We visited the 2018 SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) event in Geneva and came back with our heads spinning from all the possibilities – and the incredible timepieces we saw.
SIHH is the first fair of the new year. It is, in essence, the Richemont Group of watch brands, which includes Cartier, IWC, Montblanc and Vacheron-Constantin. Other brands have started to use SIHH to launch their new watches, others use the event to launch new editions, such as the LVMH Group, which includes brands like Tag Heuer, Hublot and Zenith.
So, by attending this fantastic event in Geneva, we were able to see new Cartier, Hublot and Tag Heuer watches, which are brands that we stock and couldn’t be happier to take a peek at.
Cartier
At SIHH, Cartier launched their new Santos collection, which is a 40mm and 44mm tank watch. Cartier are famous for their square cases and the tank Santos is a classic in their collection, though now they have released a more comfortable and appealing size. They have also redesigned it with a new bracelet which can easily be detached and interchanged.
When you buy this watch, you get a leather strap and a metal bracelet, and it’s incredibly easy to adjust the bracelet by taking links out, or you can also swap the strap to completely change the look of the watch.
New Releases at SIHH
While we found the whole event – and all the wonderful products launched – incredible and interesting, we can’t help but focus our attention on Cartier, Hublot and Tag Heuer, seeing as we are, indeed, a stockist for these brands.
Tag Heuer
This brand has had an amazing few years and produced new and affordable models. They repositioned themselves in the market to be more affordable and have even shaken one or two of the established watch brands with their quality of products and asking prices.
Tag Heuer wanted to really consolidate this year rather than go for big expansions of new lines. There are some extensions, such as the Tag Heuer Link watches, which have now been extended into the gents’ range, so there’s a lot more choice when it comes to men’s watches now.
They have also released a couple of Aquaracers but nothing terribly exciting. The most thrilling products created by Tag Heuer last year was their Tourbillion watch. It possesses a very complicated mechanism within a watch movement that improves accuracy and reliability and avoids the impact upon motion with the timekeeping of a watch.
These complications usually range from £70,000 to £100,000. Tag Heuer have also been able to manufacture one for around £13,000 which, for such a complicated watch and for watch connoisseurs, is very affordable.
At Banks Lyon, we’re always thrilled to see new developments in the horology world and are beyond excited that our visit to Geneva went so well.