Luxury timepieces have become a hot commodity over the past several years. With both devoted collectors and newfound watch aficionados helping reshape the market, an inherent boom in business seemed almost inevitable for horologists across the globe. Perhaps it’s for this reason that the selection of new watches available today offers something for nearly every taste. Fortunately, Jetset’s talented editorial team is here to help take the guess work out of deciding which new model best fits your wrist. Here are our picks for the very finest luxury timepieces for 2019.
CHANEL – Première Velours
As Coco Chanel once said: “Black has it all.” How strikingly apt in describing this issue’s spotlight on noteworthy new timepieces. An instant ingenue at Baselworld, the Chanel Première collection welcomed its newest member, Première Velours. A spellbinding balance between horology and high jewelry, the watch features an 18-carat yellow gold case with a velvet smooth strap. This haute modern reinvention of the Première classic, created in 1987, is also offered with 116 brilliant-cut diamonds set on a dial the size of a postage stamp. Talk about a tight and tidy cabinet.
IWC – Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium
While most Top Gun editions already feature a dark case and dial, the new Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Top Gun Ceratanium introduces black pushers and crown as opposed to the previous metallic finish. Moreover, the hands are black-coated resulting in a hypnotic, subtle shimmer. Sub-dials and the day-date wheels are also fully black. IWC’s Pilot concept has never been so bold. Complementing the look is a black rubber strap with a distinctive textile inlay.
BULGARI – Serpenti Tubogas
Renowned for its iconic Serpenti watch, Bulgari continues to evolve as a movable feast of innovation and elegance. The Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas — the seducer snake— succinctly expresses the Roman jeweler’s repertoire of creativity and technical virtuosity. The serpent is portrayed as a shapeshifting creature of hypnotic sensuality, as well as a symbol of immortality. Who wouldn’t want a little eternal life in their timepiece collection? Though born in gold, the watch is meant to be enjoyed on any occasion.
JAEGER-LECOULTRE – Rendez-Vous Day & Night
Gems continue to inspire our favorite watchmakers this year. The Rendez-Vous has quickly become one of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s flagship women’s offerings. Solitaire-setting techniques used in ornamental jewelry allow more light to ignite the diamonds’ clarity, setting this watch apart vis-a-vis 186 diamonds weighing a total of 3.52 cts. You’ll be waving to the waitstaff in style with this one.
GIRARD-PERREGAUX – Cat’s Eye
Ovals are a rare pleasure in watch design, especially when oriented horizontally. Exquisite and feminine, this Cat’s Eye edition gives haute horlogerie a rather ravishing feline twist. Gem-setting takes center stage here; the elegance lies in its superb size and stance on the wrist. Girard-Perregaux continues to seduce its female clientele with superior substance and styling.
ULYSSE NARDIN – Marine Mega Yacht
An unabashed grand gesture to the high roller’s aquatic life, this watch was built with the stalwart stance of a multimillion catamaran bridge. The 44mm solid platinum timepiece features a blue enamel dial that hints at a yacht bow’s shape, while the tourbillon’s cage takes the form of a propeller. The scene stealer? A spherical moonphase detailed with tiny craters, sparking the illusion of a lunar surface.
A. Lange & Söhne
2019 debuts at the Geneva Salon (SIHH)
LANGE 1 – 25th Anniversary
The special status of this 25th anniversary timepiece is rooted in the combination of traditional elements of Saxon watchmaking artistry and an extraordinary dial design paired with useful innovations such as Lange’s typical outsize date display.
Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon
Ranking among A. Lange & Söhne’s most complex watches, this watch features a fly back chronograph, a perpetual calendar with moon phases, an outsize date, and a one-minute tourbillon discreetly integrated on the back – there are lots of goodies in the package.
Zeitwerk Date
On its tenth anniversary, Lange’s first mechanical digital watch welcomes a further sibling featuring a newly developed movement and an additional function. The Zeitwerk Date is endowed with a peripheral date display that is perfectly matched to the face.
Langematik Perpetual Honeygold
The Langematik Perpetual Honeygold is presented in a new model version, limited to 100 timepieces. The case, crown, hands, appliques, lunar disc and buckle are crafted from honey gold, patented and used exclusively by A. Lange & Söhne.
Richard Lange Jumping Seconds
The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds model, in white gold with a black dial, launched in 2019. With this new version, A. Lange & Söhne has taken a watch rooted in the nineteenth century and catapulted it firmly into the 21st century.
LOUIS VUITTON – Tambour Icons Collection
The Tambour features Louis Vuitton’s iconic LV monogram motif on the interchangeable strap, as well as on the face for a high impact look. The checkerboard Damier in the luxe graphite color way is found on the collection’s largest watch. The 41.5-millimeter diameter timepiece shows off the brand’s signature pattern on both the strap and analog watch face. This versatile ethos ensures every look comes off effortlessly, no fear of overkill with this luxury statement.
GLASHÜTTE Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon
Chronometric fetish? You’ve met your match with the Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer Tourbillon. Drawing on features found in the Senator Chronometer, this watch taps three savvy features: a hacking tourbillon carriage, zero-reset seconds, and most notably, a minute detent that ensures the minute hand is always in sync with the seconds. Steeped in Glashütte tradition with the signature cage, it’s all packaged in a 42mm platinum case finished with a dark metallic blue sub-dial.
BREITLING – Premier Norton Edition
An impressive collaboration between two heritage brands mingling powerful legacies, this timepiece marries refined Swiss movement and the spirit of British motorsport engineering. An instant classic for motorbike enthusiasts, the case is embellished with an engraved plate bearing the distinctive Norton logo. The charcoal and bronze color scheme pays tribute to Norton’s trademark colors, made even more manly with a rustic leather strap.
