The 5 biggest timepiece moments in March: from Michelle Yeoh’s Richard Mille and Ke Huy Quan’s Omega at the Oscars, to the new MoonSwatch launch and Jaquet Droz’ The Rolling Stones Automaton

Mar 25 , 2023

Among Spring’s new launches are the watches in Breitling’s new Top Time B01 Classic Cars Collection. Photo: Handout

Louis Vuitton, Breitling and Girard-Perregaux have all released stunning new timepieces ahead of Watches & Wonders 2023, while Omega and Swatch’s MoonSwatch caused a frenzy in several world cities

Phillips auction house unveiled a Patek Philippe watch which once belonged to the last emperor of China’s Qing dynasty, and Hublot announced Daniel Arsham as its new ambassador

The watch world ticks louder and louder in the lead up to Watches & Wonders, but in the meantime watch heads have had a lot to discuss.

Omega and Swatch dropped a new MoonSwatch, Louis Vuitton built an homage to Chinese opera, H. Moser & Cie is taking us into the future with a QR Code watch, a Patek Philippe belonging to the last Qing emperor just resurfaced thanks to Phillips, and, of course, the world’s most glamorous individuals absolutely showed out with insane pieces at the 95th Academy Awards.

Here are some of our top moments in watches for March 2023.

New heights in collaborations

A customer is shown the coveted MoonSwatch during the launch of a new version at The Royal Exchange in London, UK, on March 7. Photo: Bloomberg

Brands got collaborative this month as Omega and Swatch ran it back with a new MoonSwatch, Girard-Perregeaux linked up with Aston Martin, and Daniel Arsham became Hublot’s newest ambassador.

Just when we thought the furore surrounding the MoonSwatch had finally died down (or never really went away), the two brands announced the Mission to Moonshine Gold, giving us a MoonSwatch with a gold seconds hand that was crafted under a full moon and comes with a certificate to prove it. The response has been ludicrous to say the least, with fans and buyers lining up for hours on March 7 in the cities where the watch was sold to get their hands on one.

Contemporary artist Daniel Arsham is Hublot’s new ambassador. Photo: Hublot

Meanwhile, Hublot announced on March 6 that Daniel Arsham had joined the brand’s growing roster of ambassadors. The artist has frequently explored the concept of time in his work, and as part of the collaboration it was announced he would unveil an installation called Light & Time – a temporary 20 metre sundial near Swiss mountain resort Zermatt using the Matterhorn as a backdrop.

Girard Perregeaux Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition, in 38mm and 42mm. Photo: Handout

On March 15, Girard Perregeaux announced its collaboration with Aston Martin to bring an all-ceramic British racing green watch to the Laureato collection in two sizes – 38mm and 42mm – for a limited edition run. The ceramic construction is seven times harder than steel, is not affected by ambient temperature changes, and boasts colour that will not fade over time. The pieces come in at US$25,000 for each of the 188 pieces for the 38mm, whilst the 42mm version is limited to 388 pieces and comes in at US$25,800.

Louis Vuitton and Jaquet Droz rock around the clock with automata

Jaquet Droz’s The Rolling Stones Automaton watch is a sight to behold. Photo: Handout