The Coveted Ones: Our Favourite Watch Releases of 2023
From Jacob & Co’s Blingy Billionaire Timeless Treasure to the pared-back elegance of the Chopard Alpine Eagle XPS, these are the watch releases that continue to have us wondering.
Yes, Watches and Wonders is long past. However, the true mark of a covetable timepiece is its ability to, well, stand the test of time. So, removed from the horological fanfare, lavish penthouse suites, and otherworldly booths of Geneva, these are the most noteworthy watches of 2023.
Rolex Daytona Platinum Ref. 126506
Brown and blue just works. Sorry, it does. And this year, The Crown—beyond what was, arguably, ownership of this year’s Watches and Wonders exhibition—went and delivered a sports model with a display caseback. Yes, an open sapphire caseback. It actually makes complete sense in this 60th anniversary year for Daytona, given that the change means a chance to show off the all-new chronograph movement, the in-house Calibre 4131—a stunning piece of engineering. The “ice blue” Platinum Daytona, or “Platona” as it’s being referred to by some (never us), is a weapon—just look at it in all that 40 mm platinum goodness, a thing of beauty, elegance and craftsmanship.
Audemars Piguet 37mm Royal Oak Selfwinding
Turquoise dials, we don’t need to tell you, have become a phenomenon. Patek Philippe started the aquamarine desire in 2021, when it co-signed a dial with Tiffany & Co. to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the partnership between the two brands (in 1851, the New York jeweller became the first official retailer of the Swiss watchmaker in the United States). Only 170 examples of the Nautilus 5711 1A-018 were made. Jay-Z nabbed one. So did LeBron James, Mark Wahlberg and Leonardo DiCaprio. The first example to be offered at auction sold at Phillips New York in December 2021 for US$6.5 million (approx. $9.7 million). The subsequent aquamarine mania sent prices of Rolex’s turquoise-dial Oyster Perpetual, launched in 2020, soaring. The craze clearly wasn’t lost on Swatch, which chose a peacock-blue dial for its Mission to Uranus MoonSwatch last year. Grand Seiko and Girard-Perregaux have also jumped on the bandwagon. This year, it was the turn of Audemars Piguet, which unveiled a new version of its 37 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding crafted in 18-carat yellow gold and illuminated by a vibrant turquoise dial. Owing to the fact that the dials are made from naturally occurring turquoise gemstones, no two watches will ever be the same.
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Green Ceramic Aston Martin Edition
Collaborations—not something we often gravitate towards. But GP meets Aston in a ceramic green Laureato? That’s not something we can walk past. In fact, the delivery here means we can’t help being rude and staring lustfully—oh boy, is this a piece! It’s the fourth alignment between GP and the British marque—not bad considering they’ve only been entwined for two years. This time, the coming together works in elegance and style, framed by the boldness of the deep Aston Martin green. This is the first Laureato to feature a fully green ceramic case and bracelet—the entire piece made of such, with the exception of the lug connectors and titanium double swing-arm deployment clasp. It’s perfect at 42 mm (know that it’s also available, on trend, at 38 mm) and we applaud the three-hand approach to design in keeping things simple and classic, not often the way with automotive collaborations. Still, it’s the materials and colourways here doing the loud talking. An in-house Girard-Perregaux calibre GP01800-2165 offers 54 hours of power reserve and is visible through the sapphire caseback with Aston Martin logo decal.
H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Tantalum Blue Enamel
You don’t come across tantalum in watchmaking all that often. Reason being, while the element may be extremely hard, resistant to corrosion, and easy to mould, it’s also a complete pig to polish. Most watchmakers that do take on the challenge tend to either sandblast or satin-finish the bluish-grey metal. H. Moser & Cie. chose a more difficult route, taking two years to come up with a way of polishing the material so that it shimmered like darkened steel. Mission accomplished, the watchmaker having paired its new 42 mm case with a beautiful electric-blue fumé enamel dial and an in-house perpetual calendar movement. Doing away with sub-dials and hour indices, Moser lets the watch’s case and dial do the talking. And, we think you’ll agree, the watch has an awful lot to say.
Omega Speedmaster Super Racing
The most talked-about watch of 2022 didn’t fly off the production lines of Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet. No, whether we like it or not, the BIGGEST watch story of last year belonged to Omega and Swatch, which collaborated on a low-cost, quartz version of the former’s Speedmaster—the Bioceramic MoonSwatch. Surfing the hype created by that barnstorming co-op—and you cannot question some of what it achieved—Omega kicked off 2023 with a new “Speedie”. While neon-yellow accents, a cool honeycomb dial, and a yellow-and-black small-seconds hand all catch the eye, when it comes to the Super Racing, it’s what’s inside that counts.
Back in 2015, you may remember, Omega guaranteed that all of its watches would henceforth be accurate to within 0+5 seconds per day. That promise already positioned the brand near the top of the pyramid in terms of precision, with only a handful of watchmakers able to swear to anything close to that level of exactness. Omega has now gone even further. Fine-tuning a hairspring device, the company has come up with something called the Spirate System. Watches equipped with the mechanism, such as the Super Racing, are now guaranteed to an accuracy of 0+2 seconds per day. Significantly, that feat now puts Omega ahead of market rival Rolex, which can only promise precision rates of between -2 and +2 seconds a day. Slackers.
Piaget Polo Date 36mm
This has been available in 36 mm format since 2021, yet had you a preference for the smallest edition of the brand’s cushion-shaped sports watch, you were forced to put up with diamond-set indices or bezels dripping with ice. Not any longer, though. The 36 mm model is now available sans sparklers, with a midnight-blue dial, matching blue leather band and a stainless-steel case. Admire Piaget’s in-house 500P1 calibre doing its thang through an exhibition caseback.
Hublot Classic Fusion
In the beginning there was Carlo Crocco, a scion of the Italian Binda Group, best known for its Breil watches. In 1980, Crocco created a timepiece of his own. Well, sort of. Inspired by the porthole of a ship and featuring a heavy-set bezel with 12 exposed screws, there was no denying that the original “Hublot” (French for “porthole”) borrowed heavily from Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak (Gérald Genta’s octagonal masterpiece had launched eight years earlier). Crocco’s timepiece differentiated itself by pairing an 18-carat yellow-gold case with a strap made of natural rubber—the first time in watchmaking the precious metal had been coupled with the organic compound. In 2020, for Hublot’s 40th anniversary, the brand launched a commemorative collection that channelled Crocco’s original design. Coming in at 45 mm, the watches weren’t exactly what you’d call “wearable”. At the beginning of 2023, Hublot addressed that issue, expanding the line with a range of references in 42 mm, 38 mm and 33 mm formats. The entry-level, three-hander—available in all three sizes—is the winner.
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary
In its 70th anniversary year we cannot move past this first release of 2023—and a line that dives deep when it comes to performance, functionality and appeal. Sure, the more recent Tech Gombessa release proved Blancpain’s ownership of the dive space with a piece capable like no other, but then it’s not for the everyday. Drawing its neat and obvious lines directly from the 1950s original, the Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary is robust, masculine and extremely wearable at the lesser 42 mm. Powered by the Calibre 1315 movement and with a five-day power reserve, the powertrain is seen through the sapphire-crystal back and includes the oscillating weight bearing the “Fifty Fathoms 70th” logo in platinum. Bien joué.
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS
This is a piece that has to be held and be seen to really understand its brilliance and the elevation it brings to the line. Since being introduced in 2019, Alpine Eagle has done very good business for Chopard—and rightly so, given what it offers and does so accessibly. The shape, the screwed bezel, the steel (Chopard’s Lucent Steel A223) all presents as it has before—but again, it’s the dial here that is doing the dancing, the “Monte Rosa Pink” exceptional in the light, its textured pattern capturing and radiating at differing levels depending on what is above. Chopard has also worked on the size—the 41 mm case is ultra-thin at just 8mm. The automatic L.U.C 96.40-L means a 65-hour power reserve, and is decorated with Côtes de Genève on its bridges.
Franck Muller Grand Central Tourbillon Flash
Tonneau case meets the sports field meets Muller daring and some horological wizardry—all further lifted with some poppy new colours that has us from the outset. Sure, some don’t quite know what to make of Muller. But you cannot fault the craftsmanship and the desire to stand apart. It was two years back that the brand showed its mettle with the release of the Grand Central Tourbillon. Not only was it the first tonneau-shaped watch to feature a tourbillon, the position of the complication in the middle of the dial instead of at six o’clock was rather breathtaking. Cut to now and you have the added choice of bold and brilliant colourways—blazing orange, neon green and electric blue. We’ll take the blue—because you may as well go all in—with the brightly coloured indices replacing the numerals on what is a redesigned black dial. It means all eyes on that tourbillon. Housed in the redesigned Curvex CX case, it’s actually fitted to the case middle—allowing supreme visibility, with the sapphire crystal extending all the way to the lugs. Muller has only achieved this feat after perfecting a special technique of fixing the glass at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock, giving the Curvex CX an incredibly curved profile. Bravo.
De Bethune DB28xs Starry Seas
At 38.7 mm, this is a smaller play compared to its collection compatriots—notably the Starry Sky at 43 mm. But this lends the striking newcomer an agility. Still, the pull here sits with that dial—an incredible interpretation of the water (hence the name)—and which boasts a blued titanium with random guilloche pattern, a world first in its creation. Here too the trademarks align—floating lugs, delta-shaped bridge, crown at noon—to deliver a stunning piece of design that does what De Bethune does so well in seamlessly melding classic appeal to a futuristic effort. Superb.
Jacob & Co Billionaire Timeless Treasure
At just shy of $30 million, this remains a coveted piece. We managed some personal time with it in Geneva—and it truly is a marvel of craftsmanship and excess; a piece that pulls you in and demands your attention. And then some. For all that you expect of the high jewellery and horology brand, Jacob & Co’s The Billionaire Timeless Treasure is a museum-grade wonder that further heightens expectations about what they can achieve. Here, 425 yellow diamonds—an incredible 216.89 carats—feature on a yellow-gold case and bracelet, the skeletonised dial framed by 76 emerald-cut and kite-cut tsavorite, with a further 57 natural baguette-cut yellow diamonds set on the tourbillon movement. It’s phenomenal, it’s outlandish, it’s impressive, it’s gauche—and it is, truly, one of the pieces of the year.
Grand Seiko SBGW295
Marking 110 years of Japan’s first wristwatch, the “Urushi” is quite the study in alluring simplicity. Each dial is crafted by the work of master Isshu Tamura, heir to a 380-year tradition. The black layer of the dial is made from a very rare Japanese lacquer called “urushi”, which is extracted from specific tree trunks and deeply linked to Japanese tradition. Applied by hand, it is carefully polished until it reaches its unique mirror-like shine without distortion. The indexes and lettering are also hand-painted in an ancient “taka-maki-e” technique, giving the impression of 3D, with 24-carat gold powder. The SBGW295 has a 38 mm case and is powered by the familiar—and impressive—GS Calibre 9S64.
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Omega Just Unveiled 9 Watches in Its New Constellation Observatory Collection
The line-up shows up a bevy of metals and colours, too, as well as two new calibres.
Omega’s latest watch is in a universe of its own.
The Swiss watchmaker just unveiled its new Constellation Observatory Collection today, the next step in its Constellation lineage and the first two-hand hour and minute timepieces to ever earn Master Chronometer certification. And if you were paying attention to any of the dazzling watches spotted at the Oscars this year, you would’ve caught a glimpse of the new line already: Sinners star Delroy Lindo rocked one of the models on the Academy Awards red carpet, giving us a pre-release preview of the collection.
Developed at Omega’s new Laboratoire de Précision (its chronometer testing lab open to all brands), the collection houses a set of nine 39.4 mm watches. The watches underwent 25 days of scrutiny there, analysed via a new acoustic testing method that recorded every sound emitted from the timepiece to track irregularities, temperature sensitivities, and more in the name of all things precision. (Details such as water resistance and power reserve are also thoroughly examined.) This meticulous process is all in the name of snagging that Master Chronometer label, meaning that the timepiece is highly accurate and surpasses the threshold for ultra-high performance. The Constellation Observatory Collection has now changed the game, though, thanks to its lack of a seconds hand.
“Until now, precision certification has required a seconds hand,” Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of OMEGA, said in a press statement. “The development of a new acoustic testing methodology has made that requirement obsolete. It is this breakthrough that has enabled us to present the Constellation Observatory, the first two-hand watch to achieve Master Chronometer certification.”
In addition to notching its place in history, the collection also debuted a new pair of movements: the Calibre 8915 and the Calibre 8914, each perched on a skeletonised rotor base. The former’s Grand Luxe iteration will appear on the 950 Platinum-Gold model in the collection, which offers up that base in 18-karat Sedna Gold alongside a Constellation medallion in 18-karat white gold with an Observatory dome done in white opal enamel surrounded by stars. The second Calibre 8915, the Luxe, will find its home on the other precious-metal models in the line, either made with the brand’s 18-karat Sedna, Moonshine, or Canopus gold seen across the case, the hand-guilloché dial, and, of course, the movement itself. (Lindo chose to rock the Moonshine Gold on Moonshine Gold iteration, priced at approximately $86,000, for Sinners‘s big night at the Oscars.) As for the Calibre 8914, it can be found in the collection’s four steel models.
Each model is a callback to myriad design features on past Omega models. That two-hand dial, for one, comes from the 1948 Centenary (the brand’s first chronometer-certified automatic wristwatch), while the pie-pan dial (seen in various blue, green, and golden hues throughout the line) and that Constellation medallion caseback both appear on watches from 1952. The star adorning the space above 6 o’clock also harks back to 1950s timepieces from Omega. And to finish off the look, you can opt for alligator straps in a variety of colours, or perhaps a gold iteration to match the precious-metal models; the brick-like pattern on the 18-karat Moonshine bracelet was also inspired by Omega watches from the ’50s.
We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for any other Constellation Observatory timepieces (or any other unreleased models from the brand) at the rest of the star-studded events headed our way this year—perhaps the Met Gala?
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In Search of White Gold
Colorado’s barely known San Juan Mountains do a fine line in bespoke skiing experiences, luring alpine-sports cognoscenti and billionaire thrill-seekers alike.
“Though no one currently on staff is at liberty to say, billionaire actor Tom Cruise is a very average heli-snowboarder. But although no one currently on staff is at liberty to say, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos—the world’s second richest human—makes up for Cruise’s inability with his off-piste prowess. The pair have been clients of Telluride Helitrax, a heli-skiing outfit operating in the backcountry behind Telluride Mountain Resort, in remote south-west Colorado, since 1982. My source, a former guide who prefers to remain anonymous, admits he’s entertained a host of household-name One Percenters over the years.”
“Power billionaires aren’t going to the popular resorts any more,” he reveals over a happy-hour drink at a Telluride bar. “Luxury skiing these days, it’s all about exclusivity. No one with any clout shares snow, and at every resort, no matter how fancy, you have to share the slopes. But nowhere is more exclusive than the backcountry. That’s your billionaire’s playground. And no backcountry is more exclusive than San Juan backcountry.”
Which is precisely why I am here. Australia’s considerable brigade of free-spending, snow-crazed executives may jet off to Vail and Aspen each northern winter for thrills, but it turns out some of the world’s most choicest ski experiences have been right under their noses—only a short helicopter ride, car journey or private jet flight from said resorts.
Packed into the ultra-rugged southern end of the Rocky Mountains, the San Juans are a little chunk of the Swiss Alps in the US—young, ridiculously spectacular formations known for their steep slopes, deep powder snow and Disney-esque triangular peaks, all bathed in 300-plus days of sunshine a year. And the region is augmented by unique, and select, backcountry options that rival anything currently in the upscale ski orbit.
Case in point: North America’s highest skiing setting, Silverton Mountain. Located in the heart of the San Juans, outside the tiny town of Silverton, the 4,111 m peak boasts 736 hectares of chair-accessible terrain set among what is reputedly the deepest, steepest snow in the nation. It also offers a further 10,000 hectares of private terrain, serviced by heli-ski operation Heli Adventures. This is the Shangri-La of skiing: every slope connoisseur has heard of it, though most wonder if it actually exists.
We arrive via the treacherous Million Dollar Highway, where a disturbing lack of guard rails sometimes causes travellers to plummet into the valley floor (the death toll, grimly, averages eight people per year). Silverton Mountain was bought in 2023 by Heli Adventures’ young co-founders Andy Culp and Brock Strasbourger. While private punters can book the hill in its entirety, starting from around $14,000 per day, plus extra for single heli-skiing runs, the destination is also open to the public from Thursdays to Saturdays through winter.
“Silverton is a bastion for the pure ski experience,” Culp says. “All that corporate consolidation that happened when ski resorts all over the world developed condos and real estate and got super-busy… well, it never happened here. You’re able to access Alaska-like terrain from an old rickety chairlift, but you’re an hour’s drive from a pretty major airport [Montrose]. And you can access snow that’s even better than most heli-skiing straight off your lift.”
There’s no radio-frequency lift passes when I arrive. In fact, I don’t get a lift pass at all. A discarded school bus doubles as the “second chairlift”; it picks me up and returns me to a yurt which serves as a restaurant and bar. “There’s a time and a place to hang out at The Little Nell [Aspen’s legendary après-ski bar] and the world doesn’t need more of that,” Culp says. “This is the new luxury. We also run a heli-ski business out of Aspen [Aspen Heli-Skiing] but this is where we come. You can’t put a price tag on what we have here.”
I drive away from the mountain, back along the perilous Million Dollar Highway, park my car and disappear into the San Juan National Forest with guide Kaylee Walden. This white-coated outback between Silverton and Ouray, dubbed “the Switzerland of America”, offers swathes of primo backcountry skiing terrain. The ski touring here is often likened to Europe’s iconic Haute Route—an emblematic trail between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
The operator Mountain Trip offers a Colorado version of that feted circuit, on a multi-day traverse between secluded huts. All in all, there’s nearly 8,000 km² of national forest and 2,500 hectares of wilderness to explore, frequented only by the occasional intrepid enthusiast.
A wood-burning sauna is being prepared as I arrive at Thelma Hut, 4,500 m above sea level. Traditionally, US Forest Service huts were humble affairs, with rudimentary bunks, self-service kitchens, and food supplies brought in by skiers. This evening, however, a chef is preparing local bison across from an open fireplace as the sun sets through a floor-to-ceiling window against a horizon of white mountains. As he works, I walk out into the snow to study the twilight sky; beaming planets shine down on me, necklaces of tiny stars sparkle.
Back down to earth, upon my return to “civilisation”, we take a two-hour car ride to Telluride, probing through the San Juans. The small town is picture-postcard pretty, wedged at the end of a box canyon surrounded by Colorado’s tallest waterfalls, and hosts the highest concentration of 4,000-m-plus peaks in the state. Most of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, including a bank that was robbed in 1889 by the outlaw Butch Cassidy.
While the locale offers everything from luxurious on-mountain dining options to 7-km-long runs, it’s the heli-ski enterprise that’s lured me. Telluride Helitrax holds sole rights to over 500 km² of completely deserted ski terrain, a few minutes’ flying time from town. The company runs a range of Eurocopters which guests can charter into Colorado’s best alpine basins, cirques and couloirs. “The range mightn’t be as expansive as Alaska,” says Telluride Helitrax program director Joseph Shults. “But the views, the terrain, the snow depth and quality is as good.”
I’m staying in a privately owned three-bedroom penthouse apartment, where a helicopter takes off each morning for convenience (when I’m done carving clouds, I move a kilometre up the mountain to the seven-bedroom, three-storey mountain retreat Hood Park Haven, valued at around $42 million). Telluride Helitrax uses an abundance of drop-off locations, all above the tree line, meaning everyone from intermediates to experts can be catered for.
During my three-day odyssey, I don’t cross a single other ski track, but it’s the peace that is most startling. In this pocket of montane paradise, there is, literally, not a single sound—a stark contrast to the whirling fury of the chopper that transports me. My experienced guide Bill Allen won’t reveal who’s come before Robb Report. “You’d know their names,” he says, grinning.
And so the San Juans remain a secret to all but a fortunate few. Of all the luxuries the ultra-wealthy enjoy in the skiing ecosphere, the promise of untouched snow is by far the most enviable. Here in Colorado is where the white gold truly lies.
Photography: Kane Scheidegger (heli-skiing); Patrick Coulie (hut); Courtesy of Colorado Tourism Office (Hood Park Haven).
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
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Best Combustion Supercar: Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider
A modern classic in the making, combining naturally aspirated power with elegant restraint to deliver performance that feels as refined as it is visceral.
In a year when carmakers of all persuasions sheepishly extended hyperbolic electric targets, it’s fitting that the monastic puritans of Maranello—who, lest we forget, won’t finally yield to the sin of battery power until October with the Elettrica—opted to make combustion their major power play.
As an uncertain future of AI omnipresence barrels towards us, the 12Cilindri—an analogue, open-topped tribute to Ferrari’s late-’60s/early-’70s grand tourer, the Daytona—represents a defiant fade into the past, a pause for breath, a fleeting return to The Good Times when nascent technology provoked excitement rather than existential dread.
Guiding this automotive nostalgia trip is, as the nomenclature suggests, a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine, generating an unceasing wave of power as it sears towards the 9,500 rpm redline with relative nonchalance. That’s because the 12Cilindri is not a mouth-foaming attack-dog. It scales performance heights with the refinement of the finest Italian works of art; its “Bumpy Road” mode facilitates comfy al fresco GT cruising, and even the imperious powerplant is mannerly at most speeds.
For all the yesteryear romance, progressive technologies and engineering, such as a world-class 8-speed transmission, advanced electronic aids and independent four-wheel steering, are baked into the deal. The 12Cilindri’s clean, stark design somehow toggles between retro and modern; and while vaguely polarising, one can’t ignore its magnetic road presence.
In terms of aesthetics, Ferrari describes the 12Cilindri as being “ready for space”; in many ways, a fantasy vehicle that transports users to another dimension is probably what the world needs right now.
The Numbers
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Power: 610kW
Torque: 678 Nm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100 km/h: 2.95 seconds
Top speed: 340 km/h
Price: From $886,800
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High and Low
At Le Bernardin, Aldo Sohm oversees one of the most formidable cellars in fine dining. But on the beach, he’ll happily drink a cheap rosé. The world-class sommelier explains why taste—and humility—matter more than price.
Aldo Sohm is one of the most accomplished sommeliers in the world. The 54-year-old Austrian heads up an oenophile’s empire on New York City’s West 51st Street, where he both serves as wine director at Michelin three-star Le Bernardin and leads his namesake wine bar, just across the road from the fine-dining institution. (He spends his time literally running back and forth between the two.) So it may come as a surprise that this man, who sips prized varietals all day, admits to the joys of a glass of Whispering Angel, a ubiquitous rosé that retails at stateside Target stores for US$22.99 (around $30) a bottle.
The context here is important; the aptly named Sohm is quick to clarify that he’s not about to start serving Whispering Angel as one of the pairings with chef Eric Ripert’s US$530 (around $750) eight-course tasting menu. But during a trip to the Caribbean for the Cayman Cookout food festival, Sohm’s wife requested a glass of rosé on the beach. When he went to fetch it, she specified that she wanted a cheap drop, not the fancy stuff that he likely would have grabbed. “I felt kind of gobsmacked, right?”
Sohm says as we’re sitting in the tasting room at Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. “Now, rather than just criticising, I have to admit: I got out of the water, and I tried Whispering Angel, too. It was delicious.”
Unlikely as it may be, this humility is perhaps the key to Sohm’s success. His lack of self-seriousness makes him an anomaly in the oftentimes highfalutin world of fine wine. Rather than shaming you for your preferences, Sohm will indulge your desires. Maybe, as in the case of his wife, you’re going to be right. More likely than not, you’re going to be wrong. He won’t simply tell you that, though; he’ll use his encyclopedic knowledge of wine to subtly steer you in the right direction, allowing you to come to that conclusion on your own. “You just wake up from your dream—and mistake—and realise that, ‘Oh yeah, he’s right,’” says Ripert, who has worked with Sohm for almost two decades.
Sohm intended to move to New York for only 18 months. Growing up in Innsbruck, in the Austrian Alps, he wanted to be a helicopter pilot. Like many childhood fantasies, that didn’t come to fruition, and he settled on something more practical, becoming a teacher at a hospitality school. Having overcorrected—“That was way too boring for me,” he admits—he switched to the more public-facing side of the industry, getting a job as a restaurant server. It was then, when he was about 21, that Sohm fell in love with wine. (Prior to that, he was a self-proclaimed Bacardi and coke guy.)
After studying wine on his own time, he began his formal sommelier education in 1998. He rose quickly through the ranks and was named the best sommelier in Austria in 2002, a title he defended the following two years and reclaimed in 2006. Amid that stretch, he sojourned to New York in 2004 with the goal of improving his English to compete in international competitions. It paid off: four years later, he won the top prize from the World Sommelier Association. But more than the accolades, Sohm had discovered a career. By then, he had joined Le Bernardin after stints at Wallsé, Café Sabarsky and Blaue Gans—all Austrian restaurants in Manhattan.
“Back then we had a very strong French sommelier community, and they controlled everything,” he says. “And it was an uproar because how come an Austrian sommelier came to one of the most French restaurants?” He proved his bona fides, and in 2013 Ripert and Maguy Le Coze, the co-owners of Le Bernardin, approached him with the idea of partnering with them in a wine bar. It was Ripert who suggested putting the connoisseur’s name on it.
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar debuted the following year, with a team that Sohm handpicked. Sarah Thomas was part of that opening crew, after meeting Sohm during a fateful dinner at Le Bernardin with her cousins. When her relatives divulged to him that she was a sommelier in Pittsburgh, he proceeded to serve a blind tasting to Thomas. “He didn’t say what I got right or wrong. He didn’t care about that,” she tells me. “He just wanted to hear me talk about wine, I guess. So I did.”
When he offered her a job at the end of the meal, she laughed. Sohm didn’t. Thomas promptly packed up and moved to New York. After she spent about nine months at the wine bar, Sohm promoted her to Le Bernardin, where she worked for another five years. When she decided to start her own business—Kalamata’s Kitchen, which aims to teach kids about other cultures through food—Sohm was one of her earliest investors. He may have found full-time teaching to be too banal, but it’s still a huge part of what he does now, identifying the next generation of stars and giving them the guidance to grow into their own—whether that takes them into the upper echelons of fine dining or beyond the white tablecloths altogether.
Overseeing two teams, at two very different spaces, feeds Sohm’s prodigious ambition. He’s on a mission to completely reshape the world of wine, from what’s in your glass to the glass itself to what you enjoy it with—say, Champagne with eggs. Along with his day jobs, he has partnered with the Austrian brand Zalto to create his own wineglasses. “As a sommelier, you criticise only, but you make nothing,” Sohm says. So, he also now wears the winemaker hat, producing a Grüner Veltliner under the Sohm & Kracher label, a relatively accessible quaff that’s a collaboration with his fellow countryman Gerhard Kracher. And in 2019 he added author to his résumé, releasing Wine Simple, a “totally approachable guide”, as the book’s subtitle puts it. He followed that up with Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings, to help you pick the right bottle for the right meal and the right moment.
“In wine pairings, you have three possible combinations,” Sohm says. “There’s the perfect pairing. Then sometimes you have flavours just going along… it’s like humans—they talk, they interact, but they never connect. And then there’s conflict.” It’s that first one he’s after every time.
“Sohm fell in love with wine when he was about 21. Prior to that, he was a self-proclaimed Bacardi and coke guy.”
Outside of the restaurant, the wine bar and the cellar, Sohm is an avid cyclist who owns six bikes, a number he admits is excessive—especially in New York City. Riding is what he credits with keeping him healthy, when so much of his time is spent eating and drinking—and drinking some more.
Still, despite the 18-year career at one of the world’s best restaurants, despite the top honours from his peers, despite the wine and the wineglasses and the wine books, Sohm doesn’t consider himself successful. Every day, he’s trying to figure out how he can self-correct. “I like what I do, so I go back home that night, think of things which I can improve,” he says. “I get annoyed when I make a mistake, but I improve the next day.”
His quest for perfection may never be over, but Sohm does concede that he’s happy—its own type of success. Sometimes he finds that happiness while sipping a glass of 1980 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, a bottle now so rare and coveted that he calls it “unattainable”. And sometimes, if to his chagrin, he finds it while drinking a mass-produced rosé on the beach.
Photography by Tori Latham
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
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Above: Awakening 02, Sebastien Durelli Designed exclusively for StudioTwentySeven, Sebastien Durelli’s Awakening 02 floor lamp is available in a limited run of eight examples. Handcrafted in Italy from cast patinaed bronze, the striking piece takes inspiration from the naturally sculpted landscapes of Iceland, specifically the country’s glacial lagoons. The organic boulder-esque shade is rugged and elemental—like an exploded rock wrenched apart by seismic activity—while the base is sleek and symmetrical, providing visual balance in a deep bronze finish. From around $65,300
Above: Orion, De La Espada When it comes to the Orion dining table, the draw is in the details. Designed by Anthony Guerrée for De La Espada, this piece features a central base crafted from a series of overlapping wood slats—a textured moment that creates visual equilibrium with its smooth, curved-brass counterpart. A bona fide visual anchor, the Orion can be paired with thin-framed chairs for a sneak-peek view or heftier seats that provide a surprising reveal when guests sit down to dinner. From around $20,870
Above: LS35A, Luca Stefano This showstopper by Milan-based designer Luca Stefano is all curves. A sexy lounge sofa, seen here upholstered in Pierre Frey mohair with canaletto walnut details, the LS35A is available for customisation, but we think that this mossy-gold hue is incredibly chic, evoking the muted desert tones popular during the ’60s and ’70s. Around $66,280, as shown
Above: Jazz, Tom Bensari Part of master woodworker Tom Bensari’s Manhattan collection for StudioTwentySeven, the Jazz bookcase is an ode to the designer’s love of music. With edges that curve like brass instruments and shelves that skip like riffs, this unit is meticulously hand-built in Poland from oak and olive wood, with custom veneered interiors according to the client’s preference and a glowing finish that takes on a golden tint in just the right light. Around $29,320
Above: Sleeper, Lucas Simões Last September at Christie’s in Los Angeles, Brazilian artist Lucas Simões unveiled his first furniture collection, Colendra. Presented in Lightness & Tension, an exhibition curated by roving gallerist Ulysses de Santi, Simões’s work is rooted in material exploration, as seen in the Sleeper chair, a curving steel form that suggests Brazilian midcentury modernism. A unique patina—which imparts the shimmery, rainbow-esque look of an oil slick—gives the piece a contemporary, artistic feel. Around $22,440
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
