The Watches and Wonders 2024 event, a haven for watch enthusiasts, kicked off dramatically in Geneva on Tuesday, 9 April. This year, 54 watchmakers showcased their latest designs in Switzerland, leaving enthusiasts spellbound with the best unveilings.
Switzerland, home to some of the most elite luxury watchmakers in the world, boasts a rich legacy in the field of horology. To celebrate that, the Swiss watchmaking industry comes together for the Watches and Wonders, an annual trade show.
Organised by the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation, the fair opened its doors to the public for the first time in 2023. A record number of visitors — including collectors and journalists — turned up at last year’s edition. According to reports, over 43,000 people were in attendance at the trade show, almost twice the number of visitors in 2022.
After the resounding success, the organisers expanded the public programme in 2024. The Watches and Wonders will be open to the general public for three days instead of two this year — from 13 to 15 April. For context, the fair will be dedicated to professional watch trade from 9 to 12 April. From Omega to Cartier, most brands have already introduced their new models to the world at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
So which newly announced wrist candies stood out in the world’s largest trade show for timepieces? A quick look at the 10 best releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024 will help us figure that out.
10 best watches that caught our eye at the Watches and Wonders 2024
A. Lange Söhne Datograph Up Down
Let us kick-start our list of the best releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024 with a limited edition model. This A. Lange Söhne timepiece has a rich history. But what is so significant about this watch?
In 1999, A. Lange Söhne introduced a trailblazing concept of short-time measurement with its first-ever in-house chronograph movement. The original Datograph sported this calibre L951.1 which combined a classic column-wheel chronograph with a flyback function, a jumping minute counter and the outsize date (a trademark of A. Lange Söhne).
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this pioneering timepiece, A. Lange Söhne launched the Datograph Up Down in Geneva on 9 April. This watch has a 41-millimetre case made of 18-carat white gold. The timepiece sports a unique blue dial, the first in the brand’s history, and comes with a blue alligator strap. Each winding of the mechanical movement offers a power reserve of up to 60 hours.
However, the watch is as priceless as it can be, as A. Lange Söhne is producing only 125 pieces of this model. To this end, the watchmaker has not given any price tag to this watch and will be revealed on request.
Cartier Santos Dumont Rewind
Continuing its annual tradition of introducing wrist candies in the Santos lineup at the Watches and Wonders, Cartier arrived in Geneva this year with a number of Santos timepieces. However, the one which caught our eye is the Santos Dumont Rewind. With a unique mechanism, this is one watch which is true to its name quite literally!
The timepiece bears all the distinct Santos Dumont design features — the iconic case design, a ruby cabochon crown, Roman numeral markers and a leather strap. However, the dial of the watch is what makes all the difference.
While Roman numerals as markers are quite common in luxury watches, having them inverted is a sight to behold. In practice, the watch counts down from 11 to one clockwise. Under the hood, this timepiece comes with a manual-winding 230MC movement which is in tandem with the inverted markers — it winds backwards.
With this watch, Cartier pays tribute to the legendary Brazilian aeronaut Alberto Santos-Dumont by suggesting that time can rewind to the days when he was alive. Because of this out-of-the-box thinking, this Cartier timepiece finds a place in our list of the best watches at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph
One of the sportiest watches of Chopard just got sportier! The Alpine Eagle is known for its funky yet robust look that attracts younger customers. Well, they are likely to love Chopard’s newest offering even more.
The large 44-millimetre dial comes in a Grade 5 titanium case and sports a black rubber strap with a pin buckle made of titanium. The numerals, hour markers and hands are rhodium-plated and are coated with Grade XI Super-LumiNova, a photoluminescent which facilitates better visibility in the dark. The watch is water-resistant up to 100 metres.
This timepiece is powered by Chopard’s in-house 03.05-C calibre. The mechanical movement is COSC-certified, and each winding of the movement offers a power backup of up to 60 hours.
However, the most important detail of the watch lies in its dial. The Rhône blue colour is inspired by the colour of the Rhône river which originates from the Alps. The sunburst pattern on the dial is reminiscent of an eagle’s iris. Overall, the details on the dial symbolise what the Alpine Eagle lineup stands for — the preservation of Europe’s Alpine environment. The concept of this watch is what makes it one of the best releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green
A popular lineup of dress watches, the Chopard L.U.C XPS welcomed a new member at the Watches and Wonders 2024. This variant is quite similar to the rest of the timepieces in the collection apart from one funky twist. But we will get to that in a bit.
The 40-millimetre dial of the watch is protected well by a lucent steel case. All the hands and markers are rhodium-plated, and the timepiece is water-resistant up to 30 metres. It is finished well with a brown calfskin leather strap with ecru stitching and a steel pin buckle.
Chopard has fitted this dress watch with its in-house L.U.C 96.12-L calibre. The automatic micro-rotor, COSC-certified mechanical movement offers a power reserve of up to 65 hours with each winding and sports 29 jewels.
What separates the Chopard timepiece from the rest of the watches in this lineup is its forest green hue on the dial. The colour of the dial gives the model a vintage look and makes it a nice, fresh choice for a dress watch.
Chanel Bobbin Cuff
For the second consecutive year, Chanel showed up at the Watches and Wonders 2024 with a series of watch novelties. Their lineup this year included a pin cushion watch ring and a J12 with scissor-shaped hands. However, what caught our eye was the Bobbin Cuff.
The jewellery watches pay homage to Coco Chanel’s legacy. These watches employ the tools Chanel used to craft her pioneering couture garments, making them look hardly like a timepiece at first glance.
The Chanel Bobbin Cuff is, in effect, a gem-set bangle that resembles a spool of thread. It hides the watch face underneath a yellow sapphire set in gold. Because of its unique design, the Bobbin Cuff finds a place in our list of the best releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44
Known for its aviation watches, IWC Schaffhausen claims that their new Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 is “completely re-engineered.” The timepiece embodies the traditional design elements of the watchmaker and is a pure work of art.
The 44-millimetre dial comes in horizon blue and is perfectly complemented by IWC’s proprietary 18-carat Armor Gold. This timepiece is protected by double box-glass sapphire crystals on the front and the back. It fashions a blue alligator leather strap and is water resistant up to 30 metres.
Under the hood, the watch houses IWC’s in-house calibre 52616 automatic movement. This mechanical movement has a Pellaton winding system, and each winding gives a power backup of up to — wait for it — seven days. The exquisite craftsmanship of IWC certainly helps the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 power its way into the list of the best releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
Roger Dubuis Orbis in Machina
Did you mistook this watch for a sandworm from the Dune movie franchise? Well, we won’t blame you! The Roger Dubuis Orbis in Machina looks nothing like a traditional wristwatch, and yet we cannot help but marvel at its design.
The 18-carat pink gold case fashions a skeletonised dial which reveals the caliber RD115. With 283 components and 29 jewels, this manual winding movement is made of ultra-light titanium (the lower tourbillion cage) and mirror-polished cobalt chrome (the upper tourbillion cage). Each winding of the movement offers a power reserve of up to 72 hours.
Instead of a metal bracelet or a leather strap, the watchmaker decided to provide a rubber strap on the watch. And to be honest, that compliments the look of the timepiece better. This Roger Dubuis model is a limited-edition offering with only 88 pieces available for sale.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph
Any horology convention or trade show is incomplete without Vacheron Constantin gifting us a drool-worthy timepiece or two. The latest Traditionnelle Tourbillion Chronograph is a part of the brand’s Collection Excellence Platine lineup. According to the watchmaker, all the timepieces in this collection use “exceptional, noble and rare metals.”
The case, crown, grained dial and clasp are all platinum. At the 12 o’clock position of the 42.5-millimetre dial is a large tourbillion aperture. In addition, the dial also sports a 45-minute chronograph counter at three o’clock and a power reserve indicator at six o’clock. All the markers and hands of the watch are coated with 18-carat white gold.
This Vacheron Constantin watch is powered by the brand’s in-house calibre 3200 hand-wound mechanical movement. Each winding of the movement offers a power reserve of up to 65 hours.
The timepiece fashions a dark blue alligator strap crafted from braided silk and platinum thread. Vacheron Constantin has introduced this wristcandy as a limited edition model with only 50 pieces available for sale. The exclusivity of the watch is justified by the finesse in craftsmanship, and it surely ranks among the best timepieces we saw at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
Grand Seiko Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Grand Seiko’s Caliber 9R Spring Drive movement, the Japanese watchmaker introduced the Sport Collection Caliber 9R Limited Edition SBGC275, and it certainly is one of the best releases we saw at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
The watch, made of titanium, sports a 44.5-millimetre red-orange dial. According to the brand, the colour of the dial represents the sun reflecting off the Hotaka mountain range in Japan’s Shinshu region. The dial comes with Grand Seiko’s patented ‘Optical Multilayer Coating’ in which the brand uses PVD to apply a nanoscale film that changes colour according to the viewing angle.
Coming to the celebrated movement that powers the watch, the Caliber 9R uses a dial-processing technology that combines the best of mechanical and battery-powered movements. This movement offers a power reserve of up to 72 hours. Grand Seiko has made only 700 pieces of this limited edition timepiece available for sale.
Hermès Duc Attelé
Last but definitely not least in this list of the best releases at Watches and Wonders 2024 is the Hermès Duc Attelé. This timepiece fashions a revolutionary mechanical movement, but we will circle back to that in a bit.
The design takes a cue from Hermès’ logo — a canopy-top four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses. Interestingly, this logo was inspired by the works of a 19th-century French painter and master of equestrian art named Alfred Dreux.
At the centre of the 43-millimetre dial, below a sapphire dome, we can see a triple-axis tourbillion whirling inside a triple mirror-polished titanium cage. Other design elements, too, celebrate Hermès’ watchmaking legacy, such as the Arabic numerals on the hour-minutes display, and the minute repeater hammers at six o’clock sculpted in the shape of horses.
Under the hood, the watch houses a new hand-wound grand complication. This world’s first mechanical movement combines a central triple-axis tourbillion and a ‘tuning-fork’ minute repeater with the watchmaker’s high-frequency H1926 calibre. The body is made of titanium and features a matt anthracite leather strap.
(Main Image Credits: Cartier and Grand Seiko; Featured Image Credits: Grand Seiko)
This article first appeared here
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– Which were the best watches released at the Watches and Wonders 2024?
Chopard’s Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph, Cartier Santos Dumont Rewind and Grand Seiko SBGC275 Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition are among the best watches released in Watches and Wonders 2024.
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Uddipta writes about sports and watches besides occasionally venturing into the world of automobiles and technology. He was associated with the Indian Express in the capacity of a sub-editor at their Lifestyle desk. A journalism and mass communication student from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai, Uddipta devotes most of his leisure time to photography and filmmaking. He has contributed photographs to Vogue Italia and several exhibits, and has directed award-winning short films screened at film festivals in India and abroad.
