Watches & Wonders 2015: 12 Timepieces to Ponder Before it Begins

The third edition of Watches&Wonders, the prestigious exhibition of haute horlogerie, will be held at Hong Kong from 30^th September to 3^rd October, where visitors will experience tours and presentations on the fine watchmaking world.

Here is a preview of the 12 honoured brands and a sampling of timepiece highlights for the event.

Lange & Söhne LANGE 1

The face of A. Lange & Söhne for the last 20 years, the new edition is laced with a refined manually wound calibre, marking its 50^th in-house movement for the label. Signature elements of the LANGE 1 like its asymmetric dial, familiar outsize date display and power reserve indicator remains in this new edition of this horological icon with the exception of the bezel reduced out slightly to draw more attention to the dial.

Baume & Mercier Classima Men Automatic Two-Tone, 10217 

Elegantly understated for a two-tone timepiece, the Classima with its 40 mm case and silver-coloured dial with line guilloche make a nice dress watch. Along with Roman numerals in gilt shades, its gold hue indices and hands establishes its quiet opulence.

IWC Portugieser Annual Calendar 

IWC Schaffhausen brings forth extensive inventiveness with this Portugieser, exhibiting an annual calendar display at its 12’o clock and an impressive 7-day power reserve. While running with two mainspring barrels to maintain the precision on this luxurious aesthetic, the subsidiary seconds dial and power reserve indicator brings its face symmetry effortlessly, enclosing internal cohesiveness in its sapphire crystal caseback.

Jaeger Le Coultre Rendez-Vous Moon

Jaeger Le Coultre Rendez-Vous Moon is feminity exuberated, with elegant star at the top of the dial, mother-of-pearl moon display and a wide moon phase selection, JLC hints at subtly at the gentle sophistication of women, through its diamond-drenched case and blue satin strap.

Montblanc Bohème Moongarden

Montblanc conjures another dreamy yet functional timepiece with exclusive complications developed inhouse. Indicating date, classic moonphase and a delight to culture buffs, the traditional name of the month. These twelve names are deeply embedded in ancient human culture and are symbolic expressions for the seasons, which are justifiably displayed in the crescent window, while the moon phases appear in an aperture above the 6 o’clock.

Piaget Limelight Stella

Poetry and purity defines the Piaget Limelight Stella. Possessing a large moon phase surrounded by 126 brilliant-cut diamonds to showcase its contemporary elegance, the Limelight Stella emanates its obsession with the sky with pink-gold baton indices and a subtle six-point star on its second hand.

Vacheron Constantin Harmony Chronograph

260 pieces, individually numbered and stamped with the Hallmark of Geneva, Vacheron Constantin’s Harmony Chronograph commemorates the 260^th anniversary of the world’s oldest watch manufacturer with continuous history. The Harmony stands an apt brand synonym, combining technical refinement and artisanal skill honed throughout 260 years. It’s a courtly expression of a  monopusher chronograph equipped with pulsometric scale and a power-reserve indication of approximately 65 hours, encased in a 18 K pink gold cushion-shaped case.

Clé de Cartier watch – Flying Tourbillon

Cartier brings a new vision of the Clé de Cartier, blending simple aesthetic curves to accentuate the entirely diamond-set case. The tourbillion is a raw demonstration of the maison’s watchmaking virtuosity given centre stage in the dial. The Maison gives a nice nod to the tradition of key turning to wind up its calibre, turning round the crown into a sapphire bar and re-introducing the world to the pleasures of breathing life into a mechanical artpiece.

Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Titanio

The minimalist titanium finish of the Radiomir 1940 case conceals its prowess and beauty within, with automatic movement possessing a decentralised bi-directional rotor. Panerai’s technically inimitable sophistication enables the thickness of the movement to be significantly lowered to just 3.95 mm. 0 calibre also features a device which stops the balance when the winding crown is pulled out, making it easier to perfectly synchronise the watch.

Richard Mille RM 022 “Aerodyne” NTPT Asia Edition 

Futuristic watches are not rare. But nothing draws more attention than the exceptionally innovative. The RM 022, the first watch to combine a dual time zone with an external structure in titanium combined with orthorhombic titanium carbon nanofibres and aluminides, harmonising the material sciences with alchemic chemistry. The Case band is created in red gold, while its bezel and caseback are in a personalised NTPT carbon forged by the brand. Topping it off with a tourbillion movement of unforgettable chronometric qualities, the RM 022 “Aerodyne” ensures that unbridled designs and futuristic materials define Richard Mille as a maker of avant garde haute horlogerie.

Van Cleef & Arpels Cadenas Sertie Bracelet 

Van Cleef & Arpels brings the artistry of ornaments to a humble quartz movement, and then adds a splash of white diamonds for glamorous appeal. The Cadenas collection is a women’s ultimate functional accessories- jewellery and disguised timepiece in one.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Skeleton Double Flying Tourbillon 

Roger Dubuis’s Excalibur Spider Skeleton demonstrates a fresh and novel, ‘of-layer’ approach to watchmaking that heightens the distinctive three dimensional quality of the timepiece. Roger Dubuis leverages its immense watchmaking expertise acquired over the years through its own unique double flying tourbillion while extending a skeletonized approach beyond the movement to encompass similarly skeletonised case, flange and hands.

View more information on the event here.