From September 13th to 17th, the 2023 Watches and Wonders Shanghai Haute Horlogerie Exhibition was held at the West Bund Art Center in Shanghai.
Luxeplace.com delves into the exhibition and brings you the latest trends and developments from the participating brands.
This year’s exhibition featured two “most expensive” watch novelties, one from Vacheron Constantin, a subsidiary of the Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont, and the other from Roger Dubuis.
Vacheron Constantin
Les Cabinotiers Master Complication Astronomical Grand High Jewelry Watch
Inside Vacheron Constantin’s minimalist-themed booth, which embodies the essence of simplicity (LESS’ENTIAL), you’ll find the “Eternal Star” in the “Starry Universe” section. This watch has garnered significant attention as the highlight of the exhibition.
According to brand representatives on-site, this new watch was sold to a Chinese buyer at the beginning of the year for a price exceeding 20 million RMB.
This watch combines exceptional craftsmanship and top-notch jewelry techniques. It has a diameter of 47 millimeters and a thickness of 12.54 millimeters, with a bright orange dial and strap. The brilliance of the watch comes from the 393 long step-cut diamonds totaling 14.4 carats, including 14 on the crown (0.25 carats) and 16 on the clasp (0.87 carats).
The watch is powered by the Vacheron Constantin 1731 manual-winding movement, which boasts 19 complex functions, including perpetual calendar, mean solar time, true solar time, minute repeater, sidereal time, constellation display, moon phase, lunar age, season, day and night length, and more, with a power reserve of 60 hours.
To pay homage to the Geneva “Attic” workshops that crafted timepieces for European nobility in the 18th century, Vacheron Constantin introduced the Les Cabinotiers Special Order Service in 2006. This service creates unique wristwatches according to the customers’ specifications, making it the most renowned private custom service in the high-end watchmaking industry.
Roger Dubuis
Monovortex™ Cone Single Tourbillon Double Chronograph, part of the Hyper Horology™ collection
This HYPER HOROLOGY™ by Roger Dubuis incorporates two breakthrough technologies and a unique display design.
At the 9 o’clock position, the watch features the Monovortex™ cone-shaped single tourbillon device that rotates in a 360° conical trajectory, effectively countering the impact of gravity on the watch’s timekeeping accuracy.
Roger Dubuis has also developed a turbine-guided cylindrical escapement positioned vertically at 12 o’clock, utilizing the influence of gravity to wind the watch efficiently.
Roger Dubuis is currently applying for patents for these two innovations, reflecting the brand’s pursuit of exquisite watchmaking craftsmanship and exceptional mechanical performance.
The watch is equipped with the RD 114 movement, bringing back the double chronograph function.
In terms of appearance, this watch is no less impressive. Its special display design features polygonal minute hands with the digits 0, 1, and 2 at the 3 o’clock position, rotating precisely from 0 to 9 on the right side, and Roger Dubuis is also applying for a patent for this design.
The 47-millimeter case is made of high-tech mineral composite fiber (MCF) material, innovatively developed by Roger Dubuis. It is 2.5 times lighter than ceramic and 13% lighter than carbon fiber, ensuring comfortable wear. The vibrant red and gold colors exude passion and dynamism.
This watch made its initial appearance at the Watches and Wonders Geneva Haute Horlogerie Exhibition in March of this year. It is valued at over ten million RMB, but as a concept watch, it is not available for sale.
This year marks the return of the Watches and Wonders exhibition to Shanghai after 2020 and 2021. Fourteen watch brands participated, and in addition to the exhibition, there were themed lectures, expert discussions, watchmaking workshops, and other activities, providing visitors with a 360-degree immersive exhibition experience to appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity of high-end watchmaking.
| Image Credit: Provided by the brands, photographed on-site by Luxe.CO
| Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
