Tick Talk: Premiere watches from Chanel, new flying tourbillon chronograph from Audemars Piguet

Chanel Premiere Cuff and Sautoir-Belt watch

In 1987, Chanel created a stir when it introduced the Premiere women’s watch. The striking octagonal dial is a tribute to the French luxury house’s famous No. 5 fragrance stopper and the geometry of Place Vendome, home to Chanel’s flagship store and the Ritz hotel, founder Coco Chanel’s long-time residence.

Now, 35 years later, Chanel has reimagined this iconic design with the limited-edition Premiere Cuff. Featuring a striking bracelet of interwoven leather and yellow gold-coated steel, it is inspired by the label’s 2.55 flap bag and wraps around the wrist like the streets surrounding Place Vendome.

Another limited-edition model – the Premiere Sautoir-Belt – offers a fresh way to wear a watch, with an adjustable chain that doubles as a belt.

Both iterations are fitted with a high-precision quartz movement and water-resistant to 30m.

Price: $15,500 for the cuff and $17,400 for the belt

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph

Audemars Piguet has unveiled a sleek grey-toned version of its Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph. The 41mm two-tone case features 18K white gold paired with black ceramic, housing the Calibre 2952 self-winding movement, which flaunts a flying tourbillon and a flyback chronograph.

First launched in 2020, the movement can be admired from both sides. The 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters on the dial are transparent, offering fascinating glimpses of the gears.

The open sapphire crystal caseback, meanwhile, reveals the rhodium-finished pink gold rotor.

Immaculately hand-finished, the watch boasts 111 inner angles on its bridges, demanding hours of expert polishing and satin-brushing. Paired with a dark grey rubber-coated strap and an 18k white-gold folding clasp, this handsome timepiece has a 65-hour power reserve.

Price: Upon request

A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Handwerkskunst

A. Lange & Sohne is celebrating a landmark year, 30 years after its revival following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the German watchmaker was revived in 1994 by his great-grandson Walter Lange. The brand has not looked back since its debut collection, featuring the iconic Lange 1 and Tourbillon Pour le Merite.

One of the company’s greatest horological triumphs is the Datograph chronograph, launched in 1999. It set new standards for watchmaking with its in-house movement, flyback function and oversized date inspired by the Semperoper clock in Dresden, Germany.

Earlier in 2024, the brand commemorated the Datograph’s 25th anniversary with a special edition in white gold, limited to 125 pieces, and introduced the stunning Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”.

It recently unveiled yet another showstopper – crafted from yellow gold – at Watches and Wonders Shanghai. Limited to 25 pieces, the Datograph Handwerkskunst flaunts exceptional craftsmanship, featuring rare techniques such as tremblage engraving, black polishing, and relief engraving on the dial and movement.

Price: Upon request

Daniel Roth Rose Gold Tourbillon Souscription

The Daniel Roth Rose Gold Tourbillon Souscription is a 38.6mm beauty, fashioned from 18K 5N rose gold with a distinctive double ellipse case. The rose gold dial – created in collaboration with famous Finnish clockmaker Kari Voutilainen – is a stunner, thanks to the elegant hand-finished straight-line guilloche pattern.

While it adheres to the aesthetics of its 1990s inspiration, this iteration comes with redesigned lugs that boast a slight curve. The watch is also slimmer, thanks to the new calibre DR0001, designed by LVMH’s La Fabrique du Temps team.

The hand-finished movement offers an impressive 80-hour power reserve, with intricate details like “cotes-de-Geneve” finishing visible through its sapphire caseback.

Price: $265,000

Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic

For the first time, Piaget is introducing ceramic to its famous Polo collection.

Since debuting in 1979, the Piaget Polo has embraced new materials and innovative designs. The new iteration continues this tradition with an ultra-slim (7.5mm) but robust, waterproof ceramic case, anchored by a titanium container treated with black DLC (diamond-like carbon) 

A showcase of the watchmaker’s mastery of skeletonisation, this sleek timepiece – which has an interchangeable strap – took three years to develop. It is powered by the in-house 1200S1 self-winding calibre, accented by Super-LumiNova highlights on the indexes, hands and the Piaget logo on the oscillating weight.

Price: $62,000