These 11 Timepieces Are the Hottest Releases from Watches and Wonders 2024
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Last week, while Gwyneth Paltrow was clearing her name in a Utah court, the world of high horology descended on Geneva for the annual Watches and Wonders fair. For the unacquainted, it’s the largest and most important gathering of its kind in the world, where hallowed brands like Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, and Patek Philippe reveal their newest releases to the press. While last year was about dazzling innovations and flexing R&D muscles, this year was decidedly more subdued in the best possible way. The theme running through the fair was fun. There was whimsy and cheek in abundance, a reminder that watches exist, not just to keep time, but more importantly, to make us happy. Here, presented in no particular order, is a survey of 11 of our favorite novelties from the fair.
Last week, during the final days of a lamentably unexceptional ski season, the world of high horology “downloaded” in the proverbial gondola to Geneva for the annual Watches and Wonders fair. It is the largest and most influential trade show of its kind on earth where all the year’s hottest watches are unveiled, to wit: If your watch is less than three years old (W&W was inaugurated in 2022, during the Covid-19 pandemic) and says “Swiss Made” on the dial, there’s a very good chance it was presented there.
Like in the 2023 edition, for the most part, this year’s releases were existing models with subtle tweaks and reissued classics. Kristen Shirley concurs with this assessment: “Brands were relatively restrained in their releases. We saw lots of new dial colors and case materials, but few groundbreaking innovations,” says the former ELLE editor and founder of luxury website La Patiala. “With such long wait lists for many time pieces, I’m not surprised that brands are trying to please customers by increasing their production of in-demand models.” Here, presented in no particular order, is a survey of 11 of our favorite novelties from the fair.
Van Cleef & Arpels’s Lady Arpels Brise d’Été
The new releases from Van Cleef & Arpels are always the belles of the fair, and this year was no exception. Bringing the wow factor comparable to 2022’s Heures Florales, the Brise d’Été (“summer breeze” in French) is an example of meticulous champlevé and plique-a-jour enamelwork, with butterflies as retrograde hour and minute markers and decorative swaying flowers activated by a pusher on the side of the case.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual
Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual Calendar. Say that three times fast! This is one of the most exciting and immensely complicated watches at the fair this year. If a perpetual calendar weren’t impressive enough, the main attraction here is the three titanium cages of the tourbillon, which rotate on separate axes.
Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas Tourbillon in Platinum
The Overseas is one of the watch market’s biggest kahunas. Collectors can’t seem to get enough of the iconic sport watch, in particular, one whose dial comes in this tantalizing shade of blue. Well, now you can have one with a tourbillon movement in a lightweight case made of titanium.
Rolex’s Deep Sea
While physiologists and oceanographers may advise against attempting to dive 12,800 feet in the ocean, you can certainly try with this watch. The new Deep Sea, with its hulking 18-karat yellow gold case and 44mm diameter, makes a bold statement on dry land and is sturdy enough to accompany you to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
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Hermès’s Cut
With the Cut, the French luxury juggernaut gives the world an entirely new collection of watch. At 36mm, it’s a great companion piece to the H08 (featured in ELLE DECOR’s September 2023 issue) but meant for a smaller wrist. Because of a patented easy-release system, you can have fun swapping out the bracelet for one of the many colorful integrated rubber straps also available from the H.
Cartier’s Santos-Dumont Rewind
You have to look closely at the dial to understand what makes this watch so fun. [4, 3, 2, 1...] Yes, you’re seeing that right: the Roman numerals are arranged backward. And yes, the movement makes it so the hour and minute hands rotate counterclockwise. This watch tells time backward. Why? Because it’s awesome!
Chanel’s Boy.Friend Skeleton X-Ray Pink Edition
Finding a boyfriend to bring home to Mom has never been so easy. Chanel’s classic rectangular stunner gets an electric pink makeover this year. The beautiful in-house manual-wind movement is on full display within a transparent sapphire case. But unlike fish in the sea, there aren’t many of these to go around with a limited run of just 55 pieces.
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Piaget’s Polo 79
Remember the scene in the movie Casino where Sam “Ace” Rothstein chats with Lester Diamond before having his associates beat him to a pulp outside a Las Vegas diner? He was wearing a Piaget Polo with a burgundy dial that matched his shirt. What more needs to be said? This is a reissue of an icon that has graced the wrists of style heavyweights like Andy Warhol and Nancy Sinatra. You should own one because it can only make you look cooler.
Chopard’s L.U.C XPS Forest Green
The L.U.C. is just killer, no matter the configuration. This one defines versatility. The 40mm polished steel case and 7.2mm thickness give it the softness needed to be an under-the-cuff dress watch, while the maximalist symmetry of the green sector dial and small-seconds complication add a bit of daring.
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Patek Philippe’s Golden Ellipse
Lugs? Who needs ’em? This elegant vestige of the late-1960s and ’70s—a perennially hot decade for archive excavation—defined an era or two and is back to do it again, now with a retro chain-style rose gold bracelet, black dial, and increased dimensions. It can’t not make a statement on the wrist.
H. Moser et Cie’s Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton
Known for its brightly colored minimalist dials, H. Moser et Cie is going against type by directing our attention to the movement. This Streamliner from the brand’s popular sport watch collection comes in a 40mm stainless steel case and is water-resistant up to 120 meters—as all tourbillons should be.
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