Boucheron Reflet: updating an iconic watch

Français : Boutique Boucheron, Place Vendôme (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Boucheron (Photo credit: Happy A)

James Gurney is nervous to see what Boucheron has done to one of his favourite watches

BY JAMES GURNEY

JUNE 01, 2014 09:00

The 1947 Boucheron Reflet

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Among the surprises in store at this year’s Baselworld watch fair was the discovery that Boucheron had a re-designed Reflet to show. Boucheron not being particularly active as the sort of watch brand that comes onto QP’s radar (even in comparison to other jewellery houses), my reason in going to see them is to admire the jewellery (see the Epure d?Art Ousin Bleu) and to have a look at the Reflet, the one Boucheron watch design that you could call iconic.

Learning that the watch has had a total design overhaul made me both keen to see it and a little anxious at what I would discover. Should you be wondering why I had even a slight anxiety about seeing a new watch, it is that the Reflet has long been one of my favourites. The original 1947 watch seemed to be one of those designs that perfectly capture both time and place, it had a curious combination of opposites (a rectangular watch with rounded edges and a simple but sophisticated dial) that matched the style of post-war Paris (think of Givenchy and the Cité Internationale university). Even if you think the word iconic is overused, it is hard to say the Reflet fails to qualify.

So what of the 2014 Reflet? Three years in design process has resulted in a simpler, softer watch compared to the previous generation, with wider gadroons (the vertical ridges on the case), more rounded sides and a much plainer dial: the hands shaped liked the Place Vendome column are no longer, the column is etched into the glass and visible if you breathe on it. The numerals, where used, are similar in style to the elongated roman numerals from the Epure.

As with any significant update to a treasured design, it has taken a few weeks to come round to the idea, but it is clear to see that Boucheron’s team has not laboured in vain. Compared to the original, the 2014 version has a definite refinement – it is in a sharper but not harsher focus.