More sophisticated than the small fair's first edition and gathering some 56 niche brands, this so-called independent watchmaking exhibition showed a lot of effervescence on its inaugural day. A great deal visitors, enormous amounts of visitor and exhibitor activity – and with the Superwatch Award at stake with the members of the jury walking the fair to comprehensively evaluate the different entries – there was a lot of pent-up curiosity regarding a certain timepiece that created some furor after a few video clips were previously released via various social media outlets.
In the age of the iPod, the iPhone and the recent iPad – all in evidence throughout the Geneva International Conference Center – a sort of iWatch conceived by a well-known designer who should now be called iZek (Jorg Hysek) created a buzz second only to the Asian assault on the booth of Laurent Ferrier, a newcomer already bestowed with the title of best men's watch by the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneva in November. And how different these two are: one a neo-classic tourbillon timepiece embodying the best mechanical tradition has to offer; the other a playful quartz instrument christened Slyde robbing the attention of the media (hence the title of this story). Despite Jessica, Jean-François Ruchonnet's blonde partner, the star of the bellicose Snyper booth, seven-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb at Marvin's booth, or even the archduke of Austria, Carl Peter von Hapsburg, sharing the limelight at eventual Superwatch winner Frédéric Jouvenot's stand. Slyde obviously didn't steal the Superwatch Award, though: it was not even submitted for competition in the contest.
Capitalizing on the success of smart phones that allow the possibility of changing applications by sliding the finger over a tactile screen, Hysek surprised the knowledgeable audience with a futuristic timepiece that uses avant-garde technology lifted from home automation and multimedia. “A designer is only satisfied if he is ahead of the times,” the renowned designer and founder of the HD3 brand said.
This opposing and contradictive display of time was in evidence throughout the GTE, a fair that can now be said to mix old and new, young and time-honored, cult and classic. And as for Bonnie and Clyde – er, Slyde – could it just be possible that GTE has robbed the SIHH of some of its position as king of the hill?
