Horological Meandering

The Made with Love and Precision exhibition at Harrods

 

One of my biggest pleasures when I'm in London is to visit the Fine Watch Room at Harrods. I always have the feeling to get a concentrated view of the full high-end industry with the different brands booths and the displays dedicated to independent watchmakers. What I appreciate the most is the feeling that each brand managed to  create its own atmosphere in its own corner. When you enter the Lange & Söhne corner, you really have the feeling to be inside a boutique of the brand. The same with Hublot, Vacheron, Breguet etc...

This wide range of brands gave the opportunity to Harrods to celebrate this summer the watchmaking craftsmanship and creativity thanks to an exhibition which gathers more than 20 special pieces (23 to be precise) created by the brands. Actually, it is not a classic exhibition. We are talking here about watches which are available to the customers. And the most interesting point is that some of them are worldwide premieres and exclusively launched at Harrods. I couldn't miss the opportunity of a recent business trip and I decided to escape from the City to visit the famous store of the Brompton Road. The good news is that even if you are on hurry, the windows displays offer to our views the comprehensive gathering of these specific watches, one per window.

But of course, I couldn't be happy with the outside windows only and after a few minutes walk in the Harrods Labyrinth, I reached the Fine Watch Room in which the team was waiting for me for our appointment.

I propose to discover some of these watches. I couldn't shoot them all for time constraint. So I focus on the worldwide exclusivities. I will come back later on some of them.

Let's start with a lovely lady's wrist... and an impressive full set piece!

This Cartier Ballon Bleu is decorated with 828 brillant-cut diamonds representing more than 8 carats. OK, I didn't try to count them to check if these figures were right but I couldn't appreciate the elegance of the watch despite the full set approach. It is the reason why the Ballon Bleu design is successful. Even in this context, the watch keeps its balance and its pebble look and feel. An impressive watch which has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

The Chopard LUC XPS 1860 was one of the stars of the latest Baselworld fair. It allows to enjoy the LUC movement with micro-rotor with a more affordable piece thanks to its stainless steel case. Obviously, the decoration of the movement is not at the same level than with the gold version. But the movement remains very enjoyable to observe thanks to its lay-out. About the watch itself, I find it mare with care even if I would have loved to see it without the date window.

The Chopard LUC XPS 1860 has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

Another star of the latest Baselworld Fair is the Tag Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T. It symbolizes the new strategic direction of the brand: a consistent and solid watchmaking content combined with affordable price. The price of this watch is between 12,100 and 16,100 GBP in the UK according to the versions what is, fairly speaking, an excellent value for the money since it gathers a tourbillon and a chronograph. I would have preferred a larger Tourbillon in order to have the feeling that "it breathes" better but this watch is truly a great achievement from Tag Heuer.

The Tag Heuer Carrera Heuer-02T has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

I have the feeling that Peter Speake-Marin was back to his roots with the London Chronograph. To be honest with you, this watch was one of the 3 top priorities I had in mind when I set up my appointment with Harrods. I love it. It is as simple than that. I love the different layers, the large gothic figures which give the English touch and the idea to make it powered by a classic handwind movement: the Valjoux 92. Gothic figures are part of Speake-Marin's DNA and we could see it with the recent Velsheda. This chronograph is very unusual, maybe a bit disturbing and it is the reason why I consider it as one of the best watches made by Peter recently.

The Speake-Marin London Chronograph has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

Another watch I didn't want to miss was this Breguet Classique "Special Edition" 7337 with a gorgeous blue dial.

I was very surprised to discover this blue color in the Breguet context and I have to confess that it works perfectly! It gives a touch of modernity in a very classic (I would say iconic) dial lay-out from Breguet. The "chinese" dial looks really gorgeous and I could spend hours with this watch. Obviously, the darker color makes its perceived size a bit smaller than the 7337 of the permanent collection.

The Breguet Classique "Special Edition" 7337 has been launched exclusively at Harrods worldwide.

This Glashütte Original Senator Moonphase Skeletonized Edition is another surprise. I was not expecting to see the Senator Moonphase with such decorative approach. To be frank, the watch is not my cup of tea despite its qualities and its flawless decorative work. I find it, like its less complicated equivalent, too baroque for my taste.

 The Glashütte Original Senator Moonphase Skeletonized Edition has been launched at Harrods worldwide.

I'm a fan of the IWC Big Pilot. So I didn't need to be convinced by a lot of arguments to appreciate this version, the Annual Calendar Spitfire. Well, I have to say that I much prefer the Annual Calendar complication within the Portugieser collection. Anyway, the slate grey dial works very well here and I find the watch very appealing. A kind of complicated "Patrouille de Suisse" version.

The IWC Big Pilot's watch Annual Calendar Spitfire has been launched at Harrods worldwide.




The RJ-Romain Jerome Skylab 48 Speed Metal Skull offers a spectacular view on an anodised-aluminium skull. Despite the large size of the skull, the movement remains quite visible. I like this contrast between the skull and the technical atmosphere of the moving parts of the movement.

The RJ-Romain Jerome Skylab 48 Speed Metal Skull has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

Well, call me Punk! Here comes the Sevenfriday M1/04 - Punk Edition. The red gothic numerals, the spikes create a British feel which is enhanced by the additional bracelet. Actually, you have to wear the watch and the bracelet at the same time to fully enter the concept! Full of small  details which contribute to the specific atmosphere, this watch is one of most particular Sevenfriday pieces.

The Sevenfriday M1/04 - Punk Edition has been launched exclusively at Harrods in the UK.

I don't know why but I was sure to find a HYT watch in the exhibition. The HYT Skull Bad Boy Harrods Limited Edition features specific arabic numerals on the bezel. I think that the Bad Boy dark context works well with the design of the watch. Time can be read easily when you are used with the HYT system. Consider the liquid behaviour as a single retrograde hand and it's fine. We are around noon on the picture. Please note that as usual the power reserve indicator is located in the right eye while the left one is dedicated to the seconds (it is actually a way to check if the watch works).

If you like this watch, be fast! Only 2 pieces are available!

The HYT Skull Bad Boy Harrods Limited Edition has been launched exclusively at Harrods.

The Petit Skull from Fiona Krüger doesn't belong to the exhibition but I didn't want to leave the Fine Watch Room without putting it again on my wrist. What can I say? I love this watch. It is smaller than the Skull but, surprisingly, looks more masculine. The work on the dial is gorgeous and full of details we could observe during hours... The eyes feture the animation from the movement. I consider the Petit Skull as one of the best watches of the Baselworld Fair of this year. So you understand why I was happy to wear it again! Well done Fiona!




The Made with Love and Precision exhibition is clearly a must-see if you are in London this summer. It offers a wide range of very different pieces and I could appreciate this diversity. The exhibition runs till mid August so don't miss it! And of course, you will still have the ability to enjoy the different brands corners of the Fine Watch Room!

I would like to thank a lot the Harrods staff for the warm welcome and the time spent with me.

Fx
This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-07-17 12:44:36