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Each year in January, selected collectors, press and buyers are invited to attend the annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dedicated to fine watchmaking, the trade fair is often a good indicator of what the year ahead will hold for the industry.
The 27th edition, staged from Jan. 16-20, marked the first time SIHH opened its doors to the public, with a limited amount of tickets available for purchase.
In the video above, Marc André Deschoux, founder of The Watches TV, looks at five key trends from this year’s fair, from his view that independent brands are leading the way in terms of creativity to how our perceptions of luxury are changing.
Audemars Piguet
"The so-called
Royal Oak Jumbo is one of those watches that will never go out of style and will always retain icon status. The new version comes in yellow gold with either a gold or blue dial, essentially bringing back a classic watch that's been out of production for decades." -- Cara Barrett
via panerai
"On paper, offering a dive watch in solid 18k rose gold does not make much sense. Yet, with the new Panerai PAM 684, the contrast between the warm tone of the gold and the utilitarian black dial works extremely well, and the more modest 42mm case size cuts down on all that excessive weight." -- Louis Westphalen
via ressence
"The mad horological scientists at
Ressence created a unique way of showing the time with orbital time displays that move within one another. This latest version of the brand's original watch, the Type 1, has a dressier, more traditional case that should get more people interested in what is one of the most unique watchmakers of the modern era." -- Stephen Pulvirent
via A. Lange & Söhne
"A great example of a "ladies" watch done well. It's rose gold case is 36mm in diameter and the watch has a beautiful silvered guilloché dial made of solid gold. It's an interesting complication with
Lange's familiar and impressive finishing." -- Cara Barrett
via F. P. Journe
"Technically this one wasn't part of SIHH, but it was unveiled in Geneva this week.
This is the world's first watch to show the seconds with a mechanical, digital-style display that jumps instantly from one second to the next. The high contrast between the contemporary time display and very retro case shape sets it apart, and the whole thing works surprisingly well." -- Arthur Touchot
piaget
"The 38mm Altiplano with a bright blue dial might have been an expected play by Piaget for the 60th anniversary of the Altiplano collection, but it did not disappoint one bit. It's thin, elegant, and sexy, all while adding a new shade to the current line-up of ultra-thin dress watches." -- Louis Westphalen
via jaeger lecoultre
"This particular style of vintage-inspired dial is having quite a moment right now, and
Jaeger-LeCoultre is capitalizing on this by releasing three well-priced watches with these so-called sector dials and modestly sized steel cases. This time-and-date watch is the best $5,700 you could spend at this year's SIHH, no question." -- Stephen Pulvirent
Audemars Piguet
"The perpetual calendar Royal Oak was reintroduced in 2015, but this is its most interesting form yet. The entire case pure black ceramic, including the integrated bracelet. What this means is that you have traditional fine watchmaking like only
Audemars Piguet can do, in a relatively thin case, but that case and bracelet happen to be made out of a space age, scratch-proof material." -- Benjamin Clymer
via vacheron constantin
"This incredible 45mm wristwatch
holds 23 complications, and is arguably the most precise and detailed calendar and astronomy wristwatch in the world. What's more, it's actually wearable! This is a marked shift away from complications for complications sake, and tells everyone else the wearability is a must." -- Benjamin Clymer
via cartier
"Everything good about the
Drive, Cartier made even better this year. By eliminating the date, trimming the case profile, and presenting it in a gold case (white or rose), the brand has turned this into the ultimate dress watch. Young guys now have a modern Cartier dress watch to which they can truly aspire." -- Arthur Touchot
“Consumers are looking for uniqueness and exclusivity, and the notion of value for money naturally plays a big role in their purchasing decision,” Deschoux says.
“The notion of true craftsmanship and the focus on who and how they make these great timepieces is becoming, thankfully, more and more important for the consumer.”