Watches & Wonders 2020: Our TOP 10 novelties

These days, Switzerland would have turned into the ultimate watch Mecca once again, with thousands of watch enthusiasts, journalists and dealers from all over the world commuting between Basel and Geneva.

But the precarious international situation naturally also affects the watch industry, so that this year’s Watches & Wonders fair (formerly known as SIHH) was held virtually for the first time, thanks to a last-minute digital tour de force. And people still complain about the watch industry not being innovative enough?

Speaking of innovation: Many of the newly presented watches are real masterpieces, both visually and technically. We present our TOP 10.

10. Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon

As big Laurent Ferrier fans ourselves, we are always happy to see the brand’s latest timepieces. The same is true for the new Grand Sport Tourbillon, which was first introduced in 2019, but at that time still had a brown dial and came on a rubber strap.

To ride the wave of luxury stainless steel watches, a watch with a newly developed steel bracelet and blue dial is now following. Extremely tasteful! (Also, it is fair to say that Laurent Ferrier has taken the whole genre to another level with this watch.)

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9. Cartier Santos De Cartier ADLC

The Santos de Cartier collection, reinterpreted in 2018, is one of the big winners of recent years, not least because of some clever inventions such as the QuickSwitch and SmartLink mechanisms. What followed this year was a completely blackened version of the watch, which not only looks cool thanks to its ADLC coating (more about it here), but will still sparkle like on day one even in a few years’ time.

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8. Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Blue

Vacheron Constantin was particularly bustling the last months and presented ten new watches for this year’s Watches & Wonders. In addition to the new FiftySix Self-Winding in sepia brown, the Geneva-based luxury manufacturer also launched its new perpetual calendar, which – if worn regularly – does not need to be corrected manually again until 2100. The new Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin also impressively demonstrates why a midnight blue dial goes so incredibly well with a gold case.

7. Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Calendar

Jaeger-LeCoultre, the Watchmaker Of Watchmakers, has turned its attention to the Master Control collection and has come up with four new watches. From a simple three-hand watch with a date to a chronograph with complete calendar and moon phase, there is something for everyone. Regardless of the degree of complication, all four novelties come in a 40mm case.

6. Panerai Luminor Marina DMLS PAM1662

Panerai also wants to have a say when it comes to offering the most advanced, self-developed materials and not leave the field without a fight. The DLMS in the name stands for Direct Metal Laser Sintering, which (simply put) describes a 3D printing process in which titanium powder is sintered by a high-power fiber optic laser into a case shape. The remaining components, such as the crown, bezel and crown guard, are made of Carbotech.

5. Cartier Tank Asymétrique

After the Cartier Crash, the Tank Cintrée and the Tonneau, it was now the turn of the Tank Asymétrique to receive a modern facelift and to once again demonstrate the immense versatility of the Tank model.

The reinterpretation from the Cartier Privé collection has its origins back in 1936, so a time when Cartier was at its creative Art Deco peak. The new edition of the watch comes in three versions – platinum, rose gold and yellow gold – and is limited to 100 pieces per precious metal.

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4. Hermès Arceau L’Heure De La Lune

What makes the Arceau L’Heure De La Lune watches from Hermès so special is the fact that they can display not only the local moon phase, but that of the southern and northern hemispheres simultaneously. The collection presented at SIHH 2019 was extended this year with five new models. Three models even feature real meteorites, such as moon meteorite in the white gold version shown here, on the dial.

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3. IWC Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide Chronograph

In addition to smaller Portuguese watches, IWC has introduced a watch with real life-saver qualities: The new Portugieser Yacht Club Moon & Tide boasts a nifty, new tide indicator, which informs the wearer about high and low tide via the sub-dial at six o’clock. There is also a double moon phase indicator at 12 o’clock, which can show spring and neap tides and therefore provides information about the strength of the current tides. The perfect watch for every (affluent) sailor.

2. Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept

Since time immemorial, the best watchmakers of their time have tried to outdo each other in various categories: the most expensive watch in the world, the most complicated watch in the world, the smallest watch in the world, and so on and so forth. Piaget has now reached a new milestone with the new Altiplano Ultimate Concept.

In order to create the only 2mm(!) flat watch, Piaget had to rethink the traditional mechanical watch from scratch: new materials were developed, new machines were built and new components were manufactured. The result is a watch that is just a smidgen higher than a €2 coin. Truly impressive!

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1. A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater

In addition to new Odysseus models in white gold, A. Lange & Söhne has also released a new mechanical digital watch within the Zeitwerk collection. The new, deep blue “Zeitwerk Minute Repetition” has a highly sophisticated repeater mechanism that can reproduce the time acoustically. Limited to 30 pieces, the white gold series will be available exclusively in boutiques and sends a strong signal as to why German watches are rightly considered to be among the best in the world.

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