The top-three models unveiled in China: editor's pick at Qlekta.com.

The main watch event this fall was Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2023 — the Salon held from September 13 to 17 in China's wealthiest city, where fourteen watchmakers exhibited a rather interesting lineup of novelties for collectors and investors. This happens to be the third edition of Watches and Wonders, so it's safe to say the trade show has become a traditional event in the watchmaking calendar.

The watchmaking greats Patek Philippe and Rolex gave it a miss, although no less than nine brands from the Richemont Group took part: A. Lange & Sohne, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin, who were also joined by Arnold & Son, Charriol, Speak-Marine, U-Boat Italo Fontana, and Ulysse Nardin.

The event was visited by over 12,000 people over its five-day run. Some might say this is a small number for a city with over 20 million inhabitants. But it's important to remember here that the Salon which rose from the ashes of the Genevan SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) is an elite and exclusive event.

Outsiders and regular watch fans didn't get much of a look in. All the big names were in attendance. Major Chinese watch and jewelry end-clients and public visitors accounted for 5000 of the visitors.

Apart from them, many Chinese celebrities were spotted at the trade show: popular actors, pop stars and athletes. And social media shares reached another 75 million people, who experienced Watches and Wonders Shanghai online.

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d'Art Tribute to Explorer Naturalists

The main event for collectors was a four-piece set called Tribute to Explorer Naturalists from the iconic Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art collection. The edition is of course a tiny one — only ten of these sets will see the light of day.

From Cape Verde to the Cape of Good Hope, each timepiece is dedicated to an expedition stage on the round-the-world voyage of the British HMS Beagle — an odyssey the ship set out on in 1831 and completed in 1836. It sailed through the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magellan.

Along the way, Charles Darwin discovered a vast array of tropical birds-of-paradise, insects, plants, and fruit. These discoveries have inspired countless scientific, botanical and zoological engravings and drawings, and also serve as the basis of this colorful "miniature narration".

For this limited edition, Vacheron Constantin has once again used the famous self-winding manufacture movement 1120 AT/1 with its original satellite hour display that crawls along a sectoral scale from half past twelve to half past five, leaving the majority of the dial to the masters of atelier crafts.

The pieces have been unveiled in cases measuring 41 mm in diameter made of white- and pink-gold. Each of them has been named after an important stage of the great historic voyage: Cape Verde (Ref. 7500U/000G-B991), Straits of Magellan (Ref. 7500U/000R-B992), Tierra del Fuego (Ref. 7500U/000G-B993) and Cape of Good Hope (7500U/000R-B994).

Unfortunately, the exact price is only available upon request at present. Needless to day, there are plenty of people who would like to get their hands on one of the ten collector's sets, so it looks like Vacheron Constantin is intent on letting them bid it out in a silent auction.

Cartier Tank Cintrée Les Rééditions Limited Edition

Renewed interest in the Tank Cintree, which celebrated its centenary in 2021, has shown everyone how beautiful, elegant, and beloved these curved wrist-hugging Tanks are, especially its own manufacturers. Cartier was particularly impressed by the fact that someone was willing to pay a staggering USD 290,000 for an early Tank Cintree at an auction held by Phillips towards the end of its centenary year.

This wasn't even an extremely rare Tank that once belonged to someone famous, it was a regular watch that showed clear signs of wear. The watchmaker's restorers had to work very hard to make the watch look presentable again. Collectors tend not to appreciate pieces which have undergone such extensive restoration. Then this piece came out of nowhere!

The Tank Cintrée marked another achievement this spring at an auction held by Christie's in May: a platinum model with a light-colored dial sold for CHF 302,400 — almost eight times more expensive than its upper estimate of CHF 40,000.

For Shanghai, its creators prepared a Tank Cintrée in platinum (46.30 × 23 mm) with an eggshell-colored dial bearing applied Roman numerals. And it's more elegant than the centennial Tank, because it's thinner: its case measures just 6.03 mm in height.

They managed to slim the case down thanks to the manually wound ultra-thin 9780 MC (Jaeger-LeCoultre JLC 849 base caliber) with a balance frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph) and a 36-hour power reserve — it measures a mere 1.85 mm in height.

Well, the partners did a perfect job, just like a hundred years ago, when Louis Cartier ordered an ultra-thin movement for Cartier to be developed and manufactured by Edmond Jaeger himself. Availability is limited to 150 pieces priced at USD 38,500 a pop.

A.  Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar "Darth"

Strictly speaking, it'd be hard to call this perpetual calendar a novelty if it weren't for its platinum case — a first for this model — along with the color of its black dial. Fans of the Saxon watchmaker were quick to nickname the watch "Darth" after the Sith Lord seduced by the dark side of the Force in the Star Wars movie saga.

This total-black watch by Lange & Söhne has got extremely high potential. Suffice to say that the first black-dial version of Lange 1 was sold for a staggering USD 233,000 at an auction held by Christie's in June 2016. It was admittedly one of the very rare and legendary steel models. Such models were made as a replacement during repairs for owners who'd leave their watches in to be serviced.

The Saxon manufacture decided to adopt this common practice from car dealers, and use it at their own watch manufacture. In this case however, the service unfolded in a very unexpected way: the owners of watches with cases made of precious metal would politely refuse to return the temporary steel replacements, and happily add them to their collections. Long story short, this practice had barely started when they ended it.

Ever since then, watches by A. Lange & Söhne with white metal cases have made the hearts of collectors flutter. The manufacturer has happily fanned these flames, and tries to reserve the monochrome composition for special watches, such as the white-gold Tourbillon Pour le Mérite Ref. 701.008, which Christie's hammered off in May 2014 for CHF 437,000 including buyer's premium.

An Odysseus Chronograph watch with this configuration was unveiled in spring, and the waiting list for it already stretches years ahead. The same is expected for the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar "Darth".

But generally speaking, the new perpetual calendar, referenced 345.036E, is almost identical to the watch launched three years ago. As a quick reminder, two versions were released back then: a limited 150-piece white-gold edition and an unlimited one in rose gold. The automatic manufacture Caliber L021.3 has a balance frequency of 21,600 vph and a 50-hour power reserve. "Lange 1" is in the name for a good reason.

Its creators managed to revive the aesthetic of their very first model to the greatest possible extent. This is down to the complicated and impressive indication for the months using a rotating ring around the dial's periphery. The Saxon watchmaker has yet to disclose the price, which is available upon request. Given that the 2020 model in white gold cost USD 116,000, we reckon the price quoted for this novelty could be in the region of USD 150,000.