With the 25th Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) behind us, we ask: what were the standout watches? Not our favourites, not the most technically impressive or the most beautiful – although these pieces may be all of those things – but the most significant launches; the pieces that give the strongest indication of what the future holds, both for the brands that made them and the industry as a whole.
Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph
In its 260th year, and after a couple of SIHH outings where metiers d’art and jewellery watches have been to the fore, Vacheron Constantin returned to purist horology, answering the question over its lack of an in-house chronograph in truly spectacular style. In fact it answered it three times over, with a trio of new calibers including a phenomenal ultra-thin split-seconds number and a tourbillon version. But it’s this, the straightforward (as it were) hand-wound monopusher that most excited us, as a pure, top-end chrono in the classic old-fashioned mould. The pulsometer dial is heavenly, the Poincon de Geneve movement sensational, and rippling with tiny refinements to separate it from the field.
The brand is making 260 rose-gold models as part of the all-new, cushion cased Harmony collection. But the truly interesting question is what this means for the Patrimony Traditionelle chronograph, hitherto the flagship Vacheron hand-wound chronograph, which uses a Lemania-based caliber. Could we see a Patrimony mono-pusher? Will there be further chronographs movements to come? Almost certainly.
Why it matters: this puts Vacheron Constantin instantly among the ranks of the finest chronograph producers – something, ironically, that has never been one of its specialisms in the previous 260 years.
A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater
Where to start? When A. Lange & Söhne produces its first-ever minute repeater (outside of the somewhat experimental Grand Complication from 2013) you know it’s going to be different, even in the rarified environment of chiming watches – which are enjoying a Big Moment currenlty, as Audemars Piguet and Cartier both showed at SIHH, not to mention Patek Philippe’s GrandMaster Chime from last year.
The Zeitwerk Minute Repeater is the world’s first decimal digital minute repeater. It displays the hours and minutes in two digital displays, left and right of the dial, and rather than striking the time in hours, quarters and minutes, it does so in hours, tens of minutes, and minutes. It’s more intuitive and easier to understand, and means the time you hear is exactly the same as the time you see. But of course it’s harder to engineer.
Other technical accomplishments include: the chimes are activated by a pusher, not a slide, and if the minute (or hour) changes while the time is still being sounded, the digital display will wait until the chimes have finished before advancing. The power reserve shows remaining energy for both the chimes and the time, and the watch won’t let you engage the chiming mechanism if it’s running low. Similarly, you cannot pull out the crown while the time is sounding, protecting the movement from damage.
Why it matters: In its fuss-free way, A. Lange & Söhne continues to thrill at the absolute highest levels of horology, showing the world what a minute repeater looks like, Glashütte-style.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-vous Moon
Jaeger-LeCoultre brought several high-complication pieces to the party, and a scattering of mid-range pieces, but it’s in the field of women’s watches that Le Sentier is really flying at the moment. The Rendez-Vous style was only introduced a couple of years ago, but it has become of crucial importance to the brand, and this includes it being a home for serious complications – last year saw the brand’s first minute repeater for women in the shape of the Rendez-Vous Ivy Minute Repeater. This moon phase version comes in 36mm or 39mm versions, with a mother-of-pearl moon disc amid a gleaming clue starry sky. The star at the edge of the dial is for the wearer to set a time of her choice, supposedly for her next “rendezvous” – a whimsical complication that’s unique to this line of watches.
Why it matters: The Rendez-Vous has, almost on the quiet, become the most interesting and innovative recent entry into the women’s watches fold, with perpetual calendar, tourbillon, minute-repeater and now moon phase versions all appearing in the space of two years. In fact you might argue it’s the most interesting and varied new watch line for women or men to have appeared in the past two years, and at Jaeger-LeCoultre it’s seen as absolutely crucial to future developments.
Montblanc Heritage Chronometrie Dual Time
Every brand under the sun has a dual time, so what makes Montblanc’s special? Well, just about everything. The clean, crisply minimalist design is a world away from the fussy, unsatisfactory pieces Montblanc was frequently producing up until a couple of years ago: Montblanc is really a German brand, after all, and this is a straight-to-the-point timepiece that oozes quality and good value in a rather Germanic style. As with last year’s Meisterstuck Perpetual Calendar, Montblanc has been able to get maximum value through combining a Sellita movement with an in-house complication module, which in this case enables easy operation of the second time zone hand.
Why it matters: This was the year Jerome Lambert’s revolution at Montblanc took hold. The Dual Time stopped us in our tracks in a way dual times seldom do, but with attractive annual calendars, world timers, ultra-thins and more on show, there’s no doubting the former Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO’s instinct for style and quality.
IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar
As well as a reversion to the original, authentic German spelling of “Portugieser”, IWC’s revamp of its most recognisable family of watches brought with it a number of significant changes: smaller case sizes across the board; new in-house movements, and a lovely pair of 60th anniversary special editions. But perhaps most interesting of all was this – IWC’s first ever annual calendar.
It’s hugely smart, with the 7-day power reserve indicator and seconds subdial balancing each other out, and the month-date-day windows at 12 o’clock (which follows the American date format, apparently in homage to IWC company founder F. A. Jones) avoid being overbearing. Inside is IWC’s new 52850 twin-barrel caliber, part of an entire range of 52000 calibers which, among other improvements over the 51000 family, feature ceramic components in the winding system, making it almost wear-free.
Why it matters: IWC has joined Cartier, Montblanc, Zenith and others in offering an attractive annual calendar, making it the mid-range complication of the moment.
Cartier Clé de Cartier
It’s hard to say what was the most impressive offering from Cartier at SIHH this year. The Grand Complication? The skeletonised Crash? Any of the remarkably conceived and superbly executed haute jewellery pieces? All fantastic in many ways. But in terms of core watchmaking, it’s hard to look past the new Clé de Cartier collection. Launched with just two men’s references (the rose gold model above, and a white gold version on a bracelet), it just about epitomises everything you’d want a Cartier watch to be.
It’s elegant from every angle, that curving case wrapping around the wrist in a way that the photographs don’t manage to convey. The dial is just classic Cartier, with big – but not too big – roman numerals, a discreet minute track and subtle guilloché finishing. And last but not least, it’s whimsical – the sapphire-set crown has been cut to resemble an old-fashioned clock winding key, a choice which makes adjusting the watch more deliberate, more tactile, than your standard crown.
Why it matters: Along with a very interesting new chronograph (of which hopefully more soon) the Clé proves that elegance is well and truly back on the agenda at Cartier.