Variety is the Spice of Time!

Nature never dabbles in imitations but creates unique works of art each more intriguing than the other. Even twins have individualistic characteristics that set them apart. In the realm of horology, the world’s leading watchmakers compete with one another to present novel creations asserting that variety is the spice of Time. Discover the season’s most exciting and splendorous watches in this edition     

After winning the title of Olympic champions at the 2014 Winter Games, the famous Russian figure skating duo, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov won the hearts of the artisans at Zenith’s manufacture in Le Locle. They caused great excitement amongst children at the local ice skating clubs, and then on the ice at the La Réserve hotel's "Winter Lodge", where a festive atmosphere was enjoyed until late in the evening.

The renowned brand launched its milestone 150th anniversary recently at Baselworld 2015. It demonstratively displayed its values in the advent of the revamped Elite caliber, a manually wound movement whose technical performance has now been enhanced with a 100-hour power reserve, a slightly larger 30mm diameter and a central sweep seconds hand and which remains a svelte, ultra-thin movement at just 3.92 mm in height. Now christened the Elite 6150, it powers a brand-new stainless steel 42mm watch of the same name distinguished by classicism. Zenith also presents a new chronograph powered by its iconic El Primero movement, which comes in three sophisticated 45mm variations.

Swiss watchmaker Rolex unveils new-generation models and a new-generation mechanical movement which raises the level of chronometric performance. Leading them is its prestigious Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, worn by many U.S. presidents. The new 40mm timepiece redefines the Superlative Chronometer, established by Rolex in the late 1950’s. Its modernized design comes in 950 platinum or in yellow, white or Everose gold, with elaborate new dials, including ice blue. It houses the new mechanical movement Calibre 3255, whose chronometric performance criteria surpasses that of COSC the official Swiss chronometer testing institute. Backed by14 patents, it offers gains in precision, power reserve, resistance to shocks and magnetism, ease of use and reliability. It includes the new and patented Chronergy escapement, with high-energy efficiency and great dependability.

For the tenth anniversary of the Patravi TravelTec line, Carl F. Bucherer unveils an impressive new member: the Patravi TravelTec II. A COSC-certified automatic chronograph with a display featuring three time zones it is water resistant to 100m, and boasts a robust 47.4 mm case, a side-mounted sapphire glass window to reveal the built-in complication. It is a sophisticated component of the automatic caliber CFB 1901.1 that simultaneously displays three time zones in combination with a chronograph. It was developed in-house and is unique in the world.

Another special feature is the date display which can move forward and also backward when changing the hour setting. Adorning the case back is a time-zone sun, which shows the hour differences of 24 cities versus the prime meridian, with Lucerne – the homebase of Carl F. Bucherer – accentuated as a black engraving. Finely stitched leather inserts in the TravelTec II's special rubber watchband underline the combination of exquisite materials.

Acclaimed watch brand Omega’s evocative 27 mm Constellation Pluma has a newly designed and light coral-coloured mother-of-pearl dial, recalling warm sunshine on a summer day. ‘Pluma’ is Latin for feather, hinting at its delicate design. It is decorated with 11 diamond indexes in 18K gold and a soft-wavy pattern that flows between the iconic claws on the bezel. Its’  polished and facetted hands are crafted from 18K gold and coated with white Super-LumiNova, so the time can be read in a variety of lighting conditions. The 18K red gold bezel is paved with 32 full-cut diamonds, adding to the overall style of this piece and it is matched by a bracelet with brushed stainless steel links and polished 18K red gold bars. The OMEGA Co-Axial calibre 8520 at its heart is visible through a domed scratch-resistant caseback and the precision and reliability of this mechanical movement is such that the timepiece is offered with a full four-year warranty.

Jaquet Droz, the Swiss watchmaker known by its twin stars, presents a timepiece imbued with the spirit of the jeweler's craft – the 35mm Lady 8 Flower featuring an astonishing mechanical animation in the form of a blossoming lotus. It is made up of two superimposed circles creating a figure of 8, an emblematic number for the brand considered a symbol of harmony and infinity.

The lower circle features a delicate butterfly with its wings outspread. Two versions are available: one with the butterfly's wings painted and engraved in translucent red enamel on a guilloché background; the other, incorporating jewels, features a butterfly set with blue sapphires and portrayed against snow-set diamonds, each comprising just eight pieces. The upper circle reveals a lotus flower under a sapphire crystal dome. Each petal is individually enameled or engraved to give its back a perfect satin finish. By pressing a push-button the lotus flower opens, revealing its diamond heart, offering a delicate flower on its lucky wearer’s wrist that will burst into bloom at any moment.

One of Jacob & Co’s remarkable pieces is its new Caviar Emerald Tourbillon watch. The 47mm hand-wound watch, created as a unique piece, is the fruit of two years of search for the perfect emeralds worthy of being featured in it. Surrounding an aperture around the dial through which the wearer can see the flying tourbillion, 140 baguette emeralds create pure envy. On the round case 232 additional baguette emeralds, also invisibly set, extend the extraordinary design. A rose-cut emerald on the crown framed by 16 additional gems offers a fascinating play of light. The hand wound caliber offers not only a tourbillion but a power reserve of 100 hours. 

The Italian luxury brand Bulgari announced the Diagono Magnesium concept watch at Baselworld 2015, in partnership with WiseKey, a digital information security company, headquartered in Geneva. It does not possess the usual Smartwatch functionalities, but targets information security, a pressing issue of our day. According to Bulgari, it is a “Zero percent gadget” and is “the complete opposite of everything the world of so-called connected watches is able to offer.” The smart feature of the watch lies in its ability to connect to a Smartphone application, which allows the user to access his or her confidential information after going through a quick authentication step.

Did you know that every second breath that we take we owe it to the oceans? Clean oceans mean cleaner air to breathe and better health for us and our families. Renowned Swiss watch brand Blancpain has committed itself to this highly noble cause of protecting the oceans so its customers can now ‘hitch their wagon’ to this highly worthy cause. With each purchase of a watch from its Ocean Commitment limited edition, Blancpain will donate 1,000 Euros to science. The first model in this limited series of diver’s watches is the Bathyscaphe Chronographe Flyback Ocean Commitment which continues the design tradition established by the Fifty Fathoms collection which is now 60 years old. But it encases the Manufacture’s new movement the Automatic Caliber F385, a flyback chronographe with column wheel and vertical coupling. Its balance is paced at a frequency of 36,000 semi-oscillations per hour. Another feature is its silicon hairspring, an antimagnetic material that helps to protect the watch against the ill effects of magnetic fields with a sub-dial for the seconds and a date display. It is water resistant to 300 m and sports a grey ceramic case with a ceramic crown and push pieces. The bezel is of blue ceramic with ‘Liquidmetal’ markings.

Over the years, the philosophy of the "House of SARCAR" has not changed much, constantly searching to harmoniously combine the latest technology with the scrupulous know-how and the dexterity of the very experienced watchmakers. SARCAR fully lives up to its tagline as Creator of Dreams by simply stunning us with its Royal Stallion watch presented in its marvelous Treasure collection. For millennia, horses have been playing an important role within human cultures. In respect of this magnificent animal, SARCAR’s craftsmen have again shown their artistic talent with the creation of yet another timepiece of significant importance: The Royal Stallion – another masterpiece from its highly treasured collection.

Its red gold bezel is adorned by a sculptured stallion and further enhanced by SARCAR’s signature – a one carat diamond rotating solitaire revolving round a pave dial. With its self-winding movement, diamond-studded crown and further complimented by a dual sided croco strap with gold diamond-set folding clasp, this mesmerizing beauty is indeed a stunning timepiece of great artistic value.

Glashütte Original’s new PanoMatic Lunar weds a glossy red gold case and a matte black dial that was born at the brand’s own dial manufacture in Pforzheim. Its makers are justly proud because the magically deep black hue does perfect justice to the new variant’s dial, which has an off- centre indicator for the hours and minutes, a sub-dial for the seconds, a golden moon-phase display in front of a silver- coloured starry sky at 2 o’clock and the generously proportioned panoramic date below the moon. All these displays are animated by automatic manufacture Calibre 90-02, which shows its fine decorations in Glashütte style through the case’s sapphire back.

To honour the memory of its illustrious founder, Louis Moinet unveils a visionary creation standing at the exact crossroads between the 10^th anniversary of the brand’s rebirth and the bicentenary of the chronograph invented by the master-watchmaker: Memoris. Adopting an unusual approach, the Ateliers began with a blank page to make the chronograph the starting point of the watch, to which a time function has been added, and not the reverse. To ensure it is firmly centre-stage, the single-pusher column-wheel chronograph function has been shifted to the dial side of which it occupies the entire surface. More than 60 parts had to be devised to enable it to be presented on a dedicated plate separating it from the automatic movement on the case-back side. This approach thus involved sweeping aside everything that had been devised since the invention of the chronograph by Louis Moinet 200 years ago, in order to introduce the first ever true ‘chronograph-watch’.

American luxury brand Harry Winston’s Ocean Chronograph Automatic 36mm is more feminine and sportier. The Ocean case returns to its original purpose: technical sophistication linked to underwater sports. Its case boasts several distinctive features: characteristic facetted lugs, a sloping bezel, and of course, the three Harry Winston arches at 3 o’clock, inspired by the façade of Harry Winston’s New York flagship salon. It has a sunburst, silver-toned dial marked with openings and engravings, a background for two counters at 3 and 9 o’clock, above the 6 o’clock running indicator. It is shaped like a Shuriken, a star with whirling arms that is an integral part of the Ocean identity. The HW3204 automatic chronograph movement is visible through a transparent case back, and it is adorned with meticulous finishes: circular Côtes de Genève, circular graining, rhodium plating and chamfering. The case is available in white or rose gold with more precious interpretations featuring 33 brilliant-cut diamonds on its bezel, lugs and arch.