When it comes to winter fashion, it seems that all anybody wants to do is focus on the outside.
But any savvy sartorial aficionado knows that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Or, at the very least, what’s hiding beneath those perfectly tailored suits and scarves.
The fragrance you choose to layer on during the cooler season is just as important as the style and colour of those aforementioned suits.
To help make your choice just that little bit easier, Robb Report Australia has done the hard work for you. Below are our picks for the best winter fragrances.
Gucci Guilty Absolute
Born out of a special collaboration between creative director Alessandro Michele and maître perfumer Alberto Morillas, this is a distinctly original scent.
The scent was created using two leading notes, with Morillas custom-mixing a Leather accord Woodleather™ as a tribute to the House’s leather-making roots, and from the majesty of woods, Goldenwood™, a new natural extract of the Nootka Cypress. The result is a deep, masculine scent that may come off a little strong at first but truly shines once it has settled into the skin.
Creative Director Tomas Maier envisioned a journey through the Veneto region in Northern Italy in the Dolomites, where a gentle breeze fragrant of hay, fir cones, and pine needles from the nearby woods and moves through the wide-open windows of a rustic retreat.
The fragrance opens with highly concentrated woody and spicy notes of cedar leaves and rich cardamom, enhanced and strengthened at the heart by pimento and fir balsam. A sensual leather accord fused with tonka bean completes the notes.
Delicate but not wispy, it is the perfect fragrance for those longing for those long summer days.
It’s hard to pick just one fragrance from the brand’s eclectic, unisex collection, but the classic Bal D’Afrique is hard to overlook. A warm and romantic vetiver inspired by Paris in the late 20s and its fascination with African culture, art and dance. Heady aromas of African marigold, bergamont and neroli are balanced by jasmine petals and Moroccan sandlewood.
Like Byredo, it’s hard to pick just one scent from the designer’s eponymous line to focus on. But what better way to survive winter than by drowning your sorrows in the scent of summer?
To Ford’s Soleil Blanc was inspired by those long, summer days that blend seamlessly into another. A floral scent with amber notes, this is truly summer in a bottle.
An intoxicating potion that manages to capture the exotic spices and scents of the Ottoman Empire. Complimented by red Turkish roses, the Halfeti is the kind of heady scent to be worn in a warm candle lit bar as a furious winter storm rages outside.
P Frapin & Cie – Isle of Man
The stately bottle perfectly represents the strong, fresh and salty marine fragrance it houses. Inspired by the coastline of the same name, the fragrance manages to marry tart citrus notes of grapefruit and butter orange with sweet, dewy violets and musky vetiver.
L’immensite – Louis Vuitton
Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has composed a laser-sharp ode to freshness. A light note of ginger is brightened by the bitterness of grapefruit and softened by an addictive and sensual amber note. The scent was inspired by Belletrud’s travels and promises to give those lucky enough to smell this the same kind of wanderlust.
Ambre Nuit – Christian Dior
These new unisex fragrances from Christian Dior are designed to be layered. But you would be forgiven for choosing to bask purely in the woody sensual notes of Ambre Nuit all on their own. Chief perfumer, Francois Demachy, says the perfume “combines the deep, animal facet of amber with the delicate velvet of Turkish rose.”
He added: “This potent duo is like a nocturnal wave of amber that sees strength and delicacy converse, where opposites attract.”
Model, designer and international jet-setter Johannes Huebl dons autumn’s most refined looks and shares his style insights gleaned from years in front of the camera. Styled by Alex Badia and photographed by Feb Daemen in Barcelona, Huebel’s simple advice rings true.
“I like a natural colour palette and wear monochrome a lot. I tend to stick to no more than two textures in an outfit: a cashmere overshirt and corduroy trousers, for example,” says Huebel, reflecting on his signature style which is captured well in this Autumnal photoshoot.
“Attitude—and a fashionably relaxed mindset— is the secret to wearing clothes like these. The comfort and quality put me at ease.”
Kiton cashmere and silk overshirt, $10,065; Ahlem acetate sunglasses, $780; Rolex x Bamford Watch Department watch (model’s own)
Bally cotton and poly trench, $3,605; Brioni cashmere and silk shirt, $5,895, and cashmere and silk turtleneck, $2,380: Stòffa wool pants, $795.
Louis Vuitton wool double- breasted Pont Neuf suit jacket, $5,215, and wool cigarette pants, $1,650; Connolly cashmere and silk T-shirt, $680; Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses, $1,210.
“My most valuable hacks: get your trousers hemmed so they fit right, avoid anything too tight, and align your colour palette. And don’t overthink it—a dark-navy suit never fails.”
Model: Johannes Huebl Senior market editor and casting: Luis Campuzano Hair and makeup artist: Mónica Marmo Photo assistant: Paolo Caponetto Executive producer: Rebecca Watson Production assistants: Nikita Klepach, Marc Gejo Photo director: Irene Opezzo
As the textile industry makes technological advances, traditional outdoor furniture made from iron, wicker and teak seems ever so throwback-y and, dare we say, inconvenient and even uncomfortable. Gandia Blasco’s Mediterranean roots and architectural approach shine in its Onsen collection of garden furniture. Luxe synthetic-leather straps wrapping a tubular stainless-steel structure paired with long-wearing cushions in a similar shade lend new life to the idea of living with leather outdoors. From about $4,425; soft mat about $620, warm mat about $810; Onsen, Gandia Blasco
Gabri, Bolzan
The pared-down, leggy look of these tripod tables packs a functional punch without foregoing refinement. Designed by Matteo Zorzenoni for Bolzan and made in Italy, the Gabri’s leather-bound frames with subtle topstitching and semicircular notches recall desktop accessories of an analog age. The dark tops with touches of chalky veining are thoroughly of this century: made from neolith stone, they’re temperature-resistant and waterproof, so go ahead and place your martini where you will. Small, about $1,735; large, about $2,603; Bolzan.com
Zenius Lines Giobagnara
Giobagnara’s leather-encased Nespresso machine with vertical- or diamond-quilted detailing is genius in its unfussy application. The leather suits the product; the design channels the look of a luxury Italian sports car. The brand began with the Bagnara family producing household items in 1939, before moving into the luxury realm in the ’70s. Giorgio Bagnara changed its name to B. Home Interiors in 1999 and to the eponymous Giobagnara in 2014. If you like your home appliances with liberal leather detailing, it’s one to follow. About $7,900; Artemest.com
Vague, Tonucci Collection
Fun house–meets-Baroque in this softly symmetrical, wall-mounted mirror that playfully beckons you into another dimension (and will bounce beautiful light around the room). Designed by Viola Tonucci, who took the reins of Tonucci Collection from her father last year, the thick, leather-covered frame introduces architectural interest and a hint of levity to a room, be it traditional or modern. About $8,050; Tonucci.com
DS-707, de Sede
Given Philippe Malouin’s propensity for experimentation, it’s no wonder that Swiss furniture firm de Sede took a whole new approach in manufacturing Malouin’s DS-707 design. He began by noodling around with foam, folding it this way and that before settling on the serpentine shape. Although the silhouette made de Sede wary—creating it required the team to manipulate leather in a manner that could leave it less supple— the project prevailed with great success. The system itself invites experimentation as customers can configure the components to their heart’s content. From $30,450; deSede.com
From garden to park, feel the burn with Ethimo’s slick access-all-areas gym.
By 17/04/2024
Not feeling your Peloton?
Hit the gym outside with garden furniture brand Ethimo and Studio Adolini’s open-air “fitness room”, OUT-FIT. Measuring 250 x 250 cm and 280 cm in height, but designed to be adaptable to any open-air location, OUT-FIT is made entirely in teak and rust-finish metal, and comes with a series of equipment for bodyweight training.
It’s day two of the 2023 Tahiti Pro Surf Competition. I’m perched on the roof of a VIP boat around 100 metres from Teahupo’o, one of the world’s most dangerous waves. American Surf icon Kelly Slater has just been swallowed by a heaving wall of turquoise water. I’m so close to the action that when he’s finally spit out from the ride, my face gets misted in ocean spray. Below me, Australian Jack Robinson, who will go on to win the event, sits on the edge of the boat performing breathing exercises ahead of his heat. Around me, a flotilla of kayaks, jetskis, surfboards, and small vessels bobs in the channel, acting as a floating stadium for fans.
For many of the competitors—and the 1,400-odd residents of the wave’s namesake village—this year’s contest is a dress rehearsal for an event with a far larger global profile in a few months’ time. While many of the world’s top athletes will travel to France in July for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the most talented surfers will head here, to the southwest corner of Tahiti island’s small peninsula, Tahiti Iti, to vie for gold at Teahupo’o in just the second surf competition in Olympic history.
In keeping with the limit of two surfers per gender, per nation, the Australian flag will be flown by Ethan Ewing (No. 2 in the World Surf League rankings at the time of writing) and the aforementioned Robinson (No. 5) in the men’s category, and Tyler Wright (No. 3) and Molly Picklum (No. 5) in the women’s. On this form, hopes of a homegrown medal haul are high.
Olympic officials could have chosen a site off the coast of France, such as the surf towns of Biarritz or Hossegor, but historically, Mother Nature brings more sizable waves to Tahiti at this time of year. Plus, surfing has deep cultural ties to the region. The sport originated in Polynesia and dates as far back as the 12th century; it was practiced by Polynesian royalty. Teahupo’o is also a world-class wave that challenges the mental and physical prowess of even the most experienced competitors. The high risk of surfing this spot guarantees thrills that officials anticipate will boost viewership.
Located in the gin-clear waters of the South Pacific with a background of mountains that appear to be draped in jade-green crushed velvet, Teahupo’o (pronounced TAY-a-hoo-poh-oh) is one of the sport’s most infamous swells. (Its name loosely—and cheerily—translates to “place of skulls”.) According to Memoirs of Marau Taaroa, Last Queen of Tahiti, printed in 1893, the first person to surf it was actually a woman from the island of Raiatea, in the 19th century. Not until the 1980s did anyone dare attempt it again, with the first competition hosted in the late 1990s. Former pro turned filmmaker Chris Malloy has called it “the wave that has changed surfing forever”.
In the right conditions, Teahupo’o can tower upwards of six metres. That may sound small compared to the monster-size Jaws in Maui or Nazaré in Portugal—which can climb as high as 25 metres—but it’s not the height that makes Chopes, as the wave is lovingly called, so special. It’s the weight. When surfers describe a wave as heavy, they’re referring to its combination of a thick lip (the powerful section that starts to curl over) and the amount of water surging behind it.
Like most of the surf breaks found throughout French Polynesia, Teahupo’o is a reef break, meaning the water spills over the surface of knife- sharp coral. Chopes is unique because around 50 metres beyond the reef, the ocean drops more than 15 metres. As swells come toward the shore, the transition from deep water causes them to jack up over the coral before quickly crashing down with tremendous force.
“The reef evolved perfectly in order to absorb the wave’s energy in the shortest distance possible to create this natural wonder,” surf superstar Laird Hamilton tells Robb Report. “It’s a wave that stands straight up and creates a huge barrel. It’s one of the greatest waves on Earth.” In 2000, Hamilton rewrote surfing history when he rode what has been dubbed the Millennium Wave here. Up until then, Teahupo’o was considered too perilous to attempt when it reached a certain size. Hamilton, a pioneer of tow surfing, had a jetski pull him into what is still considered one of the heaviest waves ever ridden. Surfer magazine published a memorable cover of him getting barrelled with just the words “Oh my god…” because the feat was so dangerous.
In places, the reef lurks just 50 centimetres beneath the water’s surface, and the lip can act like a liquid guillotine if it clamps down before a surfer exits the hollow tube of the wave, known as the barrel. Had Hamilton wiped out, he wouldn’t have had an escape route.
I’m an avid amateur surfer and live on Maui part-time to take advantage of Hawaii’s waves, but even on a gentle day, I wouldn’t attempt Teahupo’o. Teahupo’o village has a water-safety patrol that watches over athletes during contests. Still, a handful of surfers have lost their lives here, and many go home with serious battle wounds. In August last year, during a practice session for the Tahiti Pro, Ethan Ewing fractured two vertebrae in his back after crashing out in solid, but average, six-foot waves—an accident that arguably cost him top spot in the world rankings.
In classic gung-ho-surfer fashion, though, the Queenslander was back in the water at Teahupo’o three months later, one eye still resolutely fixed on Olympic glory. “Definitely more anxious than excited heading back to Tahiti after hitting the reef really hard last time,” he posted on his Instagram account. “Teahupo’o is still seriously intimidating, but I feel like I’ve made some steps in the right direction.”
Unless you surf, Tahiti Iti probably isn’t on your radar. Starting from the largest town of Taravao, the south-coast road ends at the village of Teahupo’o, hence its nickname, the End of the Road. The community, just 500 metres from the wave, is the antithesis of the glitz and glamour of Paris or even nearby Bora Bora. This is a slice of tropical paradise that has somehow evaded development. To reach the contest each day, I park at the end of the road, then walk over a one-lane bridge and follow a sandy path that passes local homes.
“All of your senses are heightened here,” former world surf champion C. J. Hobgood tells me when I run into him at the event. “It’s not just the wave—it’s the island. Everything looks five- dimensional. Mountains seem stacked on mountains and glow a vivid green. You turn to the right and these bluer-than-blue waves are breaking. Then a rainbow might appear in the sky. The raw beauty is overwhelming to take in when you first arrive.”
Surfers talk of feeling the mana, a Polynesian word for spiritual energy, here. Jack Robinson even referenced it after his victory in the Tahiti Pro. It may sound woo-woo, but I undoubtedly feel something when I arrive after a 90-minute drive south-west from the hotel-lined harbour of Tahiti Nui, the island’s larger, more developed area. Tahiti Iti’s empty beaches and waterfall-riddled lush interiors remind me of a quieter, more vibrant version of Hana, a little corner of Maui with just one hotel, a handful of restaurants and kilometres of untamed nature. In an era of over-tourism, this kind of purity comes with a trade-off: You won’t find five-star hotels or celebrity-chef restaurants on Tahiti Iti. In fact, it doesn’t have any hotels at all—and won’t be opening any ahead of the Games.
Locals have been adamant that Olympic infrastructure remains minimal. The proposed construction of a three-storey judging tower directly on the reef at Teahupo’o has been a major concern among residents and environmental groups. The one Olympic improvement locals welcome is a new bridge that will connect to the beach in front of Chopes.
I check into Villa Mitirapa, newly built in the rural community of Afaahiti, a 25-minute drive from Teahupo’o. Giant carved wooden doors lead to an open-air living room, a plunge pool and views of the lagoon, and every evening a chef drops by with a delicious preparation of the catch of the day. In the village of Teahupo’o, you’ll find family-owned guesthouses such as Vanira Lodge, a collection of three bungalows tucked up in Te Pari (“the cliffs” in Tahitian), as well as A Hi’o To Mou’a, a B&B run by the proprietor of hiking outfit Heeuri Explorer.
Pro surfers are typically hosted by the same local families year after year. (During the Olympics, athletes will be housed on a ship anchored in a sandy area offshore to avoid damaging the seabed.) Hobgood tells me he made visits to his “adopted Tahitian family” for nearly two decades. For the past five years, he has come to Teahupo’o to help coach reigning Olympic champ, Hawaiian Carissa Moore and now stays with her adopted family. “They take us on hikes you’d otherwise never know how to access and have rich stories about the place,” he says. “And everything they prepare for us at meals, from the passion-fruit jam to the chilli sauce, is homemade.”
The next big thing being “adopted” by a Tahitian family is hiring Raimana van Bastolaer as your guide. For a first-time visitor, Tahiti Iti can be far harder to access than other islands, which is perhaps why so few people explore the peninsula. You need a local to reveal where to go, and van Bastolaer makes you feel like an insider.
Born and raised in the capital of Papeete, he was one of the first locals to surf Chopes, and over the years, his intricate knowledge of the wave has earned him the nickname the Godfather of Teahupo’o. He was out in the channel with Hamilton the day the American had his historic ride, and John John Florence and Kelly Slater are among the surfers who stay with him when they’re in town. Van Bastolaer even did a stint as a part-time coach at Surf Ranch, Slater’s central California wave park. Thanks to his non-stop pursuit of a good time, everyone wants to be around him. Now 48, the stockily built, dauntingly athletic van Bastolaer has become the go-to guide for visitors ranging from Julia Roberts, Margot Robbie and Jason Momoa to Mark Zuckerberg and Prince Harry. “I get to yell at princes and CEOs,” he jokes. “I’m out in the water with them telling them when to pop up and paddle. And they love it.”
Tahiti’s unofficial ambassador lives and breathes surfing. Through his company, Raimana World, he takes just one or two guests at a time on private curated surf tours throughout French Polynesia’s two central archipelagoes: the Society Islands (which are home to Tahiti) and the Tuamotus; he plans to add Fiji soon. Some of his clients base themselves on their own yachts or charter one through Pelorus. The yacht specialist’s Tahiti portfolio includes the 77-metre La Datcha, which has two helipads, a submersible and a spa.
Other clients he directs to exclusive properties, such as Motu Nao Nao, a new 25-hectare private-island resort in the cerulean lagoon of Raiatea with just three enormous villas crafted from coral, wood, and shells. A roving bar bike delivers custom cocktails to guests as they explore the island, and the French chef, inspired by Asian and North African cuisine, prides himself on never repeating a dish, no matter how long guests stay.
Van Bastolaer gets only one or two clients a year experienced enough to be coached into a barrel at Teahupo’o. “Most just want to get close to the wave to feel its energy and hear it roar,” he says. “That’s enough to give you an adrenaline rush.” Locals are incredibly protective of their surf spots, and van Bastolaer stays away from popular breaks. “Out of respect, I don’t take clients out if there are more than a few people in the water. Luckily, I have access to toys that get us away from the crowds.” He island-hops by helicopter, yacht or jet boat, then transports guests to surf breaks via high-speed RIB (rigid inflatable boat) or jetski. Most days average two to three hours of surfing, and he sprinkles in other activities such as snorkeling, whale watching (July to November) and barbecues at his house.
Papara, the beautiful black-sand beach where van Bastolaer honed his skills, 45 minutes from Teahupo’o, will be turned into a fan viewing zone with jumbo screens during the Olympics. Papara is one of the most forgiving surf breaks in Tahiti, and I head here to longboard. La Plage de Maui, a simple restaurant with sandy floors, plastic chairs and lagoon vistas, becomes my daily après-surf spot. Located in West Taiarapu, 40 minutes east of Papara, with nothing but coastal road and local homes in between, this humble spot sits next to Maui Beach, one of the only white-sand beaches on the whole island. This stretch may be Tahiti Iti’s best-kept secret.
After a barefoot walk along the shore, I don’t bother to put my shoes back on before heading into the restaurant, where servers proudly sport Tahiti Pro T-shirts and posters of pros hang on the walls. At a waterfront table, I spot rainbow-hued parrotfish and Moorish idol in the glassy lagoon. I’m pretty sure I could live on a diet of local Hinano beer and poisson cru, Tahiti’s national dish of raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. My final day, I ask my waitress if she’s concerned the Olympics might overexpose this laid-back, oft-forgotten enclave. She just laughs in reply.
On the drive back to my villa, I remember what van Bastolaer told me when we were introduced a year ago: Tahiti Iti’s specialness is lost on those seeking overwater bungalows or nightlife. It’s a place you can’t know in a day. The island reveals itself to you slowly. And even when van Bastolaer is your host, he won’t give away all its secrets.
Watches & Wonders, the world’s largest watch show, is in full swing in Geneva. The highly anticipated cascade of new releases is marked by confident individual brand identities — perhaps a sign that watchmakers are done scrambling through the violent collision of restricted supply and soaring demand for high end watches. All seem to be back on solid footing.
Steady confidence is a good thing. Consider Jaeger-LeCoultre offering up traditionally styled grand complications or Vacheron Constantin revamping the classic Patrimony with smaller cases and vintage-inspired radially brushed dials. Consider TAG Heuer celebrating the 55th anniversary of the square Monaco with a skeletonized flyback confidently priced at US$183,000, or Moser similarly showing off a fascinating skeletonized tourbillon in its distinctive 40 mm Streamliner at US$86,900. IWC has leaned hard into their traditionally styled Portugieser line, including an astounding Eternal Calendar complication. We find the storied French houses of Cartier, Chanel and Hermes blurring the lines between jewelry and watchmaking with the technical prowess and artistic whimsy that originally earned these brands their exalted place in the hearts and minds of sophisticated aesthetes. Confidence abounds in 2024.
We could go on and on with examples, but the watches below will demonstrate that for 2024 the big watch brands dared to be themselves, which appears to have given them the confidence to take some seriously compelling horological risks. We have separate coverage of off-show releases and, of course, Patek and Rolex, so keep and eye out for those.
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A. Lange Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen
Having set benchmarks in horological statecraft and finishing techniques, A. Lange & Söhne proceeded in 2010 to take the concept of illuminating the dial to the next level by introducing Lumen. It has since applied the concept to only five models, all complications, and all made in limited editions, the last one being the Zeitwerk Honeygold in 2021. The new Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen is the sixth in the Lumen series, and only the second in Honeygold, the brand’s proprietary gold alloy (four of the six models have been platinum). Lumen works by light-powered technology. The dial plate is made of a sapphire crystal that is tinted just enough to allow light to pass through and pre-energize the readings, which are coated in a luminous pigment. A special coating on the crystal filters out most of the visible light, but not the part of the UV spectrum that is needed to charge the luminous compound with enough light energy to keep them glowing uniformly in the dark. The luminous compound is applied to the disks of the day, date, month and chronograph subdials, and together those coatings are so intense that the glow is strong enough to cast light onto the minute and tachymeter scales as well. The disks of the date window are also completely coated, and a fun sideshow is that you can see the disks move at midnight because they appear in shadow behind the sapphire. The hour, minute and seconds hands are also treated with a luminous compound, and in a final flourish, so are the stars and moon in the sky of the moon phase disk.
This is one of Lange’s most prestigious complications, combining a tourbillon escapement with a hacking seconds, flyback chronograph with jumping minute counter and perpetual calendar with big date. It contains the manually wound caliber L952.4, decorated on every surface, with black polish, polished gold chatons, blued screws, engraved balance cock and Glashütte stripes. This movment was introduced in 2016. The Lumen version is limited to 50 pieces.
Case Size: 41.5 mm x 14.6 mm Case Material: 18k Honeygold Power Reserve: 50 hours Strap: Dark brown alligator Price: price upon request
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A. Lange Söhne Datograph Up Down
It has been 25 years since A. Lange & Söhne introduced its celebrated premium chronograph, the Datograph, and to mark the occasion the German firm is offering 125 lucky people a chance to own a model in 18k white gold with a first-ever blue dial. The original Datograph movement, the L951.1, has served as the basis for the brand’s current catalog of 13 models with a chronograph function. It’s a column-wheel chrono with a flyback function, a jumping hand totalizing 30 minutes on the 3 o’clock subdial, and the typical Lange big date at 12 o’clock. The Datograph Up/Down, launched in 2012 with the caliber L951.6, increased the power reserve from 36 to 60 hours.
“Up/Down” refers to the unique power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock. It indicates the fully wound AUF (up) status and AB (down) status of the movement, at which point the hand will pivot to the red section, indicating it’s time to wind the watch. If you can’t get your hands on one of the 125 pieces of this blue Datograph Up Down, it’s good to know the model is still available in a platinum and pink-gold with black dials.
Case Size: 41 mm x 13.1 mm Case Material: 18k white gold Power Reserve: 60 hours Strap: Blue alligator Price: 125 numbered pieces, price upon request
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Cartier Tortue Privé Time-Only and Chronograph
For the 8th annual edition of its Cartier Privé collection—an ultra-exclusive-line dedicated to the reintroduction of archival heroes—the house has introduced new Tortue models. First introduced at the house in 1912, it was originally referred to as the “tortue à pattes” (tortoise on paws) for its curvy case and lugs. It was revisited decades later in Cartier’s CPCP collection—also a tribute line to past treasured releases that ran roughly from 1998 to 2008. Now the manufacture is bringing back this curvy model in a series of five iterations, two of which are monopusher chronographs.
There are some subtle updates to distinguish the new models from their ancestors, however. The time-only editions have a slimmer profile, are lighter. The monopusher chronograph was first introduced in 1928 and later reintroduced in 1998. Today it still has the blued-steel apple-shaped hands, a hollowed central seconds hand, and it also features rhodium-platred roman numerals and beveled springs and bridges. These are true connoisseur pieces for the rare Cartier savants.
Case Material: Yellow gold or platinum Case Size: 41.4 mm by 32.9 mm by 7.2 mm for time-only; 43.7 by 34.8 mm by 10.2 mm for chronograph Movement: Mechanical winding 430 MC for time-only; mechanical winding 1928 MC Price: Yellow gold, US$31,000; Platinum, US$35,600; Platinum with diamonds, US$59,000, limited to 50; Chronograph in Platinum, US$59,000, limited to 200; Chronograph in yellow gold, US$51,000, limited to 200
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Cartier Santos
Everyone’s favorite Parisian jeweler has prepared an embarrassment of Santos de Cartier references for this year’s edition of Watches & Wonders. First up is the new Dual Time, a Large-sized model (40.2mm) in steel on either a matching bracelet or an anthracite-colored alligator leather strap with the maison’s QuickSwitch interchangeable system and folding buckle. The Santos de Cartier, with its origins as an early-20th century pilot’s watch — (albeit an extremely dressy one, by today’s standards) — is made even more utilitarian and toolish by the addition of a combination 12-hour dial/day-night indicator above 6 o’clock that indicates a second time zone, plus an obligatory date window at 3 o’clock. Featuring Cartier’s classic faceted, synthetic blue spinel crown; a satin-finish anthracite grey sunray dial; and rhodium-finished, luminescent hands, it’s a handy addition to a collection that’s been around for well over a century.
If you’d prefer a simple time-only variant of the Santos de Cartier, you’ve got a few new options: First, a Medium model (35.1mm) in steel with a matching bracelet or a brown alligator leather strap; a synthetic blue spinel crown; and a beautiful, satin-finished, graduated brown sunray dial with polished, luminescent steel sword hands. Want it in a Large version? It’s available in a 30.8mm case with the same mix of metal/dial — but then there’s also a two-tone version with a steel case, yellow gold dial, and an anthracite grey dial; plus a fully yellow gold version with a brown sunburst dial and either a matching bracelet or a brown leather alligator strap. All versions feature 100m of water resistance, but the Medium versions have no date, whereas the Large versions have a date window at 6 o’clock.
Diameter: 35.1mm (Medium); 39.8mm (Large); 40.2 (Dual Time) Movement: Cartier 1847 MC (Medium and Large) automatic Power Reserve: 48 hours (Medium and Large) Price: US$7,050 (Medium); $7,750; $11,700; $36,600 (Large); $9,150 (Dual Time)
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Cartier Santos Dumont Rewind
Continuing the Santos theme, we’ve got several beautiful new Santos Dumont references on ours hands, the first of which will no doubt blow your mind: The new Rewind, in the collection’s Large size (31.5 mm), is a 200-piece limited edition in platinum with a ruby cabochon crown; a carnelian dial; rhodium-finished, apple-shaped hands; and an inverted set of applied Roman numeral indices that ascend counter-clockwise around the dial. Why? The manually-wound 230 MC movement actually tells the time backwards. Why? Ostensibly, it’s a celebration of Brazilian Santos-Dumont’s pioneering spirit. To us — it’s just dope.
Diameter: 31.5 mm (Large) Case material: Platinum Movement: Cartier 230 MC hand-wound (Rewind) Price: US$34,500
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Cartier Santos Arabic Numeral
If reading a watch dial backwards just isn’t your bag, baby, then feast your eyes on these three handsome models with colored dials and cases. First up is a rose gold version with striking, peacock blue lacquer, a matching dial, and a semi-matte blue alligator leather strap with a rose gold buckle. Next is platinum-cased reference with olive green lacquer on the bezel, plus a matching green sunray dial with applied Arabic indices, sword hands and a green alligator leather strap with a platinum buckle. And lastly, we have a yellow gold version with taupe grey lacquer, a matching, satin-finish grey dial with applied Arabic indices, and a matte grey alligator leather strap with a gold pin buckle. While the green platinum version is limited to 200 pieces, the two gold editions appear to be regular catalog models…for now.
Diameter: 39.8mm (Large) Movement: Cartier 430 MC Power Reserve: 43 hours Price: US$21,900 (Large, Platinum, Green); $15,600 (Large, Rose Gold, Blue); $15,600 (Large, Yellow Gold)
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Reflection de Cartier
Cartier has long been a lover of illusion. Take for instance its highly collectible Mystère clocks where the clock face appears to float within its frame or the groundbreaking Masse Mysterieuse timepiece, where the entire movement, which doubled as a rotor, seemed to spin midair on the wrist. Now the maison is delivering the same trompe l’œil effect on its latest jewelry timepiece, Reflection de Cartier—a diamond-accented open cuff with one tip accented with a timepiece and the other with a mirror, so that the time may be viewed either way you put it on. The “body” of the bracelet is decorated with a combination of snow-set and inverted diamonds. While all of the four iterations of this piece are lust-worthy, the pieces set with multiple precious stones and diamonds, however, including the emerald, chrysoprase, and Paraíba version (pictured) are the ultimate collector pieces of the lot.
Case Material: Rose gold; yellow gold; rhodium-finished white gold with white diamonds; rhodium-finished white gold with chrysoprase, obsidian, emeralds, Paraiba tourmalines and diamonds; rhodium-finished white gold with opal, tiger, amethysts, spessartite garnets, and diamonds. Movement: Quartz Price: Price Upon Request Material: Rhodium-finished white gold with opal, tiger eye, amethysts, spessartite garnets, and diamonds (not pictured); rhodium-finished white gold in chrysoprase, obsidian, emeralds, Paraíba tourmalines, and diamonds; rhodium-finished white gold and diamonds; rose gold Price: Upon Request
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Cartier-Animals
In a departure from its perennial Panthère motif, the house focused on another creature this season, the crocodile, which wrapped around dials in gem-set splendor. But they didn’t forsake their feline friend which appeared literally perched on top of a multi-colored dial, while others sported zebra-like stripes in a nod to Jeanne Toussaint’s beloved animal themes
Case Material: Rhodium-finished white gold with tourmalines, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds; rhodium-finished white gold with mother-of-pearl, sapphires, diamonds, and emeralds; rhodium-finished white gold with diamonds and emeralds; rhodium-finished white gold with. rhodolite garnets, spessartite garnets, diamonds, emerald, and onyx; Yellow gold, spessartite garnets, and onyx; Yellow gold, onyx, and diamonds Movement: quartz Price: Upon Request
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Chopard Alpine Eagle XL Chronograph
The Rhône blue dial on the Alpine Eagle is more than just a color. It symbolizes everything the Alpine Eagle collection stands for, namely the preservation of Europe’s Alpine environment. In fact, part of the proceeds from sales of this model will be donated to the Alpine Eagle Foundation, whose latest project supports the Aigles du Léman wildlife park, which reintroduced the white-tailed eagle to the Lake Geneva region. The dial color was inspired by the palette of natural colors inherent to the Alpine landscape, particularly one of the Alps’ most famous rivers, the Rhône, which originates at the heart of the eponymous glacier in the canton of Valais. The river feeds the waters of Lake Geneva and ends its course in the Mediterranean Sea. The texture and sunburst pattern evoke an eagle’s iris – the signature finish of the Alpine Eagle series. The Alpine Eagle Foundation was founded in 2019 by Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele along with experts and devotees of the Alps, including falconer Jacques-Olivier Travers (creator of the Aigles du Léman park) and Ronald Menzel (managing director of the Freedom Conservation NGO campaigning to protect birds of prey). The new Alpine Eagle XL also sports a new case material: Grade 5 titanium, which should lighten the 44 mm watch considerably compared to previous steel and gold models. The caliber 03.05-C is a COSC-certified chronometer flyback chronograph with a 60-hour power reserve that will take you for a weekend trek to the Swiss Alps without needing a rewind.
Case Size: 44 mm x 13.15 mm Case Material: Grade 5 titanium Power Reserve: 60 hours Strap: Rubber Price: US$25,000
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Chanel-Black-and-White
Nobody does updated classics quite like the design teams at CHanel, and the new edition of its Diamond Tourbillon proves it. While the original versions were offered in shiny ceramic, the latest models are rendered in matte black and white styles. This means there’s nothing to compete with the natural brilliance of the diamond solitaire set at the center or the flying tourbillon cage. You might just lose track of time watching it rotate back with the mechanism.
Case Size: 38 mm Case Material: Ceramic and steel Power Reserve: 42 hours Price: TBC
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Chanel Haute Horlogerie Pink Editions
If you asked Gabrielle Chanel what her favorite color was, she very likely would have said black. but pink was undoubtedly a close second, infused as it was—and is—in so much of her maison’s output. In tribute to that heritage, Chanel is releasing four pink editions—two J12s and two Boyfriend models—decorated liberally with the rosy hue. While all of the designs include the house’s beige gold, three have their bezels set with baguette-cute pink sapphires. The fourth, a take on the Boyfriend Skeleton X-Ray, has a pink sapphire crystal case. All of them are limited editions. Run, don’t walk.
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Chanel Bobbin Cuff
Inspired by the various tools Coco Chanel used to make her genre-defining couture garments, these jewelry watches don’t immediately look like they can tell time. The Bobbin Cuff, for example, takes its cues from a spool of thread, and hides its watch underneath a yellow sapphire set in the gold. Three other pieces—a watch, a necklace, and a ring—each resemble pin cushions, albeit ones crafted from gold, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, and onyx.
Material: Yellow gold, diamonds, and yellow diamond Price: Upon Request
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Chopard L.U.C XPS Forest Green
Vintage-style green dials are making their way into the permanent catalog of many flagship collections these days. Applied to the 40 mm L.U.C XPS and combined with a similarly retro-styled sector dial, the hue transforms what has always been a dress watch into a more sportier affair. The ‘S’ in the XPS acronym refers to the small seconds at 6 o’clock, while the XP stands for extra plat (thin). The case is a mere 7.20 mm thick, and it’s made of Lucent steel, Chopard’s proprietary alloy produced with a recycling rate of at least 80%. The precise divisions of the sector dial include two concentric rings that separate the minutes from the hours, with radial lines running between the inner and outer edges of the rings, creating the “sectors.” The in-house automatic chronometer caliber L.U.C 96.12-L powers this classically styled timepiece.Case Size: 40 mm x 7.20 mm
Case Material: Lucent Steel Power Reserve: 65 hours Strap: Brown calfskin with ecru stitching Price: US$11,800
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Chopard Imperiale
Chopard’s Imperiale collection was launched in 2010 to showcase the company’s in-house metiers capabilities, combined with in-house premium mechanical movements. The dial of the edition is covered with a blue-green enamel background, dotted with a perfectly uniform pattern of white enamel and pink mother-of-pearl marquetry flowers. The center of each white flower is set with an orange padparadscha sapphire and each pink flower with a diamond. The flowers and center gems are surrounded by rims of 18k white gold, raised slightly above the dial. The resulting pattern mimics the quatrefoil floral motif in Venetian architecture, particularly in the Doges Palace. The movement is the Chopard caliber 96.17-C, equipped with a double barrel that delivers a 65-hour power reserve. This Imperiale is only available at Chopard boutiques.
Case Size: 36 mm Case Material: 18k white gold Power Reserve: 65 hours Strap: Blue-green alligator, 18k gold buckle set with diamonds Price: On request
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Chopard Happy Sport
The Happy Sport’s familiar bezel-set diamonds have been dancing happily between two sapphire crystals since 1993, but over the years this watch has continued to look fresh in its various iterations. This year, two of the five mobile diamonds are replaced by aquamarines in one model and pink tourmalines in the other, though Chopard breezily refers to these colors as “flamboyant pink” and “luminous blue.” Each model has straps, hands and stylized Roman numerals colored to match the gems, and there is also a complimentar gemstone in the crown. The center of the dial is decorated in a swirling guilloché pattern that adds a dressy touch to the sporty style, as does the diamond-set bezel. The Happy Sport contains the in-house automatic caliber 09.01-C. Each color is limited to 250 pieces, for a total of 500.
Case Size: 33 mm x 10.84 mm Case Material: Lucent Steel Power Reserve: 42 hours Strap: Alligator Price: US$16,900
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Grand Seiko SBGC275 Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Grand Seiko’s 9R Spring Drive movement — a unique caliber that marries the best of mechanical and battery-powered technology — the Japanese watchmaker is releasing the Sport Collection Caliber 9R 20th Anniversary Limited Edition SBGC275. An edition of 700 pieces, the 44.5mm titanium watch combines GMT functionality with an equally useful chronograph in a sporty but beautifully finished package. Paired to a matching H-link bracelet with a three-fold clasp, it makes for an excellent traveler’s or everyday watch, though its larger dimensions are certainly better suited for bigger wrists.
What differentiates this GMT-chronograph entry in the brand’s catalog is its special dial: Inspired by the Hotaka mountain range in Japan’s Shinshu region, its striking red-orange hue is meant to represent the sun reflecting off the local landscape at dawn. Never a company to simply apply a layer of colorful paint and call it a day, Grand Seiko utilized a patented process called “Optical Multilayer Coating,” which uses PVD to apply a nanoscale film that changes colors depending upon the viewing angle. Equipped with its shimmering dial and impressive Calibre 9R96 — which offers accuracy to within +/- 10 seconds per month — the SBGC275 is proof positive of Grand Seiko’s artful yet high tech approach to fine watchmaking.
Diameter: 44.5mm Movement: Grand Seiko Caliber 9R96 Spring Drive Power Reserve: 72 hours Price: US$13,400
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Grand Seiko SLGH021 Limited Edition
The wide variety of styles available within the Grand Seiko catalog make it an ideal place to shop for an everyday watch — something robust enough to stand up to the rigors of life’s bangs and scratches, but elegant enough to make it through a business lunch or an important event. The new SLGH021 is just such a timepiece: With its 40mm case in Ever-Brilliant Stainless Steel — a highly corrosion-resistant alloy — it’s well poised to survive day-to-day wear. But set within its smooth bezel is a mesmerizingly beautiful dial in a vivid blue-green. Inspired by the Genbi Valley in Iwate Prefecture, it uses an incredible “molded” pattern that deserves to be studied up close.
Meanwhile, within the watch is Grand Seiko’s Calibre 9SA5, an automatic hi-beat caliber that brings together numerous Grand Seiko technologies: Boasting twin barrels, 47 jewels, and the brand’s Dual-Impulse Escapement, it offers 80 hours of power reserve despite an unusually high beat-rate of 36,000 vph. Excellent movement, special stainless steel formula, and beautiful dial aside, the SLGH021, like many Grand Seiko models, makes use of the Zaratsu polishing, which lends everything from the case to the handset a delicate balance of brushed and mirror polished surfaces, much like a samurai’s blade. Limited to 1,000 pieces, this is one release you’ll want to nab fast.
Diameter: 40mm Movement: Grand Seiko Caliber 9RA5 automatic Power Reserve: 80 hours Price: US$10,400
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Grand Seiko SBGW314
Sometimes a faithful recreation of a beloved vintage model really is all you need. Grand Seiko’s new SBGW314 is a contemporary 18K rose gold take on the brand’s very first watch from 1960. Measuring 38 mm wide, it features a navy blue “starry night” dial with applied, rose gold indices and the brand’s famously sharp feuille handset. The manually-wound Caliber 9S64 movement keeps the vintage theme alive but offers modern features like three days of power reserve and +5/-3 seconds per day precision. Water resistant to 30 m, the package is finished with a box-shaped sapphire crystal and two straps: a blue crocodile leather model and an additional brown model, both of which feature three-fold clasps.
There’s something about a sub-40mm dress watch in precious metals — particularly a hand-wound one — that never goes out of style. The SBGW314, for those who are lucky enough to nab one of this limited edition of 50 pieces, are sure to end up with a true “forever watch.”
Diameter: 38 mm Movement: Grand Seiko Caliber 9S64 hand-wound Power Reserve: 72 hours Price: US$26,500
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Grand Seiko SBGD215
If you like your watch to really knock peoples’ socks off but you also value a horologically impressive movement, then the SBDG215 is the watch for you. (As long as you have $300K to burn on a watch — if you don’t, this is actually not the watch for you. Feel free to window-shop, however.) Housed in a 950 platinum case with sweepingly wide facets, it features an array of baguette-cut sapphires and diamonds set into the case, bezel, and dial. Meant to evoke the most noble of beats sitting atop a snowy mountain, it certainly has the capacity to completely knock your socks off.
Comprising 293 precious stones, the blue sapphires and diamonds are arranged in a five-level gradation within the bezel and a three-level gradation on the lugs, making for a shimmering display of hand-crafted artistry. And the insides are no less impressive — Grand Seiko’s Caliber 9R01 is a Spring Drive movement with triple barrels, offering 192 hours of power reserve. Finally, a blue crocodile leather strap with a three-fold clasp completes the picture.
With a width of 44.5 mm and a case depth of 14.4 mm, this is certainly not a conventional dress watch that will easily disappear under a cuff. However, hours upon hours of stunning, handmade craftsmanship have resulted in a timepiece that, should you throw down $300,000 for one, you’ll be sure to want to show off.
Diameter: 44.5mm Movement: Grand Seiko Caliber 9R01 Spring Drive Power Reserve: 192 hours Price: US$300,00
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Grand Seiko SLGW003 and SLGW002
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Grand Seiko was already developing and releasing manually-wound, hi-beat calibers that promised increased precision via higher frequencies. During Watches & Wonders, the brand is releasing two new references housing the first new Grand Seiko hand-wound, hi-beat movement in over 50 years. Part of the Caliber 9S family that launched in 2020, the 9SA4 beats 10 times per second while offering a power reserve of 80 hours via a Dual Impulse Escapement and twin barrels. Tested in six positions at three temperatures over 17 days, this is a true modern expression of a classic movement type beloved by collectors for the satisfying interaction between watch and wearer.
Available in a dress watch format based upon the 44GS of 1967, the new Caliber 9SA4 is housed in a 38.6mm titanium or 18K rose gold case boasting a sapphire box crystal, a sapphire caseback, 30 m of water resistance, and a thickness of just 9.95 mm. Both expressions come paired to a crocodile strap with a three-fold clasp featuing a push-button release system, and both feature a white birch tree-inspired dial. Limited to 80 pieces, the gold version carries a price of $45,000, while the titanium iteration will set you back $10,700.
Diameter: 38.6 mm Movement: Grand Seiko Caliber 9SA4 hand-wound Power Reserve: 80 hours Price: US$45,000 (SLGW002); $10,700 (SLGW003)
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Hermès Arceau Chorus Stellarum
Inspired by the Chorus Stellarum silk scarf designed by the Japanese illustrator Daiske Nomura, the new artistic edition of the round-cased Arceau is a cosmic equestrian scene come to life—literally. A pusher at 9 o’clock activates an animation in which the skeleton horse and rider—embodied in mobile yellow gold appliques, engraved and painted by hand—prance around the champlevé enamel dial whose colorful lacquer-coated motifs are adorned with applied rhodium-plated stars. Reminiscent of the automata that captivated royality of the European Enlightenment, the Chorus Stellarum is sure to captivate all who see it in action.
Available in masculine and feminine versions (the one featuring a horsewoman has a case encircled by diamonds), each comes in a numbered limited edition of six.
Case Size: 41 mm Case Material: 18k white gold Power Reserve: 50 hours Straps: Matt abyss blue and matte gray alligator straps Price: White gold case and blue strap, $155,200; diamond-set white gold case and gray strap, US$160,700
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Hermès Duc Attelé
Hermès’s new hand-wound grand complication is a world first that combines a central triple-axis tourbillon and “tuning-fork” minute repeater with a high-frequency Manufacture Hermès H1926 movement. Arguably even more impressive is the unique design of the timepiece, which takes its name, Duc Attelé, from the maison’s defining image: a canopy-top four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses, itself inspired by a drawing by 19th century French animal painter and master of equestrian art Alfred Dreux.
At the center of the dial, beneath a sapphire dome, whirls a triple-axis tourbillon inside a triple mirror-polished titanium carriage. With three separate axes and rotation speeds (completing one full turn in 300, 60 and 25 seconds), the tourbillon operates within a curved, eccentric hour-circle.
Various aesthetic details celebrate the maison’s equestrian heritage, including the Arabic numerals of the hours-minutes display, which are inclined to evoke a galloping horse, and, at 6 o’clock, minute repeater hammers sculpted in the shape of horses.
To hear the chime of the hours, quarters and minutes, simply engage the dedicated slide on the side of the case. Once you do, hammers will strike the elongated U-shaped branches of the steel gong visible around the edge of the dial, a “tuning fork” structure designed to ensure optimal resonance.
Case Size: 43 mm Case Material: Titanium Power Reserve: 48 hours Strap: Matt anthracite leather strap Price: US$401,400
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Hermès Cut
With a case made up of “a circle within a round shape” and a crown positioned at 1 o’clock, the new Hermès Cut collection offers a playful commentary on silhouettes. Featuring concentric, and slightly irregular, shapes as a nod to sculpture and hewn marble, the model boasts subtle details, such as a bevel-cut bezel framing an opaline, silver-toned dial. These details punctuate the Cut’s minimalist design.
Available in steel or an elegant two-tone combination of steel and rose gold—with or without diamonds—the Cut is equipped with an in-house H1912 self-winding mechanical movement visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.
Alternating finishes on the integrated metal bracelet echo the case design. The watch also comes with an interchangeable rubber strap available in a range of eight colors drawn from the Hermès palette: white, orange, gris perle, gris étain, glycine, vert criquet, bleu jean and capucine.
Case Size: 36 mm Case Material: Steel, steel and 18 rose gold, with or without diamonds Power Reserve: 50 hours Straps: Integrated bracelets in satin-brushed and polished steel, and in satin-brushed and polished steel and rose gold, with interchangeable rubber straps in eight colors Price: From US$6,725 to $21,900
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Hublot Square Big Bang Unico
In 2022, Hublot introduced the first square Big Bang. The collection marked the first new case design we had seen within the Big Bang family of watches since the tonneau-shaped model released more than a decade prior. The inaugural square collection consisted of five models in an array of materials from ceramic to titanium and King Gold. Now, two years later, we get two new versions of the Square Bang Unico in Magic Gold. The new models retain much of the original design with a square case, a bezel punctuated with the six signature Big Bang screws, and a skeletonized dial. Of course, the major update comes in the form of a new material prominently featured on the bezel of both models: Hublot’s patented Magic Gold, the first and only 18-karat gold alloy in the world to claim complete scratch resistance.
Case Size: 42 mm Case Material: Polished 18-karat Magic Gold or microblasted and polished black ceramic Movement: Unico 2 self-winding chronograph flyback movement with column wheel Power Reserve: 72-hours Straps: Black structured rubber strap or black ceramic bracelet Price: Full Magic Gold, US$42,700; Ceramic Magic Gold, $31,800
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Big Bang Unico Ceramic 42 mm
Though there’s some debate about which firm created the first ceramic watch, the material didn’t begin growing in popularity in watchmaking until the new millennium. Hublot has long been at the forefront of experimentation with cutting-edge materials, so it comes as no surprise that ceramic quickly became a part of the brand’s repertoire in collections like its beloved Big Bang. In early iterations, we saw classic black and white color schemes, but over the years Hublot has grown bold with its use of color. We’ve seen blue, gray, red, yellow, and now orange and green.
Developing new ceramic colors in watchmaking is no small feat. The chemical recipe and firing temperature must be exact to achieve a particular color. The new orange and green hues are the result of much research and development. Offering a 42 mm build and housing Hublot’s latest generation automatic flyback chronograph movement with column wheel actuator, the new Big Bang is a modern marvel.
Case Size: 42mm Case Material: Ceramic Movement: MHUB1280 UNICO 2 Manufacture Self-Winding Chronograph Flyback with Column Wheel and Calendar Display at 3:00 Power Reserve: 72-hours Straps: Black and orange or black and green structured lined rubber straps Price: Green, $24,100; Orange, $29,600
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Hublot Big Bang E Gen 3
Hublot was the first watch brand to team up with the sport of football (soccer for those in the US) back in 2006. Since then, its work has taken many forms as the official timekeeper of major competitions and the official watch of prestigious clubs. Then, in 2018, the brand notched another first by developing a special connected edition of its Big Bang E optimized specifically for referees to use on the field. As an extension, Hublot also created a version of the Big Bang E for fans that provides play by play updates on the action, and it can be customized with their team’s colors. This summer, the final phase of the UEFA European Football Championship will take place in Germany. In celebration, Hublot has unveiled a new generation of its Big Bang E Gen 3. The brand first debuted the model in 2022 in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This updated version will allow its wearer to follow the final phase of the next UEFA 2024 European Championship in real time as 24 teams battle for the win, including France led by Hublot ambassador Kylian Mbappé.
Case Size: 44mm Case Material: Satin-finished and Polished Titanium Movement: Model Qualcomm ® Snapdragon Wear™ 4100+RAM 1GB / 8GB Flash (ePoP) Straps: Black and Sky-Blue Lined Rubber Straps with additional Black and Red, Black and Yellow, or Black and Green Lined Rubber Straps available Price: US$6,500
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IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar
Perpetual? So yesterday! The future – when it comes to mechanical complications which accommodate the quirks of the Gregorian calendar – is eternal. Or so one might have concluded, listening to IWC (and, via a pre-recorded video, British celebrity physicist Brian Cox) present the hero piece of their new novelties, at a pre-Watches & Wonders reveal event in Zurich back in March (which Robb Report attended).
Perpetual calendar watches adjust for leap years every fourth February. The Portugieser Eternal Calendar piece before you, thanks to a newly engineered 400-years gear, accurately takes leap-year exception rules into account and skips three leap years over four centuries (in the years 2100, 2300 and 2400). And if that doesn’t offer a new definition of the phrase “built to last”, how about this: the moon phase display here, thanks to a specially engineered reduction gear, will only deviate from the lunar orbit by one day every 45 million years.
The platinum case, white lacquer dial, rhodium-plated hands and appliques, and black alligator leather strap make for an unfussy yet imperious aesthetic. But it’s this piece’s cred as a feat of micro-engineering – the two-micrometer precision achieved “thanks to semiconductors and computer chips” – that enthuses IWC CEO Christoph Grainger-Herr, when he chats with Robb Report in his Schaffhausen office the day after the reveal.
That, and the watch’s broader philosophical implications: “There’s this really poetic sublevel to it, one that speaks to us as humans: I have something on my wrist, a personal object, that will outlast me,” he says. “It will tick for many more years than my heart will. I can pass it on. It’s a time capsule – something you’d send to another planet to show what humans can do.”
Case Size: 44.4 mm Movement: IWC-manufactured calibre 52640 Power Reserve: Seven Days Price: Upon request
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IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44
For all their dabbling with the eternal, IWC were never going to neglect a complication first patented in wristwatch form by Patek Philippe in 1889 (IWC’s own in-house iteration, consisting of less than 100 arranged parts, was developed in the 1980s by former head watchmaker Kurt Klaus). The four new versions here – two in 18-carat white gold with Horizon Blue and Dune dials, two in 18-carat Armor Gold with Obsidian or Silver Moon dial – have a renewed aesthetic thanks to refined case construction, a slender case ring, and the use of double box-glass sapphire crystals.
Finished with 15 layers of transparent lacquer and polished to a high gloss, the dials emanate tremendous visual depth (more on which below). All new models are powered by the IWC-manufactured caliber 52616 with a Pellaton winding system, and each packs a power reserve of seven days. The provision of an additional century slider – IWC will happily fit it for whomever owns the watch in 2099, meaning it will then display years up to 2499 – is a proud wink to the pieces’ inherent heirloom factor.
Case Size: 42.4 mm Movement: IWC-manufactured hand-wound calibre 81925 Power Reserve: 84 Hours Price: US$46,500 armour gold, $47,500 white gold
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IWC Portugieser Hand Wound Tourbillon Day & Night
An anachronistic indulgence modern Tourbillons may well be, but the aesthetics of this new addition to the Portugieser canon could not be more contemporary, thanks to how an 18-carat Armor Gold case interacts visually with an Obsidian lacquered dial, gold-plated hands and gold appliques.
The flying minute tourbillon itself consists of 56 parts and weighs only 0.675 grams (roughly two corn kernels, in case you were wondering). The globe-shaped day and night indicator at 9 o’clock is visible both from the dial and the movement sides of the watch, while the movement’s gold-plated works can be observed through the sapphire case back.
Case Size: 42.4 mm Movement: IWC-manufactured hand-wound calibre 81925 Power Reserve: 84 hours Price: US$79,300
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IWC Portugieser Chronograph
A huge amount of R&D has gone into the dial colors in all the new Portugiesers unveiled (Horizon Blue, Obsidian, and Dune, to capture the atmospheres of different times of day and night, in the case of the Chronograph), according to Grainger-Herr. “Dial color is one of the most subjective and difficult sciences out there,” he tells Robb Report.
“Colors are polarizing; colors are tricky; colors are inconsistently perceived. So with the Portugieser we’ve really taken a look at potential longevity and timelessness very carefully, just playing with layers, depth, contrast, subtlety. The difference a champagne color dial what now is ‘Dune’: it’s a huge process. But in the end, it just pops at you. Same with obsidian – I could show you 10 black prototypes on the route to get to this.”
With these three new Chronographs, the beguiling results of all this chromatic experimentation are complemented by a vertical sub-dial arrangement, and an inner flange printed with a quarter-second scale which facilitates high-precision stop-time readings. The Horizon Blue dial version’s blue leather strap is a neat aesthetic sub-plot.
Case Size: 41 mm Movement: IWC-manufactured automatic calibre 69355 Power Reserve: 46 Hours Price: US$8400 steel, $19,200 gold
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IWC Portugieser Automatic 42 & 40
The new additions to the Portugieser Automatic 42 and 40 lines – which have a re-engineered case construction and a more slender side profile – are, IWC CEO Grainger-Herr says, a perfect example of designers nailing the “evolution not revolution” approach: a philosophy whereby the horological world ensures a steady, consistent trickle of surprise factor.
“I can see immediately it’s a Portugieser Automatic 42,” he says, “But then you put it right next to its predecessor and look at the case, the lugs, the geometry, the dial print, the graphics, the color scheme, the boldness, the elegance and it’s so different. Side by side, every element has changed. That’s a real skill, from a design perspective. It’s much easier to make a completely different watch.”
Both the ’42 and its slightly smaller sibling have even wider sapphire crystals on the back, showcasing in-house movements with Pellaton winding systems featuring ceramic components.
Case Size: 42.4 mm/40.4mm Movements: IWC-manufactured calibres 52000/82000 Power Reserve: Seven days/60 hours Price: 40 – US$19,500 in white gold, $18,500 in yellow gold; 42 – $13,500 steel, $14,500 steel on bracelet, $26,700 in yellow gold
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometer Chronograph Moon
The Duometre Chronograph Moon combines two contrasting complications – a speed-tracking chronograph with 1/6-of-a-second readings, plus the slow march of a 29.53-day moon cycle. Jaeger developed a new movement for the piece, caliber 391, and you can see some of it through the partially openworked dial at 5 and 7 o’clock. Jaeger-LeCoultre claims these openings are not just for aesthetic effect, but also make it easier for the watchmakers to assemble the movement. Dual barrels are wound by a single crown: forwards for the mainspring that provides power for the timekeeping function and backwards for the second mainspring that powers the complications. This timepiece is offered in platinum with a copper-colored dial and in pink gold with a silver dial.
Case Size: 42.5 mm x 14.2 mm Case Material: Pink gold; Platinum Power Reserve: 50 hours Straps: Alligator with small scale alligator lining Price: Pink gold, US$70,000 and Platinum, $86,000
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Quantieme Lunaire in Stainless Steel
The Duometre Quantieme Lunaire was introduced in 2007 when the Duometre system debuted. But this is the first time it, or any other Duometre complication, has been offered in stainless steel. Combined with a monotone blue dial that is not, like its predecessor, openworked at 5 and 7 o’clock, this watch casts very different vibe than the original 18k gold model. The steel/blue Quantieme Lunaire sportier, but remains clean and classic, despite conveying a lot of information: two power reserve indicators for each barrel, a fast-moving foudroyante seconds subdial that tracks 1/6 of a second, as well as the hours, minutes, seconds, date and moon phase. A complication like this cased in steel is a collector’s dream, and although it is not a limited edition, demand will be high and quantities likely scarce.
Case Size: 42.5 mm x 13.05 mm Case Material: Steel Power Reserve: 50 hours Straps: Alligator with small scale alligator lining Price: US$44,300
The Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual unites Jaeger-LeCoultre’s groundbreaking work in multi-axis tourbillons with the Duometre concept. A triple-axis tourbillon consumes a lot of power, so pairing it with the Duometre’s double power source concept makes perfect horological sense. The tourbillon in the new caliber 388 sets three concentric rotating cages into a dazzling display of watchmaking’s oldest attempt to defy gravity. The first cage is set at a 90-degree angle to the balance wheel, the second at 90 degrees to the first cage, and the third is at 90 degrees to the second cage. The first two cages rotate together every 30 seconds, and the third every 60 seconds. The tourbillon is built with 163 components and weighs 0.7 grams, which tells you three things: the components are very small, tolerances are incredibly tight, and, because the cages are titanium, it’s especially resistant to gravitational forces. For good measure, the caliber 388 also incorporates a perpetual calendar with a large date display, and it still maintains a 50-hour power reserve for both barrels. The caseback puts on a show of its own with sunrayed Geneva stripes (a.k.a. Côtes de Genève soleillées) radiating seamlessly across the entire expanse of the adjacent bridges.
Case Size: 44 mm x 14.7 mm Case Material: Pink Gold Power Reserve: 50 hours Straps: Alligator with small scale alligator lining Prices: US$438,000
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Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon
There are brands — Bvlgari comes to mind — that are wildly adept at taking a classical complication and reimagining it for a modern audience by totally revamping its architecture and aesthetic. Then there are brands that simply reissue vintage references in a nearly one-for-one manner. Laurent Ferrier arguably takes the most difficult route: The ex-technical director for Patek Philippe, sometimes-race car driver (he finished 3rd in Le Mans in 1979, just behind Paul Newman) and first-rate watchmaker designs watches that would be intimately familiar to someone time traveling to 2024 from 1954, but that include just enough modern spin to render them utterly fresh. This is not easy to do.
To wit, witness the new Classic Moon. Housed in a 40mm stainless steel or 18K red gold case, it combines an annual calendar with a moon phase complication while adding thoughtful, contemporary touches: Gently curving lugs; a fluted, pebble-like crown; a recessed frame housing the day and month windows; and elongated Roman numerals that mimic batons. This is to say nothing of the moon phase itself: positioned above 6 o’clock, it makes use of aventurine glass, engraved Super-LumiNova, and translucent enamel. Indeed, if there is a more elegant annual calendar/moon phase on the market today — one that isn’t simply a one-for-one copy of some vintage watch — then we certainly haven’t seen it.
Montblanc’s watchmaking artistry is on full display in the new 1858 Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph, but rather than featuring a skeletonized movement, the watch’s new monopusher chronograph Calibre MB M17.26 has been flipped so the display appears on the dial side. That’s not the only detail designed to appeal to devotees of mechanical watchmaking. Five apertures appear in the case band of the new limited edition, allowing light to flood into the hand-finished manually wound movement’s 291 components.
A product of Montblanc’s historic Minerva workshop in Villeret, Switzerland, the timepiece is adorned with the distinctive Minerva arrow and the watchmaker’s signature “V”-shaped bridge. The arrow is a tribute to the Roman Goddess Minerva with her arrow-tipped staff, and the “V” suggests a view of the mountains as seen from Villeret.
Case Size: 43 mm Case Material: Stainless steel Power Reserve: 50 hours Strap: Blue interchangeable sfumato calf leather strap with alligator print Price: US$44,000
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Montblanc Iced Sea 0 Oxy Deep
How deep can the new Iced Sea 0 Oxygen Deep go? The watch is guaranteed to be water-resistant to approximately 481 bar (about 4,810 meters, or 15,781 feet, the inverse of the height of Mont-Blanc, the mountain for which the brand is named). That’s another way of saying the model is designed for serious explorers of the deep. This overbuilt diver belongs to the maison’s “Zero Oxygen” series, referring to timepieces whose cases have been engineered to ensure the absence of oxygen, thereby eliminating fogging and oxidization under extreme pressure and at extreme temperatures.
The watch’s design amplifies its adventurous message: The blue dial matches the tone of ice found in the ocean, while the caseback features a 3D engraving created in a three-dimensional blue-green relief depicting a view of the sea beneath the ice.
Case Size: 43 mm Case Material: Titanium Power Reserve: 120 hours Strap: Interchangeable black rubber strap Price: US$9,100
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Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date Bronze
In 2022, Montblanc introduced a range of watches called Iced Sea, featuring dials created by a special technique designed to mimic the glacial ice on the Mont-Blanc massif. The collection expands this year with the introduction of a new bronze-toned edition encased in cupro aluminum, a special alloy of aluminum and copper that’s highly resistant to corrosion and rust yet will still obtain a patina over time.
In addition to its new bi-color unidirectional anodized aluminum bezel, the edition boasts a new Montblanc Iced Sea logo inspired by a vintage Minerva export seal, and a 3D engraving of a scuba diver on the bronze-coated titanium caseback.
Case Size: 41 mm Case Material: Cupro aluminum with a bronze tone Power Reserve: 38 hours Strap: Black interchangeable rubber strap with brown outline Price: US$3,915
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Moser Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton 40 mm
It is perhaps odd to begin by noting the bracelet on this mechanically piece of high horology, but the bracelet on Moser’s Streamliner is among the very best in the world. It is reptilian yet elegant, brushed yet with mirror polished bevels that shimmer between links, cuff-like in appearance yet sensually comfortable. After all, if a steel integrated bracelet watch costing $86,900 doesn’t offer an exceptional bracelet, well…you get the point.
Despite the dazzling bracelet, it is the skeletonized works that so obviously steals the show here. The caliber HMC 814 uses a bi-directional winding pawl; pawls are clever spring-loaded wedges that latch onto gears in one direction and collapse in the other direction. The flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock rotates once per minute and incorporates an in-house dual hairspring (Moser uniquely makes its own hairsprings). Moser claims the dual hairspring helps to counteract the effects of gravity – which was the original intention of the tourbillon hundreds of years ago – so one migh think of this as an improvement on an improvement. Remarkably, all of this mechanical ingenuity is accomplished with just 167 components. This creates a spacious movement in which the gear train cascades from 2 o’clock down toward 7 o’clock in an arc traced by the curvaceous black skeletonized plates. Gold accents provide a perfect dose of warmth and elegance.
Case size: 40 mm Case material: Stainless steel Water resistance: 200 meters Bracelet: Stainless steel Movement: HMC 814 self-winding skeletonised tourbillon
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Panerai Sumbersible Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition
If Abraham-Louis Breguet, inventor of the tourbillon, were to get a load of this watch, the poor guy would probably have a heart attack. The Submersible Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition is a tourbillon-equipped diver, constructed from black Carbotech, water resistant to 300m, and the purchase includes a trip to Barcelona to hang behind-the-scenes at the America’s Cup. (To be fair, at $176,500, the thing should pretty much do my taxes for me, too.) This is not exactly the intended use case for Breguet’s original tourbillon, but that’s what makes this watch so darn cool.
The Submersible collection is where Panerai, a brand whose original remit included making equipment for Italy’s naval forces, parks its modern dive watches. (The Luminor and Radiomir lines, while beautiful, are better suited to everyday wear than modern diving.) This particular Submersible packs quite a wallop: Measuring 45 mm in diameter, it features an incredible, hand-wound movement with not only a 30-minute tourbillon, but also a second time zone, a day/night indicator and a power reserve indicator. Marry all that functionality to a futuristic black/red/white colors scheme, an advanced case material based on carbon fiber, and an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience in Barcelona, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a dive watch.
If you like the idea of proudly sporting Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli colors but want something more complicated than a standard diver and less involved than a tourbillon-equipped watch, then the Submersible GMT Luna Rossa Titanio is just the ticket. Made from titanium and measuring 42mm, this model is smaller and more wearable than its cousins, but it still offers a useful GMT function — perfect for the traveler on the go or parked at a seaside resort.
Equipped with a sun-brushed blue dial, it’s illuminated with Super-LumiNova X2, a new grade of the luminescent material that glows 10 times brighter than previous grades. Powered by the automatic Panerai P.900 movement and paired to a rubber and textile composited strap in red and blue, this is an excellent looking, sporty release that’s sure to get plenty of wrist time amongst the jet set. This boutique-only release drops in September.
Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa Ti-Ceramitech
In accordance with the norms of today’s watch industry, the new Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa Ti-Ceramitech will likely cause you to forget which watch you walked into the boutique to purchase because its name is so darn long. Let’s break this one down: It’s part of the Submersible line, meaning it’s a hard-wearing dive watch water-resistant to, in this case, 500m. “Quarranta-Quattro” is for 44, its width in mm. (Panerai is an Italian-founded marque, after all.) “Luna Rossa” is for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team, which is set to compete in the America’s Cup in Barcelona later this year. And “Ti-Ceramitech” is for a brand new, high-tech ceramicized titanium that took Panerai seven years to develop and patent.
Unlike the aforementioned Submersible Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition, the Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa Ti-Ceramitech does not contain a tourbillon, a dual-time complication, or a power reserve indicator. However, it does feature a highly legible dial in blue or white with applied, lume-filled indices; a date window at 3 o’clock; running seconds at 9 o’clock; and an oversized, skeletonized sword handset. A Ti-Ceramitech bezel in a unique shade of blue makes tracking bottom time or decompression stops a cinch. (The non-divers, of course, can simply admire its cool color.) Outfitted Panerai’s unique crown protection device and paired to a rubber and textile strap, the Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa Ti-Ceramitech is a beautiful watch for skippers and divers — even if its 18-syllable name may take 10 minutes to pronounce.
The skeletons are out of the closet this year at Watches & Wonders, and Parmigiani’s Tonda PF Skeleton Platinum Blue is among the most expensive and impressive of them all. Made from high-grade platinum 950 and sporting a deep “Milano” blue skeletonized dial, this watch exudes a commanding presence, but without overstating itself. The caliber PF777 is an in-house works with self-winding rotor made from 187 parts and offering 60 hours of power on tap. Add in the 100 meters of water resistance and a sleek 8.3 mm case height, and it’s easy to see how this watch could serve as an ideal high-end, go-everywhere, do-anything timepiece.
Case size: 40 mm x 8.5 mm Case material: platinum Bracelet: platinum 3-link Water resistance: 100 meters Price: US$125,800
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Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Micro-Rotor
Minimalists, this one’s for you. The 2024 edition of the Tonda PF Micro-Rotor, introduced in 2021, lacks a date feature, or any superfluous aesthetic details. “Every element of this timepiece reflects our vision of discreet and timeless refinement,” says CEO Guido Terreni. “From the deliberate absence of visual complications to the meticulous selection of ‘Golden Siena’ dial nuances, each choice is guided by an unwavering commitment to aesthetic purity.”
The watch’s namesake function, the micro-rotor, is a small yet thick oscillating weight in platinum set deeply into the movement. A micro-rotor is very much unlike a classic, large central rotor that sits on top of the works. Appreciated by connoisseurs as a more sophisticated auto-winding construction, the micro-rotor allows for a thinner timepiece — in this case, just 7.8 mm on the wrist.
Case Size: 40 mm Case Material: Polished and satin-finished stainless steel Power Reserve: 48 hours Strap: Polished and satin-finished stainless steel bracelet Price: US$25,300
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Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde & Chronograph
The minimalst Toric series from Parmigiani Fleurier has always embodied a quiet elegance so often missing from other luxury brands’ catalogs. The Petite Seconde in rose gold or platinum is pure class, and the pale green dial against the bright platinum may be one of the most distinctive colorways of this year’s edition of Watches & Wonders. The Toric Chronograph Rattrapante, or split seconds chrono, uses a high-frequency integrated mechanism crafted entirely from 18-carat rose gold, making it the only such movement we are aware of. If rarity and elegance are your thing, look no further.
Case size: Petite Seconde, 40.6 mm; Chronograph 42.5 mm Case material: platinum and rose gold Strap: Alligator leather Movement: Petite Seconde uses the caliber PF789 manually wound; chronograph uses PF361 split seocnds in rose gold Price: Toric Petite Seconde (Platinum – $55,900 USD; Rose Gold – $48,400 USD); Toric Chronograph Rattrapante Rose Gold – $145,200 USD
A tourbillon is a suspended balance-wheel system that rotates in order to distribute the effects of gravity and improve isochronism. So how did Piaget get a tourbillon into a watch that measures exactly 2 mm thick? Once again pushing the boundaries of thinness, Piaget uses a peripheral tourbillon, meaning that a wheel meshes with the edge of the cage in order to rotate it. Requiring 25% more power than a movement without a tourbillon, Piaget has developed a skeletonized ultra-thin mainspring that stores 40 hours of power while still beating at a modern 28,800 vibrations per hour. As if that weren’t enough to pack into this miniscule case, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon also offers up 20 meters of water resistance. Not exactly a dive watch, but incredibly robust for a 2mm tall watch. A deep blue cobalt alloy contrasts with gold accents for a sophisticated yet sporty visage.
Case Size: 41.5 mm x 2 mm Case Material: Cobalt-infused alloy Strap: Kevlar blend fabric weave Power Reserve: 40 hours Price: On request
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Piaget Polo 36 and 42 mm on Rubber Straps
Piaget is celebrating not only its 150th anniversary but also the 45th anniversary of the flagship Polo collection. Festivities began earlier this year with the launch of the weighty, all-gold Polo 79 – with an equally weighty price tag ($73,000). Now Piaget is following up with a duo of Polo Date watches that are more accessible in terms of price, though limited to only 300 pieces each. One is a 42 mm model with a brown strap, and the other is a 36 mm version on a beige rubber strap with a bezel containing 91 brilliant-cut diamonds. Piaget doesn’t specify the gender of the 36 mm piece and is in fact careful to imply its gender-neutrality: “The most precious model can be worn by both women and men, with this versatility being standard practice in the world today.” But the brand also notes that the duo of Polos pays homage to the idea of “his and her” watches, popular in the early ’80s. Yves Piaget, great-grandson of the founder, was fond of the his-&-hers concept and applied it to the Piaget Polo. On both models, rose gold-colored hands brighten the steel case, with the second hand’s counter weight bearing the inscription “150.” This is the first time the 36mm model wears a rubber strap. These watches are available only at Piaget boutiques.
Case Size: 36 mm and 42 mm Case Material: Steel Power Reserve: 40 hours for the 36 mm and 50 hours for the 42 mm Strap: Rubber Price: On request
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TAG Heuer Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph
The legacy of TAG Heuer’s split-seconds chrono dates back over a century. Since the early 1900s, the brand has proven itself as a premier developer of stopwatches and dashboard timers for prestigious institutions like the Olympic Games and Ferrari. Alongside these technical developments, Heuer was responsible for creating one of the most instantly recognizable square watch designs: the Monaco. The year 2024 marks the monumental 55th anniversary of the Monaco, and in celebration TAG has unveiled a watch that’s emblematic of its technical prowess and aesthetic codes. Here, we have the iconic square design rendered in lightweight grade 5 titanium weighing just 85 grams in red and blue colorways. In addition, the new Monaco Split-Seconds Chronograph houses a brand new movement: the TH81-00 mechanical split-seconds chronograph caliber.
Case Size: 41mm Case Material: Red – black DLC fine brushed, sandblasted and polished titanium; blue – fine brushed, sandblasted and polished titanium Movement: TH81-00 mechanical split-seconds chronograph Power Reserve: 65 hours (chrono off) / 55 hours (chrono on) Straps: Hand-stitched calfskin strap embossed with a fabric pattern Price: US$183,000
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TAG Heuer Skipper in Rose Gold
One of the most exciting releases of 2023 was the return of the legendary Skipper to TAG Heuer’s catalog. The original debuted in 1968, drawing inspiration from chronographs provided by Heuer for a team competing in the 1967 America’s Cup. The Reference 7754 notably combined a sea-blue dial with two sharply contrasting sub-dials—a 12-hour counter in ‘Intrepid Teal’ and a 15-minute regatta counter divided into three, five–minute segments of different colors: Lagoon Green (inspired by Intrepid’s rigging); Intrepid Teal (the color of her deck) and, for the final five-minute ‘get ready’ sector, Regatta Orange—orange originally being adopted by the sailors because it contrasts with the sea. The Skipper disappeared from Heuer’s lineup in 1983 just ahead of Heuer’s acquisition by Techniques d’Avant Garde (TAG). In 2017, Hodinkee issued a limited edition interpretation to great acclaim. Noting that success, in 2023 TAG Heuer reprised the Skipper in the new Carrera Glassbox design. A year later, we get the Glassbox version in rose gold. Ahoy!
Case Size: 39mm Case Material: 18-karat 5N rose gold Movement: Heuer 02 (Ref. TH20-06) in-house caliber Power Reserve: 80 hours Straps: Blue fabric strap Price: US$23,280
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TAG Heuer SN Chronograph
In 2023, the beloved Carrera notched its 60th anniversary, perpetuating decades of TAG Heuer’s noted expertise in chronograph development. The Carrera was the brainchild of the legendary Jack Heuer. Inspired by the famous border-to-border race called the Carrera Panamericana and first launched in 1963, the Carrera has seen many significant iterations over the years. The 7754 SN from the late 1960s served as the inspiration for this new Carrera Chronograph. The 7753 SN—standing for silver and noir—notably featured a panda design with a silver dial and black registers. In addition, the reference was marked by improvements in legibility, from the design of the hour markers and hands to the addition of double stops at 12 so it was clear when the chronograph was zeroed. For the modern interpretation, TAG has adapted these principles into its innovative Glassbox construction, which imitates a vintage crystal but feels entirely modern, too. Notably, this watch includes a stainless steel bracelet for the first time.
Case Size: 39mm Case Material: Stainless steel Movement: In-house chronograph movement Heuer 02 (Ref. TH20-00) Power Reserve: 80-hours Straps: Stainless steel 3-row bracelet Price: US$7,200
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TAG Heuer Carrera Date 36mm
We know the Carrera as a sport watch. Yet, more and more, the lines are blurring within the category, and new Carreras are towing the line between retaining their sporty roots and upping the ante on elegance with gems and precious metals. TAG Heuer shows us its approach to this more modernized sport watch with three iterations of the Carrera that bring a sophisticated edge to the collection. The new 36 mm Carrera Date offers highly accessible sizing, reprising the proportions of the original model from 1963. It’s available in both two-tone and stainless steel versions. For the two-tone versions, we get a combination of stainless steel and rose gold with the option of a mother of pearl dial and diamond-set bezel and indices or a salmon-adjacent copper dial that echoes the warm hue of the rose gold. The classic steel variant also gets a mother of pearl dial as well as a diamond-set flange and rose gold hands and indices.
Case Size: 36mm
Case Material: Stainless steel or two-tone steel and 5N rose gold
Movement: Automatic caliber 7
Power Reserve: 56-hours
Straps: Stainless steel or two-tone steel and 5N rose gold bracelet
Price: Stainless steel, $5,200; two-tone with copper dial, $5,375; two-tone with mother of pearl dial and diamonds, $7,480
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Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad
The Freak, released in 2001, was a watch ahead of its time. Doing away with a conventional dial, hands, and crown, The Freak instead proposed a new system built around a one-hour, orbiting carousel containing parts of the automatic movement — a movement that, in a watch-industry first, featured a silicon escapement. Now, Ulysse Nardin is continuing the Freak’s history of innovation with the Freak S Nomad, a sand-colored riff on the famously futuristic watch. Within the 45mm titanium and carbon fiber case sits a dial showing off its unique complication. A diamond guilloché decoration adorns the rotating hour disc, which has received a sand-colored OVT coating. This decoration is painstakingly applied by hand using an 18th-century rose engine over the course of three hours without break, and without the use of electronics or computers. As a result, each of the 99 limited-edition watches is unique.
Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Chronograph Tourbillon Collection Excellence Platine
Platinum Excellence is a capsule collection, produced occasionally and only in limited editions, always in platinum, including the dial, crown, pushers and buckle. Even the stitches of the leather strap are a mix of silk and platinum. The platinum version of the Chrono Tourbillon, which was first unveiled in 2020 with a movement launched in 2015, is limited to 50 pieces. Vacheron often locates its traditional complications in untraditional positions, and on this model the tourbillon is at 12 o’clock, rather than the usual 6 o’clock position. It’s also a monopoussoir chronograph, with a subtle 45-minute totalizer at 3 o’clock. As you would expect with a premium platinum complication limited edition, the movement is meticulously hand finished, with circular graining, Vacheron’s exceptional plate and bridge chamfering, lush Geneva stripes, hand-beveling of both interior and exterior angles, and mirror polish on the upper tourbillon bridge. Each movement requires 11 hours of hand decoration.
Case Size: 42.5 mm x 11.7 mm Case Material: Platinum Power Reserve: 65 hours Strap: Blue alligator with platinum buckle Price: On request
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Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon Titanium
Vacheron, being a classic watchmaker, has made very few titanium-cased watches. The first titanium cases appeared on two limited-edition Overseas Everest watches in 2021 in honor of ambassador Cory Richards, a photographer and mountaineer (he wore a titanium prototype on a 2019 expedition). In 2022, Vacheron applied titanium to the Overseas Tourbillon in a skeletonized version. This year’s offering cases a new Overseas Tourbillon with a closed dial. The watch is made entirely of titanium, including case, bracelet, bezel and crown, which makes the watch lightweight despite the size (42.5 mm x 10.39 mm). The dial is lacquered in the collection’s signature brilliant blue, and it comes with two extra straps – calfskin or rubber – also in blue. The ingenious quick-release system makes swapping bracelets a breeze. For good measure, the white gold hands and hour makers are highlighted in blue Super-LumiNova. The movement, automatic caliber 2160, has an 80-hour power reserve, using a peripheral rotor made of 22k gold, which can be seen through the sapphire caseback. This is a boutique-only piece.
Case Size: 42.5 mm x 10.39 mm Case Material: Grade 5 titanium Power Reserve: 80 hours Strap: Titanium bracelet, blue calfskin, blue rubber Price: On request
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Vacheron Constantin Overseas – Pink Gold, Green Dial
Vacheron Constantin is latching onto the green this year, not just with new olive green straps on its Patrimony collection, but also on the dials of four new models in the Overseas collection. All have lacquered green dials with solid pink gold cases and bracelets. The color combination is a knockout, and a nice change from seeing green dials on only steel or white gold watches. As Vacheron’s style & heritage director Christian Selmoni said in a presentation about the new all-green look, “It could well be that this new color will become as iconic as blue within the collection.” There are three models, one of them in two different sizes: the Chronograph is 42mm; the Dual Time is 41 mm; and the Self-winding with Date comes in a 41 mm men’s model and a 35 mm ladies’ model with a diamond bezel. For added drama, the solid gold bracelet can be removed and replaced with matching green calfskin or rubber straps.
Case Size: Chronograph 42.5 mm; Date 41 mm and 35 mm; Dual Time 41 mm Case Material: Pink gold Power Reserve: Chronograph 52 hours; Dual Time 60 hours; 41 mm Self-winding with Date 60 hours; 35mm Self-winding with Date 40 hours Strap: 18k pink gold with green calfskin and green rubber options Price: On request
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Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Wind
The Patrimony, Vacheron’s flagship dress watch, is shrinking down slightly this year, and collectors with smaller wrists (women) are celebrating. The Patrimony, introduced in 2004, was inspired by Vacheron’s minimalist dress watches of the 1940s and 1950s, and it has always been slim and embellishment-free. The new one is 39 mm, just a millimeter smaller than the next size up, and it is only 7.7 mm thick. It also sports a new dial in sunburst antique silver, and, best of all, two bold new strap colors – azure blue paired with a pink gold case and olive green for the white gold case. These subtle changes transform the Patrimony into one of the best gender neutral watches out there. It’s the perfect size with just the right infusion of color, and the straps are fashion-forward without being strictly feminine. The caseback is closed, as a vintage watch’s would be, and Vacheron leaves it unmarked to make way for personalized engraving.
Case Size: 39 mm x 7.7 mm Case Material: 18k white gold or 18k pink gold Power Reserve: 42 hours Strap: Azure blue or olive green Price: On request
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Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Moon Phase Retrograde Date
Last year, this combination of complications was delivered with a salmon dial, and sold out quickly. Now it bears a more neutral shade, the same new sunburst antique silver that appears on the new time-only Patrimony. It comes on an olive green alligator strap as well, paired with an 18k white gold case. The dial is subtle and minimalist, in the Patrimony tradition, with 18k gold pearl minute markers (48 altogether), slim hands and stretched out hash marks on the lower half of the dial.
Case Size: 42.5 mm x 9.7 mm thick Case Material: 18k white gold Power Reserve: 40 hours Strap: Olive green alligator Price: On request
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Vacheron Constantin Egerie Concept – The Pleats of Time
This concept watch falls into that rare, whimsical watchmaking genre known as “just because.” It combines haute horlogerie with haute couture and haute parfumerie … yes, perfume. In what has to be a “first” in watchmaking, the Egerie Pleats of Time features a strap fitted with specially developed nano-capsules that release a scent, randomly, as the wearer moves. It’s a collaboration between Vacheron, Paris couture fashion designer Yiqing Yin and French perfumer Dominique Ropion. The dial is lilac-colored mother-of-pearl, carved in a pleated shape like a dress skirt. Shards of mother-of-pearl are woven into the strap alongside the perfume capsules. The bezel and subdial ring for the moon phase are set with diamonds. The watch is concept-only, and not for sale.
Case Size: 37 mm x 10.08 mm Case Material: 18k pink gold Power Reserve: 40 hours Strap: Calfskin with silk thread embroidery and inlaid with mother-of-pearl fragments, encapsulated with perfume. Price: Not for sale
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Vacheron Constantin Egerie Moonphase
The Egerie Moon Phase was also designed in collaboration with Yiqing Yin, but this one will actually go into production. It comes with three interchangeable straps in shades developed by the designer: Lilac alligator; night-blue satin-effect calfskin; and powder-pink calfskin. The dial is designed according to a distinctive symmetry: the crown and moon phase align at the one o’clock position, forming a subtle diagonal line that ends with the subdued Vacheron Constantin logo between 7 and 9 o’clock. The index is composed of individually hand-applied fine gold pearls just inside the edge of the pleated mother-of-pearl. The Egerie Moonphase is set with a total of 1.10 carats of diamonds, and limited to 100 pieces.
Case Size: 37 mm x 10.08 mm Case Material: 18k pink gold Power Reserve: 40 hours Strap: Lilac alligator; night-blue satin-effect calfskin; or powder-pink grained calfskin Price: On request
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Zenith Defy Extreme Diver
It’s been argued that Zenith’s octagonal Defy sport watches of 1969 were the real genesis of the celebrated integrated bracelet watch. Indeed, the also-octagonal Audemars Piguet Royal Oak didn’t appear until 1972. Origin stories aside, today’s Defy Extreme Diver is an ultra tough titanium diver with an integrated bracelet, or, if you prefer rubber or fabric straps, you can use the quick-change system to swap them out.
The heritage of the Defy diver may date to 1969, but this watch is up-to-the-minute in every way. Aesthetically, this watch is clearly of the 21st-century, and it achieves its vibe though the use of cutting edge materials. The titanium case is not only lightweight, but also exceptionally resistant to corrosion in salt water. The ceramic timing bezel is virtually scratch-proof, and with 600 meters (that’s a hair below 2000 feet for the imperally-oriented among us), as well as a helium escape valve, it’s hard to imagine what any civilian could do to hurt this watch. But the story deepens when we consider the El Primero caliber 3620 SC auto-winding hi-beat movement with date complication. Beating at 36,000 vph, or 5Hz, while still providing 60 hours of power on a full wind, the machine inside is a real runner.
Case size: 42.5 mm Case material: titanium Movement: El Primero caliber 3620 SC auto-winding with date Bracelet: quick-change integrated system offering titanium 3-link bracelet as well as rubber and fabric options Price: US$11,300
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Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph
Realistically, it was only a matter of time before Zenith outfitted its newer Defy Skyline collection with a chronograph — and, more importantly, its storied high-beat, automatic chronograph movement, the El Primero. Available in three dial colors, the new Defy Skyline Chronograph will debut in a 42 mm stainless steel case with the collection’s well-known octagonal bezel, a matching integrated stainless steel bracelet (with an additional rubber strap included), and 100m of water resistance. A blue, silver, or black sunray dial houses a triple-register chronograph offering elapsed seconds, minutes, and running seconds, while the central seconds hand zooms around the dial every six seconds ready to stop and mark time withing 1/10th of a second. This feat of precision is possible due to the maison’s El Primero Calibre 36000 movement beating at 5 Hz.
With its 4:30 date window, multiple strap options, and hard-wearing, stainless steel construction, the Defy Skyline Chronograph, despite its good looks, is a serious sports/tool watch. With each new expression, Zenith creeps up to the luxury sports watch classics such as the Royal Oak and Nautilus and seems to tap them on the shoulder. Though at $13,400, this is a much more accessible entrée into the category.
Diameter: 41mm Movement: Zenith El Primero Caliber 36000 automatic Power Reserve: 60 hours Price: US$13,400
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Zenith Defy Revival
This fun and funky 37 mm octagonal watch from Zenith harkens straight back to the late 1960s, when Zenith introduced the youthful Defy series. Zenith has been treating us with various iterations of this watch over the past few years, but this may be the most fun the Swiss brand has had yet with the format. Key features here are a rotating timing bezel, boldly legible hands with funky-yet-functional shapes, Zenith’s signature date window at 4:30 and – obviously – the bright orange colorway. Add in the impressive 600 meters of water resistance, the stainless steel bracelet, as well as the in-house Elite caliber 670 auto-winding movement, and this mid-sized retro watch turns out to be a monster of a modern diver in disguise.
Case size: 37 mm Case material: stainless steel Movement: auto-winding in-house mechanical Elite caliber 670 with date Bracelet: 5-link stainless steel with folding clasp Price: US$7700