Three watches that stole the show at the SIHH fair

We begin with the Girard-Perregaux Laureato, a heritage piece from the archives that caused a stir following a one-off tribute last year to celebrate the brand’s 225th anniversary. The tribute sold well enough that Girard-Perregaux, rightfully, is giving the Laureato a permanent place in its collection and the first series is quite varied, with plenty of size options. The watch is notable for its 1970s-era modernist design that isn’t too far off some of Swiss designer Gérald Genta’s best work for Audemars Piguet. The Laureato, however, has a more refined elegance due mainly to the rounded edges of the bezel. The dial features a hobnail-etched pattern that comes in blue or grey and, overall, is kept classic and clean. Prices start at HK$67,100 and top out at HK$749,000 for the tourbillon version.

Professional thunder stealer MB&F came out with another loopy gem at SIHH, the HM7 Aquapod. It must be galling for the larger brands who spend millions of euros on carefully planned global rollouts for their watches only to be punked on social-media coverage by brands such as MB&F, but the lesson here is, don’t be boring, and the Aquapod is anything but that. The above picture doesn’t do the watch justice and I recommend checking out YouTube videos featuring the time­piece as it’s a triumph of engineering and outside-the-box design.