Watchmaking’s finest creations

Top watchmakers go all out to entice luxury lovers with creations matching looks with performance. Even as they turn more exclusive and come in increasingly limited edition collections, they remind us of the preciousness and value of Time. Get to know all the details of the most stunning ones from the season in this edition of Watchout…

Diane Kruger, face of Jaeger-LeCoultre ladies collection attended the 72^nd Golden Globes awards ceremony wearing a unique Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Art Deco watch, a technical gem housing the world’s smallest mechanical movement.  

 The new 39 mm Master Calendar of Jaeger-LeCoultre is distinguished by the virtues and indeed the very face of astronomy. It is imbued with a seductive appeal exercising its own laws of gravity, thanks to its dial composed of a single block of meteorite discovered and officially registered in Sweden, which comes from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It displays the perpetual calendar by means of a long hand tipped with a red moon crescent sweeping around a scale around the dial rim graduated from 1 to 31. It also indicates the day of the week and the month in twin apertures at 12 o’clock. Finally, the complete calendar indicates the various moon phases – new moon, first quarter, full moon and last quarter – in the traditional form of this emblematic heavenly body emerging from between two clouds and rising up against a star-studded sky.

The highlight of Chanel's new release is an 18-carat white-gold clock, ‘The Bird Cage’, modelled after a miniature caged lovebirds sculpture formerly situated in the living room of Gabrielle Chanel’s Rue Cambon apartment. Stunning tsavorite, moonstone, pink quartz, rock crystal, mother-of-pearl and 61.5 carats of brilliant cut diamonds adorn a white-gold base to make up the gracefully sculpted showpiece, which will be displayed in a black and white counter decorated with camellia flowers and feathers, drawing back to the top stylistic codes of the French fashion house: pure but audacious.

The Fendi My Way Special Edition watch beautifully combines fur with diamonds! FENDI Timepieces presents the new Fendi My Way watch in a limited edition of 50 numbered pieces with a stunning setting of diamonds on the case and dial, two highly original FENDI fox fur accessories and a personal note signed by Silvia Venturini FENDI. A watch for striking women who love to elicit surprise, the elegant round case, exquisitely curved and inspired by the shape of a Roman amphitheater, and the dial are fully set with precious white diamonds totaling approximately 3.06 carats, depending on the model and presenting a robe of light for this ultra feminine piece.

The Fendi My Way Special Edition is accompanied by two exclusive fur accessories, a plume and a collar, both produced in FENDI’s fur workshop. The watch can be worn unadorned on formal occasions, with its plume for a touch of glamour or with the collar for society events and elegant soirées, guaranteed to make a statement. The Fendi My Way collection is also available in steel, steel with a yellow gold or rose gold colored bezel, and versions which are completely yellow gold or rose gold colored, including versions with or without sparkling diamonds.

Legendary watchmaker Breguet’s MARINE ROYALE wristwatch in 18-carat white or rose gold has rightly been described as drop-dead gorgeous and houses a self-winding movement with alarm mechanism. The security ratchet of the turning bezel is visible at 3 o'clock, it has an unidirectional turning bezel with luminous mark, alarm on/off push-piece at 8 o'clock an alarm setting push-piece at 4 o'clock and a black rhodium gold dial hand-engraved on a rose engine, a triangular hand at the center for setting the alarm time, alarm power-reserve indication in an aperture between 9 and 11 o'clock, an alarm on/off indicator in a round aperture at 12 o'clock, date at 6 o'clock and Breguet hands coated with a luminous compound. It is water-resistant to 300m and has a sapphire-crystal caseback.

Versace’s Venus line evolves into a new generation of mini-format jewellery watches. The new edition can be seen first and foremost in the case, which has a reduced diameter of 33 mm and is now off-center. It can also be seen in the decor: the guilloché pattern embellishes not only the small dial, but both bezels, the larger of which is clad in a layer of coloured aluminium that illuminates the case band with reflections. In the most precious versions, the inner top ring is studded with diamonds and the outer one with pink topaz gemstones. Both, however, feature a single pink or azure topaz gemstone, enclosed with great simplicity between the two glasses and the two bezels, giving it the appearance of floating in mid air.

Available in steel or IP rose gold, the watch is completed by a strap in pink or nude crocodile leather, or black or burgundy printed leather. Alternatively, there is a metal bracelet version with “rice grain” links.

Panerai's 48mm Radiomir 1940 Tourbillon GMT Oro Rosso comes in an exclusive Special Edition of just thirty units in red gold, it is powered by the Panerai P.2005 calibre whose cage contains the balance and escapement rotates on an axis which is perpendicular to that of the balance instead of parallel to it, and a rotation is completed in thirty seconds, that is, at twice the speed of the traditional one. Thanks to these two simple but revolutionary innovations, the Panerai Tourbillon compensates better for inaccuracies, thus ensuring that the watch runs more evenly. It also has the GMT 24H function, which indicates the time in a second time zone by a special central hand, with am/pm indication on the auxiliary dial at three o’clock. It is made entirely of 5Npt red gold, a special alloy with a high percentage of copper is water-resistant to five bar (around fifty metres). It is supplied with a brown alligator strap.

Blancpain’s capacity to develop and produce its own movements gives it complete creative freedom. This expertise, combined with a long-established tradition of innovation, has given rise to a new perpetual calendar movement endowed with an 8-day power reserve and also driving a large moon phase and small seconds. Its new self-winding Calibre 5939A comprising 379 parts measures 7.25 mm thick and 32 mm in diameter. In addition to keeping track of the varying month lengths and leap years involved in the complex Gregorian calendar without any need for adjustment until 2100, this movement powers small seconds and a large moon phase at 6 o’clock. This fully secured and protected mechanism enables adjustments of the day, date, month and moon-phase indications at all times without any risk of damaging the movement.

Its 42 mm case is equipped with Blancpain’s patented under-lug correctors. By remaining invisible when the watch is worn, these four discreet and practical correctors preserve the smooth lines of the case with its double stepped bezel, while serving to adjust the date and moon-phase indications without any need for a dedicated tool. The broad sapphire case-back reveals the meticulous finishing of the movement with its honeycomb-motif oscillating weight. In keeping with the brand’s aesthetic codes, the white dial is in grand feu enamel.

Acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Jaquet Droz pays its own homage to dance through the work of Stéphanie Barba. It teamed up with Béjart Ballet Lausanne and watercolorist Stéphanie Barba to unveil its dance-inspired timepieces. Jaquet Droz and the Béjart Ballet Lausanne became partners in 2013 and the watchmaking firm supports its work and shares its values of rigor, technical mastery and a futuristic vision of its oeuvre. It chose the dial of the Petite Heure Minute. The watercolorist presented a portfolio of twenty sketches inspired by The Rite of Spring. Jaquet Droz artisans selected two.

The timepiece featuring the Vulture is available in white gold with a 39 mm diameter and diamond-set lugs and case, together with a blue alligator strap. The 43 mm version in red gold with a brown crocodile leather strap shows the red-chalk sketch of the Chief and will appeal to those who harbor the soul of a leader. The drawings are painted by hand on the enamel dials and engraved on the oscillating weights. The collection is limited to 28 pieces.

The Saxony watch brand Glashutte Original’s 42mm Senator Chronograph Panorama Date is undeniably classic with a very masculine feel to it, exuding a strong presence but without being overpowering. It features an in-house movement designed specifically for this purpose; the Calibre 37-01 designed to be as simple and compact as possible and featuring several complications: It has an integrated design – meaning it is fully integrated in the movement for a better flow of power and compactness; A self-winding capacity in both directions and a 80h power reserve, with a single barrel; A simplified column wheel mechanism to actuate all chronograph functions (activate, disengage and return to zero); A fly-back, that allows a quick reset of the second-hand by only pushing the button at 5 o’clock (no need to stop the chronograph, to set it back to zero and start the chronograph again); A big date – so-called Panorama Date – at 12 and a power reserve indicator at 9, in the small second counter; A free-sprung balance that swings at 28.800vph (4 Hertz) for a better isochronism (accuracy over time) and precision. Presented on a blue Louisiana alligator leather strap with a matching blue sapphire set into the crown, the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date can be worn as a serious dress watch or to the office on a more casual day-to-day basis. 

Acclaimed Swiss watchmaker Omega’s beautiful De Ville Tresor watch is inspired by the original 1949 model, these classic timepieces are a striking addition to the De Ville collection. The De Ville Trésor boasts a silvery opaline dial with a vintage “clous de Paris” pattern. Polished 18K gold hour, minute and seconds hands are complemented by the date window at 6 o’clock. Available in 18K Sedna™ gold, 18K yellow gold or 18K white gold, the slim 40 mm case of the De Ville Trésor. The OMEGA De Ville Trésor is powered by OMEGA’s newest revolutionary manual-winding movement, the Master Co-Axial calibre 8511. Not only does it feature a Si14 silicon balance spring, Co-Axial escapement and time zone function, it can also resist magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss.

The Rolex Day-Date, launched in 1956 and touted by Rolex as the first chronometer wristwatch to spell out both the date and day of the week on its dial, has throughout its long history been available only in gold cases. That tradition continues with five models which have either an18k yellow gold, 18k white gold, or 18k Everose gold case and are available in different dial-strap combos. The cases measure 36 mm and are milled from a solid block of gold and their dials that match their leather straps. The fluted bezel surrounds a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with a Cyclops lens — a hallmark of the Rolex Day-Date — magnifying the date in the window at 3 o’clock. The dials have a sunray finish and the hands and applique indices are made of the same gold as the case. They are powered by Rolex’s manufacture Caliber 3155, an automatic  movement and certified COSC chronometer. The colorful straps, which create a monochromatic look paired with their matching dials, are of alligator leather.

Leading Swiss luxury brand Montblanc’s Timewalker Chronograph 100 is a new chronograph watch capable of measuring elapsed times to 1/100 second. Some of its outstanding features include: It comes from a manufacture with an impressive chronograph pedigree and houses the newly developed manufacture Caliber MB M66.25. The watch has one movement but two balances: a large, heavy screw balance, beating at a traditional 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz) to ensure the precise rate of the going train, and a smaller balance, with the much higher frequency of 360,000 vph (50 Hz) to regulate the chronograph function. The chronograph function has its own barrel, which stores enough energy to measure intervals up to 45 minutes long. However, this limit can be extended indefinitely by turning the crown counterclockwise while the chronograph is running, thus adding fresh energy to its devoted barrel. The going train for the time display draws its energy from a second barrel, which stores a 100-hour power reserve.

Like its predecessors from the iconic Cat’s Eye collection, the Cat’s Eye Day & Night is acclaimed for its magnificent aesthetic and mechanical features. At its heart is Girard-Perregaux’s Manufacture movement. With a dazzling mother-of-pearl dial, anti-reflective sapphire crystal, stunning curves crafted out of pink gold and a bezel that sparkles with 62 brilliant-cut diamonds, the timepiece is a work of extraordinarily skilled craftsmanship.

An iconic timepiece passionate about equilibrium, Baume & Mercier’s Promesse intensely articulates its charm in the realm of jewellery timepieces. Set with 61 diamonds on a steel 34 mm-diameter case, its oval design and natural white mother-of-pearl bezel make it deeply feminine. The silver-coloured dial with diamond-set indices make Baume & Mercier’s offering look stylish while it is matched by a glossy white alligator strap like the icing on a cake.

London diamond jewellery brand, Graff’s first diving watch, the ScubaGraff 47mm incorporates the mechanical self-winding Graff Calibre 2 movement exclusively designed, developed and built in Switzerland for Graff and displays a comfortable 50-hour power reserve. The hands and hour markers are enhanced with luminor ensuring optimal readability and the watch is guaranteed water-resistant to 300 meters. It features a DLC and white gold faceted case with a black dial, a decompression valve on the case side and a 30-minute countown indicator to help divers manage their remaining dive time and oxygen level. The back has been finely hand engraved with an octopus motif that is also reflected on the DLC deployment buckle which is secured on a black crocodile and rubber strap. It is animated by the self-winding movement GP03300-0090, exclusive to this collection, and offering 46 hours of power reserve which may be admired through the sapphire crystal case-back. It is available with a black or gray alligator leather strap with pink gold folding clasp, or with a pink gold bracelet.

There’s something beautiful about a single feather. It is symbolic of the beauty of birds and also indicates angelic help. Parisian brand Boucheron captures this beauty in its Epure Plume de Lumière timepiece in white gold set with baguettes, diamonds and white mother-of-pearl. It has a “Je ne Sonne que les Heures Heureuses” engraved case-back with sapphire crystal opened on the movement, is a limited Edition collection matched by a white alligator strap and houses an automatic movement from the Manufacture Girard-Perregaux, oscillating weight angled by hands and open-worked with Boucheron master’s seal. Thanks to the most talented jewelers and watchmakers, those art timepieces offer a rare richness which are the result of exceptionally diverse techniques and savoir-faire.

Chopard’s Grand Prix de Monaco Historique has come into its own this year, now offering a complete range of watches as exemplified in three new models: Automatic, Power Control (with a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock) and Chrono. In honor of the dynamism of the biennial race for which it is named, this year’s collection is an entirely new design, featuring a 44.5 mm  titanium and steel case and yellow accents on a silver-toned snailed dial. Each has an automatic movement with 46 hours of power reserve, and each is COSC certified. The Automobile Club de Monaco logo is stamped into steel back of the water-resistant case. A black Barenia leather strap with yellow stitching is a fashionable complement, and the chronograph offers a black and yellow NATO strap option upon request, which is a great look as well.

TAG Heuer’s Carrera Calibre 5 Automatic is a new classic Carrera by TAG Heuer, powered by the supremely accurate Calibre 5 automatic movement, and sporting a fully refreshed update of the effortlessly easy-to-read dial that made the original such a trendsetter. The sapphire crystal case-back and polished steel case are standout Carrera design elements, as is the fixed bezel in polished solid gold (18K 3N). The details are stunning in their sophistication: hand-applied TAG Heuer logo, indexes and date window. It is an elegant reinterpretation of an enduring masterpiece, with maximized Carrera refinement and allure.

Swiss luxury brand De Grisogono’s Allegra displays the dynamic brand’s love for selecting striking and attractive colours for that flamboyant unique touch. A reddish-pink, ‘numberless’ dial with two elegant rose gold hands is defined by a bezel set with rubies and pink sapphires, a prominent crown set with a black diamond and matched by a pink and red cord bracelet. Powered with Swiss quartz movement, the Allegra watch models are available in PVD steel, Pink gold, White gold and Diamond set white gold case versions. The dials are available Lacquered / black or white or Mother-of-pearl / pink, orange, red or black versions with Gold dauphine hands. It is supplied with custom fitted strap made of 20 intertwined leather cords of various colours with clasps in PVD steel, Pink gold, White gold or Diamond set versions depending upon the model.

Breitling begins a new chapter in the epic saga of its famous Navitimer aviation chronograph by launching a reinterpretation of the classic model in a larger diameter. Its Navitimer 46 mm is a larger-than-life take on the legend. These generous dimensions further highlight the famous black dial produced using the “épargne” technique against a pure silver background – a method ensuring excellent readability and stunning radiance. It is also available with a blue dial featuring tone-on-tone counters. A transparent caseback provides a chance to admire Manufacture Breitling Caliber 01, probably the world’s finest automatic chronograph movement, entirely developed and produced in the Breitling Chronométrie workshops and chronometer-certified by the COSC (Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute). It is fitted with a choice between a steel bracelet and a leather or crocodile strap. It also comes in a 200-piece red gold limited edition with a black dial.

The 41.5 mm, Bulgari Octo Maserati is a limited-edition chronograph that pays tribute to the joint anniversary of the two Houses embodying a certain art of living. The Manufacture Bulgari has chosen this year to drive its chronograph by means of a movement that lives up to its name. Nicknamed Velocissimo, meaning “the fastest”, the self-winding chronograph movement chosen by the Swiss master-watchmakers to power this limited series is fitted with 45 jewels and distinguished by its extremely high frequency, at 36,000 vibrations per hour. Equipped with a silicon escapement and an oscillating pinion operating as a clutch to ensure that the chronograph is activated as precisely as a sequential gearbox, Calibre BVL 328 has a 50-hour power reserve guaranteeing a blend of performance, precision and autonomy. This powerful mechanism is equally well prepared for sudden bursts of speed as for long-haul races, just like the cars offered by Maserati and is a 1,914-piece limited edition.

The name Carl F. Bucherer has been synonymous with quality, innovation, and passion since 1888. Founded in Lucerne, this modest Swiss family business has grown into the internationally renowned Bucherer brand with its own worldwide chain of stores. The Bucherer Group remains family-run today and is currently in its third generation. In the Pathos, the Lucerne-based watch brand Carl F. Bucherer presents an exceptional new timepiece in two lines: Pathos Queen and Pathos Princess. A woven filigree case embraces a multidimensional play of form and color and a watch, resplendent in its majestic elegance. Pathos – it means eminence and passion, and nobly imposing, the Pathos radiates elegance and exclusivity. The gleaming timepiece is wreathed in a lattice of 18k rose gold, known as the aureole while rose-gold-colored markers and Roman numerals add a touch of sparkle.

At SIHH in January 2015, A. Lange & Söhne presented three models of the Saxonia watch family with a new dial design that further enhances their intrinsic gracefulness: Saxonia, Saxonia Automatic, and the 38.5mm Saxonia Dual Time.

Just a few precisely placed accents graciously emphasise the sublimely chiselled face of the Saxonia family’s models. The solid-gold applied hour markers have been moved toward the periphery of the dial and are executed as double baton appliques at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. The slightly extended black graduations of the minute scale are also more striking. The tens markers of the subsidiary seconds dial have been endowed with numerals. All modifications were made in the interest of improved legibility. Its conveniently adjustable second zone time and superb legibility make it the perfect companion and it pays tribute to the homeland of A. Lange & Söhne.

Ulysse Nardin watches are some of the most visually appealing watches because they combine style and grace with a sophistication that is very clearly understood by just a single glance. Its 42mm Forgeron Minute repeater series has intricate details as well as the bright colors on the dial. Perhaps the most appealing is the hand crafted gold figures in the center of the dial. Two men are forging at a desk made entirely of rose gold. A closer look will show you the very fine details of these two figures in perfect proportion. The movement of this luxury timepiece is via manual wind and shows you hours and minutes so that you can always tell exactly what time it is. It comes with a options of a blue face/blue leather and a black face/black leather combination that are both available in platinum or rose gold to match your preferences.