LVMH Watch Week kicks off watch season in Singapore

SINGAPORE scored a coup of sorts last week when it hosted its first major watch show – LVMH Watch Week – from Jan 10 to 12. In those three days, core brands under the LVMH umbrella – Bulgari, Hublot, Tag Heuer and Zenith – unveiled their first timepieces for 2023.

Executives of the Paris-based luxury group pointed to Asia’s huge market when they spoke of why the LVMH Watch Week has moved from Dubai to Singapore.

“We’ve clients here, collectors… it’s very logical,” said Zenith’s chief executive officer Julien Tornare. And with China reopening after a long lockdown, he added, it is also timely for the event to be in Singapore . 

Rolled out in the presence of watch writers from around the region a full two months before the annual mega Watches & Wonders fair takes place in Geneva, Switzerland, the new watches presented last week were a foretaste of the new releases to come in the year ahead. Many of the key pieces reflect the brands’ return to their roots.

Tag Heuer, which has a 163-year-old history, retrieved from its 1960s’ catalogue a highly sought-after chronograph and updated it for the celebration of this year’s 60th anniversary of the brand’s sporty Carrera collection.

In the Monza Flyback Chronometer (S$19,700), another re-release, Tag Heuer reintroduced an iconic model for motorsports from 1976. It is a sophisticated chronograph watch with a chronograph function that can be reset without stopping it.

The watch is given a new 42 mm ultra-light and resistant black carbon case, matched by a black dial and black textile strap with blue stitching. The dial is skeletonised to reveal an in-house mechanical movement certified by the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) for high precision and performance.

The cool-looking dial is made all the more striking by the presence of two translucent blue sapphire crystal counters – one for the chronograph and the other for the seconds. The blue lacquered hour indexes as well as the black and white lacquered hours and minutes hands, all coated with luminescent materials, light up in dim settings.

Bulgari, founded 139 years ago, retraced its Italian origins with two new Serpenti models – the Serpenti Tubogas Infinity and the Serpenti Seduttori. Its perennial bestselling Serpenti (Italian for snake) line for women was launched in 1948.  This features a watch case in the shape of a snake head and a bracelet in the body of the reptile. The watch is worn wrapped around the lower arm. 

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The differences between the latest and previous models are subtle. In the rose gold Serpenti Tubogas Infinity (S$93,300 or S$121,000, depending on length of bracelet) for instance, the serpentine profile extends in diamonds from the case to the bracelet – an artwork that requires great expertise. The result is a dazzling new snake.

Hublot, started only in 1980, does not have a long history. It has focused on what it does best – innovation – for LVMH Watch Week. Hublot continued its exploration of SAXEM, which stands for “sapphire aluminium oxide and rare earth mineral”. This is an alloy of aluminium oxide – the basic component of sapphire. SAXEM is often used in satellites and some lasers.

Hublot first produced a watch in SAXEM in 2019. This was the Big Bang MP-11, in emerald green. After almost three years’ research, it now unveiled the Big Bang Tourbillon in Yellow Neon SAXEM (S$296,900) in a limited edition of 50 pieces.

The automatic tourbillon has a 44 mm translucent case in a bright neon yellow that almost seems to glow like a fluorescent light. The watch is powered by an in-house automatic movement with a micro-rotor which, unlike the conventional and larger central rotor, reveals more of the mechanisms through the open-worked dial.