Australian Watch Authority
INTRODUCING: The Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Fleur and the Lady 8 Petite
Back in the 18th century, Pierre Jaquet-Droz wowed the courts of Europe with his Automates – three humanoid dolls, about one-third life-sized, that could variously write, draw and play music with uncannily lifelike gestures. Intended to promote his clocks and watches, and powered by scaled-up versions of mechanical watch movements, they were a stroke of marketing genius – as well as a remarkable demonstration of his skills. Eighteen years ago, when Swatch Group revived Jaquet Droz, it harnessed that legacy – developing automata on the minuscule scale needed to fit inside contemporary watches. This meant men’s watches, as Jaquet Droz had no collection specifically for women in the first 13 years of its modern existence. Then came the Lady 8 collection. Launched in 2013, its design adopted the brand’s signature figure-of-eight but rather than confining it to the dial, expanded it to create a sculptural double loop. The watch-case itself formed the larger circle and an extension formed the smaller, upper circle of the eight. Within that smaller circle lay a pearl or a polished stone, set invisibly so that it could be rolled this way and that, under the fingers – like a very sophisticated and sensual fidget toy.…
VIDEO: Panerai’s Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech, the PAM00979
In recent years, Panerai has made some lateral moves, with watches like the more land-based Due. But for SIHH 2019, one of the original dive watch brands was underwater in full force. Their collection was chock-full of Submersibles (which is now a distinct line of its own). Panerai’s Marina Militare watches pay tribute to the brand’s naval roots, and that famous dial text was back this year, and on a watch that looks, frankly, incredible. The big 47mm Carbotech dial is paired with a carbon dial and even a newly designed handset. There’s a lot to like here, but see the video for what it’s like on the wrist. Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech (PAM00979) Australian pricing Panerai Submersible Marina Militare Carbotech, $28,700
LIST: Andrew’s top 3 picks under $10k from SIHH 2019
To atone for our tardy 2018 Top 10 lists, and to prove we haven’t just spent a week in Geneva looking backwards, we’re moving quickly on now to what has been the work at hand the last five days – reporting on the first major watch fair of the year, something we call SIHH, or Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie. As usual, we have handled hundreds and hundreds of brand new watches. But slightly different to usual, instead of spending all of our time in Geneva bashing away on laptops in the evenings or in the 5-minute spaces between presentations, we dragged our cameraman Marcus around with us literally everywhere and – given a moment – we would quickly recap our picks. They are ordered by price (Australian dollars, by the way), because that seems to work best for you all. So, consider this a serious shout of ‘FORE!’ on the golf course. We have a veritable hail of videos of our picks incoming — it’s almost like you’re about to live the fair in its entirety, just a few days after the fact. The structure is this: Felix and I weigh in separately on our top three picks in three…
WHAT SEALED THE DEAL: On Champs’s Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 15202
Those who know Champs know that he has a special affinity for Audemars Piguet. And like many others, that fondness for the Swiss manufacturer began with nothing more than a few pictures found online – like the proverbial pin-up posted on our bedroom walls. A few years later, an innocent trip to Baselworld led to an incredible visit to the AP factory and it wasn’t long before he returned to pick up his Royal Oak 15400 with boutique blue dial. Still the fire burned. And soon after he was back at the birthplace of the original luxury sports watch; only this time, it was to pick up this one, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin 15202. When did you first see/hear about it? I first heard about it back in 2012, when it was relaunched for the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak. I had been daydreaming about it ever since, but sadly, I couldn’t afford it yet. Any story behind the purchase? When I went to Baselworld in March 2017, I had the privilege of meeting the CFO of AP and other AP associates. We got along so well that I’ve stayed in touch with them, and every time I have been to…
