Is summer a propitious time for sports ? Many watch brands are certainly having a ball, and are choosing as their ambassadors elite representatives of each sporting discipline, according to the image they wish to project. While not all of them resort to this tactic, all of them are united in the XXL format of the GMT, which has been giving pride of place to the most exceptional products each year since the turn of this third millennium. As the leading light in the rarefi ed sphere of haute horlogerie, Patek Philippe remains loyal to this grand summer rendezvous for the fifth consecutive year and is focusing in this edition on its iconic annual calendar complication. After a few diffi cult seasons, the sun is certainly starting to shine, although not all the clouds have disappeared. Sheltered inside their workshops, watchmakers are patiently testing their latest innovations and lovingly fi ne-tuning their new creations. Some of them are revealed in the next few dozen pages, while others await better days before emerging from their presentation boxes. The entire GMT team thanks these creative talents for their trust, and hopes that this unveiling of their precious models will procure them as much pleasure as we have had in setting the stage for them. Moreover, our thoughts go out to the family and loved ones of Mr Nicolas G. Hayek, who passed away as we were about to go to press. This peerlessly visionary entrepreneur was undoubtedly the very epitome of a leading light in the Swiss watch industry.

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