BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Now that Watches & Wonders, the successor to SIHH, has taken place, we’re able to look back at the best watches, our favourite watches from the show’s releases. There were so many that we could only choose ten, so we came up with these.
10 – Oris Aquispro Date Calibre 400
A big and chunky dial to warm our hearts and grace our wrists. A black PVD-coated titanium case and measures a massive 49.5mm and a 1000m water resistance rating.
9 – Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Integral Full Sapphire
Most people don’t like this, or don’t like that they like it. I do like it. It has an entire sapphire case and sapphire crystal bracelet too. Sure, it might be an Hublot which is bad for some. I think it’s really cool, though.
8 – Rolex Sky-Dweller Jubilee
Remember that Rolex doesn’t do significant innovative changes. The Sky-Dweller is one of the coolest pieces the brand makes, and one of the most complicated. Now on the famous Jubilee, the dressy/sporty calendar has never looked fresher.
7 – Montblanc Perpetual Calendar Limited Edition
A return to form from Montblanc’s watchmaking division and one that doesn’t rely on Minerva. The new perpetual calendar watch uses the brand’s innovative wheel-based perpetual system.
6 – Panerai Luminor Marina e-Steel
2021 has proven to be a year of great importance in many ways, but one of the most significant advances are Panerai’s e-Steel watches which are made from recycled stainless steel. I hope that more watchmakers start doing this.
5 – IWC Big Pilot Shock Absorber
A genuine world-first, the new IWC Big Pilot shock absorber can resist a fantastic 30,000 Gs of impact, more than anything else. But still, I bet the owners of old-school Submariners will claim theirs is more shock-resistant.
4 – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando
Tadao Ando’s signature design cues influence this slim watch from Bulgari. It’s beautifully simple, incorporating only the necessities to tell the time. The rest of the dial is simply space that’s been utilised by simplistic art—a breath of fresh air in today’s hectic world.
3 – A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar
Updated for 2021, the Perpetual Calendar variant of the A.Lange & Söhne Lange 1 collection is a rare beast indeed. It features all the displays necessary to indicate which month it is and whether it’s a leap year or not, but it does it with Saxon style.
2 – Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Split Seconds Chronograph Ultra-Thin
A watch we could not cover, this new Traditionelle Chronograph with split seconds is exceptionally cool. The movement around the back is a joy to behold and a sign that Vacheron Constantin is leading the charge in the ‘Holy Trinity’ of brands.
1 – Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadritriptyque
It took over an hour to get my head around how all the different elements of the solar system that this watch displays, and how they interact with each other (thanks for explaining that, Dad). The Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 easily stole the show. While the big names present had something special to show (it’s been the strongest turnout in years), I feel this was going to win it regardless.
If I had to choose an honourable mention, as I know you readers love to ask for them, I would nominate Chopard’s L.U.C. QF Jubilee and Patek Philippe’s In-Line perpetual calendar. I think they’re amazing pieces. Maybe we could do a Top However-Many-Watches-There-Were-This-Year article. What are your favourites?
Don’t forget this isn’t everything from the watch industry. It seems the Swatch Group brands are releasing things in dribs and drabs. We don’t know what they’re planning, but I hope Breguet has been cooking up something good; it’s been a while.
