Analogue Display

DFS is boasting that some 400 watches will be on display, giving Hong Kong’s watch community a rare opportunity to get close to some outstanding works of horology.

Among the brands guaranteed to please is IWC. The watchmaker is famed for its dramatic exhibition stands. At last year’s SIHH for instance, IWC installed a replica aircraft carrier, complete with jet fighter simulator. Whilst the Masterpieces of Time event may not deliver anything quite as spectacular, the brand will definitely be out to impress.

The pinnacle for any IWC collector has to be the Big Pilot. Taking design cues from the Second World War flight watches that IWC actually helped design in the 1930s and 40s; this timepiece is a 48mm monster. No other watch really compares in terms of sheer presence and, on display at Masterpieces of Time will be the Big Pilot Top Gun Miramar. This particular limited edition has been designed to celebrate the Top Gun flight school in California and it carries a host of maverick design details. The small red fighter jet that caps the sweeping hand is particularly exciting and a real must see for any enthusiast.

Another local favourite – and arguably the brand that started Hong Kong’s love affair with watches – is Cartier. The brand will be showcasing its incredible Rotonde de Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillion, which seamlessly blends the Asian desire for opulence and the western love of complications. Limited to just 100 pieces, this 18kt white gold masterpiece features an off-centre dial, tourbillion complication and numeric indices sculpted from the watch case itself.

Also on display is the Santos-Dumont Skeleton Pink Gold watch which also features numerals carved from solid gold. In this case, the numerals act as a supporting structure to a brand new curved movement. This has been designed by Cartier to allow this particular timepiece to have an unparalleled level of transparency. Even for long time lovers of all things Cartier, this is a very special timepiece.