Fair Game: Stunning timepieces at the Watches & Wonders in Shanghai

The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), one of the most prestigious annual watch events in the world, emerged this year with a new identity as the Watches & Wonders fair. Following the cancellation of its inaugural Geneva event February, the organisers took the show on the road to Shanghai’s West Bund Art Centre in September. 11 renowned haute horology brands were in attendance over the five-day watch fair, showcasing enough cutting-edge high-end timepieces to tempt even the most discerning of watch collectors. Below, we highlight seven of the most outstanding models for your perusal. 

Starting the horological proceedings is IWC’s sporty Portugieser Yacht Club Chronograph Edition ‘Orlebar Brown’. Created in partnership with British swimwear label Orlebar Brown, this athletic update to the iconic Portugieser collection features a nautically- inspired blue case, paired with equally sporty blue rubber straps and a co-branded side-fastener buckle. Fitted with an in-house calibre 89361 flyback chronograph movement, its elegant fascia is punctuated with a chronograph hours and minutes subdial at 12 o’clock and a hacking-seconds / date display at the 6 o’clock position. A 68-hour power reserve completes its robust yet sleek appeal. 

Another dazzling chronograph that debuted at Watches & Wonders Shanghai was the Tondagraph GT Rose Gold Blue from high-end watch manufacture Parmigiani Fleurier, with this attention-grabbing blue-on-rose gold timepiece, turning traditional watchmaking on its head via a movement organised around a central column wheel, a balance attached to a cross-bridge and a vertical rather than a horizontal clutch. Limited to a release of just 25 pieces, its latest PF071 movement oscillates at 36,000 vibrations per hour, ensuring accuracy to one-tenth of a second. 

An equally compelling haute horological offering came from Baume & Mercier in the form of its new Clifton Baumatic Day-Date Moon-Phase. Burnished in an attractive blue-white gold motif and powered by an in-house BM14 movement, its elegant lacquered gray dial boasts an eye-catching vertical layout with the day indicator at 12 o’clock and a moon phase subdial – ringed by a date indicator – taking place of pride at the 6 o’clock position. Equipped with a five-day power reserve, this 42mm wrist adornment is the perfect accessory for any debonair gentleman. 

Not to be outdone, A. Lange & Sohne unveiled its new Tourbograph Perpetual Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange” as an ode to its founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange. A veritable treasure trove of grand complications can be found atop its attractive black-rhodiumed dial, including a tourbillon, a rattrapante chronograph, a moon phase indicator and a perpetual calendar. Measuring 43mm in diameter, its case is crafted from 18K Honeygold, a top-secret proprietary alloy. Limited to a release of just 50 pieces, this is surely a guaranteed collector’s favourite. 

Raising the bar quite literally to the stars, meanwhile, was Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre with the latest iteration of its Master Grande Tradition Grande Complication. The jewel in its crown undeniably the arresting celestial vault – an astronomical complication encompassing an orbital tourbillon tied to a star chart that completes one revolution each sidereal day – that adorns its multi-layered dial. If that weren’t enough, it also comes outfitted with 24-hour indication and the brand’s iconic minute repeater with cathedral crystal gongs. 

Inserting an element of the outré to the proceedings was Roger Dubuis’ Excalibur Diabolus in Machina. Here, the large, skeletonised flying tourbillon has been crafted from CarTech Micro-Melt BioDur CCMTM, the marque’s proprietary metal. Measuring a staggering 45mm in diameter, its open-worked dial is further punctuated with oversized Roman numerals as hour markers. A key draw is undoubtedly its minute repeater function, with the gongs chiming at C and G flat reminiscent of the “Diabolus in Musica”, or “the devil in music”, so often touted during medieval times. 

Rounding out our list of top timepieces at Watches & Wonders Shanghai is the latest iteration of Cartier’s cult classic, the Pasha de Cartier. First introduced in 1985, this newest incarnation comes in a slew of interchangeable straps, case materials and bezels. The most dazzling of these is a white gold creation that features an attractively open-worked dial with a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, with its 1847 MC automatic movement wholly visible through its transparent sapphire crystal caseback. Rounding out its appeal, 180 shimmering diamonds adorn its bezel, movement, crown and buckle, ensuring that any passing gazes are firmly ensnared.