iW Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 48

The limited edition (200 pieces) GT Tour Carbon offers a forged carbon steel watch case and a sandblast finish dial inspired by the coating of legendary automobile racetracks. Only 200 are made, each priced at $5,900 The new yellow and black Tiefenmesser Sea Hornet limited edition is adorned with a black dial, a yellow hand on an index with a design echoing depth gauges of post-war U.S.submarines. watch collections, each linked to a broad category of historical timekeeping gauges. The brand’s GT Tour was born to recall automotive racing and its performance-focused dashboards. More specific to the speedometers found on vintage racecars, the Supercharged and the new Monte Carlo/British-inspired Longbridge collections add a more streamlined look to its dials. The Airfight range takes its inspiration from military aircraft, with its use of black, white and yellow. And finally, Tiefenmesser is about metal, pressure and precision. These watches feature dials that recall the piping, the riveted plates and the tubes seen on submarines. All Reservoir dials sport the Reservoir logo, which is based on the look of military gas containers known as Jerri cans, first developed in Germany and adopted by troops worldwide. BROAD APPEAL Moreau feels his designs appeal to a broad selection of collectors. “I have been surprised to see a remarkably well-balanced mix of collection demand. Indeed the models we initially believed would be a strong success – such as the bronze or the carbon models – do work extremely well. But we are seeing surprising behaviors from consumers with our vintage sport car addicts and for those who enjoy jet aircraft. Our models are made to inspire passion, so it is quite hard to predict which will be a hit.” But, given the solid sales of Reservoir watches at various retail locations and through the Reservoir website, Moreau has been able to discern a few patterns with his collector base. “Actually we have several customer types. First, we have watch lovers who enjoy our complications, and second we see many collectors passionate about cars or planes who are not necessarily watch collectors,” he explains. “But these people really love the idea of wearing their dashboard on their wrist. We also see many watch first-timers looking for something radically different.” The Reservoir Airfight 48 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2018