EIGHT WONDERS

Staged online as a virtual show in late April, Switzerland’s inaugural Watches and Wonders show saw the unveiling of a bounty of new models from some of the country’s leading horological names. Among them, these caught our eye

Switzerland’s inaugural Watches and Wonders show saw the unveiling of a bounty of new models

When the former Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie – or, as everyone referred to it, SIHH – decided last autumn not only to move its slot on the calendar from January to late April, but also to rename itself Watches and Wonders, you could almost hear the collective gasp from the world’s watch professionals, journalists and aficionados. Its rival Baselworld was already in the throes of its own existence-threatening upheavals – now, it seemed, similar issues might be about to engulf the Geneva show too.

In the event, and no thanks to the global Covid-19 pandemic, neither event was held this year. But after announcing in late February that W&W was cancelling its first-ever Swiss edition, the organisers later revealed that instead it would be taking to cyberspace, with a virtual show involving all 30 brands that had been scheduled to participate in the real-world event at Geneva’s Palexpo. As well as Richemont group stalwarts such as A. Lange & Söhne, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Vacheron Constantin, their ranks would also be joined by the like of luxury maison Hermès, as well as leading independent watch houses. Along with countless other watch enthusiasts around the world, we logged on to the W&W website on April 25, we watched and we wondered. And from the trove of new models that showed up on our laptops over the next few hours, we eventually chose the following selection for your information, delectation and enjoyment.

HERMÈS ARCEAU L’HEURE DE LA LUNE WE’RE NO LESS BLOWN AWAY IN MID-2020 BY THE FRENCH MAISON’S TAKE ON THE MOONPHASE WATCH THAN WHEN WE FIRST SAW IT EARLY LAST YEAR. BUT NOW THAT THREE LIMITED-EDITION VERSIONS OF THE ARCEAU L’HEURE DE LA LUNE ARE AVAILABLE WITH DIALS MADE FROM METEORITE — INCLUDING THIS VERY RARE “MARTIAN”, ONLY TWO OF WHICH ARE BEING PRODUCED — WE’RE EVEN MORE ENTRANCED BY ITS BEAUTY AND INGENUITY. IT’S POWERED BY A MECHANICAL MOVEMENT THAT ROTATES A PAIR OF DIALS AROUND TWIN MOTHER-OF-PEARL MOONS, WHICH RATHER PLAYFULLY DEPICT THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN HEMISPHERES IN INVERSE ORDER. ALSO AVAILABLE ARE NEW ADDITIONS TO THE MAIN COLLECTION WITH DIALS IN BLUE PEARL OR LAPIS LAZULI. ALTHOUGH WE’D BE DELIGHTED TO STRAP ANY ONE OF THEM ON TO OUR WRIST, WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT A FRAGMENT OF THE RED PLANET DOES TAKE SOME BEATING — AS DO HERMÈS’S INCREASINGLY IMPRESSIVE HOROLOGICAL CREDENTIALS