“Today’s luxury has entered the era of the archive.” Eric Briones, co-founder of the Paris School of Luxury and author of Luxury and digital (Dunod, 2022), analyzes this phenomenon in the light of a strategic logic of elevation of brands, “which increase their prices while focusing on the most reassuring investments, and, therefore, rely on their icons” . Like a house like Cartier which, every year, strives to recite its classics. The Reissues collection, launched in 2021, is an illustration of this: models in a format close to the original, in limited edition and numbered. Thus, the Tank Cintrée watch, inspired by the Tank of 1917, is offered this year in a version in platinum and ruby cabochon.
The trend is towards a slightly modernized nostalgia and a permanent rereading of design codes. A cycle which is part of respect for the past, with a touch of transgression. For example, Breitling does not hesitate to offer its iconic Navitimer watch in fashionable colors and small diameters, 36 and 32 mm, adapted to feminine wrists. “You can see someone across the room and know that he or she is wearing a Navitimer,” says Breitling CEO Georges Kern.
Tudor, for its part, remains faithful to the Black Bay line, which is particularly identifiable. Its Black Bay 54 model reinterprets the brand’s first diving watch, produced in 1954, while retaining its proportions. The manufacture caliber and the water resistance pushed to 200 meters are the only concessions to current performance requirements. For its part, Seiko is enriching its Presage Style 60’s collection with creations that combine the vintage design of the 1964 Crown Chronograph model with today’s mechanical characteristics. For the visual, the Japanese house is inspired by the world of automobiles of the 1960s and adds a GMT function to these timepieces dedicated to travel.
Another groundswell is currently shaking up the world of luxury. This new trend, called quiet luxury, takes the opposite view of bling-bling and logomania to advocate discreet and timeless elegance. However, it requires having models that are so emblematic that it is not necessary to decipher the brand on the dial, such as the Speedmaster references from Omega, Reverso from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, Monaco. from TAG Heuer, Submariner from Rolex and many others… At Patek Philippe, if the proportions of the Nautilus 3700/1 are distinguishable at first glance, the refined round case of the Calatrava collection from 1932 corresponds to an archetype of elegance timeless. In the new version 6007G-001, the style is more graphic and contemporary, enhanced by a touch of color.
It is also on color that Blancpain relied on to celebrate the 70th anniversary of its most famous model: Fifty Fathoms, the first true diving watch in history, created in 1953 by Jean-Jacques Fiechter, co-president of Blancpain and professional diver. The Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 3 limited edition pays homage to the original timepiece by dressing it in 9K Bronze Gold, an alloy of gold, copper, silver, palladium and gallium. In a less conventional way, the famous diver also finds herself in the spotlight with the “Blancpain X Swatch” partnership, the second part after the global buzz of the “MoonSwatch” collaboration. While the case remains in bioceramic, the watch this time features a Sistem51 automatic movement and is water-resistant to 91 meters, or 50 fathoms, a nod to the Fifty Fathoms. A collection particularly dedicated to generation Z, as sensitive to vintage watches as to fashion collabs.
We never finish reinventing icons…
An article from the special “Watchmaking” section of L’Express, published in the weekly on December 7, 2023