Don’t be fooled by the title — this isn’t a recap of all the watches released this year. That would be unnecessary and tedious. Instead, I propose to nominate three watches that represent the key aspects of 2021; three watches that embody the significance of the past 12 months in the horological domain.
How would you describe 2021? Over here at WorldTempus, 2021 was special for a few reasons. First of all, it was our 20th anniversary. We celebrated this occasion together with some close friends and partners, but beyond parties, we also marked our anniversary by entering a new phase of our existence as an online media title. We started creating more video content and we began to actively engage and take part in the watchmaking world instead of simply reporting on it — case in point, our activities at Watches And Wonders 2021, which ranged from presenting brand keynotes to hosting CEO Q&A sessions and offering product analysis on the official Watches And Wonders platform.
If I had to choose a watch to represent this part of the 2021 narrative, from the WorldTempus perspective, it would be a watch that I personally feel very connected to, having worked closely with its creators to bring the official brand communication to life and conducting a live broadcast dialogue with the brand CEO during Watches And Wonders. It would be the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 “Quadriptyque” — a longtime classic, exerting its true power on the occasion of an important anniversary.
Let’s cast our eyes a little further beyond the WorldTempus field of vision and talk about something that relates to fine watchmaking in general. The tourbillon celebrated its 220th anniversary this year. You would think that the best watch to represent this aspect of 2021 would naturally be a tourbillon watch made by Breguet. We’ve already expressed this idea in numerous tourbillon-centric articles (as well as in the book released by our parent company GMT Publishing) throughout the year, however, so I’m going to put a little twist on it this time. When Abraham-Louis Breguet patented the tourbillon in 1801, he saw it as a fundamental rethinking of how watchmakers could approach chronometric precision. It was unprecedented in its time, and so my second pick for the watch of 2021 is a timepiece that is equally disruptive, equally innovative, and equally focused on improving timekeeping accuracy.
It is, of course, the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture, with its silicon oscillator that beats at 40Hz. Some of you may object, on the grounds that there have been ultra-high-frequency watches released before. I contend, however, that the Frederique Constant Slimline Monolithic Manufacture distinguishes itself by being a high-volume production watch and not simply a limited-edition concept watch. The Slimline Monolithic Manufacture crosses the line from cool and unusual novelty gadget to actual utilitarian and accessible timekeeping instrument.
Finally, on a global scale, 2021 was also the year in which we all emerged from the hermit’s existence imposed upon us since the beginning of 2020. This sense of revitalisation bears the same emotional stamp as the watches that we’ve seen recently from Breitling — coincidentally also one of the founding brands of Geneva Watch Days, the first watch event that really made us feel like the world was starting to get back to normal.
The Breitling Premier B09 Chronograph 40 that was launched in April this year is the perfect ambassador for this exact sentiment. Filled with design cues that recall the good old days (nostalgia is always an advantage in creating a watch with popular appeal) and equipped with a pistachio-green dial that adds a dash of fresh optimism, the Premier B09 Chronograph 40 is an undeniable highlight of 2021.
There are several ways to assess the year that has gone by — watches may not be the most serious or definitive way, but it’s certainly one of the most fun. What are your three watches of 2021?
