When we hear H. Moser & Cie., we usually have classicism or cleanness in mind – or a certain sense of provocation, with the Swiss Mad Watch or the recent Swiss Icons Watch. Yet, for the first time in its history, the Schaffhausen-based manufacture has revisited its time display methods to create a new, disc-based system. Meet the Endeavour Flying Hours with planetary display of hours and minutes.
For the last 2 years, De Bethune had to deal with a complicated financial and managerial situation. Yet, in October 2017, the company announced that an investment consortium led by Pierre Jacques, former CEO of the brand, was about to take over the capital, to put this manufacture back on track. In the middle of the SIHH 2018, here is the first watch of this “new De Bethune”, a variation on the well-known DB28 model, with a skeletonized movement. Meet the DB28 Steel Wheels.
What happens when you fuse a Saxonia Automatic with a Lange 1? What happens when you fuse Lange’s most symmetrical and purest watch with their iconic signature piece, know for its original display?… Presenting the A. Lange & Söhne’s new Saxonia Outsize Date, a harmonious and symmetrical fusion of core traits with a dark soul – and in terms of concept, there’s a bit of the old Sax-O-Mat in this new watch.
For the SIHH 2018, Ferdinand Berthoud, the high-end brainchild of Karl Friedrich Scheufele (co-CEO of Chopard), enriches its growing collection with a surprising watch, a true connoisseur’s piece with a strong focus on chronometry. Its original regulator-type display and its ultra-resistant carburised stainless steel case are new, yet its tourbillon/fusée-chain movement is the same marvel we knew already. Overview.
Born from a distinctive perception of elegance, the Octo is a perfect illustration of Bulgari’s Italian design flair and expertise in creating fascinating-shaped watches. Right from its introduction in 2012, its faceted, octagonal case has imposed its strength and personality becoming an instant classic. With a modernized design and materials for 2018, here is the Bulgari Octo l’Originale Velocissimo Chronograph.
When thinking Vacheron, you usually have in mind complex watches, Haute-Horlogerie, rare handcrafts and a unique sense of precious elegance. Not a single word here that relates to the notion of affordability. However, the deal is about the change. Indeed, the brand developed a whole new strategy (already started with the Quai de L’Ile in steel), by introducing an entry-level collection, the Vacheron Constantin FIFTYSIX. New movements, some even without the costly Hallmark of Geneva, new design, and a sub-10,000 starting price… Promising? Let’s have a first look.
Last year, at the SIHH 2017, Ulysse Nardin introduced an impressive piece, a concept watch featuring no less than 10 major innovations, as a showcase to demonstrate the brand’s savoir-faire: the InnoVision 2. Every part of this watch boasted an innovation, whether the escapement, the display, the winding system or even the hands. And while last year’s piece wasn’t meant to be commercialized, it is now time for Ulysse Nardin to deploy some of these features into serially produced pieces… Meet the Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision.
Laurent Ferrier presents its fifth in-house calibre, and as something unprecedented for the brand features an annual calendar complication. A natural heir to the brand’s signature design ethos of smooth, rounded surfaces, vintage-inspired themes, and minimalist dials, the Galet Annual Calendar Montre École brings user-friendliness, legibility and steady mechanical performance to one of the most useful complications in a watch.
After introducing several editions of the Portugieser (including this superb automatic chronograph or a constant force tourbillon) as well as an unexpected yet desirable “Tribute to Pallweber” watch, IWC continues to deploy its 150-year concept of limited editions inside all its collections – and today we move into Pilot’s watches. Meet the IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Big Date Edition “150 Years” ref. 5105, the first Flieger watch of the brand with a big date display.
A. Lange & Sohne has introduced another iteration of its classic 1815 Chronograph this year at SIHH, now cased in warm 18ct pink gold but still with the same iconic pulsation dial. Considered by many to be the ultimate expression of a purist chronograph, these latest versions will be sure to strike a chord with collectors, who now find themselves literally spoilt for choice. Will it be the distinctive and powerful black dial or the equally elegant yet slightly more understated argenté dial? Perhaps one of each? We can dream.