Magic meets emotion at the Spring watch fairs

“The first thing we observe is a need for poetry, something that will stir emotion. We have responded with poetic complications, such as the Quatre Saisons watch in 2006 and this year’s Midnight in Paris which shows the movement of the stars over the French capital. This three-dimensional watch offers a magical perspective, and therefore a great deal of emotion. Secondly, women will strike up a much more intimate relationship with watches, something we celebrate this year with our Charms collection. It has to be said that, until now, watchmakers have shown a sorry lack of imagination in this domain, more often than not contenting themselves to adapt men’s models to a feminine audience. Which leaves us with personalisation, the third of tomorrow’s major trends. Inasmuch as each human being is unique, I don’t see why he or she wouldn’t wish to wear something equally unique on their wrist, whether a Fine Watch or Fine Jewellery.”

Poetry in motion

In these few words, Stanislas de Quercize perfectly encapsulates the 2008 watchmaking year, as borne out by the collections shown at Baselworld and the SIHH. The exhibition at last year’s SIHH was dedicated to women, and this theme spills over into many of the models unveiled this year. Expressly designed for women in love with beautiful watches, many lend themselves to complications, with or without precious stones, such as at Piaget (Limelight Tonneau XL), Patek Philippe (Ladies Annual Calendar), JeanRichard (Lady Tourbillon), Vacheron Constantin (Overseas Dual Time Chronograph), Audemars Piguet (Lady’s Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph), Harry Winston (Diane Minute Repeater), Chanel (J12 Tourbillon) and Zenith (Chronomaster Moonphase Lady El Primero). A non-exhaustive list, of course, but one that nonetheless shows how eager brands are to give women the original, mechanical and often complicated watches they want, as opposed to the “toned down” versions of masculine models they don’t. Stanislas de Quercize takes a critical view: “Women aren’t small men,” he says.

Male or female, any aficionado feels a wave of emotion, a kind of poetic ecstasy, when contemplating the latest complicated watches. Not that the specialists intend giving in to the kind of one-upmanship witnessed in recent years. The most one might encounter while perusing the aisles is the IWC Grande Complication, a technical prowess of twenty different functions driven by 659 parts, or the Grande Complication minute-repeater with instantaneous perpetual calendar by aperture and tourbillon, the second-most complicated wristwatch ever imagined by Patek Philippe. Another exceptional timepiece which, in the brand’s own words, “again confirms world rankings for complicated watchmaking masterpieces.”

The mighty tourbillon

Come what may, this year’s complications are above all functional, usually presented in their simplest version so as to better bring out all their beauty. In this department, the tourbillon makes a high-profile entrance at virtually every brand, including some stunning productions such as the Titanic DNA at Romain Jérôme & Cabestan or Greubel Forsey’s Quadruple tourbillon à différentiel sphérique. Not to be outdone, Girard-Perregaux presents its Tourbillon Chronograph with rattrapant and foudroyante, while Cartier unveils the Ballon Bleu Flying Tourbillon. And what of Lange & Söhne with its Cabaret Tourbillon Stop Seconds, the Concord C1 Tourbillon Gravity by BNB whose tourbillon is mounted perpendicular to the movement, a concept explored by Panerai last year, and the DeWitt WX-1 with vertical tourbillon and power-reserve indicator, a “secret” watch designed in collaboration with the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the brand.

The tourbillon is not the only complication on show. The perpetual calendar has inspired IWC (Da Vinci), Piaget (Emperador Coussin QP), Gérald Genta (Arena QP GMT) and Vacheron Constantin (Patrimony). Patek Philippe proposes the Ladies’ Annual Calendar watch. The dual time zone in Panerai’s Luminor 1950 Titanium 8-Day GMT Monopusher Chronograph is taken to the extreme at Parmigiani (Kalpa Hemispheres) as the second time zone is entirely independent of the first, in a timepiece developed in consultation with the yachtsman Bernard Stamm.

The chronograph reigns supreme

And yet this year as last, the chronograph confirms its status as the king of useful complications. To try and list every brand with a chronograph on show would be an impossible task as each has, in one way or another, experimented with this art of measuring time as we await the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing. A random selection could include Mémoire 1 by Maurice Lacroix with its “irresistible” depth, Montblanc’s Star Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph, the Tag Heuer Grand Carrera calibre 36 RS, the Senator Rattrapante at Glashütte Original or the Happy Sport Chrono Mark II by Chopard. Piaget (Polo Chronograph) and Jaeger-LeCoultre (Reverso Squadra World Chronograph Polo Fields) battle it out on the polo field alongside Hublot (Big Bang Polo Gold Cup Gstaad). JeanRichard, meanwhile, strengthens its ties with motorbikes (Paramount Square Chronograph MV Agusta) and Breitling continues to declare its love for cars (Breitling for Bentley GMT Chronograph). Did someone say emotion…