Nintendo? Donald Trump? What’s making our watch columnist giddy this week

It’s neither the video-game company’s latest lo-tech release nor the Stormy Daniels affair that’s got us all excited. Rather it’s the new releases at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, in Geneva

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Published: 6:31pm, 23 Jan 2018Updated: 11:51am, 24 Jan 2018

It’s all rather unbecoming but I’m feeling giddy this week. No, it’s not because Nintendo has unveiled a new series of toys, made of, uh, cardboard. Or because of hilarious reports that the president of the US of A paid hush money to a porn star to cover up an affair (although I’m still laughing at that). Rather the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), in Geneva, Switzerland, the first big watch fair of the year, has closed its doors and there’s been a rush of new releases. Yay! Wait, what do you mean you’re not as excited as I am? Bah!

The IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” Ref IW505001 wristwatch.

This news may not evoke as much joy in normies, but allow me, at least, to get you partially excited (not in the Stormy Daniels sense) about what’s new and what’s hot. And solidly in the Top 10 of my list from SIHH 2018 is the IWC Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” Ref IW505001, a little bit because it doesn’t look like an IWC and mostly because it is simply beautiful.

As the name suggests, this watch marks an anniversary, and not just any old anniversary but 150 years, so the Swiss luxury brand has gone big with a wristwatch and an achingly beautiful pocket-watch version, too. We’ll focus on the wristwatch as it’s going to be more widely available and, well, I don’t really have to sell it much as, in terms of design, layout and finish, it is top notch.

The dial is lacquered so it has a glossy finish and the use of the two rotating discs to indicate the time is a nod to pocket watches, so this piece is dripping with historical motifs. The windows are marked out in English (“hours” and “minutes”), as a tribute to IWC’s American founder, Florentine Ariosto Jones. At 45mm, it is a large watch and is available in three materials; the platinum version is priced at HK$458,000 and limited to 25 pieces; the red gold comes in at HK$290,000 and is limited to 250 pieces; and the steel version with a blue dial is HK$183,000 and limited to 500 pieces.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris Chronograph WT

SIHH is all about the “new” and the only thing better than launching a new watch is launching a whole collection, which is what Jaeger-LeCoultre has done. There are six new pieces in the Polaris collection, and the inspiration is the Memovox Polaris watch launched in 1968 (Memovox is a distinct line in itself).