Watches do not evolve at a furious pace. That is helpful because your favourite piece today will remain contemporary for years to come, while also having a shot at becoming a classic. Price and brand positioning do not enter into it, with Swatch, G-Shock, and Seiko all having very striking looks. While this is great for our collections, watch specialist writers and editors might wish for more ephemeral pleasures. Seeing something like the Audemars Piguet Survivor is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, for both better and worse. It has a certain character that makes it unforgettable - an uncompromising take-it-or-leave-it attitude. This is the opposite of the sort of watch we are looking at here, which will have a wide appeal.
In many ways, the watch trade and collectors love it when something like a new dive watch collection drops. That is the sort of collection that should have the broadest possible appeal (we make the case for the dive watch as the most popular and important style of watch elsewhere this issue - Ed), but pilot’s watches or racing watches will also do just as well. So not the Rolex Sky-Dweller or the Patek Philippe Nautilus, but certainly the Breitling Navitmer or the TAG Heuer Carrera.
This story is from the Autumn 2020 edition of World of Watches.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Autumn 2020 edition of World of Watches.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BRAND ELEVATION
On the sidelines of Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari CEO JeanChristophe Babin talks about the challenges of having one brand identity across all categories, and tells us what he really thinks of watch fairs.
EVEN MORE HANDS
For the third year in a row, the collective WOW team shares the watches we ponied up for. As always, we include a couple of fantasy pieces and more than a few fails.
CONCEPTS AND CONSEQUENCES
What is the legacy of concept watches? What happens when the show is over and it is time to actually manufacture them? How do these ticking research labs translate into actual, wearable timepieces...if they ever do?
THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSION
In the watchmaking industry, a company’s longevity is oftentimes measured not in decades but in centuries. What then happens to a brand beyond its founders? We speak to three CEOs to answer this question.
LEAPS AND BOUNDS
The quest to add one day to a month every four years may seem like a mundane task in the digital age, but achieving this mechanically is anything but.
FLIP SIDE
Omega celebrates the first human flight orbit the moon with a new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.
SNAPPING BACK
A powerful showcase for a one-of-a-kind constant force mechanism, the Girard Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement is now available for everyone.
GO FOR GOLD
Forty-five years after Piaget released its allgold Polo 79 luxury sports watch to critical acclaim, the maison revisits this iconic collection with a new ultra-thin movement.
CLEAR WINNER
Hublot's fourth collaboration with Takashi Murakami puts the artist's joyful flower motif at the centre of a bold new case design.
HISTORICAL TRIBUTE
Parmigiani Fleurier launches a new version of their Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar with a vivid green dial.