PIECES OF OUR MIND

January is one of the biggest months on the luxury calendar. In four weeks it hosts numerous fashion shows across London, Milan, Paris and New York, but, for watch aficionados, the only event worth paying attention to is the Salon International De La Haute Horlogerie. Having transformed Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition centre annually since its first show in 1991, the SIHH is now home to 30 brands showcasing their latest creations. The mainstays, including Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Audemars Piguet, Montblanc and others always impress, but this year the fair expanded with the addition of 13 independent watchmakers in their own dedicated show-space. There was also a day open to the public, which was a first for the fair.

There was an overall feeling of constraint at this year’s event, with many brands focusing on useful complications and understated, wearable timepieces, which stood in contrast to the flamboyance and excess of recent years. The luxury watch industry has, of course, absorbed a few blows since the rise of wearable technology, and with