Luxury Watches

Big, bold and beautiful outlandish watches

Shot on location at the Space Furniture Singapore showroom

Big, bold and beautiful: These outsized and out-of-this-world timepieces boast astounding mechanics – and eye-popping aesthetics to match.

Breaking all boundaries

In our last edition of Boulevard, we spoke about the complexities of building a chronograph move-ment. While the fundamentals of chronograph construction have remained largely unchanged for a century, MB&F, in collaboration with master watchmaker Stephen McDonnell, has embarked on a radical re-imagining of this classic complication. The result of four years of intensive development, the Legacy Machine Sequential Evo introduced ground-breaking inno-vations like Twinverter technology, enabling multi-timing modes, when it was launched in 2022, earning the top prize at the prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève that year.

Left: LM Sequential Flyback by MB&F. Right: ‘Eletra’ sofa by Arflex.

As if the watch weren’t complicated enough, McDonnell and MB&F founder Maximilian Büsser have raised the stakes with the Sequential Evo Flyback, launched earlier this year. Incorporating a flyback function into this complex architecture is a significant achievement, requiring a delicate balance of power and precision. The Evo Flyback adopts a more mature aesthetic, featuring an open-worked movement. It is limited to 33 pieces in platinum.

An intricate web

After honing his skills at Patek Philippe, Roger Dubuis established his eponymous brand with a clear vision: To push the boundaries of haute horlogerie. Dubuis’s early focus on skeletonised movements set him apart. Rather than simply removing material, he transformed skeletonisation into an art form, incorporating intricate motifs and geometric designs into the movement architecture. Dubuis also became renowned for his mastery of the tourbillon. The brand experimented with double-axis tourbillons and multiple tourbillons within a single timepiece, enhancing both accuracy and visual appeal.

Left: Excalibur Spider Double Tourbillon by Roger Dubuis. Right: ‘Gold Faye Toogood’ centerpiece by Bitossi.

The Excalibur Spider Double Tourbillon (previous page) showcases this expertise: Two tourbillons appear to float within the skeletonised movement, creating a captivating visual effect. Finished to the exacting standards of the Poinçon de Genève, the watch exemplifies Roger Dubuis’s commitment to craftsmanship. Wrought in rose gold and carbon fibre, it’s limited to 28 pieces.

Black, black heart

The Hublot MP collection is not for the faint-hearted. The first MP (‘Masterpiece’) was launched in 2011 and defied all conventions of what a watch should look like. Over the years, the MP has resembled car engines, flowers in bloom, and even a water droplet. As Hublot CEO Ricardo Guadalupe stated in an interview with Men’s Folio, “For a piece to be part of our MP collection, it must not only re-invent existing complications; it must create something exclusive, invent, build and open up new avenues in watchmaking R&D.”

Left: MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde Black Carbon 44mm by Hublot. Right: ‘Bubble’ carpet by Moooi.

Launched in 2023 in titanium, the MP-13 Tourbillon Bi-Axis Retrograde returns in a striking black carbon iteration. This darker aesthetic height-ens the impact of the bi-axial tourbillon – housed in a prominent sapphire bubble at 6 o’clock – as it performs a mesmerising three-dimensional rotation. To avoid obscuring this mechanical ballet, Hublot opted for retrograde hour and minute indicators, adding another layer of visual intrigue as the hands snap back to zero. It comes in a limited edition of only 50 pieces.

Triple threat

While digital displays are a rarity in the realm of mechanical watchmaking, Franck Muller has embraced this challenge with the Long Island Master Jumper. The timepiece showcases the brand’s technical prowess by incorporating a triple digital display for hours, minutes, and date, a feat rarely seen in haute horlogerie.

Left: Long Island Master Jumper by Franck Muller. Right: ‘Nepal’ chair by Baxter.

The jump mechanism required to power a digital display demands significant energy, making it a highly complex undertaking for mechanical movements. Franck Muller’s mastery is evident in the Master Jumper, where the simultaneous jump of three displays is a testament to its watchmaking expertise. And the open-worked dial provides a captivating view of the intricate mechanics within. Notably, Franck Muller has thought-fully labelled each display window, ensuring effortless readability – a welcome feature in the world of complex timepieces.

The Master Jumper is part of the Long Island Evolution trio, each distinguished by the iconic oblong case and vibrant green accents.

One of a kind

It’s not often that a watchmaker introduces an entirely never-be-fore-seen complication. But this is exactly what Bovet has done with the Récital 28, an in-house movement that features a world timer with a daylight-saving function. This marks a significant advancement in the world of horology, where world timers traditionally haven’t been able to accommodate daylight saving time.

Left: Récital 28 Prowess 1 by Bovet. Right: ‘Scrigno’ sideboard by Edra.

The development of this unique complication took Bovet five years of dedicated research and engineering. The complexity lies in integrating the daylight-saving mechanism seamlessly into the world timer function.

We won’t get into the mechanics of how it works here, but needless to say, the Récital 28 presents a useful complication for those who’d rather not do mental mathematics when figuring out the local time.
In addition to this ground- breaking feature, the Récital 28 boasts a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar with roller displays, and a 10-day power reserve.

Play it again, Sam

While the Royal Oak is often considered the star in Audemars Piguet’s lineup, the watchmaker has an overfl owing archive of incredible timepieces dating back to its inception in 1875. The brand keeps its legacy alive at its museum in Le Brassus – but also through its Re-Master line, where it brings back an outstand-ing piece from its archive and modernises it for the 21st century.

Left: [Re]Master02 Selfwinding by Audemars Piguet. Right: ‘G-code’ desk by Giorgetti.

The [Re]Master02 Selfwinding pays homage to this rich legacy by re-imagining a model from 1960 – the 5159BA. With its geometric shape and levered glass, the piece was a standout in its time, and limited to just seven pieces. Sébastian Vivas, heritage and museum director of Audemars Piguet, told horology journal A Blog to Watch, “Between 1959 and 1963, Audemars Piguet created more than 30 asymmetrical models, most of which were produced in fewer than 10 pieces. [Re]Master02 Selfwinding is a fantastic opportunity to revive this forgotten golden age.”

Crafted in ‘sand gold’, Audemars Piguet’s newest alloy, the [Re]Master02 features a striking blue dial, known as Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50, and is divided into twelve triangular sections by sand-gold lines, creating a mesmerising interplay of colour and geometry.

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