Haute Curator: Greg Simonian’s Favorite New Watches from Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland is THE place to be in January if you are skiing the surrounding Alps, or in search of exciting new timepieces from the greatest luxury watch brands. This past January I left my skis at home, but spent a full week appreciating the latest creations from my favorite manufacturers at presentations around the city. Following are five new watches that are coming soon to Westime boutiques in Beverly Hills, Malibu, West Hollywood and La Jolla.
Audemars Piguet Millenary Quadriennum
A unique oval case and off-center dial are traditional motifs of Audemars Piguet’s Millenary collection. The new twist in this beautiful, hand-wound edition is a quadriannual calendar function, which requires adjusting just once every four years for leap year. This 47mm 18K pink gold case provides ample room to exhibit the caliber 2905/B01 movement alongside the white enamel dial and small seconds subdial. It is presented on a brown alligator strap with 18K pink gold folding clasp.
De Bethune DB28 GS
For its first sports watch, De Bethune gave its most comfortable watch design—the DB28—an even greater level of durability and wearability. The DB28’s patented floating lugs, which adapt to wrist size and movements, along with a crown placed out of the way at 12 o’clock are ideal for an active owner. In the new GS model, the watch also features De Bethune’s first natural rubber strap and water resistance to 100 meters. The 44mm grade 5 titanium case has been hand-polished and smoothed down for a matte effect. The timepiece displays hours, minutes, performance indication between 2 and 3 o’clock, plus a glimpse of the decorated hand-wound movement.
Franck Muller Color Dreams
He is a master of complications, and also masterful at making whimsical, sophisticated watches. Franck Muller’s new Color Dreams, in a 42mm pink gold case, features a multi-color array of gem stones that seem to sparkle with joy. The automatic watch displays hours, minutes and seconds, with the help of a different color gem stone for every hour marker. Adding to the dazzle are 366 white diamonds (6.74 carats) adorning the case. A colorful alligator strap is the finishing touch.
Richard Mille RM61-01 Yohan Blake Limited Edition
Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake races with a Richard Mille watch on his wrist, and for the sake of aerodynamics, the “leading” edge of its case tapers and narrows. That unusual, asymmetrical case is instantly recognizable on the two watches already in the Yohan Blake line. Now an all black limited edition joins the collection. Like its predecessor, the RM 61-01 Limited Edition features a case made of TZP black ceramic and NTPT carbon, assembled with 20 titanium screws. In the new version, the hand-wound skeletonized movement is also finished in deepest black. The 50mm watch is presented on a black rubber strap, and is limited to 100 pieces worldwide.
Hublot Classic Fusion Aeromoon
Hublot expanded its Classic Fusion line with a model featuring a mesmerizing moon phase complication. The 45mm Aeromoon, available in 18K King Gold, tracks the lunar cycle via two convex spherical moons that revolve every 29.5 days. Each appears in turn through a partially frosted glass and within a round window at 6 o’clock. Also visible through the sapphire dial are date, day and month discs. Each of the four indications have their own correctors on the case sides. The automatic watch is finished with a black alligator and rubber strap.
