Think ‘trade fair’, think provincial aircraft hangar full of lean-to cubicles offering free biros, right? Well, not quite in the case of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or “Ess Ee Ash Ash” as its sophisticated Francophone exhibitors have it. Here, inside Geneva Airport’s sprawling Palexpo complex, 15,000 visitors come every January to revel in the latest top-end timepieces from Switzerland’s finest, embraced in a cocoon of tasteful eggshell tones, with sushi on tap. Not a biro in sight. SIHH’s studied calm is exactly why Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Piaget, Gérald Genta, and Daniel Roth all broke away from the exuberant jamboree that is the spring Baselworld fair in 1990, setting up their own at Palexpo. That was exactly 25 years ago, and we’re now up to 16 brands, thanks to Richemont Group’s booming portfolio, which now includes Montblanc, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai, plus a select few, horologically qualified friends, including Audemars Piguet and Parmigiani Fleurier.

1. Watch News Update
Think‘trade fair’,thinkprovincial aircraft hangarfull of lean-to cubicles offering free biros, right? Well,
not quite in the case of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie or “Ess Ee Ash Ash” as its
sophisticated Francophone exhibitors have it.
Here, inside Geneva Airport’s sprawling Palexpo complex, 15,000 visitors come every January to revel in
the latesttop-endtimepiecesfromSwitzerland’s finest,embracedin a cocoon of tasteful eggshell tones, with
sushi on tap. Not a biro in sight.
SIHH’s studied calm is exactly why Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Piaget, Gérald Genta, and Daniel Roth all
broke away from the exuberant jamboree that is the spring Baselworld fair in 1990, setting up their own at
Palexpo. That was exactly 25 years ago, and we’re now up to 16 brands, thanks to Richemont Group’s
booming portfolio, which now includes Montblanc, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai, plus a select few,
horologically qualified friends, including Audemars Piguet and Parmigiani Fleurier.
The champagne flows and the conversation sparkles – undoubtedly laying waste to hundreds of
wellintended Dry Januaries. But we’re here for the watches, primarily. For not only is SIHH the only
opportunityyou’llhave tohandle the rarercreations before they’re snappedupand squirrelled away in
collections, but it’s a bellwether for the year ahead and a feel for things to come at Basel.
By all rights,the pervadingmoodshouldhave been cautiousthisJanuary,giventhe Russianslowdown, China’s
ever-stricter gifting restrictions and of course the Swiss National Bank’s abrupt uncapping of the franc
just days before SIHH opened for business. But while there were undoubtedly fewer horological
fireworks going on, a keener focus could be felt on every brand pavilion; a sense of doing what’s right for
the brand,and gettingit“just right”. Nonetheless,some funwasstilltobe had, spotting trends and making lists.
So here are the five best things we learned from this year’s SIHH…
1. YOU CANBE GIRLY ANDGROWN-UP
Men the worldover are breathing a sigh of relief, as they are waking up to find their own watches still
present and correct on the dresser. The era of the adopted ‘boyfriend’ watch is coming to an end, as
women who want a watch with soul especially a dress, or cocktail watch are being directly served at
last.
“So determined was I to prove that I wasn’t a silly girl,” admits Laura McCreddie, editor of women’s
watch website Eve’sWatch,“Iusedto match stilettoheelsanddelicate frocks with that most appropriate
of companions: a Bremont Solo; a watch more suited to a cockpit than cocktail hour. But I soon realised that I

2. was ignoring a lot of brands making delicate dials under which beat a mechanical heart.”
The trend for brains as well as beauty continues this year, with Richard Mille’s frankly jaw-dropping 19-02
Tourbillon Fleur, whose magnolia petals open up every five minutes to reveal its merry-go-round
tourbillion carrousel,whichfloatsout ofthe dialby a millimetre. If you don’t have $1.1m to splash about however,
look no further than ladies’ one-stop-shop for all things classic and cocktail: Cartier. The grande dame of Paris is
famed for its innovative case shapes, and the dainty, ovoid Clé is no exception – so named for its snap-fit crown,
shaped like an old winding key; a joy to idly twiddle. (Pink gold with diamonds pictured, £24,400.)
For something a little more muted and versatile, Germany’s venerable A. Lange & Söhne has made an
interestingmove:itsgent’sSaxoniaisbeingshrunkfrom37mmto 35mm, in response to ladies’ request
for a traditional, clean men’s style that actually fits their wrist. In an industry where everything seems to be
getting bigger, this spells an intriguing trend.
2. BIG IS STILL,ER, BIG
Men need not worry, however: those original exponents of the oversized wrist gadget are still doing
what they do best. Panerai for example, each of whose 47mm wide Luminor Submersible 1950
Carbotechs (£12,700) is unique, thanks to a fascinating new composite case material: thin sheets of
carbon fibre compressed with a high-end polymer, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone) to make it even
beefier.The randomlystriped,matt-blackcase issomethingworthyof Batman’sutilitybelt. More suited
to Bruce Wayne,perhaps,isIWC, whoarguablyinventedthe oversized watch in the first place 75 years
ago, in response to a request from two Portuguese businessmen who wanted to wear pocket watch
precision on their wrists. The anniversary is marked this year with a complete refresh of the modern
collection, renamed “Portugieser” featuring the German-Swiss brand’s very first annual calendar
movement (£16,900), which need only be adjusted every leap year.
3. THE HANDWOUND CHRONOGRAPHIS WELLAND TRULYBACK
Before the 70s, every watch with a stopwatch or ‘chronograph’ function was manually wound. Which
meant that each movement sported a gorgeous Y-shaped bridge, from which the timing mechanism’s
gear trainwas suspended. When winding rotors were successfully added in 1969 by Heuer and Zenith,
then Valjoux in 1974, there was no room for such fanciful architecture, and things started to look a lot
plainer. ThankgoodnessforPatekPhilippe,then,which finallycreateditsownmanual movement a few
years ago, the atelier’s hand-polishers and decorators revelling in the sweeping curves of its bridges,
whichgleamedthroughthe sapphire caseback.Thisyear, compoundingthe manual chrono’s comeback,
those other two haut-de-gamme Genevoise maisons, Vacheron Constanin and Piaget have caught up.
In fact,Vacheron stole the entire SIHH show with its new Harmony collection, three of the five launch

3. modelsboastingitsexquisitelyarchitectural new chronograph caliber traditionallyfinished, but packed
withpatentedtweaksfitfor the 21st century (rose gold monopusher model pictured, £53,450). Piaget,
on the other hand, in keeping with its reputation for black-tie refinement, has notched up another
‘world’smostthin’ record,withitsAltiplano Chronograph (£21,100), just 8.24mm high in total. A return
to more gentlemanly technicity, in other words.
4. WATCHMAKERSARE STILLSTARGAZING
It’s no surprise watch designers revel in the dance of the night sky aside from the sheer romanticism
of moon phases, rotating celestial charts or sunset indicators, astronomy has direct relevance to the
developmentof mechanical timepieces. Afterall,we only switched to atomic clock regulated Universal
Time Co-Ordinatedas recentlyas1961 – before that,the boffins inGreenwichwere still correcting GMT
by celestial observation.
But for something that’s literally heaven-sent, why not try a watch with a dial made from meteorite?
There were two to be found at SIHH this year: a royal-blue Tonda 1950 at Parmigiani Fleurier (£14,900)
and Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Calendar (circa £9,100) whose steely, geometric face comes from a
shootingstardiscoveredin Sweden,inturnoriginatingfromanasteroidbelt between Mars and Jupiter.
How cool is that?
5. BICOLOUR’S A THING… AGAIN
If Audemars Piguet says bicolour is back, then bicolour is most certainly back especially when it’s
unleashed via that most 70s of icons, the Royal Oak (£18,700). Simply pair its cool pink gold and steel
with a chunky, clinking tumbler of Scotch and extra wide lapels. Alternatively, there’s the most
‘accessible’ inourlist,Baume &Mercier’s ClassimaMenAutomaticTwo Tone – a bargain at £2,750, with
crispnewlinesand pinstripe dial, all the betterforstraddlingthe boardroom and bar. Make it a double,
you dapper tycoon, you.
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