FROM THE EDITORS Letters + Events
Montblanc 1858
Chronograph
Tachymeter, from Only
Watch 2017
RESEARCH, RACES & EXHIBITIONS
W
e’re more than halfway through 2017, and for those of us who keep a
close eye on timepieces, the year has been a busy one.
IN ADDITION TO THE annual pair of watch debut shows in Geneva and Basel, we’ve seen timepiece
activity (if I may coin a phrase) in the run-up to, and during, the America’s Cup. In addition, Patek
Philippe’s extravaganza exhibit in New York this month has made the city more of a destination than
ever for the watch-aware public. Meanwhile, Cartier held its own timepiece design exhibition earlier this
year in London, an event that drew thousands of visitors.
Please note that we’re reviewing a signifi cant aspect of four of these events with stories in the very
issue of International Watch you’re now reading.
Our look at recent debuts from Baselworld starts on page 104, and once again we’ve divided the
coverage into general wristwatch categories to make fi nding your favorites a bit easier.
We saw an emphasis this year on moderately priced collections, with more than a few top brands
off ering at least one model with a price tag found closer to the lower end of the luxury watch price spec-
trum. We also saw confi rmation that vintage-infl uenced case sizes continue to spark interest among both
consumers and watch designers.
Take a look inside Panerai’s recent America’s Cup partnership by reading Jan Tegler’s story about the
event and the brand starting on page 78. We follow that up with short takes on many other nautical time-
pieces, including several regatta watches.
Our look into the American side of the Patek Philippe exhibit is just one aspect of a wide-ranging cover
story on Patek Philippe that begins on page 60. We tell
you more about how the Geneva fi rm is celebrating two
decades of Aquanaut while also delving into the fi rm’s
latest Advanced Research piece–which happens to be an
unusual Aquanaut. Also look for a terrifi c pictorial dedi-
cated to the history of Cartier’s infl uential watch designs
(page 144) as we report on the fi rm’s London Design
Museum exhibit.
Finally, as we were putting this issue to bed, the orga-
nizers of the biennial Only Watch charity watch auction
released information and images of the event’s primary
attraction: nearly fi fty incredible, one-of-a-kind time-
pieces. We’ll have much more about these watches in
the fall issue of iW, but in the meantime you can fi nd out
more about Only Watch online at iwmagazine.com, and
at our various social media outlets.
Regards ,
Michael Thompson
Editor-in-Chief | [email protected]
14 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2017