Stylish Technology

High tech had a high profile at the 2003 Swiss watch fairs.

By William George Shuster, Senior Editor -- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 7/1/2003

Going DigitalDigital displays, once found primarily in low-priced mass-market watches, are being used by more upscale watchmakers in inventive designs, combined with analogs and even as high-fashion watches. "The digital watch has returned to fine Swiss watchmaking," declared Pierre Nobs, chief executive of Ventura, whose upscale, patented V-Tech Alpha is a sleek, minimalist multi-function watch. The wearer scrolls through functions—shown on the display's lower line, with the hour on the upper—by turning a small roll bar in the case and pressing it for what he wants.

A notable analog/digital is TAG Heuer's reversible-case Monaco 69, a "concept watch" due out next year. The classic Monaco analog design (mechanical) is on one side, with a high-tech digital chrono (quartz) on the other. Other interesting analog/digitals include Fendi's gent's Grand Tonneau, whose small digital at "12" has alarm, second time zone, and chrono features; Tissot's seven-time-zone chrono; Junghans's solar-powered Spektral Mega Star; and Hamilton's limited-edition movie tie-in "SWAT" watch.

In fashion, a stylish time-only digital is Danish designer Jacob Jensen's bracelet series for men and women. Youth-oriented designer Marc Ecko's Vintage LED is an oversized digital under a rhino-logo cover. Chanel's chic bracelet Chocolat (some with diamonds) shows time in 24-hour format in four tiny windows, two atop the others, the same size as its gold links. Its control button is in back. "We wanted to create jewelry that tells time, in a jewelry bracelet where others can't see the watch, but the wearer can," said Nicolas Beau, Chanel's international director of horology.

Changing Times

When is jewelry a watch—or vice versa? Debuts at this year's Swiss watch fairs provided a variety of answers.

Hermès's gold Glissade hides its dial under a cover that slides sideways. Delaneau's Lili Marlène, a variation on a hunter watch, has a half-cylinder gold and diamond case that opens to reveal the time. Rama Swiss Watch's Lady Liberty features a revolving cylinder with time on one side and a diamond-set caseback on the other, on an interchangeable bracelet of braided steel or lizard.

Fendi's Slide watch lets the wearer quickly slip it off one strap and put it on another of several that come with the watch. Façonnable has a quick-action "automatic strap changing system" using pushers in the case. Pulsar's Double Time women's line has reversible bracelets—steel on one side and plated gold on the other.

Silent and Moving

Here are some of this year's clever watch innovations:

Tissot's Silen-T indicates the time when the wearer presses the crown and touches the tactile crystal, which vibrates at the appropriate embossed numeral on the bezel. It also has a silent alarm.

Citizen presented the world's thinnest light-powered watch, a 4.4-mm men's model, and a five-time-zone watch (unisex and women's bracelet) with the world's smallest analog quartz movement.

Goldpfeil's Trior women's watch and Jorg Hysek's V-King both have mechanical movement/dial modules that slide sideways out of and into their cases.

In an unusual arrangement, luxury brands Breguet and Blancpain, both owned by The Swatch Group, shared resources in a four-year project on a mechanical movement whose patented system ensures that the alarm time matches local time. A column wheel mechanism activates or deactivates the alarm.

Fossil displayed the world's first Palm-powered watch, the Wrist PDA.

Mechanical movements that can show the moon's phases as seen in either the northern or southern hemispheres—a previously unavailable function—were unveiled by IWC (Portuguese Perpetual Calendar) and Lange & Söhne (Grand Lunar Mundi), each developed independently.

Fortis (showing outside Basel's fair) presented the B-42 Cosmonaut, the world's first automatic chronograph with an alarm function.

Ulysee Nardin's patented Sonata self-winding movement, the result of seven years' work, has a melodic chiming alarm, a countdown indicator, and a dual time system with instant time zone adjuster.

Maurice Lacroix's Double Rétrograde Masterpiece uses a mechanical movement it developed with two retrograde display modules (date and 24-hour display), second time zone, and power reserve indicator.

Audemars Piguet's automatic caliber 3120 with center seconds and date display, three years in development, will be used in all its new watches, starting with this year's "extra flat" Jules Audemars Globe.

T Party

Tourbillons—which ensure precise timekeeping in mechanical watches—were once familiar only to watchmakers and connoisseurs of costly Swiss timepieces. Now, as interest in complex watches rises among consumers, more high-end brands are adding tourbillons to their lines. Here are some from this year's Swiss watch shows:

Franck Muller's Tourbillon Revolution 2 is the world's first wristwatch whose tourbillon rotates vertically and horizontally.

Breguet, which invented the tourbillon 200 years ago, debuted its first-ever women's watch with a tourbillon.

Patek Philippe's 10-Day Tourbillon, the result of a three-year project, is the first to combine two complications—two main spring barrels for the 10-day power reserve and a tourbillon—in the tight space of a rectangular movement.

At 3.5 mm, Piaget's gold Emperador Tourbillon (with titanium bridges), three years in development, is the world's slimmest tourbillon movement.

Chopard's L.U.C. 4T has a four-barrel tourbillon and nine-day power reserve.

Designer Jorg Hysek's hand-wound X-Ray has a 100-hour power reserve and contemporary styling, including case, bridges, gears, and tourbillon cage.

Other luxury watchmakers with new tourbillons include Roger Dubuis (need name of watch here ), JeanRichard (white 18k Grand Tourbillon), Audemars Piguet (Royal Oak Tourbillon), and Glasshütte Original (large-date PanoMatic Tourbillon).

Car Show

Watches and cars were a recurring theme at this year's Swiss watch fairs. Among many examples: Rodolphe launched a collection for the 10th anniversary of the Dodge Viper sports car, including chronographs, jeweled women's watches, and a customized limited edition for Viper owners. Breitling unveiled its impressive Breitling Bentley chronograph, part of its co-branding pact with Bentley Motors. Oris, new sponsor of BMW's WilliamsFormula 1 racing team, put the racecar on display at its booth and offered a limited-edition WilliamsF1 chrono. Chopard unveiled the 2003 editions of its annual Mille Miglia chronos, named for the famous Italian race the company sponsors.

Several other brands cited the influence of auto designs—especially dashboard instruments—on their new models, including Alfred Dunhill (X-centric and d-Type), Timex (its licensed Reebok line), and Gerald Genta (new women's sport watches).

Re-Telling Time

Each year, it seems new ways to read time are announced at the Swiss watch fairs. Here are three from 2003, all in limited editions:

Harry Winston's Opus 3 is the third annual joint project of the luxury jewelry and watch house and visionary Swiss watchmakers. Created by watchmaker Vianney Halter, its unusual case houses a new, square movement with two mechanisms, for time and for function. The hours, minutes, and date are read on two rows of three tiny "portholes" on the "face." (Numerals are on 10 independently revolving disks inside.) Hours are seen in the top outer portholes, minutes in the lower outer ones, and the date in the center top and lower portholes. A horizontal crown adjusts settings.

Franck Muller's Crazy Hours Cintree Curvex watch is, he says, "a totally new approach to the very notion of time." The dial's numerals are in unconventional order, starting with 8 at the 12 o'clock spot, followed by 1, 6, 11, 4, 9, 2 (at 6 o'clock), 7, 12, 5, 10, and 3. The minute hand moves in conventional order, but the hour hand springs to whichever hour it is.

Roger Dubuis's FollowMe is a women's 18k cross-cambered watch, set with 207 diamonds, on two red leather straps. The dial numerals in both Roman and Arabic (except for 12), are set in each cross arm. The watch, says the company, is a tribute to Switzerland, whose flag bears a white cross on a red field.