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The HH Journal is an online publication covering watchmaking news in all its forms and is published by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) which was created in 2005. The FHH aims to raise awareness and promote the values of fine watchmaking on an international basis. The HH Journal is written by twenty journalists located throughout the major global markets and takes a comprehensive approach to watchmaking, including technical as well as economic, historical, and human aspects. The HH Journal is dedicated to exceptional products with a daily update of its written or multimedia content. See some examples of recent HH Journal content below and click on the headline to read the full article.
Panerai’s Quiet Revolution
Panerai are no strangers to innovation. During SIHH 2017, they lived up to their reputation as a “laboratory of ideas” when they produced BMG-TECH, a metallic glass new to fine watchmaking, and the LAB-ID Luminor 1950 Carbotech 3 Days – 49mm which requires no lubrication and is guaranteed for 50 years. The biggest difficulty the firm faces is holding onto the true fan club of Paneristi whilst also bringing in new fans. What the brand does to hold both old and new fans is hide ground-breaking developments within classic “Panerai-looking” watches. So, how does all this new technology really work?
Yes, all these items are solutions to problems desperately sad and/or dull and/or unhappy folks would say shouldn’t have existed in the first place — and, by a strictly sensible strategy, they’re actually perfect. You do not need a watch dial up to come in at a 12° angle to be able to read the time precisely how you do not need a car capable of performing well over 400kph to purchase from A to B.However, it seems that if watchmakers are faced with the challenge of producing a watch that goes with a hyper- or supercar, they think big and think up to out of the box, even as they possibly can. It’s their great, frequently once in a lifetime chance to make something completely bonkers and eliminate it — just consider this double-balance Roger Dubuis Aventador S, the Hublot LaFerrari, this Blancpain Lamborghini that came with a tourbillon and a carrousel for absolutely no fantastic reason whatsoever, or, of course, this Parmigiani Fleurier Women’s Watches Replica Fleurier Type 390. It’s a brand flexing its muscles, and that is all good!The Sort 390 actually looks very cool when worn out the incorrect way around — and the timing is confronting away as well, which is a plus occasionally. . .It’s not only muscles but bank accounts that these hyper-creations make bend. Cost for the Bugatti Chiron hypercar starts at about $2,500,000, while a watch from the 10-10 piece limited runs of the Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Type 390 will place you back 295,000 CHF.Today marks the launch of the Parmigiani Fleurier Bugatti Type 390, a watch made to go with the latest Bugatti Chiron hypercar. In line with most of the pieces that came from Parmigiani’s now 13-year partnership with carmaker Bugatti, the Sort 390 is another very unusually shaped bit filled edge to edge with an equally unique movement. Just like the Bugatti Chiron, the Parmigiani Sort 390 also appears to have been superbly and incredibly over-engineered, in order to get the attention of even the most tired and tired watch and car lover.
Extraordinary Van Cleef Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels showed visitors “The Poetry of Time” with their Automate Fée Ondine on the opening day of SIHH this year. The idea was to harness the power of large mechanics and tell a far more elaborate story than those made possible by the Poetic complication watches. The unique piece has a manual-winding movement with: animation on demand with 5 cycles of 50 seconds when the mechanism is fully wound, a clock with retrograde hours and an eight-day power reserve. When still, it shows a sleeping fairy among water lilies. When set in motion, she awakens, lifts her head and gently moves her wings, meanwhile the lily leaves ripple and the largest flower blossoms to reveal a butterfly that rises from its centre.
Sleeping Beauties Awaken
The ‘80s returned at this year’s SIHH in the form of three complete collections of watches from Cartier, IWC, and Girard-Perregaux, and the brands clearly had women on their mind, too. This trio of collections has confirmed three things within fine watchmaking: vintage is here to stay, ladies’ watches deserve to be more than diamond encrusted, smaller versions of their male counterparts, and brands are bringing their past back to life with a bang. Without further ado… we introduce to you: Cartier’s Panthère, IWC’s Da Vinci, and Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato.
Simple watches, complex problems
One of the most noticeable trends at SIHH was brands ‘toning down’ their offerings and extending their entry-level ranges. They have finally found their footing in reality but there is still one unknown factor: the customer, preferably young and less inclined towards luxury. Given the sharp decline in Swiss Watch exports over the past 18 months, fine watch brands have no other choice than to consider how suited their products are to an inventory-heavy market, where brick-and-mortar distribution finds itself increasingly in competition with online sales. The HH Journal looks at what brands are doing to reach new audiences and to entice the “new generation of luxury buyers.”
Chrono dearest
The chronograph is arguably the most useful complication within fine watchmaking. A challenge for watchmakers, but one which lends a sporty feel to watches. How often do you see someone going about their business, to then stop and use their chronograph? And yet, when it comes to the chronograph watch, there are seemingly endless choices. Has it come to the point now where the use of a chronographs becomes a measure of a watchmaker’s skill, rather than a timepiece choice for its functionality. The HH Journal takes a closer look at the new releases of SIHH 2017 and ultimately whether the chronograph is still relevant.
Michel Parmigiani, the horological heart doctor
Michel Parmigiani has made restoration an art form. However, 20 years ago he set up his own brand, one whose Senfine movements promise a new “historic” departure for fine watchmaking. The Parmigiani Fleurier Restoration Workshop is truly one of a kind, and because of its founder, restoration is as much of an art form as it is a science. He has been cited saying, “As a restorer, I like to say that five hundred years of history have passed through my hands.” A closer look at what makes Michel Parmigiani and his brand Parmigiani Fleurier so special.
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