THE JOURNAL
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Best Of Watches & Wonders 2020: The Statement Watches
Words by Chris Hall
29 September 2020
Some people turn heads the moment they enter a room. So do some watches. These are our favourite five head-turners: watches with big personalities, which make an equally big impression. They aren’t all physically large – although some definitely are – and neither are they concerned with anything so ordinary as “bling”. This is not about superficial glitter, but design concepts that tread an individual path. Horologically speaking, each does something different from the norm, whether it’s a new take on a classic complication or a method of reading the time that defies all established convention.
01.
Roger Dubuis Excalibur Huracán
Skeletal, stealthy and angular, the Roger Dubuis Excalibur possesses a structural, instrumental presence. The titanium case and “engine bay” styling of the openworked movement are direct nods to Lamborghini, while the Verde Ithaca green detail provides just the right amount of contrast.
02.
HYT H0
Nothing else is even remotely comparable to a HYT: the brainwave of using liquid-filled tubes to tell the time, pumped by tiny bellows driven by a traditional, finely finished mechanical movement, is nothing short of inspired. The all-sapphire case stands high and wide on the wrist, but you don’t wear this watch to go unnoticed.
03.
Bovet Récital 27
New to MR PORTER for Watches & Wonders, Bovet’s creations – all of them limited in number and fabulously created – lean into the most traditional watchmaking aesthetics, but present them in ways that could only appear in the 21st century. The asymmetrically angled case and complex, layered dial of the Récital 27 are a case in point.
04.
Montblanc 1858 Geosphere
You may ask why Montblanc’s Geosphere belongs in this company. It has regular hands and numerals, for a start. But its approach to the worldtime complication, with two hemispherical domes, is totally unique and the new rich-blue dial is one of the most eye-catching we’ve seen.
05.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X
Another new arrival at MR PORTER, the Freak X is a distinguished descendant of the original Ulysse Nardin Freak, one of the most inventive watches in recent history. Using the gear train and escapement themselves to indicate the time, dispensing with traditional hands or a dial along the way, it is a sight to behold.
