If you’re happy with your ride and are all holiday-ed out for now, but have mid-year bonus money to splurge on something to pamper yourself with, nothing beats a well-made watch, especially during this time of the year, when the new collections of timepieces are launched after their showings at SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) and Baselworld 2018 fairs.
There is seriously no better time than now to go watch shopping, as spanking new designs and uber cool technology go hand-in-hand in 2018’s new launches. There is, of course, no shortage of the new-fangled, whether in terms of form or function, but for the purpose of upholding your well-heeled sartorial standards, here are 5 stylish watch trends, gleaned from SIHH and Baselworld 2018 that’ll give you the best wrist action.
Stay Slim
You know watch-makers mean business when they measure the thinness of a watch in millimeters. Thin, in many ways, is always in. A superlative in elegance, this year’s ultra-slim timepieces are huge news. It takes a cutting-edge mindset to take on these subtle slim-meisters. Wafer-like to the nth degree, they speak volumes about its wearer’s confidence and are perfect for sliding under the cuffs of long-sleeved shirts. B-bye one bulky cuff!
HSD puts its money on:
Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate, only the world’s slimmest automatic-winding watch that measures a record-breaking 4.3mm thick, and the Cartier’s Drive de Cartier Extra Flat at 6.6mm.
Dress Casual
Casual Friday deserves a watch all its own. You know the work gloves are off and the tools have been put down when the matching berms and blazers come out to play. Not to mention the sandals and broken-in sneakers. That means a too-cool-for-overtime watch is in order.
HSD puts its money on:
The boyish Nomos Glashutte’s Autobahn neomatik 41 date sports in grey, and Casio’s G-Shock Full Metal 5000 in a silver hue, both of which say it’s time to kick back, relax, and get ready to party.
Revive Retrospective
Vintage was a strong buzzword at the watch fairs. From simple designs to faces with a touch of the antiquated, classic truly slayed it. These are watches with not just impeccable tech, complications and inner workings, they go well with both work and formal wear, and will make perfect heirlooms.
HSD puts its money on:
Omega Seamaster 1948 Small Seconds, the re-introduced Cartier Santos in bi-metal, and the surprisingly affordable and classically handsome Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar watch.
Go Green
Whether you’re an eco-warrior or not, you should go green in the face with your new wrist candy. The new ‘face’ colour to have is the colour of money, green that is. It’s refreshing, out of the box, and something tells us, it’s also slated to become a modern… evergreen.
HSD puts its money on:
Rado’s True Thinline green watch, which is inspired by a leaf, and the Sinn 3006 Hunter Chronograph.
Dare to Dive
You don’t have to like diving to like the look of dive watches. There’s something quintessentially rugged and adventurous about a dive and action watch that imbues its wearer with the same audacious spirit, a sort of masochism that’s hard to resist. This year, dive watches are once again surfacing and creating a strong trend current. If you’re looking for a vacation watch, these babies will be the ones to take everywhere.
HSD put its money on:
Seiko’s unapologetically chunky 1968 Automatic Diver’s Re-creation Limited Edition SLA025, limited to 1,500 pieces worldwide; the compact Longines Legend Diver 36mm, TAG Heuer’s Connected Modular Carrera collection, which celebrates its 55th anniversary in 2018, and Tudor’s Black Bay Fifty-Eight.
