63,000/€50,000 in gold

HYT H20 Time is Fluid

An evolution of HYT’s previous release, the H0, the latest timepiece by the masters of “fluid time” continues the brand’s use of a highly domed sapphire crystal, colorful liquid, and a regulator-style time display.

HYT H20 in yellow gold

What’s really new here is the red liquid that contrasts nicely with the more traditional-looking guilloche patterning on the dials and base plate, in particular on the yellow (!) gold version.

HYT H20 in stainless steel

Quick Facts HYT H20
Case: 51 x 19.95 mm, yellow gold or stainless steel
Movement: manual winding caliber made by Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi (APRP), eight-day power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph, microfluidic module with multilayer metal bellows, two liquids in a glass capillary tube, thermal compensator, and a ceramic restrictor
Functions: hours (red fluid), minutes, seconds; power reserve indication (case back), crown position indicator
Limitation: 20 pieces in each metal
Price: CHF 125,000/$125,000 (yellow gold) and CHF 115,000/$115,000 (stainless steel)

RJ (Romain Jerome) DC Villains: Joker and Two-Face

RJ (formerly Romain Jerome) has been on top of its game where collaborations with fan favorites are concerned. The funky Spider-Man watch of 2018 and the Batman of 2015 being two good cases in point.

RJ Arraw DC Villains The Joker

At SIHH 2019, we will be confronted with a pair of watches dedicated to two further DC Comics characters: Batman’s two nemeses Joker and Two-Face.

Back of the RJ Arraw DC Villains The Joker

These two are the first of the collaboration pieces to be based on the new Arraw line launched during Baselworld 2018. And they channel the “dark side” of these classic superhero comics by highlighting the bad guys.

Quick Facts RJ Arraw DC Villains Joker
Case: 45 mm, titanium
Movement: automatic Caliber RJ2042 (ETA base movement), 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph
Limitation: 100 pieces
Price: €13,600
Remark: delivered with three interchangeable straps

F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Resonance anniversary edition

For the second year in a row, F.P. Journe will have a booth within the Carré des Horlogers that only showcases the Élégante and not any of the men’s watches. To see these, one must travel to the F.P. Journe factory in Geneva’s city center.

F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Resonance anniversary edition in platinum

And here is where F.P. Journe “celebrates” the twentieth anniversary of the famous watchmaker’s Chronomètre à Résonance with a special edition slated to be produced only during the year 2019. This resonant chronometer with its 18-karat pink gold plates and bridges offers two synchronized, beating mechanical hearts, which are visible through a sapphire crystal case back.

F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Resonance anniversary edition in 6N red gold

The 2019 edition of the Chronomètre à Résonance is available in two versions: one in a platinum case with white gold dial, the other entirely in 18-karat 6N red gold. The two subdials in silver guilloche each indicate the hours and minutes and can independently be set to two different time zones.

Learn more about the phenomenon of resonance in Understanding Resonance, Featuring The F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance, Armin Strom Mirrored Force Resonance, And Haldimann H2 Flying Resonance.

Quick Facts F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Resonance anniversary edition
Case: 40 x 9 mm, platinum or 6N red gold
Dial: white gold or 6N red gold with silver guilloche subdials
Movement: manually wound Caliber 1499.3 with two independent balances, 18-karat rose gold plates and bridges
Functions: 2 x hours, minutes, seconds (can also be used as two independent time zones); power reserve
Limitation: only available throughout 2019

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