As a rule, the timepieces shown at Watches & Wonders will be available for sale. There are obviously some rare exceptions to this rule, and Hautlence sister brand H.Moser & Cie is the most well-known exponent of such timepieces.

One of the watches that has struck me at Watches & Wonders 2024 is such a ‘not for sale’ (although never say never?), with only two extant examples – it’s called the Retrovision ‘47, and there are two of them. One is on display and the other has been shown during press sessions.

To mark two decades, Hautlence created this fun timepiece which takes its inspiration from vintage radios. A specific radio in fact, the General Television & Radio Corp. Chicago Model 5A5. Why this? We have heard this thought before from elsewhere, but it applies in this instance – Hautlence asked itself what sorts of watches they would have made in the 1947s, using their very 21st century sensibilities.
The ‘tv set’ style Hautlence case is now joined by a more literal ‘radio set’ case shape (television, radio, it makes sense as two possible ‘collections’) in the form of a watch case mirroring the rounded corners of the radio. The ‘wireless’ influence continues onto the lugs, which are shaped to look like handles with which to carry the radio. The green case is hand-painted to look like the radio it is ‘replicating’.

The dial is brass and gold, with an embossed pattern consisting of the Hautlence emblem. The time is on the right-hand side, complete with faux vintage colouring, and beneath the grille on the left not for a speaker but to give you a glimpse of the 60-second flying tourbillon underneath.

Visible through the sapphire case back is the automatic Calibre ED20-SP00 which has a power reserve of three days. The case back is modelled after the back of the Model 5A5, with a shaped plate engraved with the brand name and serial number.

The Retrovision ’47 was specifically produced for Hautlence’s booth at Watches & Wonders 2024, but with such a headline-grabbing piece that is a wearable watch, could it become a limited edition piece?

Categories: Hautlence, Limited Editions, watches, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2024