The new Davidoff men’s watch collections are inspired by the world of cars and travel. While this is a frequent creative source in the watch industry, this interpretation offers a clever balance between modernity and classicism, acceleration and deceleration, tension and harmony.
Three men’s models are being released this year. All share the same case with hollowed case sides, a detail that gives them a sporty and contemporary appeal, while displaying a powerful aesthetic signature specific to the brand. For the dials, Davidoff has opted for a pure, restrained design in shades of black or grey, serving to highlight the silver or gold tones of the hands and hour-markers. This approach is particularly visible on the Classic version, a simple three-hand model complemented by a date window at 6 o’clock.
The two other versions (rose gold and moon phases) invite the hood grilles of fine speed machines to adorn their dial: in these versions, the latter is generously framed by a 3 or 9 Roman numeral stretching along its entire length. The effect is that of a hood grille that structures the dial layout by means of these large vertical axes. It is thus between these two Roman “pillars” that Davidoff has opted to place its moon-phase display as well as its month and day apertures. A fourth hand marks the date on the inner bezel ring, thus placing this new Davidoff model firmly in the category of travel watches. “This moon phase is a new complication for our men’s collections”, comments Christian Schaffner, CEO, Zino Davidoff Luxury Group, while insisting on Davidoff’s strategy of gradually building up its ranges.
Signature for ladies
With women in mind, Davidoff offers a new collection simply entitled ‘Signature’. With these extremely discreet 30 mm quartz timepieces in steel or red gold, the brand is playing the card of refined and intensely personal luxury, as opposed to the existing plethora of gem-set or oversized models. These timepieces even forego hour-markers, with a single diamond at 6 o’clock lending a graceful feminine touch. “With these precious materials, we are rounding out our ranges with subtle upscale features intended for an increasingly demanding feminine clientele,” says Christian Schaffner.
The complementary ‘Velocity’ line takes a playful approach. Based on the same case and movement (30 mm, quartz) and also featuring a round dial with no hour-markers, it enriches the ‘Signature’ by a discreet diamond setting on the crown. Once again, Davidoff goes for discretion and refinement, sprinkling a few diamond stars on the mother-of-pearl dial with its harmonious and subtly graded shades of white. Christian Schaffner explains: “It’s a model that reflects Zino Davidoff’s love of classic sports cars. We wanted to give these watches the flowing lines seen on the most desirable automobiles. Although this universe is perceived as exclusively masculine, Zino Davidoff enjoyed the thrill of speed as much as the relief of slowing down, and this applies to both men and women.
Already active in a number of luxury segments (writing instruments, eyewear, fragrances, etc.), Davidoff is asserting itself at Baselwolrd as a watch industry force to be reckoned with.
