Timepiece aficionados had much to get excited about, as Watches and Wonders 2022 took place early lat month in Geneva.
In the first of what is to be two special reports, we recap some of our favourite highlights from the event, including the top timepieces that caught our eye.
The annual drop from Rolex, which now takes place at Watches and Wonders, ranged from the somewhat predictable to the totally unexpected, with the biggest surprise of all being the unveiling of a left-handed (ie, intended to be worn on the right wrist) GMT-Master II. If no one saw this coming, nor would they probably have imagined that the process not only involved reversing the calibre – which isn’t anything like easy as simply flipping it over, but involves some major re-engineering – and placing the crown on the left of the case, but also re-locating the date window and its cyclops eye to the 9 o’ clock position. If the end result still looks frankly weird, as if the whole watch were upside down, it’s also unusually audacious – and the fact that this newcomer’s bezel carries the Crown’s first ever green-and-black insert means this destro GMT may well be found on more left wrists than right ones (assuming, of course, it’s possible to get hold of one in the rush).
If there were pre-show whispers that the time-only Air-King might disappear entirely from the Rolex line-up, nothing of the sort happened. Instead, what’s possibly the least-appreciated of the brand’s products received a makeover that brings it into line with its other tool watches, the most noticeable change being the provision of crown guards. As for the controversial dial, which mixes Explorer-style applied numerals at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock with minute numbers at five-minute intervals, the addition of an “0” to the orphan “5” at the 1 o’clock position fixes a much-needed visual imbalance. Further deepening the Air-King’s appeal is the adoption of the self-winding Perpetual calibre 3230, which boosts its power reserve from the former 48 hours to the current Rolex norm of 70.
The addition of a fluted bezel and case in 950 platinum to the Day-Date collection makes this poshest of Rolexes rather more imperial than its “president” nickname suggests – and so the proles will know your opulent new watch has been hewn from that most noble metal, it also comes with the signature ice-blue dial, as well as applied Roman hour markers. Naturally it comes on a three-link President bracelet, also in full platinum, of course.
Also among the novelties are two new Yacht-Masters, both in precious metals and each featuring black Oysterflex straps. The first, with a unidirectional diver-style bezel, comes in a luxurious 42mm yellow-gold with black dial and bezel, while the even more luxurious Yacht-Master 40, which is clearly more St Barts than Solent, forgoes all pretence at tool-watch practicality by sprinkling its white-gold case and studding its bezel with a dazzling array of diamonds and sapphires.
And then there are the expected revisions to the Date-Just collection – or, more specifically, to the ladies’ Date-Just 31, which gets new floral-relief dials in blue,olive green and silver, with a tiny diamond forming the pistil of each bloom. Each colour comes with a specific case/bracelet material – blue with white Rolesor, a fluted bezel and and Oyster bracelet; green with yellow gold, a diamond-set bezel and President bracelet; and silver with Everose Rolesor, a diamond-set bezel and Jubilee bracelet. All three are powered by the self-winding Perpetual calibre 2236, which provides a reserve of 50 hours.
No fewer than 12 new references were unveiled by Patek Philippe at Watches and Wonders 2022, the most significant of which was undoubtedly the pair of retro-flavoured Calatravas – the 41mm Ref 5326G Annual Calendar Travel Time and the 40mm time-and-date Ref 5226G – both in white gold with a charcoal-fumé granular dial (under the light, it sparkles like a starry firmament), off-white syringe hands, applied numerals and tracks, hobnail-pattern case sides and exquisite beige alligator straps. The Annual Calendar Travel Time combines the two complications for the first time and is powered by the new and extremely complex calibre 31-260 PS QA LU FUS 24H; a second skeletonised hour-hand displays the destination time on a 12-hour scale, with tiny circular windows showing day and night in each time zone. As the beige strap will inevitably show wear, both watches, which follow essentially the same design codes, are provided with an additional charcoal fabric strap.
New colours and material variations were debuted on existing references, such as the 40mm 5220G-011 Perpetual Calendar and the 41mm 517G-010 Chronograph, both of which are presented in white-gold cases with an absolutely eye-popping dial in rose-pink opaline (or, in layman’s terms, salmon), while the Ref 5205 now comes in luxuriant rose-gold with and olive-green sunburst dial. Likewise, the 5270 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph is now available in platinum, with a lacquered green-black gradient dial. As for Patek Philippe’s portfolio of World Time watches, the Ref 5231G-001 gets a white-gold case and a new cloisonné-enamel dial depicting East Asia and the Western Pacific, the 5230 has been re-vamped with a platinum case and blue hand-guilloché dial, with the smaller 36mm Ref 7130 being updated with a case and buckle in rose gold and lavish gem-setting in the bezel.
For ladies, the house introduced a new 7121 Moon-Phase in white gold, with blue sunburst dial and a bezel set with 132 brilliant-cut diamonds, while the new quartz-powered rectangular 4910/1200A in diamond-set stainless steel joined the Twenty-4 collection.
The new launches from the august Genevan manufacture were rounded out by a re-interpretation of the Ref 5374 Minute-Repeater Perpetual Calendar, in platinum set with baguette diamonds and sapphires, and a lacquered blue gradient dial.
The most enchanting of maisons turned up at the Watches & Wonders fair in 2022 with a bit of magic and a whole lot of bang. Reflecting on its unique Poetry of Time, Van Cleef & Arpels brought us three exclusive automata pieces that combine watchmaking expertise with its jewellery savoir-faire. In terms of timepieces, the brand presents two new additions to the Poetic Complications collection, showcasing delicate flowers in bloom.
But first, let’s talk about the stunning automata – three new Extraordinary Objects that now join the Fée Ondine automaton that was developed and created in 2017. Van Cleef & Arpels has always been compelled to make objects since its founding, an area of expertise that’s perhaps less prominent than its jewellery know-how but no less superior. From decorative ware to mysterious clocks, these objects stand at the crossroads of jewellery, watchmaking and traditional craft skills, telling stories in a way that jewellery and timepieces alone cannot.The first automaton presented this year, the Planétarium Automaton, is a large-scale interpretation of its famous Planétarium wristwatch, clocking in at 50cm high and 66.5cm wide, and showcasing bejewelled versions of the Sun, the planets and their accompanying satellites in genuine orbit. The automaton also serves as a perpetual calendar and comes with an on-demand animation. When activated, a shooting star sweeps around the dial in a veritable ballet, accompanied by music composed by Swiss concert artist Michel Tirabosco.
The Fontaine aux Oiseaux Automatan is another masterpiece, a garden scene with two golden birds sitting on the edge of a fountain. An on-demand sequence brings the scene to life – water in the basin starts to ripple, a water lily blooms and a dragonfly rises in the air. The two golden birds also awaken to sing out a song, raising their heads and beating their wings in a courtship dance, stepping their clawed feet realistically as they make their way closer to each other. The scene can be activated up to five times in a row, and the automaton also shows a retrograde time display at the base of the fountain, with a power reserve of eight days.
A floral automaton completes the trio. The Rêveries de Berylline depicts a hummingbird in gold, set with sapphires, emeralds and tsavorite garnets, nestled in aflower in gold, yellow sapphires, mandarin garnets and diamonds. Animated on demand, the flower opens up to let the hummingbird take flight, where it spreads its wings realistically, beats for a few instants then goes back to roost at the centre of the corolla.
And while the automatons might have caught our gaze first, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Poetic Complications are equally breathtaking. Three new pairs of timepieces join the family this year, including the Heures Florales and the Heures Florales Cerisier, which tell the time through the opening and closing of 12 corollas on the three- dimensional dials. The dials are decorated with leaves and flowers that depict a garden scene. No fewer than 226 elements come together to form the picturesque scenery, with petals and butterflies in miniature painting, branches and clouds in sculpted gold and mother-of-pearl that are enhanced with stones.
Once utterly overshadowed by its Rolex big sister, Tudor has stepped out into the limelight so confidently in recent years that its new products are anticipated almost as eagerly as those of the Crown. And if most of its novelties in the past few years have been confined to the wildly popular and exponentially expanding Black Bay line-up, which almost single-handedly turned the brand’s fortunes around, well, that’s only to be expected. In fact, these days it makes sense to think of the BB less as a range and more as an extended family of tool-inspired watches that share one or two essential design details, much as do Rolex’s similar – if vastly more expensive – offerings.
Thus, of the five newcomers premiered by Tudor at Watches and Wonders 2022, four of them carried the Black Bay nomenclature, the single exception being four additions to the sporty-chic Royal range in 28 or 34mm sizes with mother-of-pearl dials and notched or gem-set bezels in either steel or gold. Unlike all the other new watches, which use a movement manufactured by Tudor’s Kenissi offshoot, the Royals are powered by Selitta-based calibres offering a 38-hour reserve.
Of the four new Black Bay offerings, it’s hard to say quite which is the most important, but we’ll buck the trend by suggesting that the gradual extension of in-house movements to the Black Bay 31, 36, 41 and, now, a 39mm version marks the most significant development. Why? Because it turns this versatile, everyday-wearing timepiece (and especially the 36mm size) into the genuine Rolex Explorer alternative it always promised to be – and at less than half the price. OK, so it’s only the two-tone S&G (steel and gold) references that get an in-house calibre for now, but as Kenissi is turning them out in sizes small enough to fit a 31mm case their introduction across the range is surely only a matter of time. All the movements are COSC-certified and provide exceptional accuracy and reliability, as well as (with the exception of the Black Bay 31 S&G’s MT5201, which offers a 50-hour reserve) a weekend-proof 70 hours of juice.
In fact, gold features prominently on two further Black Bay launches, namely the revamped 41mm Chrono S&G, which now gets the option of a largely champagne-coloured dial to match the auric bezel, crown, pushers and, assuming you opt for it, bracelet links. The S&G Chrono also comes on straps in either black fabric or brown leather, the latter with a removable bund. Arguably even more dazzling – in fact, we’re sure these will fly out the stores faster than Tudor canmake them – is the new Black Bay GMT S&G, whose gloriously nostalgic root-beer-style bezel recalls the GMT- Master II in Everose Rolesor – and, again, at a fraction of the price. This comes on straps in two-tone fabric or black leather, or on a three-link steel-and-gold bracelet.
Lastly comes the Black Bay Pro, which carries faint echoes of the now-defunct North Flag, but rocks full flyer-GMT functionality through a yellow second hour hand and a fixed brushed-steel bezel marked in 24-hour increments. This should be manna for those who asked for a GMT in a 39mm case, our only reservation about this supremely outdoorsy timepiece concerning its fairly hefty 14.6mm width.
The grip integrated bracelet sports watches have on the watch community has been ongoing for a few years now. And at Vacheron Constantin, the popularity of the Overseas collection shows no signs of abating. But before the Overseas, there was another 1970s-born cult classic. The 222 was introduced by Vacheron a year after the Nautilus, and was designed by the then-24-year old Jorg Hysek. This year, Vacheron released a new version of the 222 in yellow gold under the Les Histories collection. In many ways the watch remains faithful to the original design of the 222, from its case construction and hexagonal-link bracelet to its fluted bezel and baton hands. The new Les Historiques 222 comes with subtle updates, of course, including the robust in-house calibre 2455/2, rather than the original’s ultra-thin calibre 1121 (derived from the Jaeger-LeCoultre calibre 920). On the new model, the date window is also positioned slightly closer to the centre of the dial to avoid the break in the minute track. A classic of its time, the 222 deserves as much recognition as its Royal Oak and Nautilus counterparts, and we’re stoked to see it brought back in this way.
Another highlight at Vacheron Constantin has us turning our attention back to the Overseas collection. This year, the brand has added a pair of skeletonised tourbillon models, brilliantly outfitted in grade-5 titanium or pink gold. The new model marks several firsts for Vacheron, including the first time the maison has made a watch entirely in titanium – including bezel and crown. The new Overseas Tourbillon Skeleton also marks the house’s first skeletonised tourbillon, with the Geneva Seal-certified calibre 2160 skeletonised and redesigned to become 20 percent thinner. The movement comes with more than three days of power reserve, and the Maltese cross design is beautifully on display on the tourbillon cage.
When it comes to blending the arts and mechanics, Jaeger-LeCoultre is a master – and the new interpretations of the Calibre 945 and Calibre 948, both remarkable complications in their own right, prove just this. The Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 is an orbital tourbillon with a world- timer function (also a first for the brand), with a depiction of Earth at the centre. But interestingly, the map of the world, executed in grand feu champlève enamel, float on a domed grid representing latitude and longitude, while beneath it, the dial itself is in a translucent blue lacquer over a guilloché pattern of ocean waves. The enamelling of a single dome requires 55 hours of work, while each dial takes almost 70 hours to realise. The flying tourbillon, spinning above the blue oceans, makes one full rotation every 60 seconds. The Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948 is limited to 20 pieces.
For something more, shall we say, practical, Jaeger-LeCoultre has introduced a perpetual calendar to the Polaris line, combining the complication’s useful functions with the collection’s distinctive sport-elegant aesthetic. The new calibre 868AA was developed for the Polaris Perpetual Calendar, and was evolved and upgraded from an in-house movement from 2013. At 6 o’clock, you’ll find a retrograde display of Southern Hemisphere moon phases, while the Northern Hemisphere is shown in a classic moon-phase display. Three sub-dials display the calendar – day, date and month. The watch comes in 42mm cases of steel or pink gold, and has an interchangeable strap system.
Cartier has taken skeletonisation to a new level with the debut of the Cartier Masse Mystérieuse, a re-interpretation that poses a watchmaking enigma to the rest of us: how on Earth did they condense an entire calibre into a semi-circular open-worked oscillating weight? The new movement, calibre 9801 MC, is the result of eight years of research at Cartier Manufacture and is currently being patented. In beautifully polished platinum, the watch is unmistakably Cartier, with sword-shaped hands that seemingly float without being connected to any gears and a ruby cabochon crown. In creating the watch, Cartier borrowed a differential system more commonly seen in the automotive industry to place the movement within the spinning rotor and prevent the time display from coming in contact with the mass. Truly a remarkable feat.
First presented in 2018, Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept (AUC), made its mark as the world’s thinnest timepiece for several years straight. With a thickness of just 2mm, the watch not only stunned the world, but also won for Piaget the prestigious Aiguille d’Or prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2020, the same year the watch was put into production for everyday wear. This year’s new iteration recalls the incredible journey of the AUC and celebrates its birthplace at La Côte-aux-Fées. The Piaget logo at the top uses the historical typeface used in the logo above the manufacture in the village. Two markers on the minute ring are enlarged to mark the exact time of 7:47 when the AUC was born, while the date – February 7, 2017 – is inscribed in a small window. “La Côte-aux-Fées” is also engraved on the ratchet wheel along with the manufacture’s GPS coordinates. Completing this tribute is the background of the dial, dotted in Super-LumiNova, which replicates the sky at the time of AUC’s birth.
From its high-tech HQ on Switzerland’s German border, IWC brought several new variations on the Top Gun Pilot’s Watch theme, including a handsome new Chronograph 41 Ceratanium, the first chrono with case, crown and pushers fashioned from this stealthy material combining titanium and ceramic. As this proprietary alloy is light and strong, as well as sufficiently scratch-resistant that it requires no coating, it’s ideal for what’s undoubtedly a tool watch par excellence.
With its blacked-out look, grey-coated hands, numerals and tracks, and fabric strap, it’s an undeniably masculine statement, though one that’s certainly not overdone, with a relatively compact (for IWC, at least) 41mm diameter that’s wearable on pretty much all but the slimmest wrists. Powering hours, minutes, seconds, a 12-hour chronograph and day and date functions, the latter in windows at 3 o’clock, is IWC’s 69385 automatic column-wheel calibre, which beats at 4Hz for a 46-hour reserve and ultimately traces its roots way back to the Valjoux 7750. Naturally, the movement, with its skeletonised rotor, is visible through a caseback crystal, though here it’s smoked to match the watch’s technical appearance.
Its case material aside, the Chronograph 41 Top Gun Ceratanium doesn’t mark an especially radical departure for the folks in Schaffhausen, but as the Pilot is such a totem for IWC – and, as it’s always nailed the aviator ethos so perfectly – this newcomer is a welcome addition to the line-up.
Alongside a trio of Monopusher chronographs using movements from Minerva, the heritage watchmaker it absorbed some 15 years ago, Montblanc premiered a pair of closely related 1858 tool timepieces at Watches and Wonders, both with revolving bezels and contemporary styling, but with one aimed at the ocean and the other at the aie.
No prizes for guessing that the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date, which is water-resistant to 30 bar, is the diver of the two. It comes in a 41mm steel case, with dials – in blue, green or black – that resemble the fractured ice on Mont Blanc’s (the mountain, that is) mer de glace, and a matching unidirectional bezel marked in one-minute increments. The 1858 GMT Automatic Date, on the other hand, features either a blue or black sunburst dial, with the second time zone indicated not by a central hand but a red square (hour) or rectangle (half hour) that rotates around the dial’s extremity. Syringe hands indicate hours and minutes, with a date window on each watch at 3 o’clock. It’s a neat solution that eliminates the potential clutter of a fourth central hand.
Both watches, which share the same steel case and interchangeable bracelets and straps, are powered by Selitta-based automatic movements that each vibrate at4Hz for a 42-hour reserve of power. A titanium caseback on the GMT Automatic bears a laser engraving of the Northern Hemisphere depicting the 24 major time zones.
The big Watches and Wonders news at Panerai was the adoption of its sustainably sourced eSteel for the first time on one of its Submersible watches, the result being the Submersible QuarantaQuattro eSteel, which comes in a 44mm case that’s water-resistant to 30 bar and features a ceramic insert on its rotating bezel in green, grey or blue, and dials to match. Eventually, it’s the brand’s intention to extend the use of recycled steel, which was first seen on last year’s Luminor Marina,across the product range.
Notwithstanding the eco case material (it’s responsible for a little more than half of the watch’s 137-gram wight) and a coloured strap in recycled PET, this is otherwise pretty much your standard Panerai diver, with familiar architecture, crown guard, small seconds at 9 o’clock and funky dial furniture. Its weekend-proof P.900 automatic calibre beats at 4Hz provides and offers up to three days of juice when fully wound. And, of course, its hefty rounded-square case profile takes up plenty of real estate on the wrist, making this very much a watch for men.
Still, given Panerai’s traditional focus on the ocean and a sustainability narrative increasingly driving the brand’s marketing, the new Submersible QuarantaQuattro eSteel clearly aligns with its customers’ preferences.
Compared to its mastery in other high complications, A Lange & Söhne hasn’t presented very many chiming watches, so this year’s release of a brand-new minute-repeater – the first in the Richard Lange line, no less – is an exciting addition. Lange has proved it can produce visually unique minute-repeaters with the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater in 2015. Now, it’s proving its mastery in a traditional execution. The 39mm Richard Lange Minute Repeater is a classic implementation of the chiming watch, with a white three-part enamel dial, blue- steeled hands and a platinum case. The sliding pusher on the left of the case flank activates the chiming mechanism, which rings out the hours, quarter-hours and minutes using a pair of gongs that are visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. The watch is equipped with the new manual-wind calibre L122.1, on which the chiming mechanism alone contains 191 parts. A boutique exclusive, the watch is numbered and limited to 50 pieces.
This story first appeared on Prestige Online Hong Kong.
Yes, I agree to the Privacy Policy
Thank you for your subscription.
Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest updates.
Thank you for your subscription.