The Showstealers
Novelties at the SIHH which wowed viewers, thanks to their looks and mechanics. Thus creating a mystic aura around them. Hiren Kumar Bose on the 10 which merit a second look. Maybe a third. Or an umpteen dekho, for that matter
CARTIER Rotonde de Cartier Astromystérieux
When it comes to high-end fine watchmaking there is no stopping Cartier putting on display their haute horlogerie pieces and continues the tradition begun more than a century back .
Wow Factor: It plays a trick on the eye, thanks to its time-keeping mechanism, tourbillion and hands appearing to float unanchored on a glass dial. In fact, they are set into series of four rotating transparent crystal plates, each of which has concealed toothed edges that connect to the watch’s hidden gearing. A 43.5 mm watch with a case made of palladium.
RICHARD MILLE RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat
The eponymous brand which treads the path others fear to step in.
Wow Factor: The brand’s first ultrathin watch. Its titanium case is 7.75-mm deep, pretty slim by industry standards, achieved by 215 machining operations. The watch is home to the brand’s space-age automatic movements.
HAUTLENCE Vortex Primary
A watch decidedly different from what the brand offers: designed by actor and former football star, Eric Cantona.
Wow Factor: The PVD-coated titanium case fitted watch features 19 coloured glass panel that reveal the high-end , in-house movement. The time is displayed using a combination of retrograde minutes and a revolving chain, which carries the hours.
Montblanc 4810 Orbis Terrarum
The watch respects all the codes of Montblanc’s watchmaking, with its strong, elegant and sporty design, offering a new sophisticated interpretation of this much loved 4810 Collection for the modern traveller who needs a performance timepiece he can rely on
WOW Factor: The 43 mm watch tells time in an intuitive way. When travelling to another timezone, the new destination city simply needs to be aligned at 6 o’clock. This adjustment is again done through the pusher at 8 o’clock, which automatically turns the hour hand, continents, cities, day/night disc and 24-hour timezones along with it.
VACHERON CONSTANTIN Overseas Chronograph
The “reinvented” Overseas sports watch has undergone changes in the shape of the hands, the number of claws on that signature bezel and the much softer case silhouettes.
Wow Factor: Comes with a bracelet and straps that can be changed with a tool—an important innovation a quick change strap.
GREUBEL FORSEY Signature 1
Known for its specialisation in tourbillion watches, the eponymous brand teams with master watchmaker Didier Cretin to bring out this model in three editions of 11 in red gold, white gold and platinum.
Wow Factor: A tri-dimensional architecture, manually wound with three hands and exclusive balance wheel system. It has taken two years to make the watch.
ROGER DUBUIS Velvet Secret Heart
With five gem-set models in its Velvet range, the brand known for its high-quality movements plans to target the women buyers with the new offering.
Wow Factor: The tonneau-shaped watch features the Manufacture’s new RD821B movement with double retrograde date display.
AUDEMARS PIGUET Magnetic Pearls
Audemars Piguet underlines its contemporary approach to Haute Joaillerie, transporting pearls – the all-time classic jewel – into a new horological realm.
Wow Factor: An avant-garde re-think of traditional decorative techniques sees pearls light up the Millenary dial like little electric studs, creating a magnetic geometric weave against the gleaming black onyx. It required the special skills of a traditional jewellery workshop. Even before creation could begin, expert jewellers hand-picked each pearl for perfect roundness and size (1 mm), and then set them with exceptional precision.
