This week sees Watches and Wonders, the annual celebration of all that’s new, innovative and cutting-edge in horology take place in Geneva. Along with it come some of the most exciting new watches set to make their debut this year and, while the emphasis is undoubtedly still on men’s designs, the women’s watch market has boomed in recent years. In fact, a 2021 report by Allied Market Research found that 54.4 per cent of watches worth over £950 were sold to women, with the women’s market set to be worth approx. £21 billion by 2027.

Accordingly, the major watch brands have sat up and taken notice. This year is set to be stellar for new women’s watches, with brands paying as much attention to the mechanical innovations and complications inside the timepieces as they traditionally have to the gem-set cases and fashion-forward designs on the outside.

These are the best new women’s watches in 2024…

Tag Heuer Carrera Date

In an effort to tap into the growing women’s watch market, Tag Heuer introduced a 36mm version of its signature Carrera Date model in 2023 – and it’s been wildly successful. It’s not hard to see why. If you’re looking to invest in your first mechanical watch, this is a no brainer. It’s elegant without being showy, looks as good with a pair of jeans as it does with a business suit, and is backed up by some serious watchmaking know-how thanks to an in-house Calibre 7 movement. Plus, with entry-level models clocking in at around £2,500, it’s not going to break the bank. For 2024, Tag is upping the feminine energy with three new iterations. Each features a brushed-steel case with a choice of mother-of-pearl or copper dials, various levels of diamond setting and a date window at 6 o’clock. Trust us, this is a watch that will more than earn its place in your collection.

From approx. £4,100, visit tagheuer.com

Hermès Cut

One of the biggest stories to come out of Watches & Wonders 2024 was the Hermès Cut: an entirely new collection of watches designed fur ultimately versatility, both in the aesthetics and their appeal. Following on from the sporty H08 introduced by the brand a few years ago, Cut does away with the dial decoration and beautiful if superfluous handcrafts its watches have become known for in favour of clean lines, an uncluttered face and an imminently wearable 36mm bevel-cut case. Various iterations are on offer – full steel, steel and rose gold, with diamonds or without – but if you don’t see anything that immediately grabs your attention stick around, the Cut is here for the long haul.

From approx. £5,300, visit hermes.com

Chanel Couture O’Clock

Undoubtedly one of the most memorable collections debuted at Watches & Wonders 2024, Chanel’s Couture O’Clock line is formed of a series of limited-edition pieces drawing on both the house’s existing models and its haute horology expertise. Inspired by the work of Chanel’s couture fashion ateliers, among the highlights are a series of secret watches hidden in pendants, rings and bracelets in the form of safety pins, dressmakers' dummies, thimbles and pincushions, as well as a showstopping clock/music box/automaton in which a diamond chandelier spins above a dummy twirling to the tune of My Woman by Al Bowlby (a favourite of Mademoiselle Chanel, apparently). The time is displayed on a tape measure.

For something (marginally) more wearable, the J12 White Star Couture watch takes Chanel’s best-selling J12 timepiece and decks it out in nearly 12 carats of baguette and brilliant-cut diamonds. Far from being style over substance, the 12-piece limited edition is powered by a self-winding calibre 12.1 movement and is water resistant to 50 metres, should you be fool hardy enough to take your diamonds for a dip.

POA, visit chanel.com

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Jour Nuit

Taking the classic day-night indicator and turning it up to 11, the Lady Arpels Jour Nuit is a Metiers d'Art timepiece that boasts more than just good looks. Packed inside a diamond-set 38mm white gold case, an in-house self-winding movement powers a 24-hour rotating disc, which glides slowly round to reveal a yellow sapphire sun or a white gold and diamond moon and stars depending on the time of day. The horizon, meanwhile, is formed by a stunning guilloché mother-of-pearl plate. Yes, you could just look outside to see if it's dark yet but, really, isn't this so much prettier?

Approx. £97,700, visit vancleefandarpels.com

Bulgari Bulgari

Testament to the idea that sometimes a good thing is best left alone, the deceptively simple-looking Bulgari Bulgari turns 50 next year – and remains practically unchanged from the first mechanical version designed by Gérald Genta in 1977. True to form, 2024’s updates are subtle: the reintroduction of yellow gold cases into the collection, as well as the debut of rose gold iterations. Both versions are available in a gender-neutral 38mm size with a transparent caseback revealing their inner workings: a Calibre BVL 191 self-winding movement. There's also a diminutive 26mm quartz option.

Bulgari Bulgari 38mm, £12,700, visit bulgari.com; Bulgari Bulgari 26mm, £7,850, visit bulgari.com

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon Tamara Ralph

Unveiled on the runway at Paris Haute Couture Week in January 2024, Audemars Piguet teamed up with fashion designer Tamara Ralph to put an elegantly feminine spin on its signature Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon. Created in a limited edition of 102 pieces and powered by the house’s hand-wound Calibre 2964 tourbillon movement, this elegant redesign sees the Royal Oak’s dials adorned with four overlapping pink gold plates in galvanised gold-and-brown and lacquered bronze hues. Elsewhere, the tourbillon cage is adorned with 19 brilliant-cut diamonds, while the 18ct pink gold case is finished in AP’s unique Frosted Gold texture – a riff on an ancient Florentine jewellery technique.

POA, visit audemarspiguet.com

Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette

The Joséphine Aigrette watch has long been an emblem of Chaumet’s mastery of both high jewellery and haute horology. It makes sense, then, that its evolution for 2024 lies not in super-thin movements or innovative complications, but in that often overlooked element of a watch: the bracelet. The aigrette in the name refers to the V-shaped spray of diamonds found above the pear-shaped dial on all Joséphine Aigrette watches (inspired by the favoured diamond cut of Empress Joséphine) and it is this that becomes the focal point on Chaumet’s new 18ct rose gold design. Doing away with the traditional buckle or clasp, for 2024 the Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette is presented with a flexible openwork bracelet that wraps elegantly around the wrist. It may be a subtle update, but it’s the details that matter most.

£25,600, visit chaumet.com

Slim d’Hermès Le Sacre des Saisons

Images: Anita Schalefli

Taking cues from a silk scarf of the same name designed for Hermès by artist Pierre Marie, the Slim d’Hermès Le Sacre des Saisons collection comprises four limited-edition watches, each embodying a different season and showcasing the house’s exceptional craftsmanship and artistry. Each piece has been created in a numbered edition of 12 pieces and depicts an anthropomorphic animal representing the corresponding season: a dancing ice wolf for winter; a horse decked out in florals for spring; a jesting lion for summer; and a fiery eagle for autumn. Handcrafts take centre stage with painstakingly delicate paillonné enamel twirls, engraved sapphire crystal, micro-painting and intricately-sculpted precious metals deployed throughout to bring these flamboyant characters to life. You could just buy one, but shouldn’t you really have the complete set?

POA, hermes.com

Read more: The best new men's watches of 2024