Here's our pick of the top five most interesting novelties this year has seen so far.
1. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano Limited
The Grande Maison in the village of Le Sentier is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its top iconic Reverso model this year. Jaeger-LeCoultre has marked this big date by releasing the Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano Limited (Ref. Q398256J). This was a rather unusual decision when you consider that the Reverso with two dials — better known as Duoface — is a relatively new model which only debuted in 1994.
The main dial is a burgundy-red color and its lacquered surface is etched with a sunray pattern. Its Dauphine hands and similarly shaped indexes have been rendered in pink gold. Flipping over the watch case's main capsule, the dial on the reverse side is silver and decorated with the traditional Clous de Paris classic guilloché pattern.
The second dial is usually designated for telling the time in a second time zone. Instead of the usual small seconds at 6 o'clock, there's a 24-hour night / day indicator there. There's a slider switch set into the top case-band for adjusting the hands of the second time zone. The measurements of the pink-gold case are 47mm (height) x 28.3mm (width) x 10.3mm (thickness). The model is equipped with the ultra-thin hand-wound JLC 854A/2 manufacture movement, with a balance that runs at a frequency of 21 600 vph and a 42-hour power reserve.
The watch is worn on a handcrafted strap by the world-famous Argentinian maker of polo and riding boots Casa Fagliano, and has the usual clasp in pink gold. The model's release will be limited to 190 pieces priced at USD 23,900, which will be available for purchase exclusively through Jaeger-LeCoultre's boutiques.
2. Bulgari Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon
In 1996, the great watch maestro Gérald Genta introduced the second wristwatch in watchmaking history with a minute repeater that plays the Westminster chime with four sets of gongs and hammers. For a long time, Patek Philippe, Gérald Genta, Ulysse Nardin and Jaeger-LeCoultre were the only watchmakers to have ever made these most advanced wrist-worn repeaters.
It's also one of the reasons why Bulgari acquired the Gérald Genta brand in 2000, which came with all the watchmaker's technical know-how and automatically initiated Bulgari as a member of this elite haute horlogerie club. Bulgari has enjoyed reminding us about this on a regular basis ever since. This year, you could say that Bulgari has presented the first designer high-tech styled minute repeater, which kind of looks like one of those little portable bluetooth speakers for smartphones or tablets.
The 44 mm case is made of titanium — the metal with the best acoustic properties for repeaters in tiny wristwatch movements. At the same time, its creators insist that DLC-coated titanium will provide optimal volume for the chiming mechanism.
The manually wound manufacture Caliber BVL428 is skeletonized, equipped with a repeater that has three hammers, a tourbillon, an impressive 75-hour power reserve indicator, and has a balance frequency of 21,600 vph. Only 15 of these repeaters are to be released, which will be sold exclusively through the Bulgari's single-brand boutiques with a price tag of USD 259,000.
3. Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch
The world-leading Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko is celebrating its 140th birthday. To mark this milestone date, the Japanese company has made its top brand Grand Seiko the main focus. They only began exporting these watches five years ago. Until then, people living outside the Land of the Rising Sun were deprived of the opportunity to appreciate the brand's luxury.
This model has of course attracted considerable interest from collectors. Its full name is a mouthful: Grand Seiko Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Days Jewelry Watch Seiko 140th Anniversary Limited Edition. It's the brand's first watch in the Haute Joaillerie category, released in a limited edition of 15 pieces, each of which costs EUR 195,000.
The classic characteristically round case is 43 mm in diameter and made of Platinum 950. It's been polished using an extremely unusual technique for what is a very soft and pliable metal. Zaratsu polishing involves sanding and rough buffing, which some sources say was how the famous katana samurai swords used to be made shine like mirrors in the Middle Ages.
The green mother-of pearl dial inspired by the shades of Mishaka pond is encrusted with a surrounding ring of 48 baguette-cut diamonds, 48 diamonds around the flange (weighing 2.23 carats in total), and 24 green baguette-cut garnets (weighing 0.63 carats). The model is equipped with the latest hand-wound Spring Drive Caliber 9R01 movement with a "glide wheel" replacing the conventional balance wheel, which rotates at a speed of 36,000 vph.
Moreover, its power reserve has been increased right up to 8 days, which makes for a record-beating combination of speed and autonomy. Its guaranteed timekeeping accuracy of ± 10 per month is also staggering!
4. Panerai Platinumtech Luminor Marina Ref. PAM01116
It's been a long time since this Italian-Swiss watchmaker has created a watch in a platinum case. This big surprise has come in the form of a 44 mm model in the brand's recognizable cushion-shaped case with Panerai's famous crown-protecting lever. Mind you, this is no ordinary platinum they've used here. The manufacturer, still on its quest to find the perfect case material, is calling it extra-hard platinum.
Platinumtech has alloyed platinum with iridium and titanium. The ratio of these materials and other additives are being kept strictly secret, but they help the case to maintain its original appearance for a very long time. To top it off, there's a 70-year warranty promised in a logo on the watch's sapphire crystal caseback. Another of Platinumtech's unusual features which makes the watch a rarity is its khaki green sun-brushed dial. The model's release will be limited to 70 pieces headed for Panerai boutiques where they'll retail for USD 36,900.
5. Hermès Slim d'Hermès Quantième Perpétuel
After six years, the watch division of the famous French luxury goods manufacturer La Montre Hermès has surprised us by releasing two versions of its perpetual calendar from the Slim d'Hermès collection. It has a very unusual combination of case materials. There's the middle part of the case is made of polished titanium plus two bezels: one made of 750 5N rose-gold, and another made of 950 platinum. It's still got that same perpetual calendar created by the famous master Jean-Marc Wiederrecht.
It has an unusual indication at 9 o'clock combining the month and leap year indications, a moon-phase indication with a white mother-of-pearl moon disk against an aventurine sky, as well as a subdial for a second time zone with a seemingly random jumble of spiraling numerals. The font of its numerals has been specially created for Hermès by graphic designer Philippe Apeloig.
The watch's automatic ultra-thin caliber H1950 which is only 4 mm thick was produced at the Vaucher Manufacture, where Hermès is one of the majority shareholders. Both models have anthracite dials which only differ in the color of their hands: one model's hands are 4N gold-plated, while the other's are rhodium-plated. They're both priced at USD 33,600.
The watchmaker has a tradition of not making any announcements about how many pieces will be released. But everyone knows that this great watchmaker adheres to the policy of always keeping branded Hermès luxury goods as exclusive as possible, whether it be ladies' bags, belts, ties, mansions, interiors, tableware or watches. Starting from April, the watches will begin to be stocked at La Montre Hermès retailers.