Reshaping history

Beauty is hardwired into a history that Cartier has been revisiting these past three years, resulting in collections which emphasise elegant forms that capture the jeweller’s perpetual genius for design.

ARNAUD CARREZ, CARTIER MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

We’ve all heard of Generation Y. The ones who grew up with the millennium. They are the new face of consumption. For them, ownership is no longer a goal. Being is more important than having. Experiences and sustainable values matter more than possessions. They are also the digital natives, hence this shift in paradigm brings with it an almost visceral need to know what’s being said online… regardless of the question! Like any other segment, watch brands are affected by these disruptive consumption habits. “Now that social media take up so much of our lives, it’s become second nature for customers to compare before they buy,” says Cartier’s Chief Executive, Cyrille Vigneron. “And by that I mean everything: products, prices, perceived quality, other people’s opinion… Our role is to propose collections that make sense historically, technically and, something that is very important to Cartier, aesthetically. At the right price. If we are true to what we know how to do, then we will also be true to what the customer expects from us.”

CARTIER BAIGNOIRE ALLONGÉE. THE BAIGNOIRE IS A WATCH OF MANY FACES. BORN IN PARIS IN THE LATE 1950S, ITS PERFECT OVAL UNDERWENT A TRANSFORMATION IN 1960S SWINGING LONDON, STRETCHING ITS FORMS TO ADORN WOMEN’S WRISTS WITH A MIX OF ELEGANCE AND EXTRAVAGANCE. RENAMED BAIGNOIRE ALLONGÉE, IT CONTINUES TO PROVE THAT NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE EXCESS, WHEN IN EXPERT HANDS. ITS LATEST ASSET? A PINK GOLD BEZEL WHOSE SCULPTED SPIKES BORROW FROM CARTIER’S JEWELLERY IDIOM AND THE CLOUS DE PARIS HOBNAIL DESIGN.

This new strategy, introduced by Vigneron on taking up the CEO position in 2016, has seen the brand refocus on the values that have forged its strength and reputation for more than a century. For the brand’s watches, this has meant a return to non-round forms, a tradition at the firm, with slender, elegant shapes and an emphasis on women’s timepieces. Its incursion into the highest realms of mechanical watchmaking — still in evidence in 2017 with the extraordinarily complex Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Mysterious Double Tourbillon — has gradually taken a back seat to models that are part of the brand’s history, as splendid today as ever. “We are coming back to Cartier’s foundations,” explains Arnaud Carrez, Marketing and Communications Director. “We’re not just tapping into this legacy, we’re enriching it too with all the creativity of Cartier, in particular through our Cartier Privé collection of limited-edition interpretations of signature watches that use Cartier’s expertise to bring a design to life.”

SANTOS-DUMONT DE CARTIER. WHEN A TIMEPIECE IS THIS MODERN IN TEMPERAMENT AND DESIGN, IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT IT’S ACTUALLY CELEBRATING ITS 115TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR! THE NEW SANTOS-DUMONT WATCH HONOURS THE ONE WHICH CARTIER FIRST IMAGINED IN 1904 FOR THE PIONEERING AVIATOR, ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT. A CASE IN GOLD OR STEEL, ROMAN NUMERALS, VISIBLE SCREWS, BEADED CROWN AND A BLUE CABOCHON CARRY ON THE LEGACY OF THIS TRULY CLASSIC TIMEPIECE.

A winning strategy So what brings a customer to Cartier? Arnaud Carrez answers in a flash: “Beautiful, timeless objects. The fact that Cartier began as a jeweller gives it a unique personality in watchmaking.” For the past three years, the Parisian firm has revisited, with great success, the icons of a rich past; watches so essentially Cartier they are already classics in their own right. It all began in 2017 with the return of the Panthère, a star of the 1980s. Next came the Santos de Cartier, designed in 1904 by Louis Cartier for his friend, the dashing aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, and the first watch to be made specifically for the wrist. Cartier is also introducing a new line within the Santos col lection, by the name of Santos-Dumont. These new models feature a more slimline case and a pareddown dial, with a high-autonomy quartz movement. Another model making its return to the spotlight is the Baignoire. Imagined circa 1910, it fits perfectly into Cartier’s design language in both its original form and the elongated Allongée version that came out of Cartier’s London studio at the height of the Swinging Sixties. So, is Cartier back to being Cartier? “It’s a totally winning strategy because it’s coherent,” enthuses Arnaud Carrez. Eric Dumatin

MOUNT EVEREST © ALEX TAIT / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC © JOSEPH COOK

The twentieth century is often considered the golden age of exploration. The North and South Poles were reached, Everest climbed, the bottom of the ocean plumbed, and most of the world visited, mapped, and photographed. It was a time of conquest against the elements and the unknown, pitting explorers against nature in epic battles for glory, triumph, and discovery.

Times have changed. In the twenty-first century, explorers are no longer battling nature, but embracing it. Expeditions to the mountains, the polar regions, and the deep ocean are now more about discovering how the Earth is changing, what impact humans are having, and how we can preserve it. Rolex has long been a part of exploration, both as an essential piece of equipment, and as a stalwart supporter of ambitious endeavors. The company’s role in exploration has evolved as well, into what Rolex now calls its “Perpetual Planet” campaign. Numerous partnerships Early on in Rolex company history, founder Hans Wilsdorf saw the potential in equipping adventurous individuals and explorers with watches. Sure, it was good publicity, but more importantly, it was product testing of the best kind. After all, if a watch can survive the highest, deepest, coldest places on Earth, there’s a good chance it’ll do well everywhere else too. And so Wilsdorf was more than happy to send Rolex watches into harm’s way, and also to champion the achievements of remarkable explorers. Most of the great achievements in exploration in the twentieth century were done with a Rolex keeping the time. In 1926, Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel with a Rolex watch around her neck. In the 1930s, Sir Malcolm

ROLEX AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. UNDER THE NAME PERPETUAL PLANET EXTREME EXPEDITIONS, ROLEX AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ARE PLANNING A FIVE-YEAR EXPLORATION OF THE PLANET’S MOST EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS. THE PARTNERSHIP WILL HARNESS WORLDRENOWNED SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE AND CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY TO REVEAL NEW INSIGHTS ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE VITAL TO LIFE ON EARTH: MOUNTAINS AS THE WORLD’S WATER TOWERS, RAINFORESTS AS THE PLANET’S

Campbell set numerous land speed records wearing a Rolex. In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary of the British Mount Everest Expedition stood atop the roof of the world, equipped with an Oyster Perpetual. And in 1960, Captain Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard descended to the deepest point on Earth with a Rolex watch strapped to the outside of their bathyscaphe. But beyond timing dives, speed, and climbs, Rolex has also long supported organizations and causes that champion the spirit of exploration. In 1954, the company formed a partnership with the National Geographic Society, an alliance that has proven historic and long-lasting, even to the present day. In the early 1970s, Rolex committed to funding scholarships for promising young students keen on careers in the underwater world,

LUNGS, AND THE OCEAN AS ITS COOLING SYSTEM. THE FIRST EXPEDITION SUPPORTED BY THIS PARTNERSHIP IS TO MOUNT EVEREST AND RAN FROM APRIL TO JUNE 2019. THE EVEREST EXPEDITION TEAM AIMS TO UNDERSTAND BETTER THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE GLACIERS OF THE HINDU KUSH-HIMALAYA THAT PROVIDE CRITICAL WATER RESOURCES TO 1 BILLION PEOPLE DOWNSTREAM. THIS INFORMATION WILL FORM THE BASIS OF A NEW INDEX TO TRACK THE HEALTH OF THE HIMALAYAN WATER SYSTEM AND INFORM DECISIONS TO HELP PROTECT IT. © BENOIT POYELLE / DEEPSEA UNDER THE POLE BY ROLEX

through the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society. And in 1976, Rolex inaugurated Awards for Enterprise, which reward those individuals who demonstrate a commitment to improving lives or enhancing the understanding and preservation of the planet. With all of these, and numerous other partnerships, it made sense for Rolex to form an overarching campaign: Perpetual Planet.

Ambitious projects There is true synergy in the partnership with the National Geographic Society. The organization, along with Rolex, has supported the most significant voyages and expeditions of discovery in the twentieth century, and its eponymous magazine has been there to docu

ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE. IN GREENLAND, JOSEPH COOK, 2016 ROLEX AWARDS LAUREATE, RESEARCHED HOW MICROORGANISMS AFFECT CLIMATE. THE ROLEX AWARDS ARE UNIQUE IN SEVERAL WAYS. THEY ARE GIVEN FOR NEW OR ONGOING PROJECTS. THERE ARE NO ACADEMIC OR PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS, AND NO RESTRICTIONS ON GENDER OR NATIONALITY. THIS HAS ALLOWED MANY PEOPLE WORKING OUTSIDE ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC CIRCLES, AND THUS WITHOUT ACCESS TO TRADITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES, TO GAIN RECOGNITION AND FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR VISIONARY PROJECTS.

ment them with its award-winning writing and legendary photography. This year, in the spirit of Perpetual Planet, National Geographic and Rolex are embarking on a series of ambitious projects that will utilize technology to document the effects of climate change in extreme locations on Earth. The first of these was an expedition to place a weather station near the top of Mount Everest in April of 2019, the first of its kind and one that will collect impor tant data in the harsh but fragile ecosystem atop the watershed for much of the Indian Subcontinent. Future plans include similar projects in the rainforests and deep oceans. The Awards for Enterprise have been given to a diverse lineage of explorers and entrepreneurs. Past winners have included Lonnie Dupre, a

DEEPSEA UNDER THE POLE BY ROLEX. ROLEX SPONSORS THE UNDER THE POLE EXPEDITIONS THAT PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF UNDERWATER EXPLORATION. THE INAUGURAL EXPEDITION IN 2010 CREATED A PHOTOGRAPHIC AND FILM REPORT ON THE UNDERSEA WORLD OF THE ARCTIC ICE CAPS NEAR THE GEOGRAPHIC NORTH POLE. THE TEAM ALSO MEASURED THE THICKNESS OF SNOW ON THE ICE, CRUCIAL TO ESTIMATING THE TOTAL VOLUME OF ICE. THE RESULTING IMAGES OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF THE ICE CAPS PROVIDED A PORTRAIT OF A DREAM WORLD BEING LOST THROUGH GLOBAL WARMING.

polar explorer and mountaineer, whose Arctic expeditions have brought back evidence of the urgency and perils of climate change, Francesco Sauro, whose cave expeditions have mapped and studied the caves of South America, and Cristian Donoso, who documents Patagonia’s wild western coastline from a kayak. These modern-day explorers are certainly testing themselves in the wild: not to discover a new land, or plant a flag, but to heighten awareness, document the changing planet, and bring back evidence in the forms of stories and photography. Further partnerships that fall under the broad Perpetual Planet umbrella include Deepsea Under the Pole, a series of expeditions that began with scuba diving under the polar ice sheets, and has now expanded to include a sailing journey from the North Pole to the South, with the goal of exploring the ecosystems of the Twilight Zone at all latitudes.

© ROLEX / KURT AMSLER

A supporting role Dr. Sylvia Earle is a longtime Rolex testimonee, dating back to her days as a subaquatic pioneer in the early 1970s. During her long career underwater, Earle has seen the oceans change, due to rising water temperatures, overfishing, and pollution, which inspired her to found Mis sion Blue. This organization is dedicated to identifying what it calls, “Hope Spots” in the world’s oceans, regions that are holding their own or reversing course to return to environmental health. In an age of pessimism, Mission Blue is a beacon of optimism, led by Earle’s positive voice. She is realistic, but also hopeful that things can change and she tirelessly travels the world, visiting existing and potential Hope Spots, meeting with government

ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE. 2006 ROLEX AWARDS LAUREATE BRAD NORMAN HAS DEVISED AN IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM TO HELP PROTECT WHALE SHARKS. UNTIL RECENTLY NOT MUCH WAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ELUSIVE FISH, WHICH CAN REACH 18 METRES IN LENGTH. FROM 1828 TO THE MID-1980S THERE WERE ONLY 350 CONFIRMED SIGHTINGS OF THIS ENIGMATIC ANIMAL RECORDED WORLDWIDE. CONSIDERED A SPECIES THAT IS ENDANGERED, NORMAN SET UP THE MONITORING PROGRAMME. AS EACH WHALE SHARK HAS DISTINCTIVE MARKINGS, NORMAN USES A PATTERN-RECOGNITION METHOD INVENTED TO STUDY CONSTELLATIONS IN THE NIGHT SKY TO IDENTIFY THEM.

leaders and environmental groups. Rolex has been a supporter of Mission Blue since 2014. Perpetual Planet is aptly named. Of course, it takes inspiration from the self-winding move ments inside Rolex watches, but it also emphasizes the circular, connected, and infinite nature of our global environment. In a symbiotic way that would no doubt please Hans Wilsdorf were he alive today, Perpetual Planet keeps Rolex in a supporting role for adventurers and explorers, people on the cutting edge of discovery and knowledge. And of course, as long as there are those who will still put themselves in harm’s way for the service of exploration and knowledge, there will also be Rolex watches there.

Jason Heaton

JAPANESE MOUNTAINEER JUNKO TABEI. BECAME THE FIRST WOMEN TO SUMMIT EVEREST IN 1975. BUT TABEI’S RECORD BREAKING DID NOT STOP THERE. SHE BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN TO CLIMB THE HIGHEST PEAKS ON SEVEN CONTINENTS, COMPLETING THE FEAT IN 1992. IN LATER YEARS SHE BECAME A POWERFUL ADVOCATE FOR PROTECTING MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENTS. IN 2001, SHE APPEARED IN A ROLEX ADVERTISEMENT WITH SIR EDMUND HILLARY, AS THE FIRST MAN AND WOMAN TO CLIMB THE WORLD’S HIGHEST PEAK.

© COURTESY OF JUNKO TABEI

ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER. THIS WATCH AND AS WELL AS THE OYSTER PERPETUAL EXPLORER II EVOLVED FROM ROLEX’S DEEP INVOLVEMENT WITH EXPLORATION. THEY GO WHERE FEW PEOPLE VENTURE. THE BRAND WAS ABLE TO TEST THESE WATCHES IN REAL LIFE BY EQUIPPING POLAR, MOUNTAINEERING AND CAVING EXPEDITIONS OVER MANY YEARS. SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST INTREPID EXPLORERS, MOUNTAINEERS AND SCIENTISTS TOOK EXPLORER AND EXPLORER II WATCHES TO PLACES THAT TESTED THEIR RELIABILITY IN THE TOUGHEST CONDITIONS.

BVLGARI LUCEA SKELETON. THE LVCEA SKELETON BRINGS TOGETHER BVLGARI’S WATCH AND JEWELRY EXPERTISE — AND IS THE FIRST TIME SKELETONIZATION HAS BEEN INTRODUCED TO THE COLLECTION TO REVEAL ITS INNER WORKINGS. AS WELL AS BEING A MAJOR TECHNICAL EVOLUTION FOR THE LVCEA, LAUNCHED IN 2014, IT’S ALSO THE FIRST TO TAKE THE LETTERS IN THE BVLGARI LOGO AND MAKE THEM AN INTEGRAL PART OF ITS DESIGN. THE OPEN WORK BVLGARI LOGO DIAL SET WITH DIAMONDS SITS ABOVE THE OPENWORKED BRIDGES OF THE BVL 191SK IN-HOUSE MOVEMENT. BLUE LACQUERED HANDS BRING A SPLASH OF COLOR TO THE ETHEREAL DIAL, AS DOES THE CABOCHON-CUT BLUE SAPPHIRE AND BRILLIANT-CUT DIAMOND THAT ARE SET IN THE CROWN. THE 33 MM 18CT WHITE GOLD CASE IS SET WITH ROUND BRILLIANT-CUT SAPPHIRES ON THE BEZEL.

At a time when the watch industry may be experiencing a slowdown, top watch brands are (finally) catering to women who love mechanics as well as diamonds.

After decades of offering quartz watches that sparkle with diamonds to attract the female customer, luxury watch brands are finally smartening up — recognizing that discerning women want brains in addition to beauty. Now that the worldwide web has put a wealth of information at our fingertips, people can educate themselves on any topic, including watches. Women, as well as men, are studying up and finding that they like what they see. “There is so much research being done online now that most women come in very knowledgeable about the big brands and even the small, exclusive independents. Sometimes they are more knowledgeable than the men,” says David Hurley, Executive Vice President of Watches of Switzerland Group, a multi-brand retailer with stores in the USA and UK. “We are seeing a significant uptake in women buying mechanical watches. Quartz watches are becoming a smaller and smaller section of the overall business in our stores.”

While in the past, the concept of collecting watches was predominantly a masculine arena, today more women are opting in than ever before, and they’re reaching for timepieces that, instead of quartz, house fine mechanical movements and maybe offer a few high-watchmaking functions. What’s more, they are not just buying a single watch for versatility; they are buying a watch for work, weekend wear, evening wear and more.

Double dip Even so, watches for women comprise a small percentage of the near $50 billion global business in annual sales — most likely because brands have been slow to cater to women who want substance in addition to good looks. “Watches for women started as jewelry pieces, then brooches and pendants by the late nineteenth century,” says Rebecca Ross, Specialist in the Watch Department at Christie’s auction house. “Now more women than ever want watches that are not just pretty; they want watches that are functional, that hold an impressive history and can handle a lot of multi-tasking. They’re not just looking at ‘women’s’ watches either. They want the larger, more complicated and more visually interesting pieces. Women also seem to like the unisex aesthetic.” It’s a fact that women are in the unique position of being able to double dip when it comes to watches, donning a man’s watch as easily as a ladies’ piece. In fact many pundits believe watches should not be labeled as men’s or women’s at all. Additionally, brands are beginning to pay more attention to the fact that women are looking for sophistication and fine mechanics. Over the past decade, we are witnessing top brands unveil entirely new mechanical watches, and even complete collections, that they hope will appeal to the female consumer. Today’s mechanical watches for women run the gamut from simple three-hand (hours, minutes, seconds) time-only watches to those with added functions and small complications, as well as a healthy dose of powerful complications. The new spate of timepieces making their debut this year range from dualtime zones (that indicate time at home and in the local zone for travelers), to calendars (that depict the day, date and moon phases), chronographs (for tracking short intervals of time, such as running a mile), tourbillons (that compensate for errors in timekeeping due to the effects of gravity) and minute repeaters that melodiously chime the time.

PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER CUFF WATCH. MINIATURE SIZE BUT MAXIMUM IMPACT FOR THIS STUNNING ITERATION OF THE ICONIC PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER. THE FLUID CUFF BRACELET IS COMPOSED OF SENSUAL YELLOW GOLD LINKS, SOME LACQUERED. THEIR SHIMMER IS ECHOED ON THE OFFSET DIAL, WHOSE BLACK LACQUER SPOTS IMITATE THOSE OF A CERTAIN PANTHER.

A bit of everything While in many instances, brands continue to adorn these complications for women with diamonds and gemstones, for many female watch collectors diamonds don’t add anything to the timepiece, and can even take away some of the allure of a complication. However, there is still the other side of the fence: many women love diamonds. Additionally, thanks to the use of unusual cuts of stones and creative setting methods, some brands are proving that mechanics and shimmer are not mutually exclusive. “Honestly, each person is so individual; some love the diamonds, others don’t,” says Hurley. “It is truly a matter of personal taste.” Recognizing the diversity in personal style,

brands are offering a little bit of everything for women now, from sporty chic to full-on bling. This year, Patek Philippe unveiled mechanical women’s watches without the dazzle — offering new versions of its Ladies’ Nautilus sport timepieces that retail for $47,630 in rose gold. Similarly, Carl F. Bucherer unveiled new ScubaTec Lady watches that are water-resistant to 200 meters and don’t flaunt diamonds. Other brands are focusing on artistic appeal by adding creative dials to their mechanical watches. They include marquetry dials with animals on them or decorative hand-painted dials with birds and flowers taking center-stage. Artistic watches have long been a coveted staple in the men’s collector world because of the many hours it takes a master artisan to hand-paint or enamel a dial, firing coat after coat to achieve the finished colors and depth of hues. Similarly, marquetry and mosaic dials — also often depicting animals and flowers for women — are incredibly time-consuming to create. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of tiny pieces of wood, mosaic, glass, feathers, mother-ofpearl and other materials are meticulously placed on the dial to form the finished piece. Additionally, because of the artistry on the dial, most of the brands that create these exceptional pieces equip them with equally artistic technical movements.

Rarity as well On the more technical side, some brands focus on offering skeletonization in their newest women’s watches — wherein the movement is visible not only via a sapphire case back, but also on the dial side. The art of skeletonizing a movement is no easy feat. It requires scaling down every part to its thinnest and

smallest, while still retaining its strength and rigidity. Audemars Piguet’s newest Royal Oak Frosted Double Balance Wheel Openworked watch — powered by the brand’s Manufacture Calibre 3132 whose 245 components are mostly visible — is a fine example. Also in an effort to satiate women’s desire for high com plications, big-name companies and independents alike are turning out incredibly limited and coveted complexities. Bvlgari, for instance, this year unveiled its $187,000 Diva Finissima Minute Repeater watch. It houses the BVL362 caliber —the world’s thinnest minute repeater movement for a women’s watch. Independent brand MB&F created an all-new movement for its first ever women’s watch. The $315,000 Legacy Machine (LM) FlyingT is a three-dimensional timepiece that underscores the brand’s technical prowess. The 280-part movement

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I · BREGUET REINE DE NAPLES 8908. LIKE THE TIMEPIECE COMMISSIONED FROM ABR AHAM-LOUIS BREGUET BY CAROLINE MUR AT, THE NEW REINE DE NAPLES 8908 IS A WATCH OF GREAT BEAUTY, CHARACTER AND TECHNIQUE. THE AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT WAS SPECIALLY DEVELOPED WITH BREGUET’S WOMEN CUSTOMERS IN MIND. II · PIAGET ALTIPLANO METEORITE. PIAGET NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION AS A MASTER OF EXTRA-THIN MOVEMENTS, OR FOR THE ORIGINALITY OF ITS HARDSTONE DIALS. THIS YEAR IT CARRIES ON BOTH TRADITIONS WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THREE MODELS FEATURING METEORITE DIALS.

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III · CHOPARD HAPPY SPORT OVAL. FOR THE TIMELESS AND PLAYFUL HAPPY SPORT WATCH, PERPETUAL SELF-REINVENTION IS AN EXPRESSION OF SUPREME ELEGANCE. THE PERFECTLY ADJUSTED PROPORTIONS OF ITS DISTINCTIVE OVAL SHAPE ARE NOW RENDERED EVEN MORE FEMININE BY PAIRING THEM WITH THE ORIGINAL “GALET” BRACELET. IIII · JAEGER-LECOULTRE RENDEZ-VOUS MOON SERENITY. THE RENDEZVOUS MOON SERENITY IS ALL IN BLUE, WITH A MOTHER-OF-PEARL MOON PHASE SET OFF AGAINST ITS SATIN-BRUSHED STAR CHART. DAINTY GOLDEN HALF-SPHERES SCINTILLATE UNDER THE LIGHT ABOVE THE ENCHANTING BLUE OF ITS INNER DIAL, RECREATING THE CONSTELLATIONS OF THE NIGHT SKY ON A STARRY EVENING.

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V · HERMÈS CAPE COD CHAÎNE D’ANCRE. THE NEW CAPE COD IS A STRONG NEW LINK HARBORING A DARING STYLE AND TAKING FEMININITY ON BOARD IN A SUBTLY MISCHIEVOUS MANNER. ON THIS LARGE STEEL MODEL, THE “ANCHOR CHAIN” MOTIF IMAGINED BY ROBERT DUMAS IN 1938 DIVERTS WATCHMAKING TRADITIONS BY CHARTING A COURSE WITH CREATIVITY AS ITS COMPASS. VI · CHANEL BOY.FRIEND NÉO TWEED. THE OCTAGONAL SHAPE OF THE BOY.FRIEND IS ANCHORED IN CHANEL WATCHMAKING, WITH ITS SOBER, REFINED DESIGN AND POWERFUL LINES. THIS STEEL VERSION WITH DATE DISPLAY, A LIMITED EDITION OF 1,000 PIECES, FEATURES A GREY TWEED PATTERN ON ITS DIAL. .

It’s no longer rare for a watch to have a “face” — a personality whose temperament exactly fits the characteristics of the piece in question. By choosing Patrick Dempsey, a longstanding friend of the brand, to present the new Autavia, TAG Heuer has found the perfect match. A champion skier in high school, an internationally renowned actor and a professional racing driver, he’s a man with a cool head and a sense of adventure. Who better to represent a watch that could have been made for him, including the charm of a retro design that echoes the actor’s own charisma. The new collection is TAG Heuer’s first real venture into the still red-hot vintage market — apart from the square-cased Monaco whose distinctive, not to say disruptive design when launched in 1969, has less broad appeal. As a tool watch, the Autavia builds on nostalgia for an age of adventure, of “man versus the elements”. The new piece specifically looks to the original Autavias, those manufactured between 1933 and 1957 that were mounted on the instrument panels of racing cars and planes. It wasn’t until 1962 that the Autavia moved to the wrist. This was the first time a Heuer chronograph had

featured a rotating bezel and this, plus a reputation for reliability and legibility, made the Autavia a strong competitor to other racing chronos. It soon became a fixture of Formula 1 racing circuits in the 1960s and 1970s, worn by all the great drivers of the day. Despite this success, production ceased in 1985. But this wasn’t the end of the story. A good watch always has a way of coming back. Three years ago, TAG Heuer launched an online vote for fans to choose their favorite among 16 Autavia models from various eras. The winner, the Rindt Autavia from 1966, was subsequently reissued as a limited edition that launched during Baselworld 2017.

Groundbreaking technology Fans clamored for more and, only too happy to oblige, TAG Heuer has decided to give greater prominence to the Autavia which this year becomes a standalone collection that

makes its debut with a three hands/date model in steel or bronze — a symbolic metal associated with traditional measuring instruments. “The cockpitinspired Autavia features design elements inspired by the models introduced over half a century ago,” says the brand. From the extra-large crown to the round case and beveled lugs of the vintage Autavia, as well as the bidirectional rotating ceramic bezel, everything about this new watch says rugged functionality, backed by the all-weather legibility one expects from a tool watch. The state-ofthe-art technology inside is also designed to go the distance, starting with TAG Heuer’s own carbon-composite balance spring — a worldfirst — combined with an aluminum alloy balance. This revolutionary regulating system, which qualifies the brand’s new Isograph movements, improves isochronism hence precision, which is tested and certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC). Whether exposed to shocks, variations in temperature or magnetic fields, this innovative balance and spring assembly won’t flinch. Like we said, ready for adventure! Christophe Roulet

In phase with the Moon In the case of the Arceau L’Heure de la Lune, Hermès is offering what it calls an “original interpretation” of the moon-phase complication using two moving discs: one showing hours and minutes, the other for the date. They appear to float above the dial, in aventurine or in meteorite, to make one complete sweep in 59 days. As they do, they reveal the different faces of two mother-of-pearl moons, one each for the northern and southern hemispheres. Both discs remain upright throughout their rotation, so that the time and the date are always easily read. Typically for Hermès, this poetic vision masks a degree of mechanical complexity such that the Parisian firm works only with the very best watchmakers. In this instance, Jean-François Mojon and his teams at Chronode were given the delicate task of developing a module that would seamlessly combine with the in-house Hermès H1837 calibre — an extra-thin movement at 3.7mm high. This implied an additional constraint for Mojon, whose mechanism had to fit within the elegant curves of the 43mm Arceau case in white gold. Mission accomplished, as the 117 components of the module assemble into a height of 4.2mm. As an added twist, Hermès has turned the cardinal points upside-down so that the southern hemisphere moon is at the top of the dial — where it reveals the Pegasus winged horse, a nod to Hermès’ equestrian connections — and its northern hemisphere counterpart, complete with craters, at the bottom. For Hermès, the objective is “to set foot on the Moon and lose one’s sense of time and space.” Not easy, with a beauty like this on the wrist! C.R. is vertically stacked — topped with a tourbillon — and totally visible on the dial side thanks to a high-domed sapphire crystal. The addition of diamonds proves, as mentioned, that technical mechanics and dazzling gemstones are not mutually exclusive. The same is true with Jacob & Co., which this year released its Astronomia Fleurs de Jardin watch. Housed in a sapphireboxed case, diamonds and gemstones are used as part of the highly technical movement, with stones that rotate with the tourbillon via arms that extend out thanks to a patented differential system. Like their counterparts for men, women’s mechanical watches can be costly — sometimes more so because of the diamond adornments. Prices range from $15,000for

a three-hand automatic to a million or so for the most complicated pieces. Still, women — just like men — don’t shy away because of the price tag; they’re willing to shell out the money to get exactly what they want out of a timepiece. “Everyone — men and women — is hesitant about plunking down $100,000 on a watch. It is a major purchase,” admits Hurley, “But we are seeing women coming in who have the money and want to spend it on a mechanical watch.” Ross concurs, adding that, “Regardless of gender, collectors want value for their money, whether they are buying a time-only or a tourbillon. If they love it, they want it, and that’s it. The biggest concern is how to get their hands on it, so rarity is coming into the picture now as well.”

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HERMÈS ARCEAU L’HEURE DE LA LUNE. HOW TO PUT A NEW SPIN ON THE CLASSIC MOONPHASE COMPLICATION? HERMÈS’S ELEGANT SOLUTION, ENCLOSED WITHIN THE ARCEAU CASE, IS TO SIMULTANEOUSLY SHOW THE PHASES OF THE MOON IN THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES AS TWO MOBILE COUNTERS GRAVITATE AROUND A METEORITE DIAL. BREATHING LIFE INTO THIS CONTEMPORARY CHOREOGRAPHY IS THE HERMÈS H1837 MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT, COMPLETED BY AN EXCLUSIVE AND PATENTED MODULE BY CHRONODE.

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I · RICHARD MILLE RM 71-01 TALISMAN. AS ULTRA-FEMININE AS THEY ARE, THE RM 71-01 TALISMAN WATCHES LACK NONE OF THE FORCE AND ROBUSTNESS OF ANY OTHER RICHARD MILLE WATCH. PROOF OF THE BRAND’S COMMITMENT TO HIGH MECHANICS, THE AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT IS ITS EIGHTH IN-HOUSE CALIBRE AND ITS FIRST TOURBILLON. II · LOUIS VUITTON VOYAGER FLYING TOURBILLON. LOUIS VUITTON HAS CHOSEN A TOURBILLON ESCAPEMENT FOR THIS HAUTE HORLOGERIE WATCH THAT CAN BE WORN JUST AS EASILY BY MEN AS BY WOMEN. MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES AFTER ITS INVENTION, THIS ICONIC COMPLICATION IS STILL RIGHTLY CONSIDERED A DEMONSTRATION OF A WATCHMAKER’S SKILL. III · GRAND SEIKO LADIES AUTOMATIC. THIS YEAR, THE JAPANESE FIRM IS LAUNCHING ANOTHER NEW CALIBRE, THE 9S27, AND A SERIES OF FIVE EXQUISITE LADIES’ TIMEPIECES, THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR GRAND SEIKO IN THE WOMEN’S SEGMENT. IIII · VAN CLEEF & ARPELS LADY ARPELS PLANETARIUM. ONE OF ITS POETIC ASTRONOMY CREATIONS, VAN CLEEF & ARPELS RETURNS TO ITS MIDNIGHT PLANÉTARIUM IN A VERSION FOR WOMEN. DISTINGUISHED BY ITS REFINED AESTHETIC AS MUCH AS ITS EXCLUSIVE AUTOMATIC MOVEMENT, THE LADY ARPELS PLANÉTARIUM WATCH DEPICTS THE SUN AND THE NEAREST PLANETS: MERCURY, VENUS AND EARTH TOGETHER WITH ITS NATURAL SATELLITE, THE MOON.