This year’s watch fairs, as well as Paris Couture Week – a hub for jewellery launches – all went online due to the pandemic. Don’t fret though, timepiece and jewellery maisons are still putting out gorgeous collections that offer beauty, craftsmanship and lots of dazzle. Here are some of the most anticipated launches and news titbits for watch lovers. The most talked-about luxury watch releases to lust after this season Watch & Wonders joins hands with Net-a-Porter The watch industry has traditionally been based around two massive trade shows – both in Geneva. For unhappily obvious reasons, those shows haven’t happened this year, but the pandemic has accelerated the trend in increased digitisation of watch brands’ sales and marketing efforts. That’s culminated in the recent announcement that one of the shows – Watches & Wonders, formerly known as the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie – is partnering with e-commerce giants Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter. The initiative will see the two sites offer 14 luxury watch brands between them, including Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Girard-Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin and Cartier. Watches & Wonders 2020: highlights of Geneva’s first digital-only fair In addition to both old favourites and new launches, they will also feature everything from virtual events and one-to-one online appointments, to a range of editorial content provided by Net-a-Porter and Mr Porter. The partnership follows a previous hook-up between the brands, when a digital Watches & Wonders platform appeared on Net-a-Porter’s Tmall store in April. The Gucci Lion One of the key motifs in Gucci’s design language – the lion – has often been seen in prints for its ready-to-wear line and in home decor. Symbolising courage, wisdom, power, strength and nobility, the lion’s head now appears in the latest high jewellery collection crafted in yellow and white gold. A tribute to the animal kingdom, the new Hortus Deliciarum high jewellery collection features earrings, pendant necklaces, rings and bracelets set with diamonds and coloured gemstones. In each piece, the lion’s head is the focal point, with diamonds used for the creature’s eyes and coloured gemstones held in its teeth. The lion motif has been particularly favoured by Gucci’s current creative director Alessandro Michele , who selected unique gems and stones like opals, tanzanites and pink tourmalines to express his poetic vision and design for this collection. As 5 big luxury watch brands quit, can Baselworld really survive? The lion head and Gucci’s many other animal motifs are symbolic of the brand’s commitment to protecting the natural world, best expressed by Gucci joining The Lion’s Share Fund in February 2020. This is a unique initiative, allowing companies who profit from imagery that uses animals and nature, to funnel some of the proceeds into raising much-needed funds to tackle the crisis in declining biodiversity and worsening climate. The fund aims to raise more than US$100 million every year over the next five years with Gucci among its biggest contributors. Tudor back to Black Bay One of the most high profile watch releases this year has been Tudor’s Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue. Over the last few years, the Black Bay collection has evolved from just a couple of ETA-powered dive watches to an entire range of timepieces that include sporty three-handers, chronographs and even a GMT. Inspired by the brand’s famous Oyster Prince Submariners from the 1970s, the latest iteration of the Black Bay is powered by a COSC-certified, self-winding calibre MT5402. The watch’s domed dial – in matt navy blue and grained with applied hour markers and “Snowflake” hands – have been hallmarks of Tudor’s divers’ watches since 1969. No time to dive? Daniel Craig’s favourite waterproof, spy-proof watches The other line from Tudor that has been grabbing attention is the Royal collection. Along with nine dial variations and an integrated five-link bracelet, the watch stands out for its crenellated bezel and applied Roman numerals that lend it a distinct 1970s vibe. Both watches come with Tudor’s five-year transferable guarantee, with no registration or periodic maintenance checks required. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .