Lionel Meylan - Watches and Wonders: Julien Meylan’s Top 5 - Watches and Wonders

Last week, Yannick Meylan shared with us his favourite watches from Watches & Wonders. This week we’re asking his brother and co-CEO, Julien, to talk about the five timepieces that really stood out for him. This is his selection.

Watches and Wonders : les coups de cœur de Yannick Meylan

Julien Meylan © Lionel Meylan

Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Perpetual Calendar

Steel or rose gold? Why not both! This is the kind of sport chic I love, paired with what I consider to be one of the most useful watchmaking complications. The 42mm diameter is perfect, as are the proportions of the subdials on the magnificent blue Mariner dial. There’s another important point: thanks to its optimal ergonomics, it hugs the wrist beautifully, which makes it extremely comfortable to wear. This timeless new watch really captivated me.

Watches and Wonders: Julien Meylan’s Top 5

Polaris Perpetual Calendar © Jaeger-LeCoultre

Hermès Cape Cod Crépuscule

Women will find this watch to be simple, elegant and comfortable. And yet the dial is particularly sophisticated, thanks to its material, which you’d normally find inside the escapement of a mechanical movement. The blued monocrystalline silicon with its yellow gold coating, creating the image of a sunset, is strikingly effective. All credit goes to artist Thanh Phong Lê – I love the originality. And let’s not forget the exceptionally supple Hermès leather strap, immediately recognisable, even with your eyes closed.

Cape Cod Crépuscule © Hermès

Parmigiani Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante

The refinement and ingenuity of this watch drew me in – its elegance, too. The flyback function combined with a GMT is a new complication, and one I find very user-friendly. The limited production capacity of the manufacture makes this an extremely exclusive watch. You won’t see it on everyone’s wrist, and I like that too.

Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante © Parmigiani Fleurier

Ulysse Nardin Blast Moonstruck

I love Ludwig Oechslin’s complications. He has a gift for making the most complex complications appear simple. There’s a single crown to adjust the indications for the position of the moon and the sun, the date and the tides, as well as hours and minutes. And let’s not forget the dual time function, which is adjusted simply with two pushers marked + and -. It’s 45 mm of watchmaking genius on the wrist.

Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Tourbillon Grand Feu

It has a diameter of 42 mm, which suits my wrist; a dial in deep black enamel, something Ulysse Nardin does so well; a power reserve indicator, which I like to have on a watch (even an automatic); and, the cherry on the cake, a magnificent aperture onto a flying tourbillon made from silicon, a pioneering development from Ulysse Nardin.