Christmas time

Whatever else 2020 has been, it hasn’t succeeded in putting a damper on watch brands’ creativity. Throughout the year, they have found novel ways to present their latest creations outside the traditional channels, after the industry’s fairs were forced to cancel. The fifteen watches in this selection are priced under €11,000.

Baume & Mercier Hampton

Baume & Mercier has always positioned itself as an affordable luxury brand and an entry point into Fine Watchmaking. This Hampton is the perfect illustration. Designed with Art Deco overtones, its automatic ETA 2895 movement indicates date and small seconds. (€2,550)

Breitling Navitimer Automatic 35

At last, patience is rewarded for Breitling’s female fans. Designed for “women of action”, the Navitimer Automatic 35 takes its cue from classic 1950s Breitlings, for a watch that’s bang up to date without sacrificing elegance or style. (€3,920)

Bulgari Aluminium Chronograph

We loved it in the 1990s: a mould-breaking match of rubber and aluminium for jetsetters in search of sensations. This year’s revival includes an automatic chronograph with a distinctive two-tone aesthetic. (€4,250)

Cartier Pasha Watch 41mm

Equipped with an 1847 MC automatic calibre, the Pasha de Cartier is back centre-stage… winning over younger generations with an assertive design that’s pure 80s but also reassuringly timeless. (€6,750)

Chanel J12.20 38mm

Described as the twenty-first century’s first iconic watch, the Chanel J12 needs no introduction. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary year, the J12.20 is embossed with polished rhodium-plated symbols of the brand, interspersed with 12 diamonds, across its bezel and dial. (€7,600)

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Infinity 40mm

An undisputed classic from Girard-Perregaux, the 1966 adopts an onyx dial in this Infinity version, which the brand presented at the Geneva Watch Days fair. A slim, round case, leaf hands and indexes in pink gold set this automatic watch in good stead for years to come. (CHF 8,900)

IWC Portugieser Chronograph

The very first Portugieser was ahead of the curve with its oversized case, an aesthetic from which it has never departed. Sitting comfortably on the wrist, the 41mm diameter of this automatic chronograph contains the in-house IWC 69355 calibre. (€7,850)

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Calendar

Cased in steel, the automatic JLC 866 calibre indicates day, date, month and moon phases. A particularity of the date hand is that it performs a 90° jump from the 15th to the 16th of the month, so as not to obstruct the moon-phase display. (€11,400)

Montblanc 1858 Geosphere

Montblanc returns with a new version of the 1958 Geosphere, presented in steel with a blue dial. Rotating globes depicting the Northern and Southern Hemispheres show world times, completed by a second time zone and a date display. (€5,700)

Nomos Tetra Divine Spark

The latest Tetra watches from Nomos are part of the Symphony collection, in honour of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. The manual-winding Divine Spark brings the warmth of a copper-coloured dial, swept by baton hands in gold. (€1,880)

Omega Speedmaster Silver Snoopy Award

Fifty years ago, in 1970, NASA astronauts presented Omega with a Silver Snoopy Award in recognition of its contribution to the Apollo space missions. Marking the occasion is this commemorative Speedmaster, the third after models released in 2003 and 2015. (€9,500)

Panerai Submersible Azzurro – 42 MM

Rugged and robust, the Submersible is the Panerai dive watch par excellence… now available in a more “wearable” 42mm diameter. This Azzurro edition is limited to 500 pieces, sold exclusively at Panerai’s online store. (€9,500)

TAG Heuer x Fragment Design Heuer 02 Chronograph

TAG Heuer signs on for its second creative collab with streetwear pioneer Hiroshi Fujiwara. This sports chronograph, produced in a run of 500 pieces only, stands apart for its smooth, clean design. (€5,800)

Ulysse Nardin Diver X Nemo Point 44 mm

Official Timekeeper of the Vendée Globe, Ulysse Nardin has named its Diver X Nemo Point after the most isolated point in the ocean – more than 2,700 kilometres from the nearest inhabited land – that many of the sailors competing in this gruelling race will cross. (CHF 8,900)

Zenith Defy Midnight

A 36mm case in steel surrounding an in-house movement, a gradient blue dial sprinkled with stars and diamonds, luminescent hands and more diamonds set around the bezel: the Defy Midnight is Zenith’s gift to women watch connoisseurs. (€10,700)