Returning for the second year, Watches & Wonders Geneva ran from March 27 to April 2. In the process, the fair chalked up impressive numbers and cemented its position as the world’s most important horological event.
This year, 48 participating watch brands showed their latest launches to some 43,000 visitors, including the media, retailers, and, for the first time, members of the public. Reflecting the mood of optimistic caution in the luxury sector, many releases were more streamlined and focused, although there were still surprises (Rolex’s novelties astounded us). Here are our picks of the most interesting new watches at the fair.
Related: Whet your horological appetite with these pre-Watches & Wonders 2023 releases
Following the launch of its unexpected left-hander Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II at last year’s Watches & Wonders, Rolex continues to silence critics who deride its new releases as boring and predictable. Nobody could have anticipated the brand’s wild — yes, wild — new highlights: two colourful watches with playful designs, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36 “Puzzle” and the Oyster Perpetual “Celebration”.
In yellow, white or rose gold, the Day-Date 36 “Puzzle” features a jigsaw-puzzle motif created by the brand’s dial makers using champleve enamelling techniques. As if that was not sufficiently flamboyant for Rolex, which typically makes only incremental changes in its timepieces, this “presidents’ watch” (as the Day-Date is popularly known) also showcases an off-kilter day and date window. Instead of the day and date, these indicators display seven inspirational words, such as Hope and Love, and 31 exclusive emojis instead.
In comparison to the Day-Date “Puzzle”, the Oyster Perpetual with “Celebration” dial almost seems staid. We jest, of course, because its design is absolutely effervescent. Available in stainless steel in 41mm, 36mm, and 31mm case sizes, the watch dial is decorated with bubbles in the five colours of the lacquered dials that were introduced in 2020. What’s next for Rolex? It’s getting a lot harder to guess, and we like it that way.
Having released its sporty-elegant Odysseus in various metals over the past four years, A. Lange & Sohne now unveils a new addition to the range. Housed in a 42.5mm steel case, the watch is powered by the company’s first self-winding chronograph movement, the calibre L156.1 Datomatic. To retain the Odysseus’ signature aesthetic and to eliminate the need for subdials, the timepiece’s minute chronograph hand is centrally mounted along with the one for the seconds.
Seiko’s high-end sibling, Grand Seiko, launches its first mechanical chronograph with the new Tentagraph. (The brand’s previous chronographs have been powered by its hybrid Spring Drive movements.)
A high-beat chronograph with a frequency of 36,000Hz or 10 beats per second, the Tentagraph has three days of power reserve, even when the chronograph is in operation. This gives the 43.2mm titanium timepiece the longest power reserve among high- frequency chronographs in the industry.
If you’ve liked Chopard’s sporty-chic Alpine Eagle since its introduction in 2019, but wished it was a bit dressier or didn’t have a date window, check out the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS. Housed in a 41mm case made of the brand’s exceptionally shiny Lucent Steel, it’s a svelte timepiece (just 8mm thick) with a salmon dial and a small seconds.
Its engine is the L.U.C 96.40-L chronometer movement — making it even more exceptional as this family of movements is usually used in the brand’s higher-end L.U.C watches.
Having lain low for the past few years, Hautlence is reasserting itself in the independent watch scene with releases like the Linear Series 2. This self-winding novelty is a black PVC-coated version of the steel Linear Series 1 launched last year. Aside from the redesigned, sleeker TV-shaped case, each Linear Series watch stands out with a flying tourbillon and unique time-telling display: The graduated scale on the left of the dial serves as a linear retrograde jumping hour.
Hermes fortifies its versatile H08 watch family with a chronograph edition this year as well as four colourful new versions of the regular time-and-date model. Powered by the H1837 self-winding movement topped with a chronograph module, the H08 Chronograph features a monopusher design with sporty orange accents (how very Hermes). Topped with a titanium bezel, the 41mm cushion case is made from a carbon fibre and graphene composite.
Hublot’s exclusive MP — which stands for masterpiece — series features the manufacture’s boldest technical statements. Its MP-13 is no exception. The 44mm brushed-titanium timepiece features a double-axis tourbillon and a dual retrograde time display, entirely created in house.
The tourbillon completes a rotation on one axis in one minute, and in 30 seconds on the other. The retrograde time displays feature minute and hour hands that jump back to the beginning of the minute and hour scales after hitting the end of an hour or 12 hours, respectively.
While typically synonymous with a classical, formal style, Patek Philippe’s Calatrava range has seen sportier additions in recent years. We’re seeing this again in the Genevan manufacture’s 2023 releases, such as its technical highlight, the Calatrava 24-Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R.
Presented in a 42mm rose gold case, the Ref. 5224’s most distinctive feature is its 24-hour time display with a sporty font, which is united with a dual-time function. While relatively uncommon, the 24-hour time display is not new to Patek Philippe — it was a distinguishing feature in some of the Chronometro Gondolo pocket watches the company made for Brazilian retailer Gondolo & Labouriau in the early 20th century.
Powering the timepiece is the new calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H, a self-winding movement similar to that used in last year’s Annual Calendar Travel Time Ref. 5326G. The latter features several innovations with patents pending, and three of those advances give the Ref. 5224R’s new movement greater efficiency, accuracy, durability and ease of use.
Characterised by an airy yet strong graphic character, Cartier skeleton watches seldom fail to leave a strong impression. This is definitely the case and then some for the Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor, one of the standout pieces in Cartier’s wide-ranging new collection for 2023.
The highlight of this openworked model is its specially designed micro-rotor shaped like an aircraft. It is a mini replica of the Demoiselle, a plane designed in 1907 by Alberto Santos-Dumont, the late Brazilian aviator after whom the bestselling Cartier watch pillar was named.
The Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor is housed in the Santos Dumont “Large” case (31.4mm in diameter) and is available in steel or yellow or pink gold. Our pick, without a doubt, is the yellow gold model in a limited edition of 15 pieces. Here, our favourite shade of gold is handsomely complemented with navy lacquer used to accentuate the bezel and skeletonised bridges.
It’s the year of the Radiomir at Panerai. Even though the Luminor, with its signature oversized crown guard, is now synonymous with Panerai, the Radiomir is actually the brand’s first watch design with a history dating back to 1935.
Now, Panerai releases its first annual calendar in a 45mm Radiomir case. There are two new references. One features a blue dial and a case made from the brand’s own rose gold, Goldtech. The second is a 24-piece limited edition featuring a burgundy dial and a case crafted from Panerai’s Platinumtech.
Related: Watches & Wonders 2022: New sports models from IWC, Montblanc, Panerai and Tag Heuer
At a quick glance, the new Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante by Parmigiani might be mistaken for a dual-time watch with its third, skeletonised orange-coloured hand. The 40-mm steel timepiece actually features a brand new complication by brand founder Michel Parmigiani. Using the pushers on the left side of the case, the orange hand can be advanced in either five-minute or one-minute increments, allowing the central minute hand to serve as a countdown timer.
This year, IWC focuses on the Ingenieur, a model that marked a technical milestone for IWC when it was launched in 1955. It housed the first automatic movement developed in Schaffhausen and featured magnetic-field protection afforded by a soft-iron inner case.
However, the style of the new models is based on the Ingenieur SL, an update designed by Gerald Genta in the 1970s. From the grid-patterned dial to the bezel with five recesses and an integrated H-link bracelet, the Genta-designed codes are all there in the new 40-mm Ingenieur models. Three references are cased in steel, while one comes in titanium.
Named after the Carrera Panamericana, a dangerous Mexican automobile race held only five times in the 1950s before it was cancelled, the Tag Heuer Carrera celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. Two 39mm steel Carrera Chronographs bear a refreshed design that’s most distinguishable by a new sapphire crystal.
Inspired by the domed hesalite crystals used on Heuer Carrera models in the 1970s, this new Glassbox has been redesigned so that it flows smoothly over the tachymeter scale on the dial’s edge and into the case.
Gilded finishes and sumptuous soft furnishings at Piaget’s Watches & Wonders booth reflected the brand’s direction for the year and how it is channelling the glitz and glamour of its creations from the 1960s as well as ‘70s. Boldly coloured stone dials were used, not just in statement jewellery timepieces but also in technically complex ones.
New versions of the Polo Perpetual Calendar were unveiled — one in white gold with an obsidian dial and blue sapphires, and one in rose gold with a green dial. These follow a steel reference announced before Watches & Wonders.
A split-seconds chronograph is a complex complication, but in Roger Dubuis’ latest concept watch, it takes a back seat to other unusual features. The Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph features a Conical Monovortex Tourbillon, where the tourbillon carriage rotates on a vertical axis instead of the usual horizontal one.
It also has a Turborotor Cylindrical Oscillating Weight, which is positioned vertically at 12 o’clock and uses gravity for more efficient winding. The 47mm watch case is made of MCF (Mineral Composite Fibre), a lightweight material produced by the brand.
In optimistic yet uncertain times, it makes sense for companies to concentrate their energies on icons that people hold dear, which might explain why several brands showcased rather streamlined, focused offerings at this year’s Watches & Wonders. In that vein, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s latest pieces are centred on its signature reversible timepiece, the Reverso.
The offerings range from ultra high-end pieces, like a new, enamelled version of the Reverso Tribute Gyrotourbillon from 2016, to accessible models, such as four variations of the Reverso Tribute Small Seconds. A key highlight in the collection is the new Reverso Tribute Chronograph, inspired by the first Reverso Chronograph from 1996. The former is powered by a new in-house, hand-wound integrated chronograph movement, Calibre 860.
Available in a steel or pink gold case measuring 49.4mm by 29.9mm, the new timepiece has two faces. The front dial tells the time on a blue-grey or black sunray-brushed dial. On the flip side, the dial is fully skeletonised to show off the column-wheel chronograph movement. It is also here that the chronograph function is displayed, along with the time. Like the 1996 Reverso Chronograph, the chronograph display includes a retrograde 30-minute indicator at the bottom, which makes spatial sense for a rectangular chronograph and gives the model a distinctive layout.
Zero oxygen is generally not a good thing — unless you’re talking about the insides of watches designed for users in harsh environmental conditions. According to Montblanc, casing a watch with oxygen-free insides eliminates fogging during major temperature changes at high altitudes and prevents components from oxidising, thus keeping them in better condition for longer.
Being oxygen-free is one of the traits of Montblanc’s The 8000 capsule collection, comprising four watches spotlighting the world’s 14 highest peaks, all of which stand over 8,000m above sea level. Challenging and perilous to climb, they have been scaled by the brand’s ambassadors Reinhold Messner and Nimsdai Purja. Each of the timepieces also features a grey glacier-inspired patterned dial.
One of the capsule collection’s highlights is the 1858 Geosphere Chronograph, a 290-piece limited edition inspired by Purja. The 44mm titanium watch is powered by the self-winding Calibre MB 29.27, which includes Montblanc’s signature world-time complication: two 3D turning globes depicting the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres. We also like the laser-engraved caseback, which depicts the profiles of the 14 Eight Thousander peaks.
A well-received new launch by Tudor, the Black Bay 54 is based on the brand’s first-ever dive watch, the reference 7922 from 1954. It’s apparently the brand’s most faithful adaptation of one of its own classics yet. Aside from its versatile 37mm case size, the steel watch also features Ref. 7922-inspired details such as a 60-minute directional bezel without any hash marks and a lollipop seconds hand. But it does, of course, have modern upgrades such as the in-house COSC-certified Calibre MT5400.
Save for the occasional release of a Pilot Type 20, such as the silver-cased version two years ago, Zenith has been quiet on the aviation watch front in recent years. Now, it launches a new range with the Pilot Automatic and the Pilot Big Date Flyback, available in steel or black ceramic. Oversized lumed numerals are highly legible against black opaline dials with horizontal grooves inspired by the look of the corrugated metal sheets used in vintage aircraft. The Pilot Big Date Flyback is powered by the new El Primero 3652 calibre, which integrates a big date and flyback function with a 5Hz high-frequency chronograph.
Instead of a watch model or family, Vacheron Constantin puts a complication centre stage this year: the retrograde date, a feature the company first created in a wristwatch in 1940. Ranging from sporty to classical, three new watches feature a retrograde date display, where a pointer travels along an arc numbered 1 to 31, and jumps back to 1 at the end of each month. Of the trio, we particularly like the Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date, for the way it unites this classic complication with the sporty 41mm steel case and aesthetic of the Overseas.
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