Modern Classics in Watch Design

Innovative watch design can be more than simply defining what a chronograph should look like. Or is this not true? Watches are usually round or square and they mainly have analogue, but in some cases also digital displays. Over the past decades, certain cycles have been observed repeatedly in the design of watches. At the start of the twentieth century, most watches were round, had three hands and an analogue display. Rectangular watches became increasingly popular in the twenties. Round watches were once more in trend during the Second World War. This style persisted until the seventies. The new technology of quartz watches meant that in this decade, there were more rectangular watches with a digital display. The nineties were characterized by increasing interest in watches with mechanical clockwork. At the start, the design tended to be quite classical, but it grew increasingly progressive after 1998.

Nowadays, variations in form, dial or color characterize many models. The fact that there are now suddenly new combinations between technology and design such as the digital display of time with mechanical clockwork makes the whole thing more interesting. Another interesting feature is the installation of small jewelry items in the clockwork. It is certainly perfectly clear that a new variety was born over the last few years.

Audemars Piguet Deva

Ladies first! Whether you are looking for an appearance as princess or simple beauty, diva, executive woman, belle de jour or Queen of the Night: watches and jewelry by Audemars Piguet will accompany you at all times with a feminine touch. The manufactory has created Deva for all of these women. The feminine quadrature of its design is reflected additionally by a dial made of white mother of pearl, which emphasizes the almost aristocratic quality of the white gold housing. Three diamond indexes stand for 3, 6 and 9 o' clock, while the AP logo at 12 o' clock is a discrete mark of recognition. www.audemars-piguet.ch

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Platinum

The Reverso by Jaeger-LeCoultre is among the absolute classics in modern watch design with its winding mechanism. Over the last few years we have seen numerous versions with larger dimensions and with different styles of dial. www.jaeger-lecoultre.com

Rado Integral

The famous Swiss company can distinguish itself clearly from many designs found on the market with the unusual form of the Rado Integral. The mix of high quality materials and purist design means that this watch is almost instantly recognizable. www.rado.ch

Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario

In the Gondolo Calendario, Patek Philippe is presenting a new year calendar with three windows. The elegant Art Deco housing accommodates a new caliber with numerous technical improvements, a new pinnacle of precision and reliability in combination with significant design. www.patek-phiIippe.com

Movado Sapphire

The Movado Sapphire, an ultra-flat new version of the famous Museum model, is fascinating with its flat sapphire glass with silvery hue, which astonishingly is on the same level as the lunette. It comes with steel housing with a hollowed centerpiece and a striking profile. The steel strap also reflects this high-tech geometry. www.movado.com

Xemex Offroad

In 1996, the magazine Uhrenwelt voted the Xemex Offroad one of the year's best eight watches. Many prizes followed Like hardly any other, this design classic catches the eye with its functional and independent design that is reduced to the bare minimum. In addition to these masterpieces of design, this watch has technical highlights such as a screw-on base, a screwed crown, sapphire glass and Indian rubber or steel strap www.xemex.ch

Charriol Actor

In the new Actor by Charriol, the watch benefits from the gold sheen and the gaudy select on of straps. This provides elegant emphasis for the horizontal lines in particular. The watch draws very beautifully on the classic design style by Charriol. www.philippecharriol.com

Boccia Titanium

The most peasant season of the year for a lot of people is starting soon: summer Boccia Titanium translates summer into time in a watch line made of pure titanium, in which the dials and straps will be aligned with the coming trend colors. The colored seams in the straps are contrasted harmoniously with the Italian leather. The clasps are also made of skin-friendly, pure titanium. www.boccia-titanium.de

Sothis Spirit of Moon Prestige

Classic elements such as an onion crown or also the Roman numerals are combined in the Sothis Spirit of Moon Prestige with modern design characteristics such as the yellow and red hands to indicate the moon phase www.sothis.de

Mido Baroncelli

After the success of the manual versions with manual winding, Mido is now presenting the Baroncelli with high-quality automatic clockwork. A transparent base allows us to see into the clockwork and emphasizes the classic character of the watch. Mido has also placed great importance on discerning quality and craftsmanship in the optical details: A guilloche dial and blue hands lend the Mido Baroncelli Automatic a precious look. Fine Roman numerals round off the elegant appearance. www.mido.ch

Lange & Söhne Double Split

In the new Lange Double Split, the world's first flyback-chronograph with double split seconds, the principle of the double split seconds, central display was also transferred to the lumping minute hand. This means that comparative time measurement of up to 30 minutes are possible for the first time using classical, mechanical methods. 220 grams of pure watch maker art in a 43 mm platinum housing featuring a series of significant and typical Lange innovations and features. These include an internally developed, new balance wheel with control snail, a balance wheel spiral, also developed and manufactured in-house, in Nivarox 1 quality or the new insulator mechanism, for which a patent has been applied for. www.lange-soehne.com

Porsche Design P 011 Stainless Steel

The dial of the Porsche Design P 011 Stainless Steel combines consistent purism, as found in motor racing, with sporty elegance. In addition to the normal display of time with hours and minutes from the middle and the individual seconds at nine o' clock, the chronograph P011 naturally also has the classic stopwatch display from the center and the 30 minute and 12 hour hands required to measure long periods at twelve and six o' clock. www.porsche-design.com

Corum Admiral's Cup Trophy 41

The new automatic model Admiral's Cup Trophy 41 by Corum is striking in its maritime design and its sporty qualities. In particular, the marine blue dial with nautical numeral pennants as hour index underscores the maritime image of this watch. www.corum.ch

Joop TL 2411

In his new watch collection, JOOP! is presenting a unique concept. The source of inspiration for the design was found in the "O" from the JOOP! logo and the logo itself . The consequently high recognition factor makes these elegant watches unique and unmistakable. The more masculine line of the watch collection with the Joop TL 2411 is characterized by the use of the "O" in the design. In a clear form, it is found repeatedly in the classical but still contemporary and sportingly elegant models, thus retelling the story of this brand. www.joop.de

Junghans Max Bill

The series "Max Bill by Junghans" fascinates in its decent elegance, individuality and timeless beauty. Each model symbolizes the Max Bill philosophy: to create "the useful and the reserved in a beautiful form". The form, which is reduced to the essential, determines the function. The round, stainless steel housings and the clearly styled, perfectly legible dial with extra-long, black hour marks on a silver background are characteristic features. www.junghans.de