Latest news with #Cubitus
Times
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
All the fun of the Geneva watch fair
At this month's Watches & Wonders shindig in Geneva, the international watch crowd — geek, enthusiast, collector, specialist — gathered for the year's timepiece 'novelties' and innovations. The trends included smaller case sizes and dizzy complications including a clutch of perpetual calendars. The colour blue proliferated, with a smattering of lilac. Platinum stood out amid the precious metals. There were certainly myriad watches, and quite a few wonders too. Patek Philippe unveiled a blockbuster collection in which the handsome square-design Cubitus family expanded with two new pieces at the smaller size of 40mm, in rose gold and white gold. The most impressive of the many Grand Complications on offer has to be the self-winding Ref 5308 Quadruple Complication featuring a minute repeater, split-second chronograph and an instantaneous perpetual calendar. At the less complex end a new dress watch favourite is the manually wound Calatrava Ref 6196P in platinum with rose-gilt opaline dial and faceted anthracite hour markers and hands, exuding refined vintage vibes. • Over at Cartier there was something glamorous for everyone. From a sparkling version of the all-yellow gold baignoire bangle, now decorated with a nonchalant dusting of tiny diamonds, to a Cartier Privé romantic reimagination of a Tank à Guichet watch (a watch with an aperture) from 1928. It also presented the voluminous and sculptural Tressage pieces, braided with gold and lacquer or diamonds, and an abundance of chic jewellery watches. More jewellery watches, in the form of swishy sautoirs (watches on long necklaces), softened from their original 1969 designs, were sashaying at Piaget. Also echoing their free spirit is the very wearable Sixties line-up, which boldly reimagines the asymmetrical trapeze shape. The Piaget Andy Warhol, in tribute to the artist who adored the brand's original Black Tie watch, had a good reception. Now formally renamed, it features a four-piece collection with stone dials from blue meteorite to tiger eye, in a play of silhouette and style. As well as the impressively designed and sparkling pieces on show, there were also records being broken. For the thinnest (for a tourbillon, or perhaps any watch), there was Bulgari's Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, which is barely the depth of a sheet of paper. It's so slender it almost disappears when turned sideways. The ones that can go deepest must include Tudor's new Pelagos, with water resistance of up to 1,000 metres. The most complicated watch prize goes to Vacheron Constantin's Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, rightfully called 'the world's most complicated wristwatch', with 41 highly complex functions packed into the 45mm case. • The accolade for lightest watch goes to the independent Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin with its Diver [Air], a marriage of high horology and high tech. Ulysse Nardin decided to partner with start-ups and market leaders to use innovative materials — such as carbon fiber, Nylo foil and 90 per cent recycled titanium — reducing mass without compromising performance. Weighing in at an ultra-light 46g or 52g (less than a tennis ball) with the specially developed composite strap, it's water resistant to 200 metres and can withstand 5,000 g-force. The result is the lightest mechanical dive watch yet made, with interesting and authentic eco credentials. It's arguable that the distinction for best value for money should go to Nomos Glashütte's enduring Club Sport neomatik, now available with a world time complication, powered by the new in-house movement. Sleek and stylish with its Bauhaus-inspired dial design in two classic colours, it's also offered in six limited edition colourways, referencing earth and sea tones. Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds in 18 carat pink gold, £37,600; Just when you think that Jaeger-LeCoultre can't do much more with the very covetable art deco-inspired Reverso, which has been around since the 1930s, along comes the Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds, which, despite its functionally descriptive name, is a thing of beauty and imagination. In pink gold throughout, with a grained gold dial and Milanese gold mesh bracelet, driven by a self-winding mechanical movement, it has a sophisticated allure. Land-Dweller in steel, from £12,250; Finally, Rolex, the most omnipresent of the trophy beasts, pulled out all the stops, introducing the Land-Dweller collection. This is a handsome integrated sports watch in 36mm and 40mm sizes and the company's first new model line in 13 years. Featuring a honeycomb-patterned dial, it's based around the Oysterquartz from the 1960s and 1970s, an angular take on the Oyster, with a 'flat Jubilee' bracelet. It's powered by an innovative movement with a Dynapulse silicon escapement for even greater precision.
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Gold watches from Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Chanel, Bulgari, Piaget and others stole the spotlight at Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva, with sculptural pieces among the striking launches
Blame the mob wife trend , or perhaps the shift from minimalism towards ''boom boom'' fashion – coined earlier this year by trend forecaster Sean Monahan to refer to the bold and bougie fashion we're seeing make a comeback. Either way, gold watches are back. Not that a gold watch – a perennial symbol of those who've truly made it – has ever completely lost its appeal. It's just that at this year's Watches and Wonders – the annual gathering of the horology industry in Geneva, held this year in the first week of April – gold watches were not only spied everywhere, but made serious impact. Amid the slew of glittering timepieces – from the new trapeze-shaped Piaget Sixtie to a pink gold take on Patek Philippe's much discussed new Cubitus and Rolex's 1908 with its 18k gold Settimo bracelet – the most striking launches this year were sculptural takes on time telling. Advertisement Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas watch in yellow gold and white gold with sapphires and diamonds. Photo: Handout Take the Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas. The avant-garde 'secret watch' design, with the dial sloping at an angle, takes its inspiration from a padlock (cadenas is French for 'padlock') and first debuted in 1935. A new iteration in yellow gold and festooned with diamonds and radiant sapphires proves that a strong design can go through many permutations without losing its essence or appeal. Indeed it looks as modern as ever. The same could be said of Bulgari's new take on its emblematic motif, the serpent – an eternal symbol of renewal and rebirth. The Serpenti Aeterna forgoes the flexible tubogas bracelet that it has become synonymous with, for a strong, architectural bangle. It represents a new chapter for the serpent in a particularly auspicious year in the Chinese calendar. The animal kingdom is never far from the minds of Cartier designers, most especially the French maison's most treasured pet – the panther . After all, the panther first appeared on a Cartier watch in 1914 with diamond and onyx detail recalling the fur of the big cat. It was the legendary Cartier designer Jeanne Toussaint, who guided the brand's artistic expression from 1933 to 1970, who rendered the panther in three-dimensional forms. Her love of volume and contrasting colour can be felt too in the new bangle-style Panthère jewellery watches. In a 'toi et moi' style, the sculptural panther appears to guard the dial and blurs the line between watch and jewel. Certainly the muscular body of the ferocious panther, sculpted in yellow gold with tsavorite eyes and a black lacquer dial, gives its wearer the aura of someone not to be trifled with. Cartier Panthère jewellery watch in yellow gold with diamonds, tsavorites, onyx and black lacquer. Photo: Handout A sense of volume and contrast can also be found in the new Cartier Tressage watch. The timepiece, with its twists of round golden beads – one model threaded through with diamonds – flanking the dial is another ode to Jeanne Toussaint and her exceptional taste. Marie-Laure Cérède, creative director of watches and jewellery, says the Tressage represents a new dimension in watchmaking.
New York Times
07-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Putting Watch Designs to the Test
During the past seven days, about 50,000 visitors — industry representatives, members of the public, reporters and influencers — had been expected to walk the carpeted corridors of Watches and Wonders Geneva, considering new designs from the 60 luxury watch companies exhibiting there. Talk has been of an industry battling to reinvigorate consumer confidence after the boom years that followed pandemic lockdowns came to an abrupt end 18 months ago. What do today's buyers want? And what are they prepared to pay? Every brand thinks it has the answer. And as the watches introduced in recent days arrive in stores around the globe, those brands will soon find out whether they were right. Designs on Time What constitutes the right move for a brand is in the hands of its executives and creative minds, to say nothing of the engineers and the watchmakers who realize their plans. Then again, ultimately it is the buyers who really decide. Here are four very different watches, each designed to steal the limelight (and a chunk of some pay checks). Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524G After the social media pile-on that followed the introduction of its Cubitus model this past fall, Patek has returned to another watch that caused a ruckus on release: the Pilot Travel Time version of its Calatrava design. When the vintage-looking, oversize watch with a second time zone function debuted in 2015, some observers called it a deviation for the watchmaker, but the debonair design did attract fans. This year, it has returned with a 42-millimeter white gold case, a lacquered ivory dial and a khaki-green composite fabric strap. Still in place is its clever solution to adjusting local time, activated by the buttons on the case's left flank. The action also adjusts the date and the local day/night indicator, without — Patek said — any impact on the watch's timekeeping precision. $60,922 A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Honeygold When Lange introduced its Odysseus in 2019, luxury watchmakers were struggling to meet the demand for high-end sports watches with integrated metal bracelets. While the public's appetite for luxury watches has cooled, this category has proved to be resilient — in part because production is strictly limited, keeping supply levels low and prices high. Cue this 40.5-millimeter iteration, cast in Lange's patented Honeygold, a syrupy 18-karat gold that bridges the gap between yellow and pink golds. Lange, which does not release production numbers but is believed to make only about 5,500 watches a year, reserves the material for its most exclusive watches — and indeed, there will be just 100 of these. The company's Datomatic caliber, complete with oversize day and date displays, powers one of the most unapologetically indulgent watches of the 2025 show. Price on application Gerald Charles Maestro GC39 25th Anniversary Edition A quarter of a century is a blink of an eye in watchmaking terms, which may be why the family-owned independent watchmaker Gerald Charles is only just coming into view. Behind the name is the story of Gerald Genta, the 20th-century's lodestar watch designer of pieces such as Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak (1972) and Patek Philippe's Nautilus (1976). In 2005, Mr. Genta created the Maestro, a montre à guichet, or window watch, with a novel case shape said to have been inspired by a Baroque monument in Rome (and labeled with Mr. Genta's own nickname). That GC39 design now has returned with a jumping-hour display (the hours jump from one to the next rather than moving slowly with the time) and a star-motif dial that the brand said was produced with a proprietary precision micro-chemical engraving technique. Only 100 are scheduled for production. $42,300 Bremont Altitude MB Meteor Arguably, the only watch event last year that could compete with the vociferous response to the introduction of Patek's Cubitus were changes at the British brand Bremont following a $59 million investment by Hellcat Acquisitions, a private equity group in New York City. So the 2024 Terra Nova has now been followed by the Altitude collection, a trio of watches inspired by aviation. Leading the line is this MB Meteor variant, named for the Martin-Baker company that makes ejector seats for fighter jets, and the Gloster Meteor jet used for Martin-Baker's first live ejection test in 1946. The 42-millimeter design is an update of Bremont's MB series, its most celebrated watch, and retains the three-tier Trip-Tick case and inner rotating bezel of earlier models, as well as the looped ejection pull handle look of the counterbalance on the seconds hand. A 39-millimeter version, which the brand calls an 'everyday pilot's watch,' and another at 42 millimeters featuring chronograph and second time zone functions complete the set. $5,300 Less Is More Since the advent of the smartwatch a decade ago (indeed, it was 2015 when Apple Watch entered the horological lexicon), mechanical watchmakers have been running for the hills — or at least to higher prices. But there are still brands making watches at more accessible prices for those life occasions when only a proper watch will do. Nomos Glashütte Club Sport neomatik world time The German independent watchmaker Nomos Glashütte is known for a number of things, among them that it runs a Berlin design studio alongside a traditional watch factory in the Ore Mountains of Saxony, and that its in-house mechanical watches offer excellent value. Here is another of those watches: a new world timer that beats much of the competition on function (via a single pusher), thickness (it is less than 10 millimeters), sportiness (it is water-resistant to 100 meters) and price. It is scheduled to be offered as two collection mainstays, including this silver dial version, and six limited editions. $4,720 Frederique Constant Classic Perpetual Calendar Manufacture The original king of the accessible mechanical watch is Frederique Constant, founded in 1988 by two executives put off by the high prices of Swiss watches. While they have since moved on, the company continues its admirable mission to bring mechanical watchmaking within (relative) reach. See this steel-case perpetual calendar model, a three-day automatic powered by the company's 34th caliber developed in-house — but still squeaking in at less than $10,000, a fraction of what most Swiss makers command for a mechanical watch with a calendar that keeps up with leap years. $9,995 Norqain Wild ONE Skeleton 39MM Baby Blue New watches, as well as new faces, at Norqain this year. Alongside a set of brightly colored, 39-millimeter versions of its Wild ONE skeleton — pinched down by three millimeters compared with the existing model — a new roster of ambassadors has joined the family-owned Swiss independent. The soccer legends Gianluigi Buffon of Italy and Gary Neville of England have become partners in the young business, as well as the faces of the campaign supporting the new watches. $5,790 Breitling Top Time B31 Another of the big name players that has not yet made an entrance at Watches and Wonders Geneva, alongside Audemars Piguet and Omega, is Breitling. Nonetheless, the privately owned Swiss watch company has taken this season to announce a new time- and date-only version of its 1960s-inspired Top Time model, powered by a new Breitling-developed caliber with a 78-hour power reserve, and fronted by Austin Butler, the Oscar-nominated actor ('Elvis') and a new brand ambassador. Breitling has given the watch a universal 38-millimeter case size and said the model was designed, at least in part, to lure buyers alienated by recent industry price hikes. $5,600 Caution to the Wind Sobriety has its fans, but so does nonconformity. Even in these safety-first times, there are still plenty of colorful, experimental watches out there for those whose tastes extend beyond the conservative boundaries set by most luxury watchmakers. Here are four of them. Ulysse Nardin Diver [AIR] Ulysse Nardin has a new world-record claim: the world's lightest dive watch that also is water-resistant to 200 meters (656 feet). The Diver [AIR]'s titanium and carbon fiber case, hollowed-out titanium movement and elastic fabric strap are said to weigh a total of just 52 grams (1.8 ounces). And despite that feathery physique, the watch is said to be shock resistant to the equivalent of a five-meter drop. $38,000 Ressence Type 7 Night Blue Ressence's founder, the Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens, is so obsessed with his concept of 'simplification' that he trademarked the word. Stripping a product back to reveal its essence is the idea, and it now has been applied to the new Type 7, Ressence's first tool watch, the industry term for functional, durable timepieces. Cast in titanium, the 41-millimeter case holds the ROCS7 system, which connects a mechanical movement to an arrangement of rotating discs that show the time (while floating in 2.95 milliliters of oil) via a series of micromagnets. The watch has a G.M.T. function (which shows two time zones simultaneously) and comes on an integrated titanium bracelet. $42,500 Zenith G.F.J. Calibre 135 The initials G.F.J. are those of Georges Favre-Jacot, the 19th-century entrepreneur credited as the first to bring all of watchmaking's skills under one roof when he founded Zenith in 1865. For years, they have decorated the walls of Zenith's Swiss factory and now they also belong to a watch powered by Calibre 135, a reworking of a time-only movement produced by Zenith from 1949 to 1962 that it says won more awards for chronometric precision than any in watchmaking history. The new movement is accurate to plus or minus 2 seconds a day and sits under a lapis lazuli and blue mother-of-pearl dial, surrounded by a 39-millimeter platinum case. $49,900 H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Purple Enamel Purple? It seems watchmakers have been over the rainbow and back many times in recent years, looking for simple ways to energize existing designs and maybe even shock consumers into paying attention along the way. Moser's intensely purple version of its otherwise stubbornly restrained Endeavour Central Seconds takes that approach up another notch. The dial finish is achieved by engraving a white gold base so it takes on a hammered texture, then applying six layers of glassy enamel with the grand feu (great fire) technique. Because each layer is a different color, the end result is Moser's signature gradient, or fumé, finish. $29,700
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Automotive
- New York Times
His Watch World Has Right Angles
As the founder and chief executive of the Swedish brand Soner Watches, Freddie Palmgren says his brand has never produced a round watch — and never will. Now he has turned his preference for square and rectangular timepieces into a book, 'Beyond Round Watches,' a 105-page paperback that explores in words and images the evolution of angular watches. It may be purchased through the Soner website or from Amazon ($22.90). 'Square and rectangular watches, to me, represent an elegance and balance that round watches simply cannot achieve,' Mr. Palmgren wrote in an email. 'They break away from convention, offering something for those who value individuality.' The book begins with the origins of timekeeping and the wristwatch before delving into square and rectangular aesthetics in nature, science and art. 'Both belong to the geometric group of quadrilaterals,' Mr. Palmgren wrote in the email about the shapes, 'yet their unique proportions create different visual effects.' And in watchmaking, 'rectangular designs carry an Art Deco sophistication,' he noted, while square timepieces 'exude a symmetrical boldness.' Most of the book traces the history of angular watches, from the release of the Cartier Santos in 1904 to their place in modern-day watchmaking, as well as the challenges of angular watch design and the future of square and rectangular timepieces. Mr. Palmgren's email said he wrote the book, with some research help from Christie's, because angular watches had been in the circular shadow of their round counterparts for too long. And he noted that only about 2 percent of all watches today are angular. 'Most articles and discussions seemed to revolve around the Cartier Tank, TAG Heuer Monaco or the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso,' he wrote in the email. 'While these are iconic models, they represent only a fraction of the story behind angular watches.' Niko, the host of the 'Beyond Horology Podcast,' who is based in Finland and goes only by his first name, pointed out that the book's December release came shortly after the introduction of the Patek Phillipe Cubitus, a 45-millimeter stainless steel sport watch. The Cubitus, the first new collection by Patek Phillipe in 25 years, has revived interest in angular timepieces. 'The Cubitus has taken the world by surprise,' the podcast host said in an interview, 'even among us seasoned watch nerds.' In 2016 Mr. Palmgren founded Soner, which means sons in Swedish and was named for his two offspring, William and Widar. It is, according to Mr. Palmgren, the only brand in the world that produces solely rectangular watches, echoing his own collection of dress watches. He said he was inspired to start the brand, which is based in Kungsbacka, a town on Sweden's west coast, by a disappointing hunt through a sea of round models for a high-end watch to celebrate a milestone event. 'None of them felt distinctive,' he wrote, 'or aligned with my vision of what a watch could be.'
New York Times
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Despite the Social Media Hype, Large Watches Are Still Big
Last fall when Patek Philippe unveiled its square Cubitus watch, based on the beloved Nautilus, there was a lot of chatter in the watch world over its polarizing design. But one key feature didn't draw much comment: Its case, measured diagonally, was 45 millimeters. Despite the social media frenzy around vintage-inspired 30-something-millimeter timepieces, large watches haven't gone away. Brands such as IWC Schaffhausen, Hublot, Parmigiani Fleurier, Oris, Rolex and others have continued to release them in both sport and dress options. And many of the embargoed designs scheduled for introduction at the Watches and Wonders Geneva show in April are large, too. 'Core consumers, not the watch-collecting community, are just not going to buy into the smaller sizes,' said David Hurley, the deputy chief executive of the Watches of Switzerland Group retail chain, 'especially since they are only buying one or two watches in their lifetime.' Eugene Tutunikov, the chief executive of the online pre-owned dealership SwissWatchExpo, agreed: 'Most consumers have to convince themselves that they are OK buying a smaller watch. It's usually an internal struggle for them, because the smaller watches are the exception.' Just checking Instagram or TikTok wouldn't give you that impression at all. For example, in October the former Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade wore a 28-millimeter round Tiffany Eternity watch in rose gold to unveil a statue of himself in Miami. 'I think the whole trend of people saying small watches are in is because it's very memorable when you see a celebrity, especially a larger man, wearing a small watch,' Mr. Tutunikov said. 'It really sticks out, so you remember the exceptions, even though the rule is still large.' Over Time Of course, there actually is no watch industry rule for what constitutes a small, medium, large or extra-large timepiece, and perceptions of those terms have changed over the years. In the 1970s and '80s, watch cases generally were in the mid- to high-30 millimeters, so a large watch would have been 37 to 38 millimeters (about 1.5 inches). Then came the '90s and the Sylvester Stallone effect, with the star championing a 44-millimeter Panerai Luminor (more than 1.7 inches) and setting the stage for designs as large as 50 millimeters (almost 2 inches). Watch retailers say that most of their sales these days are in the 38- to 42-millimeter range — 'More than 59 percent of the men's watches we sell are 40 to 41 millimeters in size,' Mr. Hurley said — while 36- to 38-millimeter designs serve the unisex demand. Even when it comes to women's purchases, Mr. Hurley said, larger is selling better. 'There was a point in history, maybe in 2017, when 28 millimeters to 31 millimeters was about 72 percent of our women's business,' he noted. 'But now that is down to 35 percent of the business and the growth has actually gone into the above-32 millimeters, up to 38-millimeter sizes, as women want bigger watches.' According to Rolf Studer, the co-chief executive of Oris, the sweet spot today is 39 to 43 millimeters. 'We were scaling down a bit in size, say from 43.5 to 41.5 millimeters, but we realized that not everybody wanted that small of a watch,' he said. 'That's why we brought back, for example, the Aquis at 45 millimeters and the Big Crown ProPilot at 44 millimeters.' More Room From the watch industry's standpoint, larger watches also offer more room for creativity. The dial of a 36- to 38-millimeter watch usually showcases just the hour, minute and second hands, and possibly a simple date window. And a brand can't fit as many movement parts into a 38-millimeter case as it could into a 42- or 43-millimeter one. (Consider the 44.4-millimeter IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, introduced last year, which offered a moon phase accuracy of 45 million years as well as Gregorian and solar calendars and other functions.) 'The oversized case sizes of the early 2000s allowed us to create incredible movements,' Maximilian Büsser of MB&F said. 'You could pack 400 or 500 components into a bigger case and still be highly reliable because you aren't sacrificing on tolerances.' Even though most of MB&F's watches are on the large side — including the 53-millimeter HM7 Aquapod — Mr. Büsser said the brand had been offering slightly smaller cases, with 42 to 44 millimeters now its best-selling range. 'I think that every trend is a reaction to a previous trend,' he said. 'We had gotten very big and very crazy in the industry, so now we are shrinking sizes to be more wearable.' Of particular note is the brand's Horological Machine 11 Architect, a highly complex 42-millimeter timepiece based on architectural design unveiled in 2023. 'It was one of the biggest challenges I fixed myself to; I wanted a maximum of 42 millimeters,' Mr. Büsser said. 'I wanted the challenge. But usually, we need to make sure the pieces are wearable first; then look at size.' Function and wearability are the focuses at Richard Mille, according to Alexandre Mille, the brand's global commercial director. 'The movement dictates the rest of the shape and size of the watch,' he said. 'There will be some intention in terms of design and comfort, but if the movement brings a function we want, we don't worry about size.' Half of the brand's watches exceed 40 millimeters, he noted, which is the reason that the brand puts extreme emphasis on lightweight materials and extra-flat cases. 'We try to make the lightest watch possible, like we did with the RM 27-05,' he said, noting that the watch weighs about 11.5 grams without the strap, or slightly less than the weight of a AAA battery. 'It holds a record in terms of lightness and thinness, so the size, length and width doesn't matter,' he added. 'It is important to offer innovation.' Shared Influences Sometimes a partner in a collaboration can influence a watch's size. When Panerai makes timepieces for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team, 'the sport is very rugged and these sailors need a 47-millimeter watch at a minimum,' said Jean-Marc Pontroué, the chief executive of Panerai. 'The same is true with the Navy SEALs we work with. These guys want a big watch on their wrists; they don't consider anything smaller than 44 millimeters serious, so we are very influenced by these people. 'Then we try to offer slightly smaller sizes, maybe 44 or 42 millimeter, depending on the collection, for the rest of the world.' Similarly, IWC Schaffhausen, which works with the Navy Fighter Weapons School, popularly known as the elite 'Top Gun' squadron, makes mostly large-size pilot watches for the fliers. 'When you look to the Big Pilot watches, especially the Pilot's Watch Chronograph Top Gun editions, there is a conscious ruggedness about them, much like wearing an instrument,' said Christoph Grainger-Herr, IWC's chief executive. He noted that most of the brand's pilot watches are 44.5 millimeters. 'But then we try to scale down from the larger sizes of that collection to the smaller 40- or 39-millimeter sizes for the Pilot's automatic or the Spitfire to offer diversity in size to answer the call for today's customers. 'But,' Mr. Grainger-Herr added, 'size is always a matter of personal taste.'
