Like many luxury goods sectors, watchmaking was affected by Covid-19 in numerous ways, from boutique closures to stalled production in the Jura Mountains, where most of the country’s watch factories have been located since the 19th century.
The rebound may be down to wealthy buyers seeking tangible investments amid economic uncertainty or even finding themselves with more disposable cash after months without vacations and entertainment.
“It always looks a bit like the whole watch industry had a discussion in advance to agree on the major trends,” said watch manufacturer IWC’s CEO, Christoph Grainger-Herr, as he toured the historic brand’s shipping-container pavilion.
Cool and youthful, but just classic enough, Patek Philippe’s Calatrava Reference 5226G sports a refined case with a hobnail pattern guillochéed around the entire circumference of the caseband.
Push the button at 8 o’clock to skip your “local” hours hand forward or backwards as you venture through time zones, while a second gold-crafted hour hand keeps you rooted to home.
It is, however, the latest in Cartier’s long line of “mystery” clocks dating back to 1912, when the French brand debuted a clock face that seemed to float in mid-air.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s MO is all about precision, so there were plenty of raised eyebrows at the brand’s Watches & Wonder presentation as it described its latest mechanical innovation as reflecting the unpredictable, romantic nature of shooting stars.
It was Audemars Piguet that sparked the “sporty chic” watch trend in 1972, with its immortal, octagonal Royal Oak design pitched at the era’s burgeoning, disco-glitz jet set.
Now in titanium, it’s something no one expected from Germany’s most venerable and traditional watchmaker — which is rather the point.
Just over the border from Germany, in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen, IWC has been at the forefront of titanium watchmaking since 1980, when it collaborated with Porsche on a chronograph.
Ten years is a blip in time for watchmaking, but that’s how quickly Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite Roman jeweler has managed to establish its monumental, 110-faceted Octo as a modern classic.