Eight watches for time travelers

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Great design is timeless; but it should also be a distillation of the spirit of its time, whether we’re talking about architecture, furniture, fashion or, in this case, the latest generation of watchesthat refer to icons from past decades.

Cartier has a Dual Time Santos that dates back to its first square wristwatch, complete with distinctive visible screws. Created for Brazilian-born airship pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont in the early 20th century, it is a tool watch that has become the definition of elegance. Meanwhile, Rolex goes full classic with its latest Perpetual 1908, marking the year Hans Wilsdorf created the brand; It’s not exactly the watch that started the entire Rolex story, but it’s a cool tribute to the quiet aesthetic of the first.

Do you want to be translated to the 1970s? TAG Heuer has a fitting racing green version of its square Monaco watch, named after the Grand Prix and made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film. Le Mans. Audemars Piguet recalls the brutalism of the 60s with its asymmetrical design [RE]Master02; and Girard-Perregaux offers another version of its quintessential 1970s retro-futuristic “Casquette” digital LED display, of which only 8,200 were originally made. Or go diving with Jacques Cousteau, wearing the Omega Seamaster Ploprof (short for “plongeur professionnel”) with an ultra-macho appearance used by the legendary oceanographer: the most emblematic underwater watch of its time when it was launched on the market in 1970.