The best men’s watches from Watches and Wonders 2024
Brands including Cartier, Rolex, Tudor and Patek Philippe showcase their latest creations at the most important watch fair of the year
The doors have opened to the 2024 edition of Watches and Wonders, the industry’s largest annual trade show, granting buyers, collectors, press and – as of last year – members of the public a chance to see what some of the biggest names in horology are preparing to bring to market in the coming months. Think of it as the watch equivalent of the Geneva International Motor Show, which is an appropriate way of thinking about it, given that the event takes place in the same Swiss city. In the same collection of exhibition halls, in fact.
The majority, if not all, of the watch industry’s big-hitters are in official attendance – Cartier, Patek Philippe, Rolex, Tudor and TAG Heuer among them – while an assembly of independent watchmakers is hoping to benefit from the buzz created by the six-day show by hosting coinciding unofficial fringe events around the city.
As ever, Luxury London has boots on the ground and will be providing a hands-on assessment of the new watches about to take over your social media feeds. Will any of those Rolex predictions come to pass? Will anything eclipse the furore created by Swatch and Omega’s two latest MoonSwatch watches? Stay tuned to find out as we make our way around the show…
Patek Philippe Nautilus chronograph Reference 5980/60G
Patek Philippe used Watches and Wonders 2024 to unveil 11 new references. We’ll provide the full lowdown in due course, but first: a Nautilus chronograph with a very un-Patek-like denim-pattern strap. The outgoing Reference 5980R – the ‘R’ standing for rose gold – disappeared earlier this year, to be replaced, we now learn, with the 5980/60G. As with all Patek Philippe watches, the ‘G’ here denotes white gold. The retired model featured a brown gradient dial with a contrasting chronograph counter in silver. The chronograph counter in this year’s reference is rendered in the same opaline blue-grey as the rest of the dial. A design choice that makes for a more intact overall aesthetic. More noteworthy, arguably, is the decision to pair the new Nautilus with that denim-pattern calfskin leather strap. A Patek for the weekend, if you will.
£67,620, visit patek.com
Rolex Perpetual 1908 in 950 platinum with an ice blue dial
The Perpetual 1908 was released by Rolex as a replacement to the discontinued Cellini last year. Had it not been Rolex that lifted the curtain on the tastefully-done time-only dress watch, the Perpetual 1908 would likely have received a lot more air time. As it is, the watch will have to continually (perpetually?) compete for attention against limelight-stealing upgrades to the Crown’s all-conquering tool watches, irrespective of how piddling those upgrades may be. This year, Rolex gave us an oversized solid-gold Deepsea and a stainless steel GMT-Master II with a grey-and-black bezel. Ceteris paribus we should all be talking about the terrific new 1908, which arrives with a platinum case and an engine-turned ice-blue dial. Alas, we’ll probably all be talking about dive watches.
£26,600, visit rolex.com
IWC Portugieser Chronograph with ‘Dune’ Dial
Launched in the late 1930s, IWC’s Portugieser has become the brand’s halo timepiece almost by proxy. The watch’s modern embodiment debuted in 1993 to mark 125 years of the Schaffhausen manufacturer and is the work of the late, great Kurt Klaus, best known for inventing the crown-operated perpetual calendar. IWC uses Watches and Wonders 2024 to introduce a raft of new Portugiesers, including the flagship 41mm chronograph in three new colourways. Which might not be especially big news in itself, you might think. And usually you’d be correct. But come back to us once you’ve seen the spanking sunburst ‘Dune’ dial in person. It’s absolutely golden (well, more sandy, we guess).
Visit iwc.com
JAEGER-LECOULTRE DUOMÈTRE CHRONOGRAPH
On the surface, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Duomètre Chronograph Moon is simply a beautiful watch to behold – especially the platinum-case version, which comes with an attractive copper-coloured dial – but the real story here lies under the hood. Hidden within that two-tone 42.5mm case are two separate barrels and two independent gear trains. One drives the escapement (for telling the time); the other powers the complications – in this case, a 1/6th second chronograph, moon phase, and day/night indicator. As such, the regularity of the watch’s time-telling ‘heartbeat’ isn’t compromised when the chronograph is activated – a bane for manufacturers of complicated watches. Plus, as we said, it’s simply a beautiful thing to look at.
Visit jaeger-lecoultre.com
Vacheron Constantin Overseas in green
At what point does a ‘trend’ become a mainstay? I’ve lost count of the number of years in which green watches have been peddled as a horological ‘trend’. Surely, by now, we can consider green watches as simply another pillar within the conventional watchmaking colour palette. One place we hadn’t seen green, until Watches and Wonders 2024 opened its doors, was in Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas collection. This year, four of the marque’s retro sportsters have been spray-painted in a dark, almost racing-green shade of emerald. At their centres, sunburst dials are satin-brushed; while at their edges, they feature a velvet-like finish. Green, done Vacheron Constantin’s way.
Visit vacheron-constantin.com
Chanel MONSIEUR SUPERLEGGERA
Much to admire at Chanel this year, including a brand new, in-house automaton movement – proving, in case there was any doubt, that the Parisian brand is firmly entrenched in the business of serious watchmaking. Our focus, however, was drawn elsewhere. To the new, all-black Superleggera (all-black, that is, apart from the word ‘Superleggera’, which appears on the dial in yellow). It, too, comes with a movement specifically developed by Chanel. Big fan of the instant jumping hour window at six o’clock, and the 240° retrograde minute track. Chanel’s watchmaking reputation has been built on the back of androgynous pieces, but the matte-black guilloché dial and matching macho nylon strap make the Superleggera one for the Messieurs.
Visit chanel.com
A. Lange & Söhne DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD ‘Lumen’
It’s one thing to incorporate three of the most sophisticated complications in watchmaking into one 41.5mm wristwatch. It’s quite another to figure out a way of displaying the information conveyed by those complications in an easy-to-read – and in this case, Hollywood handsome – dial. In addition, A. Lange & Söhne’s Datograph (that’s a flyback chronograph) Perpetual (as in, calendar) Tourbillon (you know what that is) chucks in a moonphase indicator and a special semi-transparent dial under which luminous elements ensure the watch’s displays and functions glow in the dark. How complicated? A total of 684 movement parts, complicated.
Visit alange-soehne.com
Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé
There’s a European art fair that takes place in Geneva every January. It resides in the same exhibition space that Watches and Wonders colonises every spring. Hermès might exhibit at the former, and remain in situ until the latter, so deftly does the Parisian maison blur the line between haute horology and high art. Topping this year’s drop-dead Arceau Duc Attelé is a sapphire dome within which spins a triple-axis tourbillon. Activate a slider on the side of the case and the watch will chime the hours, quarter-hours and minutes on request. The watch represents the first time a minute repeater and triple-axis tourbillon have been paired with a high-frequency movement. And for some reason, say 'Hermès' and people still think 'handbags' (or 'dodgy delivery service').
Visit hermes.com
TAG HEUER CARRERA CHRONOGRAPH SKIPPER
The Carrera turned 60 last year, an anniversary TAG Heuer celebrated by updating its flagship stopwatch with a rounder sapphire crystal dome in the manner of ‘Glasshouse’ models from the 1970s. The effect was to magnify the tachymeter scale and add extra depth to the watch face. It’s a winning design that TAG retains for this year’s Carrera Chronograph Skipper. The bezel-less, regatta-countdown-equipped watch debuted last year in stainless steel. It is now available in rose gold, which has tripled the price but added significant more wrist presence.
£18,750, visit tagheuer.com
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon
A legend in the watch world, Laurent Ferrier spent 30 years at Patek Philippe – working on the prototype of the Nautilus in the 1970s – before establishing his eponymous brand in 2009. His company, based in Geneva and producing only a few hundred watches a year, has built a reputation for its elegant, delicate dress watches – a design signature at odds, you might say, with Ferrier’s full-throttle past life as a semi-professional racing driver (in 1979 he finished third at Le Mans behind Paul Newman). This year’s Classic Moon pairs an annual calendar with a tastefully executed moon phase – the first time we've seen the complication on a Laurent Ferrier.
Approx. £61,120 (exc. taxes), visit laurentferrier.ch
ANDERSEN GENÈVE X BCHH (BENJAMIN CHEE HAUTE HORLOGERIE) CELESTIAL VOYAGER SUPERSONIC
Technically, Andersen Genève’s collaboration with Benjamin Chee Haute Horlogerie – the BCHH Celestial Voyager Supersonic – came out in December 2023. But we didn’t get hands-on with the stunning worldtimer until Watches and Wonders 2024, so we’re including it here. As with all Andersen Genève watches – the company was set up by Danish watchmaker Svend Andersen, formerly of Patek Philippe’s grand complication division, in 1980 – the watch will be a limited-edition. In this case, just 20 pieces are being made – coinciding with the number of years that have passed since the final Concorde flight and the number of those supersonic jets that were built. Accordingly, the Celestial Voyager Supersonic sports an enamel dial upon which Concorde is depicted flying over New York City’s Chrysler Building. Clients can commission constellations of their choice and customise the colour of Concorde’s livery. Converting their watch from a one of 20 to a one of one.
POA, visit andersen-geneve.ch
Piaget Polo Date 150th Anniversary Edition
In February, to kick start celebrations of its 150th anniversary, Piaget released a remastered classic from its 1970s archive – the Piaget Polo 79. The original watch, launched shortly after Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and IWC’s Ingenieur, marked Piaget’s entrance into the integrated luxury sports watch arena. The big difference was that Piaget’s entrant was made of solid gold. Two months after the Polo 79 was launched in a 38mm 18-karat yellow-gold case, Piaget has revealed the limited edition Polo Date 150th Anniversary Edition. For the beefier Polo, gold is reserved for the colour of the dial. The larger 42mm case is fashioned from stainless steel and is paired with a vintage-y brown rubber strap.
£12,700, visit piaget.com
Panerai Submersible QuarantaQuattro Luna Rossa Ti-Ceramitech™
Panerai marks its fifth year as Official Sponsor of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli America’s Cup team by creating a brand new material. It took the watchmaker’s R&D unit, which Panerai calls its Laboratory of Ideas, seven years to develop Ti-Ceramitech™. The patent-pending material involves the ceramisation if titanium through something called electrolytic plasma oxidation. The result is a compound that’s 44 per cent lighter than steel and 10 times tougher than traditional ceramic. The process also yields a distinctive deep-sea blue – fitting for this 50-bar dive watch – a hue that Panerai recreates on a rubber-and-woven-textile strap.
£14,300, visit panerai.com
Alpina Alpiner Extreme Quartz
While eye-watering prices across the board at Watches and Wonders 2024 leave you in little doubt about who, currently, the high-end watch industry has in its crosshairs, not every brand in attendance is committed to the lower-volume-higher-price-point sales strategy. Leave it to plucky Alpina, part of the Citizen group since 2016, to proffer a punchy steel sports watch for less than £1,000. Admittedly, the Alpiner Extreme Quartz is battery powered, but you still get plenty of attention to detail: a case that alternates between polished and satin-brushed finishes; a bezel that is vertically brushed, in the same direction as the central link of the watch’s steel bracelet; a lightly-fluted crown; and, most meticulous of all, miniature screws engraved with Alpina’s triangle logo. A bargain, from every angle.
£882, visit alpinawatches.com
Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date Manufacture
Not to be outdone in the affordability stakes, Alpina stablemate Frederique Constant presents a price-buster of its own. The Geneva-based manufacturer has updated its flagship Classic Moonphase Date with a new automatic movement – visible through an open caseback – upping the watch’s power reserve to 72 hours. There’s also a new, uncluttered sunburst dial – available in grey, blue and green – with delicate, hand-polished hands and an attractive, onion-shaped fluted crown. Equipped with a moon phase and date (clue’s in the name) the 40mm watch comes with a five-year warranty. Anything Alpina can do...
£3,495, visit frederiqueconstant.com
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