FX.co ★ Geneva’s SIHH luxury watch show opens its doors to public

The SIHH runs January 16-20, with the final day open to the public. New items from the Carré des Horlogers and Girard-Perregaux will be showcased. First-time exhibitor Ulysse Nardin will be present on the exhibition as well.

Professionals from the world of luxury watchmaking will present their latest timepieces and showcase trends for 2017. As a rule, major watchmakers exhibit the starting model to introduce the brand, new versions of the bestsellers with unique design or complications.

The dazzling new A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual "Pour le Mérite" is one of such big releases. It has a fusee-and-chain, a tourbillon, a chronograph, rattrapante function (for measuring split timing) and a perpetual calendar. It is limited to 50 pieces.

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor Cobalt MicroMelt boasts of something the world has rarely seen: cobalt chrome. At the heart of this magnificent watch is a hand-wound 590-part RD101 Quatuor movement. It comes with four spring balances and five differentials. The watch is issued in the ultra-limited series of only 8 pieces.

Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled its first extraordinary object - the Automate Fée Ondine. The remarkable automaton clock has been eight years in the making. It takes the form of bejewelled fairy kneeling on a lily pad made from gem-set gold, topped with lilies of silver, gold, diamonds and sapphires. The mechanism is activated every 15 minutes. The lily pad ripples and the fairy awakes, fluttering its wings and lifting its arms, as one of the lilies bursts into bloom. A diamond and sapphire butterfly then rises into the air, accompanied by chimes.

Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1 watch made of exclusive materials. It is the lightest split-second chronograph made of Graph TPT, better known as graphene, which is six times lighter than steel and 200 times as strong. Russian-born scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on graphene.

Last year, connoisseurs of haute horlogerie were presented the collection of the men's classic watch. This year its continuation was exhibited. The Cartier Drive de Cartier watch is a piece that has the moonphase indicator on a guilloché dial. It needs to be adjusted for one day every 125 years.

Florence-based watchmaker took care of deep-sea divers. Its water-resistant Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic Acciaio is powered by the P.9010 automatic caliber in steel case.