High time

IT was one of the two biggest annual watch shows on earth, and as expected, it was time to roll out the big guns. Which was exactly what nearly two-thirds of the 16 luxury brands taking part in the 2014 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva did as they unveiled their newest, finest tourbillons - the ultimate test of a watchmaker's prowess.

While these revered gravity-defying complications took centre stage at the show a fortnight ago, the grand complications, on the other hand, were noticeably absent. Sure, you can't produce a new multiple complication every year, but the lack of buzz created by the two new grand complications at last year's SIHH - A Lange & Sohne's Grand Complication and Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication - was almost palpable.

Jaeger-LeCoultre tried to save the day with the Master Ultra Thin Minute Repeater, which it claimed was the first ultra-slim grand complication ever created. But while impressive, the timepiece didn't quite live up to the traditional definition of a grand complication. It has only two complications - a tourbillon and a minute repeater (a mechanical watch that chimes the hours and often minutes at the push of a button) - just short of the minimum three criteria.