While the Coronavirus pandemic has cancelled the year’s watch fairs, some brands have opted for alternate means of sharing their new novelties—like Cartier’s virtual showroom, or the 2020 edition of Watches and Wonders, which was moved online. Here, we’re sharing some of our favorite debuts, including timepieces by Vacheron Constantin, Hermès, and Panerai.
Jewelry house Cartier launched its own website to introduce timepieces novelties in the absence of an in-person fair. Through Cartier Watchmaking Encounters, clients and collectors discover every detail on the brand’s newest additions. Our favorite? The Maillon de Cartier, which features an off-set woven chain link bracelet (available in yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold with or without diamonds) accompanying a dainty, geometric face with roman numerals.
While Hermès presented several novelties through Watches and Wonders’ digital showcase, the one that caught our eye was the Arceau L’heure de la Lune. First designed in 1978 by Henri d’Origny, the mechanical self-winding timepiece offers a 43mm white gold case surrounding a blue pearlescent dial. The face of the watch presents a double moon phase—displaying the views from both the northern and southern hemispheres—and hour and minutes functions and is complimented by a matt graphite alligator strap.
Nearly 90 years after the release of the original Reverso watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre is offering a refreshed take on the iconic design. Featuring the Art Deco aesthetic of the original, the Reverso One makes a bold statement in wine, seen in its red guilloché lacquered dial and matching glossy alligator strap. Framing the feminine rectangular dial is a stainless-steel case embellished with 27 glittering diamonds.
The highlight of Montblanc’s 2020 debuts is the 1858 Automatic 24hr designed in the spirit of mountain exploration. The watch includes a single red hand that can be used as a timekeeper, for reading hours and minutes, and as a compass, offering a new complication. Perfect for the modern explorer with old-world taste, the 1858 Automatic 24hr is water resistant up to 100 meters and offers SuperLumiNova technology for optimum readability. The piece bears the brand’s 1930s logo and historical font, a satin-finished case with horn edges, and a special NATO strap with a stainless-steel pin buckle.
Panerai’s Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT Mike Horn Edition is much more than a watch. Limited to five pieces, the owner of each 50mm timepiece will have access to an exclusive Arctic adventure with Mike Horn himself. The EcoPangaea is composed of recycled materials from Horn’s sailing ship and can be distinguished by its unidirectional rotating bezel—visible through a brushed steel skeleton face. Designed as a tool for the avid explorer, the watch boasts a six-day power reserve and water resistance up to 300 meters.
Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers Astronomical upholds a set of timeless codes and aesthetics and possesses a total of 19 complications. Gold casing and navy blue strap and details frame the elegant double-sided minute repeater, which belongs to a range of timepieces named “La Musique du Temps” (or “the music of time”). Measuring at just 3.9mm thick, both sides of the watch are decorated with intricate astronomy-themed details, accompanying features like precise moon phases, celestial hours and minutes, and a transparent sky chart complete with indication of the Milky Way.
