Thanksgiving Special: 5 Things Haute Time is thankful for!

To all of our readers from the USA, Happy Thanksgiving! While it’s not quite the end of the year, it feels like as good a time as ever to reflect on the past few months. Brands once again pushed one another by proposing great novelties, and that’s been rewarded with popular new fairs, and new market opportunities. Here are 5 watches and trends we were thankful for this year:

1) Modern Icons

One trend that became clear after SIHH and Baselworld was the return of iconic designs in the market. For this we have to thank the growing interest for models found in the second-hand market. Boosted, it seems, by the success of their flagship watches, several brands from Audemars Piguet to Cartier have decided to reintroduce these through modern interpretations. There are many examples to choose from of course, but the one that stands out in our minds was the new 42mm Royal Oak Offshore Royal Blue.

2) Lightweight watches

Gold has been the standard for the watch industry, and while it’s likely to continue dominating the field, other materials are redefining our understanding of luxury. Cases made out of carbon, Grade 5 titanium, or even novel ones such as Richard Mille’s NTPT, have all made it into the portfolio of watch brands. What’s even more surprising is their inclusion into historical brands such as Zenith or into iconic collections such the Royal Oak. In 2014, the watch industry showed once again that it was at the forefront regarding the development of technology.

3) Serious Watches For Women

We seem to be onto something with our Worn by Women feature (Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronograph, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, A. Lange Sohne Lange 1). Everywhere we look, we catch watches made for men on the wrists of the fairer sex. But women’s pieces are also in vogue, and that’s because brands are offering models made specifically for that demographic, such as Blancpain’s Women Heure Décentrée. Breguet made the best case for the strength of the women’s market by winning the Public Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève this year, for the Breguet Classic Dame. Hopefully, it’s the first of many ladies’ pieces to be recognized, and it will encourage more brands to venture into that segment of the market.

4) The Success Of Non-Swiss Brands

Again at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, several non-Swiss brands took home prizes that rewarded international offerings. While it’s important to recognize the watches made by those brands are still manufactured in Switzerland, it’s encouraging to see professionals from all over the world participating in what’s proven to be one of the most exciting and creative industries. Whether it’s the English brothers at Bremont, the Danish duo at Linde Werdelin, or Russian soloist Konstantin Chaykin, watchmakers born outside of the promised land for watchmaking are all putting in a good challenge. A special mention also to the participation of international craftsmen such as Japanese lacquer artist Kitamura Tatsuo, who collaborated with Finnish watchmaker Kari Voutilainen on the Hisui this year.

5) You: The reader

Of course, Haute Time would be nothing without you. The encouragement and feedback from our readers keeps pushing us to deliver the best news and reviews from the watch industry. From Miami to London or Dubai, our team of international editors is thrilled to be able to share its passion for timepieces with you. And a special thank you to Jimmy Cosmo, who went from reader to contributor after reaching out to us this summer. A passionate collector, he regularly shares his advice on the best ways to invest into a timepiece, whether it’s a Rolex of a Patek Philippe. Thanks also to all of you for sharing our articles and for following and commenting on our Instagram feeds. We always enjoy a good debate!

Photo Credit: Haute Time. For more, please follow us live on Instagram @hautetime @hautetimeuk and @hautetimeuae or on twitter @hautetime