Watches of Switzerland's leading position in luxury watches escalated, as well as their e-commerce sales increased by over 65%.

In 1953, Pan Am executives asked Rolex-founder Hans Wilsdorf if he could develop a watch that could show two timezones at once. Always focused on innovation, Wilsdorf accepted the challenge and soon after penned down the first ideas of what would become the GMT-Master. Like nearly all the watches in the Professional-line of Rolex, was also the GMT-Master immediately embraced by the public. Demand was strong, and the GMT-Master would become one of the pillars of the Rolex collection. In 1982, Rolex debuted the GMT-Master II. The main difference between this model and the GMT-Master I was that you could pull out the crown and set the hand for the second-timezone individually.

2020 was, without a doubt, a turbulent year. This didn't exclude the watchworld. The first two quarters looked grim for many watch brands, but as the Covid-19 pandemic played out, the markets showed their resilience, making this year not as gloomy for the industry as it could have been. So far, 2020 claimed only one distinct victim, as RJ watches (formerly known as Romain Jerome) closed its doors, but what can we expect for the new year?

One trend that remained in 2020 is that ladies' watches are no longer smaller men's watches with diamonds. More and more brands continued to strengthen their line-up in this category, often with vast amounts of creativity. The quartz movements are also not the standard anymore, as mechanical movements are becoming increasingly more popular in this category. The following watches are among our favorites of this year.

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Despite the pandemic, many brands did not hold back when it came to releasing new models. What usually would be launched at one of the fairs or during a special event was now presented by Zoom- and Skype-meetings. Fortunately, this doesn't make the watches any less impressive, as the following five prove;

In many ways, 2020 was not an ordinary year. The Covid-19 pandemic left its marks everywhere. Lockdowns not only slowed down international travel but also confined us more and more into our own direct surroundings. This required tremendous perseverance and ingenuity to keep businesses afloat and remain in contact with those that matter. At first, it looked like the watch industry would take a direct hit. Jewelers worldwide were forced to close their doors, trade shows where canceled, and even many manufactures had to stop production for a while due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Switzerland. But as the pandemic continued, the market recovered. Jewelers sold more online than ever before, with a strong demand for the latest models and an intensified interest in vintage watches. Many watch brands had already planned their releases for this year prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, so the effect on that will be more visible next year. However, 2020 was a year worthwhile in watchmaking, of which the following were amongst the hottest releases.

In our previous article, we already reflected on the history of the Patek Philippe Twenty~4. This ladies watch was launched in 1999 and quickly became one of the most prominent ladies watches in the market's top segment. Patek Philippe had nurtured the collection by letting it slowly evolve, until 2018 when a revolution replaced evolution.

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Since 2011 is Omega an avid supporter of Orbis. This non-profit organization, specialized in eye-care, provides much-needed medical support worldwide to the most vulnerable communities. They do this by providing training in local hospitals, but also with their flying eye hospital. They are often the only thing that stands between a healthy vision and going blind in many developing countries. For Omega, a worthwhile cause for which they now raise additional funds by launching two special De Ville's.

After achieving significant success in Japan, Grand Seiko is now launching the elite GS9 Club in the United States. This is more than a club of like-minded individuals, as Grand Seiko gives them access to exclusive content, special events, and unique gifts. Membership can be obtained by purchasing a Grand Seiko from one of the brand's boutiques and register the watch. While the club is currently online-only, as soon as it is safe again, it will also include real-life events in which the members will be submerged in Grand Seiko's rich traditions and craftsmanship. To mark this unique milestone, Grand Seiko is also launching a new limited edition for the US market, the SBGE263, which will be exclusively available to GS9 Club members first.

The 2020 Rezvani Hercules 6x6 is 1300 HP beast that is priced at about half-a-million dollars!

Hublot is the undisputed king of collaborations, and among its most successful is the partnership with French visual neo-pop artist and sculptor Richard Orlinski. His multi-faceted designs complement perfectly the DNA of Hublot, as has been proven by many great watches. From the Classic Fusion Tourbillon Power Reserve 5 Days in sapphire to the bold red ceramic Classic Fusion Aerofusion Chronograph, Orlinski's style is always instantly recognizable, while the powerful Hublot-DNA stays intact. This is also the case with the time-only Classic Fusion, of which six new models are added to the collection.

One hallmark of Richard Mille is that he always likes to explore the boundaries of watchmaking and preferably push them a little bit further back. With the new RM 65-01, he did just that again. With over 600 components, is this one of the most complicated watches the brand has made to date. This is mainly thanks to the split-second chronograph, for which Mille reinvented the complication.

The Tankoa S501 series saw great success after its initial launch in 2019, the Italian company now gears up to build and deliver its fourth model.

In 2021, Jaeger-LeCoultre is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Reverso. This is an event many are looking forward to, as this watch is a true icon. Over the years, it has been available as an ultra-slim two-hander but also housed some of the most complex and innovative movements ever created by Jaeger-LeCoultre. This means that the expectations for the anniversary, which will be celebrated without a doubt with some impressive new models, are high. Jaeger-LeCoultre is already whetting the appetite by launching the Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano.