ICONIC MODELS OF SWISS DESIGN

First steel luxury sport watch, the Royal Oak appeared to its contemporaries as an authentic revolution. Technical and structured, the imposing watch case is enhanced by iconic octagonal bezel secured by eight hexagonal screws. The guilloche “tapisserie” dial and the fully integrated bracelet also establish the identity codes of the legendary Royal Oak.

The Fifty Fathoms embodies Blancpain's passion for the underwater world. From its creation, it features the main signature elements of the modern diver’s watch: unidirectional rotating bezel, self-winding and antimagnetic movement, waterproof to a depth of 50 fathoms and luminescent index. All these specifications are part of the definition of the ISO 6425 standard today.

Reflet is the watchmaking icon of the Maison Boucheron since 1947. Being both contemporary and representing the creativity of the fifties, this watch transcends ages, styles and genres. Owing to the sculpture of the gadroons and the discreet sparkle of the cabochon, Reflet shines by its timeless elegance and the ingenuity of its secret clasp with interchangeable straps.

The Classique embodies the long tradition and savoir-faire of the Breguet workshops. The hand engine-turned silvered gold dial, celebrated Breguet open-tipped hands in blued steel and the finely fluted caseband are all elegant and sophisticated characteristics of the Breguet style. This timepiece epitomizes ancestral techniques handed down across the centuries and the latest advances carried out in recent years.

It is the most iconic Breitling watch, continuously produced for over 60 years. First launched in 1952 to accompany the boom in commercial and recreational aviation, the Navitimer was soon adopted by pilots thanks to its famous circular slide rule serving to perform the entire range of calculations relating to airborne navigation – a welcome complement to the flight instruments of the pre-electronic era.

The offspring of a marriage of Italian creativity and Swiss precision, the Octo borrows the best of both worlds. The watch is both a precision timepiece and an architectural creation that pays lively tribute to Italian creative genius. It appears as a built edifice, with two sides. The Octo continues the ancient quest of bringing together forms as an aid in the search for perfection and harmony.

Freedom of movement, a faster pace of life... in 1904 Louis Cartier made a major breakthrough in the watchmaking world by creating one of the first ever wristwatches. A geometric form, rounded corners, harmoniously shaped joints that converge towards the strap… the Santos watch represents an early expression of the Art Deco style. With its visible screws, raised bezel and ridged bracelet, it will enjoy a great success.

Happy Diamonds were born of the encounter between water and light. In 1976, Ronald Kurowski, a designer at Chopard, sought to reproduce through his designs the magic of water droplets reflecting the daylight. His brilliant idea was to leave diamonds free to whirl between two sapphire crystals thus allowing them to express the full force of their radiant beauty. Since this day Happy Diamonds have become true icons, an instantly recognisable signature.

Few mechanical movements have had such a significant impact on horological history. The legendary Golden Bridge, first presented by Corum in 1980, has since then revealed the full measure of its powerful and enduring appeal. This impressive baguette movement, built in a straight line and revealed behind the perfectly transparent sapphire crystal case embodied one of the pinnacles of technical and horological mastery.

Ebel introduced the Sport Classic line in 1977 with its inimitable Wave bracelet and fully integrated case. This collection will meet a great success and create a trend towards gold-steel wristwatches. Ebel wins a worldwide recognition while launching the Sport & Elegance movement, still in favor nowadays.

The stunning simplicity of a high-precision wristwatch. The Chronomètre Souverain is inspired by early 19th-century marine chronometry and reveals two barrels under the classical configuration of precision chronometers. It is equipped with a mechanical movement with manual winding in 18 K rose gold and a gold dial with mirror polished numbers integrated in the precious metal.

The perfectly balanced lines of the three-dimensional case of the Cintrée Curvex are not only a technical achievement; they also offer a soft wearing comfort to the wrist. Today, the Cintrée Curvex is available in more than 15 sizes with a wide gamut of compositions, thus meeting the need for exclusivity of the most exigent ones.

A truly successful blend of aesthetic, technical and symbolic principles, the mainplate features a barrel bridge, geartrain bridge and tourbillon bridge made from solid gold. Their double-headed arrow design is entirely hand-decorated. The surface of the arrows is mirror-polished, the edges are chamfered by hand and the flanks are drawn. To increase the visual contrast and to better catch the light, the arms of the bridges are carefully rounded by hand using a burnisher.

When the Hamilton Watch Company introduced the Ventura on January 3, 1957, it revolutionized the entire watch industry as the world's first battery powered watch. Devised at that time by industrial designer Richard Arbib, the Ventura is today modernized but still keeps this so distinctive design which makes it instantly recognizable.

In 1939, when the first “big wristwatch” - the first IWC Portugieser left the factory, neither its eye-catching size nor its purist dial and round case were conformed to contemporary codes, asking for art deco style. In terms of precision, its pocket watch movement set a new benchmark while establishing a trend towards larger wristwatches that has made the IWC family popular worldwide.

Devised at the beginning to meet the wish of polo players who needed a watch able to resist violent shocks, the Reverso will soon reach an audience beyond sport. The strength of its pure, almost discreet lines made the Reverso timepiece the epitome of elegance. This undisputed style icon elicits the same wonderment decade after decade.

Designed in 1947 by Bauhaus-influenced artist Nathan George Horwitt, the watch dial defined by a solitary dot at 12, symbolizing the sun at high noon, has been acclaimed for the purity of its design. Selected in 1960 to enter the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, it became the first watch dial ever awarded this distinction. Known today as the Movado Museum Watch, this legendary dial is regarded as an icon of Modernism.

When Omega introduced in 1957 a chronograph with an outer tachometer scale surrounding the dial, no one could imagine what would be its amazing destiny. The incredible history of the Speedmaster kicked off in 1965 when NASA qualified it for use on all its manned missions. The Omega Speedmaster legend then began in July 1969 when it became the first watch to be worn on the moon.

The Radiomir case has a great aesthetic impact. The fascination of the watch is enhanced by its minimalist dial with its sandwich structure. The dot and bar hour markers contribute to its great simplicity and clarity. The image in relief of the Silura a Lenta Corsa (human torpedo) reminds that, in spite of its apparently contemporary appearance, the dial was originally designed at the end of the 1930s for the watches supplied by Panerai to the commandos of the Italian Navy.

Launched in 1932, the Calatrava was hailed as the most graceful and best-organized manifestations of the round watch; it ranks among the most striking and truly quintessential examples of the Patek Philippe style. A paragon of classic elegance, its timeless perfection and sleek noblesse – expressed with many different faces – has appealed to generations of owners.

Piaget reigns supreme in the realm of ultra-thin watchmaking, and the Altiplano establishes itself as the thinnest mechanical watch. Its secret? The structure of the case itself, of which the back serves as the mainplate. This architecture meant reversing movement construction, so as to fit the bridges on the dial plate and off-center the hours and minutes. The entirely visible wheeltrain invites the owner of the watch to plunge into the very heart of this miniature mechanical wonder.

The DiaStar 1 is Rado’s very first scratch-resistant watch. It was made using hardmetal and sapphire crystal. Developed originally to meet the needs of the toolmaking industry, Rado pioneered the use of hardmetal in watch manufacturing. Scratch sensitive glass was replaced by sapphire glass – a material that combines extreme hardness with transparency. Rado combined these two pioneering materials with an innovative design, making the DiaStar 1.

Since 1945, the Rolex Datejust has been the archetype of the classic watch, thanks to functions and aesthetics that never go out of fashion. It has spanned eras while retaining the enduring codes that make it unique: an Oyster case crafted from a solid block of steel, a fluted bezel, self-winding via a free rotor known as the Perpetual rotor, and the date in a window at 3 o’clock magnified by a Cyclops lens.

The first Swatch watches surprised everyone with their revolutionary concept, creative design and provocative spirit. The brand philosophy is based on color, movement, lightness and transparency, which can be seen in every Swatch product and project. Right from the start, Swatch connected with art and artists, and Swatch watches remain a prominent canvas for artists from a broad range of disciplines.

In 1969, Heuer launched the calibre 11, the first automatic chronograph movement. To hold this new calibre, Jack Heuer wants a watch different from all the others. This explains his choice of a square watch case with a blue dial, and a crown on the left to signify that it did not need to be wound. This chronometer is water-resistant, an impressive feat for a square case. The Monaco was born. Steve McQueen wore it in the film Le Mans and placed the Heuer Monaco on an iconic footing.