Watches and Wonders roundup (part 3 of 4)
Jul 04, 2024
The watch industry is celebrating 2024 with a rich multitude of timekeeping marvels. Origins and anniversaries have been a major theme, though vintage flair and nostalgia aren’t the only factors defining watches. This year’s best new models prove the centuries-old industry is still experimenting and continuing to push bold, fresh and forward-looking ideas. Stephenie Gee reports
Montblanc
Montblanc may be best known for its pens, but it is, however, no less adept when it comes to timepieces thanks to its 2007 acquisition of famed Swiss watchmaker Minerva. And it shows in its latest designs, such as the Montblanc 1858 The Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph. This limited edition not only features a sapphire crystal cover glass and case back, but also five additional apertures into the case band, allowing light to illuminate the hand-finished manually-wound movement. The MB M17.26 calibre was specifically designed to offer the best possible aesthetic experience through the new openings. The pillar construction of the movement ensures an unobstructed view of all 291 components, including the wheels, chronograph lever and escapement, even from the side.
Or the Iced Sea Zero Oxygen Deep 4810, which comes with a deep blue dial reminiscent of the interlocking network of crystals formed over millennia in the Mer de Glace, a water resistance of 4,810 metres – the height of the brand’s namesake mountain – and a 43mm titanium case hermetically sealed and oxygen-free, which prevents fogging at sub-zero temperatures and the oxidisation of the movement components, making them longer-lasting. The standard Iced Sea Automatic Date lineup also sees two breathtaking additions, albeit without the superior depth rating: a bronze-tone model with a black glacier-pattern dial, and a stainless-steel version with a new burgundy- tone glacier-pattern dial. Rounding off the highlights is the 1858 Geosphere Zero Oxygen CARBO2. The first Montblanc watch to feature the Zero Oxygen concept, it now comes in a new version which, though doing away with oxygen, adds carbon dioxide.
Oris
Oris’ flagship aquis collection gets a subtle but substantial revamp, designed to be more wearable and more stylish. The next-generation Aquis Date comes in three sizes: 36.5mm, 41.5mm and 43.5mm. All three are powered by the Oris 733 Sellita-based automatic movement, but the brand’s in-house Calibre 400 with a five-day power reserve, anti-magnetic properties and 10-year guarantee, is also available as an upgrade option for the flagship 43.5mm models. The Calibre 400 and 36.5mm models come on a bracelet equipped with Oris’s patented Quick Strap Change system, enabling wearers to swap easily and efficiently between the brand’s wide array of interchangeable straps and bracelets depending on the occasion and preference.
Regardless of the size or the movement, the new watches have cases with shorter and more ergonomic lug shapes, re-proportioned bezels and redesigned crown guards. Even the three-link metal bracelet has been recast so that the central links are broader and the overall form more tapered. There’s a new typeface for the inscriptions on the dial – which like so many of the other upgrades is only noticeable on close inspection – and each timepiece features dial-matched date wheels. Dial options include blue, green or black for the two larger diameters, and black and a creamy mother-of-pearl for the smaller variant.
Featuring a different dial material altogether is the new Aquis Upcycle, made from recycled PET plastics that are treated and compressed, among other processes. No two dials of the Upcycle are ever the same, bringing that novelty element into the Aquis line for true enthusiasts.
Panerai
The official sponsor for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team since 2019, Panerai has been regularly celebrating that connection with special-edition watches infused with the spirit of innovation and adventure that defines both brands. Now, to celebrate the renewal of its partnership and as part of the festivities ahead of the upcoming 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona, the Italian-Swiss watch manufacture has unveiled new reinterpretations of its iconic Submersible timepiece.
Leading the showcase is the Submersible GMT Luna Rossa Titanio PAM1507. Encased in grade 5 titanium, the 42mm time-teller is both lightweight and incredibly durable, mirroring the resilience of the new Luna Rossa boat. Further nods to Luna Rossa come in the form of a GMT hand inspired by the boat’s sails, as well as a decal of it on the watch’s flange. The indices and the hour hand are accented with the new Super-LumiNova X2, an improved grade that ensures a 10% higher luminosity than its predecessor after 180 minutes in the dark.
Comprising just 20 pieces, the Submersible Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition PAM01405 is a horological beast and the most out-there of the set. The watch represents a milestone as the first 45mm Submersible to incorporate the tourbillon complication and marry it with the futuristic appeal of Carbotech, a super resistant material based on carbon fibre that is lighter than titanium and ceramic. If you have the wherewithal (a lot of wherewithal) to own one, you get to embark on an exclusive curated journey during the finals of the America’s Cup as part of the deal.
Parmigiani Fleurier
Date or no date is the eternal debate. This season, Parmigiani Fleurier opts for the latter in the new Tonda PF Micro-Rotor No Date, which is stripped of everything superfluous. Attired in a 40mm satin-finished stainless steel build with a knurled bezel, this two-hand timepiece stands out with its beautiful “Golden Siena” dial, a colour the maison says evokes “elegant appeal and diffuses warm serenity”, enhanced by the signature Grain d’Orge guilloché.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Tonda PF Skeleton Platinum, with its intricate skeletonised design offering a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of a masterfully crafted mechanical movement. Like its steel and gold brethren, the watch features a time-only, openworked dial that is easy to read thanks to the contrasting metals and textures.
Alongside the two, Parmigiani introduced a new generation of the Toric, master watchmaker and restorer Michel Parmigiani’s first watch launched in 1996. Ambassadors of the new collection, the Toric Petite Seconde – offered in 950 platinum with a grey celadon dial, or 18k rose gold with a colour-matching sand gold dial – and Toric Chronographe Rattrapante bear the signature knurled bezel of the original Toric, but with a modernised case obliterating protrusions or aggressive angles to create a fluid, soft profile extending to the strap. And gone are the Arabic or Roman numerals, the javelin hands and the guilloché decoration, replaced, respectively, with tiny rose or white gold applied indices, gold delta-shaped hands and grained gold dials.
Patek Philippe
The grand dame of Geneva watchmaking, Patek Philippe debuted 11 new watches at this year’s Watches and Wonders, turning a spotlight on rose gold, travel and denim. A highlight, the new World Time 5330G boasts a world-first complication: a date display synchronised with local time. This feat of engineering is made possible by a new self-winding calibre, the 240 HU C, featuring a patented central differential system. The white gold case, 40mm in diameter, frames a blue-grey opaline dial, adorned at the centre with a carbon motif. Completing the package is a denim-look leather strap for a sportier, more casual aesthetic.
Another head-turner is the new Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/1R-001. The Ellipse, first introduced in 1968, was one of the defining watches of the decade with its unique case shape characterised by the golden ratio’s perfect mathematical harmony. Over the years, it has come on bracelets, on straps, in various
precious metals, with a stepped case, with gem-set embellishment, with a minute track and small seconds, and even as an Ellipse-Nautilus hybrid (aka Nautilipse). Now, the large-sized Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738 welcomes its first metal bracelet. The product of 15 years’ development, it comprises 363 elements, of which more than 300 links are individually mounted by hand, and is secured with an engraved fold-over clasp that adjusts to three positions. Contrasting with the rose gold bracelet and case is the stark ebony-black sunburst dial, punctuated with slim rose gold hands and indices.
Piaget
Piaget celebrated its monumental 150th anniversary with a plethora of stunning new novelties and creations, shaped by a quest for elegance and driven by inventiveness. Marking a new chapter in the history of precision watchmaking as the world’s thinnest tourbillon, the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is a testament to Piaget’s enduring legacy of pushing the boundaries of horological ingenuity, 67 years after inventing its first ultra-thin calibre, the 9P, and six years following the launch of the world’s thinnest watch, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. The watch maintains the same astonishing thinness of just 2mm as its predecessor even with an added tourbillon, which required a complete reimagining of 90% of its components and the development of new machinery. The case is made from a
blue PVD-treated M64BC cobalt alloy to give the watch adequate strength and rigidity, though there’s
no case per se, likewise with the movement, because the two are fused as one single component, completed with an incredibly thin sapphire crystal glass on both sides.
This ultra-thin marvel is joined by a pair of Polo Date 150th Anniversary Edition watches in 36mm and 42mm editions, both made of steel with a stylish rubber strap, a first for the former sizing; as well as some stunning high jewellery watches, which include three new Swinging Sautoirs, a black opal
dial cuff watch and two additions to its highly coveted Aura collection decorated with baguette-cut rubies, pink sapphires and diamonds.
Roger Dubuis
The unrivalled maestro of hyper horology, Roger Dubuis returns to its forte, the tourbillon, with a trio of timepieces featuring said mechanism presented in various formats – be it singular, dual, or most notably, central – unveiled at Watches and Wonders.
Named after the revolving nature of the tourbillon and the dial’s circular orbit, the 88-piece Orbis in Machina does away with conventional hands. In its place in the centre is a tourbillon, from which the time displays wind hierarchically around the dial in stages. The front of the timepiece is adorned in concentric circles in contrasting pink gold and grey, each set at different heights for a multi-levelled décor that reveals the skeleton calibre beneath, all adhering to the prestigious Poinçon de Genève certification.
If one tourbillon isn’t enough for you, there’s the Excalibur Sunrise Double Tourbillon. Produced in a limited run of just eight pieces, the watch is run by the intricate RD108SQ movement equipped with two flying tourbillons linked by a regulating differential for unparalleled precision. But it’s the watch’s aesthetic that truly sets it apart. The burst of colour surrounding the body is formed from 108 gems, set in a gradient reminiscent of the vibrant hues of a breaking dawn. In contrast to the vibrant exuberance of the Sunrise Double Tourbillon, the Excalibur Titanium Monotourbillon is a minimalist masterpiece constructed from grade 5 titanium for supreme comfort and durability. At its heart beats the Calibre RD512SQ with a striking flying tourbillon at 7 o’clock.
