Geneva, April 5 (AFP\/APP): Lab-made diamonds, recycled plastic and 3D printing: this year’s Geneva watch fair was teeming with timepieces crafted from new materials, aimed at seducing a new generation of luxury watch connoisseurs.<\/p>\n
H. Moser, a niche brand producing 2,000 watches a year for wealthy collectors, this year presented a watch covered in Vantablack, a super-black coating that absorbs nearly all light.<\/p>\n
Perched against a black background, the watch, which is still in the concept stage, creates the illusion of a black hole, with only the coloured hands visible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n
The material, consisting of carbon nanotubes and made by NanoSystems, is considered the darkest pigment in the world.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to bring something different than what will be on display in shop windows three months from now,” company chief Edouard Meylan told AFP at the Watches and Wonders fair.<\/p>\n
“I wanted to show the future of materials,” he said adding that he had aimed to provide a view to how the watch industry might look five years down the line.<\/p>\n
While the luxury brand has already used Vantablack in its clock faces, this exhibit model is completely covered.<\/p>\n
For now, it cannot be touched since the material could lose its properties. More work is needed before it can actually be worn.<\/p>\n
– Handcrafted technology –<\/p>\n
Black is in high demand this year with new luxury virtuosos, according to Vincent Gregoire, who heads men’s fashion and accessories for the Parisian fashion consultancy NellyRodi.<\/p>\n
“This is a clientele that wants beauty, hyper-luxury, with materials of the future, full of technology, but expertly handcrafted,” he said.<\/p>\n
Their taste evokes the “Anish Kapoor universe”, he said, referring to the British sculptor who sparked a scandal in 2016 when he bought the exclusive right to use Vantablack in the art field.<\/p>\n
A new generation of luxury lovers is emerging, Gregoire said, including a category of “agitators” who are fans of street culture and salvaging, and who want to use their purchasing power for “activist action”.<\/p>\n
At a stand dedicated to innovation, the Oris brand is showing off how it recycles plastic waste, shredding it to make a material that resembles multi-coloured marble for its clock faces.<\/p>\n
– Lab diamonds-<\/p>\n
Tag Heuer, owned by French luxury group LVMH, has meanwhile broken an industry taboo by, for the first time, using diamonds made in a laboratory in one of its flagship models.<\/p>\n
These diamonds, crafted from chemical deposits, have not been used to replace their shiny, mine-derived peers.<\/p>\n
Instead, they have been chosen to explore how the new technology, which can produce uniquely shaped stones, can provide the dial with a new light-catching texture.<\/p>\n
The brand hopes this new technology will allow it to explore new possibilities while remaining firmly anchored in high-end luxury.
\nThis watch carries a price tag of 350,000 Swiss francs ($380,000, 345,000 euros).<\/p>\n
“Lab diamonds have a place in the market,” said Tobias Kormind, head of online jewellery retailer 77Diamonds, enthusing over the watch displayed on Tag Heuer’s website.<\/p>\n
“People buy lab diamonds for many reasons, some for affordability reasons, some for environmental reasons,” he said.<\/p>\n
He stressed though that “over the long term, natural diamonds are the ones that remain rare and investable.”<\/p>\n
Cartier’s stand certainly sparkles with plenty of natural diamonds.
\nBut the jeweller, owned by Richemont, has also dabbled in new technologies this year.<\/p>\n
Using 3D printing, it has created a new collection called “Coussin”, with a casing that cedes slightly to pressure before plumping back to its initial shape, like the cushion it is named after.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geneva, April 5 (AFP\/APP): Lab-made diamonds, recycled plastic and 3D printing: this year’s Geneva watch fair was teeming with timepieces crafted from new materials, aimed at seducing a new generation of luxury watch connoisseurs. H. Moser, a niche brand producing 2,000 watches a year for […]<\/p>\n
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