Why wear a watch with a metal bracelet inseparable from the case? Because it gives a style that is both elegant and sporty for decades. Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet ... The cult models of this trio give the the long time. It must be said that the Picasso of watchmaking, Gérald Genta, went there, at the dawn of the 1970s, drawing two timeless icons, the Nautilus and the Royal Oak. Success requires, without copying or being inspired, each watch brand must offer even a sporty chic model cut in steel or titanium, and very often with a blue dial.
The new wave of this type of watch partly plays on the vintage nostalgia of the seventies, while the most recent houses seize their codes with delight. Ebel goes back in time and revives its former glory with its Sport Classic Titanium (€ 2,800). Breitling has just revealed the new embodiment of its Chronomat (from € 7,900), just as Piaget declines its Polo in green (€ 12,600). Chopard reinterprets its St-Moritz model from the 1980s to give birth to a new Alpine Eagle collection, including a superb two-tone model in durable Lucent Steel steel and ethical gold (€ 18,600).
Hublot Big Bang Collection, Integral Titanium, € 20,700. SDP
Even A. Lange & Söhne created a surprise last year by unveiling a sporty Odysseus collection (€ 28,000) with a steel case and a stainless steel bracelet with matt links and polished angles. Hublot, for the 40th anniversary of its Big Bang concept, which usually combines a metal case and a rubber strap, also reveals an Integral in 100% metal mode, between titanium, King Gold and black ceramic (from € 20,700). Its 42 mm diameter targets everyone's wrist.
Last year, Bell & Ross launched the BR05 collection (from € 3,990) with a metal bracelet fused to the case. Models of only 40 mm in diameter, softening the round in the square, signature of the brand with the ampersand, in an urban and dressed style, easy to wear whatever the outfit. Recently, the Atelier d'Horlogerie française Michel Herbelin presented a Cap Camarat with a diameter of 34.5 mm, in neovintage style, in stainless steel and at a very good price of 540 €.
