Breitling has announced three limited-edition timepieces that celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin, the first watches since the two companies announced their collaboration back in February 2026.

Available in three finishes, the watch has a sufficiently epic name, the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5. It does, of course, reference the bellwether of all things Aston Martin, the 1963 DB5 grand tourer that has become one of the most iconic and recognisable car designs of all time. It would almost be unnatural if Breitling were to kick off such a partnership without acknowledging this car.

According to Georges Kern, CEO of House of Brands, the umbrella company that oversees Breitling along with the brands Universal Genève and Gallet, ‘the Aston Martin DB5 is one of those rare designs that never fades. It still feels as relevant today as it did in the 1960s. With this Top Time, we capture that sense of timeless style.’

The trio of watches make direct reference to the forms and materials introduced in the DB5, a rich palette of leather, wood and metal that continues to the benchmark for luxury sporting automotive interiors. The watch itself is also period correct, described by Breitling as its own ‘unconventional chronograph, created for a new, youthful, speed-driven audience’.

Happily, there’s another direct Aston connect, one that drives straight through the most prominent cultural waypoint of all, James Bond. In 1965’s Thunderball, a Breitling Top Time ref 2002 was worn by Sean Connery. This was the second on-screen appearance of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 (first seen the year before in Goldfinger) and the first time that a watch took a starring role as a MacGuffin in the series (Q had equipped it with a Geiger counter).

In the hands of Breitling’s team, this special edition of the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 might not be able to detect radiation, but it has been given a level of detail and elegance that befits the Smiths dials and leather-clad ambience of a DB5.

Elements like the cushion-shaped case, grooved corners, and mushroom pushers are all deliberate evocations of the 1960s chronograph; automotive gauges were also the direct reference for the form of the two ‘squircle’ subdials.

The leather strap pairs especially well with the wooden inner ring, adding a level of grain and detail that’s rarely found on a watch face. ‘This chronograph blends form with true function,’ says Pablo Widmer, Breitling’s head of product design. ‘As with the Aston Martin DB5, its beauty lies in its lines, materials, and finishings.’

Three distinct editions are available. The stainless steel finish, with silver dial, is limited to 1,022 pieces and represents the closest match to the original 1960s Top Time ref. 2002. There is also a 315-piece edition of a steel and platinum finished watch, with black lacquered dial.

Finally, Breitling is making just 250 individually numbered examples of an 18ct red gold edition, complete with dial cut from natural onyx stone (a first for Breitling).

The new editions use the Breitling Manufacture Caliber 01 chronograph movement with 70-hour power reserve that supports extended wear. The movement is clearly visible through the open sapphire-crystal caseback, finished with a dedicated Aston Martin–engraved rotor in rhodium-plated or 18ct red gold (depending on the edition).

‘These editions represent something truly distinct from anything we’ve created before,’ says Aston Martin’s CCO Marek Reichman. ‘The collaboration with Breitling brought together two brands with a shared appreciation for timeless design, craftsmanship, and innovation, allowing us to exchange ideas in a way that felt both natural and ambitious. The result is a watch that feels contemporary today, yet timeless for generations to come.’

Breitling Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 Tribute to Aston Martin DB5 is available with a sunray silver dial (£8,650), sunray brushed black lacquered dial (£14,400) and an 18ct rose gold and onyx dial (£35,100)
Breitling.com, @Breitling, AstonMartin.com, @AstonMartin

Tonight’s solar eclipse shines a light on our current fascination with the Moon, just a week after the order to NASA from the US Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a lunar standard time by 2026. Not only does it illuminate a new Space Race for precision-timekeeping on the Moon, it shows just how strange time is at every level.

Even Stanley Kubrick couldn’t account for just how weird time is in space

Even arch perfectionist Stanley Kubrick couldn’t account for just how weird time is in space when, in 1967, he presented American watchmaker Hamilton with the task of designing Heywood’s watch to wear on his Pan-Am shuttle to the Moon station in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The all-round cosmic thinking didn’t go as far as to wonder what good a standard dial and GMT hour window would do for anyone in orbit around the Moon.

Cut to 2024 and NASA has been tasked to work with international agencies to create a lunar standard time, known as Coordinated Lunar Time (abbreviated to ‘LTC’). Even more intriguing, neo-futurist watchmakers SpaceOne have been working on a solution with the car designer Olivier Gamiette, and their Tellurium watch will launch at Watches and Wonders 2024 in Geneva this week. More of which later because, in order to get to grips with this very modern Space Race, it helps to get a basic insight into the science behind it.

The physics involved in creating unified lunar time are serious and strange

The physics involved in creating LTC are serious and strange, with so many variables to take into account. For instance, at the precision atomic clocks currently run at, it is said you can only know the time of an event that’s passed, with current time an estimate open to revision. Timing on the Moon adds a further layer of complication, including the oddity that time runs faster on the moon (variably 58.7 microseconds per day) thanks to the difference in gravity. Last week, NASA’s Kevin Coggins told the New York Post, not entirely helpfully, that ‘It makes sense that when you go to another body, like the Moon or Mars, that each one gets its own heartbeat.’ A computational nightmare, certainly, but of no major relevance to your choice of wrist wear for a trip to the moon (you have booked already?).

The earth is no use as a time reference, so the sun is the only answer

Lunar time is almost as strange when you zoom out to the macro level. The moon is tidally locked so that the earth is no use as a time reference, leaving the sun as the only answer. This is fine, save that the ‘synodic’ lunar day is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 3 seconds (on average – terms and conditions do apply) giving mañana a whole new meaning. So what’s the solution?

You can cheat by using an earth longitude meridian which will be in line every 24 hours (plus 50 minutes because this is the moon). This is the sort of difference you could quite easily accommodate in a wristwatch movement. So, I suggested this to a number of watchmakers in the industry: two replied that it was ‘a very interesting question’ (Swiss for ‘I’ll call you’). Speaking, on condition of anonymity, to a watch-movement designer with deep connections in the industry, it seems that the consensus is that a separate hours and minute train running off the main movement would be the easy way forward (the difference in time speeds being too small to worry about).

This was backed up by Jean-Marc Wiederecht the founder of Swiss movement design specialists, Agenhor, which has worked on complicated technical briefs for Hermès, Fabergé and H.Moser, among other leading watch names. ‘In such a case an interesting function could be to display two different times, LTC and GMT on Earth, but I don’t think you would find the clients for this!’ Wiederecht offers.

My anonymous source came back later and suggested that ‘if you wanted to track the true lunar day on a wristwatch, you’d need something similar to the ‘Equation of Time’ complication that tracks sunset and sunrise times through the year.’ He refused to confirm that anyone was working on such a watch.

The other approach is to physically model the earth and moon within the wristwatch as in Ulysse Nardin’s fabulous Tellurium watch. One of a trio of astronomical watches designed by watchmaker-inventor Ludwig Oeschlin in the late 80s, the Tellurium shows the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth with respect to each other. It’s designed to be earth-centric in its display but as they’re made to order, I’m sure Ulysse Nardin could be persuaded to change that – the Tellurium already shows how much of the true moon day has elapsed on the outer ring of the dial.

Bizarrely, while LTC looks complicated, the simplest solution so far launches this week with SpaceOne’s Tellurium, which includes a sun, earth and moon model in a pleasingly spacey design. The brainchild of 38-year-old watch entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet, the design was conceived with French independent watchmaker Thèo Auffret and car designer Olivier Gamiette. Even better, the SpaceOne Tellurium lands at the stellar price of just under €3,000. It launches at Watches & Wonders this week.

Vintage design codes rule in the new Hamilton PSR Digital Quartz watch, which pays tribute to the space-age aesthetic of the 1970s original.

For Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer, the new release is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the past. ‘The Pulsar was the world’s first digital watch, released in 1970,’ he says. ‘Its groundbreaking technology disrupted the market, and its futuristic looks made it a favourite of forward thinkers and style leaders, including Jack Nicholson, Joe Frazier, Elton John and Keith Richards. In 2020, for its 50th anniversary, we decided to wake this sleeping giant by remaining true to the original design, but updating the technology to an LCD-OLED hybrid display. The initial release was a steel and a gold PVD limited edition, both with a red display.’

This new piece builds on these past releases, with an LCD-OLED display featuring green numbering able to reach full brightness at the quick push of a button. Fully crafted from stainless steel, its tough form gives it an effortless wearability.

‘When we created the new PSR we tried to stay as true and as close to the 1972 Pulsar P2 as possible,’ Stauffer adds. ‘We rethought the way we integrate this cutting-edge OLED/LCD display, the play with light and reflections as well as emissive colours. [The] space age and simplicity are at the base of the PSR, as well as strong character and distinctive design like the rest of the Hamilton watches. Remaining true to the original 1972 design is also key for this timepiece.‘

Recreating this distinctive aesthetic was not without its challenges, mostly stemming from the juxtaposition of the old and the new; modern technology in a vintage case. ‘It was a fun dive into the old technology, figuring out how the watches were built and how they worked back in the day, and building a bridge to today. A nod to these days are the dotted numbers when you press the button, reflecting the LED display of the 1970s model.’ 

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Rado is marking the 60th anniversary of the popular DiaStar model with a special edition created in collaboration with Swiss designer Alfredo Häberli. The original watch design was unique upon its release in 1962 due to its scratchproof properties, thanks to an innovative blend of tungsten and titanium carbides, marking a new direction for watchmaking at a time when watch cases were typically crafted from more fragile gold.

Now, Häberli has brought his distinctive offbeat design aesthetic to the Rado DiaStar Original 60-Year Anniversary Edition. The new piece marries a geometric new design with a tribute to the easily recognisable form of the earlier models; a sapphire crystal now with hexagonal facets nods to the six decades that have passed since the original design. Defined by the spirit of technical innovation that drove the early models, the 2022 edition is partly crafted from Ceramos, a light and strong Rado creation as tough as ceramic and as lustrous as metal, making for sleek, metallic-looking finishes of steel, rose gold or yellow gold.

‘In my work as a designer I’m always trying to combine tradition and innovation with joy and energy, and the anniversary edition is no exception,’ says Häberli of the new model. ‘In essence, the point was to take the features of the original DiaStar and give them a contemporary form. So there’s been a minor geometric adaptation of the case to make it look more elegant and lighter. The hands and date display were designed to look as modern and abstract as possible. I try to add value to each product in terms of its suitability for everyday use. For the DiaStar, that means you have to be able to wear it on different occasions, so it comes with two alternative straps and in a leather case that can be used as protection while travelling.’

Häberli relished the challenges inherent in watch design. He adds: ‘Architecture is a matter of centimetres, industrial design deals in millimetres, and watch design takes every micron into account. First, you have to be able to see that clearly, but we were quick to adapt our approach to this scale.’

INFORMATION

rado.com

Longines is imbuing two of its most popular models with a bright shot of colour in a vivid reimagining of classic watch design codes. Models in five different hues make summery new additions to the Longines DolceVita and La Grande Classique de Longines lines in a celebration of bold block colour.

For Longines CEO Matthias Breschan, the time was right to grow the core collections. ‘La Grande Classique de Longines and the Longines DolceVita watch lines represent two important parts in Longines’ heritage. With the five new monochromatic models in each collection, Longines will add spice, vitality and, of course, attitude to wrists – and wardrobes – all over the world.’

The watches – in green, red, black, orange and blue – stay faithful to the neat dimensions of the original, with the distinctive geometry of the cases also remaining. Here, the rectangular silhouettes of the Longines DolceVita, measuring 23mm x 37mm, are enhanced with a colourful rhodium-plated rim. A diamond-studded bezel makes a glittering foil for the lacquered dials of the La Grande Classique de Longines models, elegantly proportioned at 29mm.

‘The La Grande Classique de Longines and the Longines DolceVita watch lines are bestsellers,’ Breschan adds. ‘They’re timeless, traditional and elegant for both women and men. These new monochromatic Longines watches enhance the classic elegance of the line – they are stylish and fresh. Each colour is a statement – my favourite changes depending on the season.’

INFORMATION
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In a collaboration with Ferrari, Richard Mille has released the RM UP-01. Measuring in at a mere 1.75mm thick, it is billed as being the ‘thinnest mechanical watch in the world’, dethroning previous record holder the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra by a whole 0.05mm. Production is limited to just 150 units on the piece which combines a futuristic aesthetic with a traditional architecture, with the movement painstakingly assembled inside the case.

For technical director for movements at Richard Mille, Salvador Arbona, the piece is ‘far from being a ‘concept watch’ and is ‘up to the task of following a wearer’s daily life, whatever the circumstances’, thanks to a case which was developed for over 2000 hours, made of Grade 5 titanium and capable of withstanding 5000Gs, yet only weighing 30 grams, including the strap.

More than 6,000 hours were spent on development and laboratory testing, with Richard Mille utilising the laboratories of Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, Switzerland on the project. The resulting technical accomplishment has a 45-hour power reserve and is water resistant up to 10 metres. ‘For such a project, it was necessary to set aside all the knowledge we had amassed over years of practice, and every conceivable standard of watchmaking,’ says technical director for cases at Richard Mille, Julien Boillat. ‘This is precisely what we did throughout our collaboration with the laboratories of Audemars Piguet Le Locle. Shaving off those last millimetres of depth was an extremely demanding and lengthy process.’

INFORMATION
richardmille.com

In partnership with Hublot

Hublot is celebrating a digital first with the release of the Hublot Big Bang Unico Essential Grey. Only available from hublot.com, the exclusive release marks an official acknowledgment of the importance of the e-commerce platform.

Limited to only 200 pieces, the new piece in futuristic silvery hues cuts a sleek silhouette, the smooth satin finish of the case, bezel, hands and dial a clean foil for the complexity of the face.

The distinctive design codes of the Big Bang are drawn here in bold monochromatic tones. Crafted from titanium, the watch is comfortable and effortlessly light to wear, with a technical accomplishment guaranteed thanks to the column-wheel chronograph movement, HUB1280, which comes complete with a 72-hour power reserve. Measuring 42mm and with a case thickness of 14.5mm, the watch’s easy proportions make this comfortable for all.

‘For the first time in the history of Hublot, we have imagined and designed the Big Bang Unico Essential Grey limited edition solely to be sold online,’ says Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. ‘In doing so, we wanted to emphasise how important e-commerce has become in our thinking. All our fans, collectors and potential clients now have an equal chance to obtain this magnificent and rare new model.’

Wearers can choose from two straps to pair with the exclusive model: a rubber strap with satin-finished titanium clasp, or a grey fabric strap with Velcro fastener, each effortless to change with one simple click. Neatly presented in a Big Bang Unico Essential Grey presentation box, the watch is set to become a future collector’s item.

INFORMATION

hublot.com

A whole host of watch brands are riffing on aquatic themes when it comes to this year’s new releases, choosing to play on a gradient of blues and bringing a maritime mood to classic watch designs. These blue-toned, elegant pieces make perfect summer watches.

For Bell & Ross, the distinctive square face of the BR 05 Chrono Blue Steel is set off by a shimmering blue sunray dial. Now equipped with a useful chronograph complication, the classic piece is imbued with a new functionality.

A juxtaposition of texture brings a depth to the hue of the Hermès H08, its distinctive cushion-shaped case now cast in a blue titanium offset by a black ceramic bezel and vibrant pops of orange on the dial. For Vacheron Constantin, meanwhile, an adherence to minimalist design codes is encapsulated in the Patrimony Self-Winding, which stays faithful to the clean horological aesthetic of the 1950s with its uncluttered dial and simple face, an elegance that is also reflected in the piece’s slender hour markers and hands. When cast in a deep blue gradient, a play on light brings a depth to the Patrimony’s dial, embodying the brand’s classic-with-a-twist philosophy.

In the first ever sports diving watch presented by Montblanc, the brand took inspiration from the tightly knitted forms of ice in the main glacier of the Mont Blanc massif, the Mer de Glace, for its jagged silhouette etched onto the face of the timepiece. The silhouette is created using the ancient technique of gratté-boisé, a painstaking process that removes layers of the dial to bring to life the icy surface of a frozen lake.

INFORMATION
A version of this article originally appeared in the July 2022 issue of Wallpaper*, now on sale and available to subscribers. 

vacheron-constantin.com
bellross.com
hermes.com
montblanc.com

This year, a host of watch brands are setting their sights on the high seas with new pieces that will make the ultimate beachside companion whether you are diving, swimming, or simply reclining poolside. Find the right piece for you in our summery beach watches edit.

Beach watches for time off in style

Tudor

The Tudor Black Bay Pro borrows diving-inspired design codes from the original 1950s Black Bay collection for a sporty yet robust watch. Created to endure the harshest of environments, it comes complete with an increased power reserve of 70 hours, meaning no resets are needed during a weekend at the beach.

tudorwatch.com

Gerald Charles

The gleaming hues of the Arno River inspire the dial of the special edition Maestro GC2.0 Ultra-Thin UP from Gerald Charles. The edition of 70 pieces marks the 70th anniversary of the Florentine boutique Ugo Piccini (a Gerald Charles retailer), and was created in collaboration with Ugo Piccini’s grandson and heir Edoardo Piccini. An aquatic sunburst dial, playing off a rainbow of blues, makes this a fitting companion for a summer by the sea.

geraldcharles.com

Timex

Timex is working with resin for the first time in its Waterbury Ocean collection created to mark World Ocean day. A partnership with #Tide – which upcycles plastic waste that might otherwise be destined for the ocean and transforms it into a premium raw material – has inspired the watch, available in five bold colours.

timex.co.uk

Zenith

Sporty watches in precious metals make a chic companion for an al fresco lunch, aptly demonstrated in the new Zenith Chronomaster Sport models, now rethought in gold. New versions in full yellow gold, rose gold, stainless steel and a two-tone version, explore new materials in an elevation of the watch’s distinctive aesthetic.

zenith-watches.com

Hamilton

Originally created for the US Navy’s underwater division, known colloquially as Frogman, Hamilton brought a sharp technically to its diver’s watch. This latest piece, the Khaki Navy Frogman Automatic, slims down the profile of the tough and technical original, its slick functionality a useful foil for the pared-back aesthetic.

hamiltonwatch.com

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer returns to a bold orange hue, infusing its Aquaracer Professional 300 collection with a pop of colour in this year’s new release. The vividness of the dial, its contrast to the ocean traditionally making it a favourite for divers, is edged with the Aquaracer’s distinctive 12-facet bezel.

tagheuer.com 

Born of a shared focus on cultural heritage and a commitment to traditional artistry, the partnership between Vacheron Constantin and the Louvre, dating back to 2019, is an organic one. Their latest project, a close collaboration between the maison and the museum’s curators and historians, has culminated in a series of four Métiers d’Art watches. 

Each piece – part of a limited edition of 20 as a whole, with five of each piece available – pays tribute to a different ancient civilisation. ‘There is an authenticity to our partnership with the Louvre,’ says Vacheron Constantin CEO Louis Ferla. ‘It goes beyond making watches; there is an exchange of knowledge there and it is a fantastic source of inspiration for us.’

The Great Sphinx of Tanis inspires the first piece – the Grand sphinx de Tanis watch – paying tribute to the Ancient Egyptian empire of 2035-1680 BC. The figure of the sphinx is painstakingly etched in carved gold appliqué, juxtaposed against an enamel dial in deep hues of blue. The Frieze of Lions, a rare brick decoration from the Persian Empire of the Achaemenids (559-330 BC) is the focus of the second piece – the Lion de Darius watch – where a stone marquetry technique is used to depict the glazed effect of the tiles. The brightness of the turquoise and yellow mochaite jasper stones stays faithful to the bold hues of the frieze as it would originally have looked. The lion, too, is an accurate representation, with the realist codes of the period echoed by the artisan in the ripple of the lion’s muscles and fur.

We visit Hellenistic Greece, specifically, the Antigonid dynasty (277 – 168 BC), with the next timepiece – Victoire de Samothrace – which pays homage to the flawless forms of Hellenistic sculpture. A goddess in marble standing on the bow of a ship is caught in motion, the drapes of her gown flowing in the wind.

A bust of Octavian Augustus, the adopted son of Caesar, dating from the Roman Empire of the Julio-Claudians (27 BC – 68 AD), is the subject of the final piece. The Buste d’Auguste watch depicts the sovereign against a stone micro-mosaic in a nod to the mosaic dating from the fourth century discovered in Lod, Israel. Here, its intricate form is painstakingly reproduced in 660 stones of quartzite, cacholong, dumortierite, mochaite, red jasper, grossular and red aventurine.

‘What was difficult about this was the execution of the watches,’ Ferla says of the immense technical challenges. ‘You have two sources of inspiration on the watch – the main subject, and then you get all the character. We had to do a few things a few times, such as the facial expressions, because we were not happy with the rendering – mostly, it looked too modern, but we had the luxury to postpone some of our project until we judged it to be perfect.’

INFORMATION

vacheron-constantin.com

Van Cleef & Arpels has delved into its dreamlike archives for this year’s new horological releases, which encompass both watches and exquisite timekeeping objets d’art. For this year’s offerings, the jewellery house builds on a history of creating one-of-a-kind objects that stretches back to 1906.

The first piece looks to the heavens and celestial traditions, with the sun, the moon and planets drawn in precious gems in the new Planétarium automaton. Moving at their real speed of rotation, the planets carry out their complete orbits of the sun – 88 days for Mercury, 224 days for Venus, 365 days for the Earth, 687 days for Mars, 11.86 years for Jupiter, and 29.5 years for Saturn. Meanwhile, the moon rotates around the Earth in a 29.5-day cycle. Visual and aural accompaniment, in the form of a shooting star that circles the dial to reveal the hours, and music created with Swiss musician Michel Tirabosco, completes the experience.

In the Fontaine aux Oiseaux automaton, the time is told via a feather on the side of a basin seemingly filled with water, which appears to ripple in line with the piece’s movements. The birds perched on the edge wake up and chirp their song, while a dragonfly rises into the air, beating its wings.

Timepieces, too, imbue organic movements in nature with a functionality. In the Lady Arpels Heures Florales Cerisier watch, the time is told through flowers that bloom on the dial, their number corresponding to the hour. Every hour, the watch’s dial is refreshed with a budding new scene. In other new releases, the ballerina takes centre stage in a nod to dance, one of Van Cleef & Arpels’ major inspirations. Two versions of the Lady Arpels Ballerine Enchantée watch depict the ballet dancer mid-pose, similar to a butterfly in her elegant, gem-speckled silhouette. 

INFORMATION

vancleefarpels.com

After winning the first Hublot Design Prize in 2019, creating a sculpture for the brand’s 40th anniversary and serving as an ambassador for Hublot ever since, the British fashion designer Samuel Ross has reimagined the label’s iconic Big Bang timepiece to bring a new perspective and visual language to watchmaking. Issued in a limited edition of 50, the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross brandishes a satin-finish, polished titanium case, a smooth rubber strap in Ross’ signature orange shade and an architectural honeycomb structure, making it a true collector’s piece.

‘Without a doubt, this watch is a completely new reinterpretation of the Big Bang Tourbillon seen through the eyes of Samuel Ross,’ says Hublot’s CEO Ricardo Guadalupe. ‘Together, we were able to play with the codes of the watch, like the case, the titanium honeycomb mesh, the lateral bumpers that protect the case, and the rubber strap and present it in a new way. Hublot is thrilled to take part in a project with a multidisciplinary artist like Samuel Ross, because it pushes our teams to be even more innovative with our ideas, materials, shapes and colours. We are very honoured that Samuel Ross has trusted our production teams to convey his creative vision with our Big Bang.’

Ross says, ‘Our design and development process began as a shared sentiment – the possibility of what the future of watchmaking could look like, across a generation of engineers, collectors and aesthetes. The objective was always rooted in conveying industrial beauty through radical form supported by engineering.’

In Ross’ hands, Hublot’s distinctive Big Bang case – a stylised hexagon – takes on an extra flair with a titanium honeycomb mesh used on the sapphire dial, case back and strap. Considered one of the fundamental building blocks in nature, seen everywhere from beehives to snake scales, the honeycomb structure’s robustness and efficiency bring a modernity and utilitarian aspect to the wristwatch while packing a visual punch.

Ross says, ‘Hublot is industrial design in its purest form. [This design was inspired by] movement, acceleration, industrial beauty [that] reflect[s] our immediate environments. The city, the coarse materials and colours that format our global epicentres. The flecks of deeply saturated tones bring this matter and repeated glints of colour into a universal palette of vigilance and one linked to global melting pots – this is where the prominence of our signature orange takes centre stage.’

Comfort and wearability were also front of mind for Ross. The Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross is intentionally lightweight and teamed with a malleable rubber strap that can be switched out should the wearer prefer a more subdued mood. Sporty orange, however, was specifically chosen for its energy and optimism, and gilds the watch’s tourbillon bridge and lateral bumpers – a striking contrast to the satin-finished case and bezel.

Guadalupe concludes, ‘With [Samuel’s] incredible energy and his unique sensibility to design, we knew that working together would bring to life a one-of-a-kind project. His charisma and creative vision brought out the best of our creative team at Hublot and I think you can see this in the Big Bang Tourbillon Samuel Ross. It’s truly different and unique, and it’s also a great example of Samuel’s love of stark geometry, form and design.’

INFORMATION

hublot.com

Rolex builds on a rich aviation history with the release of the new Oyster Perpetual Air-King. The new model rethinks a classic watch design, with straight sides and a crown guard redrawing the parameters of the case.

Proportions have also been rethought, with the three-piece link bracelet made broader and now equipped with the Oysterlock safety clasp for the first time for increased robustness. Further reassurance comes with the new guaranteed waterproof depth of 100m, while the middle section of the case is created from a solid block of Oystersteel – Rolex’s own strong steel alloy with corrosion-resistant properties – which adds to the toughness of the whole. The case back is attached with screws only accessible by Rolex watchmakers.

The need for increased legibility is behind the rethought display, with Chromalight ensuring greater legibility in the darkness. The 3, 6 and 9 numerals, previously created from 18ct white gold, are also now filled in with the luminescent material. With the addition of a 0 before the 5, there is a new harmony in the symmetry of the case.

The new watch nods to an aviation relationship stretching back almost a century, with the spirit of experimentation that characterised the 1930s reflected in the launch of long-distance flights and pilots’ frequent breaking of records, often while wearing a Rolex Oyster on their wrist. Rolex watches were also useful for some pilots who preferred to use them as a reliable onboard timer. It is a history nodded to in the face of the watch, where the ‘Air-King’ name became a permanent feature when it launched in 1958, with the black dial appearing in 2016.

The Oyster Perpetual Air-King joins other new watches, including GMT Master II, Day-Date 40, Datejust 31, Yacht-Master 42 and Yacht-Master 40, as Rolex’s main watch releases this year. 

INFORMATION

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Sartorial and horological codes are intertwined in the new Hermès Kelly watch, as the house draws on its rich history to create a playful yet chic new timepiece.

Originally created in 1975, the Kelly watch stays faithful to a design first established by Robert Dumas in the 1930s, with the distinctive trapezoid shape of the ‘Kelly’ bag he created here rethought in the clean lines of the padlock. Available in either steel or rose gold and with or without diamonds, the new watch can be worn in multiple ways, inviting customisation by the wearer.

When attached to a metal bracelet, the padlock watch can be left to dangle freely; lock it into place with a flick of the mechanism and it becomes a fixed form, making for comfortable and distraction-free wear. When detached and worn on the black boxcalf or alligator clochette leather cord, the watch becomes a sautoir necklace.

Dumas, the son-in-law of Émile Hermès who later became the head of Hermès, created what was a wholly new, modern design in the bold silhouette of the ‘Kelly’ handbag. Its clean outline encapsulated a geometrical mash-up of the trapezoid shape, triangular flaps, handle and side straps. Later, Dumas played with the classic form in mischievous rethinks, paving the way for the ‘Kelly’ to be reborn in everything from belts, to wallets, clutch bags and watches.

It was an iconic shape that became instantly popular with a glamorous clientele, including Grace Kelly. Her use of the bag to allegedly cover the signs of an early pregnancy in the 1950s is rumoured to have prompted its name, cementing its place in fashion history.

INFORMATION

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In partnership with Nomos Glashütte

The community of Glashütte, Germany, home to the Nomos manufactury, has long been aware of a wristwatch’s potency as a significant memento; the gift of time as an emotional marker, a profound and heartfelt milestone in a relationship.

Presenting a loved one, sibling, husband, wife, son or daughter with a wristwatch – to be worn, looked at and admired every day – is a material and tangible representation of lasting kinship. As a next level haute horologist of distinctive design and innovative repute, Nomos Glashütte makes watches as a poignantly reliable measure of good times together, both now and in the future.

Since its introduction back in 2017, the handsome and robust Nomos Club Campus has served as a way to immortalise an accomplished moment or an important occasion – an engagement, graduation or landmark birthday. Now those original characteristics and the same sense of celebrational vigour radiates from four new timepieces in two new and tonally versatile Nomos colours – the Club Campus deep pink and Club Campus blue purple – comprising the fourth edition of the Club Campus watch series for the next generation.

Chosen for collegiate conviviality, the new Club Campus’s deep pink dial and bright colour accents are a complement to brown, red, purple and yellow. The blue purple edition plays off the varsity apparel palette of cream and light grey, black and dark blue as well as orange, sunny yellow and bluish greens.

As with the previous Campus versions, a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals display the time in a graphically lucid design that is sporty and easy to read, even in the dark. Each watch – available in a diameter of 36mm and 38.5mm – is water-resistant to 100m and powered by a highly precise Nomos Alpha movement, crafted at the Glashütte company’s own manufactory.

For special dedications, all Campus model backs can be custom-engraved by Nomos, with gift-givers having up to four lines to inscribe their bond with the lucky recipient.

INFORMATION 

nomos-glashuette.com

Technical ingenuity is given a playful edge in Gucci’s second high watchmaking collection, with horological savvy infused with an Italian flair resulting in fun and fantastical new pieces.

The Florentine brand is marking 100 years with watches that encompass colourful design codes, a theme running throughout the whole collection. In the Gucci 25H Skeleton Tourbillon, the intricate complication of the flying tourbillon appears to hover over brushed and polished titanium bridges in a cleanly minimalist take, making a graphic play of the dial. Available on either a recycled white or yellow gold bracelet or a rubber strap, it brings a sharp modernity to traditional watchmaking.

Gucci continues to move away from conventional narratives with the other pieces in the collection, such as the G-Timeless Planetarium, where high jewellery techniques meet horology. A ring of matching gemstones circles a dial created in either white, rose or yellow recycled gold, with wearers able to choose from green tsavorite, blue tanzanite or yellow beryl gemstones to adorn the dial, all cutting perfectly symmetrical silhouettes.

The magic of the moonphase movement is evoked in the G-Timeless Moonlight, which traces the journey of the moon across its dial, from a silver crescent to its shimmering whole. With the emphasis on absolute accuracy, the watch only needs to be corrected once every 360 years.

Playful design codes abound in other pieces, with bees in precious metal trembling on colourful dials with the movement of the wearer in the G-Timeless Dancing Bees. In the Grip, the retro design is drawn in playful bubblegum hues, for watches that build on a rich design history drawn in a kaleidoscope of colour.

INFORMATION

gucci.com

Hermès is celebrating the art of travel at this year’s Watches & Wonders in Geneva, with an installation by Canadian artist Sabrina Ratté. Ratté was inspired by the new Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyageur watch in her exploration into escapism.

The watch, a new interpretation of the original Arceau designed by Henri d’Origny in 1978, puts travel at its heart, with a disc display of 24 time zones juxtaposed against a fantasy map, first created by Jérôme Colliard for the ‘Planisphère d’un monde équestre’ silk scarf.

The installation, Time Travels the World, plays into this fantastical vision, with 12 interactive landscapes situated in different time zones. Ratté is inspired by science fiction for her almost otherworldly pieces, which criss-cross through the past and the future in a nonlinear celebration of technology and the art of time.

Here, we talk to both Sabrina Ratté and creative director of Hermès Horloger, Philippe Delhotal, on the inspirations behind the installation and the watch design.

Wallpaper*: Sabrina, can you tell us about the universe you have created for this exhibition?

Sabrina Ratté: For this project, I use an application that allows me to import satellite image data of the Earth to make 3D models. I work with landscapes from the world we know and transform them into places that are both fantastic and strangely familiar. Twelve videos, representing 12 different time zones, will be shown in the outer windows. These videos are interactive; visitors can turn a knob reminiscent of a watch, which changes the temporality of the video as well as the speed of rotation of the watch displayed in front of the video, which seems to float above the landscape.

W*: The universe you have created reflects the all-encompassing nature of the watch. Where did you begin in translating this technical vision into tangible form?

SR: The watch is an integral part of the scenography. It is the satellite that revolves around the Earth. It gives the video landscapes their temporality. It is at the heart of the whole set design. The concept around the new watch quickly inspired me and allowed me to propose a project to the Hermès teams combining several techniques, some of which I usually work with and others more occasionally: sculptures, installations, interactive devices, video mapping. After discussing the creative intentions with the Hermès team, I devoted last summer to artistic and technological research. For example, how would we distribute the videos and how could we implement interactivity? How would we create the images I had in mind, what form would the sculptures take?

W*: What were the main challenges you encountered?

SR: I've put a lot of thought into optimising my creative process for the videos. One of them lasts about 20 minutes and therefore requires a lot of computer power. That's why I decided to work with a computer that could deliver renderings 24 hours a day. I could then continue to work in parallel on another computer. I also had to pay attention to the back-up system to avoid any bad surprises.

W*: Philippe, this watch interprets an extreme technicality into a clean and uncluttered design. What were the challenges in presenting all the information in concise form?

Philippe Delhotal: Our biggest challenge on Arceau Le Temps Voyageur was to reinvent the hours of the world the Hermès way. We developed a high technicity timepiece, and it was important to us to propose a ‘user-friendly’ watch that would be easy to wear, easy to set and easy to read. With Arceau Le Temps Voyageur the wearer can quickly appropriate the watch and find in it a true companion for its journeys. We decided to create the dial in four different parts to ease the reading of all information on the watch. The home time is located at 12 o’clock, all cities are well readable on an outside ring. We decided to have a floating satellite displaying the local time that enables us to keep some clarity and lightness on the centre part with the continents.

W*: Hermès’ history celebrating the art of travel is nodded to here, what else has inspired this design?

PD: Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is a micro-cosmos; in this sense it is a symbolic and functional representation of travel according to Hermès. It is an invitation to travel, a central and fundamental concept in the world of the house. The first objects made by Hermès were harnesses for horse-drawn carriages, a means of travelling in style.

Today, Hermès sells objects that men and women will wear on their wrists with pleasure in order to continue travelling from one time zone to another. Because it incorporates this multi-faceted concept, the Arceau Le Temps Voyageur is a symbolic and functional representation of travel according to Hermès.

W*: There is an elegance to both the curving forms and the typeface – can you tell us a bit about this?

PD: In 1978, Henri d’Origny freed the round watch from established aesthetic codes by imagining a classic and singular curve: the Arceau watch was born. Its case with asymmetrical stirrup-shaped attachments and sloping Arabic numerals evoking a galloping horse reveal a discreet and enduring elegance that lends itself to every possible expression of Hermès’ creativity and know-how.

W*: The map is a work of art – what were the challenges in illustrating this without compromising the readability?

PD: For the launch of Arceau Le Temps Voyageur, we needed a different world map, reflecting the promise of a journey to dreamlike horizons, where borders become blurred. At the same time, we wanted to find the idea conveyed by the watch of being able to discover the world while letting ourselves be carried away by the imagination.

With this in mind, I was lucky enough to meet the graphic designer Jérôme Colliard, who told me the story of the ‘Planisphère d’un monde équestre’ motif he designed for Hermès in 2016. Like a fresco adorning the Grand Palais, it presented an imaginary world in the way that Hermès interpreted it, nourished by its equestrian universe: the material, the gaits or the figures give whimsical names to the continents, bays and other places. In that sense we didn’t have to compromise on a continent or another, we could keep the reading and imaginary accessible for everyone.

From a technical perspective, we spent a lot of time developing the dial, which is composed of four parts featuring different materials and treatments. There are many details on the planisphere motif, and it was essential to make the continents stand out, to give them depth through a play on relief. This was possible thanks to the work we were able to do with the Ateliers d’Hermès Horloger in Le Noirmont.

INFORMATION

hermes.com

Bulgari is marking the tenth anniversary of the Octo collection with the release of the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra. Measuring just 1.8mm, the thinnest mechanical watch ever made has scooped Bulgari its eighth world record. The watch comes complete with a QR code engraved on the barrel of each of the ten limited editions, and also gives the owner access to a unique NFT art piece.

‘The point of the Octo Finissimo is that we always break the rules,’ says Bulgari Watch Division product creation executive director Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani. ‘We have to imagine something different.’

‘I'm a lucky man, because I’m the witness from outside of what is a very constructive dialogue,’ adds Bulgari Watch Division managing director Antoine Pin on the collaborative creation process. ‘It's probably something you would not see very often between the constructors, the watchmakers and the studio, and the fact that the studio is so connected from the very beginning to the conception of the watch. It is why you get products that are quite unique.’

This new piece intertwines the Octo’s classic watch design codes – including the eight-sided shape that takes its inspiration from the geometry of the Pantheon’s arches, and the clean purity of the dial – with a record-breaking technicality. The watch encompasses eight patents, from the assembly of the watch glass to the bracelet and barrel structure. Crafted in sandblasted titanium, it is both ultra-light and strong.

The QR code engraved on the barrel offers a new direction for contemporary watchmaking, inviting wearers into a digital new world where there is an ever-evolving selection of experiences on offer. Design-wise, it was a natural fit. ‘If you look at the design of the Octo, it's a 45-degree angle,’ Stigliani points out. ‘All the elements come from a square portion of a square. So in terms of design, it makes sense, because it's the same pattern.’

With the addition of the QR code, Stigliani envisions the watch becoming the gateway to this new non-physical world. ‘The watch is flat, it's a two-dimensional object; you lose the third dimension – this is what comes from the QR code.’

‘We’re not just creating a second world that is far away,’ Pin adds. ‘It's actually creating different bridges between the digital and physical. And it's interesting to be able to bridge between those two worlds, opening the dimension but without trying to reinvent the world; opening up to it without losing the strike on reality.’

Alongside this piece, Bulgari is also releasing two anniversary editions in titanium, the Octo Finissimo Automatic and the Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic, which trace the outlines of Stigliani’s original pencil sketches for the Octo Finissimo on the dial.

The pencil marks are laser-engraved onto the dial. ‘We had to do many tests to find something precise enough to fulfil the function of the launch,’ Pin says. ‘At one point we ended up with something that was too close to the final industrial design, without the character of the drawing. It’s funny, because I don't believe anybody before has gone backwards, reversing to the initial sketch of the product.’

INFORMATION

bulgari.com

The stars align in a new collaboration between Omega and Swatch, with the new MoonSwatch watch collection drawing on their shared interest in space.

Eleven watches named after the planets rethink the familiar form of Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch chronograph, here interpreted in Bioceramic. The material, crafted two-thirds in ceramic and one-third in a castor oil derivative, is recognised as a more environmentally friendly option than plastic. Silky smooth to the feel but reassuringly tough, it makes a hard-wearing base for the plethora of bright colours it comes in.

Classic Speedmaster design cues – the generous size, familiar hands and hour markers and an asymmetrical case – are given a bold twist in the 11 new versions, drawn in a variety of bold hues. The appropriately named Mission to the Sun features a fiery yellow dial, while Mission to the Moon goes to the dark side in steel grey with a black Velcro strap. Mission on Earth strikes a verdant tone, Mission to Neptune leans more towards the aquatic.

‘Omega’s long and distinguished history may have been cut short if it wasn’t for the vision and the courage taken by Swatch,’ says Omega president and CEO Raynald Aeschlimann on Swatch’s role in revitalising the watch industry with its quartz movement in the 1970s. ‘The MoonSwatch collection salutes the saviours of our industry in a witty and accessible way.

‘The Swatches are perfect for budding Moonwatch fans and I can’t think of a more appropriate icon for our shared project,’ Aeschlimann adds. ‘We went to the moon, now we’re exploring the whole Milky Way. They’re great watches, in fantastic colours and they make me smile.’

INFORMATION

omegawatches.com

Breitling and British motorcycling brand Triumph have united on a collaboration that celebrates the heritage of both brands. The newly unveiled Top Time watches and Speed Twin motorcycle take their design cues from the chic motorcycles that epitomised 1960s café-racer culture, so called as the motorcycles were used to ferry their riders from café to café.

For Breitling, this freewheeling spirit was encapsulated in the relaxed proportions and graphic dial design of the Breitling Top Time, first released in the same decade and whose sporty spirit is now rethought in the new Top Time collaboration pieces. ‘For this modern Top Time Triumph, we opted for a more minimalist case, but brought back some of the Top Time’s most distinctive design features,’ says Breitling creative director Sylvain Berneron. ‘For example, there is the bow-tie motif, known as the “Zorro dial” by collectors, and the half-square, half-circle (aka “squircle”) counters.’

The distinctive brushed finish of the Zorro dial, which first appeared on the Top Time Ref. 2003 watch in the 1960s, originally possessed contrasting colours, such as black on white. ‘Because this Triumph edition is, at its core, a tool watch for reading speeds and timing events, the emphasis had to be on the tachymeter rehaut and the chronograph counters,’ adds Berneron of this reinterpreted watch design. ‘This led us to develop a more subtle, tone-on-tone Zorro dial plate created with an alternately brushed and polished finish.’

These historical design codes are brought up to date with the addition of a new, contemporary icy blue hue. ‘From our very first discussions with the Triumph team, we knew we wanted an exotic dial colour to make the collaboration truly special and unique – but that colour also had to have significance to both brands,’ says Berneron. ‘This ice blue is directly linked to a Triumph Thunderbird 6T from 1951, which came in a beautiful polychromatic blue, a colour that has rarely been used by Triumph since. Triumph was able to extract a mint-condition paint chip to recreate the colour. Breitling, meanwhile, has an extremely rare, ice-blue-dialled Top Time Ref. 815 from the 1970s in its archives of nearly the identical shade. So this dial plate alone is a strong link between both brands. The combination of this colour and the Zorro design creates a very contemporary, graphic and yet subtle look, which we fell in love with the moment we received the first prototypes.’

INFORMATION
breitling.com

Watchmaker Gerald Genta breathed new life into the watchmaking industry with his innovative watch designs throughout the 20th century, creating iconic pieces for watch brands including Audemars Piguet, Bulgari, Patek Philippe and Omega. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Bulgari Bulgari, Omega Constellation and Patek Philippe Nautilus are amongst his most well-known creations, before he began his own atelier in 1982.

The Gerald Genta brand, which has been owned by the Bulgari group since 2000, continues with the subversive spirit that characterised his designs. Now, his playful approach has been brought to life once again in the limited edition Gerald Genta Retrograde with Smiling Disney Mickey Mouse. By featuring the mischievous mouse motif, it nods to Genta’s habit of using Mickey Mouse in high-end watches, the first designer to do so.

Gerald Genta and Mickey Mouse

The new watch builds on the 2019 piece released to mark the brand’s 50th anniversary, before being rethought in titanium the following year and joining the Arena collection. In this new piece, the famous mouse rests on a rhodium-plated sunburst dial in a polished stainless steel case, with his left arm indicating the minutes.

For Bulgari watch design director Fabrizio Buonamassa, it encapsulates Genta’s philosophy. ‘Gerald Genta designed iconic products we still use today, but for me the important thing is that he was a designer with a strong artistic sense,’ he says.

‘Bulgari created watches with him because there were aspects of his creativity that were interesting, such as the unusual use of technological material. For the first time, we see Mickey Mouse on a high-end watch with different movements and different characters. It’s part of the spirit of Gerald Genta, with unexpected objects making these characters come alive on the dial and creating scenes, or simply telling the time in a much more ironic way. It was a very important collaboration and still today there are many collectors who appreciate these products.’

INFORMATION

geraldgenta.com

Discover the top 10 watch stories from 2021, as picked by Wallpaper* watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver. From new releases to technical accomplishments, from the adventurous to the simply chic, here are some of the year’s best watch stories and reveals (in no particular order).

Top 10 watch stories of the year

01. Rolex’s latest watch is designed for life’s explorers

Rolex’s history of creating tool watches can be traced back to the 1930s, when the timepieces it provided to explorers became an integral part of an expedition’s kit. In 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, it was with their white Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches. Building on this success, Rolex released the first Explorer watch later the same year. The new Oyster Perpetual Explorer nods to this adventurous history.

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02. Patek Philippe Calatrava draws upon 1930s watch design

Patek Philippe released the first Calatrava model in 1932. With simple legibility at the forefront of its design, it encapsulated the Bauhaus principles of function determining the form of an object. Simple hour markers and a sparse dial, now familiar components of watch design, were then unexpected, and in direct contrast to the ornate art deco designs that preceded the Calatrava. We explore the latest models, 6119G and the 6119R, which stay true to the original 1930s design.

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03. Tudor unveils new watch developed with the French Navy

Tudor draws on its diving watch history for the Pelagos FXD model, a new Tudor watch created in partnership with a specialist unit of the French Navy. Tudor, which launched the first modern professional divers’ watch in the 1950s, regularly supplied the French Navy with watches through to the 1980s, a history now revived. ‘For Tudor to be able to reconnect with this heritage, to officially design a watch to unique specs with active duty combat swimmers and tell the “then and now” story, together with the French Navy, is very special,’ the brand tells us.

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04. Richard Mille’s nautical new watch doubles as a compass

Richard Mille’s support for Les Voiles de St Barth regatta stretches back to its debut in 2010. The event now attracts around 80 crews annually from all over the world. With both the 2020 and 2021 regattas cancelled due to the pandemic, Richard Mille was keen to continue its support regardless. So this year, the brand created the RM 60-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Les Voiles de St Barth, a sporty watch in a limited edition of 80 pieces. Cast in the regatta’s colours, it is equipped with all the complications sea voyagers could need.

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05. Bell & Ross’ new Red Radar tells the time in an original way

Bell & Ross unveiled its latest horological ode to aviation, the BR 03 Red Radar Ceramic. Marking the tenth anniversary of the original Red Radar, launched in 2011, this technically advanced new watch design is housed in a tough black matte ceramic case. ‘The original piece was a phenomenal success and remained one of the brand’s best-sellers for a long time,’ says creative director and co-founder of Bell & Ross, Bruno Belamich. ‘Its design – very similar to an aircraft radar – was surprising and spectacular in equal measure. Its graphics reproduced the scanning motion of the light beam on a radar screen with stunning realism.’

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06. Cartier’s new watch pays tribute to the original 1920s bell-shaped design

For Cartier, the Privé collection is a chance to revisit classic watch design and unusual models from the past. Now, the Cartier Privé Cloche de Cartier joins the Tank Asymétrique, Crash, Cintrée and Tonneau as a collection to be given a contemporary rethink. Unveiled alongside the Tank Must, Pasha and Ballon Bleu as part of Cartier’s 2021 watch launches, it blends the classic and contemporary in one subversive design. First appearing in 1920, it was originally designed as a watch to be worn on the lapel as a brooch, its unusual silhouette reminiscent of a service bell when placed horizontally.

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07. Gucci’s new watch is a technical triumph

Gucci intertwines its Italian heritage with contemporary design codes in the release of its first in-house calibre. The Gucci 25H watch marks the centenary of the luxury fashion brand, encompassing both its rich history and a forward-thinking technicality to bring a sporty elegance to industrial design. The name of the watch riffs off creative director Alessandro Michele’s fondness for his lucky number, 25; frequently woven throughout his collections, here it represents the sharp technical accomplishment which characterises this new timepiece.

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08. Audemars Piguet unveils new Royal Oak watches for women

Audemars Piguet has released eight new women’s Royal Oak models in a range of colours and materials. The new editions rework the iconic design codes of the original model, which was first released in 1972, a luxury steel watch before the concept existed. Gerald Genta put a sporty luxury at the heart of his design, his geometric silhouette and integrated bracelet creating a fluid and enduring piece. Now, this new collection trips down the colour spectrum, beginning on the dark side with the Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic. By juxtaposing materials and colours – slick ceramic against the textured tapestry of the guilloché dial, and inky black against rose gold accents – it brings a contemporary reinterpretation to the use of ceramic, first debuted in the Royal Oak in the 1980s.

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09. Rado launches minimalist watch to help us slow down

Rado partnered with Dutch trend researcher Li Edelkoort to create a watch that reflects our current desire for a slower pace of life. Edelkoort noticed a shift in how we find meaning; the enforced breaks from shopping, caused by the series of lockdowns, is leading to a potentially long-term change in behaviour. ‘The industry will respond to this, slimming down designs and producing responsible products that last,’ predicts Edelkoort. ‘But that doesn’t mean we will stop making beautiful things – on the contrary. The focus will be on less and better, reduced and exceptional, sustainable and intuitive.’

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10. Rave on with Chanel’s electric new watches collection

Chanel is anticipating a bit of post-pandemic decadence with a new watch collection that zings with neon hues. Director of watchmaking, Arnaud Chastaingt, has infused collections including the J12, the Première and the Code Coco with lighting bolts of neon. ‘I wanted to create an immersive capsule collection inspired by electronic music culture,’ Chastaingt said upon introducing the models. He was inspired by the rave culture of the 1990s for the rainbow of bright hues. ‘The musical movement created a radical new visual universe that was a reflection of the night life and its atmosphere,’ he adds. ‘Electronic music transcended the frontiers of music and created an aesthetic culture.’ The new collection borrows these vibrant codes, juxtaposing the bright pops of the rainbow with deep black for a graphic contrast.

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Shinola has unveiled the latest watch in its Great Americans Series, a sleek new tribute to artist Georgia O’Keeffe. The Shinola Birdy was inspired by the elegant simplicity of her 1950s painting, My Last Door, for the clean minimalism of its face.

‘We chose to honour Georgia O’Keeffe in Shinola’s Great Americans Series because of her incredible contribution to art and culture, and willingness to be a trailblazer,’ says Shinola vice president of creative design, Ruthie Underwood. ‘Both Georgia O’Keeffe and Shinola employ a simplistic approach to design, while animated by the natural and organic choice of colour and material.’

The new classic watch design joins past tributes to the likes of Henry Ford, the Wright brothers, Smokey Robinson, Maya Angelou, and Muhammad Ali in a celebration of inspirational Americans. This watch, limited to 100 pieces, interprets O’Keeffe’s acclaimed modernist painting through an horological lens, with the door of her home in Abiquiú, New Mexico, here becoming the calendar aperture, and stepping stones acting as the indices.

It is an understated aesthetic carried through to the traditionally made, vegetable-tanned black leather strap, while the wild, rocky views O’Keeffe captured in her work are reflected in the hammered finish, which gives a rugged tactility to the slender profile of the case. The watch, the result of a partnership with the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico, comes as part of a chic gift set.

‘It is extremely important for us to honour the history, intentions, and expressions of those who we partner alongside,’ says Underwood. ‘At Shinola, we view collaborations as an opportunity to communicate a story from a perspective that may otherwise not have been considered. For us, the inspiration is in authentically sharing the story and asking ourselves, “How can we make a positive impact on the world?’’’ 

INFORMATION

shinola.com

Paying the bill has never been so easy – or so fun, thanks to Swatch, which has launched SwatchPay! in the UK. The handy new function is hidden inside the watch and is impossible to detect, ensuring no distraction from Swatch’s playful classic watch designs.

A Near Field Communication (NFC) chip provides the functionality, using the same process as a contactless payment on a bank card – all without draining the watch battery. The payment process is activated by simply holding your watch close to the payment terminal, ensuring paying is a simple matter of a flick of the wrist.

SwatchPay! offers Swatch watch style plus payment technology

For Swatch head of trend scouting Bernardo Tribolet, the functionality adds a layer to the design. ‘SwatchPay! perfectly reflects the unconventional and provocative spirit of our brand, combining an innovative feature with a storytelling design on your wrist,’ he says. ‘The watch design is complemented by a convenient function: whether you’re in a rush to pay for something, don’t have your wallet or phone on you, or you’ve run out of phone battery, it’s got you covered.’

It is easy to suspend payment too, if necessary, with the pay function easily switched on and off on the app, a handy feature that plays into the changing functions and considerations of watch design now. ‘Personally, I believe that watches are an amazing feature to tell you “who I am today”,’ adds Tribolet. ‘The daily watch choice is something that I consider as important as the choice of my perfume or my sneakers – the combination will steer my day through, and reveal to the world around me how I feel and who I am today. [The watch] is one of the most present items that I carry – while I am working, driving and even having a good cocktail on a Friday night. When paying – bam – there it is again. And yes, I am the dude with that crazy watch, because I choose to be.’ 

INFORMATION

swatch.com

In partnership with Bulgari

In summer 2021 in Milan, Bulgari celebrated the launch of the spectacular high jewellery and timepiece collection, Magnifica. Now, the maison is taking a considered look at the women who inspired the collection with an aesthetically stunning tome, Bulgari Magnifica: The Power Women Hold. 

Released by Rizzoli New York and edited by fashion stylist Tina Leung, the book encompasses contributions from writers and artists while paying tribute to the essential role of the jewellery artisans, and treating us to an in-depth look at the hypnotising jewels themselves.

For Bulgari’s creative director Lucia Silvestri, who pens the introduction to each of these three sections – Head, Heart, and Hands – the book offers an irresistible opportunity to turn the spotlight on the women behind the jewellery. ‘Magnifica is Bulgari’s answer to these new times, a celebration of rebirth and the beginning of a new renaissance spreading a message of joy, creativity and artistic perfection,’ she says. ‘We took inspiration from magnificent muses, and of course from Rome, which is always our first muse, but also from sublime gems and intelligent hands that craft our masterpieces and turn them into works of art.’

Contributors, from social entrepreneur Amanda Nguyen to actress Aisha Dee, activist Whembley Sewell, DJ Mia Moretti and many others, reflect on what it means to be a woman while acknowledging the power high jewellery codes can provide. ‘These women have traced a path that is an example and an encouragement for today’s women to pursue their intuitions and cultivate their talent like a true gift of nature,’ says Silvestri.

Above all, the book is an homage to the exquisite jewels themselves, with the dazzling culmination of years of intricate craftsmanship explored in brilliantly vivid photography. When intertwined with a tribute to the female muses who have rethought what being a woman can mean – baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi, Chinese writer Eileen Chang and architect Zaha Hadid have all made an impression on the maison – the end result is a powerful one. ‘Created by women for women, Magnifica is a tribute to the pioneering, indomitable female personalities that, with their fierce vision and independent attitude, blazed their own paths, broke boundaries or shattered cultural norms in different fields,’ says Silvestri.

INFORMATION

Bulgari Magnifica: The Power Women Hold is published by Rizzoli New York

bulgari.com

Tom Ford Timepieces has released its third series of watches, the N°003. The new Tom Ford watch collection builds on the company’s 2018 move into horology with a sporty rethink of the clean form of the first designs. The new piece, available in polished stainless steel with a black, white or chrome coloured dial, epitomises clean simplicity; its uncluttered dial eschews numerals and indexing in favour of a minimalist face. The rectangular style measures in at a compact 31.5mm x 53mm in size.

‘The N°003 exemplifies the craftsmanship and simplicity I was looking for in the next evolution of Tom Ford Timepieces,’ Ford says. ‘I wanted to bring the focus back to the elegance of the watch face by stripping back the numerals and emphasising the clean, sophisticated design.’

An easy strap-change system invites personalisation, with customers able to choose from more than 50 straps, from braided, pebbled grain and stitched leathers to alligator, pony hair, calf and woven grosgrain. The straps, slotting into the case, are effortlessly changed and make a chic complement to the classic watch design.

The new Tom Ford watch joins last year’s Swiss-made Ocean Plastic Timepiece as part of Ford’s rethinking of ethical luxury. The model, made entirely from plastic collected from the ocean, the coastline and uncontrolled landfills, was the equivalent of 35 bottles of plastic waste. Carefully considered details ensured the timepiece contained no virgin plastics. The material’s journey to Switzerland was a carbon neutral one, and the creation process once there was powered by solar energy. For every 1,000 watches sold, 490lb of plastic is permanently removed from the ocean.

To coincide with the launch, Tom Ford partnered with 52HZ for the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize, which seeks a replacement for thin-film plastic bags. The winning submission will be announced in 2022, and the winner will work together with the Tom Ford team to make their product available to the public as early as 2025.

INFORMATION

tomford.com

Bamford London and Dover Street Market are inspired by comic-book royalty for their latest collaboration. The new Dover Street Market x Bamford London Snoopy GMT celebrates Peanuts’ lovable hound, with Snoopy – arguably the world’s most famous beagle – taking centre stage on the clean white dial of the stainless steel watch.

Offbeat design codes and humorous ticks collide in the watch, the latest in a series of retro collections for George Bamford, founder of Bamford London, who in the past has paid tribute to icons across a multitude of media, from Sesame Street to Popeye. ‘I love character watches and the way they brighten up your day when you look down at your wrist,’ says Bamford, adding, ‘I find the open dial works really well in creating a retro modern design whilst combining humour with the character.’

He is frequently inspired by the past for his pieces, which nod to the classic watchmaking design epitomised by Gerald Genta. Here, a clean face is broken only by Snoopy’s arms, which tell the time, assisted by treasured sidekick Woodstock, who perches on the 24-hour GMT hand. Functionality is interwoven throughout, with a rubber compound strap that incorporates the durable fabric, cordura, to ensure easy wearability.

‘All eras of watchmaking inspire me,’ he says. ‘I love learning from the past to create a future product. The inspiration behind the Bamford GMT was a retro-modern case with a beautiful step on the case. I love working with characters and continuing to work with Peanuts is amazing.’

The watch marks a continuation of a long relationship with Dover Street Market. ‘We have been working with Dover Street Market almost since the day Bamford Watch Department started,’ Bamford says, referring to his wider brand. ‘I am always inspired when I visit their stores. I love what they have done with Snoopy on other products, like T-shirts, which I can never resist, as a huge Snoopy fan. They are great friends of the business, so it is amazing to work on this Snoopy GMT with them.’

INFORMATION

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Mohammed Iman Fayaz has won the 2021 Hublot Design Prize, announced by a jury composed of Marva Griffin Wilshire, founder and creator of Salone Satellite; Hans Ulrich Obrist, artistic director of Serpentine Galleries; Alice Rawsthorn, design critic, longtime Wallpaper* contributor and 2020 guest editor; and Formafantasma, the design studio and winner of the 2018 Hublot Design Prize.

US-based illustrator Fayaz was chosen from a shortlist of eight and announced as winner at a ceremony at Serpentine Galleries. It is the sixth edition of the prize, launched in 2015 by Jean-Claude Biver and Pierre Keller as a way of supporting younger generations. The shortlist – composed of Ben Ganz, Christoph John, Eva Feldkamp, Federica Fragapane, Mohammed Fayaz, Irakli Sabekia, Thebe Magugu, and Archibald Godts & Theresa Bastek of Studio Plastique – united designers across a range of different disciplines and styles.

Winner Fayaz, a member of art collective and creative studio Papi Juice, impressed the judges with his works of art and infographics, which reinvent the traditional form of illustration. Fayaz also documents the queer and trans communities, supports his local community through pro bono projects that capture post-pandemic scenes in bold colours, and designs arresting posters, dispensing advice to first-time visitors to marches, for example.

‘There is simple communication on them – the march is free, it’s outdoors, a mask required, to let people know what’s going on and not put them off,’ he explains. The poster he drew for a silent march for Black trans lives, was, unusually for him, in black and white to reflect the sombre nature of the event, and was acquired this year by MoMA. ‘It was before in-person gatherings were really allowed, so with something as simple as putting the masks on the poster – it’s not the most beautiful thing but it is powerful,’ Fayaz says. ‘You can still see yourself, you see your friends, you see your colleagues, your loved ones.’ The protest drew 15,000 people, the largest for trans lives in history.

What the Hublot Design Prize 2021 jury said

‘We were absolutely unanimous that Mohammed was the winner,’ says Alice Rawsthorne. ‘He really has documented an extraordinary community of queer and trans people of colour who at times are very vulnerable and at others are happy and joyous. I think he’s caught their complexities and subtleties and idiosyncrasies, and that’s such a difficult thing to do.’

The Pierre Keller Award was also presented to Eva Feldkamp and Federica Fragapane at the event. Fragapane elevates statistics into works of art with her intricate illustrations of facts. ‘Data generally is one of the most dynamic areas of design at the moment and the pandemic obviously accelerated that as we all became obsessed with data trackers,’ says Rawsthorne. ‘Federica is a brilliant data designer because she takes very complex data and expresses it in a way which makes it much more accessible to many more. The visual language with which she decodes it is so original, so innovative and so seductive.’

Feldkamp connects creative professionals with not-for-profit organisations through her company, All in Awe. Rawsthorne adds: ‘Eva is filling a gap in the design community by building bridges between non-profit and social enterprises and charities that need the work of talented designers and architects for social community projects, and the growing number of designers who want to engage with those projects.

INFORMATION

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Translating the magic of a fairytale garden into an horological fantasy, while also giving a nod to Christian Dior’s horticultural passions, is this Dior watch, the dreamily indulgent Grand Soir Aquarelle. In this timepiece, the designer’s love for flowers and gardens – in particular, the rose and jasmine plants in his south of France home, Château de la Colle Noire – is translated into a timepiece that will make an elegant alternative to a traditional bouquet. Flowers, seen in every aspect of Dior’s expression, from haute couture embroidery to show sets and men’s clothing, here permeate time itself.

Under the glass blooms a white gold and pink gold flower, its petals studded with round-cut pink sapphires and tinted glass in a play on volume that adds layers of detail to the watch face. Pear-cut and round-cut diamonds drift across a fabric dial that looks to have been daubed with a paintbrush, with the paint blossoming over the face and infusing the white leather watch strap with colour.

Dior watch for bridal elegance

Add this Dior watch to a bridal look for a modern take on matrimonial elegance. For further wedding inspiration, let us introduce Weddingpaper*, Wallpaper’s first dip into nuptial nirvana, as seen in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue and across Wallpaper.com. Forget the conventional and the staid; here, tradition comes with a twist and frou frou frills with a velvet blue mule.

Whether it’s pairing the cool metal hues of a rose gold wristwatch with the billowing folds of an In-Grid Bride gown, or juxtaposing a luminescent Mikimoto pearl brooch against the mischievous polka dots of a Dunhill shirt, brides and grooms are sure to find something style wise to love. Wedding guests, too, take note: our chic and sculptural guide to timeless gifting puts the days of mismatched china long behind us, making for a very modern take on wedded bliss.

INFORMATION

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A version of this article appears in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.

In this wedding day watch, warm metallic tones lend a welcome toughness to the cool whites of a wedding dress, with chunky rose gold chain links adding an androgynous touch to the femininity of frou-frou frills. Patek Philippe veers away from the overly delicate in its only collection aimed solely at women, translating the clean design codes of its traditionally male collections into the women’s Twenty-4 collection of watches.

Here, rosy hues and double diamonds marry well with feminine flourishes in this piece that makes an elegant foil for the fun of a wedding dress.

A dial embellished with a subtle pattern that recalls the grainy textured finish of silk is juxtaposed with the smooth finish of rose gold and edged in a double loop of diamonds for a sporty luxe finish. A round case and the uncluttered simplicity of the face make this the ideal choice for a more casual celebration. The warmth of the gold in the Twenty-4 collection adds an effortless wearability to this timepiece, which will work with every look.

Add this watch to a bridal look for a modern take on matrimonial elegance. For further wedding inspiration, let us introduce Weddingpaper*, Wallpaper’s first dip into nuptial nirvana, as seen in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue and coming to Wallpaper.com throughout this week. Forget the conventional and the staid; here, tradition comes with a twist and frou frou frills with a velvet blue mule.

Whether it’s pairing the cool metal hues of a rose gold wristwatch with the billowing folds of an In-Grid Bride gown, or juxtaposing a luminescent Mikimoto pearl brooch against the mischievous polka dots of a Dunhill shirt, brides and grooms are sure to find something style wise to love. Wedding guests, too, take note: our chic and sculptural guide to timeless gifting puts the days of mismatched china long behind us, making for a very modern take on wedded bliss.

INFORMATION

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A version of this article appears in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.

In partnership with Gucci

Gucci intertwines its Italian heritage with contemporary design codes in the release of its first in-house calibre. The GUCCI 25H watch marks the centenary of the luxury fashion brand, encompassing both the rich history at the brand’s heart and a forward-thinking technicality to bring a sporty elegance to industrial design.

The name of the watch riffs off creative director Alessandro Michele’s fondness for his lucky number, 25; frequently woven throughout his collections, here it represents the sharp technical accomplishment which characterises this new timepiece.

Gucci’s first in-house calibre: the GG727.25 movement

The GG727.25 movement, marking the first time Gucci has unveiled an in-house calibre, is named after significant motifs in the brand’s history – the number ‘7’ expresses a sense of completeness, ‘2’ a sense of balance and ‘5’ freedom and curiosity.

Developed by the movement manufacture Kering in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the intricate technicality makes a fitting foil for the sleekness of the new case design; measuring just 7.2mm, it is thinner than ever and cuts a sylph-like slender silhouette.

The new movement is housed in a steel case, its clean surfaces inspired by architectural references in their play on curves and angles, with the simple functionality reflected in the uncluttered lines of the case and embellished only with the interlocking G logo on the crown.

The watch’s silhouette forms a fluid loop, the integrated pattern of the bracelet juxtaposing polished and satin-brushed metal finishes for a texture clash that is carried through to the satin-brushed lines on the dial.

The watch is interpreted in four editions, which range from the cleanly classic to glitteringly garnished.

The slender case of the GUCCI 25H Automatic Steel is undercut with horizontal lines, creating the illusion of depth, with stark, unadorned indices the only embellishment on the clean face. The jewel-studded decorated movement, engraved with a wave pattern, glimpsed through the sapphire crystal caseback, marries warm curves with sleek lines.

In the GUCCI 25H Automatic Diamonds, this clean form is adorned with 82 brilliant-cut diamonds that circle the cushion shape of the bezel, bringing a dazzling modernity to precious stones.

The tourbillion takes centre stage

In the other pieces in the collection, technical mastery comes to the forefront, with the accomplished tourbillion taking centre stage in two editions.

The Tourbillon Platinum, encased in tough and precious platinum, its hypnotising rotations easily admired through the sapphire caseback, is punctuated only by the deep blue of the screws.

In the Tourbillon, in 18ct yellow gold, the warmth of the precious metal brings a high jewellery sensibility to a chic and technical take on contemporary watchmaking.

A classic with a twist is the motto behind Vacheron Constantin’s offbeat elegance, making its timepieces the natural choice of romantics – and a good bet for the chic watch-loving bride. This piece

builds on the

Heures Créatives collection, originally released in 2015; drawing from the archives for inspiration, pieces were inspired by everything from the curving forms of the Belle Époque era to the slyly humorous design codes of the 1970s. The Vacheron Constantin

Heures Créatives Heure Romantique model borrows from the romance of the art nouveau period, translating the fluid form of a 1916 model into a contemporary silhouette.

The elegance of the watch doesn’t detract from the romance at its heart, and traditional love motifs, while present, are given the edgy interpretation we would expect from Vacheron Constantin. Rather than pastel shades or blood-red silhouettes, we have the suggestion of sentimentality in the curves of the case itself. Flowers, drawn in white gold and studded with diamonds, are sweet not saccharine, while glittering leaves branching from their petals make a brilliant foil for the delicate mother-of-pearl dial.

Vacheron Constantin Heures Créatives: bridal chic

Add this timepiece to a bridal look for a modern take on matrimonial elegance. For further wedding inspiration, let us introduce Weddingpaper*, Wallpaper’s first dip into nuptial nirvana, as seen in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue and coming to Wallpaper.com throughout this week. Forget the conventional and the staid; here, tradition comes with a twist and frou frou frills with a velvet blue mule.

Whether it’s pairing the cool metal hues of a rose gold wristwatch with the billowing folds of an In-Grid bride gown, or juxtaposing a luminescent Mikimoto pearl brooch against the mischievous polka dots of a Dunhill shirt, brides and grooms are sure to find something style-wise to love. Wedding guests, too, take note: our chic and sculptural guide to timeless gifting puts the days of mismatched china long behind us, making for a very modern take on wedded bliss. Watch this space.

INFORMATION

vacheron-constantin.com

A version of this article appears in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands now and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.

When it comes to creating watches for women, Richard Mille doesn’t shy away from the sharp technicality and futuristic design codes which characterise its unisex pieces. The Swiss watch brand, which has included watches for women in its traditionally male output since its inception, has ramped up the selection in the last decade, intertwining advanced technical functionality with a play on tough materials and intricate high jewellery techniques. The RM 037 Red Gold Snow Set is a case in point.

A reinterpretation of the RM 037 model, it puts the skeletonised movement at its heart, with the juxtaposition of textures on the rotating discs an elegant foil for the sparkling contours of the case. Present are familiar design motifs, with the distinctive curves and bridges of the calibre here envisioned through a high jewellery lens.

When coupled with the technically accomplished snow setting technique – which closely sets diamonds, ranging in size from a miniscule 0.5mm to 1.6mm, into prongs so slender as to be invisible – the seemingly random pattern of the stones endows the face with a brilliant refraction of light. Extremely difficult to execute, thanks to the stones’ varying sizes and the need for them to fit to a micron’s precision, the result is dazzling.

This new piece is the latest chapter of a story which began in 2001 with the introduction of 17 timepieces. ‘For a long time, I wished to launch my own brand. I wanted to create a new business model, far removed from traditional marketing strategies, something totally original,’ Richard Millle has noted in the past. ‘My goal was to create a new, ultra-high-end luxury segment within the high-end watch business, and I was very eager to know what could come of it.'

INFORMATION
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A version of this article appears in the October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue of Wallpaper* (W*270), on newsstands now and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12,£12,€12.

New York brand Armitron has partnered with LA-based multi-media artist Jen Stark for a colourful new watch collection, with eight one-of-a-kind watches and a selection of cheerfully bright best Apple Watch bands drawn in vibrant and vivid detail.

The new pieces unite Armitron’s emphasis on simple design codes and easy affordability with Stark’s bold aesthetic. The resulting watches form a kaleidoscope of colour, merging monochrome patterns with waves of bright hues.

Jen Stark makes Armitron watches her canvas

‘I treated each of these watches as a canvas,’ Stark explains. ‘I started by brainstorming and drafting different ideas in my sketchbook. Once I could visualise them, I chose my favourites and digitised each design to be vectorised for production. The designs echo what I'm exhibiting at “Cascade” at The William Vale,’ she says, referring to her immersive exhibition at a hotel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The hypnotic murals, sculptures and projections that comprise the show are here rethought on a watch face.

Considering functionality as the key component of the design was a priority for Stark: ‘My biggest challenge was how to translate my work in a way that would activate the existing features of the watch, such as the face, the band, the numbers, and the clock hands,’ she says. ‘I see challenges as a way to expand upon my creativity. Sometimes when I am faced with certain limitations, it inspires me even more and I engage with my mind and my designs in a new way.’

The pieces stay faithful to a style that delights in a full spectrum of colour and bold contrasts, creating a variety of pieces with popular appeal. ‘I wanted some to be super colourful and flashy like my personal style, but I also wanted to explore subtle pops of pattern and even black and white contrast.’ She adds: ‘I’ve never created my own watch design before and was thrilled to work with Armitron, because they make beautiful, classic designs and are also very family-oriented. They allowed me to have full creative freedom to realise my vision and I’m extremely excited for this collection.’

INFORMATION

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The Arceau watch by Hermès, originally created in 1978, rethinks last year’s playful silk scarf design by British artist Alice Shirley. The dial of Arceau The Three Graces was inspired by Shirley’s trip to South Africa; the three giraffes she spotted, partly hidden by an

acacia tree, are here reproduced in wood marquetry.

‘We like the grace and elegance that the giraffe expresses,’ says Philippe Delhotal, Hermès Horloger’s creation and style director. ‘Wood marquetry was the perfect technique to express the contrasts in this design.’

The marquetry specialist used 195 tiny pieces of naturally dark, light, stained or bleached woods – including American walnut and maple, European sycamore and tulip tree – for an intricate dial assembled like a puzzle. An aventurine base (a form of quartz) is intricately micro-painted for a rich palette of complex colours and contrasts.

Hermès Arceau watch: a feat of craft 

‘At the beginning of the project, the choice of wood took some time, so that we could find the right tones and colours to offer the best rendering to the giraffe,’ says marquetry expert Olivier Varenne. ‘Then the biggest challenge on this dial was to blend two different crafts with such different technical constraints. I had to apply each piece of wood in the prepared shape of the giraffe, which brings an additional challenge: applying the marquetry in the exact position, shaping the wood precisely without breaking it and finally respecting the width, as we are working on a very small scale. But it was very interesting for me to bring my knowhow to give birth to this exceptional piece.’

The result is set in a white gold case sprinkled with diamonds, the culmination of a multitude of skills. ‘We like playing with different techniques, but they must bring an additional aesthetic and a strong creation,’ adds Delhotal. ‘Thanks to the experience of the craftspeople we work with, they are always keen on achieving and overcoming new challenges and this, for me, is what makes the difference when working on exclusive pieces like the Arceau The Three Graces.’

INFORMATION

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‘Sapphire is a hard material, but at the same time it is also fragile,’ says Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe, who has just unveiled the first Big Bang model that boasts both an integrated case and bracelet crafted from the unyielding material. The Big Bang Integral Tourbillon Full Sapphire watch builds on foundations laid with an earlier model, 2016’s Big Bang Unico Sapphire, which marked the brand’s first time industrialising sapphire with a vast, 500-piece collection.

Now, this new limited edition piece goes one step further than the first sapphire watch, integrating the case and the bracelet to create a streamlined silhouette, hitherto thought to be an impossible technical challenge.

Hublot and its full sapphire quest

The new watch is an elaborate puzzle of sapphire pieces – there are 37 in the case alone, five of which are made solely from sapphire – and with 165 parts to the bracelet, a third of these designed specifically to be flexible and hug the wrist in what is a comfortable and ergonomic design. Each sapphire component, requiring its own process and tools, was milled and polished; it is a risky process that only exposes imperfections upon its completion, making errors expensive.

The reworked geometry of the watch’s case subscribes to an essential philosophy, stripping back all visible screws so that the bridges and the main plates of the movement appear to hover in space, facilitating the flow of light.

‘The most complicated part was to work on a design that could get maximum transparency,’ Guadalupe tells us, reflecting on the complexity of producing the three sapphire bridges. ‘It is very difficult to precisely position the wheels in relation to each other. We had to add brass plugs (which contain the watchmaking rubies) glued to the sapphire bridges. This is a real challenge for production.’

Technical prowess and a remarkable raw material combine in a clear show of strength.

INFORMATION

This article appears in the September 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*269), now on newsstands and available for free download.

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Pac-Man has been brought to life once again in the Casio x PAC-MAN Limited Edition model, a reinterpretation of the F-100 digital watch, first released in 1978.

It is an appropriate watch to reimagine the popular game, itself first released in 1980, with its bold graphics, bright colours and simple concept – eat, run! – here faithfully reproduced four decades later. The vintage history of the watch is also acknowledged, with the design nodding to the original 1978 F-100 digital watch, the first Casio quartz watch in a resin case. Technically accomplished – it came with a stopwatch, calendar functions and a digital alarm – it was recently reinterpretated by watchmakers in the A100 watch which came with a four-button front layout as its focus. This key design element, present in the special edition, is overrun by Pac-Man and the ghost characters in an endless game of chase.

‘We wanted to realise the Pac-Man world on the entire watch design, including the strap, case-back and package, as well as ensuring fans feel like they are entering into the world of the Pac-Man game-screen through each design element – like with the ghosts, who follow the actual play on the screen of Pac-Man,’ says Tomoaki Nakamura of the Casio’s timepiece marketing department. To do this, details are loyal to the quirks of the game. The gold-plating on the watch case is inspired by the colour of the Pac-Man arcade game cabinet, with a laser etching of Pac-Man’s flight away from and towards the ghosts on the top and bottom watch bands.

For Casio, the collaboration was a natural one. ‘Both Pac-Man and Casio digital watches have countless fans around the world, over many generations,’ adds Nakamura. ‘It is representative of the 1980s and iconic – born in Japan.’

INFORMATION

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Audemars Piguet has released eight new women’s Royal Oak models in a range of colours and materials.

The new editions rework the iconic design codes of the original model which was first released in 1972, a luxury steel watch before the concept existed. Gerald Genta put a sporty luxury at the heart of his design, his geometric silhouette and integrated bracelet creating a fluid and enduring piece. Now, this new collection trips down the colour spectrum, beginning on the dark side with the Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic. By juxtaposing materials and colours – slick ceramic against the textured tapestry of the guilloché dial, and inky black against rose gold accents – it brings a contemporary reinterpretation to the use of ceramic, first debuted in the Royal Oak in the 1980s.

The Royal Oak Selfwinding in Frosted Gold also builds on the collection launched last year, referencing the jewellery technique developed with jewellery designer Carolina Bucci which first appeared in 2016. This new edition in white gold is complete with a subtle shimmer, a consequence of the traditional Florentine jewellery technique which makes tiny impressions in the surface of the gold using a diamond-tipped tool. The resulting glittering effect is a vivid foil for the cool blue of the tapestry dial.

The colours grow more vivid in the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph crafted in solid 18-carat pink gold, with baguette-cut amethysts framing a matching dial. The colour of the dial flits from purple to pink to blue with the changing of the light, a result of the layers of shimmering purple PVD.

Finally, five new rainbow versions complete the bold line-up. The bezel, set with multi-coloured gemstones, frames an openworked dial which is set in either white, pink or yellow Frosted Gold for a colourful finale.

INFORMATION

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Super Mario is brought to playful life by Tag Heuer in a special gaming-inspired limited edition of the Tag Heuer Connected, marking the beginning of a long-standing collaboration between Nintendo and the watch brand.

In tune with the times, Mario has – like many of us – opted for a savvy pivot from his usual role, here dodging the hazards of the Mushroom Kingdom to instead become a champion of wellness on this sports watch. Nothing excites this new and improved Mario more than getting you moving, with his actions inspired by the Easter Egg concept familiar to gamers, which unlocks hidden surprises as you hit your targets.

From the cheerful morning salute to begin the day, Mario is buoyed with energy throughout, revealing rewards in line with your step count, playing out different animations on the dial as you hit 25 per cent, 50 per cent, 75 per cent and 100 per cent of your daily target. Fans will be relieved to hear Super Mario’s famous extras also play a part – at 3 o’clock, the Super Mushroom gives Mario a height boost, while at 6 o’clock the Pipe speeds him up. At 9 o’clock, the heavily coveted Super Star, which grants invincibility, lights up. When you reach your daily step count target, Mario vaults the Goal Pole in an energetic grand finale.

The watch is redesigned in the Super Mario colours, with four dials to choose from, each nodding to a different Mario feature. Details remain as faithful to the original as possible, with the pixellated Mario from 1985 depicted on the timekeeping watch face, while a dial with a more classic design references his red cap.

Not quick enough for the limited edition? Don’t despair – Tag Heuer promises the Super Mario ‘skins’ and watch faces will be available to download on other editions of the Connected in the near future. 

INFORMATION

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Breitling’s pastel-coloured new watches have arrived just in time for summer. The SuperOcean Heritage ’57 Pastel Paradise capsule collection, cast in refreshing shades including aquamarine, mint green, rainbow tangerine and cool white, bring an easy playfulness to classic watch design.

The retro feel of these limited editions is an homage to the original 1950s diver’s watch which, with its focus on easy legibility and water-friendly design, was itself a nod to the increasing popularity of the seaside holidays that took off in that decade. These new pieces are designed to be fun to wear, with straps easily switched to other colours, should you fancy raspberry or lemon sorbet, say.

‘This modern-retro tribute to the original SuperOcean is an exciting addition to the Breitling family of ladies’ watches,’ says the company’s CEO Georges Kern. ‘Of course it’ll look great at work, but its fun-in-the-sun vibe might make you want to spend a weekend at the beach.’ Key design codes from the original are carried through to the new collection, with a rotating bezel and quarter hour markers adding a retro touch. The boldness of the sorbet shades, when cast in blocks on the dial, bezel and straps, will go down very nicely, while the prettiness of pastel makes a gentle foil for the zinginess of rainbow tangerine.

The new pieces are a natural continuation of Breitling’s history of combining a sporty aesthetic with a focus on accuracy. The original SuperOcean, created in the 1950s to make a splash on the brand’s 25th anniversary, was a simple yet technically accomplished diver’s watch. Its hardy qualities – shockproof and anti-magnetic – made it as popular than as its ancestors are now.

INFORMATION
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Richard Mille’s support for Les Voiles de St Barth regatta stretches back to its debut in 2010. The event, which has since gone on to host thousands of sailors, now attracts around 80 crews annually from all over the world. With both the 2020 and 2021 regattas cancelled due to the pandemic, Richard Mille was keen to continue its support regardless.

So this year, the brand has created the RM 60-01 Automatic Flyback Chronograph Les Voiles de St Barth, a sporty watch in a limited edition of 80 pieces. Cast in the regatta’s colours, it is equipped with all the complications sea voyagers could need. A rotating bezel allows the wearer to identify their direction without the need for a separate compass; when the second hour hand – which tells the time in a different time zone – is pointed towards the sun, and the rotating bezel is set so the the local hour is shown, the compass headings of North, South, East and West point in the correct directions.

‘We always focus on the useability of our watches, and when we originally developed the RM 60-01 we were advised by one of the head organisers of Les Voiles de St Barth, who has pretty much sailed all corners of the Earth,’ says Richard Mille marketing director Tim Malachard. ‘This is the kind of interaction we relish as it makes us stick to the fundamentals of exactly which functions are vital to any passionate sailor, and to avoid any gimmicks in the process.’

Previously, every winner of the regatta received a Richard Mille watch, but with no event this year, the brand is donating the proceeds from the sale of an RM 60-01 to local causes in St Barths. ‘It was natural to us to [offer] support after the event was once again postponed in 2021,’ adds Malachard. ‘Our relationship with the organisers is a genuine partnership and we are working together to make 2022 an incredible edition after such troubled times.’

INFORMATION

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As unconventional as it was reliable, Zenith’s Defy watch first appeared in the 1960s, marrying a futuristic design with a tough titanium case. Now, the Zenith Defy Extreme builds on these foundations, keeping the original’s angular case and faceted bezel with 12-sided ring, but rethinking key design codes. Dubbed a watch for all terrain, it is a modern rethink of the classic adventurer’s watch.

‘It has been radically modernised with regard to proportions, architecture, materials and finish,’ says Romain Marietta, Zenith’s product development and heritage director. Legibility is a crucial component of the new design, which features a tinted sapphire dial providing optimum clarity. ‘We have a special dial made out of sapphire for two reasons: the possibility of admiring our mechanism and for maximised legibility,’ says Marietta. ‘The central part of the dial and underneath the counters is tinted in order to clearly see the indications of the chronograph function’s dial features, with oversized and slightly overlapping chronograph counters emphasising volume and legibility while allowing an uninterrupted view of the chronograph calibre.’

The oversized hands and hour markers are generously coated with Super-LumiNova to ensure readability in the dark, and the models are finished in titanium (a corrosion-resistant metal now much favoured by the watch industry) that has been either satin-brushed, polished or microblasted. Crucially, the lightness and strength of the titanium also ensure it is comfortable on the wrist.

Wearability is considered throughout the design, with an easily interchangeable watch strap system, originally introduced last year, ensuring wearers can switch effortlessly between the rubber and Velcro strap options. The model’s aesthetic, although bold, ultimately serves the functionality of the watch. ‘Aesthetically, the Defy Extreme represents a supercharged Defy, with a design reinforced by components designed to protect the pushers, and a screw-down crown, while emphasising ergonomics and durability, with water-resistance up to 200m,’ says Marietta. ‘Accentuated outlines and details – such as a larger 45mm case, sharper lines, more pronounced edges, and the overall silhouette – express robustness, resilience and a desire to explore new horizons.’ 

INFORMATION

This article originally featured in the July 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*267), available for free download

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Rolex’s history of creating tool watches can be traced back to the 1930s, when the timepieces it provided to explorers became an integral part of an expedition’s kit. In 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, it was with their white Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches. Building on this success, Rolex released the first Explorer watch later the same year.

The toughened case and clear design codes are still present in today’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual Explorer, with the ‘3’, ‘6’ and ‘9’ numerals making for quick and easy legibility. The Explorer’s design bulked up over time, but this year’s new model cuts a neater silhouette, returning to its original 1953 case size of a restrained 36mm.

Less, in this case, is definitely more. The timepiece’s smaller proportions are drawn in yellow Rolesor – a mix of 18ct yellow gold and Oystersteel, Rolex’s own corrosive-proof brand of strong steel – which has been a recurring feature of the brand’s designs since it was first patented in 1933. The juxtaposition of soft warm gold against the cool solidity of steel makes an effective foil for a glossy black lacquered dial. The watch’s markers and hands, coated in a luminescent material that emits a vivid blue glow in the darkness and promises to last for an impressive eight hours, will be hard to miss for adventurers in both urban and extreme settings.

Overall, the design of the Rolex Explorer has generally remained consistent since its first inception. After its Everest expedition, the introduction of a reinforced case and a clearer dial made for a more practical watch, guaranteeing its continued popularity among the intrepid. While the preoccupation of adventurers may have changed from discovering new land to protecting the land we have, their wristwatch of choice remains the same. 

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This article originally featured in the July 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*267), available for free download

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Bell & Ross has unveiled its latest horological ode to aviation, the BR 03 Red Radar Ceramic. Marking the tenth anniversary of the original Red Radar, launched in 2011, this new watch is housed in a tough black matte ceramic case with a technically advanced design.

‘The original piece was a phenomenal success at the time and remained one of the brand’s best-sellers for a long time,’ says creative director and co-founder of Bell & Ross, Bruno Belamich. ‘Its design – very similar to an aircraft radar – was surprising and spectacular in equal measure. Its graphics reproduced the scanning motion of the light beam on a radar screen with stunning realism.’

The new piece, while also taking an aircraft control radar as its inspiration, adds a greater dose of realism thanks to two rotating discs that fuse with the dial and appear to conjure up two tiny aeroplanes soaring over the face. The discs also act as replacements for the hour and minute hands in a new way to tell the time. The passenger plane, travelling on the outside disc, shows the hours, and the fighter plane, on the smaller disc, indicates the minutes. A slim hand alongside the two planes shows the seconds.

The distinctive red of the face remained tricky to achieve. ‘The biggest challenge was to determine the right colour,’ explains Belamich. ‘We had to play around with the rendering. We wanted to get that contrast between the time indicators – the planes on the discs – and the sight on the glass. There was a lot of testing. To manage this, the sight was printed in orange on the underside of the glass. As for the luminous beam and the two planes, they were painted yellow to obtain the desired shades.’

With its sharp, design-led technicality and familiar details, such as the circle-in-a-square design that nods to an aircraft cockpit clock, the BR 03 Red Radar Ceramic stays faithful to the instrument watches that are a Bell & Ross speciality. ‘These models make up the instrument panel of an aircraft and offer a completely new way of reading time,’ adds Belamich. ‘Settling Bell & Ross’ instrumental identity, the design approach of the Red Radar display hides a treasure chest of sophistication. Using technical and graphical tools and tips to translate this display type at the tiny scale of an analogue mechanical watch was an innovative exercise at the brand’s creative studio.’

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Japanese watch brand Grand Seiko epitomises clean design, a concept it formalised in 1967 with the launch of its understated ‘44GS’ wristwatch. Balancing form and function, the classic watch knitted together the elegant technical accomplishments that underpin a Grand Seiko watch, defining for the first time its nine cornerstones of design. These include multi-faceted markers, a flat dial, a curved profile and a highly polished bezel, foundations upon which all subsequent watches have since been built.

Dials may be flat, but textured patterns create an illusion of depth, containing a subtle spectrum of hues that nod to the Japanese custom of expressing the gradations between light and shadow, rather than the stark monochrome of black and white.

The ‘Hi-Beat Birch Forest’ watch, part of the ‘Series 9’ collection, plays on these tones in shadow, translating this feeling of light and movement into a subtle tribute to the brand’s heritage.

‘This watch captures the dynamism of the white birch tree forests near the studio in Shizukuishi where all Grand Seiko mechanical watches are crafted,’ explains a Grand Seiko spokesperson. The birch bark pattern on the dial has been created with a varying depth of surface, which allows for an elegant interplay of light refracted from the dial. We particularly like feeling the call of the wild whenever we look at the time.

While natural themes have played a consistent role in Grand Seiko's design since the beginning, the quest for accuracy has always taken centre stage. The first Grand Seiko watch in 1960 was accurate to an impressive +12 to -3 seoonds a day; with a power reserve of 45 hours, it was a big step up from the mechanical watches of the Fifties. Since then, accuracy has only got sharper, and the following decades have only cemented the watch brand's reputatation as being both reliable and design-led.

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This article originally featured in the June 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*266),  available for free download

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Longines’ new watch has us green with envy. The Longines Spirit, now unveiled in a deep green hue, adds an appealingly retro edge to a classic watch design.

‘We have been careful to take inspiration from a range of our historic aviation pieces to create Longines Spirit, with the history of the brand reflected in numerous ways,’ notes president of Longines, Matthias Breschan. ‘From the diamond shape hour markers from the 1920-1940’s which allowed the pilots to see them clearly, to the oversized screw down crown originally designed for pilots to use with gloves. These vintage details are key to the modern and timeless feel of Longines Spirit.’

The vintage details are a nod to the exploration spirit at the heart of the brand. In the past, its timepieces have been worn by Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes amongst many others. The long-standing appeal is due to the dependent reliability which still defines new pieces today, here brought to life with the new racing shade of green.

‘The trend for green watches has been around for a few years and we have already used this colour with success within the HydroConquest collection,’ says Breschan. ‘The muted khaki tone we chose for Longines Spirit combined with the Super-LumiNova® beige lends the model a vintage touch and stays true to its heritage.’ Although new models pay tribute to the past, they continue to look resolutely forwards.‘Our heritage is of key importance to us when looking forward. The way we move forward with new designs always means being faithful to our core values and adapting them to meet the needs of today’s customer. We make sure that timeless classic watches are at the forefront of our ethos.’

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Bold, tough and accurate, the new Zenith Defy Extreme nods to core design codes from the Zenith Defy family of watches.

The movement and transparent dial are familiar features from previous collections, making a natural fit in this generously upsized new model – at 45mm, the case is larger than its predecessors and cuts an imposing silhouette. The twelve angles of the caseback look back to the angular bezel synonymous with the Defy designs from the 1960s. Slick and secure, the oversized proportions continue in the chronograph counters and hands.

Three new versions of the Defy Extreme, each with a strong titanium base, have been unveiled. A focus on block colour means the movements are neatly coded to match the individual designs of each watch, with the titanium reworked in different finishes for each model. In the first piece, microblasted titanium case becomes sleek when paired with black design details; in the second, a play on texture with brushed and polished microblasted titanium case brings a tactility to blue accents. In the third iteration, microblasted titanium is softened when teamed with a polished rose gold case and gold-plated design features. Straps in titanium, Velcro and rubber make for fuss-free sporty updates, an appropriate choice as the watch releases coincide with Zenith’s first outing as official timekeeper and founding partner for Extreme E, the new off-road electric racing championship.

Other new watch releases this year include the Defy 21 Felipe Pantone, a boldly colourful and technical collaboration with the artist, the Defy 21 Ultrablue which casts the case and movement in deep hues of blue and the jewelled Defy 21 Spectrum series.

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Hermès marks the first day of Watches and Wonders 2021 by unveiling the backdrop from which it will release its newest watch, the H08. The scenography is the result of a collaboration with two artists, Clément Vieille and Pierre Pauze.

The physical exhibition, in Geneva’s Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s fully digital show. Embodying a digital vision, it is composed of a set of videos and sculptures which explore both time and natural cycles.

At the centre of the staging is Hermès’ new watch release, the H08. The watch has been interpreted by the two artists – both from Le Fresnoy postgraduate art and audiovisual research centre – who have broken it down and juxtaposed it against natural elements. Its patterns, once exposed, are explored on 16 screens. ‘Pierre Pauze is passionate about quantum physics, which allows us to see beyond linear temporality. He explores cyclical time and uses natural cycles as the temporal structure of his kinetic art,’ says Laurent Dordet, CEO of La Montre Hermès.

‘Clément Vieille places research and technique at the centre of his creative process, reducing a static structure to its lines of tension and compression.’ Vieille invites visitors into what appears to be an infinite cylinder, with two large mirrors on the floor endlessly reflecting the sculpture.

For Vieille, it was a balancing act between the technology that defines the design and the traditions of hand craftsmanship that characterise Hermès. ‘The watch itself was the initial inspiration but was then interpreted, piece by piece, to fill the whole of the large showcase. In the end, the watch becomes almost imperceptible, but the thousands of translucent sculptures that populate the showcase come from a 3D file of the watch I was given at the beginning of the project. It is omnipresent without one really noticing it.’

Adds Pauze, ‘It was as if it was being infused little by little with ideas of organic and mechanical fluidity. It was at this point that we suggested to Hermès that we merge these energies and resources into two parallel projects. The watch is mostly integrated in fragments and through evocation. The idea was to move away from the usual aesthetic that puts the product first. I think that as a watch is worn, it is also experienced. The work does not replace the watch, and the watch does not replace the work. They thus maintain their respective strengths.’

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The 1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition, £5,400, by Montblanc. Inspired by the 2004 Gobi Desert trek of adventurer Reinhold Messner the watch’s tones nod to the natural environment, while its titanium caseback features a laser-engraved, coloured 3D rendering of the desert’s landmark Flaming Cliffs

Montblanc is determined to keep the spirit of adventure alive with its latest watch just unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2021. The newly launched 1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition is inspired by Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, one of the world’s greatest living adventurers.

Now 76, Messner was the first man to conquer Everest without supplemental oxygen and is perhaps most famous for scaling the Seven Summits, his list of the highest peaks of the seven continents – in descending order, Everest, Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson and Puncak Jaya. In 1986 Messner became the second person to climb all seven summits, having been beaten to it by Canadian Pat Morrow several months earlier.

1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition: the inspiration

Montblanc has worked with Messner since 2019, and with its new watch is celebrating not his climbs but his 2004 solo expedition, 2,000km across the Gobi Desert on foot. Even in this inhospitable wasteland there is beauty to be found, and the new managing director of Montblanc’s watch division, Laurent Lecamp, is particularly pleased with the watch’s tribute to the desert’s Bayanzag, also known as Flaming Cliffs. This starkly striking feature was on Messner’s route and is one of the world’s palaeontological hotspots. Its English name was coined by the American Roy Chapman Andrews, who discovered the world’s first fossilised dinosaur eggs there in the 1920s as well as bones of velociraptors – appropriately, Andrews is said to be one of the inspirations for Indiana Jones.

The 1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition features a 3D rendering of the cliffs on its titanium caseback. ‘The process is incredibly complicated and time-consuming,’ says Lecamp. ‘The image is first engraved by laser, then coloured by oxidisation, [then engraved] again by laser. It is one of the most advanced examples of this process in the world and has to be carried out on the individual caseback itself, which means each design is effectively unique.’ The company that creates the renderings is the only one in Switzerland that uses this technique and Montblanc is the only company that uses it on such a scale.

It is a perfect celebration of the past, the future and Messner himself. As Lecamp says, ‘When you speak to him, it’s as if he is from a different era. He is not a great believer in modern communication – you wouldn’t catch him taking selfies on the slopes of Everest. He is very traditional and this is a perfect marriage with our belief in traditional watchmaking.’

Desert tones

The 42mm case itself is based on a design from the 1930s, scaled-up for modern tastes. It is made from satin-finished bronze and has a brass bi-directional bezel with a brown ceramic finish. The colour on the dial graduates from smoked brown to beige. ‘Everything is inspired by the astonishing colours of the desert, as described by Messner,’ explains Lecamp. The indexes and the cathedral-shaped hands are finished in rose gold. As every explorer of the great unknown will tell you, readability in a timepiece is key, so the hands, Arabic numerals, compass indications and hemisphere globes are all coated with an unusual, beige-coloured, hand-applied Super-Luminova.

Defining details

The distinctive rotating Geosphere globes are part of the piece’s world-timer function. The northern hemisphere turns anti-clockwise while the southern goes clockwise; each is encircled by a 24-hour marker to show time around the globe. The second time zone display is found at nine o’clock. At three o’clock, rather than the familiar white star logo representing the snow-covered peak of Mont Blanc (created in 1913) the one featured here is in a retro italic font bisected by a silhouette of the mountain, based on a historic design once found on Montblanc pens.

All great adventures require the right kit and the watch is powered by the Calibre MB 29.25 automatic movement, an in-house manufacture with a 42-hour power reserve. The 1858 moniker refers to the year that the renowned watchmaker Minerva was founded in the Swiss village of Villeret. It became part of Montblanc in 2007 and today the Villeret collections boast the brand’s finest – and most complicated – movements.

Lecamp himself was born in the Pyrenees, but he finds his thrills on the flat. ‘My passion is running marathons,’ he says. ‘The most extreme was in Siberia, where temperatures were below minus 45°C. Now I am in training for a race at the North Pole.’ Montblanc’s 1858 Geosphere Desert Limited Edition, not to mention Lecamp’s plans to pound the pack ice, suggest it will take more than a virus to quell the quest for adventure. 

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This article will feature in the May 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*265), on sale 15 April

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