Should I Buy 2017 – A bumper anniversary year Replica Clearance

Le plein d’anniversaires

There are big ones and small ones, even some that the companies themselves weren’t aware of! 2017 is shaping up to be a landmark year for watchmaking, with a bumper crop of anniversaries to celebrate.

Happy birthday!

Some of them need little introduction. Hermès, for example, was founded in 1837, which makes this year its 180th birthday. The company is a shining example of longevity and growth. The modest Parisian workshop has become a multi-faceted luxury goods brand active in couture, leather goods and perfumes, not forgetting watchmaking. The brand created by Thierry Hermès in 1837 is still majority-owned by the family, and boasts an annual turnover of around 5 billion euros. And it all began with a saddle!

Cartier, which has followed a similar trajectory, celebrates its 170th anniversary this year. No false modesty is required to recount the company’s journey from its modest beginnings in 1847, when a humble jeweller’s apprentice took over his master’s workshop. Cartier Watches Battery Replacement Replica has gone from adorning the crowned heads of Europe to a globally recognised multi-million-dollar brand and business empire.

Le plein d’anniversaires

Finally, the house of Dior celebrates its 70th birthday this year. Although its watchmaking workshops are far newer (2001), the aura of the mother brand has certainly helped its watch collections, particularly the Chiffre Rouge range, to cement their reputation in record time.

A Jurassic jubilee

Few trajectories have been as spectacular, but there is one more, of a similar scale and a similar age: Longines. The company, which was founded exactly 185 years ago, will devote considerable effort in the second half of the year to celebrating the milestone.

From its original vocation as a sports timing specialist, Longines has grown into one of the world’s biggest watch brands, producing more than a million timepieces per year, distributed worldwide to a customer base that comprises 50% women. With the company’s vast archives to draw upon, we can expect a plethora of anniversary models. Longines has chosen to focus on one model in particular, which commemorates Charles Lindbergh’s first transatlantic flight 90 years ago. The “Lindbergh Hour Angle Watch” will be available in a limited edition of 90. 

Le plein d’anniversaires

It was 1983 or 1984 when I bought my very first actual watch; the Cartier Santos. It was hot like hell and turned into the most copied watch. It was also that watch that made me interested in the history of this brand, since the seller explained that the design was inspired in the first men’s wristwatch, launched by Cartier at 1904. So you can imagine that it didn’t take long before I became obsessed with watches generally, especially with Cartier.At that time see forums were just becoming popular, see magazines were rare and watch blogs like Fratello and Hodinkee didn’t exist yet. All these GTG’s were organised by collectors themselves and were always quite funny. Everybody brought a couple of pieces in their collection and also loads of beer and wine, we chatted about the various versions before late in the day. But always the same brands got all the attention and for me it was rather frustrating that one only paid attention to my Cartier watches, to be polite. The word ETA was always mentioned as if those were inferior movements and too frequently I heard quotes such as; ‘my spouse would love them!’

Bovet, on the other hand, is celebrating its 195th anniversary. Although Edouard Bovet (who would have been 220 this year!) first dipped his toe into watchmaking a few years earlier, it was in 1822 that he went into partnership with his brothers Alphonse, Frédéric and Gustave to sell watches in China. The first contract signed by the Bovet company was registered in London on the 1st May of that year. The business expanded rapidly, and manufacturing operations were transferred to Fleurier, very close to where the company still makes its watches today, in Môtiers.

We wish many happy returns also to Eberhard & Co., an independent watchmaker that is perhaps less well known, though still highly prized by collectors. It celebrates its 130th birthday this year. Not many people know that Eberhard was responsible for some major milestones in watchmaking history. The company has filed patents for advances in time setting (1894), hour display (1905) and dust and humidity protection (1921), to name just a few. 

Le plein d’anniversaires

New kids on the block

It would be impossible to list all of this year’s anniversaries, but there are a few more that deserve a mention. Bulgari Time, for instance, was founded exactly 35 years ago. Since then, the Italian company has built a reputation that vies with those of the biggest watchmakers, with its distinctive Roman style and acknowledged technical flair, particularly in the domain of ultra-thin watches. 

Alongside these illustrious forebears Anonimo, which is a sprightly 20 years old, is something of a new kid on the block. Its current trajectory nevertheless confirms that it is on the right track and, one hopes, destined for a long and healthy life. Although it started life bearing a striking resemblance to Officine Panerai, Anonimo has become more confident in its own stylistic identity and technical approach. The brand that made a deliberate choice to be recognised for its creations rather than its name has now conquered many markets, particularly since it converted to Swiss Made in 2013. 

Le plein d’anniversaires

Anniversary models aplenty

And it’s not just the brands whose anniversaries we are celebrating – individual watches are also getting in on the action. The Fifty Fathoms, created in the 1950s, had its first major reissue just ten years ago, in 2007, under the impetus of Marc Hayek. Since then, the legendary timepiece has reasserted itself as a truly iconic diving watch.

Le plein d’anniversaires

Its slightly older counterpart, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, was seen for the first time 45 years ago. This year, the women’s version also celebrates its 40th birthday. Girard-Perregaux’ iconic tourbillon with three gold bridges is 130 years old this year. And Piaget already broke out the champagne for the 60th anniversary of the Altiplano at this year’s SIHH.

2017 will also be a big year for TAG Heuer. The company celebrates 55 years of the Autavia, which returned to Basel with great fanfare. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the Link collection, and Jack Heuer’s 85th birthday. 

Women can celebrate the 5th year of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Rendez-Vous collection. These watches have been spectacularly successful since their introduction in 2012, consistently ranking among the company’s best-selling women’s watches. 

A bumper anniversary year