The smart watch phenomenon has lived out its time, going by the word of noted horologists. Armed with new lines of high-end performance pieces packed with top-of-the-line features, watch brands are set to reclaim the tag ‘smart’ and push it just that bit further. Almost to prove the point of a return to classic styles, Samsung’s new Gear S3 line of “hybrid pocket concept watches” combine Swiss mechanical movement in the pocket watch-style frame. To be certain, these timepieces aren’t about to read out SMS messages or emails, and they’re certainly not into plastic. Rather, they’re representative of the highest orders of watchmaking — with a nod to the finest mechanisms in history.
Chanel Première Camelia Skeleton
The skeletal bridges here create the shape of a camelia flower — a favourite of Coco Chanel’s, who is said to have become enamoured by it after reading Alexandre Dumas’ La Dame aux Camélias, where the flower symbolises the heroine’s heart. The octagonal case, meanwhile, is inspired by the shape of the Place Vendôme, Paris, much like the stoppers on Chanel’s perfume bottles. Just another thing: the watches boast of up to 246 brilliant-cut diamonds. chanel.com
Bell & Ross BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor
Limited to 99 pieces, the BR-X2 is an incredibly minimalist take on a tourbillon. The movement is the case itself — with 257 pieces, in a frame cut from a solid plate of stainless steel, and protected by two plates of rigorously polished sapphire. The flying tourbillon is visible through an aperture, the indices and Gérald Genta–style hands are coated in SuperLuminova, and the micro-rotor is visible at the back. Finished with a gray alligator strap. bellross.com
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Skeleton
It’s incredibly slim, and houses the thinnest ever movement with a flying tourbillon – at just 1.95mm. Bulgari achieves a rare feat with this new skeletal interpretation of the Octo Finissimo, all packed into
a platinum case that’s a mere 5mm thick, making this the slimmest statement watch around. Octagonal facets oozing masculine angularity, and a minimal art-deco dial retain Bulgari’s Octo aesthetics. Add to that a pink gold crown set, and an alligator strap with a titanium ardillon buckle. bulgari.com
Czapek Genève Place Vendôme
The Czapek & Cie Place Vendôme Tourbillon Suspendu “Ici et Ailleurs” timepiece comes from the recently reborn brand Czapek. The collection is characterised by symmetrical aesthetics, with off-centered sub-dials, a second time zone, tourbillon, and day/night indicator. A grand feu enamel ring is foregrounded by elongated Roman numerals, while the gold fleur de lys hands are in the distinctive Czapek style. The look is decidedly contemporary, with exposed mechanics and an anthracite main plate. czapek.com
Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1
It’s the lightest split-seconds chronograph in the world, and the latest in a series of incredibly technical and formidably resistant timepieces dedicated to the world of Formula One. Richard Mille has endorsed
a handful of F1 teams and signed on a few drivers as official ambassadors, having announced a 10-year partnership with McLaren-Honda. This first co-branded timepiece is a manually-wound tourbillon with a 30-minute totaliser, plus torque and function indicators controlled by the crown, and a brand new case material called Graph TPT. richardmille.com
Casio Pro Trek Smart WSD-F20
Unveiled at CES 2017, this Pro Trek Smart will have a limited run of 500 pieces, with a sapphire crystal face and ion body plating for added protection. It offers Android Wear 2.0, GPS-offline mapping, a nifty dual-layer display, air pressure sensor, accelerometer and gyro-meter. The coolest feature yet— a Location Memory mode, letting you drop digital breadcrumbs as you move. wsd.casio.com
Fossil Q Accomplice
The Fossil Q family of hybrid wearables now includes the Q Venture, Q Explorist, Q Modern Pursuit and Q Grant — all compatible with Android 4.4+ and iOS 8.2+. The Q Accomplice (in pic), paired with the Q Activist, is the slimmest of the lot, with custom “pushers” — the new buzz word for buttons — which can be preset to click selfies, play music, or set off a ‘find my phone’ alert. fossilgroup.com
Movado Connect
The flagship device of Movado’s Android Wear 2.0 collection, the Connect is a great deal snazzier than its tech’d up cousins, such as of Hugo Boss and Tommy Hilfiger. Featuring edge-to-edge crystal and a 24/7 awake display, it can be integrated with Google fit and health apps, and is compatible with Google Assistant. movado.com