No matter how nice a watch you got for Christmas or just which top timepiece you wielded as you ticked down the dying seconds of 2018 in Victoria Harbour, your head was probably half-elsewhere – almost certainly more than 9,500km away in Geneva, the second-largest city in Switzerland and – far more importantly – home to the annual Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH). An event that almost every true haute horologist across the world looks forward to, more than 20,000 of them make an annual pilgrimage to the Salon to see just what the world of watches has in store for the coming year…

As ever, the 2019 edition – the 29th iteration of the event – saw hundreds of dazzling dials, burnished bezels and marvellous movements all unveiled for the many keen acolytes of accurate timekeeping in attendance. While, in truth, every one was a wonder of watchmaking wizardry, seven superb, collector-friendly chronographs particularly stood out…

In a knowing nod to the rise of watch-minded women everywhere, Cartier opted to use the event as the launchpad for the latest additions to its Cartier Libre Collection. Multicoloured, multi-faceted and bejewelled to the hilt, each of these distinctly avant-garde timepieces was an apt celebration of the beauty of non-conformity, complete with a selection of unconventional bezels and dials that proved both sophisticated and playful.

Piaget, meanwhile, opted for a subtler approach, with its undeniably understated Piaget Altiplano – 36mm boasting a classic dark blue-white gold combination, while a selection of baguette-cut diamonds proved fine enhancements to its bezel and hour markers. With an ultrathin Calibre 430P movement as standard, this 36mm watch was made for the wrist of a truly femme fashionista.

Debonair gentlemen looking for a similarly uncluttered conceit were best steered towards Jaeger-LeCoultre’s elegant Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel. Once again, a blue-and-white gold colour scheme dominated, with the watch’s handcrafted guilloché blue enamel dial an apt showcase of the marque’s artisanal skills. Just over 10mm in depth, its crowning jewel is undoubtedly its reworked 6 o’clock moon-phase setting.

Another fine example of the ‘less is more’ conceit was Hermès’ Arceau 78. A model first made public in 1978, this latest incarnation features a fetchingly grained anthracite dial, intriguingly ringed by a matte beat-blasted bezel. In a break from tradition, its numeral hour markers are slightly italicised, giving the look of a horse at full gallop. Dubbed a Very Large Model (40mm) and fitted with natural Barénia calf straps, this is minimalism to the max.

Moving to the somewhat sportier end of the spectrum, IWC had on offer a very special limited edition – the Big Pilot’s Watch Constant-Force Tourbillon Edition “Le Petit Prince”. Created in collaboration with the estate of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (the author of The Little Prince), just 10 such items will be made. The product of a truly unique partnership, it is both the first pilot watch ever to feature a constant force tourbillon and the first to be fashioned from a special, ultraresistant red gold. In another plus, its perpetual moon phase complication won’t require any adjustment until at least 2595.

Eschewing outer space for deep sea depths, Panerai introduced a timepiece co-authored with Guillaume Néry, the French free-diving champion – the Panerai Submersible Chrono – Guillaume Néry Edition. Combining performance, strength and reliability, its robust and waterproof titanium case, its unidirectional rotating bezel and its luminescent hour markers have all been designed with the safety of underwater explorers very much in mind.

And finally, rounding out this year’s list of SIHH standouts were the latest additions to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Offshore collection – the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph “Camo”. Of the three new versions, it is perhaps the company’s first-ever brownceramic chronogram that merits most approbation. Crafted in pink gold and mounted on caramel-and-brown camouflage rubber straps, an extra-large Mega Tapisserie chequerboard guillochéd dial completes this 44mm watch’s rugged appeal.

Once again, SIHH did not disappoint, allowing all attendees a tantalising glimpse of many of the latest trends in global haute horology. From marvellously minimalist designs to super-sporty standouts, from artisanal avant gardery to precision-built mechanical marvels, no technique lacked a true showpiece, no style was bereft of a standard-bearer and no complication was denied its day in the Swiss sunshine. And, take heart, the next SIHH showcase is now just over a year away.

Text: Tenzing Thondup