Keeping up with the time(s)

In Switzerland, some watchmaking houses have revealed their new models, braving the pandemic despondency. Let us see which new dials our Geneva special envoy selected.

By Vincent Daveau

The Geneva Watch Days, organized by the Bvlgari, Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux and Breitling houses, are so far the only watchmaking event of 2020. The event took place from the 26^th to the 29^th of August, and other brands decided to join in, such as Ferdinand Berthoud, MB&F and other small entities from the “new wave of watchmaking” which let the field have real-world news – necessarily more valuable than those distillated through digital presentations.

Bvlgari’s new models introduced in Geneva

The reporters who bothered to come were therefore able to see first-hand the new timepieces presented by the Maisons while being freed from the usual social niceties imposed by the invites, since this time their traveling expanses were not taken care of by the brands.

At the event, the Bvlgari Manufacture presented a sixth thinness record with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph Skeleton Automatic, but also new surprising aluminium pieces in the Bvlgari collection.

For the indefatigable CEOs who initiated the event, this meeting was desperately needed. In their opinion, showcasing in their shops or in booked rooms of the best Genevan hotels the pieces that deserved – because of their technical prowess – to be manipulated and examined by media specialists was important. This allowed to measure how thin and light is the titanium Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Chronograph from Bvlgari (only 7,40 mm wide!) and how affordable are the new Bvlgari Aluminium (automatic watch and chronograph).

The new Endurance Pro collection introduced in Geneva

Those references echo those proposed by Breitling under the name of Endurance Pro (quartz calibres) with a likewise affordable price and a design made to attract a young clientele.

*At Breitling, the new Endurance Pro Collection emphasizes colors, ultra-light cases and ultra-precise electronics complications to seduce the young generation.*

An unexpected date in Geneva

At Ulysse Nardin and Girard-Perregeaux, it was time to bolster the collections by introducing new creations with bold personalities and refined mechanics. The complex architecture of the Blast collection created sensation at Ulysse Nardin and amateurs enjoyed both Infinity Series Onyx in limited edition and Free Bridge watches at Girard-Perregaux. Purists who took a quick look at Ferdinand Berthoud or Czapek found that their founders ‘watches had not be disavowed. Lastly, fans of watchmaking oddities who went through endless hotel rooms were subjugated by mechanisms madness launched by Maisons such as MB&F and L’Epée 1839 (a robot-clock), Urwerk, or even De Bethune.

*Trinity is the clock tripod completing the “Robocreatures” series invented by MB&F, L’Epée and the designer Maximilian Maertens.*

In short and quite obviously, this meeting managed to condense a small sample of the field’s best by offering to the horophiles enough to fuel their passion for both beautiful mechanic and time in motion.

Many thanks to those who made this event possible through their commitment and determination.