The Trilobe L’Heure Exquise “Secret” watch
The contemporary independent brands and watchmakers at Watches and Wonders bring innovation and a unique perspective to the annual watch fair in Geneva. Their experimental and cutting-edge approach to displaying time in many ways are propelling the art and craft of fine watchmaking into the future.
This second group of five watch brands that I’m presenting are an example of what attendees will see when they enter the Carré des Horlogers (Watchmakers Square), where these companies will be exhibiting.
The Urwerk SpaceTime Blade
Urwerk SpaceTime Blade
Urwerk always presents something totally different at Watches and Wonders and this year the avant-garde Swiss watch brand did itself proud with the SpaceTime Blade, a clock in the shape of a full-sized wand.
The “blade” stands five feet, five inches tall with a bronze base created through a lost-wax casting method that supports eight vertically aligned handblown Nixie glass bulbs encased in metal mesh and glass. Each Nixie bulb has 88 components.
It reveals time vertically, each bulb presents a number from 0 – 9 in a warm orange glow. The display can change 500 times per second, Urwerk said, adding that the remote control for the timepiece “is just as exceptional, evoking the imaginary world of laser sabers.” The eight display modes not measures time but calculates distance.
It is available in a 33-piece limited edition.
The Hautlence HLXX
Hautlence HLXX
Hautlence is celebrating its 20th anniversary by returning to its roots with the HLXX. The 37mm by 45mm TV-shaped case, along with the middle bezel and crown are made of satin-finished and polished grade 5 titanium. The case’s unique rectangular shape with rounded edges is the same shape as the first watch created by the Swiss watch brand.
It houses a skeletonized dial topped with rhodium-plated brass and vertical satin finishes displaying separate hour and minute displays. The hour is shown on a jumping hours disk with Arabic numerals illuminated by Super-LumiNova. The minutes are indicated by a separate disk on the left side.
The watch, including the jumping hours disk and retrograde minute complications, are powered by the Hautlence A20 hand wound mechanical caliber, the same movement that was used for its first watch 20 years ago. Its single barrel provides a minimum power reserve of 40 hours.
It is available in a limited edition of 20 pieces.
Norqain Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko
Norqain x Stan Wawrinka Wild ONE Skeleton
Tennis star Stan Wawrinka, already a fan of Norqain, is now an ambassador for two new iterations of the Swiss watch brand’s best-selling Wild ONE Skeleton sports timepiece.
In May, Wawrinka will wear the Wild ONE Skeleton Coral on the red clay courts of the French Open, and in July he will wear the green Wild ONE Skeleton Gecko on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
Both watches are based on the Wild ONE Skeleton 42mm, a version of Norqain’s sports watch with an open-worked dial and 5,000g shock resistance. Both models feature the Norqain case construction, which encases a rubber shock absorber between a top and bottom cage made of black Norteq, an exclusive ultra-light and robust carbon fiber composite.
Wawrinka wore the Wild ONE Skeleton Turquoise at the 2023 US Open last September.
Trilobe Les Matinaux L_Heure Exquise Dune
Trilobe ‘Les Matinaux L’Heure Exquise’
The French watch brand that already distinguishes itself with its unique three-ring display of time will unveil a new complication at Watches and Wonders: a poetic Moon phase. A gear wheel with 59 spurs presents an orbit of the Moon around the Earth, completing a full cycle of 29.5 days. The moon phase is co-axially linked to the Trilobe seconds wheel.
The X-Centric caliber automatic movement, made exclusively for Trilobe that is basis of the French watch brand’s unique three-ring interpretation of time, was slightly adjusted to accommodate the moon phase complication.
The “exquisite hour” watch is available in either a 40.5mm or 38.5mm case made with a choice of grade 5 titanium or 18k rose gold. There are three models. One with a dark blue dial (“L’Heure Exquise Blue”), a brown textured dial (“L’Heure Exquise Dune”) and a dark blue dial with a starry sky (“L’Heure Exquise “Secret”). The secret refers to the owner being able to indicate a date, a place and a time that Trilobe will use to obtain the position of the stars for this place and precise moment.
It is available in a limited series of 100 pieces.
The Raymond Weil 39.5mm Millesime Moon phase
Raymond Weil Millesime
Raymond Weil said it is positioning its “millesime” as its flagship collection after the watch won the Challenge Prize at the 2023 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève. The company will unveil no fewer than 11 new references of the collection at its Watches and Wonders debut.
This includes two new colors - Denim Blue and British Racing Green – in a 39.5mm stainless steel case, housing a dial with a small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock.
The brand is also introducing a moon phase reference in two dial versions: silver and “midnight blue.” The watch is powered by the RW4280 automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve.
For women, there are five new millesime models with a thin 35mm stainless steel case and two references. The first is equipped with a central second hand, while the second features a moon phase.
The new millesime watches include two Tri-Compax chronographs with panda dials. The neo-vintage 7765 Tri-Compax chronograph is presented in a 39.5mm stainless steel case. The first has a midnight blue dial, accented by light blue Arabic numerals and a white tachymeter scale. It’s paired with a blue calfskin leather strap. The second version has a black dial with white hour-markers and Arabic numerals.
The Speake Marin ‘Ripples Infinity Date’
Speake Marin ‘Ripples Infinity Date’
This new watch is in shades of white using various materials and finishes. The 40.3mm stainless steel case has a rounded square bezel with a polished profile and a satin-finished surface. The metallic silver-white rhodium-plated brass dial is engraved with 12 horizontal ripples. The heart shaped tip hour hand and minute hand are finished in polished rhodium. At 1 o’clock is a metallic silver-white small seconds counter with a sunray finish, polished black hour markers, polished rhodium-plated steel hand and a rhodium-plated counter rim. Baton hour markers are rhodium-plated and polished. The only true contrast in color on the dial is on the date window at 6 o’clock, which has a matt black disc with white Arabic numerals.
The watch is powered by the caliber SMA03-TD automatic movement with integrated microroto. The bridges have a rhodium-plated, Côtes de Genève motif with 3mm stripes, bevelled and hand-polished edges, and 5N gold-plated engraving. It has a 52-hour power reserve.
