the best watches at SIHH 2019
Here’s a look at the watchmaking maisons who showcased at the renown watch trade show Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) this year from the 14th to the 17th January 2019. We’ve picked the showstoppers at the event and here is the first part our series featuring the stunning Zeitwerk Date from A Lange & Sohne.
A Lange & Sohne launched the Zeitwerk in 2009, captivating watch fans with a retro-futurist design that embraced the digital display. It also had some impressive technical advancements, including a constant force power delivery system for the demanding energy requirements of three jumping discs.
This year finds a new Zeitwerk: the Zeitwerk Date (€89,000 or about RM410,932). Thanks to a completely redesigned movement, the Zeitwerk Date hosts not only an additional date complication, but finds the power reserve boosted to three days. The date indication is a unique design, consisting of a glass ring of numerals on the outside of the dial and the current date filled in red. This is a clever and creative way to introduce a date indicator to the Zeitwerk—adding another window, for instance, would have upset the precisely balanced proportions that made the original so compelling. There is also a new pusher at 4 o’clock that advances the hour only. This is a time-saving feature—using the crown to set the time minute by minute can be awkwardly long when having to take the date into account.
To accommodate this, the diameter has been upped by 2mm over the regular Zeitwerk to 44mm. Otherwise, it is still the Zeitwerk that the watch world knows well: a white gold case, two large windows for hour and minute, power reserve indicator at 12 and running seconds at 6.
SIHH 2019 Recap
The 29th edition of Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) was another record-breaking one, counting 23,000 visitors over its four days. Geneva’s Palexpo convention centre was packed not only with people, but the latest about to be unleashed on the horological world from the 35 participating brands.
There were quite a few new beginnings and surprises. Ulysse Nardin reworked the iconic Freak, and Bovet’s debut introduced the fair to its historical pocket watch heritage. Vacheron Constantin and Hermes surprised with some truly innovative watchmaking, while Panerai showcased new limited editions that come with adventurous experiences attached. On their last appearances at SIHH, both Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille unveiled new collections—the former surprising with distinct and deliberate design, while the latter with a completely unexpected candy-themed range.
