Like concept cars, concept watches are many things folded into one seductive and highly publicized object. They are life-sized laboratories for the public to see; showcases for future implementations of technology and style, and intended to be as desirable as they are unavailable. Unlike concept cars, though, their watch equivalents have been awfully scarce, especially in an industry where a set of key players pride themselves on innovating. In the past 20 years, arguably the most exciting, stimulating, and innovative era in watchmaking history, there have been but a handful. Which makes them all the more significant. Some have been introduced as such, near prototypes introducing many new features, sprucing up the brand's profile. Others have denied being such creatures and released as products, only for the community to find out they were not ready to be mass produced. And some others still, shown under the shroud of secrecy, were never released. After the glamorous presentations are over, a concept watch can have various destinies. It sometimes becomes a product, which includes some degree of the original's technical creativity. Or it can be so advanced its author brand ends up being unable to materialize it in enduring form, especially as far as reliability is concerned. This is the story of a handful of these projects, with outcomes as diverse as the technologies and achievements they introduced.
LOW RISKS, HIGH REWARDS
Bu hikaye World of Watches dergisinin Spring 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye World of Watches dergisinin Spring 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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EASY COMPANY
Hamilton launches the new Khaki Field Quartz collection that takes its inspiration from the G.S.watches of the 1960s.
SPIRITED AWAY
The year of the dragon is not yet over and Franck Muller's new watch will remind you once again why this year is a great Chinese zodiac year for watches.
LUNAR TIES
Blancpain resumes its deep-seated romance with the moon through the Bathyscaphe Quantième Complet Phases de Lune in black ceramic.
USEFUL BREAKTHROUGH
With the Elux LAB-ID PAM01800, Panerai has delivered the smartest and brightest dive watch ever made.
SHIELD KING
Seiko reveals a new take on a King Seiko classic, the KS1969, thus bringing back an intriguing shape to the collection.
FRENCH EXPRESS
Louis Vuitton extends their new philosophy of watchmaking unveiling the dressier Escale collection.
PUSHING BOUNDARIES
Patek Philippe brings their patented system to synchronise the date display on a world time watch to their regular collection.
APROPOS COMPLICATIONS
A watch with complications appeals to different sorts of collectors, and is quite different to a complex watch. The editors of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand discuss the virtues of all sorts of complications and considering when more is really better…
KEEPING IT REAL
Technology proves to be a solid tool for luxury watch brands in their fight against mounting cases of fake timepieces and watch thefts.
GLOWUP
A brightly lumed dial in pitch-black darkness is equal parts joy and fascination, have you ever wondered where your Super-LumiNova comes from?