By Cynthia Unninayar

The prestigious, by-invitation-only Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) ended its 22nd edition in Geneva in January on a very upbeat note, and confirmed that fine watchmaking is doing quite well.

Following an outstanding year for the Swiss watch industry as a whole and Richemont in particular (turnover of € 6.9 billion), the fiveday SIHH show took place in an ambiance of calm confidence. More than 13,000 visitors from around the world came to see the 18 participating brands (A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, JeanRichard, Girard Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Parmigiani Fleurier, Piaget, Ralph Lauren, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels), which offered exclusive watches, ranging from simple elegance to grand complications, from special anniversary timepieces to re-interpretations of iconic watches, from skilled métiers to extraordinary works of jewellery art. Here, we take a brief look at some of the brands, which showcased exquisite high jewellery timepieces, studded with diamonds and coloured gems or masterfully decorated with enamel and other artistic crafts.

A champion of haute horlogerie, Piaget also produces extraordinary bejewelled timepieces as well as beautiful haute joaillerie. Continuing its Limelight Garden Party theme, the Geneva brand’s new collection extends an invitation to “walk in the Garden of Eden when evening falls,” where the Piaget Rose is the queen of the enchanting setting. Alongside the rose, magic foliage glistens with countless diamonds and colourful gemstones. The Limelight secret watch (Piaget 56P quartz movement) in 18K gold is set with 668 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 8.7 ct), and mounted on a satin strip with an 18K folding clasp set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Van Cleef & Arpels also excels in the realm of fine watchmaking with pieces that combine intricate mechanical complications with highly decorated dials and cases. Famous for its jewellery, the French brand’s creative and artful timepieces are equally as impressive. One of the major new lines this year pays tribute to sumptuous balls where four remarkable watches in the “Bals de Légende” collection dance gracefully “through time while stopping in imperial Russia, dazzling Paris, romantic Venice, and audacious New York.”

On the Parisian side, the “Bal Proust” timepiece evokes a real ball thrown by the queen of Parisian society, Baroness Guy de Rothschild, to celebrate the centennial birthday of writer Marcel Proust. Driven by a 24-hour Poetic ComplicationTM, delicate gold silhouettes gracefully twirl around the Paris-themed mother-of-pearl dial as time goes by. Travelling to the other side of the Atlantic, the “Bal Black & White” timepiece evokes a ball at New York’s Plaza Hotel on 28 April 1966, given by Truman Capote to mark his literary success. His invitation list comprised “the 500 most famous people in the world,” all dressed in black and white to match the décor.

This year, Montblanc introduced its “Collection Princesse Grace de Monaco” watches, jewellery, and writing instruments. Along with two unique high jewellery timepieces, the series includes sets of eight and twenty-nine limitededition diamond-studded watches and, for daily wear, several ladies’ watches with stainless steel cases adorned with diamonds. The “Pétales de Rose” model featuresa case and bracelet in 18K white gold set with nearly 8.8 carats of diamonds, a mother-of-pearl dial with rhodium-plated hands and numerals, and a Montblanc 4810/160 movement. The high jewellery line comprises four sets of one-of-a-kind pieces made in diamonds and/or pink sapphires.

In the midst of the luxurious SIHH, Baume & Mercier created its own unique environment evoking the Hamptons and the “underlying value structure of family ties, creative spirit, rich authenticity and relaxing moments.” Among its ladies’ collections, the “Linea 10072” evokes timeless style with a diamond-set bezel, mother-of-pearl dial, and black satin strap. Diamond-set bezels and mother-of-pearl dials seemed to be a favourite this year, as seen by the iconic “Royal Oak Quartz” by Audemars Piguet, featuring a 33-mm steel case set with 40 brilliants around the bezel, and Girard-Perregaux’s “1966 Lady Moon Phase” timekeeper, driven by an automatic winding mechanical movement.

Other brands also showcased beautiful jewellery timekeepers as part of their collections. Among them was Roger Dubuis, whose sumptuous Velvet collection includes a sophisticated white gold piece set with 1300 diamonds as well as a striking black watch in titanium, whose bezel is set with 46 amethysts, while the lugs are decorated with 40 black spinels. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s “Reverso Squadra Art Ice” also made a dramatic impression at the show with its sapphire and diamond pavé case. As these exquisite examples demonstrate, fine jewellery and fine watchmaking can come together to create truly fine jewellery watches.

www.sihh.org