The 18th Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has announced its prizes and awards (see all the winners here). The result will not be to everyone’s taste, and that’s how it should be. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is not supposed to please everybody. It’s not supposed to represent the entire watch industry; it’s supposed to represent its excellence. That is its strength, its raison d’être, and the result of its independence. If you need to find an equivalent, look at the world of cinema. It’s not the Emmy Awards, definitely not the Oscars, and still less the box office. It’s more like Cannes, an event that shares similar aspirations, tradition and glamour.

Ten or so years ago, the rise in popularity of vintage watches pushed a hitherto forgotten accessory into the limelight: the NATO strap. This strip of fabric that passes underneath the back of the watch is based on the woven nylon straps worn by fighter pilots in NATO’s air forces. They are slim, simple, economical, and they have all the benefits of any fabric. Which is why their similarities to clothing are obvious: they can be trendy and colourful, they’re washable and they’re unlikely to cause a rash. 

On the occasion of the opening of its first dedidated store on the 13th November at the Macao Centre, Corum unveiled the Heritage Corum Lab 01, a new limited series reflecting the brand's vision of watchmaking. “These are two models which embody our disruptive approach to watchmaking, as evidenced by the juxtaposition of ‘Heritage’ and ‘Lab’. In traditional Fine Watchmaking, the two concepts are never associated with one another. Heritage looks to the past, the lab to the future,” explains Jérôme Biard. “The underlying principle that we are establishing with the Heritage Corum Lab 01 is precisely to create a dialogue between these two. What would René Bannwart or Severin Wunderman have made of Corum heritage today? Progressives, even avant-gardists, certainly wouldn’t simply have just reissued pieces. The Heritage Corum Lab 01 is our response to this vision which drives us, today more than ever.”

The website Panerai.com is being modernised in both form and content, and its functions will now include e-commerce activities for the European market and Switzerland. 

TAG Heuer and Max Verstappen, Formula 1 driver for the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team and youngest Grand Prix winner in the history of Formula 1, presented their third timepiece at an event hosted at the Hotel Arena on the 13th of November, 2018. Limited to 1,300 pieces and designed by the racer himself, this new special edition timepiece is now available around the world.

Is it possible to combine all the artistic crafts in a single watch? It certainly wouldn’t be easy. To begin with, none of them truly belong to the watch industry alone; they are a varied collection of techniques, crafts and processes. A list created by the Institut National des Métiers d’Art lists 198 crafts and 83 specialist fields, making a total of 281 activities. So you can see the challenge involved in cramming them all into the three square centimetres available on a watch dial.

In keeping with the company motto, “Dare to be rare”, Roger Dubuis is once again playing the innovation card, enriching its Velvet collection for ladies with three Haute Couture watches. The theme essentially plays out on the bracelet, which is made up of tiny black or white crystal beads that look a bit like caviar. Once again, the watchmaker has deployed its manufacturing expertise and its motor sports connections to produce an innovative strap made from a molten polymer, lined with rubber and coated with a “spangled dust” that reflects the light. It’s a bold choice and the result is stunning.