The great and the good of the watch world descended on Geneva last week for this year’s SIHH. Watches of Switzerland was there – here are our best in show

It is the show everyone with a passion for watches wants to go to. At Le Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, or SIHH as it’s known, 18 of the world’s most luxurious watch brands gather to present their new creations. This is where you see many of the most outrageous complications and the most innovative technologies – high-end horology is the name of the game.

This year’s offerings didn’t disappoint. Here, we’ve picked out a variety of new timepieces. Some fit with emerging trends, others demonstrate new achievements for a brand, while others simply capture the history and beauty of fine watchmaking. We’ve also asked Watches of Switzerland’s expert buying manager Mark Toulson – who is an SIHH veteran with 12 shows under his belt – to offer his verdict on each piece.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Tourbillon

Last year was massive for Jaeger-LeCoultre. The brand experienced huge growth in the UK – richly deserved. The collection is ripe with strong designs and timeless classics, all backed up by the brand’s epic range of in-house movements.

This year’s new collection blew the doors off again. The Duomètre à Sphérotourbillon becomes the first tourbillon with precise time-setting (incredible to think no one has done this in the 200-plus years since the tourbillon was invented), while the Deep Sea Vintage Chronograph is one of the most successful revivals seen to date.

But credit to Jaeger-LeCoultre for capturing the zeitgeist with the new, subtly tweaked Master collection. The Ultra Thin Tourbillon model in pink gold stood out – simple and understated to the eye, yet highly complicated under the dial, it is the consummate 21st century luxury watch.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘It’s aesthetically simple, and a classic design. And with its new high-frequency Calibre 982 movement – which features a titanium carriage – it’s the perfect marriage of tradition and modernity.’
Due in stores: November
Price: £46,300

 

Panerai Tuttonero Luminor 1950 3 Days GMT Automatic Ceramica

Panerai’s new Tuttonero (ref PAM00438) marks the first time the brand has done a watch with a ceramic case and bracelet. The moniker comes from the matt all-black finish, which gives the watch a stealthy look.

As you’d expect, the Panerai DNA is all there, but the Luminor 1950 case shape, sandwich dial and patented device protecting the crown tell only part of the story. Panerai painstakingly designed the bracelet to integrate seamlessly into the case and sit comfortably on your wrist by making each asymmetrical link individual. These are the kind of details that make a luxury watch special.

The Tuttonero houses Panerai’s P.9001/B automatic calibre, which equips it with a three-day power reserve, date window and a GMT function.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘Panerai’s first watch with a ceramic bracelet is, like the rest of the collection, very cool indeed!’
Due in stores: Autumn
Price: £10,500

 

Cartier Tank Anglaise

Cartier’s exquisite Fine Watchmaking collection tends to grab most of the headlines (see our blog entry on the new collection here), but that shouldn’t overshadow the fact this is the year of the Tank, and more specifically, the new Tank Anglaise.

Cartier first designed the Tank as a thank you to the Allied forces, whose tanks helped to defend Paris during the First World War, and the famous case shape is one of the most iconic in watchmaking. The Tank Américaine joined the collection in 1989, the Tank Française in 1996 and now London has its own Tank too.

Cartier has wasted no time in producing an extensive range of Tank Anglaise models – it’s been launched in three sizes (small, medium and large) and in a range of metals and diamond finishes. Every model features the distinctive crown design. The case wraps round the crown, which serves to protect it, but more significantly adds a unique aesthetic. This rose gold, diamond-set small model is a real head-turner.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘A subtle reinterpretation of Cartier’s classic Tank, the Anglaise has all the ingredients to carry the Tank family through the next decade.’
Due in stores: June
Price: £23,000

 

IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar TOP GUN

As we reported before SIHH, IWC declared this the year of the Pilot’s Watch. The pre-SIHH announcement of the Pilot’s Watch Chronograph TOP GUN Miramar was followed at the show by four more TOP GUN watches, including this Big Pilot’s Watch model, which features a perpetual calendar movement.

IWC remains determinedly masculine (there are still no ladies watches, per se, in the collection), and at 48mm, this watch is a case in point. Add in lashings of black ceramic, a titanium crown and a soft black fabric strap, and you’ve got a man’s man kind of timepiece.

Inside is IWC’s in-house Calibre 51614 perpetual calendar movement, which boasts a mechanical brain that will take into account leap years until 2100, and a massive seven-day power reserve.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘At 48mm, it’s big, but it’s an excellent fusion of a high-tech ceramic case and a traditional perpetual calendar movement.’
Due in stores: Autumn
Price: £32,500

 

Audemars Piguet Extra Thin 40th Anniversary Royal Oak

Audemars Piguet isn’t without justification in claiming that in watch terms, history is split into the years before the Royal Oak, and the years after it. Back in 1972, the Royal Oak was the world’s first luxury watch made of steel. It cost more than an equivalent model in white gold (during development, Audemars Piguet cast Royal Oak prototypes in white gold, because the technology for working with steel wasn’t up to speed at the time) and yet somehow captured the imagination to become one of the most desirable watches ever made.

The 40th anniversary collection includes a couple of open-worked dial models, both of which are breathtaking, but we were rather nostalgic for the Extra-Thin Royal Oak, which – to quote the brand – ‘comes as close as one could imagine to the original.’

That means it has the famous ‘Petite Tapisserie’ patterned blue dial with white gold AP initials at 6 o’clock and a 39mm steel case, just like the 1972 original. At 8.1mm thick, it feels very slender next to some of the contemporary Royal Oaks, while in keeping with today’s tastes, it has a sapphire crystal case back so you can gaze longingly into Audemars Piguet’s new Calibre 2121 automatic movement.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘AP’s iconic Royal Oak is as relevant today as it was when it first launched in 40 years ago. A true classic!’
Due in stores: June/July
Price: £15,700

 

Vacheron Constantin Malte 100th Anniversary Edition

The watch world isn’t shy of celebrating an anniversary, not least when it’s a centenary. This year, Vacheron Constantin is casting its mind back to 1912 and the launch of its first tonneau-shaped watch, the iconic Malte. Tonneau, incidentally, is French for barrel, the object that originally inspired the shape.

The brand presented a number of Malte models to mark the occasion (not forgetting the stunning Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon), but our favourite was this limited 100th Anniversary Edition in platinum.

The watch looks simple, but it’s a technical tour de force. Its manually wound movement has a 65-hour power reserve, despite being only 2.8mm thick. The watch is so well crafted that it conforms to the new Geneva Seal criteria, which now demand the watch case meets rigorous quality standards as well as the movement inside it.

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘This is my watch of SIHH 2012. I just thought it was so beautiful and the fact it’s limited to just 100 pieces makes it all the more special. Sumptuous. Roll out the barrel!’
Due in stores: September
Price: £37,100

 

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Time Zone

A brand with a reputation that just keeps getting stronger, A. Lange & Söhne boosted its flagship Lange 1 collection with three new pieces this year, any one of which merits a place here. After casting lots, we picked the Time Zone because sometimes only a traveller’s watch will do.

Lange’s spin on the genre is typically pared back to look at from the dial side, and equally, it’s typically complex on the inside (if you get the chance, a view through the sapphire crystal case back is a treat). For example, both home and second time zone displays carry a day/night indicator, and the watch still finds space to discreetly, yet clearly, carry a power reserve indicator.

In fact, legibility is one of this watch’s great assets. A city ring around the outside of the dial, a Lange signature large date and luminous hands and markers all make it very easy to read. And did we mention how beautiful it is?

Mark Toulson’s verdict: ‘With luminous hands and hour markers, this is a functional watch for the frequent traveller that looks beautiful at any time of day or night.’
Due in stores: Autumn
Price: £34,300

By Robin Swithinbank