TRENDS

Hard, tough and much less expensive than gold, steel is out to win new clients via more affordable watches. And surprise, surprise, collectors too are falling for its bluey-grey charms!

Watch complications and steel – a combination that may seem incongruous. But although far less noble and valuable than gold or platinum, the iron and carbon alloy is nonetheless inciting more and more interest from watchmakers. For good reason! Steel allows them to produce watches in versions that a new, frequently younger, clientele can afford, so in Baselworld's alleys not a collection lacked its steel variant. Jeweller Fred boldly teams steel with diamonds to offer its Force 10 watch in both a semi-pavé version and a precious version entirely set with brilliants. When Boucheron reinvents its iconic Reflet it doesn't forget to add a sleek steel version with a gadroon-decorated silvered dial. The watchmakers have their finger on the pulse. Panerai gives its Luminor Base 8 Days Acciaio a polished steel case while Parmigiani has chosen steel for its Métro collection and best-sellers-to-be the Métrographe and Métropolitaine. Blancpain chips in with a first 43mm Bathyscaphe in brushed steel on an immensely comfortable metal bracelet. And when Patek Philippe ventures into steel it inevitably comes up with a collector's watch. Its display cases hold so few models in steel – apart from the sports lines such as Nautilus and Aquanaut – that collectors fight over them. After stealing the scene in pink gold and platinum, the Reference 5960/1 annual calendar chronograph now sobers up. Without any doubt, aficionados are on the starting blocks to treat themselves to one of the brand's first complication watches in steel.