This year’s SIHH kicked off with grand cocktail party organised in downtown Geneva at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices
The event welcomed SIHH Presdient Fabienne Lupo along with the councillor of Canton of Geneva Pierre Maudet, mayor of Geneva Remy Pagaini and the exhibiting watch maisons presented by their 35 CEOs, more than 400 guests, clients, collectors, retailers, journalists and watch industry personalities as well as local personalities.
Guests were welcomed by Musique a Rollers featuring young musicians performing an acrobatic display on roller skates and impressive musical techniques. This was followed by the Peretuum Jazzile beatbox choir. A cocktail dinner had been created by five Swiss and French chefs on the ‘four season’s theme, including a marche gourmand and flower-themed patisseries.
The 28th edition of the show sees 35 exhibiting Maisons including Hermes, which is exhibiting for the first time this year. Elite Living Africa discovers some of these new creations.
Jaeger-LeCoultre - Polaris collection
Inspired by the iconic Memovox Polaros timepiece from 1968, Jaeger-LeCoultre has a new addition to its existing product range. The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection takes the spirit of Memovox Polaris, with a three-hand automatic, a chronograph and a chronograph world time, as well as two models with a stronger vintage feel: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Date and the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Memovox.
The pieces reflect Jaeger LeCoultre ' s high manufacturing know-how, with all mechanical movements being made in-house. The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris collection presents a contemporary sporty yet elegant timepiece.
“The SIHH is the major annual rendezvous for Fine Watchmaking stakeholders. It simply has no equivalent. This year, the major new introduction is the creation of a new place conducive to encounters and open to all-comers, which will serve as a platform for all the exhibiting Maisons. The Salon thus actively fosters ties and generates content,” says Fabienne Lupo, President and m anaging director of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.
Ulysse Nardin - Classic Voyeur
This erotic timepiece from Ulysse Nardin illustrates two couples fashioned from 18-carat pink gold or white gold and caught “in flagrante delicto.” The scene presents one couple in their nightclothes, the woman behind the man, in a Louis XIV salon complete with engraved canapé and carpet. The man has pulled open a curtain dividing the room to reveal not only the time, but a naked couple, making passionate love. Each press of the button couples the background lovers, rhythmically moving back and forth the woman’s leg and her partner’s arm, torso and thigh; while, in the foreground, the woman’s hand reaches forward to touch her partner’s sex. Classic Voyeur is a very exclusive creation. The pleasant chimes have been cleverly designed to be low-pitched for the hours and higher-pitched for the minutes. The 42 mm case is in 18-carat pink gold or platinum. Only 18 pieces are in the edition. The sultry princess edition is in platinum, with 60 shimmering baguette diamonds on her bezel, for a total of 3.5 cts.
Montblanc - 1858 collection
Inspired by the heritage of Minerva the collection reinterprets the famous Minerva chronographs from the 1930s . The vintage style of the collection has been further emphasised by the use of bronze – a first for the brand. Montblanc brings together traditional Swiss artisanal watchmaking with a genuine material from watchmaking. The Montblanc 1858 features a deep back dial, to further emphasis the cathedral-shaped hands and Arabic numerals. There is also the Roberts Freres Villeret logo, the historic Minerva logo, the Montblanc name and the arrow from the Goddess Minerva’s spear. The timepiece is powered by the caliber MB24.16 an automatic movement for the young and modern watch wearer who appreciates both the vintage feel and the functionality.
