Every year has its share of Art Déco watches, and 2019 is no different, all gracefully acknowledging the design period of the 1920s and ’30s. Bold geometric forms, strong colours, exotic styles from the Far East and Central Asia and the use of rare and exotic materials — these timepieces are meant to be noticed. As Stéphane Belmont, Director of Heritage & Rare Pieces, Jaeger LeCoultre, tells us, “Art Déco was expressed by a revolutionary aesthetic language capable of uniting art and the avant-garde, reason and utopia.” He is referring to JLC’s Reverso, of course. Bronze was a recurring theme at the Swiss watch fairs earlier this year, and Ulysse Nardin’s candidate in the new Marine Torpilleur Military collection seemed straight out the military barracks — referencing the torpedo from which it derives its name. That said, if I had to share my favourites in this category this season, this is how they would stack up.
Chopard LUC Perpetual T: Adopting the famous geometric patterns of the Art Deco movement, the Chopard L.U.C Perpetual T Spirit of the Dragon and the Pearl has dragon engravings on the rose gold case and a complex mechanism of perpetual calendar and tourbillon. Chopard’s Mains d’art (artistic hands) has presented this masterpiece. Borrowing from Chinese mythology, it tells the fable of the five-clawed Tian Long dragons serving the emperor in the quest for the sacred pearl leading to wisdom and knowledge. A precious find for collectors, especially for the symbolism, the hand engraving and the 200 hours it took to create.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Small Seconds: Proving that the icon from 1931 will never go out of favour, the new Reverso Tribute Small Seconds has a daring wine-red dial and matching top-stitched strap from Casa Fagliano. Launched in Geneva earlier this year, it maintains characteristic Art Déco features: from the iconic rectangular case to the typical gadroons. “The main influence of Art Déco on the Reverso is the symmetry. Over the years, the style has become more than an influence; it is a guideline in terms of design,” explains JLC’s product design director, Lionel Favre, adding, “By using a bold colour for watchmaking, the burgundy-red, we perpetuate the Art Déco spirit.” Incidentally, the Reverso 1931 had a red enamel dial. At ₹5,65,000.
Graham Swordfish Steel: Swordfish can selectively warm their eyes and brains, thanks to a specially adapted heating organ in the muscle next to their tennis-ball-sized eyes. But why are we talking about swordfish? Well, their eyes are the centre of attraction for Graham’s Swordfish collection. The watch makes a comeback 15 years after its launch, and the two 20% magnifying ‘eyes’ over the hour and minute counters at 3- and 9 o’clock are its distinctive feature. The new edition comprises two models in steel and two in bronze, with a titanium case back, Super-LumiNova indices or Arabic numerals. These 46 mm timepieces come with either a black calf leather strap or a Milanese steel bracelet. At ₹6,14,625 (steel) and ₹7,38,375 (bronze).
TAG Heuer Autavia: The Autavia’s story can be traced back to 1933, when it was a dashboard instrument used in racing cars and aircrafts. After production stopped in 1957, then CEO Jack Heuer decided to use it for the chronograph wristwatch. This new timepiece captured the excitement of rally racing and was a big hit, till once again, production stopped in 1985. Now, TAG Heuer has reintroduced it as a stand-alone collection, with a 60-minute bi-directional ceramic bezel and TAG Calibre 5 movement. “The origins of this new line comes from a very important timepiece from the TAG Heuer archives, The Time Of Trip, launched in 1911,” says Catherine Eberlé-Devaux, Heritage Director of TAG Heuer. “Its round shape and dark brown and bronze-rose colours and great legibility with near Arabic indexes, belong to the 1910s, and definitely has its place in the Art Déco movement.” At ₹2,80,000 (steel) and ₹3,40,000 (bronze).
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Green Bronze: Bell & Ross is that successful ‘round in a square case’ statement watch. With the new Diver collection, the brand pursues its aspirations of underwater exploration from the 1940s — take a closer look at the case-back engraving of a diver from that era! Capturing the spirit of the military and diving, the monochromatic olive dial is functional at night too, thanks to its gold-plated appliqué indices with Super-LumiNova inserts. Its bronze case and bezel reference diving history (used for deep-sea helmets) will age beautifully. At ₹3,60,800.
