Timepiece culture tends to be decided by the presence of certain trends displayed at each year’s Baselworld. Here at Luxurious J&T, we keep our fingers on the pulse of the timepiece industry, seeing what creative ideas that the top designers are bringing to their customers.
Today, we want to discuss some of the cool new trends that we saw when we sent our in-house reporter to Baselworld in March. This is where we think the industry is, where it’s going, and what’s going to be the hot looks for 2019!
Retro Cool
The retro look has a uniquely powerful cachet for the timepiece industry. This is a topic we’ve discussed in previous journals, but for as much as we love timepieces, they’re not purely functional in an age of smartphones.
Perhaps because of this fact, timepiece designers have been looking backward, refining vintage for modern audiences. After all, there’s less pressure on horologists to stay at the cutting edge when it’s no longer feasible.
The IWC Portofino collection has refined the vintage look to an exceptional degree: The clean steel case and bezel frame eggshell-colored dials. Gold hands and slender Roman numerals give these pieces a classical power that remains timeless.
Better with Blue
You may have already noticed while browsing IWC that many of their watches, particularly those from the IWC Portugieser collection, feature blue dials, blue numerals, blue hands. These features beg the question: Why is blue becoming such a prominent trend in watch design lately?
The answer has something to do with the observations in the previous section. Timepieces are not, strictly speaking, utilitarian anymore. Since they’re worn mostly for aesthetic purposes, designers have grasped that blue timepieces go perfectly with navy-colored business suits. They also add a flash of remarkable color to any business look without being too distracting.
Also, keep in mind that many designers offer blue bands, meaning that you can complete your look. Make sure to do your research before settling for a bracelet or band that isn’t ideal for you.
Rose Gold for Men
You’ll begin to notice a trend here — that most of these trends blossom from the same aesthetic root. Rose gold for men’s watches is part of that same pattern. IWC watches, Michael Kors, and Hublot watches, in particular, take advantage of this trend.
Rose gold hasn’t traditionally been a common choice for men’s jewelry and timepieces, but Swiss ateliers have been utilizing it more often in watches because it adds a surprising blush of color to dials, bezels, and occasionally cases.
Perhaps not the only color a man will choose, the ruddy tones of rose gold nevertheless add a warm, approachable elegance to a gentleman’s overall appearance.
Auto-Themed
Remarkable names in watchmaking like Tissot, TAG Heuer, IWC, and Hublot have all jumped on the “auto-themed” timepiece. Ranging from racing to vintage sports cars to the appeal of concept cars, the major ateliers have recently taken a lot of inspiration from the go-faster scene.
This isn’t exactly new, but a reader stopping by their local jewelry store will notice a lot more brushed titanium, carbon fiber dials, and Formula One aesthetics blended into designer watches.
Why is this the case? Many of these ateliers have worked with auto brands in previous decades, so in some ways, this is just a recapitulation of those relationships; but there’s an added appreciation for high technology blending with vintage styles — it’s a very 2019 look to keep one’s eye on.
Curious about More 2019 Trends?
Luxurious J&T strives to stay at the cutting edge of men’s style, so if you’ve noticed any trends, don’t hesitate to let us know — we always love hearing from our readers! And if you have any questions about what we presented today, let us know!