THE YEAR IN REVIEW

We round up the finest watches released in 2020 – and look ahead to 2021, which may prove to be as unpredictable a year as the one that has just passed…

- CHRIS HALL

Where to begin? No walk of life has been exempt from the impact of the coronavirus, and while it may seem, as you flick through the following pages, that the world of luxury watches remains as well-stocked with finely polished playthings as ever, it has not been a smooth ride.

In fact, as I discuss in my predictions for the future opposite (normally a somewhat irreverent affair), the worst may be yet to come as the pandemic continues into 2021. The makers of expensive watches have proven resilient – in line with their clientele – but times remain tough for those tasked with selling them, especially in the UK. As Business Traveller readers will appreciate, airport retail is well down, as are the volumes of visitors to London’s premium shopping districts who keep watch boutiques and department stores busy.

The pandemic has hastened the watch world’s engagement with e-commerce – a welcome development for anyone not located within close reach of Bond Street. It seems likely that the way we buy watches could be quite different in the future, with try-before-you-buy schemes and same-day delivery already on offer from some online stores.

Some may look at a celebration of expensive watches as inappropriate in such times, but I’d argue that continuing to take an interest in life’s luxuries doesn’t preclude us from caring about the bigger picture. Everyone needs their passions and, if watches are yours, hopefully they can provide a welcome distraction.

On the product front, it has been a mixed year; several of the biggest players quickly decided to keep their powder dry or postpone their major launches, so we have seen little from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega or Tudor. It has also been a very quiet year from Switzerland’s many high-end niche brands; one hopes they will all live to fight another day.