Triple treat for watch lovers

WATCHES AND WONDERS 2023 HAD its fair share of headline grabbers, but there were plenty more that caught the eye of visitors at the mega fair. Here’s a sample of those that stood out.

Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor

How do you elevate an icon? That’s the task facing Cartier’s watchmakers when making this skeletonised version of a 1904 model that has already undergone many revamps. It has all the original design cues. What’s novel about the new watch is an automatic open-worked movement developed just for it, with a unique micro-rotor that pays homage to Alberto Santos-Dumont, the Brazilian pioneering pilot for whom the Santos-Dumont model was designed. The watch offers an uninterrupted view of the new 8629 MC automatic calibre, which was two years in the making. The 212-component movement is suspended in a network of elegantly shaped bridges that echo the case’s shape. It’s hard not to notice the large circular aperture housing the platinum micro-rotor, decorated with a miniature replica of the Santos-Dumont’s Demoiselle aircraft, the crowning achievement of the aviator’s career. 

The 31.4 by  43.5mm long case sports a lean profile of 8mm, just 0.7mm thicker than last year’s “lacquered case” model. The new Santos Dumont has three variants. The one that stands out is yellow gold (limited edition of 150 pieces), thanks to the blue lacquered surfaces on the case. There’s no trace of lacquer on the cases of the stainless steel and pink gold pieces, but all three models highlight the structure of their movement bridges with different tones of the coating – red for the pink gold, grey for the steel and blue for the yellow gold. Price: 37,500 euros (S$54,375) (yellow gold), 36,400 euros (pink gold) and 27,900 euros (steel).

A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus Chronograph

Someone once said, if you turn up at one of the most important annual watch shows with just one model to showcase, it had better be good. This was A. Lange & Sohne’s only novelty at Watches and Wonders 2023 – and the near-unanimous verdict? An exceptional high-end chronograph in a steel watch on a bracelet.

The Odysseus, Lange’s luxury sports watch, has been around for four years but, despite appearing in different metals, including titanium, it has stayed the same – till now. The latest model is the German brand’s first chronograph powered by a self-winding movement – and we know it’s automatic because the movement rotor is 950 platinum.

Any new movement from Lange attracts attention, especially a chronograph. This is one of the most challenging to build – it has taken Lange six years to develop it. The L156.1 Datomatic calibre dispenses with the usual chronograph counters and relies instead on two central chronograph hands, a reset-to-zero button and increased functionality of the pushers. This is to give full play to the strong visual identity of the watch with its outsized date and date windows. The Odysseus Chronograph is a limited edition of 100 pieces.

Price: On request.

Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS

Despite being a relatively new kid on the block – it was launched in 2019 – the Alpine Eagle has already appeared in many guises. Now the eagle has landed on new territory with an ultra-thin case, made possible by an incredible 3.3mm slim automatic movement.

An elite power player in the still highly popular integrated bracelet sports watch segment, Chopard is tipped to make further inroads into the market with the new model, which has a salmon coloured dial, a current favourite. The Monte Rosa Pink dial in a 41mm case of Lucent steel, made of 85 per cent recycled materials, is inspired by Alpine landscapes and produced in a pattern that recalls an eagle’s iris. Characterised by eight functional screws on the bezel, a key feature of the Alpine Eagle line, the watch is made all the more attractive by the fact that it’s double chronometer-rated and has Poincon de Geneve certification, a mark of serious high watchmaking. 

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