SIHH 2017 Report: Day 2

Piaget

Altiplano 900P for ladies

Turning a ripe 60 this year is Piaget’s iconic Altiplano collection. Since the first Calibre 9P from 1957, the Altiplano collection has conquered the field of ultra-thin watches and been synonymous with elegance and discretion. Piaget marks this important anniversary by launching a range of Altiplano watches to cater to both men and women. Our favourite is the Altiplano 900P for ladies that measures a wafer thin 3.65mm. Offered in pink gold and featuring a white dial, the watch’s most distinctive highlight, the hand-wound calibre – which merges with the case elements like a single entity – is now presented in a feminine variant.

MB&F

HM7 Aquapod

From space to the skies and land, MB&F dives into the deep blue with its new horological machine, the HM7 Aquapod. Inspired by the ocean and built to resemble a jellyfish, the watch features a double-domed sapphire crystal under which sits two spherical discs that tell the time and a flying tourbillon. To accommodate the outrageous structure of the HM7, a new vertically mounted movement was conceived to facilitate the transfer of energy from the unusually shaped winding rotor at the bottom, to the tourbillon regulator at the top. Although the watch wasn’t built to be a diving watch, it features a rotating bezel and luminous indicators that pay tribute to this category of utility watches.  

Ulysse Nardin

Classico Rooster

With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, Ulysse Nardin introduces the Classico Rooster that features a decorated dial with an enamel rooster. The bird is crafted using the champlevé technique, in which the dial is carved to form pools where enamel can be added. Offered in a 40-mm 18k rose gold case, the COSC-certified self-winding calibre UN-815 powers the watch. Limited to 88 auspicious pieces, this is just one of the 13 novelties offered this year by Ulysse Nardin, that is decorated in enamel.

Greubel Forsey

Grande Sonnerie

Watchmaking whizzes Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey introduce the Grande Sonnerie this year, a watch that took 11 years to conceive and the duo’s first chiming timepiece. Bearing in mind the rarity of grande sonnerie watches, this remarkable piece from Greubel Forsey is made up of a whopping 935 parts and features a grande and petite sonnerie with minute repeater, and the brand’s signature 24-second inclined tourbillon. Protected by two patents and 11 safety features, it features a titanium acoustic resonance cage built around the movement that helps to amplify the chimes from the cathedral gong. Energy is provided in the form of two winding barrels: The automatic winding system arms the sonnerie barrel (thus providing about 20 hours of power reserve in Grande Sonnerie mode), while the manual winding one powers the timekeeping function.

A. Lange & Söhne

Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite”

The Saxonian watchmaker introduces the fifth of its ultra-complicated “Pour le Mérite” series, featuring a fusee-and-chain, tourbillon, chronograph with rattrapante and a perpetual calendar. Despite its many functions and 684 components (one of which is a 636-part fusee-and-chain), the watch measures it at a reasonable 16.6mm thick in a 43mm platinum case, thanks to the integrated movement, the Lange calibre L133.1. Only 50 pieces are available.