an Historical perspective
Sometimes a look back into the archives provides all the
inspiration a designer needs. Many of today's foremost brands
have a storied past from which to draw concepts and ideas
to inspire new timepieces, taking the best design elements
from yesterday and blending them with the most up-to-date
innovations of today.
from left: This Hermès Dressage
L'Heure Masquee ($43,750)
recalls the brand's origins, when
it created equestrian-inspired
accessories. The 18k rose-gold
Dressage features an inventive
complication that partially hides
the time. In its natural state, the
watch displays only the hour
hand, with the minute hand
hidden behind. With the push of a
button on the side of the case,
the minute hand moves to display
the full time. The watch also
features a dual time indicator.
Just 500 pieces will be made.
Bellagio, 702-866-2629;
hermes.com
From Rolex, the Oyster Perpetual
Explorer watch ($6,550) is
inspired by the brand's great
adventures in the Himalayas and
pays tribute to the first successful
ascent of Mount Everest, by Sir
Edmund Hillary, who famously
reached its summit in 1953 with a
Rolex Oyster on his wrist. The
watch is crafted in steel with a
perpetual mechanical self-winding
movement and is a COSC-certified
chronometer fitted with a steel
Oysterlock bracelet. Wynn Las
Vegas, 702-770-3560; rolex.com
opposite page, clockwise from top:
The new Montblanc Homage to
Nicolas Rieussec Limited Edition
($11,500) is a tribute to the French
watchmaker who patented the
chronograph in 1821 as a means
to precisely measure the running
times of individual horses in a
race. This rich history inspired the
brand to create an entire collection
with distinct manufactured
movements. The watch's
unmistakable appearance
combines an off-center hour
circle in the upper part of the dial
and the chronograph's elapsed-
time displays in the lower portion
of the dial. As on the 1821 original,
elapsed time is shown on two
rotating discs, above each of
which a motionless hand indicates
the passing seconds and minutes.
The Forum Shops at Caesars,
702-732-0569; montblanc.com
Inspired by the record-breaking
ultrathin watches it developed in
the 1950s, Piaget returned to the
drawing board and took three
years to build this revolutionary
new Piaget Altiplano 38mm 900P
($27,800). Even the watch's name
was subtly inspired by the past
(the original ultrathin caliber,
released in 1957, was called the
Caliber 9P). This new 38mm
white-gold timepiece is the
thinnest mechanical watch, with
movement parts actually merged
with the case in a revolutionary
design that is a record-breaking
3.65mm slim. Wynn Las Vegas,
702-770-5470; piaget.com
Breguet founder Abraham-Louis
Breguet is known as the father of
invention when it comes to
watchmaking. In the early 19th
century, he designed and patented
the first tourbillon escapement.
Inspired by its roots, Breguet
continues to innovate and regularly
releases stunning tourbillon
timepieces. This new Classique
Complication Ref. 3357BR/12/986
($102,700) is crafted in 18k gold
and houses a hand-wound,
hand-engraved movement with
small seconds coaxial with the
tourbillon escapement. Bellagio Las
Vegas, 702-733-7435; breguet.com
112 vegasmagazine.com
