The slick, understated utilitarian appearance of the bike makes you believe you can ride this everywhere, at any time, sporting anything, possibly a slim-fitted suit. The fit and finish of the Bobber may be best described as bang for your buck with a huge emphasis on bang and not as much about the dollar; another similarity with the Clifton Club’s tight and satisfying build quality not generally seen on competitors’ watches at precisely the same price range.Baume et Mercier had already made a limited version for the Shelby Cobra, so it was natural that they’d be releasing a piece to kick-off their partnership with Indian Motorcycles, the Burt Munro Limited Edition. With respect to tribute pieces, limited editions, and theme oriented watches, I prefer them to be on the top. Meaning, I really need the newest to embody whatever they’re attempting to accomplish with this “special” piece. Some brands will just combine a symbol, maybe change the color of the dial, or even simply put the eye on a different strap and call it a day. The motor powering the watch is exactly the same automatic Valjoux 7750 running smoothly on 25 jewels at 4Hz, capable of keeping up to two days in its reserve tank. Thus far, so familiar, but where the watch really stands besides the Shelby Cobra sibling is in the details of the tachymeter and dial.
As in previous SIARs, several brands introduced new products and limited editions at the venue, such as Hublot with its new Hublot Big Bang Classic Fusion Calaveras, Baume & Mercier Clifton Club Seleccion Nacional de Mexico, Manufacture Royale Androgyne Mexico and Louis Moinet Metropolis Sunrise Sonora, the sale proceeds of which will be used to help the citizens affected by the Sep 19th earthquake.
The SIAR 2017 presented awards in several categories to notable watches and brands at a Gala that was used to collect and donate funds to those affected by the earthquake. Bulgari was awarded the Watch of the Year award for the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic, Chanel scooped the Ladies Award for the Première Camélia Skeleton and Hublot took the honors in the Sport Watch category with the Techframe Ferrari 70 years Tourbillon Chronograph.
The Rising Brand award was received by Roger Dubuis for its Excalibur Aventador S, while the Chronograph prize was awarded to Richard Mille’s RM 50-03 McLaren F1 Split Seconds Tourbillon Chronograph. In the Concept watch category the Zenith Defy LAB was the winner and in the High Complication the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Celestial Astronomical Grand Complication 3600 received the recognition from the SIAR 2017 Jury.
Finally, in the Watchmaking Value category, Patek Philippe received the award for its 5320G Perpetual Calendar and Chopard’s Karl-Friedrich Scheufele was recognized with the Special Tiempo de Relojes Award.
The SIAR 2017 once again offered a solid platform for watch brands to present their watches and to get closer to the aspirations of the Mexican and South American markets. Communication and perception are key in these markets and the SIAR affords a great opportunity to encounter, in an intimate fashion, these two sides of the business.
Louis-Joseph Touron (Swiss Ambassador in Mexico), Carlos Alonso (CEO of the SIAR) and Carlo Lamprecht (CEO of the GPHG) proceed with the formal opening of the SIAR 2017 at the St. Regis Hotel.