Written by Frédéric Brun - Friday, August 23, 2024
With great complications centred on the mastery of elements, watchmakers are using the Watches & Wonders Geneva exhibition to showcase their ability to peer into the future.
Finesse, precision and practicality, the master-watchmakers compete in their ingenuity to offer us ever better performing and record-breaking watches.
Horology is a promise. A vision. A desire to project oneself into the intangible universe of time. Freed from its primary function —telling the time— the watch has evolved into a fantastical object, one which maintains its scientific dimension.
In a world inherently uncertain, disrupted by geopolitical crises and anxieties related to climate change, this year contemporary horology reminds us of its soothing power and permanence: the belief in certain truths about the course of time.
This year, the leading watchmakers are particularly focusing on two complex mechanisms directly related to the elements: the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar. These horological feats allow watchmakers to correct deviations. (
Invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1795 to counteract the disruptive effects of terrestrial gravity on movements —what enthusiasts call isochronism— the tourbillon is not only a highly sophisticated device but also visually fascinating in its movement and rotations.
Captivating, it breathes life into the watch. The beating heart of watches has long been protected and concealed deep within, fragile and delicate as it is. For the past twenty years however, it has been brought to the forefront. This year, enthusiasts were dazzled by increasingly sophisticated and fully exposed tourbillons.
The most captivating of all is undoubtedly the one developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre for its extraordinary Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual.
Featuring three cages, the tourbillon of the new manually wound calibre 388 rotates on three different axes, making it even more empyreal and precise. This tourbillon, made of 167 titanium components, weighs no more than 0.7 grams.
It pairs with the Duometre system, a patented innovation by "La Grande Manufacture" in 2007, which allows for the coupling of power-hungry horological complications with minimal energy loss, thanks to two barrels and two independent gear trains linked by a single regulating organ. One gear train drives the time indication, and the other, all additional functions, ensuring great operational precision.
In the case of the Heliotourbillon Perpetual, the watch offers a perpetual calendar with a large date and moon phase display.
In his work, Roger Dubuis has decided to make the tourbillon the centrepiece of his Excalibur collection.
Quite literally central in the spectacular Excalibur Titanium Monotourbillon with this organ at the centre of the watch, which sees time indications mysteriously revolving around the cage with no hands in sight. More figuratively, the tourbillon’s centrality is found in three other remarkable pieces: the Orbis In Machina, the Excalibur Sunrise Double Tourbillon, and the Excalibur Dragon Monotourbillon.
Piaget claims the title for the thinnest tourbillon watch with the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept (AUC), measuring only 2mm thick.
Benjamin Comar, president of Piaget, emphasises that achieving this record required more than just integrating a tourbillon into the existing AUC; it necessitated completely redesigning the movement.
The watch, with a diameter of 41.5 mm and a cobalt alloy case to ensure the optimal ratio of thickness/rigidity, presented at the recent Watches & Wonders Geneva show, shares less than 10% of its components with its predecessors. New tools were also required for its creation.
Beyond the glory of setting a new record, the endeavour is a demonstration of Piaget's prowess and a message not only to the horological industry, but to enthusiasts and collectors too.
French brand Pequignet also sends a message with its Calibre Royal Tourbillon, the first of its kind for the manufacture.
"This tourbillon adheres to the tenets of classical horology, but it has been designed to be extremely lightweight. The titanium tourbillon cage is mounted on a micro-ball-bearing – to maintain a light weight – on which the cage's axis is embedded. It's an ultra-light tourbillon," enthusiastically comments Hugues Souparis, president of Pequignet, as he describes the blue textured dial housed in a 44mm diameter and 11.70mm thick red gold case.
Laurent Ferrier puts their own spin on the matter and showcase their creativity with the introduction into their collections of their first annual calendar with a moon phase in the new Classic Moon Blue & Silver, available in a steel or rose gold case.
Vacheron Constantin on the other hand, presented a light and gentle all-titanium tourbillon on his iconic model Overseas with an ultra-flat 5.65mm thick movement and a tourbillon cage inspired by the Maltese cross to call on our adventurous spirits.
The ultimate sophistication, calendars carry a dizzying promise: the ability to provide the most accurate account of one's trajectory at any given moment.
A philosophically reassuring situational awareness for mortals seeking to understand the world's order. Overcoming the celestial and terrestrial challenges of the calendar requires an ability to innovate and think outside the traditional horological paradigms.
This is what the three master watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin's Atelier des Cabinotiers achieved over eight years.
The result is nothing short of majestic: the most complex watch ever created, incorporating for the first time a traditional Chinese perpetual conversion calendar.
"The Chinese calendar was last revised in 1645. Its peculiarity is that it is neither exclusively solar nor lunar, but a combination of both. Reconciling the astronomical information related to these two calendars meant that the numerous irregularities made it impossible to create a perpetual Chinese calendar. Ultimately, some years last 364 days, others 355, 383, or 384, and all this in disorder. It’s simple..." explains composedly Christian Selmoni, director of Style & Heritage at the Geneva manufacture, before describing the 63 complications present, driven by a mechanical calibre made of 2,877 components.
Behind this titanic project lies the passion of a great collector, William Berkley. Rightfully, he gives his name to this timepiece, which already has its place in history and sets the bar very high.
The Eternal Calendar presented by IWC in its Portugieser collection is also a promise for eternity: its exclusive mechanism is designed to be accurate for 400 years, and its unique double moon display is expected to deviate by only one day in 45 million years.
In addition to this exceptional timepiece, IWC is significantly enhancing the complications in its Portugieser collection this year, notably with a new perpetual calendar and a manually wound tourbillon featuring an intriguing spherical day/night indicator.
Meanwhile, independent manufacture Patek Philippe subtly reinvents the genre with its reference 5236P perpetual calendar. It features an innovative single-line display of the day, date, and month at the heart of an opaline rose gold dial, a shade that indicates the presence of a platinum case, along with a discreetly set diamond in the case band.
This highly legible and intuitive "dashboard" relies on four discs aligned on the same plane. This complex construction led to the development of the ultra-thin self-winding calibre 31-260 PS QL, which holds three new patents.
At first glance, certain watch improvements may appear insignificant. However, knowledgeable enthusiasts understand that any evolution in the calibre involves countless hours of patient research and development.
Sometimes, it is even necessary to completely rethink a calibre, redesigning a movement just to make certain features a bit more user-friendly.
A prime example this year is the new patented system allowing Patek Philippe's World Time watch reference 5530 to index the date to the local time.
Frequent travellers immediately appreciate its utility, especially in one specific case: traveling from west to east across the Pacific, from Japan to the United States.
At midnight, the day changes but the date moves back by one day, as readers of Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days" have learned.
This dramatic dilemma for a mechanical watch whose delicate gears are subjected to two opposing forces, has been resolved by the Swiss manufacture's watchmakers with an ingenious system of concentric star gear wheels.
Modernistic, the new World Time reference 5330G-001 is displayed in a white gold case with a blue-grey opaline dial featuring a central "carbon" motif.
German manufacture A. Lange & Söhne surprises this year with a particularly virtuoso piece: its spectacular flyback chronograph with a precision jumping minute counter, also featuring a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism.
Connoisseurs will note the use of a "Lumen" finish, both translucent and luminescent, and the "Honeygold" case, a honey-coloured gold specific to the brand.
Overall, rose gold makes a notable comeback in many collections this year, from Cartier, chic and refined as always with its limited-edition lacquered peacock-blue Santos-Dumont, to Baume & Mercier or even the elegant Carrera Chronograph Skipper from Tag Heuer, through to Hermès which unveiled a new case shape with the Cut line. Parmigiani Fleurier, Grand Seiko, and of course Rolex, whose new Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40 with gradient dials and Sky-Dweller in 18-carat Everose gold, have all drawn significant attention to this trendy hue.
Bell & Ross is even betting on the return of the gold and steel combination with its new BR 05 Chrono Grey Steel & Gold.
Although Bulgari opted for an "off-site" presence, showcasing its novelties in a hotel on the shores of lake Léman rather than alongside its sister brands at the show near Geneva airport, it is impossible to overlook the new ultra-thin watch presented by the horology division of the Roman jewellery house.
Its new iteration of the Octo Finissimo Ultra, at just 1.7 mm thick, sets a new world record for thinness.
What is even more interesting than this hair-thin slimming is that this watch has crossed a new threshold in defining the art of the ultra-thin. For the first time, this 40 mm diameter watch, which uses its tungsten carbide caseback as the baseplate integrating the 170 components of its manual-winding mechanical movement, is COSC chronometer-certified.
This means the watchmakers have worked on two fronts simultaneously: thinness and performance.
While gaining a tenth of a millimetre by refining the case, gears, or sapphire crystal, they also optimized the balance wheel and developed a large barrel allowing for a 50-hour power reserve.
This extraordinary timepiece is the result of sustained efforts across different categories.
"Nine times, our engineers, watchmakers, and designers have managed to defy the laws of physics to create complex watches with record dimensions," notes Antoine Pin, director of Bulgari's horology division, who set the previous record in 2022 with the 1.8mm thick Octo Finissimo Ultra.
Bulgari embarked on the quest for ultra-thinness in 2014, tackling the issue from all angles. For a long time, the focus was solely on thinning dress watches. Now, the quest involves not only thinning complications but also achieving feats in motorisation.
To appreciate these fine records, it is important to recognise the work on both manual and automatic movements. This enables the brands to simultaneously set records in different categories. This search for ultra-thinness launched in 2014 with the manual-winding Octo Tourbillon has made various achievements, from the world’s thinnest minute repeater (3.12 mm in 2016), the Automatic in 2017 (2.23 mm), to the thinnest perpetual calendar ever seen (2.75 mm in 2021).
Designed by Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani over the past ten years, this ambitious strategy has supported the rise of the entire Octo range.
First considered an atypical horological piece with its architectural case featuring 110 facets inspired by the shape of the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome and reinterpreted by Gérald Genta, the Octo has become a landmark of the 21st century, both in style and technique.
"Octo was launched in 2012. At that time, we were convinced that the model had the capacity to bring new life to a static and stagnant watch offer," explains Antoine Pin.
"This intuition proved correct, Octo is now considered the contemporary watch that has most marked the beginning of the 21st century. The essence of Finissimo is to reinterpret historical and traditional horological values—tourbillon, minute repeater, etc.—taking a very contemporary approach, revisited by our watchmakers. Rather than simply casing such mechanisms in a relatively thick case, we took a gamble on ultra-thinness. The audacity is there: it wasn't obvious to bring grand complications into extremely reduced proportions. But ultimately, we found solutions that allowed us to achieve this goal."
A technical apparatus that allows watchmakers to go ever further in their accomplishments.
Isn’t that precisely the promise that lovers of fine watchmaking expect them to keep?