Which chronograph stood out from the crowd? Which jewellery watch caught your eye? These are the types of questions journalists like to answer at the close of a watch fair. Opinion articles are everywhere, but journalists are not the only people whose views are worth knowing about. The WorldTempus team decided we’d like to hear from watch retailers. After all, their opinions carry a great deal of weight in the industry. So, today, we have invited Carla Chalouhi of arije to present her top five timepieces from Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 40
The Day-Date, a unique creation when it was launched in 1956, was the first wristwatch to show not just the date, but the day of the week, in full. This eternally popular and iconic timepiece has been worn by many international figures, from the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, to basketball star Michael Jordan, and even the Dalai Lama. With its case made invariably from precious metals, this model, for the first time, features a ridged bezel in 950 platinum, paired with a glacier blue dial. This makes the new Day-Date innovative, while at the same time retaining the visual characteristics that make Rolex watches so distinctive.
Cartier Masse Mystérieuse
The Cartier Masse Mystérieuse, with its timeless, classic design, succeeds in disrupting the established classical codes with its astonishing approach to aesthetics and mechanics. In a tribute to the Maison’s technical mastery, the movement of this latest model is also the oscillating weight. Condensed into a semi-circle, this innovation not only makes the piece fascinating to look at, it also makes it a more than worthy successor to the mysterious hours watches with their levitating hands.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Perpetual Calendar Ultra-thin Skeleton
Presented for the first time in rose gold with a blue dial, the harmonious construction of this Overseas Skeleton is underlined by the new colour of the calendar subdials. The skeletonised structure reveals the ultra-thin calibre 1120 QPSQ/1, measuring just 4.05 mm deep. This perpetual calendar watch is ready to face the coming decades with equanimity, since its impressive mechanical memory guarantees that no adjustment will be required until the year 2100.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT Automatic 10th Anniversary
Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the iconic Octo Finissimo, this chronograph pays tribute to the creative process behind its genesis. With its peerless architectural presence enhanced by the angular case and clean geometric lines, this timepiece showcases the initial sketches for the Octo Finissimo’s dial, as drawn by Bulgari’s creative director, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, giving a glimpse into the design of this iconic watch.
Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Automatic Purple Sapphire
A master of the art of fusion, Hublot continues to push the limits of its expertise to reach new peaks of technical proficiency. This year, the manufacture has added a new purple shade to its already broad palette of sapphire colours (clear, black, red, blue, yellow and orange). This unique hue brings a breath of ethereal flamboyance to this Big Bang, which combines complex watchmaking savoir-faire built up over decades with avant-garde technologies, juxtaposing a tourbillon with an innovative new shade of sapphire.
