Chopard

The watch : L.U.C Tourbillon Tech Twist V2
With this new tourbillon, Chopard unveils a masterly new take on the traditional display layout according to one vertical and another horizontal axis. The aerial architectural style is accentuated by the tourbillon bridge hollowed to form the arc of a circle, with another arc of circle placed just opposite at 7 o’clock and displaying the 9-day power reserve. This original geometrical approach is complemented by two wave-shaped horizontal lines. At the heart of this design beats the exclusive L.U.C Calibre 4TBST, a movement bearing COSC chronometer certification attesting to its precision and equipped with the exclusive L.U.C “Quattro” technology featuring two sets of two stacked barrels, as well as a patented fine-adjustment Variner balance. The crown at 4 o’clock bears the L.U.C logo and is fitted with the W.A.S device, the main element of the Winding Assistance System specially developed for this model. The L.U.C logo on the crown can be depressed to enable use of the small crank serving to wind the movement. The crown and crank jointly comprise 24 parts, some of which are in gold. This set of features contributes to establishing the L.U.C Tourbillon Tech Twist V2 as an eminently sophisticated Haute Horlogerie model available in a limited edition of 100.

Its architectural counterpart : the work of Zaha Hadid
“What most strikes me about this model is the aesthetic work done around the curves and counter-curves. They deliberately disorient the gaze. This geometry reminds me of the architectural approach of Zaha Hadid, who specialises in what is known as architectural distortion. She seeks to destructure space and is regarded as the leader of a certain kind of formalism that exacerbates plastic tensions, on the opposite end of the spectrum to a pacified geometrical arrangement of lines.”

Antoine Preziuso

The watch : B-Side
This watch is said to unveil the hidden face of time. Through it, Antoine Preziuso expresses an entirely different approach to our relationship with time. The time display becomes a secondary element on the B-Side, leaving pride of place to the beautiful perpetual motion of the beating heart of this model, its movement. All to often hidden from sight, it plays the leading role on this particular stage. And when the owner of the B-Side cannot resist consulting the actual time indication, a simple press on a secret pusher triggers an amazing transformation. The watch opens up and flips over without ever leaving the wrist, revealing the traditional ballet of the hour and minute hands. It took no less than 16,000 hours of research and development to perfect this avant-garde concept, offering an original journey through time and space that is interpreted in titanium, an ultra-light metal boasting high mechanical resistance.

Its architectural counterpart : ancient architecture
“On the dial side, the dial graced with the Côtes de Genève motif is a nod to classic Greek columns, such as those of the Parthenon. I see these motifs evoking fluted Greek patterns as a reference to ancient architecture on a first level, but also to the neo-classicism of Schinkel in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, which is clearly visible in both Berlin and Munich. Nonetheless, the 9 and 3 o’clock numerals make a striking contrast with this spirit. They feature a very 1920s, neo Art Deco style. On the back, the view of the movement reminds me of a nuclear power plant. The oversized crown radiates a sense of regulating strength in relation to the perpetual interior motion.

de Grisogono

The watch : Otturatore
While most manufacturers prefer to display a flurry of mechanical complications on a single dial, the Otturatore chooses to opt for extreme simplicity. Rather than unveiling the small seconds, date, moon-phase and power-reserve functions simultaneously, de Grisogono has chosen to display only one complication at a time while leaving the other three in the background. This unusual display mode was achieved by developing a bidirectional mobile dial. The latter can perform a rotation in 90° increments. Depressing one of the two pushers controls no less than 15 dynamic functions of the Otturatore movement in just a few dozen milliseconds, while taking account of the energy, friction and inertia. An unostentatious technical accomplishment favouring a rather understated, classic aesthetic, rather than a multitude of eccentric features.

Its architectural counterpart : an Italian renaissance palace
“What first meets the eye is the space between the two huge pushers on the side of the case middle. But I am mostly struck by the Clous de Paris hobnail pattern on the dial, which reminds me of the base of Renaissance palaces with a diamond-tipped bossage* motif. This type of cut is also extremely characteristic of the 1930s. This watch has a refined, pure and extremely finely structured appearance that I find strongly reminiscent of that period”.