The Most Breathtaking Timepieces We Saw at Watches & Wonders
Last week, Watches and Wonders landed in Geneva, Switzerland—the annual event is the most anticipated watch convention for journalists, industry insiders, watch aficionados, and fans alike. Over the course of 48 hours, I wound my way through two dozen brands—just about half of the labels that show at the Palexpo every year. Watches and Wonders is unlike any other accessories trade show I’ve ever attended: brands set up “booths” that are more like flagship stores, boasting meeting rooms, restaurants, and multiple levels. Some companies also offer unique experiences and displays. At Jaeger LeCoultre, for instance, two-time Michelin star chef Himanshu Saini created elaborate, experiential bites to coincide with Jaeger’s new offerings. Van Cleef and Arpels’s booth, meanwhile, was decorated with giant Murano glass leaves that swayed as if a warm breeze had passed through the convention center.
But without a doubt, the timepieces on display at Watches and Wonders were the focal point of the extravaganza. Ahead, see all of the most outstanding, jaw-dropping, and jewel-encrusted watches we spied at the event.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Twenty~4 collection—the first women’s-focused line Patek released in 1999—the brand has launched a new version that’s sure to excite collectors and admirers alike.
The new rose gold manchette, or “cuff-style” offering, is set with two rows of 17 brilliant cut diamonds framing the most exquisite deep purple dial. The dial is certainly the star of the show: embossed with a concentric wave design covered with dozens of layers of translucent lacquer, there’s an illusion of depth on the face of this watch. The result is a brilliant dial that will likely enchant anyone lucky enough to catch it dancing with the light.
Find out more here.
Tadao Ando’s collection is the first artist collaboration of the Serpenti Tubogas—and hopefully it won’t be the last. Inspired by the seasons, the collection features four offerings with varying colorful mosaic dials: white mother of pearl for winter; pink mother of pearl for spring; tiger’s eye for autumn (featured above), and green aventurine for summer. I’m partial to the autumn offering, perhaps because fall is my favorite time of year—or because the golden-brown hue of the tiger’s eye pairs so beautifully with the rose gold bracelet.
Find out more here.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Patrimony collection inspired by classic 1950s watches, Vacheron Constantin has released three new models, including two manual winding versions in rose and white gold, plus a new white gold model with moon phases and retrograde dates (see above). The latest iterations feature new strap colors like azure blue and olive green done in alligator leather. Don’t let the simple design of this timepiece fool you—it’s quite a complicated watch, indicating the time, the day, and the moon phase (not an easy horological feat!) and requiring just one correction every 122 years.
Find out more here.
The Duometre Heliotourbillon features Jaeger LeCoultre’s first triple axis tourbillon, which looks like a spinning top and rotates on three axes—a major feat in high watchmaking. If this weren’t impressive enough, the timepiece also features a perpetual calendar which showcases the day, date, month, and year. Oh, and the watch also tells time!
The Duometre Heliotourbillon is set in a pink 18-karat gold case featuring a brown alligator strap, and has been released as a limited-edition run of 20 models.
Find out more here.
The beloved Carrera Skipper Chronograph made its grand return last year in steel, three decades after the original was discontinued. Inspired by the OG Skipper from 1968, this luxury iteration features an 18-karat rose gold bezel and dial markers, a small change that drastically elevates this iconic timepiece.
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Skinny wrist Hublot fans, rejoice—the watchmaker has released its smallest timepieces yet. The Classic Fusion—the brand’s very first watch model—is now available in 29mm, and comes in several iterations with king gold and titanium bezel offerings with or without diamonds, along with new blue and green dial strap combinations. If you are an Hublot fan who prefers their usual large timepieces, consider getting two of these to stack.
Find out more here.
First launched last year, Rolex’s 1908 is already one of the most covetable watches on the market. For 2024, the brand has launched an exciting update: the new Perpetual 1908, which features an icy blue dial and mesmerizing three-dimensional pattern in a 950 platinum bezel with a rich brown alligator leather strap. The potent cocktail results in what’s arguably Rolex’s chicest watch to date.
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For this collection, Cartier has combined the two things it does best: jewelry and watches. The resulting timepiece is a brilliant crossover that skews more in the realm of high jewelry. A sideways glance and you might miss the covert timepiece that sits inside the open-cuff bracelet. On the other horseshoe’s end is a flat piece of polished reflective gold, which acts as a mirror for the dial. The new offering is available in several iterations: yellow and rose gold, one in diamond-set white gold, and two in white gold paved with colored stones. While the colored stone and diamond offerings are remarkable, I can’t deny that the all-yellow gold piece would make the perfect addition to my everyday bracelet stack.
The Arceau Chorus Stellarum timepiece breathes life into Daisuke Nomura’s original Chorus Stellarum silk scarf design. The equestrian skeleton and horse are made of yellow gold appliqués that were engraved and hand-painted. The enchanting scene is brought to life with the press of a button, with an on-demand animation module sending the horse rearing through the stars.
Only a lucky few will see this horse gallop through the celestial heavens—Arceau Chorus Stellarum has been released in a limited run of just six pieces.
This high jewelry watch is entirely set with diamonds and sapphires, featuring over 1,000 stones. Assembled in Chopard’s symmetric precious lace pattern, this haute joaillerie timepiece took over 400 hours to make.
The Gucci 25H Minute Repeater features the brand’s very first minute repeater—my favorite high watchmaking complication. The minute repeater is activated by rotating the bezel of the watch, chiming at the hour, quarter hour, and minute. In tune with the piece’s theme, the dial here consists of a complex pattern inspired by shapes from the sound waves the minute repeater’s hammer makes when set off.
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Originally launched in 2022, the Iced Sea collection dial’s unique patterns are inspired by the main glacier of Mont-Blanc Massif. Montblanc is now offering two new colorways of the Iced Sea Automatic Date: a bronze-tone model with black glacier patterned dial, and a burgundy tone dial, pictured here.
The two new offerings are both inspired by the evening sun and the way it reflects off the glaciers. When you look into the dial of this watch, it’s easy to imagine you’re admiring the sun dancing over the Mer de Glace on a late afternoon.
Find out more here.
An 18-karat gold lion adorned in diamonds sits atop a black onyx plaque—slide this motif to the right, and a secret watch is revealed. Decked out in 385 brilliant cut diamonds and set on a luxurious 18-karat gold cuff bracelet, this covert watch is the perfect marriage between jewelry and high watchmaking. As an added bonus, this piece is water-resistant up to 30 meters.
Inspired by a summer breeze (also known in French as la brise d’été), this timepiece showcases an idyllic garden scene set atop a mother of pearl dial. The garden is comprised of enamel leaves and petals set with tsavorite and spessartite garnets brought to life through miniature sculptural paintings. The darling white-and-yellow gold butterflies dance around the dial to indicate the time. However, the wearer doesn’t have to imagine these flowers and leaves swaying in a summer breeze—the Brise d’Été watch is equipped with an on-demand animation module that quite literally brings the watch to life. A complication that took four years to create set inside a dial that takes 40 hours to complete, I assure you this watch is worth the wait.
Find out more here.
The luxury watch and jewelry house first debuted its Swinging Sautoir in 1969. The most remarkable piece in Piaget’s latest collection is inspired by that particular chain, adorned in turquoise and malachite beads that are enhanced with yellow sapphires and brilliant cut diamonds on twisted gold. The turquoise diamond watch, meanwhile, is suspended from a 29.24-carat yellow sapphire and a 6.11-carat aquamarine. For a more casual look (as casual as a turquoise-and-diamond watch surrounded by precious stones can be), you can remove the watch and connect it to its green satin strap.
We know Zenith loves a renewal—and the Defy Revival A3648 marks the first time Zenith has relaunched a submersible. Originally released in 1969, the Revival offering stays true to the original design with just a few modern touches. The A3648, like the original, is water-resistant up to 600 meters—a real technical feat for the time. But perhaps most notable is the striking color combination: while the bright orange has its purpose under water, above water it’s a fun and refreshing option for a timepiece.
As the official sponsor of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Sailing team since 2019, Panerai this year took its patronage to the next level with a new Luna Rossa capsule collection featuring five new timepieces. My favorite of the collection is the Submersible GMT Luna Rossa Titanio, or the PAM01507. Water-resistant up to 500 meters over 1640 feet, the dark-blue dial mirrors the depths this submersible can reach. Featuring a titanium bezel as a nod to the materials used in building the Luna Rossa boat, this timepiece is equipped with the debut of the latest lume technology, Super-LumiNova® X2, which allows the indices and hour markers to glow brighter than previous models.
Tudor just launched a luxury version of their well-known Black Bay 58. The new offering comes in 18-karat gold with a “golden green” dial featuring 18-karat gold hour markers. It’s the dreamiest Black Bay 58 yet.
IWC has relaunched its Portugieser Perpetual Calendar model, redesigned in a slimmer case ring featuring four new iterations: two in 18-karat white gold with horizon blue and dune dials, and two in 18-karat “Armor Gold” with either an obsidian or a silver-plated dial. The dial are finished in 15 layers of transparent lacquer, creating an illusion of great depth when caught in the light.
