Important new developments will be part of the 28th Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), taking place January 15th to 19th 2018. For the third consecutive year this major event will be ringing the changes, ready to welcome prestigious exhibitors. The central aisles are extended for the arrival of Hermès, while a bigger Carré des Horlogers makes room for DeWitt, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud and Romain Gauthier: SIHH is expanding on a par with its international renown. These new arrivals bring the total number of exhibitors to 34, with 18 Historic Maisons and 16 Carré des Horlogers brands, all dedicated to achieving excellence in the measurement of time.
The epicentre of Fine Watchmaking, SIHH retains the selectiveness and exclusivity that has underpinned its success for the past 27 years. “There is no intention of extending SIHH indefinitely. It will grow within carefully measured limits so as to preserve the values of excellence that have forged its reputation. It must also meet the expectations of its exhibitors and clients, both now and in the future,” commented SIHH Managing Director, Fabienne Lupo.
Each January in Geneva, exhibitors unveil their finest creations. This is also where the latest trends in technical and precious watchmaking are revealed, and where the people who are shaping the industry today and tomorrow meet. Professionals, journalists and influencers, experienced and aspiring collectors all converge on this unique and eagerly anticipated event.
This noted, I can still appreciate it for what I mentioned above: to find this type of detail in this quantity, you either go to get a close six-figure watch or you’ll miss out. Having visited numerous manufactures and handled so many expensive watches, it’s mind-numbingly complex and difficult-to-make details like this that are what really make a watch stand out from the remainder. And if there is anything that I do enjoy in a Richard Mille Type Watches Replica view, it is you could sort of get lost in it and expect to detect these details even weeks after wearing the watch.And I’m sorry, but a conventional watch with a traditional exterior has to have one absolutely amazing movement to justify a similar six-figure price — and again, lots of collectors that now are buying (and wearing) Richard Milles do this since a new dial onto a 5270 often just is not exciting enough when on other watches everywhere you look, you notice detailing that won’t ever be present on proudly conventional watches. Before you light your torches and bring out your pitchforks, I am not saying one is superior to the other, or you shouldn’t exist and the other needs to, but rather that beyond the show-off component, there’s another reason why Richard Mille watches (and others, such as an MB&F Legacy Machine Perpetual or Urwerk UR-110, et cetera) do so well at a time when others struggle.What leaves space for criticism concerning the case itself is the fact that 18k white gold scratches if you look at it the wrong way — things tougher than white gold comprise melting icehockey, or the Queen’s royal choice of feather cushions. The ceramic alternative won’t be that much better, but will certainly offer you an improvement in this aspect, at a price of missing sheen that only valuable metals can produce. Water resistance, despite the double-O ring crown is rated for 30m. I keep saying all contemporary watches should have at least 100m depth score, even although the way things are going, 30-50m appears to become the standard among non-dive watches.
By moving forward this way, SIHH accompanies the remarkable progression observed within the Fine Watch segment these past years. New players, new clients, new markets… the luxury business is extending its boundaries and engaging in a genuine dialogue with its fans. In keeping with this spirit, SIHH opened its doors to the public for one day last year, and will be doing the same again in 2018.
Make no mistake, the next SIHH promises to be as exciting, surprising and innovative as ever.
Exhibiting Maisons
A.Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Girard-Perregaux, Greubel Forsey, Hermès, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Parmigiani, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Ulysse Nardin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vacheron Constantin
Carré des Horlogers
Christophe Claret, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud , DeWitt, Grönefeld, H. Moser & Cie, Hautlence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, MCT-Manufacture Contemporaine du Temps, Ressence, Romain Gauthier, RJ-Romain Jerome, Speake Marin, Urwerk
Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie
Palexpo – Geneva – Switzerland
15th-19th January 2018
www.sihh.org