t struck me there and then that this (albeit clumsily expressed) opinion betrayed a more general sense of overexposure to decoration and finishing, along the lines of luxury fatigue.

Having experienced first-hand the era of outlandish mechanisms, forms inspired by science fiction and the hubris of triple, even quadruple tourbillons (often entirely without purpose with regard to precision and chronometry), now watchmaking en masse worships at the altar of hand-finishing. Henceforth, any movement worthy of the name must include its quota of duly chamfered interior angles and its litany of mirror polishing, Côtes de Genève, satin-brushing, sandblasting, graining, etcetera, etcetera.

Unless you have a loupe riveted to your eye and you are a fully certified expert in the field, it can be difficult to distinguish between pretension, pretence and the tangible reality of genuine craftsmanship.

Far be it from us to disparage the meticulous art of anglage or any of the time-honoured finishing techniques. However, more often than we would like these days, our impression is that overinsistence on finishing serves as a justification and convenient disguise for manifestly inflated prices. How many new shoots have sprung up this year, pitching their first watch at five, even six figures on the grounds of its “superlative hand-finishing” and the number of interior angles. We’re happy to take them at their word but cannot help wondering if this really is the only way forward for the industry? We think not.