With this being said, the one element that has been the talk of our industry, especially in the first half of 2020, was that of the tradeshow. Adi Soon, our editor has written extensively about his opinions on the demise of Baselworld (see his article: The Golden Goose (Baselworld) is Finally Dead), as well as the writer of this article (see Martin Goh’s article: Opinion – Baselworld’s Demise and the Meaning of Privilege).

The future of the watch industry tradeshow seemed very much in doubt last year, with cancellations and “postponements” being a result of the global health crisis – however, one tradeshow went ahead, and showed the possibility that brands bring the impetus needed to a digital version of a tradeshow, and this was Watches and Wonders, formerly the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH).

Four brands that arguably have the largest pull factor to the show – Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Rolex effectively heralded the death of Baselworld, with many of their executives expressing their dismay at the fair. In particular, Thierry Stern of Patek Philippe summed up their feeling as such: “Today Patek Philippe is not in line with Baselworld’s vision anymore, there have been too many discussions and unsolved problems, trust is no longer present”. As Wined Dined and Timed has written, much of the industry is based on gentlemen’s agreements, agreements that were very much violated during the “postponement” phase of Baselworld during the pandemic.

However, the 2020 edition of Watches and Wonders proved that a digital watch tradeshow can exist, and be successful. Furthermore, a press release dated in November 2020 from the organising committee of Watches and Wonders also shows the future of the watch tradeshow – with the continued pandemic raging in Europe, a digital version of the show was a no-brainer. Curiously, the 4 brands that were supposed to have a show concurrent to Watches and Wonders have now signed on to exhibit at Watches and Wonders – Chanel, Chopard, Patek Philippe and Rolex. This not only demonstrates the viability of the digital tradeshow, but also the level of trust between the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie and the 4 brands that left Baselworld. There is also no doubt that these brands will bring many more visitors to the digital tradeshow, given that their presence at Baselworld drew most of the crowds for watches.

There is no doubt that brands have changed their ways of communication during the pandemic, and rightfully so. However, I do not believe that a digital-only tradeshow or unveiling will be the way of the future. There will always be a place in the luxury industry for physical gatherings, and where possible, these will occur so that journalists and enthusiasts can touch, feel and experience the product. Watches are a part of the luxury industry that still needs physical presence for the watch to have an effect on the viewer, and so I believe that tradeshows will go back to being physical tradeshows when possible, but include much more digital interactivity than ever before. Unveilings may be made live, like with the recent Hublot x Murakami piece that was released at LVMH Watch Week in 2021, and keynote speakers may feature again, like at SIHH 2019 (recommended viewing: https://youtu.be/M9Pqi-QMoQw – Max Busser’s Keynote at SIHH 2019). 

The operation of a simultaneous digital and physical tradeshow will bring much more attendance through the following means – journalists and enthusiasts are brought together in one place to broadcast the new releases, and watch connoisseurs on far-flung sides of the Earth can enjoy the media and created content at their convenience. In this way, it is really a win-win situation for all parties involved – even the brands get more impressions on their pieces. Now, it just comes down to how much the brands are willing to invest into such an omni-channel experience. We can only hope that the brands see the value in this omni-channel method, from first viewing (online through watch media or through advertising) all the way to final purchase that can occur months or years down the line.

Indeed it was the launch of the Spherion that brought the brand the attention that has caused much of the changes we have seen. Invented by watchmaking maestro Eric Coudray in 2016, the Spherion is not only the world’s fastest triple-axis tourbillon, achieved through the use of lightweight titanium for its cages, it is also highly visible due to the design of the case and crystal. Find out more about the Spherion, now renamed as the Escape 1 and part of the Escape collection at our article at the link below.

Cecil Purnell introduces the Spherion, the world’s fastest tri-axial tourbillon

Purnell has also hired a new CEO (Maurizio Mazzocchi) and added a marketing team, which goes to show the extent of the brand’s ambition in the high horology space.

So now let’s look to the new releases that were due to launch at Watches and Wonders, but before that let’s remind ourselves why the original Spherion was such a wondrous thing.

That my friends is a triple axis tourbillon in motion.

Now imagine a watch having two triple axis tourbillons instead of one, and what you will end up with is the Escape II, a watch that was launched late last year in Taiwan.
What do you call a watch like this then? A sextupule axis tourbillon? I don’t know. But whatever you call it it is amazing to view.

The Escape II has two counter rotating triple axis tourbillons (or Spherions as the brand calls them) meaning that they rotate opposite to each other. The additional load has caused a slight decrease in power reserve, with the double triple-axis tourbillon Escape II having 32 hour power reserve instead of the 40 hours of the single triple-axis tourbillon Escape I.

So what do we have for this year? First, the Escape II Carbon, which as the name implies comes in a forged carbon case. Three versions are available, in pink, yellow and green.

Second, and this is probably the more shocking one, the Escape IIS Treasure. Now the S in the name stands for “Small” since this is a watch that comes in a smaller 44mm case instead of the non-S at 48mm. Why the word “Treasure”? Well, take a close look at the outer tourbillon cage, and you will note the gems that now decorate the outer tourbillon cage of each triple-axis tourbillon (or Spherion).

Yes, you heard that right – gemstones on the tourbillon cage, or 152 brilliant-cut diamonds in fact, or a total of 304 brilliant-cut diamonds per watch.

This is a watch obviously meant for the ladies, with its smaller size, and its blinged out aesthetic. 44mm might be quite big normally, but I’m not too worried about the size, since the 48mm Escape I was immensely wearable on account of the case design which had short lugs and was almost weightless. This was partly on account of the 15.7 gram movement which the Escape IIS has maintained, which is identical to that of the Escape I. With the extra diamonds though, each triple axis tourbillon comes in at 0.831grams versus the 0.79562 grams of the Escape I without diamonds.

Part of the weight difference can also be explained by the redesigned outer tourbillon cage, which has a different arm architecture which is wider to leave enough space to set the stones.

The Escape IIS Treasure comes in a couple of variations for now, one in a black titanium case with diamond set Spherions, and another with a rose gold case and rainbow gem-set Spherions.

For those who want to ramp up the bling even more, there is the Escape IIS Treasure Baguette and the Escape IIS Treasure Baguette Rainbow. Try to guess which is which from the pictures below.

The prices for the watches range from CHF 435,000 for the Escape II Carbon, all the way to the Escape IIS Treasure Baguette White Diamonds or Rainbow at CHF 1,090,000. Though if you’re a customer for a watch like this, you’ll be pleased to know that these numbers are just the starting point since it is possible to customise many aspects of the watches, including the colour of the titanium cages, and parts of the movement.

Find out more at purnellwatches.com

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