The People’s Choice Award for the most innovative watch of Watches & Wonders goes to…
Zach BlassRecap: after this year’s Watches & Wonders, Wei Koh of Revolution, Robert-Jan Broer of Fratello, Frank Geelen of Monochrome, and our very own Andrew McUtchen of Time+Tide came together to talk, slash, argue over which were the best releases. They selected their faves in four different categories and then asked viewers and readers to make their choice in the comments. So far we have covered the People’s Choice for the Best Watch Under $10k, the Darkest Horse, and the Batshit Crazy categories. The next and final category that The Four Hertzmen (re the pun, thank you, thank you, one of mine) tackled was the genuinely innovative or “Actually New” prize. Like Andrew says, there’s marketing spin “new” and there’s “actually new” in this game. An important distinction.
Andrew and Frank were both in agreement that the IWC Big Pilot XPL should take home the gong. While ostensibly a Big Pilot watch, the case design and overall aesthetic is radically different. It marks the first time any manufacturer has made a watch resistant to 30,000 G, and the ingenuity of its shock-absorption design is wildly impressive. Does any civilian truly need this watch? No. But for collectors and enthusiasts, this type of ingenious timepiece will always win our hearts.
Wei’s nomination was the innovative Cartier SolarBeat Tank Must. While the Tank aesthetic is by no means new, the concept of taking such an iconic watch and driving it into the 21st century through the use of solar panels, without losing any of its essence, is certainly noteworthy.
Closing out the panel in the fourth and final round, RJB went with the Panerai Submersible ELAB-ID – praising the watch for its attempt to protect the environment, and quite literally the future, through a timepiece composed of 98.6% of recycled materials.
So, which watch got the most of your votes?
And the “Actually New” winner is…
The clear winner, receiving 63.06% of the vote, is the Cartier SolarBeat Tank Must. This truly is the Tank we know and love, but Cartier has strategically perforated the Roman numerals to allow sunlight to pass through them to a panel that will re-charge the watch battery.
With a service interval of 16 years, the watch is a hassle-free experience and one that tastefully merges luxury and conservation. As a watch that requires precious little maintenance, Cartier has ushered in affordable renewable luxury that has an uncompromised design and a low carbon footprint. In addition, the strap is composed of recycled materials – made from recycled plant material including the scraps of apples (insert your own “core values” joke right here).
Cartier SolarBeat Tank Must pricing and availability:
The Cartier SolarBeat Tank Must will be available beginning in September 2021. Price: $2,480 (small), $2,610 (large)
To hear more about the other three watches, and why they were nominated be sure to watch the video below.
Full Voting Results…
IWC Big Pilot XPL: 16.36%
Cartier SolarBeat Tank Must: 63.06%
Panerai Submersible ELAB-ID: 20.58%