2021 wasn't how many of us would have expected it to be. As the Covid-19 pandemic continued, it offered many challenges to all of us. Where some businesses lingered because of it, others thrived. Despite very few events, many of the watch brands did well, not in the least because of the fantastic new models they launched. These are among Haute Time's favorites:

In some watches, all the favorites blend together in one. Such a timepiece is the new Arceau Grande Lune by Hermès. With this watch is the brand expanding its highly successful Arceau line. You can take this quite literally as this new addition is also immediately the largest member of the family, measuring 43mm in diameter.

The Arceau is one of Hermès' emblematic designs created by the brand's legendary artistic director Henri d'Origny in 1978. Its stirrup-based design always has a certain elegance to it, which is doesn't lose when the watch's diameter is increasing. This was, in particular, proven by the Arceau L'heure de la lune, a watch that Hermès launched at the SIHH in 2019. As it measures 43mm in diameter, is this quite a large watch by Hermès standards, yet its attraction is just the same.

The times we are currently facing are challenging for many of us, and for a variety of different reasons. Yet no matter what the reason is, it is essential to maintain hope. Only then can we find the strength to come together, be creative, and work our way productively through the problems. Watches can then be seen as a trivial thing, but apart from being an industry by itself which fuels our economies, can they also serve as an inspiration. When we are capable of making mechanical watches that can measure time with an accuracy of 99.994% (the worst rating with which a watch can still be Chronometer-certified), it serves as a testimony that human ingenuity knows no bounds and that we can persevere. Therefor four mechanical timepieces that can not only inspire but also brighten our day with their colorful appearance.

Standing out in the competitive field of water-loving watches is quite a task these days. Nearly every brand has a watch in its collection that likes to get wet, all competing for the favor of the consumer. Many brands utilize tried and tested designs, often inspired by the icons in this category, but a few brands take a more original approach. The following four watches are most certainly making waves;

Today is the start of the first edition of the LVMH Watch Week, in which the top brands of this luxury conglomerate present their newest watches in Dubai. For Zenith, the perfect opportunity to launch a completely new ladies watch; the Defy Midnight.

A Rolex with a moon phase is by any means something special. It is a complication that throughout its history they didn't make that many of. Reference 6062 is among them most certainly one of the more special, mainly because Rolex integrated quite a few features that were at the time not at all common to find in a single watch.

At any watch fair, there is always the risk that you start at a high and then it is all downwards from there. With the balanced additions to the Pilot-collection of IWC, the super sweet Richard Mille's and Jaeger-LeCoultre who showed once again their prowess when it comes to highly complicated watches with a fine finish, that danger is very real. However, this edition of SIHH that fear is misplaced as on the second day, things continued at a very high level.

Bovet is a brand known to go above and beyond to create the most exceptional complications. However, they are also dedicated to bringing them to life in a very engaging and mesmerizing way. That makes a Bovet not only instantly recognizable but also stand out in the world of the Haute Horlogerie.

What is exceptional for many other brands is standard for F.P. Journe. There are very few watch brands that they can be compared to, as they walk to their own beat. In Journe's case, that means to strive for the best, each and every day, and that results in exceptional watches, like this Octa Divine.

While MB&F can be a brand of radical changes, with horological creations that often tantalize the senses of watch connoisseurs by boldly going where no watch brand has gone before, they are also the brand of evolution. Once another whole new creation leaves they workshops they take time to explore the possibilities of this model, often with a little help from their friends.

Exquisite, refined and feminine: Girard-Perregaux's Cat's Eye Celestial is just that! It gives the laws of design and expectation of what an Haute Horlogerie woman's watch should look like a twist of its own.

While today many might view Cartier as a very traditional brand, they have actually built this reputation on a tradition of being very avant-garde. That Cartier hasn't lost this magic touch is evident from the Rotonde de Cartier Day and Night.

Creating elegance is all about proportion, and that's one of the things that makes the Zenith Elite Lady Moonphase such a successful design.

Two circles within one large circle: many of Jaquet Droz's watches are based on this design principle, which has always resulted in stylish watches, which stood out, but always in a refined way. With the new Grande Seconde Moon, the brand takes this concept to the next level. Time for a closer look!

For what is perhaps the most recognized luxury brand in the world, Rolex latest offerings at Baselworld have been nothing but modest, and with that their line-up of new models in might have been the strongest in recent years.