Words: Justin Hast
For me, this year’s Watches and Wonders was the best show I have ever attended – and I say that having been to various forms of the annual event over the past six years. It started on Tuesday morning, slow and steady, and, in many ways, was the calm before the storm.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual GMT‑Master II, from £9,350, rolex.com
Our first stop was Rolex, and, rather unfortunately when going into the appointment, it was clear that many of the launches had actually already been leaked, which was somewhat of a shame. However, alongside the new releases, such as the GMT‑Master II with jubilee and oyster bracelet, and a yellow-gold Deepsea, we stumbled across a new Daytona as we were finishing up our meeting. I wasn’t entirely sure whether it was something that should have been there or not, but, on further inspection, it was a Le Mans, which was introduced last year in a white-gold format – and after some digging, it was established that, in fact, it was being discontinued after just one year and being replaced by the yellow-gold Daytona Le Mans in front. It really was a star of the show.
Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind, price in GBP to be confirmed, cartier.com
After Rolex, we made our way to Cartier, which was, as expected, a relentless barrage of some of the most creative, elegant and of-the-moment shapes and designs. My favourite from the lineup was the Santos-Dumont Rewind, which had the time (expressed via Roman numerals) going anti-clockwise on the burgundy dial.
Tudor Black Bay, £3,910, tudorwatch.com
We then moved to Tudor, where we saw an entirely reworked Black Bay, which many feel could be a genuine challenger to the Submariner's reign as the ultimate steel sports watch. Oh – and let’s not forget the solid yellow-gold Black Bay with green dial; totally bonkers, but so good.
IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, POA, iwc.com
We dropped by Ressence and, from a personal perspective, it was wonderful to see a book I had been working on for the brand over the past 12 months (alongside my co-editor, Stephen Pulvirent) come to life. It showcases all the watches ever made by the label, from 2010 to the present day, and will be available on the Ressence website this week (just a small plug!). We then moved over to IWC, which has masterfully reworked the Portugieser lineup with considerate adjustments to the dial and an entirely reworked case, which ultimately made the profile thinner. But the real showstopper was the Portugieser Eternal Calendar – a secular perpetual calendar that has a white lacquer dial and glass sub-dials, as well as a moon phase that is accurate to 45 million years. It was none other than Dr Brian Cox who launched the watch – both a personal hero of mine and an unexpected star of the show.
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Winding, POA, vacheron-constantin.com
We then visited Vacheron Constantin, which has taken its classic Patrimony dress watch, reduced it from 40mm to 39mm, added an old silver dial for a vintage spirit and had some fun with its strap options. This is a watch that Brunello Cucinelli wears on a daily basis by all accounts and, therefore, enjoys cult status among the most stylish. As well as that, Vacheron had the opportunity to present its pocket watch, The Berkely Grand Complication, which has 63 complications, 2,877 components, took eleven years of research and development, and is the first Chinese perpetual calendar – it was a proper flex. There were also updates in the Overseas collection, with new yellow-gold cases and green dials, which will, no doubt, be welcomed by so many collectors. We then went to Chopard, where I was continually impressed with the level of watchmaking and craft. The big-ticket items were a Minute Repeater with guilloche dial, which was remarkably beautiful and crisp, as well as a L.U.C Qualité Fleurier, with silver dial and 39mm case. There was also a very beautiful open-worked Alpine Eagle that was done, for the very first time, in titanium (there was no date window, which I was thankful for).
Grand Seiko SLGW002, £43,600, grand-seiko.com
At Grand Seiko, we saw a new automatic calibre developed in-house, and a birch bark dial on a titanium case that no longer runs vertically, but now runs laterally (with a limited-edition rose-gold case) – as expected, its dials and finishing were quite something.
NOMOS Glashütte Tangente 38 Date Sportbunt, £1,925, nomos-glashuette.com
We then dropped into NOMOS Glashütte, which was all about pure fun this year, with 31 limited-edition Tangente watches in different colourways. It might well have been my favourite visit of the whole show for pure joy alone. The real challenge was, of course, choosing which colourway you would go for. In many ways, these were probably the best value for money at the show, with a retail price at just under €2,000 less than the standard Tangente.
Patek Philippe In-Line Perpetual Calendar 5236P, POA, patek.com
At Patek Philippe, the In-Line Perpetual Calendar reference 5236 P with rose dial was the marquee piece of the label’s 2024 showings. There was also an Aquanaut reference 5269 R with blue rubber strap and rose-gold case in a 38mm format, which will be irresistible to so many with slightly smaller wrists. Moreover, the handcraft seen on the pocket watches and Calatrava with enamelling and wood marquetry was mind-blowing.
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon, POA, laurentferrier.ch
I should also point out the Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon with aventurine glass, moon phase, classic 40mm galet case in rose-gold or steel, and brushed dial: drop-dead gorgeous.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, POA, piaget.com
And one final kicker: the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon – the world’s thinnest of its kind, at 2mm – from Piaget. Piaget has an illustrious past when it comes to ultra-thin watchmaking, but this thing was incredible. With more than a decade of research and development, and a view through the tourbillon itself from both sides of the watch, it was one of the most memorable spectacles of the week.
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