Watches for spring: Longines, Hermès and Panerai unveil creations for the year ahead.
Spring time marks the start of a new novelty season for watchmakers alike. After the recently concluded LVMH Watch Week 2024, all eyes will eagerly be on Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024 happening from 9 to 15 April 2024 in anticipation of fresh creations and masterpieces. While the wait rambles on for a few more weeks, several watchmakers have gone ahead with releases that set the narrative for what is to come.
Hermès
Hermès taps into nature’s endless reservoir of inspiration and artist Pierre Marie’s silk scarf design, Le Sacre des saisons, for an exceptional take on the Hermès Slim d’Hermès collection. Four creations make up the Slim d’Hermès Le Sacre des saisons, with each piece embodying a season and one of the four animal figures drawn from the Hermès silk scarf. Marie’s elaborate motifs of a sun-haloed lion, an eagle with unfurled leafy wings, an ice-crowned wolf and a horse with a flower-strewn mantle inspired by the costumes of 17th and 20th century French and Russian ballets are brought to life by artisans of Hermès Horloger.
A series of rare and age-old handcraft techniques captures the richness of Marie’s creations through a fine and nuanced approach. An equestrian themed piece was chosen as the ideal backdrop to signify the start of spring as a mantle of flowers is juxtaposed with the horse. Framed within a 39.5mm rose gold case with diamond set bezel, the resplendent dial is brought to life as artisans painstakingly apply micro-paint layers to the lemon chrysoprase stone dial. Given the exquisite nature of the timepieces, each of the four bestiary iterations are limited to 12 pieces.
Longines
Seventy years ago, the Longines Conquest was created as a symbol of sporting endeavours and distinction. Its namesake was derived as a mark of achievement, of conquering new frontiers of life. A special creation, the Longines Conquest Heritage Central Power Reserve, was released to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the inimitable collection. Beyond its modern day touches, its anchoring complication, a central power reserve indicator harks back to a historical reference from 1959.
While power reserve indicators tend to be presented in an arc and positioned off centre, Longines invented a pair of centrally mounted concentric discs. As the watch’s power dwindles and the main barrel unwinds, the discs rotate gradually until it reaches zero. The Conquest Heritage Power Reserve is presented in a 38mm stainless steel case with a three-part champagne (available in anthracite and black) dial flanked by twelve applied yellow goldcoloured hour markers with a fine circular thread separating the hour indices and minute track. Longines’ exclusive L896.5 calibre ensures the watch provides 64 hours of optimal chronometric performance, thanks to a silicon balance spring for 10 times the magnetic resistance ISO764 benchmark standard.
Panerai
Forged by shared values and love for the sea, Panerai’s relationship with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team deepens further with a special edition of the Panerai Luminor Marina. Clad in Panerai’s proprietary Carbotech™ case, the unique material is prized for its strong yet lightweight structure that typifies exceptional performance mirrored by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli’s racing yacht.
The blue sunburst dial bears the Luna Rossa signature and a splash of red, emblematic of the team’s livery, as seen on the watch strap, too. Powered by the automatic P.9010 calibre with a three-day power reserve, only 37 pieces of the exclusive e-commerce Panerai Luminor Luna Rossa Carbotech™ PAM01529 are produced.
Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our March 2024 issue.