ETCHED IN TIME

Paying tribute to the famously busy creatures of the natural world, the Chopard L.U.C XPS 1860 Officer has an engraved honeycomb guilloche pattern not just on the front, but also on the back, on its hunter-style case back. Lift the back cover and you’ll find another engraving of a beehive and bees – with the insects appearing in a random manner so each piece is unique. Crafted from white gold, this 40mm watch is powered by the automatic L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L and bears the Geneva Seal.

 

How do you brighten a dark dial? The Montblanc 4810 Date Automatic shows one way to do so: Add an exploding star engraving that radiates throughout the dial. Powered by an automatic movement, this 42mm steel timepiece lets the striking pattern do most of the talking, keeping the dial elements relatively simple, while enhancing functionality with an arched date window at six o’clock.

 

With the Marine Equation Marchante 5887, Breguet once again demonstrates its guilloche prowess. A wave motif suitably distinguishes this update on the brand’s Marine watches, which reference the marine chronometers made by 18th-century watchmaker Abraham Louis Breguet. Powered by an automatic movement, this 43.9mm rose gold timepiece is also a technical powerhouse with a running equation of time, tourbillon and perpetual calendar.

 

Housed in a 38mm white gold case, the Patek Philippe Ref. 5159G-001 is one of the brand’s classics. It has the brand’s 324 SQR automatic calibre featuring a perpetual calendar with a retrograde date hand. Traditional sunburst guilloche at the centre of the dial accents the timeless style of this model, which is also available in rose or yellow gold.

 

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, which can be swivelled so its dial faces inwards, was designed to with stand accidental impacts on the polo field. Now, the brand partners with polo-crowd favourite, Argentinean bootmaker Casa Fagliano, on handsome straps such as the one on this Reverso Tribute Duoface. Measuring 49.7mm by 29.9mm, this pink gold watch has two dials that can display separate times. The back dial (shown) features Clous de Paris engraving, while the front dial is sunray-brushed charcoal grey.

 

A truly impressive work of art with plenty of depth, the Toric Quaestor Winchester by Parmigiani features an engraved pattern that takes its inspiration from the Gothic vaulted ceilings at Winchester Cathedral, England’s largest cathedral. Housed within the 46mm pink gold case is a manually wound movement featuring a minute repeater with cathedral chimes.

 

Elaborate hand-guilloche dials are one of the key distinguishing marks of the watches by beloved independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen, and the Vingt-8 GMR’s engraved light blue face provides a picturesque setting for a second time zone subdial, as well as a power-reserve indicator at two o’clock. A manually wound movement powers this 39mm white gold timekeeper.