Horological Meandering

Let's turn the page on 2015: my selection of the top 15 watches of the year

 

15 watches to celebrate the end of 2015... actually, I was a bit afraid when 2015 started. I found the SIHH very conservative and for me, it was a very negative signal for the year. In a crisis period, in which the sales figures have been significantly decreasing, the lack of audacity is a main issue. Because year after year, I feel a growing gap between the expectations of the customers (whatever is the segment, wherever they are located). In this period, customers want to have fun, to have the feeling to pay the fair prices for the watches they purchase and they also want to have a more personalized approach. Having said that, we can just only consider that the organization of the full industry is not yet compatible with these wishes. It is due to the supply chain and production structures, it is also due to a lack of calling into question of the principles of the industry.

I'm still surprised, and the mass customers even more, to see that 6 or 7 months after the fairs, a significant range of the novelties is not still available. How can this be possible? The dealers haven't received yet the full 2015 collection and the 2016 SIHH will start within a few days? If the swiss watch industry doesn't start very quickly to redesign its model, I think that it may face times which could be even worse than the current ones. It is up to them. At the end of the day, the most powerful person of the industry remains the final customer. He/she will decide if the future collections meet his/her expectations and the strategies defined of CRM tools and Excel. The brands shall open their eyes and listen more the people in connexion with the customers: the staff of the boutiques and the dealers. And they also need to create more desire.

Hopefully, the next 2015 months were a bit more exciting, highlighting two main trends:
- more and more novelties are unveiled out of the context of the two main Fairs (SIHH and Baselworld) and for some brands, they even did it for their major pieces of the year
- the neo-retro style is still very present what is a way for the brands to be reinsured, to take less risks and to meet some expectations. However this strategy can't last very long or it is not applicable by all the players.

I propose you to browse my selection of 15 pieces without any particular order. Of course, I should have add some more which would have deserved to enter it but I had to make some choices!

Let's start with a true aesthetic success, the De Grisogono New Retro. I felt in this watch the full Fawaz Gruosi's talent and inspiration. The watch is simply beautiful, classic and bold at the same time and even if it is powered by a modest ETA 2824, it belongs to me to the list of the most appealing watches of the year.




The Ressence Type 5 is a very mature approach of the Type 3. I love its case and the ability to lock the rotating caseback. I find it comfortable on the wrist and I believe it reaches the point Benoît Mintins targetted. A true technical and aesthetic achievement.




The Jaeger-Lecoultre Geophysic Universal Time combines two complications which are coherent together: a world time display and a dead-beat second hand. The second hand displays with more accuracy the time while chronometry was developped to accompany the development of explorations and long journeys. The dial is very appealing and I love the ticking of the large second hand. A watch with a lot of charm.

The MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual is one of the masterpieces of the year. It features an unique movement developed by Stephen McDonnell and takes advantage of the dial lay-out of the LM with the suspended  and mesmerizing balance wheel. Never a dial of a Perpetual Calendar watch has been so animated!





I spent several weeks with the Urwerk UR-210 Full Metal Jacket. I'm always in love with the FMJ version of the Urwerk watches. Maybe because they make me think about Opus V. And this one even more due to its retrograde hand. I enjoyed each second spent with it.




The Tudor Black Bay Black is the perfect representative of the neo-retro style. It offers a timeless design inspired by the past with the Rolex context quality. I love its charming hands and the dial finishes.




Montblanc is doing a lot of efforts to build its watchmaking credibility. And this Worldtimer watch is perfect example of this work. The Montblanc Heritage Spirit Orbis Terrarum is a very convincing watch with a beautiful dial and a clever way to set the hours. And I don't forget to mention its affordable price due to its overall quality.




The Roger Dubuis Excaliber 42 Squeleton Automatic was one of the nicest surprises of the 2015 SIHH. The watch offers a superb design, great finishes and the balance wheel behaviour is at the end almost as attractive than a Tourbillon. The visible winding mass is also a contributor to this successful design.

 


Rolex was one of the most active brands at Baselworld this year. It redesigned its entry level collection, introduced a rubber strap (and not a mere one!) and presented an impressive Day Date 40 collection featuring a new movement: the caliber 3255. The platinum version contains all the best from Rolex.




When Stepan Sarpaneva meets James Thompson aka the Black Badger, we can only expect a superb creative approach. And we get it! Shall I call the Korona K0 Northen Lights a watch... or a lighthouse?




Vacheron Constantin introduced the Harmony collection at the beginning of the year with a full range of superb movements. But at the end, my fav Vacheron was unveiled months later... the gorgeous Chronograph Cornes de Vache is another example of an inspiration from the past. The funny point is that this very classic style becomes at the end original in today context! A beautiful and charming watch.




Antoine Prezuiso created a surprise at Baselworld this year with his Tourbillon of Tourbillons. This piece was a true family project developed with his son. The outcome is impressive since it offers a spectacular ballet of Tourbillons. Due to its size, its style, it is a watch I was not expected in 2015, maybe let's say 7 years ago. But this excessive approach makes it very seducing at the end.




Ever wanted to own a large and affordable moonphase? Christopher Ward has the solution thanks to its C9 Moonphase. The clever display is based on a modified ETA 2836 and features a beautiful and large moon. Well done!

Oris has presented this year its more beautiful watch for may years, at least for my eyes. The Divers Sixty Five is once again, inspired by a model from the past but it is very nicely made and even the date window is not out of context since the original watch has one. So congrats to Oris for this watch which has a special place in its catalog.




I would like to finish this selection with the Girard-Perregaux Minute Repeater Tourbillon with gold bridges. I love this piece because its sound quality is very high: volume, purety and rhythm are close to my demanding expectations. But I also like its design and the perfect way the complications and the gold bridges blend to create a beautiful and attractive design, classic and contemporary at the very same time. A great achievement by Girard-Perregaux.

Of course, I could add pieces like the Patek 5370P on some others... but I wished to keep the number of selected watch at 15. I would like to add that this year, manufactures I loved are not represented in the selection: no Lange, no Cartier, no De Bethune. I could have added the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater but when I saw it in January its sound quality was not at the level of Lange standards. And since I haven't had the opportunity to hear it again later, I couldn't make it enter the selection.

Now, I hope that 2016 will be even more creative and I expect from some a more daring attitude. Some shall really release their brakes!

I wish you a very happy new year!

 Fx

This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-01-03 09:51:21