Return OF THE Retro TIMEPIECES

Here's a lowdown on the season's irresistible watches that embody a retro spirit and modern execution.

- MANISH MISHRA

Retro-inspired luxury timepieces reminiscent of the ’30s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are making their presence felt in 2023 collections across luxury houses including Hermès, Panerai, and Carl F. Bucherer, among others. These emblematic house icons look as chic and relevant today as they did when they were launched back in the day. A key example is Hermès Arceau Petite Lune, which was born of the imagination of Henri d’Origny in 1978. This timeless classic reconciles finesse with inventiveness. Its round white gold case set with 70 diamonds rests on a stirrup, creating a timeless yet singular silhouette.

An astral world sculpted in aventurine, mother-of-pearl, aragonite, and opal, framed by a halo of diamonds, is a play on materials and textures and invites contemplation of distant planets. Relief and depth effects are the result of meticulous artisanal work that involves refining aventurine until it becomes translucent and associating it with mother-of-pearl, whose iridescent shimmer evokes the Northern Lights.

As if about to stage an eclipse from the dial, a generous freshwater mother-of-pearl moon faces the luminescence of a planet made of aragonite. In the distance, an opaline star shines amid a constellation of diamonds, bright stars in the night sky. This dreamlike interpretation of the solar system beats to the rhythm of the Manufacture Hermès H1837 self-winding movement and the moon phase module, driving displays of the hours and minutes, as well as the moon phases between 10 and 11 o’clock. A sapphire-blue alligator strap crafted in the Hermès Horloger workshops is the perfect finishing touch to the Arceau Petite Lune watch.