Let icons be icons at SIHH

There are, in watchmaking circles, certain names that inspire confidence. Names so embedded in history they act like a magnet to collectors. After difficult years in 2015 and again in 2016, and with the much-anticipated upturn just beginning to show on export markets, that brands should look to their standard-bearers not only made good sense, it was an absolute necessity. Watchmakers are building on their assets and the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), which opens today in Geneva, is proof of this – unsurprisingly given that its exhibitors have contributed to some of horology’s finest hours.

Interpreting these ideas in the language of today is part of the current exegesis. They are the golden ticket to success but must be worthy of their illustrious name, rather than just a pale imitation. Each new iteration must measure up in both style and mechanical substance. This is not so much a “remembrance of things past” as a “brave new world” designed to cover a large part of the horological spectrum. From entry-level designs in steel featuring time-only displays or useful complications, dictated by the present climate, to more elaborate, more complicated versions – which are also more of a rarity given the current state of play-, brands are including an ever greater diversity of products under the one banner.

A backward glance

Calendar milestones provide an excellent pretext for such reminiscences, beginning with the Royal Oak Offshore whose 25th birthday has inspired Audemars Piguet to revisit its chronograph with colourful, gem-set versions for women or as a contemporary tourbillon for a more sport-chic style. Montblanc carries on the remarkable legacy of its Minerva Manufacture – which turns 160 this year – in its 1858 line, including a highly original Geosphère, and with its Star Legacy, acknowledging the 20th anniversary of the collection with six different interpretations. IWC is another brand still batting after a century and more. The Schaffhausen firm is taking advantage of its 150th anniversary to demonstrate the full extent of its expertise. The resulting Jubilee collection contains no fewer than 27 original timepieces from almost every one of the Manufacture’s flagship lines: Da Vinci, Pilot’s, Portofino and Portugieser. Outstanding among them is the Tribute to Pallweber wristwatch in honour of the jumping-hour pocket watches the company produced in the 1880s.

Even without an anniversary to celebrate, brands have every good reason to revisit the past. After returning its Panthère to the wild last year (and with more new designs this year), Cartier has looked to another of its legendary timepieces, the Santos, created in 1904 and one of the first ever wristwatches, and has come to SIHH 2018 with a dozen new references. Girard-Perregaux has breathed new life into its Laureato. First released in 1975, it now spearheads the brand’s collections. Several new versions are debuting at SIHH, including models in ceramic, with diamonds, a chronograph and a skeleton flying tourbillon. Needless to say, given the context, those brands that have been bold enough to release an original collection this year have done so with one eye firmly in the rear-view mirror. Jaeger-LeCoultre, for example, is launching Polaris, a new range whose five versions take after an unforgettable watch made in 1968. Meanwhile, Vacheron Constantin has lifted the veil on its new Fiftysix range, a modern interpretation of its iconic Reference 6073, launched in (when else?) 1956.