Watches and Wonders ended on a very positive note in terms of interesting novelties, to the extent that we did not expect more or better.
But that was not the end of it.
Not even had the doors of the Palexpo in Geneva closed, when Patek Philippe was already churning out a 'bombshell' watch: its first tenth-of-a-second chronograph (Ref. 5470P), with a highly innovative calibre designed to offer maximum reliability, which I will soon tell you all about in detail.
These are signs that haute horlogerie is currently in a state of grace. Houses are investing in creativity, as well as in the rediscovery of a past that not all brands have yet fully appreciated. It may in fact seem like an established trend, yet it is not so many years that brands such as Zenith are re-evaluating and retracing their history.
When one hears that a brand has 'rediscovered' one of its models that had been lost to memory, it is not a marketing gimmick: it really is. Manufacturers are increasingly committed to the care and cataloguing of their archives, not least through the appointment of heritage managers. Firms such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Breguet have also made it to the top of the industry by looking after their records with maniacal patience, repurchasing historical pieces at auction and ensuring the restoration of vintage watches.
In March, I had the pleasure of accompanying a group of L'Orologio Club members on a visit to Jaeger-LeCoultre. One of the most exciting discoveries was the company's museum, which traces its history from when the Grande Maison only produced movements, to the rebirth of the Reverso and then the development of the complication atelier. A history of technical evolution and, above all, of the development of so many specialisations that, even when reading L'Orologio for years, some guests still didn't know it all. And a legacy that can only be preserved, enhanced and communicated through constant work.
Dody Giussani
