Watches are very rarely just an excuse to put something cool on your wrist.
As is the case with the five watches shortlisted for our Technical Innovation of the Year award, they are marvels of innovation - and usually the result of years of research and development.
The world of horology has been obsessed with coming up with solutions to everyday problems since the very beginning of the wristwatch.
What we see in these contenders goes beyond that.
These are the watches of tomorrow ready to wear today.
Audemars Piguet RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin
The Royal Oak sits alongside the Nautilus as the finest work of arguably horology's greatest designer, Gerald Genta. Since its creation in 1970, it has taken on numerous guises to suit the taste of modern wearers, but the work of Audemars Piguet’s R&D department are now preparing the timepiece for the future. This model may be a concept for now, but creating a highly complicated perpetual calendar movement that fits inside a jaw-droppingly thin 6.3mm-thick case is simply staggering. audemarspiguet.com
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic
Clocking in at just 3.95mm thick, Bulgari’s latest technical marvel is the world’s thinnest automatic watch, the world’s thinnest automatic tourbillon and the thinnest Tourbillon ever. The new Calibre BVL 288 features a number of clever watchmaking innovations to slim down its size, but the greatest testament to this watch’s success is that it still looks fantastic in spite of its record shattering slimness. bulgari.com
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate 910P
Piaget’s 9P movement redefined what watchmakers referred to as thin when its 2mm-thick Calibre shocked the world back in 1957. The new Altiplano Ultimate 910P has shifted the goalposts again by creating a watch that is just 4.3mm thick including the case. Here, the innovative case acts as the baseplate for the movement itself, resulting in its staggering size. piaget.com
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept
Integrating digital innovations into traditional timepieces has been a subject of debate for the last few years, but Ressence’s latest creation has changed the game this year. The Type 2 e-Crown Concept employs an electronic system that allows the watch to self-adjust to new time zones, set the time via a smartphone, or automatically reset after the power reserve winds down - all while still exhibiting the startling good looks for which Ressence is renowned. ressencewatches.com
Ulysse Nardin Freak Vision
When the Freak was born in 2001, it more than lived up to its name: a concept watch in which the entire movement was a tourbillon, as well as acting as the minute hand (completing a full trip around the dial once every hour). Several iterations have followed but none more important than the new Freak Vision - a regular production watch. There’s too much innovation to explain fully, but the solid nickel and silicone components, unique anchor escapement, and a balance wheel orientated in such a way as to reduce air resistance might represent the most future-ready watch ever made. ulysse-nardin.com
Which watch do you think should win the Technical Innovation Award?
To vote on other categories, visit the Watch Awards Homepage
