Competition is heating up in the luxury sports watch category. We look at the latest and greatest players in the integrated-bracelet field
Two of the most iconic timepieces in existence came into being within a span of five years in the 1970s—the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus. Both were inspired by aquatic motifs: the former, vintage diving helmets; the latter, ships’ portholes. Both were the brainchildren of the late, great Gérald Genta, the most important watch designer of the 20th century. And pivotally, both featured integrated bracelets, eschewing the standard lug and springbar set-up affixing most watch straps, and instead seamlessly uniting case and bracelet.
They defined and dominated a new market sector occupied by high-priced, exquisitely crafted, sporty steel timepieces. As historian and head of complications at Audemars Piguet’s manufacturing facility, Michael Friedman researches the evolution of the watchmaker’s complex movements.
“The 1972 stainless-steel Royal Oak created an entirely new category. The luxury sports watch, which is thriving today and stronger than ever before,” he says. Friedman believes that the Royal Oak’s “design is immensely powerful and recognisable, and has become among the most iconic of all of Gérald Genta’s designs, which is why it remains relevant and contemporary even nearly 50 years after its premiere.”
See also: Why Cartier Tank Watch Is A Forever Classic After 100 Years
Rising Competition
Over the years, numerous competing integrated-bracelet watches have been launched, offering an array of alternatives for those lacking either the patience, funds or inclination to purchase a Nautilus or Royal Oak. The past 12 months have been especially action packed, with myriad new models introduced in the integrated-bracelet, luxury sports watch category.
H Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic is probably the most innovative among them. Moser CEO Edouard Meylan says the Streamliner is one of a kind thanks to its singular curvaceous design and its supreme ergonomics—“the integrated bracelet fits the largest as well as the smallest wrists like no other,” he says—and “the quality of the details, the perfect integration of the bracelet: these make the Streamliner unique, with a dial like no other’s, especially the colour”. He says the case and bracelet work so beautifully together because “We started with the bracelet and designed the model around it”, whereas generally the reverse is true, with the case taking precedence.
