Salon QP 2015 Watch Show at the Saatchi Gallery
Our horological obsessive takes a tour round the highlights of this year’s Salon QP as makers large and small revealed their latest timepieces
Roundup by John Galt Photography by Arteh Odjidja
Salon QP 2015 closed its doors once again for another year with their premier watch show based at the Saatchi Gallery in London. This is a friendlier event than the larger Baselworld and much more accessible than SIHH which is invite only. It is a show that puts other big corporate lead shows to shame; it is quintessentially British with its non-pretentious feel. The exhibition features some of the world’s best watch manufactures plus some exquisite independents all housed in the imposing building and this year featuring over 85 different exhibitors.
The gallery is normally used to presenting works of art but for three days every year it houses works of art of a different, horological, sort and it’s superb.
The launch and champagne reception is a Who’s Who of the watch industry with manufactures, journalists and bloggers attending; it’s one of those evenings that you catch up with people that you don’t see apart from Basel World in March to discuss the different watch trends in addition to catching up with friends that you correspond via email and finally get to chat face to face . Sorry… I digress this is supposed to be a review of the show so let’s get on with it.
I cannot possibly mention every stand or watch company that was exhibiting as I’m sure you would get bored reading so many pages so I will just give you my personal highlights.
Entering the imposing building the watch enthusiast is bowled over by choice - you just don’t know where to look or go first. All the main players are on the ground floor including Bremont , Tudor and Harry Winston. First stop for me was the Bell & Ross stand to see the new BR1-X in gold and carbon fibre. The all gold case is too in-your-face for my taste but the gold and carbon fibre one is just exquisite; the mix of warm gold and modern cool carbon fibre really works giving an excellent layered appearance, the £20, 000 BR1-X sees B&R enter a new pricing territory and see them compete in the prime Hublot and Audemars Piguet space. Only time will tell if this is a stroke of genius from them or not.
Tudor, who having re-released the brand to great applause in the UK only a few years ago, had on show some truly stunning pieces including the new heritage Black Bay and also a stunning ice sculpture which included a fully wound time piece inserted inside to show the extreme temperatures their pieces can withstand.
Further round to another stand with stunning pieces created by the watch-making legend Roger Smith (prodigy of the legend that was George Daniel) with his three new pieces all hand built on the Isle of Man. Next stop on my personal quest of my favorite pieces is the consistently excellent Harry Winston displaying their new offering the Opus 14 and it doesn’t disappoint with its theme of rock and roll with its large case housing multiple functions and moving disks. In simple terms, it offers you the chance of flicking between different displays (home-time, GMT, date) as simply as selecting records on an old jukebox. It is a feat of horology (please Google to see), but more on this in the new year when we look further into horological feats that push the boundaries.
Moving upstairs to the second floor and to MB&F, I was desperate to see their first perpetual calendar and whether the initial images did justice to the actual piece. It is gorgeous in the flesh - so much better than the pictures suggest. Just look at the lines, the curves, the skeletonization…. It’s limited to 25 pieces in platinum or rose gold (the rose gold working better for me as it mixes the warmth of the gold with the modern movement perfectly).
Last stop was the top floor which consists mostly of independent small brands. As such many visitors feel they can skip this floor which personally is a real shame as they miss out on the exquisite brands on offer; for example Hopstroff and their atomic timepieces and the new British brand Garrick with their new Norfolk timepiece based on maritime pieces of old. Close by Garrick is my firm favourite and the delightful Schofield watches and their new Silvertop piece (based on their original watch the Signalman).
Salon QP is a must for anyone with an interest in watches and those that just admire beautifully made items. Over the course of the next few months we will have more in-depth insights into the stars of the show before we get to the main event in the horology calendar that is Baselworld in March and we will be reporting for you from there. 
Enquiries: www.salonqp.com/ (2016 fair details not available yet) / www.baselworld.com/en-US/Show.aspx