Buying Time: Cutting Edge Horlogerie

At 2017’s Geneva watch convention, S.I.H.H., thirty of the world’s finest timepiece brands showcased their newest creations. Presenting our editor’s selection of six timepieces with especially unique designs, engineering, and functionality

Christophe Claret –  The Maestro

The smallest watch ever produced by the brand still measures a significant 42 mm and houses a movement comprised of 342 parts. Accompanying the highly adorned mechanical structures is the use of raised spheres to display the date in one of the most distinctive applications found in watchmaking. Adding to the exceptional design is an unusual functionality – a new “memo” complication that provides the wearer with a daily reminder of any specific task. Claret’s use of color and aesthetics provides a visually stunning piece that few could ignore. The display of the different aspects of the movement is sure to keep the wearer visually engaged and always reminded of the highly engineered work of art adorning his wrist.
$68,000
Westime Los Angeles

Girard Perregaux – Neo Bridges

Taking the brand’s most iconic design and reinterpreting it in 2017 has created a visual masterpiece for G.P. With three horizontal bridges crossing the watch face, one’s eye is drawn both to this unique design element and a mixture of blacks, grays, and polished titanium, accented by ruby colored jewels and bevel edged screws. The automatic movement outfitted with a micro rotor, visible through the exhibition back, reveals a level of finish reserved for the finest watch movements. By removing the tourbillon complication, the price point has brought this hallmark of design within reach for a much larger audience.
$24,000
Feldmar Watch Company

Jaeger-Lecoultre – Geophysic Tourbillon Universal Time

The new world timer combined with a flying tourbillon function again represents the strength of JLC manufacturing. Both complications blend effortlessly together, displaying all 24 time zones at once with superb accuracy. The blue guilloche dial displays the Earth’s continents rotating in concert with the tourbillon cage. A new fast set interchangeable band system allows the wearer to switch from rubber to metal to leather depending on what the current activity necessitates. With just 100 examples being produced, this technological marvel will only adorn the wrists of those who are truly seeking a mechanical masterpiece.
$145,000
Polacheck’s Jewelers Calabasas

MB&F
Horological Machine
No. 7 – Aquapod

The Aquapod is the eighth creation released from the concept laboratory that is MB&F, but its design was so complicated and difficult that the HM 08 ended up being released before this model was complete. The design is modeled after the radical symmetry of a jellyfish. Instead of the movement being constructed as thin as possible on a horizontal plane, the movement is assembled and designed vertically providing the large bubble configuration of the piece. Concentric timing discs rotate around the central movement with a flying tourbillon sitting at the top regulating the time. A large platinum rotor mirrors the tentacles of the jellyfish, providing the movement with its self-winding capabilities. Few watches could provide a better conversation piece inside the boardroom, or at the architect’s office.
$98,000
Westime Beverly Hills

Parmigiani – Toric Chronometre

The original Toric was the first watch ever designed by Michel Parmigiani. Each subsequent re-design has focused on enhancing the subtle elegance of the piece. The outer ring of the case is inspired by the columns of Ancient Greece, which frames a simple yet aesthetically powerful display. Two javelin hands float over a watch face whose surface is treated with a mixture of salt and silver powder to create a unique visual texture. A rotating date display is expressed through a semi-circle opening located at 6 o’clock containing a contrasting background color. The watch, much like the brand, is a pure expression of class and sophistication, and is appropriate in almost any setting.
$18,500
David Orgell Beverly Hills

 

Urwerk – UR-T8

In honor of their 20th anniversary, the engineers at Urwerk have taken the classic Reverso case design of JLC, but modified it to be 100% Urwerk. With the case reversed, the watch looks more like a black titanium bracelet with a textured pattern highlighted by contrasting screws. Once open, the floating concentric discs display the time both digitally and analogically, something quite unique to the brand. With its commanding rectangular case, this unique timepiece stands out in almost any setting. A limited number of only sixty watches will be manufactured insuring that the UR-8 will be a rare sight indeed.
$100,000
Westime Malibu