SIHH Diary – Day Three

Normally by the end of day three I am starting to see some common trends at the SIHH, but this year is a bit different. Every brand seems to be doing its own thing, which makes for a really interesting show with a large variety of timepieces.

The only common theme seems to be that everyone is celebrating an anniversary this year: Greubel Forsey is 10, as is Parmigiani’s Bugatti Collection, Roger Dubuis is 20, IWC is celebrating 75 years of the Portuguese Collection, Baume & Mercier is 185, A Lange & Söhne is 200 years old and Vacheron Constantin remains the oldest at 260!

Birthdays are a great excuse to reflect on the past and yet think about what we want for the future, and the SIHH brands seem to have been doing just that with products that solidify the identities of each brand.

Hand-engraved Caliber 2260/1 of the Métiers d'Art collection by Vacheron Constantin
Hand-engraved Caliber 2260/1 of the Métiers d’Art collection by Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin presented five new in-house movements, a brand new collection called Harmony inspired by a historical timepiece from the 1920s, a new hand engraved Métiers d’Arts collection, a stunning table clock in crystal, and the world’s thinnest automatic split seconds chronograph. Not bad for a year’s work!

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Arca Rock Crystal
Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Arca Rock Crystal
Vacheron Constantin Harmony Dual Time Small Model
Vacheron Constantin Harmony Dual Time Small Model

In addition to celebrating its 20th anniversary, Roger Dubuis unveiled a number of skeletons this year. But being Roger Dubuis, these were not your usual skeletonized timepieces. The Roger Dubuis skeleton is very architectural and daring in its design with strong lines and unique materials. What is of particular interest is that the brand still manages to follow all the strict criteria for the Poinçon de Genève.

Roger Dubuis Automatic Skeleton
Roger Dubuis Automatic Skeleton
Roger Dubuis Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon RD01SQ
Roger Dubuis Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon RD01SQ

I think Jaeger was celebrating an anniversary too, but I was too busy admiring their latest collections to write it down! This year the brand has returned to the stars to deliver a selection of stunning timepieces that follow the movements of the stars and moon with mind-blowing precision, but more about this later.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial
Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial

The day ended with Ralph Lauren who gave us a little fashion show of their latest timepieces, which was great to be able see what the watches looked like on the wrist. The brand’s Automotive collection with its wooden accents was a big hit with the Swiss press, who aren’t easily won over.

Ralph Lauren Automotive Black
Ralph Lauren Automotive Black

The last anniversary to mention today is our own. Revolution celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with an exclusive party tomorrow evening. So Dear Diary, Dear Readers, excuse me if I don’t write tomorrow. I will make up for it on Friday…promise!

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

return-to-top__image
Back to Top