The global recession has undoubtedly been awful. However, in every tragedy there's hope, something to turn that frown upside down. Every cloud has a silver lining and all that. One of the plus points to come out of the economic carnage has been the spectacular collapse in the sales of the Cadillac Escalade. Beloved ride of rappers, footballers and nouveau riche wannabes, the Escalade, that gaudy blinged-up box on wheels, suffered immensely as people with no taste but lots of credit suddenly found financing such follies tougher. And it's not just Cadillac that's found the austere times we live in a hard sell for its particular brand of brashness; it appears we might have entered an entirely new era, one of restraint, prudence and minimalism. Less really is the new more.
This appetite for minimalism is being met by a slew of new watches as well as renewed popularity for some established purveyors of understated timepieces. Swiss watchmaker Rado, famous for its technically innovative watches, has teamed up with British designer Jasper Morrison to create the r5.5 range. The Rado r5.5 Chrono (left) is one of the highlights of the range and marries a restrained design aesthetic to Rado's technical expertise. Priced at HK$23,000, the r5.5 Chrono is made of a hi-tech ceramic that is also used on space shuttles and Formula One cars, making this watch one of the most robust. The square face with rounded edges is the signature design motif of Morrison's Rado r5.5 range. The black is offset by the steel hands and hour markers, which gives the watch a conceptual feel. Function-wise, there is a 30-minute counter at the nine o'clock position, a 60-second indicator at the six o'clock position and the date counter at the three o'clock position. Deceptively simple and delicate-looking, the Rado r5.5 is as tough and feature-packed as it is well designed.
Design house Georg Jensen is, unsurprisingly, rather good at producing watches that adhere to Scandinavian aesthetics of simplicity and not making an ostentatious show of wealth. Danish designed but Swiss made, the Georg Jensen Koppel 308 Automatic 24-hour is a perfect representation of the rewards reaped from keeping things simple. Debuting in 2008, as a 30-year tribute to an earlier Henning Koppel design, the Koppel 308 Automatic 24-hour has a large white face, with elegant black dots replacing numerals and long, thin, pointed black hands that make the watch seem bigger than it is. The watch features the date at the three o'clock position, a power reserve indicator at the six o'clock position and a 24-hour indicator at the 12 o'clock position. The Georg Jensen Koppel 308 Automatic 24-hour is available in stainless-steel with black calfskin strap (above left; HK$34,000) or 18-carat yellow gold with black alligator skin strap (HK$77,500).
If you are the type of person who wants less but for a lot more, the Blancpain Villeret Grande Decoration (above) might be up your street. Retailing for HK$453,500, the timepiece perfectly balances refined styling with glorious yet hidden luxury touches. The 45mm face makes it the biggest watch in Blancpain's stable. The 18-carat rose-gold case houses rose-gold hands and enamel roman numerals. It is the back of the Villeret Grande Decoration, however, that sets this watch apart. The transparent case-back is a window into watchmaking heaven, with a highly decorative movement. The brand's master engravers have been given free rein to create unique works of art depicting landscapes from Switzerland to Japan, with Hong Kong in between, as well as a raft of other locations to be released throughout the year.