Highlights from the virtual Watches & Wonders trade show
The event, held remotely due the pandemic, treated the world to an exclusive
Held remotely due to the ongoing health crisis, the Watches & Wonders trade show treated the world to an exclusive this year, bringing together under one virtual roof all the superstar brands of the bygone SIHH and Baselworld shows.
Cartier Tank Must Large Model
Dh10,700
Without doubt the event of the year, Watches & Wonders W offered virtual visitors a chance to see Cartier rub elbows with Rolex, Vacheron Constantin cross the stage behind Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre brush up against TAG Heuer, Louis Vuitton trade nods with Piaget, and Bvlgari share the limelight with Purnell. It was seven days dedicated to watch manufacturing with a schedule organized like a fashion week for visitors to get acquainted with the latest creations of some forty leading manufacturers. Each brand showcased its unique style and values, whether that meant breaking new ground or reimagining classic pieces — or both.
Take Cartier, which is reviving its legendary Tank model, the original designed in 1917 and later revamped in the 1970s as Les Must de Cartier. The new Tank Must makes its richest color statement yet in green, red, or blue matching dials and straps, to say nothing of the photovoltaics powering the piece. Celebrating the 90th anniversary of its most famous watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled its most intricate Reverso ever imagined: 11 complications across four functioning display faces, some 800 component parts, and 12 patents, all culminating in the new high-water mark for wrist showpieces, the Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185.
Louis Vuitton, on the hunt to give the Tambour Curve GMT Tourbillon an innovative new look, embraced a design that the brand describes as “very impactful”—translation: vivid, elegant, and dynamic, all at once. This bold haute horlogerie piece was made for the globetrotters among us and is recognisable at a glance.
The same can be said — though for very different reasons — of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept “Tribute to La Côte-aux-Fées”, a new edition of the thinnest mechanical watch in the world extending from the broader family of Piaget’s characteristic ultra-flat pieces. This watch is exceptional not only for its thinness — 2mm — but also its lush green color. As the designers explained, “We took the hilly, verdant landscape surrounding our factory as the esthetic inspiration for this very special new edition.”
Meanwhile, Vacheron Constantin continues to chart new territory in the way of technical and artistic excellence. The new Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra-thin Collection Excellence Platine deploys an extremely sophisticated time-keeping mechanism in a slim, refined case, perfectly summed up in the tagline “classic with a twist.”
In its endeavor to only offer pieces that captivate the emotions, Purnell unveiled its Escape Primo WPM, equipped with a Spherion (Purnell’s high-velocity, triple-axis tourbillon) and cast in a new proprietary material called “White Purnell Microfiber.” It’s a unique blend of ceramic and carbon that makes the watch light, modern, and extremely attractive.
One of TAG Heuer’s goals for this year was to revisit its famous Aquaracer collection, and it’s “mission immaculately accomplished,” as they’ve succeeded in integrating a redesigned look, new materials, and increased performance in this dive watch for everyday use. The Aquaracer is back.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle split-seconds chronograph ultra-thin, Collection Excellence Platine
Dh1,160,000
Purnell Escape Primo WPM
Price upon request
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept “Tribute to La Côte-aux-Fées”
Price upon request
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185
Price upon request
TAG Heuer Aquaracer Professional 300
Dh16,400
Louis Vuitton Tambour Curve GMT Flying Tourbillon
Price upon request
