Here are 5 iconic watches celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, proving that good design never goes out of style no matter how many decades have passed.
Essentially crafted to keep track of time, some watches are so innovative in design and so reliable in functionality that they've withstood time itself and become legacies in their own right.
Illustrating this vividly are the likes of Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso watches that are still in demand today as it was when it was first premiered 85 years ago and that of Rolex's most iconic model, the Oyster Perpetual, that proves to be still a hot commodity 60 years since its introduction.
Here are 5 iconic watches celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, proving that good design never goes out of style no matter how many decades have passed.
85th anniversary: Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
It all started in 1931 when Swiss businessman and watch collector César de Tray asked for a watch that could withstand a polo match. Jacques-David LeCoultre gave him the solution in the form of a watch which dial can be flipped to protect from impact and thus the Reverso was born. Eighty-five years later, the Reverso continues to see personalisation of unimaginable levels, so much so that it now has a special Atelier Reverso that allows any kind of customisation on the timepiece from the dial to the straps and more.
60th anniversary: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date aka the President's Watch has been the watch of choice for many leaders worldwide. It got an update just as recently as last year with a new design and mechanical movement -- the Calibre 3255 -- but with 2016 being its 60th anniversary, more updates are in store. This special 60th anniversary edition comes with a bright new dial in green, Rolex's hallmark colour, and is available exclusively in 18 carat Everose or white gold. It also retains the characteristic fluted bezel associated with the model since 1956.
40th anniversary: Chopard Happy Diamond
Forty years ago Chopard's designer Ronald Kurowski was enchanted by a waterfall he stumbled upon while taking a walk -- the falling water that sparkled in the esunlight inspired him to create the first Happy Diamond watch that has diamonds free-falling in its case, winking brilliantly everytime it caught the eye. For the watch's 40th anniversary, the brand is revisiting that iconic cushion shape and crafting it for women this time with more diamonds than ever and in different sizes.
40th anniversary: Tag Heuer The Heuer Monza Chronograph
Proving that beautiful watches never go out of fashion, this Heuer Monza Chronograph first created by the great-grandson of the brand's founder to celebrate Niki Lauda's first world championship title with Ferrari in 1976 has been reissued with a new design but still holds on to its two key functions -- the pulsometer and the tachymeter scale -- with the original font. Its famed coussin case still remains the centrepiece and it still remains all black but its case is now made of grade 5 titanium (previously steel), making it lighter and more shock resistant.
20th anniversary: Ulysse Nardin Marine Collection
The powerful waves of the ocean has long inspired the greatest watches of Ulysse Nardin, but no collection more accurately captured that essence than its Marine collection. As the collection turns 20 this year, the brand has unveiled 2 new models, announced at Baselworld 2016 -- The Grand Deck that personifies the dazzling breakthrough technology in the unmistakable nautical design of the Marine Chronometer family and the Marine Chronograph Annual Calendar that displays impressive mechanical achievement.
(Photos: Respective brands)
Another notable anniversary edition watch: The Montblanc 'Villeret Tourbillon Bi-Cylindrique' released for the brand's 110th anniversary.