Continuing our look back Watches & Wonders Miami, we’re sharing some favorite debuts from Cartier, Audemars Piguet, HYT, and Girard-Perregaux.
Taking a page from its own history, Cartier’s Baignoire collection was inspired by Louis Cartier’s 1912 design, which stretched the traditional round watch into an oblong oval, resembling the shape of a bathtub—or a “baignoire.” Today, the brand has reworked the original Baignoire designs, presenting us with several variations of two models—the small model Baignoire watch and Allongée timepiece, which come in multiple size and color combinations. Our favorite? The white gold Allongée piece set with nearly 900 brilliant-cut sparkling diamonds.
Influenced by the scientific idea that a collision is an interaction, rather than an accident, HYT created a constructive collision of mechanical horology and fluid technology in order to bring us the H1.0 timepiece. Transparent from all sides, the three-dimensional construction of the watch allows the wearer to view the entrancing flow of the green Super-Luminova layer against the charcoal gray face—which also enables easy visibility during darker hours. With the watch’s lightly patterned rubber strap and 65-hour power reserve, the wearer of this sleek accessory is guaranteed comfort and stability at any time of day.
Audemars Piguet challenged the limits of craftsmanship with the introduction of the Code 11.59 collection. Featuring six variations in caliber designed with both men and women in mind, the collection included three of the brand’s existing movements (the Tourbillon Openworked, a Perpetual Calendar, a Minute Repeater Supersonnerie) and three new calibers—the self-winding, self-winding flying tourbillon, and an integrated column wheel chronograph. While the collection highlighted the watchmaker’s knack for unconventional craftsmanship, a strong classic aesthetic remained intact in each piece’s iconic round dial and the inclusion of materials like rose and white gold and alligator leather. Our favorite model was the perpetual calendar, which featured the stars of the night sky painted on its dial, and a blue alligator strap with a pink gold folding clasp.
A Neo-Tourbillon timepiece with Three Bridges movement, Girard-Perregaux’s latest creation, Quasar, reveals its complex internal workings through an encasing made entirely of sapphire crystal—a first for the brand. Named for the ultra-luminous area at the center of a galaxy surrounding a black hole, Quasar embodies the unusual paring of light and extreme darkness. After first being drawn to the workings of the watch’s cogs and gears, the wearer’s eye will notice the light through the transparent glass, illuminating the spaces between the moving components. The 45 mm face features skeletonized white gold hands and delicate purple details, complemented by a hand-sewn black alligator strap.
