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The Mini Tank Louis Cartier
This dinky Tank Louis Cartier was a huge hit at April’s Watches and Wonders fair in Geneva – so much so that it triggered a wave of interest on Instagram, proving that quartz Tanks have retained their timeless allure through the decades. It’s teeny-tiny, at just 24mm x 16.5mm (versus the small model which is 29.5mm x 22mm) but it has all the good looks of its larger counterparts: namely a signature rectangular face with softened lugs, which hug a chic black alligator strap. The only feature missing from its ‘parent’ model is the chemin-de-fer minutes track, which would have been illegible on this reduced size.
Designed in 1917 by Louis Cartier, the eldest grandson of the Maison’s founder, the iconic Tank is considered an icon of Art Deco design. It set a new trend in watchmaking that favoured clean lines and a machine-like aesthetic to reflect industrial progress, including advances in aviation and the automotive world. Its bold Roman numerals were considered daring at the time of release, since the more decorative Art Nouveau style was still very much in vogue in horological circles. It hasn’t appeared in collections as a miniature since the early 1990s, so this is understandably an exciting release with effortlessly cross-generational appeal. Look out too for the new mini Tank Américaine, known for its slightly longer curved case, also cast in 18ct yellow gold. Cartier.com; £3,250
The tiny world of Chanel Novelties
Chanel’s watch novelties are always an exciting talking point. Every year the design team dreams up a visual language that subtly rekindles Coco’s spirit by alluding to her great passions, be it astrology, her lucky numbers, favourite holiday destinations and even her lovers.
This year the lion, her most beloved wild beast, dominates the collection in tiny, bejewelled form or cast in 18ct gold on statement ‘hidden face’ sautoirs, wristwatches and cuffs. The sewing skills of the maison’s haute couture ateliers are also celebrated via some astonishing haute joaillerie timepieces including a sautoir in the shape of a miniature gem-encrusted mannequin and an extraordinary automaton which features a number of these dinky mannequins which dance around a tiny chandelier. These are the staggering one-of-a-kind showstoppers of the collection, but there are also some eye-catching limited editions that are destined to be future heirloom pieces.
Of special note are four new pink editions of the J12 and Boy.friend timepieces, the most striking of which is the J12 X-Ray Pink Edition, a masterwork of translucence limited to 55 pieces with a 38mm pink sapphire crystal case contoured by a bezel set with 46 baguette-cut bonbon-like pink sapphires. Bold, daring and unapologetically extravagant, it’s a symbol of Chanel’s ability to constantly surprise. Chanel.com; POA
Hermès, The Cut
The Cut is the name of Hermès’s all-new 36mm model, possibly inspired by the idea of ‘being cut from a different cloth’, which, in terms of women’s sporty timepieces, it certainly is.
On first inspection, it appears typically classic with bold Roman numerals – but look closely and you’ll see that this design tilts towards the unconventional, like all pieces made by the Parisian maison, which somehow always manages to strike a poised position between high luxury and beguiling whimsy. Available in all steel or two-toned in steel and rose gold (with or without diamonds), its main draw is its case, which playfully places a perfectly round bezel within a slightly squarer silhouette, apparently inspired by a child’s hand-drawn circle. Adding intrigue to this subtly ‘off-kilter’ geometry is a crown at 1.30. Engraved with an elegant H, its unusual position endows the design with a touch of the avant-garde, as if the watch face has somehow magically shifted, paused like a spinning top toy.
The steel version pushes this concept further forward thanks to a grey and orange accented minutes track which is traced by a seconds hand finessed with a tiny Hermès orange dot. Powered by the in-house calibre H1912, all Cut watches are pretty from both sides: a sapphire crystal caseback showcases a rotor entirely decorated with an H pattern. Its sober, graphic design can be livened up by switching to a rubber strap available in white, orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert criquet, bleu jean and capucine. Hermes; £5,930
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse
Every guest at Watches & Wonders 2024 wanted to get their hands on this exquisite unisex piece, one of the most tactile Patek Philippe models to date. The Golden Ellipse was first introduced in 1968, and its case is a work of mathematical precision, the proportions following the Ancient Greek concept of the ‘golden ratio’ which identifies harmonised shapes – both in nature and in art – as those expressed following a 1:1.61 scale. A similar model with a gold ‘beads of rice’ bracelet appeared between 1984 and 1999, but this super-slim version (reference number 5738/1R-001) which measures 34.5 x 39.5mm with a thickness of 5.9mm, is the first large size to be fitted with a metal bracelet.
And it’s not just any metal bracelet, but a work of intricate craftsmanship comprising 300 tiny 18ct rose-gold links individually mounted by hand, culminating in a distinctive pattern that looks and feels like it’s been lovingly braided. An 18ct rose-gold case frames a black sunburst dial with elegant baton markers, while a subdued crown is set with a black onyx cabochon. It’s also worth mentioning the fold-over clasp, itself a thing of beauty engraved with a matching chevron-like pattern along with the watchmaker’s Calatrava Cross symbol. It has the advantage of three adjustment positions which is very unusual for a mesh jewellery bracelet, even one of this pedigree. Patek.com; £52,470
Chopard Happy Sport
In the world of watchmaking, there really isn’t a better name for a watch that epitomises the timeless allure of diamonds. Plus, they dance around the dial, which makes this classic model, first introduced in 1993, fabulously fun, because who doesn’t love a bit of kinetic magic to wear on their wrist?
The new all-black 30mm model (also available in a 36mm dial size) really sets off the sparkle of its free-spinning gems encased between two sapphire crystals. Some critics have argued that the oversized gold Roman numerals and gold accents on the crown and lugs clash with the colour of the polished steel case but, on the wrist, this contrast actually adds to the dynamic movement of this design and lends the face a unique luminescence as the stones daintily bounce around. Chopard.com £4,690
From dancing diamonds to reconfigured classics, these models were recently revealed at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024
