SNEAK PEEKS

Hang on tight for our full SIHH repo in the next issue. Till then, here is a preview to whet your appetite

VACHERON CONSTANTIN LES CABINOTIERS

GRAND COMPLICATION PHOENIX

Vacheron Constantin’s pre-SIHH preview is a tour de force and a unique piece. The Les Cabinotiers Grand Complication Phoenix spo s 15 complications spread across two dials on both sides of its case, including a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and sidereal time.

The case itself is lavishly decorated, with a hand-engraved case middle that flaunts a phoenix in relief. Over 300 hours alone have been spent engraving the case, which serves as a timely reminder of

Vacheron Constantin’s in-house expe ise

– not just in metiers d’a or watchmaking, but in

making any wish of a client come to life.

ROGER DUBUIS EXCALIBUR HURACÀN PERFORMANTE

Roger Dubuis’s love affair with motorspo s continues with the Excalibur Huracàn Pe ormante, a timepiece inspired by Lamborghini Squadra Corse, the marque’s motorspo s division. The watch is rife with motifs that

are drawn from motorspo s. There is a crown that’s reminiscent of wheel nuts, a titanium-and-rubber case and a yellow-on-black colourway. The movement’s

construction is also an exercise in impeccable pe ormance design, given its symmetrical layout and shape of the components. Roger Dubuis topped things off with a balance wheel inclined at 12 degrees

– a signature for its timepieces that are

associated with Lamborghini.

PIAGET ALTIPLANO

Piaget’s pre-SIHH release for 2019 consists of a trio of Altiplano timepieces, with this specific one for men. Long a pillar for the brand, the Altiplano’s simplicity and svelteness are maintained in this timepiece, with the single twist being the grey meteorite dial that is punctuated by just a date ape ure, thin baton indices and the brand’s signature. It’s a welcome return, in our opinion. A er all, the Widmanstä en pa ern displayed

on the dial has been produced by the cooling of an iron-nickel mixture over thousands of years in space. This makes the material arguably more precious than diamonds. Each timepiece is wholly unique – a veritable

piece of interstellar a unto itself.

IWC PILOT’S WATCH DOUBLE CHRONOGRAPH TOP GUN CERATANIUM

The Top Gun line within IWC’s Pilot’s Watch collection consists of pe ormance oriented timepieces spo ing

cases rendered in high-tech materials such as ceramic. The Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium here is no different, and marks two firsts for the brand. For one, this is the first time Ceratanium, IWC’s proprietary alloy, is used in a Pilot’s Watch model. The timepiece also marks the first all-black colourway in the collection. Naturally, the stealthy, high pe ormance design demands a suitably technical movement, and IWC does not disappoint – a self-winding ra rapante

chronograph movement powers this watch.

MONTBLANC TIMEWALKER MANUFACTURE

CHRONOGRAPH AUTOMATIC

Under Davide Cerrato’s leadership, Montblanc has been restructuring its watch division, with the various lines being consolidated and simplified. The TimeWalker is now Montblanc’s interpretation of vintage automobile racing, before the advent of high-tech materials and cu ing-edge technology. The TimeWalker Manufacture Chronograph Automatic here is representative of that. Note, for instance, the reverse panda dial, the tachymeter scale on the bezel, and the pe orated leather strap. The watch is powered by Montblanc’s manufacture movement, and has undergone the

brand’s Montblanc Laboratory Test 500.