Five Hit Watches from Geneva Watch Days 2020 - Barron's

Bulgari's revamped Aluminium.

Bulgari

With this week’s opening of Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and other watch industry leaders are celebrating the return of in-person watch events in the year of Covid-19—well, at least for the Swiss and other Europeans, who can safely gather to see and try on the new 2020 models.

Last March, after the cancellation of the annual Baselworld and Watches & Wonders events due to the pandemic, Babin announced the Geneva event, originally planned for late April, to some raised eyebrows in the watch world. The spring dates were later amended to Aug. 26-29, allowing time to get the virus under control. 

The event’s 17 participating brands are showing their latest watches to retailers, the press, and even the general public in a variety of Geneva venues—from hotels to manufacturing facilities to boutiques. 

Not only does it allow for greater freedom and independence from the previous trade fairs, Babin said during a virtual presentation, but the new format is also far more efficient and cost effective. Compared to spending anywhere from US$2 million to US$7 million for a brand to have a presence at the traditional fairs, he says, participating in Geneva Watch Days costs a fraction of that amount at less than US$1 million.

“It’s not only well-adapted to the current financial pressure that Covid is putting on the industry,” he says, “in the longer term, it’s a format which is very efficient with a much better return on investment.”

Among the many long-awaited standout watches unveiled this week, here are five that caught our eye and are sure to catch yours.

Bulgari Aluminium Collection

Bulgari’s revamped Aluminium collection was not even in the works until March, when Covid-19 slammed the industry with shutdowns of retail stores and factories.

“We decided to totally redesign, relaunch and re-propose the Aluminium to attract to the Swiss watch industry what has been missing over the last 10 years–millennials,” Babin says, adding that luxury Swiss watch brands had  “done a lousy job attracting millennials by being too conservative, and repeating again and again very similar designs.”

So, to update the late-’90s model, Bulgari outfitted the new Aluminiums with automatic mechanical movements, one a time-only model and the other an integrated chronograph. The shift from quartz to mechanical was necessary to meet the target generation’s expectations of authenticity and craftsmanship. 

The graphic black-and-white design addresses the millennials’ embrace of casual luxury. “They really want to enjoy luxury, not only to wear luxury as a symbol of success,” Babin said. 

The next-gen 40mm Aluminiums are made with anodized aluminum that resists wear and tear paired with a case back, chronograph pushers and crown in titanium, plus a rubber bezel and strap. They are also water resistant down to 100 meters.

Pricing was also determined with an eye to millennial discretionary budgets, with the time-only model priced at US$2,950 and the Chronograph coming it at US$4,250.

H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Centre Seconds

The Streamliner Centre Seconds features retro-modern styling..

H. Moser & Cie.

H. Moser & Cie. followed up its sporty Streamliner Flyback Chronograph, launched in January, with a less-complicated and more approachable Streamliner Centre Seconds. The striking Matrix Green fumé dial is a new shade for the brand, which has made the vibrant smoky dials a Moser signature that has been widely copied. 

As the name indicates, the Streamliner collection takes its aesthetic cues from the first high-speed passenger trains from the 1920s and ’30s with curvaceous Deco forms. The 40mm cushion-shaped Streamliner Centre Seconds (US$21,900) remains true to these codes while keeping its focus on straight timekeeping with a beautifully finished, 100% Swiss mechanical movement, the HMC 200 self-winding calibre. 

The retro-modern styling features alternating brushed and polished surfaces from the case with its domed sapphire crystal to the intricate integrated steel bracelet that fluidly curves around the wrist with individually articulated links. 

Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge

The Girard-Perregaux Free Bridge pays modern tribute to the brand's historic tourbillons.

Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux unveiled two new Free Bridge models that offer a thoroughly modern tribute to its historic legacy, namely its legendary Three Gold Bridges tourbillon pocket watch from 1867 with a distinctive architecture that has been evident in its tourbillon watches ever since.  

The stainless steel 44mm Free Bridge (US$17,400) and its close sibling, the Free Bridge Infinity Edition (US$20,800), a limited edition of 88 pieces in black DLC-coated steel with rose gold accents, are distinguished by the familiar arrow-shaped, NeoBridge that spans the base of the main plate.

The brand’s tried and tested GP01800 in-house caliber has also been updated with state-of-the-art advances, including the use of anti-magnetic, low-friction silicon for the escapement and parts of the balance wheel.

De Bethune DB28 Steel Wheel Sapphire Tourbillon

The DB28 Steel Wheel Sapphire Tourbillon stands out from the crowd, and only 10 pieces will be made.

De Bethune

De Bethune marked the 10th anniversary of its disruptive DB28 with a captivating new variation, the DB28 Steel Wheel Sapphire Tourbillon (US$225,000), limited to 10 pieces.

Seeking to bring a resolutely futuristic vision to the art of watchmaking, De Bethune’s original DB28 stood out from the crowd with its distinctive case shape and the crown at 12 o’clock in a nod to antique pocket watches. The groundbreaking design drew immediate praise among the watch cognoscenti for its avant-garde vision and advanced technical innovation, all while retaining reverence to classical techniques. 

This year’s interpretation of the DB28 uses sapphire crystal for the signature delta-shaped bridge in blue and the covers for each of the two barrels in clear. These transparent elements invite the eye to dive into the intricate mechanism below. 

Breitling Endurance Pro

Breitling's Endurance Pro with a yellow inner bezel and rubber strap. The Endurance Pro is built for an active lifestyle.

Breitling

Breitling pivoted to its Ironman Squad ambassadors, serious amateur athletes and those who simply enjoy an active lifestyle with this week’s launch of its Endurance Pro collection. The new model aims to become the ultimate athleisure watch by combining high precision, innovative technology, lightweight comfort, and colorful design.

The Endurance Pro (US$3,000) combines a 44mm Breitlight case, made of the brand’s ultralight polymer, outfitted with Breitling’s proprietary thermo-compensated SuperQuartz movement, which is 10 times more accurate than a conventional quartz movement. 

“When Jan Frodeno first became a member of our Triathlon Squad, he asked me what Breitling he should wear,” said Breitling CEO Georges Kern in a news release. “We started brainstorming about the perfect sporty lifestyle watch and that conversation led to the development of the Endurance Pro. With this watch, we adapted our Super-Quartz technology to the needs of people like Jan who play as hard as they work.”

To kick off the new collection, Breitling invites cyclists and runners who use Strava to enter the Breitling Endurance Pro Strava Challenge and compete for prizes, including a Breitling Colnago C64 bike, Endurance Pro watches and Breitling jersey kits. To be eligible, competitors must complete 500 minutes of activity, about the same time it takes for a world-class Iron-Man athlete to complete a full event.

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2020-08-27 18:56:00Z

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