On the last day of SIHH 2019, Elizabeth Doerr got together with Marc André Deschoux of The Watches TV for a short chat about what they saw at the fair, the things that stuck out, the things they liked, their highlights of the show, and even a little prognostication concerning its future now that the SIHH and Baselworld will run back to back in 2020.
Chinese New Year of the Pig is upon us, and a few brands have created special edition timepieces to celebrate. Here are eight artistic porcine-themed watches by Jaquet Droz, Vacheron Constantin, Chopard, and Blancpain.
The perpetual calendar is a great example of a complication that is outdated by at least a couple of decades. Yet perpetuals still know how to capture the attention of watch collectors and connoisseurs with a very complex movement, even if some components only jump into action once a year. The perpetual calendar is often the perfect way for a watch manufactures to show off craftsmanship and ability – but the way that brands do this varies. Here are three very different examples we found at the 2019 SIHH.
The awesome Greubel Forsey Art Piece Edition Historique is a true coalescence of a decade and a half of horological exploration into something stunningly simple and complicated all at once. Joshua Munchow explains why.
The click spring is one of the smaller components of a mechanical watch, but it is of enormous importance. Ever wondered why the crown doesn’t retaliate furiously and unwind every time you crank it? Without the click spring, a wound mainspring would immediately – and explosively – uncoil like a raging viper in a hat box.
Walking into the Richard Mille booth at the 2019 SIHH – the brand’s last appearance at this invitation-only trade show – was like entering another world. Gone were the other beige-toned booths, cream-colored carpets, and taupe tables and chairs. Here color burst forth from every nook and cranny, begging to be set free from displays, windows, and tables. Follow us into a world of ten mindbogglingly sweet timepieces that look good enough to eat!
When it comes to Partagás Lusitania cigars, Ken Gargett stresses that size matters. As does checking the box before buying. One caveat, however: he warns that if you are not prepared to devote two to two and a half hours to the cigar, read no further. This is a very fine cigar – a double corona – to enjoy over time.
Roger Dubuis and Lamborghini have a special relationship: the watches that have so far come from this still relatively young collaboration have not only been impressive but also suck you into the world of Lamborghini without a car even being in sight. It is almost like the watchmakers at Roger Dubuis have infused this watch with motor oil and replaced the ticking of the escapement with the growl of an Italian high-performance engine. And the Excalibur Huracán Performante is all the evidence you need!
At SIHH 2019, George Cramer was pleased to see a stunning new historically inspired Santos-Dumont model in stainless steel. And to his eye it looks even better than the model from the now-defunct Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP) line.
Trends rule a larger part of our lives than many of us wish to admit. Sometimes we follow trends consciously, but often we are subconsciously influenced in the choices we make. All brands perform a delicate tightrope walk, but they differ in how successful they are. Let’s take a look at how trends affect or don’t affect now-iconic timepieces.