Behind the Scenes at Sihh 2015: Watches by Cartier, Audemars Piguet & More
Words by Jody Hume |
1.21.15
The annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Switzerland is where the international community of watch aficionados and journalists gets the first look at luxury watchmaking’s newest releases. Celebrities and watch brands partner up, and timepiece enthusiasts’ Instagram feeds fill up with wrist-shots and close-ups. This year, we captured some of the most extraordinary pieces and events at the fair. Read on to see SIHH 2015 watches from Cartier’s unusual Crash Skeleton to a Greubel Forsey worth more than $1 million, as well as Montblanc’s new brand ambassador (a royal).
Above, Cartier’s Clé de Cartier is designed to invoke the feeling of winding a traditional clock with a key (clé in French). It features a new movement designed in-house, as well as a sapphire-adorned crown that sits flush to the case as opposed to Cartier’s well-known cabochons.
The Cartier Ronde Louis Cartier Filigree Watch
Cartier’s stunning new piece combines the ancient art of filigree with techniques requiring modern equipment created on site at its Maison des Métiers d’Art — an old barn transformed into a cutting-edge workshop for fine watchmaking in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
The Cartier Crash Skeleton Watch, Calibre 9618 MC
Inspired by an accident-damaged timepiece and meant to appeal to 1960s swinging London, Cartier’s Crash watches are known for being produced in rare limited editions. The Cartier Crash Skeleton takes the Maison’s unique design a step further with its base plate that forms the watch’s roman numerals.
Montblanc’s newly announced brand ambassador, Monaco royal Charlotte Casiraghi, talks timepieces with the brand’s CEO Jerome Lambert.
The Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum
Displaying the continents as viewed from the North Pole and 24 cities representing the world’s time zones, the multi-layered dial of Montblanc’s worldtimer allows the wearer to easily set the local time when crossing the globe.
The Audemars Piguet Millenary
With a new hand-wound calibre 5201 movement for 2015, Audemars Piguet continues to innovate its classic women’s design.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Two-Tone Selfwinding
In a bold move that fans of mixed metals will love, Audemars Piguet has added pink gold to the Royal Oak’s traditional steel.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver
The classic méga tapisserie dial of the Royal Oak Offshore (water-resistance of 300 meters) is given a new silver look, and for the first time the caseback is open.
Greubel Forsey
The Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1
With a double tourbillon, a microscopic falcon sculpture by artist Willard Wigan visible through a magnifier in the crown at 9 o’clock and a more than $1.2 million price tag, Greubel Forsey’s SIHH offering earns its status as an art piece.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Calendar Meteorite Dial Watch
With dials made of meteorite — a material whose inner structure produces unique textures and structures — no two of these Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces are the same.
All original photos by @JSBG.
