The last time I visited SIHH was in 2013. After a five year break I decided to go see what is happening in the modern watch world.
I want to be honest with you. I don’t like most of the modern watches produced today. They are much too large in size, produced in such vast quantities that when you go to the South of France in the summer the likelihood that your friend is wearing a similar watch is very high. I much prefer the exclusivity of the 1930s – 1970s – era of timepieces when watches were produced in far smaller quantities and the designs were simple and clean.
But I have to say I was very impressed with what I saw at SIHH. And believe me – I am not easily impressed.
Allow me to comment on the independent brands first.
For me the brand that just ‘gets it’ is MB&F. They are so revolutionary in their design and thinking and their products continue to amaze me. I love the new Moonmachine 2 (see main picture above) and their chirping bird with turtle is just downright awesome* (although it is a shame its does not tell time). In many ways I compare this brand with Tesla. It is a relatively new brand started only in 2005, but their open architecture (creating watches and creations with outside designers) is a revolutionary way of thinking within the modern watch world. I like their approach and think this brand will continue to amaze us for years to come.
Another brand that I want to learn more about is Laurent Ferrier. I met and talked to the owner and creator Mr. Ferrier but want to visit the factory and interview Mr. Ferrier properly before I can make a judgement of the brand and the watches he makes. I do like the classical Galet model alot and that is a good starting point to do more research on the brand. Lastly a brand and model I did like is the F. P Journe Split seconds in red gold***. I really love the font of the bezel Tachymeter scale. The most attractive bezel font I have ever seen. Other brands that deserve a comment: I love what de Bethune is doing (but please make smaller watches).
Moving on to the big brands (mostly owned by Richmont) I was extremely impressed.
Not only by some of the innovation that is taking place but even more so by the stands they built. One thing brands understand very well is that a big part of buying a watch is buying into a dream. You are buying into a story and this story was being told incredibly well by many brands. Every single brand had an incredible story to tell once you walked into their house. Vacheron looked like a library at home. Montblanc was one large expedition area and had the most positive energy and buzz out of any brand at SIHH. Their collection looked like is being very well received. IWC had by far the coolest coffee bar area where you just felt like staying the entire afternoon. Jaeger was also very inviting and their Polaris re-issue demonstrates once again that JLC is a master of paying tribute to their heritage. The one brand that really impressed me with the direction they are going is GP or Girard Perregaux. The new Laureato collection** is very nice (finally a watch brand has woken up and making a chronograph in 38mm!) and the brand has a great history upon which it can build.
SIHH is dominated by the Richmont brands and, in case you didn’t know, the largest of them is Cartier. Even if you never heard of any watch brand ever and were visiting SIHH for the first time – once you were inside SIHH – you knew that Cartier must be the giant elephant in the room. Cartier had by far the largest space out of any brand – it was like an entire world all by itself. I like their new Tank Cintree paying tribute to their past and while most where obsessed by the Platinum edition (limited to only 100 pieces), I thought the dial had no soul and no character. I thought the normal gold and pink gold where the much nicer watches.
In terms of trends I noticed three things: There were a lot of watches with moon phases being shown (Vacheron’s new 56 line, MB&F) which is nice. The second trend was the use of special light metals like titanium (Girard Perregaux) and ceramic. Third many brands choose to honour and respect their past (not a new trend but one that is still persisting). Montblanc (with the cathedral hands), Jaeger (Polaris), GP (three bridge tourbillon) not to mention Cartier.
To conclude I thought there was a great energy at SIHH and some real innovation taking place. I did not feel that five years ago.
Buying watches especially luxury mechanical timepieces should be about emotions and dreams. I felt that many brands were doing this in a great and sincere way. Gone where the limited editions just for the sake of doing limited editions. Brands were focused on telling a story. The spaces they created for the visitors was so impressive – it was mindblowing. Each brand had built a mini house or headquarter that explained visually what the brands stood for. In fact, it was so impressive what the brands had displayed and built, that I will be putting SIHH on my Agenda for the foreseeable future to attend.
And that is quite a statement as I am a vintage watch collector and not a modern one.
Let me show you a few pictures of SIHH.
I first headed towards the independent brands to see what they were doing. The independents had their own separate hall.
MB& F has long fascinated me as a brand. And I like how they put their philosophy right on the entrance for everyone to see.
Their new moon phase watch called Moonmachine 2 is very cool (it has the first projected moonphase in the world). I find the price a bit high (nearly €80k) but then again they are limited to 15 pieces in each material.
A visit to Laurent Ferrier was nice – at least I got to see the very first prototype tourbillon with enamel dial that is the personal watch of Laurent Ferrier. Going to do more homework on this brand.
Below Mr. Ferrier along with his charming head of PR Gaelle.
I mentioned above that each brand built like mini houses that represented visually what the brand is about. Here Vacheron’s house that resembled a library of a home.
One of the trends at SIHH, that is not a new trend, but one that is persisting is the way brands pay tribute to their past. JLC reintroducing the Polaris after 50 years again.
I thought it looked especially good on a bracelet – better than the strap in my view.
Cartier also paid tribute to their past by re-launching the large Tank Cintree again. All three metals were nice but my favourite were the two golds.
They even brought along some museum pieces to admire. Here the Cartier Losange from the 1930s that reminds us of the Cartier Assymetric.
Below the watch that apparently belonged to Fred Astaire and sits now the in Cartier private collection. London Cartier 1922.
On the way out SIHH had set a cool photo stand. I had to take advantage of that. Great Marketing indeed.
I will be back with a proper camera next year and spend more than only 3hrs at this fair. You need probably 3 days to see everything properly.
Credit: * Monochrome watches. ** PuristPro *** PuristPro
