The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is one of the most highly anticipated watch shows in the world. Each year, the leaders in the luxury watch world gather to show their latest designs, giving us a glimpse of what’s to come in the next year. Curious about this year’s forecast? Here are the dominant trends we saw at SIHH.
Vintage Styles
Image Courtesy: Hours and Minutes Australia
Vintage styles have been incredibly popular on the resale market. And based on what we saw at SIHH this year, it seems like the major watch brands are taking note of the vintage trend. A number of luxury watch brands have released vintage-style designs to capitalize on the public’s seemingly insatiable love for these classic designs.
Notably, both Montblanc and A Lange & Sohne are poised to release vintage-style models. Montblanc has announced new pieces in its Heritage line while A. Lange & Sohne has announced the release of a sleek limited edition anniversary edition of its classic asymmetrical Lange 1 timepiece.
Limites, Luxury Sales Strategies
Image Courtesy: Panerai
Creating an exclusive connection with consumers in order to create more memorable moments isn’t a new phenomenon in the luxury watch world. However, several luxury watch brands seem to be leaning harder into this sales technique this year. Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, and Panerai are all releasing unique collections to connect with their customers.
Perhaps most interestingly, Panerai has released an incredibly innovative model, the Submersible Carbotech Mike Horn Edition, that comes with the opportunity to join Horn on an Arctic edition as a part of the watch’s price. There will be only 19 of these models released, making both the model and the experience that comes with it highly exclusive.
Futuristic Designs
Image Courtesy: MB&F
In contrast to the vintage trend we saw at SIHH this year, futuristic designs were also prevalent. Two unique futuristic designs that were showcased this year include HYT’s H20 and MB&F’s Horological Machine 6 Final Edition. The H20 uses red fluid to display the hours within a futuristic clear dome. The Horological Machine 6 Final Edition features five dome displays on a steel, spaceship-like case. While these two watches both have futuristic looks, their mechanics couldn’t be more old world. Both of these watches feature purely mechanical movements, giving these watches a masterful blend of classic craftsmanship and innovative modern design.
Perpetual Calendar Complications
Image Courtesy: Jaeger-LeCoultre
Perpetual calendar watches aren’t new— but they’re certainly everywhere right now. A perpetual calendar movement requires master craftsmanship to create its highly efficient, exceptionally accurate calendar functions. More brands than ever have released perpetual calendar models this year, including slightly less high-end luxury brands such as Baume & Mercier.
Jaeger-LeCoultre, while certainly not new to perpetual calendar complications, has released a notable new model this year. Their Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel model is exceptionally thin for a complicated perpetual calendar model, providing consumers with a new high standard for thinness.
Color Story: Green, Blue, and Coral
Image Courtesy: Montblanc
This year at SIHH, we saw many exciting splashes of color. Most prominently, brands embraced green, blue, and coral (in the form of rose gold).
While blue is ever popular and rose gold has been on the rise for a number of years, the number of green watches we saw this year was outside the norm. Numerous watchmakers, including Montblanc, Piaget, IWC, and Audemars Piguet, showcased models with green dials, straps, and bands.
Montblanc’s latest green model, the 1858 Monopusher Chronograph Limited Edition, is particularly striking. This model comes with a green dial, green bezel, and green strap, and is dedicated to the Seven Summits challenge. Green is exceptionally appropriate for this limited edition timepiece designed to celebrate the exploration of the great outdoors.