courtesy richard mile
12 luxury brands debuted new watches and extensions of new lines at Watches and Wonders 2015. Are "erotic" watches the next big thing? A visit to Richard Mille's booth would indicate so. Richard Mille's RM69 features a series of provocative messages on the watch face, which rotate to show one message after the other. There are 169 messages in total, and can rotate by pushing a button located near the 10 o'clock hour. Messages include "let me kiss you tonight" and "I long to explore your lips." Those are the more kid-friendly combinations...
courtesy richard mile
Richard Mille notes that erotic themes in watchmaking are a part of the history of watches, as themes are often hidden inconspicuously through a watch's design. There will only be 30 of these Richard Mile's RM69 pieces available worldwide.
courtesy jaeger lecoultre
There are two models revealed as part of the Geophysic collection. The True Second, pictured previously, and the Universal Time, pictured above.
courtesy jaeger lecoultre
The entire collection itself is named after a chronometer created by Jaeger LeCoultre for scientists in 1958 -- said to be the International Geophysical Year.
courtesy jaeger lecoultre
The Geophysic Universal Time features a world map on the face, and is colored with lacquered shades of blue while the continents are engraved into the watch face.
courtesy iwc
This addition to the IWC Schaffhausen Portofino series implements a day and date readability function in the watch face. Available in stainless steel or gold (pictured above), both versions feature leather straps created in collaboration with Italian shoemaker, Santoni.
courtesy iwc
Introducing two new diamond set models to its Portofino series, IWC Schaffhausen reveals two new colorways, including the blue model pictured above. Inspired by the Ligurian Sea, this watch features a blue alligator strap to match the blue dial, and is set with 66 diamonds.
courtesy cartier
Combining the worlds of jewellery with watchmaking, one of Cartier's highlights from its High Jewellery offerings is the above Inca Watch. It is not set for retail release and therefore does not have a suggested retail price.
courtesy cartier
The triangle accents of the watch are inspired by the Inca pyramids, and the piece itself is built using diamonds, onyx and white gold.
courtesy baume & mercier
A celebratory timepiece for Baume & Mercier's 185th anniversary, this 18k red gold pocket watch was inspired by legacy pieces from within Baume & Mercier's own archives.
courtesy baume et mercier
The Clifton 1830 Pocket Watch features a sapphire-crystal case back, and the five minute repeater chime can be activated by a trigger located near the 4 o'clock hour. This then activates a low note chime to mark the hour, and a high note chime for every five minute period passed.
courtesy baume & mercier
A tribute to the women of Asia, Baume & Mercier revealed the Promesse Jade watch. The use of jade is due to the belief that the gemstone holds a protective aura, and the piece is then finished with 61 diamonds.
courtesy baume & mercier
The hour markers are distinguished by Roman numerals and diamonds, and the watch itself finished with a white alligator strap. There are only 8 Promesse Jade watches available.
courtesy mont blanc
Designed to display two timezones within the same watch, this timepiece is a tribute to Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, with the modern day traveler in mind. It features two different counters, one counter is displayed against an image of the night sky, while the second counter features a miniature map of the world.
courtesy montblanc
There are 238 pieces of the Heritage Chronometrie Dual Time Vasco da Gama available. The number 238 was selected because the Cape Point Peak lighthouse, a lighthouse at Cape of Good Hope, is precisely 238 meters above sea level. This is where Vasco da Gama first sailed in November 1497.
courtesy panerai
The Panerai Radiomir 1940 pays tribute to a design development that was first introduced by Panerai in 1936, a small but crucial technical transformation that replaced the original Radiomir's cushion case with a protective device.
courtesy panerai
This small transformation was developed in response to the request of the Italian military at the time, as they required a watch that was both water resistant and easy to read in dim lighting conditions. In 1936, the Radiomir became the first military diver's watch in history.
courtesy panerai
As the Radiomir 1940 is an ode to the original Radiomir's military history, the aesthetic of the watch was designed with simplicity and function in mind. There are two models of the Radiomir 1940 available: a steel model with a green alligator strap, or the more luxurious red-gold model with a black alligator strap (above).
courtesy roger dubuis
For the 20th anniversary of Roger Dubuis, the brand is celebrating a year of "Astral Skeleton" design. One of the four new models unveiled at the collection includes the Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Pocket Time Instrument above. Production is limited to only 28 pieces.
courtesy cartier
Created using 478 diamonds, one of Cartier's highlights at the exhibit is the Flying Tourbillon. The watch is built using 142 different parts and is fitted with a sapphire crown.
courtesy cartier
Cartier unveiled a limited edition box (there are only a total of five available) that features three standout watches, each said to exemplify Cartier's watchmaking identity. The Mysterious Double Tourbillon, which features a rotating tourbillon at the heart of the watch; the Minute Repeater Tourbillon, which combines the Flying Tourbillon with a Minute Repeater; and the Astrocalendar, which features a complex calendar system that can differentiate between a normal year and a leap year.
Courtesy van cleef & arpels
Reviving a 1935 classic for this year's Watches & Wonders, Van Cleef & Arpels introduces a new version of its classic Cadena model. Pictured above is a sketch of the Cadena from 1939, which was then used as a retail card.
courtesy van cleef & arpels
A hybrid between a bracelet and a timepiece, there are nine new versions of the watch now available. The Cadenas Pavée Saphirs Roses Bracelet and Watch, which is composed of pink gold, diamonds and pink sapphires.
Courtesy van cleef & arpels
As part of its Extraordinary Dials collection, Van Cleef & Arpels collaborated with feather artist Nelly Saunier. Feather art requires precision to the tenth of a millimeter, and only 22 timepieces were produced as part of this collection.
courtesy van cleef & arpels
Each individual feather is selected according to its color and texture, and once combined and shaped, placed against scenery within the dial.
courtesy A. Lange & Söhne
This year, A. Lange & Sohne celebrates the 200th birthday of Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Above is the second timepiece revealed in celebration of the 200th anniversary this year. The 1815 200th Anniversary F. A. Lange. Composed of 188 different parts, this piece incorporates touches of honey gold.
courtesy a lange & sohne
Another highlight from A. Lange & Sohne are new additions to the Saxonia model, updated with the gray dial. Available in white gold or pink gold, the watches are available in only 16 boutiques worldwide.
courtesy jaeger lecoultre
Introducing an original collection at this year's Watches & Wonders, Jaeger LeCoultre brought new life to a 1958 classic: the Geophysic. The True Second received its name due to the perfect movement of the second hand, which tics exactly according to the "true second."
courtesy jaeger lecoultre
A disc on the watch allows for simultaneous readings of all 24 time zones, with each city's name engraved on the front.

Story highlights

Horology buffs gather in Hong Kong for the 3rd annual edition of Watches and Wonders

Luxury watchmakers face uncertainty in Asia

Exhibit spaces range from themes of subtle heritage to more theatrical takes

Gallery highlights new products and lines at event

Hong Kong CNN  — 

This week, Hong Kong plays host to Watches and Wonders, an exhibition organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH).

Described by the event organizer and FHH Managing Director Fabienne Lupo as “a total immersion experience,” the exhibition is less a trade fair and more a platform for education and culture.

Held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the third annual Watches and Wonders features 12 fine watch maisons, 10 of which are owned by Swiss luxury group, Richemont.

Last year, the event recorded 16,000 invite-only guests over four days, despite pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protests deterring mainland Chinese tourists from visiting Hong Kong and disrupting traffic.

Without concerns of protests this year, Lupo expects more will visit, though the watch industry now faces new challenges – staying financially sound amid China’s slowing economy, anti-corruption legislation in China, and increasing interest in smartwatches.

“Uncertain” times ahead

The Asia market remains an important one for luxury watch makers, with many having long hedged their bets on the Chinese consumer. But, according to Deloitte’s Swiss Watch Industry Study, only 27% of Swiss watch executives who responded to its annual survey, expect growth in China and Hong Kong over the next twelve months, with 34% expecting demand for Swiss watches to decline.

“It’s why you will see everyone in the industry here – the presence of all the brands’ CEOs, the designers, even the watchmakers – we want to show support during this uncertain period,” Lupo explains.

courtesy watches and wonders
As part of its educational element, the fair offered classes on watchmaking.

Beauty through bullet-proof glass

At the event, there’s an aura of somberness – well-turned out visitors wearing mostly black and white, speaking in hushed tones, sipping conservatively on champagne, and scrutinizing the timepieces on offer through thick plates of glass.

courtesy watches and wonders
Exhibiting maisons organize personalized tours of their booths in small groups.

New features, like the addition of scannable QR codes that connect to audio tours, dot the exhibition space as a digital and Asia-facing means – to learn more about individual watches and brands’ histories. Lectures, such as “Chinese people’s aesthetic approach to watches” and watchmaking workshops, are on offer.

Branded booths range from loud to the uber-chic

Our first stop is Swiss watch manufacturer, Roger Dubuis. And at 10am, it’s a jarring wake-up call. At only 20-years-old, Dubuis is among the youngest brands in among the industry’s old heritage maisons. As if to hammer this point home, the company has dramatically decked out its exhibition space – which is transformed to feel like the mechanical insides of one of its skeleton watches.

Further enhancing the futuristic theme – visitors can take a virtual reality trip through one of its watches, by strapping on an Oculus Rift headset.

Jean-Marc Pontroue, CEO of Roger Dubuis, says the exhibition’s theatrics embody the brand’s values. “We love fantasy. We love to enrich the brand with storytelling, with an emotional environment.”

“We’re targeting the young generation that don’t necessarily want a classic watch, or the watch of their fathers,” Pontroue continues. “But rather, the youth who like to wear niche brands.”

courtesy roger dubuis
What's it like to be inside a skeleton watch? Swiss manufacturer Roger Dubuis chose a bolder design for their exhibition space.

Pontroue admits that sales have been affected in Hong Kong and Macau this year, due to lower tourism numbers, but has remained stable in mainland China. In fact, the brand is expanding its presence in Beijing – with a second store that opened this summer and another one planned for next year.

Celebrating heritage

A polar opposite to the Gotham-esque Roger Dubuis, is German watch manufacturer A. Lange & Sohne – which has chosen to present a more subdued set-up.

“We didn’t want to overshadow the watch,” explains Katharina Mack, Head of Marketing at A. Lange & Sohne. “It’s about substance. It’s not the staging that is emotional, it’s the watch that is emotional.”

courtesy watches and wonders
12 luxury watch brands exhibit at the private, invite-only event.

A. Lange & Sohne is celebrating its 200th anniversary – and while the warm colors of the exhibit, along with the matte watch faces, are rather understated, the feeling conveyed is that of rich tradition.

That – and literal history. There’s a bust of its founder protruding from the wall, a chunk of the Berlin Wall itself, and an enlarged timeline celebrating its watch evolution.

“People are curious to see how a German brand, not a Swiss brand, is working,” says Mack. “It’s a very technical look and feel, it’s maybe not that romantic.”

Poetic complications

For romance, there is of course, Van Cleef and Arpels, the French maker of all things delicate and very, very pretty. Its watches are marketed as “poetic complications.”

At Watches and Wonders, the French jewelry, watch and perfume company is debuting its Extraordinary Dials collection, three limited editions of 22 timepieces.

A partnership with a feather artist has produced the exquisite watch faces of a cardinal, hummingbird, and kingfisher.

courtesy van cleef & arpels
Van Cleef and Arpels debuted Extraordinary Dials, bird-inspired timepieces that feature miniature feather art, at Watches and Wonders 2015.

“We really differ from brands that are more technical and masculine,” says CEO Nicolas Bos. “Our message is more about the design and craftsmanship. The Asian market has been very responsive to our feminine designs, but we don’t differentiate the collection according to geography, we’re never opportunistic.”

On suggestions of rockier times ahead for the watch industry, Van Cleef and Arpels CEO Nicolas Bos responds, “Yes, we have some years that are more positive than others, but that’s pretty much what we feel in mature markets.”

“It feels like the customer and market and operation in Hong Kong and in mainland China, at least in the major cities, are going to look more like operations in New York, London, Geneva or Tokyo.”

“There’s probably not that specificity of tremendous and huge volume that the industry had for awhile. It’s going to disappear and stabilize. Then, I think there are opportunities for growth, I have no doubt about that.”

New technologies and one-of-a-kind pieces

The event is a chance to create buzz around newer product lines and developments within the industry.

Visitors to Vacheron Constantin’s booth, for instance, can view the “world’s most complicated watch” in a closed section, where no cameras are allowed.

courtesy richard mille
Richard Mille's RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon had some visitors blushing, with suggestive messages found on its watch face.

Richard Mille had watch buffs in titters with its RM 69 Erotic Tourbillon. The watch, of which only 30 were made, features a series of provocative messages on the watch face, which rotate to show one message after the other. Messages include “I want to caress you madly” and “I long to explore your lips.” These were the more kid-friendly combinations of the 169 messages rotating messages available.

At Cartier, the Cle de Cartier collection – which debuted earlier in the year at Salon International de Horlogerie – is showcased front and center. The “cle”, or French word for key, is in reference to a special crown designed for the watch – a new system to rewind, that Cartier recently patented.

But something flashier catches our eye, and that’s the one-of-a-kind Inca Watch, part of its High Jewelry collection.

“We have our own aesthetic vocabulary,” Cartier director of image and style, Pierre Rainero says. “The Roman numerals, the dials, the crown, and above all, harmonious proportions.”

“Everything is looked after, everything is a work of art. In Asia – there’s a tradition in craftsmanship, a taste for precious materials and beauty, and that’s all the values that Cartier is about. That’s why Cartier is successful in Asia, remaining Cartier as it is.”