SpotlightWatch Out For These Wonders—The Glorious Design And Material Innovation At The (Virtual) Watches & Wonders 2020

In the era of COVID-19, we have witnessed a lot of things we thought we’d never see. The pandemic has driven people indoors like nothing else; it has taken its toll on the global economy; it has taken many, many lives. But it has also shown us the resilience and endurance of the human spirit, along with people’s ability to adapt and innovate in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. The world of watchmaking is no exception, and these exalted houses of horology have shown that passion always finds a way. Watches & Wonders 2020 (formerly, Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or SIHH), which was scheduled to take place in Geneva, as it has each year since 1991, moved entirely to its online platform, but it lost none of its verve.

With a spate of new releases, innovations, and additions to historic collections, Watches & Wonders is just what the doctor ordered for watch aficionados. From H. Moser & Cie.’s new Vantablack timepieces to Panerai’s path-breaking use of materials in its Luminor collection, and Baume & Mercier’s Clifton Baumatic series seeing new iterations, here are our favourite debutantes from the virtual fair.

Decadent Designs: Experience The Art Deco Movement With Baume & Mercier And Jaeger-LeCoultre

This year, we’re seeing a resurgence of functional designs that are reminiscent of the Art Deco era. Here’s a little refresher: the Art Deco movement originated in the 1920s. It reflects modernism, with oodles of luxury and sophistication. Over the years, many maisons have looked towards the Art Deco tradition for inspiration, but few have adapted the design codes for modern times as well as Baume & Mercier have, with their Hampton collection—revived this year after a long hiatus.

Extraordinarily distinctive among Baume & Mercier’s other offerings, the Hampton collection grabs attention with its iconic rectangular case design. Foregoing curves and charting new territories, the collection brings to mind effortless luxury and exuberance of the post-World War I era.  Introducing eight new variants, each more eye-catching than the last, this collection has five watches, each of which boasts a precise quartz movement, while the three others are automatic watches with clear casebacks.

The pièce de résistance of this collection is the member featuring a dual time zone, day-night indicator and a date display. Offering its wearers a 42-hour power reserve, this chunky 48mm by 31mm masterpiece is sure to be coveted by the man who swears by simplicity. Offering a variety of case sizes, dials and strap styles, this collection is not to be missed.

Powered by the Soprod TT651 movement, this beauty offers a power reserve of 42 hours. Its stainless steel case and black alligator leather strap hark back to a simpler time

This ladies’ watch has the same rectangle case as the rest of the collection, with the addition of a gorgeous white mother-of-pearl dial that catches the eye

The Reverso is arguably Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most iconic watch. It’s no wonder then that the watchmaker has introduced us to a variant that truly mesmerises. The Reverso first appeared on wrists in the colonial era, finding its genesis through the British occupation of India—and we bring up its history for an important reason. This particular watch, the Reverso One, is a tribute to the first Reverso Lady model that was released in 1931—this time with spunk and pizzazz aplenty.

The Reverso One is a bold new ladies’ watch that captures your imagination at the very first glance

Right above and beneath the dial are 27 diamonds, totalling 0.3 carats, adding a luxurious touch

The reversible case remains here, the design inspiration for which came during the British occupation of India

Flipping the case reveals a solid stainless steel caseback than can be engraved to the wearer’s taste

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The most striking element of this beautiful rendition of a classic is the red wine lacquered dial, with a guilloche finish—a bold splash of colour on an otherwise understated design. The reversible case remains here, this time with two rows of 27 diamonds, totalling 0.3 carats, right above and beneath the dial—providing sharp relief against the colour of the dial and the strap. Flip the case over, and you have a solid stainless steel caseback, which can be personalised to the wearer’s taste. Completing the bold and feminine look is the shiny alligator leather strap in the same tone as the dial.

Trailblazing Innovations: Panerai And H. Moser & Cie. Kick Things Into High Gear

Panerai has always been at the forefront of technical and creative innovation. This year, Panerai celebrates 70 years of a luminous substance that completely changed the game and came to identify one of the brand’s most successful models—Luminor. At the heels of this 70-year anniversary comes a new watch with even greater luminosity—the Panerai Luminor Marina 44mm boutique edition—that not only disrupts but also delights. Luminosity is usually confined to the dial, but here, along with the decals on the dial and the rehaut, their advanced Super-LumiNova X1 (a higher degree of luminosity than regular Super-LuminNova) covers the stitching on the strap, the crown protecting bridge and its lever. This kind of luminosity has never been seen before. Chalk it up to Panerai to illuminate with such flair!

Celebrating 70 years of the creation of the luminous substance, Luminor, which would go on to identify one Panerai’s most successful collections, is the Luminor Marina 44mm

Covered in advanced Super-LumiNova X1, which presents a higher degree of luminosity, Panerai has truly brought innovation to the fore

Usually restricted to the dial and its decals, the Super-LumiNova X1 here also covers the stitching on the strap, the crown protecting bridge and its lever

Water resistant to 300m, this variant also has Panerai’s iconic winding crown and Safety Lock crown-protecting device

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That’s not all, folks. A slew of watches follows the Luminor Marina 44mm, two of which also have the same Super-LumiNova X1 illuminating their elements—the Luminor Marina Carbotech and the Luminor Marina Fibratech. The Luminor Marina Carbotech is made from Carbotech—crafted from carbon fibres fused together and consolidated further with a polymer. This material is extremely light and resistant to corrosion. The Luminor Marina Fibratech, with two variants—one with a grey dial (limited to 270 pieces) and another with a blue dial (without a dose of Super-Luminova X1)—comes next. Fibratech, which is used in the aerospace industry, is made of natural and eco-sustainable row fibres produced through the fusion of naturally-occurring basalt rock, making it 60 percent lighter than steel, resilient and highly resistant to corrosion. Another new entrant is the Luminor Marina DMLS, whose case is made with DMLS titanium as well as Carbotech. What’s interesting about this watch is that the titanium used in the case is made with ‘direct metal laser sintering’ technology, a futuristic 3D printing process. Mixing in Carbotech makes this an incredibly durable watch that can take a beating. Finally, we have the Luminor Marina Goldtech, the most striking member of the collection, whose red gold case is characterised by the inclusion of 24 percent copper and 0.4 percent platinum. The number 70 echoes, with Panerai offering a guarantee of 70 years on some of its new models.

The Luminor Marina Carbotech has a case crafted from carbon fibres fused together and consolidated further with a polymer. This material is extremely light and resistant to corrosion

The case of the Luminor Marina Fibratech is made from the fusion of eco-sustainable row fibres obtained from basalt rock. The anthracite dial is mesmerising

The Luminor Marina DMLS puts the futuristic ‘direct metal laser sintering’ technology at the forefront. Its case is crafted from a mix of DMLS titanium and Carbotech

The Luminor Marina Goldtech is striking—with its case made from Panerai’s special red gold, which has an infusion of copper and trace amounts of platinum

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You can always count on H. Moser & Cie. to astound, and astound us they have. Last year, the brand made quite an April Fool’s joke on their Instagram feed, where they posted an image of a new Venturer Concept Vantablack—a watch whose dial was sans hands, covered in the world’s darkest material. They made this joke a reality (well, almost), with three new releases that truly turn the tables of timekeeping—the Venturer Vantablack Black Hands, the Venturer Vantablack Black Hands XL and the Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands. If you haven’t noticed the recurring theme here, let us point it out to you: black hands. Ladies and gentlemen, the darkest watches just got a whole lot darker.

Seen here are the Venturer Vantablack Black Hands XL and the Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands, with their darkened leaf-shaped hands that command attention

The 39mm Venturer Vantablack Black Hands is encased in luxurious 18-karat white gold, which puts the black of the Vantablack in sharp relief

The Venturer Vantablack Black Hands, also powered by HMC 327, is larger, at 43mm, and encased in stainless steel

The 42mm Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands has a tourbillon at six o’clock. The HMC 804 self-winding manufacture calibre is encased in black DLC-finished steel

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Using this riveting material once again, after the Venturer Concept Vantablack, H. Moser & Cie. has shown its love for pushing the limits. All three new releases feature the same Vantablack material on the dial, which absorbs 99.96 percent of visible light, and no indices. While the last time, the timekeeping hands were dressed in gold, this time around the dials feature blackened leaf-shaped hands. The 39mm Venturer Concept Black Hands is encased in 18-karat white gold and its XL sibling is in stainless steel, truly XL with a larger case size of 43mm. Both watches are powered by the hand-wound HMC 327 manufacture calibre. The 42mm Endeavour Tourbillon Vantablack Black Hands has a tourbillon at six o’clock. Powering it is the HMC 804 self-winding manufacture calibre, encased in black DLC-finished steel. These three watches prove one thing: minimalism, thy name is Vantablack.

A Lineage Of Excellence: Extraordinary Additions By IWC And Baume & Mercier To Formidable Collections

IWC picked up its Portugieser collection and gave it a refreshing shake-up, with the addition of some charming new timepieces. Crafted in the 1930s for two businessmen from Portugal—hence the name (it was formerly simply called the Portuguese collection)—these timepieces were inspired by the deck watches IWC was already creating for the British Royal Navy. The key features were and still continue to be high precision and superb legibility. And IWC has, once again, knocked it out of the park. Within this collection, we have the Portugieser Automatic 40 and 42. While the Automatic 40 has four simple variants, all boasting a small seconds sub-dial at six o’clock, the Automatic 42 has our attention—there is a variant with a burgundy dial, and a boutique edition with a blue dial that’s housed in an 18-karat gold case. The Portugieser Chronograph, one of the brands most successful models, also has three new iterations—all of them breathtaking. The green and burgundy dials are nothing short of eye-catching, while the boutique edition with a blue dial is dressed in 18-karat gold here as well. Each and every one of these watches has a clear crystal caseback, ensuring that the watchmaking prowess of IWC is always on display.

The simplest member among the new entrants is the IWC Portugieser 40. This variant has a luxurious appeal, with its 18-karat gold case, silver-plated dial and brown leather strap

The Portugieser Chronograph boutique edition is housed in an 18-karat gold case and sports a brilliant blue dial along with a blue alligator leather strap

The two other chronographs released by the brand boast riveting dials—burgundy and green in colour—ensuring that your watch collection pops

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Baume & Mercier didn’t just wow us with their Hampton collection this year. They have also expanded their recognisable Clifton Baumatic collection that has spelt success for the brand year after year. Besides the more complicated models in the collection, there are four new members that are powered by the Baumatic BM13 movement—a COSC-certified movement, offering a five-day power reserve. All the watches have baton hour markers and a date window at three o’clock. Baume & Mercier plays with colour, offering a range of options—two watches come in 40mm stainless steel cases, one in a 40mm two-tone case (steel topped with gold), and another housed in a luxurious 39mm 18-karat gold case. Three variants have gradient grey dials with a white crosshairs in the centre, while the two-toned member has a warm white dial with a porcelain-like finish. The straps range from blue alligator leather to stainless steel (plain and two-toned). Precision rarely comes with so many options.

The gradient grey dial of this watch looks fetching against the stainless steel case and blue alligator leather strap—a brilliant example of simplicity and splendour

The two-toned member among the new entrants stands out, with its warm white dial and dual-toned bracelet—a mix of stainless steel and steel topped with gold

Click here to read more about the complications and mechanical innovations seen among the Watches & Wonders 2020 novelties

As we gear up to fight and defeat the vicious disease that is COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to find happiness in things that remind us of the beauty and wonder of the world. As watch enthusiasts, let’s take this time to rekindle our love and passion for this exquisite craft. Luckily, Watches & Wonders 2020 has provided us with the perfect opportunity to do just that. Stay home, stay safe and keep on ticking!