LVMH Watch Week: the best of

Amazing. Resplendent. Stunning. The Bulgari watch show combined Roman excessiveness with Swiss watchmaking technical mastery better than ever. The Serpenti Furiosi was born just 75 years ago, in 1947. Today, the most famous snake bracelet holds a secret. For in the head of the snake hides a watch head. It is the smallest mechanical movement of the 21st century, a new world record 12 mm in diameter and 2.5 mm thick. A mechanical treasure set in a jewel-like creation that is totally out of the ordinary. Whether you like it or not is not the question, but only the exceptional mastery of Bulgari in marrying watchmaking and jewelry. 

 

The art of sounding good

On the watchmaking side, the Manufacture presented an Octo Roma Carillon Tourbillon, a double openworked complication with a graphic and very contemporary treatment. Its movement was designed to amplify the rendering and clarity of sound. It has three hammers, measures 35 mm in diameter, 8.35 mm thick and includes a total of 432 components. It is manufactured entirely in-house. The generous proportions of the case are designed to maximize sound propagation. It has internal cavities and three openings on the case middle that correspond to the three gongs, allowing sound to emerge from the case. The case back is also hollowed out and redesigned with a titanium grid that protects this resonance zone and allows the sound to be transmitted outwards. A rare and stunning piece, limited to 30 pieces.

 

Hublot sees life in yellow  

At Hublot, it's the great return of yellow gold, with a touch of nostalgia: in 1980, the brand was the first to associate this precious metal with rubber. A real crime at the time... now a standard! The Classic Fusion Chronograph is now available in yellow gold, in a diameter of 42 mm. The Big Bang Integral will be made entirely from a single block of solid gold (case, bezel and bracelet). The Big Bang also has a 42 mm yellow gold case, a rubber strap and benefits from the in-house Unico movement, which provides a 3-day power reserve. Finally, the Spirit of Big Bang, with its atypical barrel shape, closes the line in the same full gold livery. 

 

TAG Heuer continues to move forward  

Frédéric Arnault, now head of TAG Heuer, is gradually revising his classics. The Aquaracer is his priority. Already renovated by Guy Bove, a former Ferdinand Berthoud and Breitling designer, the piece continues its transformation with the Professional 200, an all-terrain steel tool watch with an automatic movement, a revised diameter of 30 or 40 mm, a date window and a very trendy smoked dial. At the same time, TAG Heuer is continuing the successful modernization of its Autavia, which now includes the Heuer Calibre 02 COSC Flyback movement, in 42 mm, with a full black livery that looks great. 

 

Zenith in need of inspiration

At Zenith, it is abundance. The Defy is still on its way, the Chronomaster is not even a year old, a few capsule collections have been created in the meantime, punctuated by half a dozen boutique editions, interspersed with the original Primero, certified as vintage. What room is there for the new Skyline? Not much. Lost in a frenzy of announcements that leaves little time for the new models to settle in, the piece shines by its conventional and opportunistic character. The umpteenth reinterpretation of a Royal Oak style, it borrows the bezel with cut steps, the alternation between matte and polished surfaces, the textured dial, the steel bracelet, but also and above all the sport-chic spirit ad nauseam. A pity. Zenith has to stay and exploit already 100% its Chronomaster and Elite lines, as well as the superb Defy, and that will be enough.