Dispatch From London: The Latest From Harrods

This week, we visited Harrods, and took a peak inside the store’s Fine Watch Room, Europe’s largest watch collection, which is carefully curated by Harrods’ expert buying team. In total, 35 of the world’s best watch brands are presented across 18,000 square feet of retail space. Sales Manager Roanne Orlebar picks a few of her favorites:

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grande Complication 40th anniversary, No 1: £459,100

The Watch: Gerald Genta’s iconic design gets revisited forty years later. The Royal Oak Grande Complication 40th anniversary is a self-winding watch with perpetual calendar indicating the day, the date, the week, the moon phases, the month and the leap years, minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and small seconds at 9 o’clock.

The Verdict: “We are delighted to have secured this totally unique Grande Complication which was created in celebration of the Royal Oak’s 40th anniversary. A personal favourite, this is the ultimate collectors piece and engraved on the case back with ‘number one’.”

Ulysse Nardin Skeleton Tourbillon, in rose gold: £53,000

The Watch: This is the first timepiece created by Ulysse Nardin with a skeleton tourbillon caliber movement which also features UN’s latest silicon technology. Its 18-carat red gold case measures 44 mm and houses the manual winding tourbillon movement created in-house. The Skeleton Tourbillon features approximately a 170-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 30 meters. It is part of a limited collection of 99 pieces.

The Verdict: “We are delighted to be hosting a Ulysse Narding exhibition in The Fine Watch Room this month and I’m particularly excited to be showcasing this Skeleton Tourbillon within the collection, Ulysee Nardin’s first ever timepiece featuring a skeleton tourbillon calibre, fully developed in-house. The Open work trend was everywhere at the shows this year and we love Ulysee Nadin’s interpretation which embodies transparency and simplicity, particularly in this red gold limited edition.”

Zenith Ladies Chronomaster, Harrods Exclusive: £15,400

The Watch: This elegant ladies’ watch houses the Manufacture’s famous El Primero movement, inside an 18 carat rose gold case set with diamonds (2.0 carats). It’s a stunning timepiece, and one that you’ll only find at Harrods in London.

The Verdict: “This classic yet feminine design strikes the perfect balance for a serious ladies timepiece and highlights the trend of serious women’s watches-a hugely growing market for us.”

Richard Mille RM 011 Automatic Flyback Chronograph NTPT Lotus F1: £112,500

The Watch: This limited edition timepiece is the result of Richard Mille’s partnership with Romain Grosjean, the Lotus F1 team’s driver. Grosjean followed in the footsteps of Felipe Massa and Sébastien Loeb to become one of Richard Mille’s latest test drivers, and is putting this timepiece to the test during this Formula 1 season. As its name indicates, the case of this timepiece is in NTPT® carbon, a material exclusive to Richard Mille consisting of more than 800 layers of carbon fibers.

The Verdict: “The RM 11 is one of the best sellers in the Richard Mille boutique at Harrods. I love the use of the new material NTPT on the case, meaning that not only it looks beautiful but it is lightweight and durable too. The Lotus connection ensures that this is the perfect purchase for the F1 fan.”

For more, please visit Harrods.