THE LAST WALTZ
CARTIER is poised to take the Santos-Dumont collection to another level with a quartet of limited editions, writes justin ng
CHOPARD bows out of Baselworld but not before unveiling
its final collection associated with the fair, writes justin ng
It is perhaps with a tinge of sadness that we can look back at Baselworld in the years to come that the world’s once largest and most influential watch and jewellery fair succumbed to its organiser’s inability to adapt to the evolving needs of its stakeholders and taking them for granted by making unilateral decisions. Watches may be a sentimental purchase to many collectors but as an industry, it is still a business. When these decisions prove detrimental to dollars and cents, it makes better sense to seek a greener pasture.
Although the mass desertion began a couple of years with the number of tenants shrinking on a year-on-year basis, the exodus of the alliance of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chopard, Chanel and Tudor, as well as LVMH group’s watch brands signalled the fair’s demise at least in significance and scale. Baselworld may still go on, after all it has been held since 1917, but without these anchors, it has no relevance. The Covid-19 pandemic merely hastened the process and likely an irreversible reality.
“Chopard first exhibited at the Basel fair in 1964 with a stand of some 25sqm. After careful consideration, our family decided to support the Rolex initiative and retire from Baselworld – a painful decision. The creation of this new watch show in Geneva, in parallel to Watches & Wonders, will allow us to better serve our watchmaking partners and our customers. Through the alliance, these grandes maisons will also be able to collaborate in promoting the values and best interests of Swiss watchmaking,” says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Chopard co-president, in a collective statement addressing their decision to withdraw from Baselworld.
Watches take months to develop, from design, to prototyping and subsequent production at a larger scale. For Chopard, the process is likely more time-consuming owing to its propensity to use responsibly sourced materials such as precious metals, gemstones and leather. Truly highend pieces from the award-winning L.U.C collection involve exhaustive hours of craftsmanship from filing the miniscule pieces down to exact shapes to the assembly of these pieces into a complex movement such as that of a perpetual calendar.
Unlike Rolex and Patek Philippe which have gone public on their intentions of not releasing any novelty this year, by instead, channelling their resources and focus on 2021, Chopard charts ahead with a number of novelties. The maison is sticking to its roadmap instead of relying solely on past catalogues to tide it over until the new watch fair begins in Geneva next year.
The prominent piece from this year’s collection is its in-house pride and joy L.U.C Perpetual Twin. Few manufactures have the technical know-how to produce a mechanical perpetual calendar. Arguably the complication the legendary Jean-Claude Biver terms as a “computer” is still the torchbearer of Swiss watchmaking. The complexity and craftsmanship involved means that the mechanical perpetual calendar movement is scarcely found outside of Switzerland and Germany. Even in Switzerland, few watchmakers are capable of producing their own and those who could are in the upper echelon of watchmaking prestige. The perpetual calendar is still seen as a horology cognoscenti’s watch and a symbol of haute horlogerie. With the L.U.C Perpetual Twin, Chopard is in good company and proof that it is in no way inferior to its peers. The fact that the joint statement on pulling out of Baselworld was issued together with Patek Philippe, Rolex and Chanel further affirms the point.
Launched in 2016, the original L.U.C Perpetual Twin was one of a handful of stainless steel perpetual calendar watches in the market with the norm being the perpetual calendar clad in precious metals. Chopard, however, took a more democratic approach with the everyday material of stainless steel and paired it with a COSC-certified chronometer-grade inhouse movement. The watch was also aesthetically unique with applied Roman numerals, small seconds and big dates, setting itself apart from those by Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin and JaegerLeCoultre. The move enabled Chopard to enter a high-quality perpetual calendar priced competitively into the market, in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the Chopard Manufacture.
The Chopard Manufacture is where every L.U.C watch is assembled and whose movement is produced in-house through an elaborate process. Few watch brands can call themselves self-sufficient but the Chopard Manufacture can perform, without external reliance, movement construction, product design, gold smelting, case stamping and machining, movement components, traditional hand-crafted decorations, surface treatments, polishing, assembly, movement adjustment and quality control.
For the latest edition, Chopard offers the L.U.C Perpetual Twin in two different references – a blue dial with stainless steel and a ruthenium grey dial with 18k rose gold. While the layout largely remains unchanged – big dates dominating 12 o’clock, small seconds at 6 o’clock, a day-of-the-week subdial at 9 o’clock, a month-of-the-year subdial at 3 o’clock intersecting with a tiny leap year subdial – it has undergone a fine adjustment with Roman numerals retired in favour of hand-applied indices, which makes the new watch more contemporary. Furthermore, the delightful font akin to handwriting has also been retained, lending a much-needed personality, whimsicality and organic expression to the otherwise often stately and solemn perpetual calendar. It is also refreshing to see months are indicated by their English alphabet initials instead of Arabic numerals, albeit the F of February is missing.
The in-house automatic L.U.C 96.22-L movement is the same as before, offering 65 hours of power reserve despite its relatively high frequency of 4Hz. This is possible due to the patented twin barrel technology, which provides more torque than a movement with a single barrel. Just as impressive is that the winding is driven by a micro-rotor made of 22k white gold, ensuring there is sufficient weight to effectively wind the mainspring. Adhering to the L.U.C standards, the movement is lavishly finished by hand and can be admired through a transparent caseback. A couple of correctors are located at the side of the 43mm case, but with the generous power reserve, you shouldn’t worry about readjustment. As always with the perpetual calendar, if it isn’t on your wrist, it should be on a watch winder.
When Cartier introduced the Santos-Dumont timepieces powered by quartz movements last year, it looked set to complement the existing Santos collection, in terms of price points and style. Named after Brazil’s aviation pioneer, Alberto Santos-Dumont, the maison’s founder Louis Cartier first created the Santos-Dumont in 1904 as a timekeeping companion while in flight for his industrious friend. In essence, the Santos-Dumont might have been the world’s first pilot’s watch, even though its elegant and slim profile may not instantly remind one of such, especially when compared to today’s contemporaries. At Cartier Watchmaking Encounters, not only did Cartier unveil three XL models of the Santos-Dumont fitted with manual-winding movements, it also presented four highly exclusive limited editions. With the accelerated development, it seems Cartier has high hopes for the SantosDumont collection and this year appears to be the year the collection is growing into its own.
Last year’s Santos-Dumont, available in large, whose case measures 43.5mm x 31.4mm, and small at 38mm x 27.5mm, was built on versatility where the watch regardless of its size would look impeccable on either gender. Without overtly masculine or feminine, it was easy on the eye but just as effortless to own with a quartz movement that can last up to six years before a replacement of its battery needs to be sought. The XL models, however, have an entirely unique disposition. Boasting a case dimension of 46.6mm x 33.9 mm, few individuals have the right wrist to pull it off. Size does matter here. For those who are undaunted, case materials in 18k pink gold, 18k pink gold and steel, and steel await. They are powered by the in-house 430 MC manual-winding movement, which unlike a quartz or an automatic movement, requires more nurturing and care. With 38 hours of power reserve, you are expected to wind the watch almost on a daily basis. It is perhaps why a manual-winding watch is often regarded as a connoisseur’s watch.
Similarly, the four limited editions are destined to be collectors’ items where each of them celebrates the creations of Santos-Dumont, the visionary. On each caseback, a sketch of Santos-Dumont’s original plans is engraved to join the dots of the historical relationship between man and skies.
Made of platinum and paired with a silvered dial, the Santos-Dumont “Le Brésil” pays homage to Santos-Dumont’s very first flying machine Le Brésil. Unveiled on 4 July 1898, according to the aviator, he regarded the
consequential design as the smallest yet the most beautiful. It would spawn a series of airships numbered one to 22 between 1898 and 1909, as the world watched on in anticipation.
The watch itself is a statement of intent as platinum is perhaps the most precious of all precious metals used in watchmaking, where it is sporadically found on exclusive commemorative pieces. The case measures 43.5mm x 31.4mm. The crown is further adorned with a ruby, which only a handful of select Cartier watches are blessed with. Equipped with an in-house 430 MC manual-winding movement, the Santos-Dumont “Le Brésil” is limited to 100 pieces and paired with a grey alligator leather strap.
The second limited edition, the Santos-Dumont “La Baladeuse” exudes vintage charm as Cartier complements its 18k yellow gold case with a champagne dial to bring out a soft glow, further elevated by the green patinated alligator leather strap. The case is identical to the large model at 43.5mm x 31.4mm, wherein beats the in-house 430 MC manual-winding movement. The crown is set with a sapphire cabochon, complementary to its blued hands. A total of 300 numbered examples are produced.
Named after the single seater intended for Santos-Dumont’s personal use, La Baladeuse was a demonstration of the benefit of having a private flying machine to commute in urban areas. Santos-Dumont crossed the Parisian skies in 1903 in this airship. The act was a prognostication of the future where “aerial omnibuses will transport tourists and business travellers,” he was quoted as saying.
The Santos-Dumont “Le 14 Bis” pays tribute to the n°14 bis, which was described as a kite of compartments courtesy of its complex design. The flying machine bore the semblance of today’s aircraft where the pilot was stationed in the fuselage, which was connected to the rudder and fins through cables. The n°14 bis would claim the Archdeacon Cup on 23 October 1906. Later in the year, on November 12, it won the Aéro-Club award where SantosDumont became the first aviator to officially complete a flight of 220 metres.
The watch celebrating Santos-Dumont’s achievement comprises a bimaterial case. The 43.5mm x 31.4mm case marries a steel overall with an 18k yellow gold bezel. The breadth of colour is amplified with an anthracite grey dial and gilded steel sword-shaped hands. The crown features a blue synthetic spinel. The heart is an in-house 430 MC manual-winding movement. Limited to 500 pieces, the watch comes with a grey alligator leather strap.
The most elaborate of all limited editions, the Santos-Dumont “La Demoiselle”, apart from the watch, is retailed alongside a luxurious ensemble of a box, a pouch and a pair of cufflinks. The accessories are not sold individually. As the sole XL variant of the four limited editions, the watch case measures 46.6mm x 33.9mm. It is made of platinum and possesses a ruby-set crown. The best feature is arguably the ivory-coloured, off-white dial which looks as though it has been aged. The inspiration arises from the panama, a signature hat worn by Santos-Dumont. It is further evident in the square centre of the dial where it contains the motif of the weave. For eagle-eyed connoisseurs, Cartier has replaced the word Cartier at one of the branches of the VII hour marker, in favour of the word Santos.
Created in 1908, “La Demoiselle” is Santos-Dumont’s most accomplished flying machine, and one of the first aircraft to be mass produced. He enthused that Europe would soon unfold “at our feet like a geographical map” as we sailed through the air.
The Santos-Dumont “La Demoiselle”, powered by the in-house 430 MC manual-winding movement, is available in 30 numbered pieces. Each is presented in an exquisite lacquered maple wood box whose interiors are sumptuously lined with linen canvas and Chamel Eco Black. The box has dedicated compartments for a brown alligator leather travel pouch, which is especially useful if you travel with more than just the watch on your wrist, and rhodiumised 18k white gold and red tiger eye cufflinks to dazzle. As for the watch itself, it comes with two strap options – a dandy made-to-measure Panama-weave fabric strap and a classic brown alligator leather strap.