Watches of Switzerland was founded 100 years ago in 1924 by Maurice Lane, who started the business selling watches by mail order.
G&M Lane & Co, as Watches of Switzerland was originally known, opened its first office at 26 Ludgate Hill, in the City of London.
Now one of the world’s largest retailers of luxury watches and jewellery, with annual sales of around £1.5 billion, the group is marking its centenary year with special watches made by several of its most important partners.
Cartier Tank
First up, back in February, was a Cartier Tank (pictured top) made as a 100-piece limited edition in gold, with a golden sunray dial adorned with Roman numerals for 12 and 6 o’clock hour markers.
Blued steel hands perfectly complement Cartier’s signature blue sapphire cabochon in the crown and a dark navy alligator strap.
Cartier’s slim mechanical 1917MC movement is protected by a gold case back with a special engraving for Watches of Switzerland.
The watch was available to purchase for £12,700 from June.
Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium
Breitling produced a limited edition Chronomat for the centenary.
This watch has an anthracite inner bezel, tachymeter scale and subdials, contrasting with an olive green dial.
It is powered by Breitling COSC-certified Manufacture Caliber 01 automatic chronometer movement.
The caseback is engraved: ‘WOS 1924 – 2024’ along with a model number for the 100 piece limited edition.
The Breitling Chronomat B01 Titanium 42mm Limited Edition costs £9,850.
Hublot Classic Fusion
Hublot contributed a limited Classic Fusion as a gift for the 100th birthday.
The Hublot Classic Fusion Centenary – WOSG Exclusive is limited to 50 pieces and available in selected WOS boutiques and online in the United Kingdom and United States.
This is the latest take on a watch designed by Carlo Crocco in the 1980s that is the OG face of Hublot.
Identifiers are the round case and rubber strap, along with the H-shaped screw fastenings in that distinctive striking bezel.
This version has a 42mm case in satin-finished and polished titanium and a frosted carbon fibre bezel.
It is powered by Hublot’s automatic HUB1110 movement, visible through a sapphire caseback, with 42-hour power reserve.
Around the edges of the sapphire caseback, the metal has an engraving commemorating the partnership between Hublot and WOS.
The Hublot Classic Fusion Centenary – WOSG Exclusive costs £10,300.
Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Zenith created a 100-piece limited edition of its iconic Chronomaster Sport Chronograph for Watches of Switzerland.
On the new model, the 1/10th second bezel is in deep blue ceramic for the first time in the Chronomaster Sport collection.
The blue bezel dial and tri-compax counters are in white and subtle shades of grey.
The sapphire display back shows details like the blue column and the five-pointed Zenith star in the winding rotor. Each watch will be engraved: ‘XX OF 100’.
The movement is of course the updated version of Zenith’s El Primero, the world’s first high-frequency, fully integrated chronograph movement, which hums at a heady at 36,000vph, or 5hz. The power reserve is 60 hours.
As standard on a Chronomaster Sport, the 41mm steel case is water-resistant to 100m. In addition to the three-link integrated steel bracelet, this watch comes with an additional new interchangeable blue rubber strap.
The Zenith X Watches of Switzerland Chronomaster Sport Centenary is available exclusively at Watches of Switzerland showrooms in the UK and USA for £10,800/$11,900.
Bulgari Octo Roma and Serpenti
Watches of Switzerland persuaded Bulgari to make two watches for its centenary celebrations, an Octo Roma Automatic with 41mm steel-DLC case (pictured above) and a limited-edition version of Bulgari’s classic Serpenti Seduttori with a lapis lazuli dial and a 33mm steel case with a bezel set with 38 diamonds.
The Serpenti has a cabochon-cut gemstone crown and the caseback is engraved: “Watches of Switzerland 1924 – 2024”. The bracelet is steel and the watch has a quartz movement.
It comes as a limited edition of 30 pieces priced at £9,300.
The Octo Roma Automatic has a smoked personalised sapphire case back, exposing its BVL 191 manufacture automatic movement, and is available with two bracelets: one blue rubber and a black alligator with DLC coated pin buckle, swapped out with the easy-change system.
The stealthy dark blue piece is limited to 30 pieces and is available in Watches of Switzerland boutiques only at £8,900.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Automatic
Girard-Perregaux’s contribution is a Laureato Automatic with an 18ct rose gold Clous de Paris dial.
It has been produced as a limited edition of 50 pieces in a 42mm stainless steel case housing an automatic Calibre GP01800 movement with 18ct rose gold oscillating weight.
It is on sale now at Watches of Switzerland for £15,300.
TAG Heuer Carrera
TAG Heuer showed up to the centenary party with an exclusive Carrera tourbillon in a 42mm steel case on an elegant black alligator leather strap.
Only ten are being made, which will have collectors scrambling for a piece with a black and silver inverse panda dial with sporty red accents.
It is powered by a TH20-09 chronometer-certified movement with 80 hour power reserve and priced at £22,050.
