SIHH 2010

But it is Cartier that wins my vote for the most ambitious brand at this year’s SIHH, just for the sheer number of its new models – which totals 14 – and includes a gyrotourbillon and the very masculine Calibre, which features the brand’s first in-house automatic movement, the 1904 MC. The house is making valiant efforts to reach a broader audience, and the R&D team’s efforts must be applauded.
Another interesting aspect of the show was a focus on mixed materials. While pink gold and platinum still ruled as the metal of choice for cases, some companies opted to create special editions with a play on colour.
A. Lange & Söhne is celebrating 165 years since Ferdinand Adolph Lange moved the company to Glashütte. In commemoration, the company has reproduced three of its best works, the 1815 Moonphase, Tourbograph and Lange 1 Tourbillon, in a unique honey-coloured gold, an interesting shade in between pink and yellow which comes from a specific gold that is much harder than usual at more than 300 Vickers. The company has also produced its Lange Zeitwerk (the 2009 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Genève Watch of the Year) in a luminous version, where the German silver time bridge is PVD-coated black, and the white Superluminova numerals are set on a black background for a glow-in-the- dark effect.