TOP 10 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.

                                                          CHRISTOPHE CLARET  Marguerite

An undeniably poetic watch driven by a unique sense of playfulness and optical illusions,

Wow Factor: The 42.50 mm watch invites two butterflies in blue, orange or red Super-LumiNova, depending on the version, to provide a joyful escort for the passage of time. The darker one, symbolising the female, is perched on a daisy petal that rotates every hour. Meanwhile, the lighter one, embodying the male, indicates the minutes. Sitting lightly atop a stem attached to the precious pistil made of rubies or blue sapphires, it literally flutters around the white mother-of-pearl dial.

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.

                                       RICHARD MILLE RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat

The eponymous brand which treads the path others dare to take.

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.

                                                                     ROGER DUBUIS Velvet Heart

With five gemset 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.

                                                                 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: 11 each 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.

                                               VAN CLEF & ARPELS Secret Watch

From nature to ballet and couture, Van Cleef & Arpels’ cherished themes find expression in the meeting of two skills: the measurement of time and the excellence of jewellery savoir-faire.

Wow Factor: This ruby bracelet watch has an open-work plate with 115 oval-cut rubies, weighing a total of 151.25 carats. It was last made in 1929.  Side by side, the rubies enter into a mutual dialogue, reinforcing their glowing red tinged with a touch of pink. Within a regular circle, each stone – unique and individual – combines with the others in a perfect symphony. This piece required 1,500 hours’  work before revealing its secrets.

                                                    PIAGET  Altiplano 38mm dial in wood marquetry 

The ultimate ultra-thin icon, Altiplano highlights the artistic crafts.  A technique used since the dawn of ancient times in decorating wooden objects, marquetry consisted in carving out wood so as to inlay it with various materials.  In the Piaget rose it magnifies the captivating beauty portrayed on the dial.

Wow Factor: The cutting-out of wood fragments using the complex “element by element” technique. Pale pink bird’s-eye maple, light red and pink sycamore, together with white mother-of-pearl featured in the model. Petal by petal, moving from the outside towards the inside, working with hundredth of a millimetre precision and consistently associating each colour with a particular material or species (pale pink bird’s-eye maple, pink and light red sycamore), the rose springs to life. The result is a masterpiece of delicacy and sensuality that takes more than 30 hours of craftsmanship to achieve

                                                      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.