The state of today’s luxury market

Mr. Dufour’s rather sharp retort makes sense, even though it sounds counterintuitive. After all, a major reason why certain luxury goods are more popular than others is simply because they are not only able to retain their value both financially and as status symbols, but they are also highly sought after years after their original release. Having such a product as part of their portfolio is also partly what keeps legacy brands in business.

But as Jean-Frédéric has pointed out, there are ‘dangerous’ consequences when consumers treat luxury items as an important part of their successful investment portfolios.

Between 2020 to 2022, the luxury market was riding on a ridiculous high. Nearly every business, from auto to fashion, lifestyle and timepiece brands, was reporting unprecedented profits, while eager buyers, unable to get their hands on newer releases, turned squarely to the secondary market. This in turn caused the prices of pre-owned goods to skyrocket, and ‘smart investors’, realising there was quick profit to be made, turned the whole situation into a Ponzi affair, buying and selling on the secondary market rapidly and driving prices even further upwards.

By 2023 however, the story began to change. Economic downturns, geopolitical turmoil from warring nations in Europe and more recently, the Middle East, and political instability among other issues caused aspirational customers and the affluent to slow down on luxury spending. Luxury retail stores that had increased their stock to accommodate the increased demand are now stuck with excess merchandise, and as for consumers who had accumulated luxury goods in the hopes of making a quick profit? Well, like the businesses, they now have to deal with products they may or may not be able to sell for a profit.

The rise of superfake luxury goods

Imitation luxury goods have existed as long as there has been a demand among consumers to flaunt a lifestyle they cannot afford. And while there is no official correlation yet, it appears that superfake luxury items – imitation luxury goods that are so close to the original that it is hard to detect at first glance – began to increase in popularity at the same time as demand for luxury goods exploded.

It does not come as a surprise. Wherever there is a high demand, there are always opportunists waiting to take advantage of those who do not know better.

Have Rolex and other luxury watches now lost their investment value?

Short answer? No.

In a recently concluded sale in Hong Kong, Sotheby’s reported that it had set two new sales records in its Important Watches I category. The first was the Patek Philippe Reference 2526 – the brand’s first self-winding wristwatch made especially for renowned collector J.B. Champion – that sold at US$729,977, while the second, a Cartier ‘Paris Cloche’, No. 1/1 quadrupled estimates to sell at US$210,882.

And this is not a standalone event. Luxury timepieces continue to sell on the secondary market at a higher value than their brand-new counterparts, just not at the same frenzied pace as during the pandemic, and definitely not at the outrageously high markup prices as two years ago.

Should you take Jean-Frédéric Dufour’s advice and not treat the Rolex – and other luxury timepieces – as a luxury investment?

Yes and no.

Yes, because, unlike stocks, they are products that have been created for everyday use, not just to have and to hold until there is a high demand for them on the secondary market.

And no, because at the end of the day, true, high-quality luxury items — if they are treated right — make great alternative investment portfolios, regardless of how the brands feel about this.

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And, because Cartier is aware of these reasons, it has revamped this classic and timeless timepiece to make you fall even more in love with the understated yet unique and sensually beautiful style.

The Baignore: inspired by a bathtub or a more exclusive item?

Search for the Baignore, and nine out of ten times, the story is that its name is the French word for bathtub and its oval/elliptical dial and rounded bezel are reminiscent of this bathroom fixture. However, Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s image, style and heritage director is quick to debunk this popular myth.

The word ‘Baignore’ actually refers to VIP seats at the opera. “It was where the wealthy people sat. There were six seats together, with a kind of barrier around them,” he explains.

So, the next time someone tries to convince you that you have a bathtub on your wrist, you know exactly what to say in reply.

The 2023 Cartier Baignoire: more style, more bling

While the Cartier Baignore has undergone several changes to its shape since it first debuted in the early 1900s, its curved elliptical shape we know today only actually came on the scene in 1958. For its 2023 iteration, Cartier is preserving its shape but adding subtle changes to fit modern tastes.

First off, the bezel appears to be somehow more rounded and chunkier, adding a certain sensual voluptuousness to the entire piece, and putting the dial in sharper focus. Cartier chose two options for straps: a bangle that transforms the Mini Baignoire into full-blown jewellery, and leather alligator straps for a more muted look.

The Mini Baignoire Bangle comes in solid yellow or rose gold and a fully pavéd white gold version that is an absolute showstopper with a total of 834 brilliant-cut diamonds. Another version of the mini is attached to the alligator straps and offers the option of a solid gold case with or without diamonds.

The Small, on the other hand (pun intended), comes in six variations with cases in yellow, rose or white gold adorned with or without diamonds.

With prices ranging from $10,100 for the alligator-strapped, solid rose-gold model, to $48,800 for the fully pavéd Mini, the 2023 Cartier Baignoire cements its position as the timepiece for every woman, whether she leans towards more practical, stylish looks, or favours a blinged-out, still stylish piece of jewellery.

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This year, the premium timepiece manufacturer has gone all out in its updates, even with those it labelled ‘subtle’. Now, if you have ever wanted a Rolex you can fall in love with immediately, no questions asked, here are some hard-to-resist 2023 models to have and to hold, possibly forever and ever.

The Cosmograph Daytona

60 is such a big year – maybe no bigger than 100 or as widely celebrated as 50, but significant all the same – that you would expect Rolex to pull out all the stops for the Cosmograph Daytona’s 60^th. But this is Rolex, and while its 2023 releases are proof that it can be just as fancy as some of the masters of over-the-top horology, it chose to go the route of simple elegance that underscores many of its models.

The 2023 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona looks like its predecessor until you look closer and see that the hour markers are smaller and there are metal disks surrounding each chrono register. What is unmissable however are the available colours in this latest drop: the yellow gold model with Oysterflex bracelets and the rose gold variant with a black dial are impressive. But the show stopper here is the special 950 platinum model with an ice-blue dial and chocolate bezel that features the first-ever transparent case back in this series.

The Perpetual 1908

Complicated timepieces and toolsy watches are fine and dandy, but sometimes, we just want pieces that tell the time. The brand-new Rolex 1908 does exactly that: this new dress watch model tells you precisely where you are in our 24hr timeframe with its added Superlative Chronometer feature.

The 1908 is named after Rolex’s start year as a timepiece manufacturer, and its black or white dials are paired with either yellow or white gold and finished off with black or brown alligator straps that make for a truly understated, yet refined and classy piece.

The GMT-Master II

Yellow is back in the GMT-Master II collection and makes an appearance as a full 18k yellow gold model or a new two-tone rolesor-fitted variant.

The combination of a less-black Cerachrom bezel with a blacker dial result in a very serious-looking, mature and highly-desirable GMT-Master II

The Oyster Perpetual

For the 2023 model of its Oyster Perpetual, Rolex switches from serious to playful by infusing the dial with what seems to be all of the colours from the 2020 version. The bubbles dominating the turquoise-blue dial come in candy pink, mustard yellow, coral red, and forest green shades.

The Day Date 36

If you ever thought ‘fun’ is an alien concept in the world of Rolex, the Crown brand is out to prove you wrong.

The Swiss watchmaker has definitely shown it has a thing for colours over the years, but to include a jigsaw design on the dial, replace the day of the week function on the window display at 12 o’clock with affirmative words like “Happy,” “Eternity,” “Gratitude,” “Peace,” “Faith,” “Love,” and “Hope,” and, swap the date feature at 3 o’clock with emojis like the heart?

Indeed, even Rolex must have surprised themselves with this new Day Date that appears to be nothing like the pieces we know. And, if this unexpected shift is too much for you, don’t worry: the Crown has a toned-down, bedazzled version with colourful stone dials in emerald, turquoise and orange.

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Luxury autos are parking in never-seen-before profits

From Ferrari to Bentley, Lamborghini to Rolls Royce, luxury automakers have posted record-high revenue for FY 2022. For example, Rolls Royce reported that for the first time in its 188-year history, it exceeded 6000 deliveries in a single 12-month period and exceeded its target. Bentley too: the British automaker exceeded 15,000 deliveries in 2022, the first time in its history it would do so.

Almost all of these brands have confirmed orders well into 2023, so, it would not be amiss to say that they are set to break records once again and bring in even more profit this year.

For luxury timepieces the aphorism, ‘time is money’ has never been more true

Luxury automakers are not the only ones experiencing increased revenues and profits; luxury timepieces are having their moment too. Swatch Group, the conglomerate that owns brands like Omega and Breguet announced that its sales went up by 25% in 2022. in fact, it had to increase the prices of its pieces by 5% to 7% to control demand.

As did other luxury timepiece brands like Zenith, Patek Philippe and even Rolex which is famed for increasing their prices once a year. While some may argue that it is to meet up with the cost of production, luxury brands are often forced to raise prices to stem demand, which appears to be what is happening here.

Not even luxury fashion is left out

According to the LVMH annual revenue report, its fashion and leather goods division saw a 22% revenue increase from 2021. Hermès’ leather goods and saddlery arm recorded a 15.6% increase, while Richemont, which has not published its earnings for FY22, appears to have enjoyed increased profits as well if its H1 2022 report is anything to go by.

Most of these luxury brands attribute their high sales to America, the Middle East and even Asia. But a recent report shows that Africa may also be a strong contributor to this success in at least one category – luxury timepieces.

As of February 2023, sales of luxury timepieces on the continent had reached US$262.8 million with South Africa responsible for almost half of the amount (a total amount of US$125.3 million comes from it alone). Statista, an online data company, believes that purchases in this category will only continue to increase on the continent in the coming years.

All of these numbers beg the question: why are luxury goods recording such high revenues even in Africa where many countries are experiencing macroeconomic challenges?

The answer is in the resale market. According to McKinsey, the pre-owned luxury timepiece market is predicted to reach US$30 billion by 2025. Another study by IMARC predicts that the secondary luxury goods market will be valued at US$ 51.0 billion by 2028. And while the prices of some pre-owned luxury goods may not be as high as they were in 2020, they are still good enough to make these products a good alternative investment choice.

And this is why, poor economic outlook or not, luxury brands would continue to report high revenues: as long as their products continue to hold/surpass their value, the wealthy all over the world, including Africa, will continue to seek them out as sound alternative investment pieces.

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While speculations on whether or not this would affect the market positively or negatively abound, the question on the minds of collectors, fans and would-be owners is: would this certified pre-owned programme make the collectible timepieces, especially newly-manufactured ones, more ubiquitous?

Long waitlists are not exclusive to Rolex

Long waitlists are to luxury brands as large volumes are to mass-market goods.

For years, anyone looking to buy luxury goods had to contend with waiting for nothing less than six months. And in this period, the unwritten rule was for customers to purchase other smaller products to prove loyalty, especially if they were not regulars.

In recent years, however, online shopping, same-day delivery and newer technologies that promote instant gratification have made delays obsolete and unacceptable.

But for Rolex, whose yearly output has been guessed at, the scarcity and delays are more frustrating

Most luxury brands do not reveal the total number of items they produce every year, Rolex inclusive. But for the latter, it is widely speculated that this number is between 800,000 to 1,000,000.

It is not clear how this number is distributed across all the models; however, it has not stopped collectors and customers alike from believing that it should be enough to cater to their demands and that the scarcity is in fact a strategy to drive up the value of the timepieces.

The secondary market has not helped matters

As demand continues to outpace supply, and with sustainability dominating every aspect of our lives, purchasing pre-owned luxury items is no longer regarded as taboo among the affluent.

Unfortunately, as hard-to-get luxury goods flooded the secondary market, Rolex timepieces became even harder to purchase due to the unjustifiably exorbitant prices resellers put on them.

Interested buyers understandably became increasingly frustrated.

Rolex has said it is aware but absolved itself of fault

In 2021, when the outrage rose to an almost frenzied pitch, Rolex broke its silence, explaining that while it was aware of the difficulty in purchasing its timepieces, it could not simply increase production as this would impact quality.

But soon after, prices of Rolexes on the secondary market began to slide, and in the face of rising discontent, the Swiss brand must have realised that it was time to act.

The Rolex Certified Pre-Owned Programme might be its way of managing the secondary market

By authorising retailers to offer certified and guaranteed pre-owned timepieces with the clause that “Rolex watches – new or second-hand – should only be bought from Official Rolex Retailers,” Rolex has managed to achieve two things: make it harder for its customers to buy fakes on the secondary market and reduce the challenge of purchasing pre-owned timepieces at inflated prices.

So, would this solve the Rolex scarcity problem?

Maybe not. The presence of ADs has not solved the scarcity of new Rolexes. What is the assurance that authorised pre-owned retailers would help?

However, what appears to be a more possible scenario is that prices on the secondary market would crash. Unless of course the authorised retailers start to hoard these timepieces – something ADs have been accused of countlessly.

In the end, we can only play the waiting game and let time show us just how the Rolex Certified Pre-Owned Programme would impact the market.

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The short answer? Because it is Rolex, and it can.

But in reality, the answer is a bit more nuanced than that. In 1926, Rolex produced the first waterproof timepiece – the Oyster – earning a reputation (at the time) as the brand with the waterproof watches. At this point, it had two choices — move on from this niche and break other engineering records in the watchmaking world, or, attempt to break other records while improving the waterproof capabilities of timepieces.

Rolex chose the latter.

In 1960, strapped on, and accompanying the Trieste bathyscaphe on its historical descent into the deepest place on earth, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, was the Rolex Deep Sea Special No 3. After making it to a remarkable depth of 10,911 meters, the timepiece emerged intact and in perfect working condition.

In 2012, fifty-two years after a Rolex timepiece journeyed for the first time to the depths of the earth, another would make this same eventful descent. This time, it was the Deepsea Challenge, attached to the manipulator arm of filmmaker James Cameron’s submersible. Produced in just eight weeks, the timepiece once again survived the plunge, coming up above the sea without sustaining any damage.

Once again, Rolex had proven that it is truly the king of waterproof timepieces and all other brands are only playing catch up.

But there was a problem.

Both the Deep Sea Special No 3 and the Sea-Dweller Deepsea Challenge were simply experimental timepieces that could not be worn for everyday use, which is another thing Rolex prides itself on (all Rolex timepieces are designed to be worn everywhere at all times). Omega had not only managed to surpass Rolex’s record – in 2019, its experimental Seamaster, affixed to Victor Vescovo’s submersible, reached a depth of 10,916 metres, 8metres more than Cameron’s 10,908 – but also managed to come out with a commercial variant earlier this year, the Seamaster Ultra Deep Pro with a depth rating of 6,000metres.

Rolex had to do something.

Enter the Deepsea Challenge RLX Titanium, Rolex’s unique way of saying that while its crown may be temporarily taken away, it cannot be permanently retained.

The Deepsea Challenge is not just phenomenal because it is the first timepiece that can survive in depths no human can ever survive in. This clearly is part of its appeal, and for those who would be lucky to get it (Rolex watches are as notorious for their scarcity as they are for their sturdiness), they can rest assured that they have a timepiece that can thrive in any weather. Rolex has not said so, but if the Deepsea Challenge can hold its own in the world’s deepest depths, where else can’t it survive?

What is truly remarkable about the Deepsea Challenge, however, is the fact that it is the first timepiece in Rolex’s history to be made from titanium; in this case, the brushed RLX titanium, an internal name for grade 5 titanium. Titanium as a material is not new in the world of horology, and yes, Rolex is a late bloomer in this regard. But it says something about the brand that when it made the decision to introduce titanium into its pieces, it made sure it did so in the grandest way possible.

But then again, the decision to use titanium in making the Oyster Perpetual Deepsea Challenge was born out of necessity. In order to withstand all the pressure in the depths of the sea, Rolex had to make this particular model big: it is 50mm in diameter and 23mm in thickness (of that, 9.5mm is the sapphire crystal). A steel timepiece with these measurements would have been rather too heavy for everyday wear. Titanium with its resilience, flexibility and lightness was the sensible alternative.

Other than that, the Deepsea Challenge retains all the tech that makes Rolexes such standout timepieces. It has the ring lock system which allows the timepiece withstand extreme pressure, and, the helium escape valve which enables surplus gas to escape from the watch during a diver’s decompression phase. It is also fitted with the Rolex Glidelock and Fliplock extension systems so that it sits comfortably and snugly on its owner’s wrist, whether they’re sporting a short-sleeved T-shirt or have on a diving suit up to 7mm thick.

One last thing. On the back of the case of the $26,000 Deepsea Challenge RLX Titanium are the words: ‘Mariana Trench. 23-01-1960. 26-03-2012.’ Of course, you already know what they stand for, but just in case you ever forget, Rolex wants you to remember that this is one timepiece that is capable of going anywhere with you, even if that ‘anywhere’ is the deepest depths of our planet.

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The history of the Cartier Pebble is as interesting as its design. In the mid-1960s, Jean-Jacques Cartier, the head of the Cartier London branch from 1945 to 1974 decided that it was time for the division to make its own timepieces. This decision led to truly innovative designs that were in line with the events on the London creative scene at the time and include groundbreaking shapes like the Baignore, the Crash and of course, the Pebble.

Of all these designs, however, it is the Pebble that remained one of the rarest creations: many estimate that only six large Pebbles were ever made, and another few in a smaller size. Cartier reps say they have three original Pebbles in their collection – one large and two smaller ones. Back in 2021, one measuring 35.5mm sold at Phillips for CHF403,200. A month after, another, the Pebble Turtle measuring 36mm sold at Bonhams for ₤225,250. These, so far, are the pieces from that era that are known to exist today, making them extremely difficult for collectors to acquire.

Until now.

The new Cartier Pebble Baseball remains faithful to the original design, giving enthusiasts a rare opportunity to own a truly remarkable timepiece that would most likely never appear dated. Made from 18k gold, this modern iteration retains the combination of the round plus square shape of its predecessor. The dial is egg-shell-coloured so that the modern Pebble retains a vintage, warm look and the brand’s classic Roman numerals and blue sword-shape hands remain so that, at first glance, you do not notice the difference between the 1972 model and its more current 2022 counterpart.

The new iteration features light brown calfskin straps with a gold pin buckle and is powered by the ultra-thin and compact calibre 430 MC. At only 2.1mm, this small hand-wound movement runs at 3Hz and stores 40 hours of power reserve.

Like its predecessor, the 2022 Cartier Pebble ‘Baseball’ ref CRWGPB0003 is a limited-edition model restricted to only 150 pieces. Interested? You can buy this iconic design when it drops in November for £40,000. Good luck getting your hands on one though: this is one timepiece that would certainly sell out before it hits the stores.

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When Bulgari launched the Octo Finissimo collection in 2014, unbeknownst to many of us, it had a major goal in mind: create the classiest and the best ultra-thin timepieces in history. So far, it has been successful every year with releases such as the world’s thinnest tourbillon, minute repeater, self-winding timepiece, self-winding tourbillon, chronograph (which was also self-winding with second time zone), tourbillon chronograph, and perpetual calendar.

And now, for the year 2022, the luxury Maison is giving us yet another record-breaker: the Octo Finissimo Ultra, which, at a thickness of 1.80mm thick, is the world’s thinnest mechanical timepiece, edging out the former record holder, the 2018 Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept timepiece at 2mm thick.

The Octo Finissimo Ultra utilises the same strategy Piaget used to make its ultra-thin timepiece. Every component was suppressed as much as possible while the back of the case doubles as a movement plate. But this is where the similarities stop.

Bulgari used tungsten carbide for the back/mainplate, a material that was chosen for its general toughness, but especially for its rigidity as any flexing of the case could cause gear teeth and pinions to bind enough to stop the timepiece (tungsten carbide is about twice as stiff as stainless steel).

The case is joined to custom titanium bracelets that are half as thin as the standard Octo Finissimo bracelet, and the folding clasp also had to be redesigned to meet the new parameters. The crystal is just 0.3mm thick and the space between the underside of the crystal and the hands is 0.1mm. As a safety measure, there are two round silicon bumpers under the dial (at 3:00 and 6:00) which prevent the underside of the crystal from making contact with the movement if undue pressure is applied.

The 40mm sandblasted, titanium, record-breaking mechanical timepiece also unsurprisingly features an unconventional time display, separating hours, minutes, and seconds. In keeping with the collection’s aesthetic, the seconds display on the wheel at 6 o’clock is off-centred in relation to hours and minutes, which are indicated on two regulator-style counters.

Crowning it all is a QR code etched on the ratchet wheel, which when scanned, Bulgari says leads to an exclusive NFT artwork and a video that contains interviews, production details, and a 3-D deep dive into the movement of the timepiece. It also bestows the Octo Finissimo Ultra with an unmistakable mark of authenticity as the two authentication certificates—one for the artwork and one for the piece—are linked to the code.

The Octo Finissimo Ultra is as rare as it is unique – priced at €400,000, only ten pieces are available for purchase, making it a truly valuable acquisition for a select few.

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Whichever it is, we can hazard a guess and say that you have an emotional attachment to your timepiece and would want to have them with you for a long time, whether or not you go on to have others in the future.

Besides, with the kind of profits luxury timepieces are racking up on the secondary market, it does not matter if you are not attached to yours: you can sell them for double their original price and use the money to go on to get one you really like.

But this can only happen if you keep your timepiece in the same state as it was when you got it, or at least in a fairly good state.

So, how do care for your luxury timepieces to make them last forever?

Don’t wait until problems surface before you service them

Timepieces are like autos: you have to service them regularly to avoid a rapid decline in performance.

Timepiece servicing is a preventative measure against damage that may arise in future. It’s also worth noting that problems discovered earlier may also be easier and less costly to fix, than when the full damage sets in.

A complete overhaul, or full servicing, consists of complete disassembly of the timepiece movement, cleaning of even the tiniest parts and a thorough inspection of every single part in the movement. Any part that needs fixing will be repaired. Then, the parts will be lubricated and reassembled. The final steps include a timing calibration to ensure accuracy, the closing of the case and a water-resistance test.

Service often

Is it absolutely necessary to follow the time frame recommended by the brand that made your timepiece? It depends on a number of factors, which include the make and age of the piece, as well as the conditions under which it is being used and stored.

In general, experts recommend servicing to be done once every two-and-a-half to three years for mechanical watches, regardless of how often they are worn. For quartz timepieces, the battery should be replaced once a year, whether it is being used often or not. Besides the annual battery change, a complete overhaul should be done every five years.

Tackle problems as soon as they arise

Once your luxury timepiece stops working, of course, you should repair it. However, there are other issues that can arise that should make you immediately seek out a service centre even if the piece is still working.

Some common issues include intermittent stoppage of the movement and inaccurate time. If you notice that your timepiece has gone ahead of time, that is most likely caused by a magnetic field, and it needs to be fixed. Also, when you see any fogging or vapour inside, you should get it checked quickly as it’s not a good sign.

Exposure to magnetic forces can bring about a gain or loss of time in a timepiece, as they can magnetise running parts in the device and cause them to stick together, resulting in movement inaccuracy.

Many are unaware of how easy it is for their timepieces to come into close proximity with magnetic forces. They can come from many things used in our daily lives, such as a mobile phone, the clasp on a handbag, or even the electrical devices in our homes like speakers or the microwave.

Fogging underneath the crystal is a sign of condensation, indicating that moisture has gotten inside. This can be due to worn-out gaskets, or moisture seeping into the timepiece via the crown. Regardless of the reason, it’s best to get it checked out and fixed, as moisture within can cause corrosion in the movement over time.

When there’s rattling coming from inside the timepiece, it is likely due to parts that may have come loose. Do not shake it or wind the crown, as doing either may cause further damage – send it to the pros for a check, pronto.

Try to avoid damages to your timepiece

Damages are inevitable, but they can be avoided as much as possible. Preventing constant injuries to your device will not only save you huge repair costs, it will also help to keep your piece looking new for longer.

For one, don’t shake your mechanical timepiece to keep the time going. What you should do is simply wind up the mechanism via the crown to store energy inside it. It is a common misconception that the former should be done to a mechanical device.

Secondly, simply try not to be careless when handling your timepiece. If you drop your device, there’s a high chance that internal parts will be broken even if you don’t see any external damage.

Finally, do not keep your luxury timepieces in humid areas, such as in or near the bathroom. If you live in humid climates, you need to service your timepieces more often than others who live in less humid areas. This is why you shouldn’t exacerbate the situation by exposing it to an environment with even more moisture.

Source: CNA Lifestyle

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The Monsieur Marble Edition is a variation of the 2019 Monsieur Edition Noire, retaining the same steel and ceramic case and the in-house Caliber 1 movement, but sporting a dial in glossy black marble with white veining.

Its most distinct feature – the dial – is made of one piece of marble carefully cut into three to form each section of the dial, allowing the grain of the marble to continue across the dial from minute track to recessed seconds. According to Chanel, each of the 55 pieces of marble used for the dials was individually selected for their “unique character and graphic”.

The dial layout preserves certain elements of its predecessor, including the symmetry of the original Monsieur; the numerals in a custom font designed specifically for the model, and the retrograde minutes, which sits on a 270-degree scale, instead of the narrow scale of under 180 degrees found on most retrograde displays.

The case remains identical to the original Monsieur in black ceramic. It is actually a steel frame with external components made of ceramic, so the bezel is steel with a ceramic inlay on top, and the steel inner case is secured to a ceramic outer case that also incorporates the lugs.

Inside, the Monsieur Marble Edition also retains the Caliber 1, an attractive movement that is Chanel’s first in-house calibre. Designed with Chanel’s typical sharp eye for detail, the movement is laid out in a series of circles in varying sizes, with both the barrel and balance bridges echoing the circular motif.

But it’s more than just a snazzy design: the Caliber 1 features twin barrels and a free-sprung balance. More importantly, the time display mechanism is integrated into the base calibre, instead of being a module, which helps explain the thinness of the watch.

On Chanel’s website, the price is ‘available on request’, but it is confirmed that the Monsieur Marble Edition timepiece costs just under US$37,000. A steep price perhaps, but one that undoubtedly matches the beauty of this sleek, minimalist device.

Source: Watches by SJX

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