About Time: The Latest Watch Industry News For October

We may have just bid summer farewell, but just a few days into the final quarter of the year—a typically frenetic time when luxury watchmakers and brands pull out all the stops to tantalise watch lovers’ palates—the industry is already abuzz with a flurry of happenings. From exciting book launches to milestone anniversaries and A-lister-fronted campaigns, we round up the month’s biggest horological highlights below:

1. Carl F. Bucherer Celebrates 130 Years

Above Photo: Courtesy of Carl F. Bucherer

The 1888-founded haute horlogerie manufacturer—known for their sophisticated mechanical timepieces and peripheral rotor movements developed in-house—marked their 130th anniversary last month with the opening of a brand new boutique located in the heart of Causeway Bay, which serves as what CEO Sascha Moeri describes a “milestone in the expansion of our brand in Asia."

The opening was followed by a dazzling gala dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong that counted brand ambassador, actress Li Bingbing, and Jörg G. Bucherer, the house’s third-generation director, among the night’s esteemed guests.

2. Chaumet Releases Two New Books

Above Photo: Courtesy of Chaumet

The Place Vendôme jewellery house continues to delight with its annual foray into literature with two newly released books.

Brimming with Chaumet’s illustrious history, The Enchanted Tiara – A Modern Fairytale is a carousel book published by Rizzoli that explores the idea of the circle of life ingrained in the brand’s DNA; meanwhile, a heavily illustrated box set published by Assouline features a trio of works delving into the house's essential themes, including its connections to reigning families of Europe and the unique women who have helped inspired and supported it through the centuries.

The Enchanted Tiara – A Modern Fairytale and the Chaumet box set will be available in bookstores on October 9 and in November respectively.

3. Mikimoto Announces Dilraba As Brand Ambassador

Above Photo: Courtesy of Mikimoto

The 125-year-old fine jewellery house most known for cultivating the world’s first semi-spherical pearl has tapped the popular 26-year-old Chinese-Uyghur actress as its brand ambassador in Asia.

First order of business? She will be seen fronting the house’s newest #FindYourPearl campaign donning pieces from the Mikimoto M Collection and Les Pétales Place Vendôme collections, including pendants and earrings outlined in an M-shaped monogram, to rose petal-inspired pieces that exude the youthful beauty and timeless elegance that are integral to the brand’s DNA.

4. Bradley Cooper Fronts IWC Schaffhausen’s Newest Global Campaign

Above Photo: Courtesy of IWC Schaffhausen

When it comes to watchmakers and powerhouse ambassadors this season, it doesn’t get any bigger than IWC Schaffhausen and its newest global campaign featuring actor Bradley Cooper.

The omnichannel campaign, which includes an interactive virtual reality movie closely developed with Google Spotlight Stories, has already delighted fans with a series of captivating photography starring Cooper in front of a vintage aeroplane. He dons the Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Le Petit Prince”, aptly echoing the brand’s free-spirited and audacious appeal.

5. Vacheron Constantin Opens New Flagship Boutique At Ocean Terminal

Above Photo: Courtesy of Vacheron Constantin

The 260-year-old horlogerie manufacturer recently celebrated the opening of its newly renovated flagship store housed within the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Sitting on a sprawling 800-square-feet retail space in Ocean Terminal, the boutique boasts elegant design elements such as a C-shaped black wood and antique brass counter, a prominent oak wall illuminated by the Maison’s logo and artwork, asymmetric marbled staircases, a private retail lounge and VIP lounge.

6. Gucci Presents The G-Timeless Moonphase And The Fine Jewellery Icon Collection

Above Photo: Courtesy of Gucci

The luxury house last week announced the release of two brand new 36mm quartz Moonphase timepieces.

Crafted in steel cases and black alligator straps, the watch makes an impression with a dial that blends the house’s iconic motifs with galactic symbols of stars and planets, complete with diamonds-decked bezels, crowns and hour and minute hands.

Introduced alongside the timepieces are two bejewelled rings from the house’s fine jewellery collection. Available in sublime black and crystalline white, the pieces are adorned with delicate gold details, emblematic motifs and light blue, pink, green, red round gemstones.

7. Corum Announces Hu Bing As Global Brand Ambassador

Above Photo: Courtesy of Corum

Known as much for his suave style as being one of the earliest Chinese faces to take the international fashion and film stages, Chinese actor Hu Bing is now watchmaker Corum’s newest global brand ambassador.

The house’s cutting-edge aesthetics and innovative spirit found plenty of parallels in the model-turned-actor, with the brand’s CEO Jérôme Biard remarking that Hu’s “pursuit for excellence and continuous breakthroughs are precisely the best interpretation of Corum’s persistent progress in fine watchmaking.”

8. Hublot’s Big Bang Timepiece Meets Blockchain Technology

Above Photo: Courtesy of Hublot

The progressive luxury watchmaker is never one to play it safe: after introducing its first ‘digital boutique’ at its New York City flagship boutique earlier this year, the brand last week announced its foray into blockchain technology—a digitised and decentralised public ledger of digital currency transactions—with a new 210-piece limited edition watch that can only be purchased directly from the watchmaker with bitcoins.

The piece’s overall aesthetic pays homage to both the iconic Big Bang series and Blockchain technology, featuring Big Bang’s signature industrial design as well as bitcoin-inspired elements. This release marks the 10th anniversary of the invention of bitcoins.

Topics

Watches Horology Luxury Watches

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