Featuring A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, Montblanc, Panerai and Vacheron Constantin.
Overwhelmed by the deluge of timepieces from Watches And Wonders 2020? Fret not. Let us help you separate the wheat from the chaff with our favourites from the fair.
It is no secret that we are devoted fans of A. Lange & Söhne, and the German brand wows us this year with a makeover for the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater.
Introduced in 2015 in platinum with silvered dial, the watch now comes in white gold with navy-hued silver dial, and is limited to 30 pieces. And for those who are not familiar with the watch, the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater is unlike normal minute repeaters. It features a world premiere decimal system, which sounds out the time exactly as one reads it - a low-pitched tone for each elapsed hour, a double tone for each elapsed ten-minute period, and a high-pitched tone for each elapsed minute.
For something quite different, we move over to Cartier with the Maillon de Cartier dress watch collection.
Distinguished by its voluminous ‘twisted’ profile, the watch lassoed us from the get-go with its irresistible shape, made of a centrepiece bracelet featuring off-set and diagonally aligned chain-links, and a case that flaunts a skewed hexagonal profile. Combining throwback 1980s ostentation with modern sensuality, the Maillon de Cartier is a shoo-in for must-have women’s dress watches for the year.
Elsewhere, Montblanc throws up a surprise with the 1858 Automatic Exploration 24H.
The watch stands out with its design and dial interface; its stainless steel case with bronze bezel framing a black dial with single hand traversing a 24-hour scale. The timepiece goes full-on with its field-equipment aesthetic (vintage-y bi-coloured case, handmade Nato strap), depiction of the northern hemisphere on the dial, and charming ability to double up as a compass with cardinal points on the inner flange.
Staying on the theme of rugged watches, we have the Panerai Luminor Marina Fibratech making this list of Watches & Wonders favourites.
The watch’s key appeal is the case, which is made of a proprietary material comprising mineral basalt fibres, a rock-based material, eco-sustainable row fibres and other polymers. Said to be 60 per cent lighter than steel, yet highly corrosion-resistant, the Fibratech case is complemented by a carbon fibre bezel, crown and crown-guard.
Last but not least, an absolutely lovely ladies’ complication from Vacheron Constantin.
The Traditionelle Tourbillon is Vacheron Constantin’s only first-ever automatic tourbillon for women, powered by the beautiful Calibre 2160 that was introduced in 2018 as the company’s first in-house tourbillon movement. An ultra-thin, fastidiously calibrated calibre with peripheral rotor and three-day power reserve, the Calibre 2160 runs with the same elegance and energy in the new Traditionelle Tourbillon, appropriately sized at 36mm and offered in a diamond-set pink gold case with mother-of-pearl dial (our choice), or the ostentatiously ornamental fully diamond-paved white gold version with 559 stones totalling 6.59 carats.
