Even as technology changes, and smart watches make an appearance in the world of haute horology, storied watchmakers fall back on their historical pieces, but in new iterations.

From Rolex to Panerai, almost every major luxury watch brand is going the historical way as far as new watch launches are concerned, if one were to go by the timepieces launched at Basel 2016. The references are age-old; the technology, spanking new.

 

Rolex Daytona

Rolex Daytona

Last year, for the 50th anniversary of the Daytona, instead of a classic steel model with a black bezel, Rolex introduced a platinum Daytona with a blue dial and brown bezel. This year, they have launched a Daytona in steel, with a black Cerachrom bezel. It is tough to get your hands on this beauty; reportedly, there is a long waiting queue for it.

Till date, there have been three series of the Cosmograph Daytona. The original series, produced in small quantities from circa 1963 to the later 1980s, had a four-digit model or reference number, and a manual wind movement. The wind movement is essential to the other two movements because it allowed for increase winds coming in on both sides. The Rolex Daytona was inspired by ritzy race car drivers, most notably, iconic actor Paul Newman, who reportedly wore his Daytona every day from 1972 until his death in 2008. This original series was in very short supply by the early 1990s, which led to a second series to meet demand, introduced in 1988, for which a Zenith “El Primero” automatic movement was used, with a five-digit model number.

Panerai Luminor Marina

The new Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days

 

The new Panerai Luminor Marina 8 Days Acciaio boasts a redesign of the standard Luminor Marina dial, paired with an historical inscription on the solid case back of Italian Navy human torpedoes. At 44mm, the case is substantial, though the merits of an in-house movement and instantly-recognisable unique design bring added value to this exclusive North America release.

The Luminor Marina was the first great success in the history of the Panerai brand. In the 1990s, after decades of creations produced for the Italian Navy, which were for many years covered by military secrecy, the Luminor, with the small seconds dial at 9 o’clock, was one of the models that helped to make the Panerai brand known throughout the world.

The new Luminor Marina 1950 3 Days Automatic models differ in their dimensions, finish, materials and creative dial designs, but they share the functions and technical characteristics of the same movement, and all of them are developed from the Luminor 1950 case. This case is faithful to the historic design, with the device protecting the winding crown made for the Italian Navy in the 1940s and 1950s, but it is now presented with subtly modified proportions: the dimensions of the new calibre have enabled the case to be much thinner and lighter than those of the models already in collection.

Piaget Emperador Coussin XL 700P

Piaget

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its first in-house quartz movement, the famous ultrathin 7P calibre presented in 1976, Piaget unveils the Emperador Coussin XL 700P: an astonishing concept watch issued in a 118-piece limited series. Featuring an unusual match between a mechanical calibre and a generator, this resolutely innovative timepiece highlights two perfectly mastered skills embedded in the very genes of the manufacture. While Piaget stands out for its expertise and creativity in the development of ultrathin calibres, it also has its own range of quartz movements equipping many of its ladies’ timepieces and jewellery watch creations.

In tribute to this dual excellence, the mechanical heart of the Emperador Coussin XL 700P is regulated by the high frequency of a quartz oscillating at 32’768Hz, which controls the speed of the generator at 5.33 turns per second. This exclusive ‘motor’ boasting peerless precision is housed in a cushion-shaped case with a diameter of 46.5 mm, displaying the noble distinction of the Black Tie collection as well as the boldness of its powerfully structured lines.

Piaget’s excellence in the domain of innovative mechanical movements, and particularly its mastery of ultra-thin horology, is widely acknowledged. With the Emperador Coussin XL 700P, driven by a generator-regulated mechanical movement, Piaget pays tribute to another form of horological expertise that has been fuelling its creativity for 40 years: the development and production of Piaget quartz movements. This range of proprietary calibres was born in 1976 with the 7P, which was entirely developed and produced in-house.

 

Vacheron Constantin – Cornes de vache

Vacheron Constantin’s Historiques

The Historiques collection, dedicated to Vacheron Constantin’s creative archetypes, highlights the wealth of the technical and aesthetic heritage of the brand through contemporary reinterpretations. New models are now reviving three icons much sought-after among collectors. Inspired by a legendary 1955 chronograph, the Cornes de vache 1955 model is interpreted in pink gold, while the emblematic cushion-shaped American 1921 and the remarkable Ultra-fine 1955, with its 1.64 mm-thin gold caliber, appears clothed in platinum. These models, bearing the Hallmark of Geneva and issued in highly exclusive production runs, are enriching an exceptional collection dedicated to connoisseurs and devotees of vintage watches.

 These pink gold or platinum modern reinterpretations of legendary models give new life to the iconic creations punctuating the history of the Geneva-based Manufacture since 1755.

The Historiques Cornes de vache 1955 chronograph – named after its evocatively shaped lugs – embodies a stylistic originality typical of Vacheron Constantin. On the one hand, it expresses the unconventional creativity of the brand in the 1950s through its stylised lugs, creating an aesthetic tension with the traditional chronograph construction with two round pushbuttons. On the other, it also conveys Vacheron Constantin’s ancestral expertise in the measurement of short times. Equipped with a column wheel shaped like a Maltese cross, the emblem of the brand, Caliber 1142, powering the Historiques Cornes de vache 1955, drives the hours, minutes, small seconds and chronograph functions while ensuring a 48-hour power reserve.

 

Crafted in precious platinum, the Historiques American 1921 is inspired by an original cushion-shaped model with a crown placed between 1 and 2 o’clock, created by Vacheron Constantin in the 1920s for the American market. Combining the daring style characterising the era of its birth and the rigorous technical standards of a fine watchmaking, this contemporary reinterpretation of an icon from the roaring Twenties remains loyal to the original version through an imposing cambered case diagonal time read-off, offset ball-shaped crown and small seconds between 4 and 5 o’clock.

Testifying to Vacheron Constantin’s ancestral expertise in the making of ultra-thin watches, the Historiques Ultra-fine 1955 model is powered by the mechanical manual-winding Vacheron Constantin Caliber 1003, presented in 1955. In its exclusive new interpretation, this restrained timepiece accommodates its legendary movement inside a round 36 mm-diameter case made of platinum. A micromechanical masterpiece comprising 117 components and yet measuring a mere 1.64 mm thick, it reveals its 18K gold bridges and plate adorned with exceptional hand-crafted finishes through the sapphire crystal back of the case that is water-resistant to 30 metres.