RICHARD MILLE

RM 052 Tourbillon Skull

Lest anyone thinks Richard Mille is cashing in on the fashion trend with a skull watch, one only needs to look at the specs and build of the RM 052 to see how much work has gone into making this another outstanding and unique timepiece from a watchmaker who always thinks out of the box. The base plate and bridges take the form of the skull where the movement has been integrated into, while the upper and lower jaws hold the ruby of the tourbillon cage. The RM 052 is a limited edition of 21 pieces, which includes 15 pieces in titanium and six unique set pieces in red or white gold.

RM 057 Dragon-Jackie Chan

Richard Mille celebrates the year of the dragon with a watch that not only pays tribute to the legendary creature, but also his personal friend, international kungfu superstar Jackie Chan. On the front of the RM 057, a dragon grips the tourbillon bridge in one of its claws, while on the back on the black onyx base plate, a round engraved Jackie Chan signature rotates once every 60 seconds in time with the tourbillon's rotation. Limited edition of 36 pieces in 18K red gold or white gold with a red gold dragon.

Audermars Piguet 

AP Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Limited Edition

Audemars Piguet made history when it unveiled the Royal Oak at the Basel Fair in the spring of 1972. Its extra-thin movement wowed many, but it also set tongues wagging as the company had the audacity to price a steel watch at the price of a gold timepiece. That's exactly the kind of stuff legends are made of and four decades in, the Royal Oak has stood the test of time and become a signature for the brand. This platinum open-worked version - with its magnificent movement on display for all to see - honours one of the most recognisable timepieces in horology. Limited to 40 pieces.

AP Royal Oak Chronograph

It's only natural a watch as prestigious as the Royal Oak is always meant for bigger things literally - hence the new larger 41mm AP Royal Oak Chronograph. The one pictured here is effortless sporty but retains a sense of elegance as well with its pink gold case and hand-sewn black crocodile strap. There are also several other references in steel or pink gold cases with different coloured dials and bracelet or leather strap options, ensuring one for every lifestyle.

A LANGE & SOHNE

Datograph Up/Down

Thirteen years in the making, the updated Lange Datograph Up/Down seals its reputation as the quintessential chronograph to own with enhancements such as a power reserve that's now extended to 60 hours, power reserve indicator and a proprietary oscillation system. It also marks its comeback in a big way with its enlarged 41mm platinum case. Typical of the perfection the brand seeks and its attention to details, the aperture of the date display was adjusted by 4 per cent to match the bigger size of the case and make sure the dial architecture remains proportional.

Grand Lange 1

The "bigger" brother of the Lange 1 finally gets its own movement which was entirely developed from scratch. The Grand Lange 1 is further refined with a slightly smaller case and a slimmer profile. That has led to a slight redesign of the dial where the subdials have been resized so they no longer overlap each other. Even the outsized date - the largest of all Lange watches - has been modified so it's proportional to the overall look.

PANERAI

PAM 438 Tuttonero

Besides experimenting with gold, Panerai also introduced an all-black GMT matte ceramic watch with the PAM 438 that's been christened Tuttonero. It's the first time they've used ceramic to construct a bracelet and the blackout-look extends all the way to the movement which also has a power reserve indication, visible via the sapphire see-through caseback. The ceramic used is a synthetic material that's five times harder than stainless steel and is scratch-resistant.

PAM 448 Radiomir California 3 Days and PAM 449 Radiomir SLC 3 Days Collectors of vintage watches will want to get their hands on two Special Editions that feature Panerai's cult California and dot-and-marker dials timepieces from yesteryear. Only 500 of each will be made and in keeping with the spirit of the originals, the PAM 448 and 449 will retain their blue hands and have Plexiglas crystals instead of sapphire ones. A similar-looking but more modestly-priced pair (PAM 424 and PAM 425) will also be released under the brand's Historic collection.

CARTIER

Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watch

Cartier continues its foray into the world of high watchmaking with the Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon watch. Bearing the Geneva Seal which marks new standards in craftsmanship and quality, this musical timepiece is the fruit of half a decade of research into watch acoustics and the result is a breathtaking work that trickily balances the equation between the size of the watch and its weight so the sound it produces is always clear and note-perfect.

Grand Complication Skeleton Pocket Watch

If you've got it, flaunt it. In the case of Cartier's Grand Complication Skeleton Pocket Watch, that translates into an invitation to look to the past to see the present and the future with this generously large timepiece (59.2mm) that can be carried either in one's pocket or hung on a base for display. The open-work Roman numerals cut away and carefully fashioned from the solid white gold of the watch's case requires at least 100 hours of extremely high-precision craftsmanship to perfect the finish and embellishment of each numeral.

VACHERON CONSTANTIN

Metiers d'Art

For over two centuries, Vacheron Constantin's Metiers d'Art has combined graphic art with fine watchmaking. Its new collection is no different and is inspired by the periodic paving or "tessellation" technique by Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher to reflect geometry, symbolism and movement. Using intricate techniques of enamelling, gemsetting, engraving and/or guilloche - for the Dove watch, all four methods are incredibly applied on one dial - the resulting watch becomes an instant piece of art on one's wrist. Limited to 20 per design.

Patrimony Traditionnelle 14-Day Tourbillon

With a new calibre developed and crafted by Vacheron Constantin, the Patrimony Traditionelle 14-Day Tourbillon has the longest power reserve in its category. Not only that, it's the first timepiece by the brand to be approved and adhere to the new Hallmark of Geneva criteria, making sure its build and specs are of the highest quality.

GREUBEL FORSEY

Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain

The Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain marks the first time Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey of Greubel Forsey have used a royal blue finish. The colour pays a striking compliment to the centrepiece of the watch - a highly-efficient fast-rotating (24-second revolution) tourbillon cage inclined at 25° which minimises negative effects of gravity on the oscillator, particularly in stable positions. Its three-dimensional horological architecture speaks volumes of the watchmaking prowess of both its makers. Unique edition of 33 pieces featuring a titanium movement and platinum case.

Quadruple Tourbillon Secret

Greubel Forsey makes only a handful of watches a year; this exclusivity means a close link between the makers and its collectors so what better way to pay tribute to that special bond than with a piece its makers call Quadruple Tourbillon Secret. Its exceptional movement allows a magical mechanical ballet to play out on a hidden stage visible only through the display back while on the front, the expression of telling the time is redefined with its harmonious arrangement of multiple dials. Ultra-exclusive, the Quadruple Tourbillon Secret comes in a unique edition of eight pieces in 5N red gold and eight pieces in platinum.

IWC

Big Pilot's Watch Top Gun

Some 72 years after its maiden flight and a decade after its relaunch, an IWC icon - the Big Pilot's (BP) Watch - gets a makeover. The BP Top Gun Miramar pays homage to the birthplace of the famed flight academy in Miramar, California with its shimmering ceramic case reminiscent of a pilot's helmet and the green textile strap inspired by the military. The BP Top Gun meanwhile gets a new scratch-resistant zirconium oxide case, a soft textile strap and a red aircraft silhouette on the end of the seconds hand that's a distinctive feature of IWC's Top Gun range.

Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month

Another high complication novelty IWC introduced this year is the Spitfire Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month. The look on the dial is inspired by the cockpit instruments of a plane and it's the brand's first pilot watch to feature a digital display showing the date and month in large numerals together with a leap year indicator. The perpetual calendar can also be easily set by the owner and doesn't require intervention by a watchmaker until the year 2100.

BAUME & MERCIER

Capeland

Baume & Mercier's sporty range of chronograph watches in their Capeland collection has been reinterpreted with the introduction of bracelets and larger models at 44mm for a more contemporary look. But it still keeps its retro-chic with the chevé crystal and domed case back. The Capeland Emblematic, with its flyback chronograph function and Breguet type hands, is especially eye-catching with its new opaline black dial and gilt tachymeter scale.

Hampton

Inspired by a museum piece from the 1940s, the Hampton collection blends a highly distinctive rectangular vintage case shape with features that reflect the relaxed seaside living lifestyle that's an integral part of Baume & Mercier's DNA and philosophy. Its stylised rectangular Art Deco case has a surprising amount of sexy curves and like the Capeland, the Hampton collection also now comes in bracelet styles.

PIAGET

Gouverneur Piaget bucked the trend at SIHH this year by pulling out an entirely new collection of Black Tie watches they have very appropriately named Gouverneur. The extremely dignified range comes in three mechanical variations - automatic, chronograph and tourbillon - each available in diamond-set pink or white gold versions. Like the Emperador, Emperador Coussin, Protocole and Rectangle à l'Ancienne, the Gouverneur boasts its own uniquely distinct case shape where two shapes - circle and oval - interplay with each other and find an equilibrium. The future of a classic begins right here.

Limelight Garden Party

The Piaget Rose is the centrepiece of the brand's glittery Limelight Garden Party collection. It blooms into life with a secret watch that combines Piaget's jewellery expertise and watchmaking know-how for a dazzling masterpiece that's playfully poetic and irresistible to any woman.

GIRAD-PERREGAUX

1966 Lady Moon-Phases

The marriage of precision and elegance is evident in GP's 1966 Lady Moon-Phases. It also comes as good news to female watch aficionados who often complain they get the short end of the stick by not having enough complicated timepieces made exclusively for them. The watch's sophisticated lunar calendar is "softened" by the touch of femininity from the gold case, mother-of-pearl dial within and 54 diamonds - 1.35 cts - set on the bezel.

Laureato Tourbillon With Three Bridges

In 1889, Girard-Perregaux wrote itself into history books by clinching gold at the Universal Exhibition in Paris with its Tourbillon with three gold bridges. Now it pays homage to that with the Laureato Tourbillon, a titanium masterpiece with three translucent blue bridges that offer an unobstructed view of the heart of the watch. Limited edition of 10.

This article was first published in The Business Times.

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Photo: Various sources