From the Artistic to the Mechanical, Ladies Watches at SIHH 2014

Ballon Bleu De Cartier Floral-Marquetry Parrot Watch

After a detour into mechanical movements and masculine looks last year, the 16 luxury brands at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) for 2014 returned largely to watches for ladies that highlight artistry and jewelry. That’s not to say there aren’t many mechanical timepieces on offer at this year’s show. What there is, however, is more variety than in previous years. The new releases this year give women have a choice between pure beauty, high-end mechanics or both.

Ballon Bleu De Cartier Floral-Marquetry Parrot Watch
This year, Cartier has taken up what it says is a new craft in watchmaking: floral marquetry, along with jewelry, to create a colorful parrot on the dial of this watch with a blue and the orangey-yellow plumage, a deep black of the beak, an emerald green eye and sparkling white diamonds in the background of the dial and on the crown on the 18k white and pink gold watch.

To create this dial (top image), flower petals were gathered and colored. Then each petal was stuck onto a thin piece of wood and cut into the desired shape using a marquetry saw. The material contrasts with the shine of the onyx beak and emerald eye. The grey and black feathers surrounding the eye were created with miniature painting.

The 42mm watch is powered by the Cartier Caliber 049. It is available in a limited edition of 20 pieces.

Parmigiani: The Tonda Pomellato
This watch collection is a partnership between Swiss luxury watch brand Parmigiani and Italian luxury jewelry brand Pomellato. Three of the four watches in this line are based on Pomellato’s “Arabesque” collection, characterized by an openwork lace-like design in rose gold, which gives way to transparent elements with colored gems.

The Arabesque style of the Pomellato ring that provided the inspiration of the watch design.

The Arabesque pattern was reproduced using two distinct treatments. First, the dial received an opaline surface treatment. Then the arabesque pattern is superimpose through a silkscreen printed transfer which covers the opaline. A second sand-blasting treatment is then applied, which adheres to all the surfaces not covered by the transfer. The result is the pattern, which has the appearance of a shadow, that seems to be flush with the dial. The watch is powered by the automatic Caliber PF701. The 39mm 18k rose gold case set with 28 round diamonds along the bezel.

Piaget Rose Passion
This is a classic “secret watch” in 18k white gold set with a total of 707 brilliant-cut diamonds and one pink sapphire. The timepiece comes with a white satin strap. The petite dial of the watch can be hidden within the rose-shaped bejeweled watch case.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Fabuleux Ornements – Ottoman architecture
This piece is part of a four-watch collection that showcases several of the brand’s skeletonization and engraving skills and reflects a different culture and moment in history. For this piece Ottoman architecture was the inspiration. A pink-gold lattice motif is perched on a mother-of-pearl base. The gold grid-work in scrolling patterns is studded with half-pearl beads.

However, this watch is more than just an elaborately sculptured pretty face. It is powered by the in-house manufactured and engraved Caliber 1003SQ. The hand-wound movement with 117 components is exceptionally petite, just 21.1mm in diameter and 1.64mm thick.

Richard Mille Tourbillon Natalie Portman
This timepiece is created in partnership with Oscar award-winning actress Natalie Portman, who is also a worldwide partner of the brand. The aesthetic focus of this watch is a diamond-encrusted stylized spider that appears trapped in a tonneau-shaped, diamond-covered case. The abdomen of the spider supports the bridges of the tourbillon (made of grade 5 titanium), and its legs support the two winding barrels. The RM19-01 manual winding tourbillon caliber is assembled around a black rhodium-plated, 18k white gold black sapphire set baseplate, a first for Richard Mille. It is available in a limited edition of 20 pieces. It will be worn by the actress at events worldwide.

Ralph Lauren Stirrup
The stirrup name refers to the shape of the case. This year the designer came up with two new medium-sized editions of the watch line—in steel and the one pictured in 18k gold with the case and chain-link bracelet covered in more than 1,900 diamonds in 20 different sizes. It is powered by the caliber RL057 quartz movement.

Lady Arpels Zodiac Taurus Extraordinary Dial
This is one of a collection of 12 watches that replicate the Western Zodiac signs created by Van Cleef & Arpels. The colorful dial depicts a white gold and diamond pavé Taurus the Bull on top of translucent enamel in the shape of leaves with blue flowers made of lapis lazuli with white-gold stars with a small diamond in the center of each. The 38mm white gold case has a bezel set with round diamonds. It has a hand-wound mechanical movement and is available in a limited edition of 22 pieces.

Ballon Blanc de Cartier
This jewelry watch has a mother-of-pearl flinqué (hand-engraved) dial and blue-steel, sword-shaped hands. A single round diamond at 4 o’clock stands out among other smaller round diamonds that encircle the bezel. The 24 mm 18k pink gold case is finished with a bracelet consisting of five rows of smooth 18k pink gold beads.

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Inside the World's Most Exclusive Watch Show

Montblanc, which added Swiss watches to its diverse luxury portfolio in 1997, used its showroom to display many of the contemporary art pieces that are on permanent display at its headquarters in Hamburg. All of the work includes an interpretation of the iconic Momntblanc star. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

GENEVA — The big news last week in this small country with a mighty economy and far-reaching global influence was the annual World Economic Forum held in Davos. Although overshadowed, another important annual event was being held: the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), arguably the most exclusive watch show in the world. 

By far the youngest and arguably the most innovative of watch brands today, Richard Mille displayed some of this innovation not only in the materials and concepts of its watches, but in its 3D presentation to the press during SIHH. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

The most recent installment of SIHH ended with the 16 watch brands, among the most prestigious in the world, introducing their latest timepieces, often the result of years of intensive research. It’s an invitation only event held each year at the Palexpo exhibition center. This year I was among the more than 13,000 invited guests (which included international retailers, journalists and brand representatives) to attend. 

Roger Dubuis introduced its Excalibur line of watches with a Bird of Prey as the centerpiece of its showroom. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

Twelve of the watch brands exhibiting are owned by Richemont, the Geneva-based luxury holdings company, which is why the event (held Jan. 21 – 25) is often referred to as the Richemont show. 

Decked out for racing the IWC Schaffhausen showroom was one of the most popular during SIHH. the display was used to introduce its Ingenieur Chronograph Racer and Ingenieur Silberpfeil, the second watch dedicated to the famous Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrow racing car. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

There’s been talk about a slowdown in the luxury business, (particularly watches). The growth is slower than the astronomical rise in sales of the past few years, led by China. In fact, one could say that the growth in sales is now at a more normal pace. Richemont numbers point to this as the company reported that third quarter sales increased 5 percent, year-over-year, to 2.86 billion Swiss francs. Its “Specialist Watchmakers” group saw even more growth at 9 percent to 784 million Swiss francs. In addition, annual Swiss watch sales, which are expected soon, are expected to surpass 20 billion Swiss francs for the time ever. 

Butterflies were used tomillustrate the delicate intricacies of Van Cleef & Arpels' new watch and jewelry lines. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

There was some caution among the brand officials when talking sales, but overall, life remains good in the Swiss watch industry. 

The main gathering area at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

A giant replica of its new Grand Complication timepiece was the major design element of the A. Lange & Söhne showroom. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

A look inside Baume & Mercier's summer-in-the Hamptons themed showroom. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

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Watches at SIHH Show Advancements in Design, Function and Application

Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph 100

When watch brands talk about case and bezel design, new uses for materials and minor additions to tradition timepieces you know that the Swiss watch industry has entered a cooling off period. Maybe that’s a good thing as the high-flying sales of recent years, primarily due to China’s phenomenal economic expansion, couldn’t possibly last forever.

The recently concluded Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva was a case in point as the industry may be preparing itself to a world economy with more stable growth through all regions. Don’t get me wrong, there were still plenty of innovative watches to be seen at this year’s event. I listed seven or my favorites among the 16 watch brands (12 of which are associated with luxury conglomerate Richemont) who display at what’s been called the world’s most luxurious and exclusive watch event. These timepieces stood out for their advancements in design, function and application.

Montblanc TimeWalker Chronograph 100
At SIHH, the company introduced the TimeWalker Chronograph 100 (top photo), with a hand-made movement made by the Montblanc-owned Villeret manufacturer. This pushes the price of this popular watch to 50,000 euro ($68,000). Formerly known as Minerva, the Villeret watch company in the Swiss town of the same name is known for its hand-made watch movements, built in an old-world Swiss style. Montblanc bought the company in 2006, changed its named and used its watchmaking techniques and philosophy to produce high-end luxury timepieces under the Villeret name.

SIHH 2014 marked a turning point for Montblanc as it introduced several new branded products with high-performance Villeret movements, led by TimeWalker Chronograph 100. This change seemed to have happened overnight. The person most often credited for this is Jérôme Lambert, the former Jaeger-LeCoultre CEO who took the same position with Montblanc just six months ago.

The TimeWalker Chronograph with the MB M66.25 caliber can measure intervals to the nearest 100th-of-a-second, a feat that Villeret (as Minerva) pioneered in 1916. The watch has a large, red chronograph hand that completes a full 360-degree circuit on the main dial in one second. The manually wound movement uses one balance for the time indication and a separate balance for the chronograph. The watch display depicts hours and minutes from the center with a subdial for the seconds at 9 o’clock. Counters for 60 elapsed seconds and 15 elapsed minutes are at 6 o’clock. The watch is housed in a case made of a mix of titanium, stainless steel and carbon fiber. The watch, limited to 100 units, will be available in the fall.

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium Poetic Complication
Leave it to the French luxury house to create a watch that is beautiful, efficient and teases the imagination. This new timepiece aspires for no less than the heavens above and returns to earth with the solar system that fits on a wrist.

The timepiece provides a miniature representation of the movement of six planets around the sun and their position at any given time—Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—which can all be seen from Earth with the naked eye. The movement of each planet is true to its length of orbit: it will take Saturn over 29 years to make a complete circuit of the dial, while Jupiter will take almost 12 years, Mars 687 days, Earth 365 days, Venus 224 days and Mercury 88 days.

The unnamed self-winding mechanical movement contains 396 separate parts and is equipped with an exclusive module developed in partnership with the Christiaan van der Klaauw, a Dutch brand known for its hand-made astronomical clocks and watches.

The watch displays the time using 24 hour indicators located at the outer edge of the dial. The hour markers are divided further into 15 minute intervals. A shooting star made of pink gold rotates around the clock marking the correct time. The story continues on the back of the watch, where the oscillating weight is engraved with a starry composition. The day, month and year are set using two push buttons and viewed through two apertures on the dial. In addition, a “lucky day” can be set by the owner using a rotating bezel. On a date set with a red triangle against a graduated calendar, the Earth will move to a position directly below the star engraved on the sapphire crystal. The brand says it’s a sign of good luck.

A selection of hard stones are used to depict the planets: turquoise for the Earth, serpentine for Mercury, chloromelanite for Venus, red jasper for Mars, blue agate for Jupiter and sugilite for Saturn. They are positioned around a sun in pink gold. Each of these elements, along with the shooting star, is fixed on its own aventurine disc. The deep blue dial is sprinkled with gold to depict stars.

Piaget Antiplano 38mm 900P
The luxury watch and jewelry brand is known for its thin watches. This year the company received a lot of attention through its introduction of the Antiplano 38mm 900P, the world’s thinnest mechanical watch at 3.65mm. The company manages this by merging the ultra-thin case with the ultra-thin movement. Specifically, the hand-wound movement, instead of being stacked as is typical, is spread across the bottom half of the dial.

The movement has a total of 145 parts, including some wheels that are a mere 0.12mm thin. The back of the case also serves as the mainplate. To save millimetres, the entire mechanism and the hand-fitting system are contained within the thickness of the balance-wheel itself, thus entailing an off-centered display of the hours and minutes as a subdial. Working within this confined space, Piaget devised a suspended barrel hanging from a single bridge on the dial side, contrary to classic barrels that are also fixed to the mainplate side. This unusual device doesn’t deter the performance of the mechanism, which has a power reserve of about 48 hours.

In addition, instead of fitting the hands above the bridges, Piaget has placed them underneath, thereby freeing up space between the cannon-pinion and the crystal. This eliminates any deformities to the hands of the watch due to the effects of unintended extra pressure.

Richard Mille RM 037
It’s difficult for me to imagine the man and the brand, Richard Mille, being behind on anything. However, his declaration of 2014 of being the year of woman is behind the same declaration I made a year earlier. Despite this, the company is arguably the most forward-thinking in the Swiss watch industry. It is known for using techniques and materials from the aeronautics and car racing industries to build timepieces that are groundbreaking in application, use and design. Mille is certainly forward-thinking enough to know that there are at least some women who want to wear exceptional mechanical timepieces.

The RM 037 collection pretty much mirrors what he has done for men’s watches in a smaller package. The skeleton movement baseplate with bridges is made of black PVD treated grade 5 titanium. There’s a large date at 12 o’clock created from two skeletonized, rotating discs, and a function selector that allows the wearer to choose between winding, neutral or hand-setting, without pulling the crown in different positions. Two pushers resembling drops of water are placed between 10 and 11 o’clock (date adjustment), and 4 and 5 o’clock (function selector). The action chosen appears in a small window (H-N-W) between 3 and 4 o’clock. The CRMA1 caliber movement combines satin finishes with chamfered, blasted, brushed and polished areas, including rare black polishing. The crown is impossible to dislodge, according to the company. The case is available in 18k red with scratch resistant ceramic bezels in white or black, or full cases in 18K red or white gold, accompanied by a stone setting and dial variants in precious and semi-precious materials such as diamond, onyx, pearl and jasper.

Greubel Forsey QP à Équation
The “watch inventors” have come up with another highly complicated timepiece piece called the QP à Équation. The company says it has reinvented the perpetual calendar by integrating the “Equation of Time” as well as other practical functions and indications that improve clarity. The priority was to simplify the displays and make it easier to set the perpetual calendar by using a bi-directional winding crown. If the timepiece has stopped for several days, simply pull out the crown checking the selection indicator near 2 o'clock. Turn the crown back and forth to change the calendar and all the different indications change by themselves.

The Equation of Time is the difference between solar time and mean time, which can vary from a few seconds to as much as 16 minutes during the year. The Equation of Time is the conversion factor between solar and mean time. The solar time is located at the back subdial.

The most frequently sought information, namely the day, date and month, is displayed on the front dial. Information that is less often required is on the back of the timepiece. In addition to the Equation of Time, the seasons and the current year in four figures is on the back of the timepiece on two superimposed transparent discs. The first disc is driven by the date wheel and has a scale in minutes indicating the difference between solar and mean time. The second disc, which goes around once a year, has a figure shaped like a manta ray, and divided into four sections in red and blue to show whether the Equation of Time is positive or negative.

The watch is contained in a white gold case that measures 43.5mm in diameter and is 16mm high. It includes a 24-second tourbillon inclined at 25 degrees. It's not often a tourbillon function gets second billing.

Calibre de Cartier
The French luxury house introduced several brands at SIHH, but the one that attracted the most interest is its mechanical diver’s watch, which represents a return to the sports category of watches for the brand after a long absence.

The Calibre de Cartier is water resistant up to 300 meters. To prevent any accidental rotation or alteration of the dive-time indication, the bezel only turns in one direction. It can be adjusted to 30 seconds with a clear sound while turned. The markers signaling each 5 minute period are clearly indicated. The thickness of the watch was reduced to 11mm, without jeopardizing the integrity of its diver’s functions. The in-house 1904 MC movement is further enhanced with a fine regulating system and a stop-second mechanism.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées
The iconic brand has released several new models for SIHH 2014 that features its multi-layered skeleton process that the company refers to as “openwork.” In the case of the Métiers d’Art Mécaniques Ajourées collection I’m focusing on, the openwork technique is combined with Grand Feu enameling.

Vacheron has been using its openworked process on its watches 1924. However, this collection represents the brand’s first openworked version of an iconic in-house movement, the caliber 4400. An artistic three-dimensional appearance is achieved by carving the caliber in curved lines, removing half the material and leaving interlocking pieces that looks like lace. The carving and finishing process takes about three days for each caliber. The Grand Feu enameling appears as a ring around the dial in either black, blue or grey.

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Some of the Best Luxury Watches from SIHH

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours

The recently concluded Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) tradeshow in Geneva, featured only 16 luxury brands but their output of quality timepieces provided a showcase for innovation, craftsmanship and design that remain the hallmarks of the Swiss watch industry. Below are a few examples of some of the timepieces that were on display.

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Calibre MB R220

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours
The hour display of this watch (top and above photos) is made possible by Montblanc’s new Calibre MB R220, which has a patented mechanism consisting of two rotating discs positioned one atop the other, to show not only the individual 12 hours, but to also indicate whether its day or night. The Arabic numerals 1 to 12 are on the upper disc, which is situated above the bicolor day/night disc. The 12-hour disc rotates continually, while the day/night disc turns in intervals and at variable speeds to produce the desired color change (blue for the night, black for the day) in the cut-out numerals. This motion is controlled with the aid of a Maltese cross-shaped mechanism consisting of two cam-like wheels. In addition to this double-disc mechanism, four other disc displays rotate. The day of the week is shown in a window at the 9 o’clock and the date appears in an aperture at the 3 o’clock. This is the latest version of the collection named after the inventor of the chronograph.  

A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication
The German watch brand has developed a timepiece with a host of complications that include chiming mechanism with grand and small strikes; minute repeater; a monopusher type split-seconds chronograph, with minute counter and rattrapante function and jumping seconds accurate to a fifth of a second; perpetual calendar with date, day of week, month in four-year cycle; and moon phases. The movement is a Lange manufacture Calibre L1902, manually wound. The white enamel dial reveals a railway-track minute scale and the four characteristic, symmetrically arranged subsidiary dials. This exclusive collectors' item is housed in a 50mm pink gold case comes. It is available in a limited edition of six watches.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grand Complication
The mechanical heart of this 44mm timepiece is its three advanced functions, forming what is considered in the industry as the basis of a Grande Complication movement. Its traditional selfwinding movement combines minute repeater, split-second chronograph and perpetual calendar functions. It’s also equipped with a minute repeater mechanism, enabling it to sound the hours, quarters and minutes on demand. And it houses a perpetual calendar complication that also displays lunar cycles. It affords the possibility of performing timing operations and reading off intermediate or “split” times due to the split-second complication, which is an Audemars Piguet signature in its Grande Complication models. The selfwinding Calibre 2885 has 648 parts. It is available in a titanium case (pictured) or an 18K pink gold case. Both models are limited to three pieces each.

Richard Mille RM58-01 Tourbillon World Timer
The 12-year-old watch brand is an infant when it comes to the venerable world of the Swiss watch industry, but it has grown up at lightning speed with technical innovations and partnerships with athletes in sports ranging from track and field to soccer to auto racing. This manually winding movement has hours, minutes and a 10-day power reserve shown on an indicator at 2 o’clock. The caliber RM58-01, 34mm in diameter, is supported on a baseplate of grade 5 titanium, a material also utilized for the bridges. The tourbillon, positioned at 9 o’clock and oscillating at a frequency of 3Hz, is accommodated in a four-part case made from titanium and red gold. The shot-blasted, satin-brushed and polished rotating bezel bears the names of 24 world cities, symbols of the international 24 time zones on its brown upper flange. The RM 58-01 does not need any adjusting push-piece to change from one time zone to another. The time is set by rotating the bezel anticlockwise, making adjustment a quick operation. All the traveler needs to do is position the name of the city where he or she has just landed at 12 o’clock, which automatically sets local time and the time in the other 23 world cities due to the 24-hour scale engraved on the flange. The black and white disc distinguishes day from night for the user automatically, so there is no possibility of confusion. The timepiece, produced as a limited edition of 35 timepieces, was made in partnership with Jean Todt, a French motor sport executive, who wanted a watch to travel the world with. Profits from the sale of this watch will be transferred to two key initiatives close to Todt’s charities: the Global Campaign for Road Safety and the ICM Brain and Spine Institute, which he co-founded.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor
This deep grey watch is made of silicon, chosen for its low weight and its incomparable hardness. It is half the weight of titanium, which is half the weight of steel, yet it is four times harder. Silicon has a similar atomic structure to diamond and working with it requires just as much skilled expertise. The brand also boasts a technological advancement in which four carefully positioned sprung balances work in pairs to compensate immediately for the rate variations caused by the changes in position of the watch when worn. “What the tourbillon achieves during the course of a minute, the Excalibur Quatuor achieves instantly,” the brand says. A classic watch operating at a frequency of 4 Hz is considered to be highly precise. But the Excalibur Quatuor operates at a frequency of 16 Hz. As each balance oscillates four times per second, the frequency of the watch is multiplied by four as the balances do not oscillate simultaneously. The ticking of a classic watch is replaced by what which the brand describes as “the gentler sound of truly high precision.” The timepiece is limited to a production of three pieces. There is a pink gold version of the watch that has a run of 88 pieces.

Cartier Montre Rotonde Double Mystery Tourbillon
Cartier unveiled its new movement at SIHH: the 9454 MC Double Mystery Tourbillon, certified by the Geneva Seal. The flying tourbillon, which turns once on its own axis every 60 seconds, appears to be floating completely free in space, with no visible connection to any gear train. The illusion is complete when the same tourbillon cage performs a second rotation at a rate of one turn every five minutes. The slate-colored dial is made of galvanised, guilloché, silvered open-work grill. The watch hands are sword-shaped in blued steel. It’s all contained in a 45mm platinum case with the crown set with a sapphire cabochon.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Complete Calendar – Moon Phase, Blue Dial
This is one of a series of Clifton watches released by the Swiss watch brand at SIHH This version of the line, the 43 mm Clifton Complete Calendar, has a blue, sun satin-finished dial. The case back has been opened up to allow lovers of fine mechanics to observe the components of its automatic movement (Dubois Dépraz 9000). Its calendar display is mounted upon an alligator strap, which is closed by a triple folding clasp with security push-pieces.

Parmigiani Tonda Woodstock
In order to project a colorful and musical dynamism, the Swiss watch brand turned for the first time to the refined and delicate art of marquetry. This ancient process consists of cutting out and assembling veneers—wooden veneers in this case—on a flat surface in order to create a decoration for the timepiece. The Tonda Woodstock’s special dial is designed with a Gibson guitar motif with an American flag in wood marquetry.

Piaget Emperador Coussin Ultra-Thin Minute Repeater
Thin is in at Piaget and Emperador Coussin unveiled at SIHH shows it continues to set standards in its development of ultra-thin complications housed in ultra-thin cases. This 48mm 18k pink gold watch boasts the Piaget 1290P, which the brand says is world’s thinnest mechanical self-winding minute repeater movement (4.8 mm). The case itself is also considered the world’s thinnest at 9.4 mm. Details of the movement finishes include sunburst guilloché bridges, bridges hand-beveled and hand-drawn with a file, blackened and polished screws.

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