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September Highlights: Events, festivals and cultural happenings in Hong Kong

A must-visit event on the calendars of any haute horology enthusiast, the Salon de TE fair thankfully lived up to its hype when it rolled into town last month. Now in its seventh year, the horological affair stands as one of the region’s premier timepiece-themed events, featuring 144 brands from 22 countries in 2018 alone.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49157" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches.jpg" alt="Salon de TE World Brand Piazza watches" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Salon-de-TE-World-Brand-Piazza-watches-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
Not one to rest on its laurels, this year’s mammoth showcase boasted a staggering 840 exhibitors across its five-day itinerary. Perhaps the most noteworthy watches, though, came courtesy of the World Brand Piazza, one of the five specially-themed zones at Salon de TE. Sponsored by Prince Jewellery &amp; Watch, it served up a plethora of eye-popping designs from some of the best-loved haute horology houses. While it would be folly to highlight the high-specced specifications of every piece, the seven statement timepieces below merit particular mention&#8230;
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49154" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition.jpg" alt="Glashütte Original's PanoInverse - Limited Edition" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Glashütte-Originals-PanoInverse-Limited-Edition-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
First up is renowned German watchmaker Glashütte Original with its PanoInverse – Limited Edition. Restricted to just 25 pieces, this timeless platinum iteration comes replete with an evocatively engraved skeleton dial that draws all attention squarely to its butterfly bridge and the manual-winding Calibre 66-08 movement beneath. Further fitted with an unusual off-centre hours / minutes dial and a small seconds subdial, dark blue Louisiana alligator leather straps complete its sophisticated appeal.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49155" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time.jpg" alt="Jaquet Droz's Grande Seconde Dual Time" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jaquet-Drozs-Grande-Seconde-Dual-Time-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Another classically refined design comes courtesy of Jaquet Droz, with the newest interpretation of its Grande Seconde Dual Time seeing its much-loved figure-eight dual-dial updated to feature an azimuthal map of the world as viewed from the North Pole in its lower home time display. The 24-hour time indicator, now split into two distinct 12-hour day / night time segments, is another deft touch, while the local time takes pride of place in the upper half of its fascia. Available in a steel or rose gold case, it also comes with the option of opaline or Grand Feu enamel dials.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49151" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367.jpg" alt="Breguet's Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Breguets-Classique-Tourbillon-Extra-Plat-5367-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Taking a more minimalist approach is luxury watchmaker Breguet in the form of its Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367. Showcasing the marque’s renowned handcraftsmanship skills, this is the first-ever Grand Feu enamel dial in its Grandes Complications collection. Fitted with its iconic blue steel hour and minute hands, the only conspicuous exception allowed on its Arabic-numeralled fascia is a dazzling tourbillon perched at 5 o’clock.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49150" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique.jpg" alt="Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Automatique" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Blancpain’s-Fifty-Fathoms-Automatique-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Athletically-inclined enthusiasts, meanwhile, could hardly be blamed for gravitating towards Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms Automatique. Though adhering to the same design conceits – luminescent hands, numerals and hour markers, and a ratcheted unidirectional rotating bezel – that made the Fifty Fathoms one of the world’s most iconic dive watches, this new edition features an exceptional “Red Gold Case” and a debut blue ceramic dial for the collection. Set on blue calf leather straps, this maritimepiece is water-resistant to depths of 300m.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49152" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon.jpg" alt="CORUM’s Admiral AC-ONE 45 Openworked Tourbillon" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/CORUM’s-Admiral-AC-ONE-45-Openworked-Tourbillon-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Also taking nautical exploration as its main motif is CORUM’s Admiral AC-ONE 45 Openworked Tourbillon. Interjecting an element of the outré, its avant-garde dodecagonal case boasts an exquisite skeletonised dial, revealing the cutting-edge CO 298 movement – created specifically for this model – underneath. With a power reserve indicator at 3 o’clock and a small seconds subdial at 9 o’clock, the pride of this open-worked black-on-rose-gold watch is undoubtedly the intricate tourbillon resting at 6 o’clock, which offers the high-precision accuracy required for any true seafarer.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49156" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P.jpg" alt="Piaget's Emperador Coussin XL 700P" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Piagets-Emperador-Coussin-XL-700P-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
That selfsame black-and-rose-gold motif was evident – albeit with a haute joaillerie twist – in another horological standout: Piaget’s expansively real-estated Emperador Coussin XL 700P. While its cushion-shaped pink gold case measures a staggering 46.5mm, it nevertheless feels slim on the wrist, courtesy of its ultrathin 700P movement, which is perfectly highlighted through the use of the high-end brand’s iconic “reverse-construction” dial design. Ringed with an attractive diamond-studded bezel, only 118 pieces of this elegant creation will ever be made.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-49153" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon.jpg" alt="Franck Muller’s Rainbow Invisible Setting Tourbillon" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Franck-Muller’s-Rainbow-Invisible-Setting-Tourbillon-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" />
Perhaps the most eye-wateringly spectacular mash-up of high-end jewellery and haute horology, though, comes in the form of Franck Muller’s Rainbow Invisible Setting Tourbillon. Fitted with a glimmering gem-set tourbillon at 6 o’clock, its true attraction lies in the staggering array of precious gemstones that punctuates its acreage. Replete with 122 baguette-cut diamonds and 21 baguette-cut coloured sapphires on its dial, and burnished with a further 108 diamonds and 40 coloured sapphires on its rounded case, this shimmering statement timepiece added an additional dimension of sparkle to the glitteringly successful showing at this year’s Salon de TE.
Text: Tenzing Thondup

Time to Shine: Seven superlative designs from Salon de TE’s World Brand Piazza

If the watch lover in your life was a little more on edge than normal last month, it could just be that they were a trifle agog at the prospect of HKTDC&#8217;s Salon de TE winding its way back into town. Such anticipation would be entirely understandable given that this sixth iteration of Hong Kong’s premier showcase for all things haute horological welcomed 140 of the world’s leading watch brands, all keen to parade their wares across the event’s four-day run.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-39553 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE.jpg" alt="Highlights from Salon de TE" width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE.jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Highlights-from-Salon-de-TE-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />
For 2018, the Salon de TE showfloor was divided into four themed zones – Chic &amp; Trendy, Renaissance Moment, Wearable Tech and, the centrepiece of the entire event, the World Brand Piazza, with the latter once again sponsored by Prince Jewellery &amp; Watch. It was the Piazza, of course, that was the first port of call for all the most clued-up chronophiles.
<figure id="attachment_39552" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39552" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39552 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz.jpg" alt="Grande Seconde Tribute by Jaquet Droz" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Grande-Seconde-Tribute-by-Jaquet-Droz-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39552" class="wp-caption-text">Grande Seconde Tribute by Jaquet Droz</figcaption></figure>
One of the first things likely to have caught their eye was the Grande Seconde Tribute, <a href="https://www.jaquet-droz.com/">Jaquet Droz’s</a> ode to minimalism and classical design. In a knowing nod to one of the marque’s classic pocket watches of yesteryear, its hour-and-minute dial encompasses the upper half of its Grand Feu enamel fascia, while a larger seconds counter dwells below. Available in a limited edition of just 88 pieces, this is a future collectors’ item in waiting.
<figure id="attachment_39555" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39555" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39555 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original.jpg" alt="Senator Cosmopolite by Glashutte Original" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Senator-Cosmopolite-by-Glashutte-Original-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39555" class="wp-caption-text">Senator Cosmopolite by Glashutte Original</figcaption></figure>
Another marked move towards minimalism at Salon de TE came courtesy of <a href="https://www.glashuette-original.com/homepage">Glashütte Original</a> in the form of its newly-available Senator Cosmopolite. With a diameter of 44mm, it’s not a small watch. Yet, despite the expansive acreage, its matte white dial remains engagingly uncomplicated, while still being home to an intriguing combination of complications. The most engaging of these is, arguably, its facility to gauge your transit duration across 36 individual time zones.
<figure id="attachment_39556" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39556" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39556 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia.jpg" alt="The Sextant by Juvenia" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/The-Sextant-by-Juvenia-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39556" class="wp-caption-text">The Sextant by Juvenia</figcaption></figure>
Less jet-setting and more maritimely was <a href="http://www.juvenia.ch/juvenia_english/Manufacture_english.html">Juvenia’s</a> latest retooling of The Sextant, a timepiece that made its global debut back in the 1940s. The latest incarnation of this most iconic of watches sees it upsized from 34mm to 40mm and housed in an eye-catching rose gold case. As ever, its most endearing aspect remains its miniaturised dial-mounted sextant, cunningly reinvented as bespoke hour, minute and second hands.
<figure id="attachment_39549" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39549" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39549 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget.jpg" alt="Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P by Piaget" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Altiplano-Ultimate-Automatic-910P-by-Piaget-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39549" class="wp-caption-text">Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P by Piaget</figcaption></figure>
Salon de TE was also notable for the number of debuting timepieces that eschewed traditional dials in favour of open-worked fascias. Pre-eminent among these was <a href="https://www.piaget.com/">Piaget’s</a> Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P – the very last word in ultra-thin wrist regalia. The total depth of its face, movement and case weighs in at just 4.3mm.
<figure id="attachment_39557" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39557" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39557 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller.jpg" alt="Vanguard S6 Yachting by Franck Muller" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Vanguard-S6-Yachting-by-Franck-Muller-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39557" class="wp-caption-text">Vanguard S6 Yachting by Franck Muller</figcaption></figure>
Never one be outdone, <a href="https://www.franckmuller.com/">Franck Muller’s</a> Vanguard S6 Yachting could be inadequately summed up as open-face styling-meets-open-sea readiness. This, of course, would not do justice to its fetching compass motifs, ocean-blue skeletonised dial and 18K rose gold Cintrée Curvex case.
For its own dalliance with all things dial-less, <a href="https://www.zenith-watches.com/en_en/">Zenith</a> chose to showcase its precision engineering prowess in the Defy Zero G, the perfect platform for its proprietary Gravity Control gyroscopic mount technology – a fiendishly innovative system that ensures the movement stays ever horizontal, negating the effects of gravity and delivering timekeeping of a seldom-sustained accuracy. Complex, yet avant garde, it’s unthinkable that any sector save haute horology could sponsor such a precept.
<figure id="attachment_39551" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39551" style="width: 466px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39551 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith.jpg" alt="Defy Zero G by Zenith" width="466" height="700" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith.jpg 466w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith-200x300.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith-186x280.jpg 186w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith-120x180.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Defy-Zero-G-by-Zenith-400x601.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 466px) 100vw, 466px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39551" class="wp-caption-text">Defy Zero G by Zenith</figcaption></figure>
Perhaps the most visually striking piece on display at Salon de TE, though, was <a href="https://www.jacobandco.com/">Jacob &amp; Co.</a>’s Astronomia Solar Planets. Not content with mere earthly glory, the venerable Swiss marque set its sights on winning the space race by transforming this timepiece’s dial into a self-contained solar system.
<figure id="attachment_39550" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-39550" style="width: 700px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-39550 size-full" src="//www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co..jpg" alt="Astronomia Solar Planets by Jacob &amp; Co." width="700" height="466" srcset="https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co..jpg 700w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-200x133.jpg 200w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-421x280.jpg 421w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-120x80.jpg 120w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-500x333.jpg 500w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-400x266.jpg 400w, https://www.gafencushop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Astronomia-Solar-Planets-by-Jacob-Co.-600x399.jpg 600w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-39550" class="wp-caption-text">Astronomia Solar Planets by Jacob &amp; Co.</figcaption></figure>
Mounted on a fastidiously fashioned differential gear system, the hour-and-minute dial (together with a bejewelled mini-Earth and seven precious stone planets) all rotate around a central 1.5 carat citrine sun. Coming complete – but, of course – with a gravitational double-axis tourbillon, this out-of-this-world wristwatch is the finest fusion of haute joaillerie and high-end horology you are likely to find on any class M planet.
From the masterfully minimalist to the intergalactically innovative, this year’s Salon de TE offered visitors an illuminating introduction to all the very finest in the world of contemporary chronometers. Should you have been foolhardy enough to have failed to pop in, take heart from the fact that the 2019 event is but 11 months away. Perhaps best make a note.
Text: Tenzing Thondup

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