Author Topic: The watch trends of tomorrow??  (Read 6164 times)

Offline Kfcc

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The watch trends of tomorrow??
« on: February 04, 2018, 08:42:29 PM »
The watch trends of tomorrow:

A round-up of news that could shape future trends in watchmaking.

INFORMATION:

Mechanical wristwatches have been around for over a century and have survived the major threats posed by quartz watches and LCD technology in the 1970s and 1980s to rebound in even better health, at least as far as luxury Swiss watches are concerned. The industry has faced a renewed threat from smartwatches over the past couple of years, one that it first dismissed, then embraced. Rather than trying to second-guess the technological advances in movements over the coming years, this article takes a look at some things that could have an impact on design trends in the watch industry over the next 12 months. Find out how, among other things, Baume & Mercier is pioneering the watchmaking trends of tomorrow.

A new gold alloy colour

You may be familiar with the classifications of 0N to 5N for gold alloys, which are based on the ISO 8654 standard “Colours of gold alloys – Definition, range of colours and designation”. Watchmakers use a number of different gold alloys and some of them have developed their own gold alloys – keen to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Nevertheless, in terms of their classification, all of them fall within the 4N or 5N colour categories, which broadly speaking cover the spectrum of yellow and red (or rose) gold.

By the end of 2017, however, the ISO 8654 standard will be revised to add a new colour – 6N, or dark red. The main objective of this revision to the standard is to allow measurement of the colour in the LAB space used by spectrocolorimetres to measure and compare gold alloys. So when will we see the first watches in dark-red gold?
Source: Revue FH No. 11, 29 June 2017

Black movement treatments

Up until five years ago, you could get a black movement treatment using a galvanising bath of black ruthenium. But the European Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), which maintains a list of harmful chemical substances that are banned from use in the European Union, included one of the molecules used in this treatment on its list.

Coating specialist STS, a company the Acrotec group – a major player in the important subcontracting industry – first considered replacing the offensive molecule with another to achieve the black colour, but the results were unacceptable. It therefore decided to develop its existing anthracite NAC coating. After three years of development, the new coating has passed ageing and corrosion tests and the black NAC coating is ready for industrialisation. STS is considering patenting it. It is also working on a further development of the process that would allow it to be used for more demanding applications, where the surface is prone to more wear, such as the watch case itself. Look out for deep black movement coatings in the near future.
Source: SSC Bulletin 83, June 2017

A brighter polish for titanium cases?

The traditional method for polishing watch cases is mechanical, using brushes and abrasive powders with decreasing particle size to grind away surface imperfections on the metal. CERN, which is most famous as the home of the Large Hadron Collider but also one of the world’s leading scientific research institutes (and is just a stone’s throw from some of the big watch factories in Meyrin), has developed an electropolishing process that can work down to the nanometre level and create a mirror-polished appearance.

Coating specialist STS, a company the Acrotec group – a major player in the important subcontracting industry – first considered replacing the offensive molecule with another to achieve the black colour, but the results were unacceptable. It therefore decided to develop its existing anthracite NAC coating. After three years of development, the new coating has passed ageing and corrosion tests and the black NAC coating is ready for industrialisation. STS is considering patenting it. It is also working on a further development of the process that would allow it to be used for more demanding applications, where the surface is prone to more wear, such as the watch case itself. Look out for deep black movement coatings in the near future.
Source: SSC Bulletin 83, June 2017

A brighter polish for titanium cases?

The traditional method for polishing watch cases is mechanical, using brushes and abrasive powders with decreasing particle size to grind away surface imperfections on the metal. CERN, which is most famous as the home of the Large Hadron Collider but also one of the world’s leading scientific research institutes (and is just a stone’s throw from some of the big watch factories in Meyrin), has developed an electropolishing process that can work down to the nanometre level and create a mirror-polished appearance.

Something fishy with your watch strap?

Could fish skin be the next big thing in watch straps? After calf, cow, crocodile, alligator, python, ray, rabbit and shark, the skin of the rainbow trout is the latest animal to be used to attach a watch to the wrist. Baume & Mercier presented Banka troutskin straps at the SIHH this year. The scales on the fish, which are reared in eco-friendly conditions on the Banka farm in the south of France (the water in their ponds in oxygenated naturally, their diet is adapted to the weather and the fish are not given any antibiotics or vaccines), add a unique structure to the skin during the tanning process. The delight of many a renowned chef now finds a second use as a luxury accessory.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2018, 09:06:46 PM by Kfcc »

Offline Teikfun

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2018, 10:31:59 PM »
Fish Skin?? That's something really new but i prefer other materials than animal skin.

Offline Timeless

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2018, 08:39:18 AM »
Interesting trend in details.

Offline LogZ

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2018, 10:40:52 AM »
 :thumbsup:

Offline KLSharp

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2018, 09:43:20 AM »
Fish skin leather is certainly nothing new; even in regards to watch straps, it is quite common to find Stingray leather used.

Offline chrisyen

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2018, 08:28:07 AM »
Fish skin has been in the market for years

Not sure about the dark surface coating on movement is the future trend or what

We already
Seen swiss Quartz watch badly hit by smartwatches
While strong demand from Asia led to rebound of mechanical watches in 2017

While on watches design
All seems going to few direction

Richard mille
Urwerk
Mb&f
Hublot
AP
Continue the sporty ultra modern watches
With crazy idea on newest material

Traditional watches is back to focus on
thin movement
Smaller size 38-40
Lower price point



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Offline Cocas

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2020, 05:07:05 PM »
Lately, all the low cost smart watches with designs and features that are so identical to those branded Appxx, Xiaxx, Samsxxx...

The high class status of "smart" watch is shaky.

But the medium cost mechanical watch is also taking big hit as more people are willing to save more to buy only Rolex, AP, and PP.

Offline dpkong

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2020, 08:16:17 PM »
Smart watches and quartz may slowly kill the lower tier manufacturers but the likes of AP, PP and ROLEX will never be affected. Same for those small independents making only a small number of watches sold at eye-popping prices.

The trick is to slowly price them out of reach of the common man to maintain exclusivity because man always desires that which he cannot or does not have.


Offline Potential_Highlight

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Re: The watch trends of tomorrow??
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2020, 03:45:10 AM »
Smart watches and quartz may slowly kill the lower tier manufacturers but the likes of AP, PP and ROLEX will never be affected. Same for those small independents making only a small number of watches sold at eye-popping prices.

The trick is to slowly price them out of reach of the common man to maintain exclusivity because man always desires that which he cannot or does not have.
Or you can do a Richard Mille