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2009 has been a very volatile and tumultuous year for the global fine watches industry. The industry has witnessed much turbulence wrought by the continuing economic recession. Nevertheless, resilience is the name of the game and the trade continues to impress with ingenious and innovative new watch models. Our New Jersey, USA-based special correspondent Roberta Naas, an acclaimed industry expert and a keen observer of the premium watches and fine jewellery scene, presents 14 of the finest industry releases from some of the most renowned brand names.
In retrospect, despite the sagging global economy, the year 2009 wasn’t a total wash for the watch industry after all. Certainly, some countries were hit harder than others at the retail level, causing a back draft on order levels to watch brands, but overall what could have been catastrophe turned to creativity instead.
Granted, 2009 saw a myriad of changes in terms of brands (with some falling off the charts and other, believe it or not, making a debut), people and leadership direction, technology and design direction – all of which will have some impact on watches not only now but in the next year.
Perhaps most interesting in terms of new brands on the market is the unveiling of the luxury Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co. – the result of a four-year collaboration between Ralph Lauren and the Richemont Group. Ralph Lauren, an avid lover and collector of timepieces, has long desired to create his own brand, so this was a natural step. He was just waiting for the right alignment. The Ralph Lauren watches utilize movements by sister companies, including Piaget, IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, and are crafted of either platinum, 18-karat rose or white gold, or stainless steel with exceptional finishes and intricate details that belie the Ralph Lauren heritage.
Nubeo is also a brand that made its debut this year – with both watches and jewelry of significant appeal. Promoted by one of the world’s best basketball players, Kobe Bryant, Nubeo’s first introduction was the Black Mamba collection. The main claim-to-fame of the Black Mamba is its technically advanced 131-part case, made of titanium treated with DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) and featuring a ceramic bezel and rubber crown, pusher and straps. This watch collection also falls into several of the year’s other hot categories: new materials and the trend toward black watches.
Another recent newcomer to the global market is Red8world – released by the well-known Christian Bedat. Bedat, who left the company that bore his name back in 2006, had said he would not re-enter the luxury watch market. However, he returns on the scene with a very affordable ($880 US) Asian-made product that is sold only on the internet (red8world.ccom). The watch is sold in several different models, with bezels that have words on them carrying socio-philosophical messages on them that appeal to different causes, including green, peace, harmony and cultural diversity.
Conceived of and developed in a year by Bedat, Red8World watches house Japanese-made self-winding eco-auto-quartz movements, called the I-matic, and are water resistant to 200 meters. They feature a steel crown with a signature red plastic coating, anti-reflective crystal and Superluminova hands and markers. The casebacks are engraved with the words “Designed on Earth, Produced in Asia.”
With this watch, Bedat is offering an affordable product to anyone, any where. In fact, affordability is a strategy many watch brands employed this year. Watch brands that typically carry platinum and 18-karat gold, were sure to unveil more stainless steel collections, and some even offered multi-metal watches, with combinations of steel and 18-karat gold to offer lower entry price points to attract new customers. Such was the case with brands such as Blancpain and Zenith, both of which offered steel sports watches at new entry price points.
“Creativity is key to surviving and moving forward in this economy,” says Marc Hayek of Blancpain.
Indeed, rather than be stifled by the economic slowdown, many brands just kept on creating new designs and technology to offer ever more exciting timepieces – especially in the luxury market. Ulysse Nardin, for instance, has unveiled Moonstruck ($88,000), a patented astronomical watch that is the world’s first to indicate tides around the world and depict the gravitation influences not only of the moon, but also the sun and even the centrifugal force of the Earth on the Earth’s tides.
This scientifically correct astronomical watch, envisioned by Ulysse Nardin owner, Rolf Schnyder, and developed by scientist and master watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, was several years in the making. It was unveiled officially in September at the Nice Observatory, part of the Observatoire de la Cote d’ Azure, and features a hand-painted Earth disk in the center of the watch, with tides indications, sun and moon position disk, moonphase indicator, GMT and calendar. The watch is incredibly easy to read and to work – making it one more masterpiece from this grand House. And, in true Ulysse Nardin style, the in-house manufactured Caliber UN-106 features a silicium escapement and silicium hairspring: cutting edge materials utilized by only a few.
Other important developments in movements and technological advancements derived from brands such as Cartier, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in America and so unveiled a host of new technical timepieces, including the Cartier Santos 100 Skeleton watch (approximately $51,500). It is crafted in palladium and houses the patented 9611 MC Caliber with138 hand-made components. The innovative design of the skeleton movement lies in the fact that it its bridges have been shaped into the form of Roman numerals.
MB&F released the Horological Machine No 3 Sidewinder ($74,000), which offers a truly unusual timekeeping structure. It features twin cones that respectively indicate the hour and the minutes, with the hour cylinder featuring a day/night indicator on its top. It then offers a flat surface with an oversized date wheel, with the date indicated by an engraved triangle on the perimeter. The movement is skeletonized to view the battle-axe shaped rotor, oscillating balance wheel and finely finished gears and parts. A sapphire caseback allows viewing of the 304-part movement’s two large high-tech ceramic bearings that transmit the power to the cylinders and date wheel. The watch was conceived of by Max Busser & Friends, the product design is by Eric Giroud and it has been turned into horological realty by Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and his team.
Historically known for the invention of the tourbillon, Breguet continued its work in this vein, and released the incredibly alluring Classique Grande Complication 5347 Double Tourbillon ($374,900). This technical masterpiece is crafted in 18-karat rose gold and houses a hand-wound movement with two tourbillon regulators rotating on the hour axis. The movement consists of 570 components including 85 jewels.
Working in high-tech materials and wishing to offer customers a caliber that needs less lubrication, Audemars Piguet released the platinum Jules Audemars watch ($239,600) that houses the 267-part hand-wound Caliber 2908 with Audemars Piguet Escapement. Ten years in the making, it operates lubricant free and guarantees superior shock resistance. It operates at a frequency of 43,200 vibrations per hour, enhancing timekeeping.
Offering a blend of edgy design and technical innovation, Harry Winston pulls out all the stops in its Opus 9. The automatic self-winding watch uses a chain system to display the hours and minutes in linear display. Crafted in 18-karat white gold, the watch features a baguette diamond chain on the left side that indicates the hours and on the right side a garnet chain indicates the minutes – replacing the traditional watch hands and cyclical dial. The watch is set with 66 baguette diamonds weighing 2.148 carats and 6 garnets. Only 100 pieces will be made of this groundbreaking technological design. It is the result of a partnership between Harry Winston and independent watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederrecht and designer Eric Giroud.
Parmigiani, recently released its all new Bugatti Centenaire, the last edition in the series to feature the legendary Type 370 transverse movement and design. Offered in rose gold or in platinum, it celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Bugatti brand.
Omega celebrated the 40th anniversary of the moon landing with a specially made Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 40th Anniversary Limited Edition watch ($5,800). It was July 1969 that Neil Armstrong stepped out of Apollo 11 and onto the dusty surface of the moon. Strapped on his wrist was an Omega Speedmaster. Now, the brand celebrates its historic time in space by unveiling a new watch in honor of its singular recognition as the only watch to have gone to the moon and as the only watch ever to be approved by NASA for use on all its manned flights. The case back of the anniversary watch features the Apollo 11 patch and is engraved with “The first watch worn on the moon, July 21, 1969.”
Other companies recognized the importance of going green and did so not only by updating their factories, but also by sponsoring environmental groups and organizations – giving the watch industry a conscience beyond its philanthropic heart. Such was the case with IWC, which created the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition Galapagos Island watch ($6,500). The dive watch houses an automatic mechanism, offers chronograph functions and is crafted in steel with black vulcanized rubber coating. The caseback features an intricate relief engraving of the giant tortoise known on the islands. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this watch will benefit the Charles Darwin Foundation.
Similarly, TAG Heuer shares a commitment to the environment and wildlife preservation, with its brand ambassador, Leonardo DiCaprio, and teamed up to create a limited-edition TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M watch ($2,600). Proceeds from the sales of the watch will benefit the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which works to protect the planet’s wildlife and wild places, and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. The watch is water resistant to 500 meters, is equipped with a unidirectional turning bezel that ensures precise elapsed dive-time measurement, and features an automatic helium escape valve. Only 1,400 pieces will be built, each with “DiCaprio Limited Edition” engraved on the caseback.
Finally, many brands recognized that no matter what, diamonds and gemstones always brighten the spirits. As such – in varying degrees from a sprinkling to total paving – they bedecked their timepieces with the gems of the Earth.
All of these marvelous inroads were made in a year dubbed one of the watch industry’s worst economically in decades. It certainly leaves no question that ever more scintillating masterpieces lay ahead for 2010.