The 27 Best New Watches from Watches & Wonders 2024
Over 54 brands presented new watches—or novelties, as we call them in watch world—this week at Watches & Wonders 2024. The tradeshow is by far the biggest event on the horological calendar—the place where virtually every major watchmaker unveils almost everything they plan on rolling out over the year ahead. GQ’s Cam Wolf and British GQ’s Mike Christensen spent the last few days ping-ponging back and forth through Geneva’s sprawling Palexpo convention center to try on hundreds of new releases from Rolex, Cartier, Tag Heuer, and more. Here, the pair have narrowed down their 27 favorite pieces from Watches & Wonders 2024.
Including tiny watches, weird hotel murals, Hermès, and a Patek Philippe.
Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date
We are all prone to fangirling over certain watches, and for me, it's Montblanc's Iced Seas. I could try and control the outpouring of feels I get whenever Laurent Lecamp says the magic words and new ones like this bronze-dialled beaut drop—but where's the fun in that? Understanding precisely why mountain-inspired dive watches are my niche is something for a therapist to unpack. —Mike Christensen
Rolex Perpetual 1908
It’s only in its second year, but the 1908 is already making an impression in the robust Rolex catalog. The “sand-grain” dial in sour-candy blue is truly stunning—and good enough to nab a spot on this list over any of the Crown’s latest sport watch releases. —Cam Wolf
Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier
Chopard emerged from last year’s fairs with one of 2023’s biggest hits in its salmon-dial L.U.C. 1860. This watch largely retains that same dial layout while deemphasizing the dramatic flair of its predecessor. Think of this as your daily driver L.U.C. —CW
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric Petite Seconde
Thanks to a mega 2023—headlined by the showstopping Tonda PF—Parmiagani is at last known for more than simply being King Charles’s favorite watchmaker. The monarch’s go-to Toric received a revamp this year that’s brimming with “refined luxury” energy. While such phrases normally have me reaching for the sick bucket, this Petite Seconde in rose gold goes straight on the bucket list. —MC
Patek Philippe 5738-1R
I’m a sucker for the oval-shaped Ellipse in general, but the chain bracelet is the real star of the show here. You could put that bracelet on a slice of pepperoni and I would still wear it. This is the first time that Patek’s paired this style of band, seen on previous iterations of the Ellipse, on a large version of the model. —CW
Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
There’s nothing watch nerds love more than a new release that riffs off a vintage grail—and Tudor’s reinterpretation of Rolex’s ’80s-era Coke GMT is worthy of the hype. I’m more of a sparkling water guy myself, but I’ll gladly take a can of this fizzy, caffeinated number down anytime. —MC
Zenith Defy Revival A3648d
A one-of-one recreation of an original Zenith diver from 1969. The orange hue that accents many dive watches is used liberally here. And I’ve tried not to bore you with too much size chatter here, but the 37 millimeter case is literally the exact size—a decent amount smaller than today’s standard diver—I want in a watch. —CW
TAG Heuer Carrera Skipper Gold
TAG Heuer knows the drill: Give a steel sports icon its long awaited return one year, follow that up with a sparkling rose gold version the next. With its tri-colour subdial, the Carrera Skipper is a bit like a captain’s armband—wearing one immediately infers leadership credentials.—MC
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time
There was a small green-meets-gold trend going on between Tudor, H. Moser, and Vacheron Constantin. VC made four new versions of its Overseas using this combination, each with different complications (or other additions like diamonds). My favorite of the quartet is the dual time, with its pointy red arrow that brings a sporty element to the otherwise luxurious piece. —CW
Ressence Type 1 Round M
Omega might be the official timekeeper of Paris 2024, but the Olympic-esque rings that populate the dial on Ressence’s latest Type 1 has me thinking that this watch would be a far more fun way for an Olympian to mark the occasion than the obligatory tattoo. In a world overpopulated by history and tradition, Ressence’s watches are as fresh as it gets. —MC
Cartier Tortue Time Only
The Cartier Privè selection, which brings back one of the Parisian maison’s vintage shapes, is always one of the most exciting bits of the show. This year, we got the Tortue in this pristine, time-only execution. The watch is everything I love about Cartier, with its beautiful, elegant dial in an oddball shape only the jeweler could pull off. —CW
Alpina Seastrong Diver Extreme Automatic GMT
Pound for pound, this is the fittest automatic GMT fighter I’ve seen this week. The 39 millimeter steel case, the silver dial, the ceramic bezel, the black rubber strap—all of it just works. —MC
Grand Seiko Spring Drive Chronograph GMT ‘Tokyo Lion’
Nobody does optical multilayer coating better than the Japanese stalwart, and this hunky chrono GMT—with its dial shimmering from orange to red to pink, like the Shinshu skyline at dawn—is proof. —MC
H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Centre Seconds Concept Citrus Green
Technically this debuted a few days before Watches & Wonder, but I won’t quibble if you won’t. After all, I need a space to celebrate the alien-green dial of Moser’s new Pioneer. Moser is a brand that relishes in tweaking the watch industry’s formalities and rules, like using a color that might prompt you to call the Department of Toxic Substances Control. —CW
IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar
IWC used this fair to refashion its Portugieser line, pushing new versions of the model out in a variety of astral-inspired colorways with increasingly grand complications. My favorite is the black-dial (which IWC calls obsidian!) perpetual calendar. The dial is especially lustrous thanks to 15 coats of lacquer. —CW
Piaget Polo Date 150th Anniversary
Piaget scored plenty of headlines by dropping the thinnest tourbillon ever made, but don’t let this cappuccino Polo Date slip under your radar. With its 42 millimeter steel case and fetching brown rubber strap, it has all the makings of a low-key sports watch grail. —MC
Hermès Arceau Duc Attelé
No one gets wacky the way Hermès gets wacky. Last year, the Parisian house unveiled a pocket watch with a portrait of a horse woven from horsehair; now, they’ve followed it up with another equine wonder in this minute repeater. The complication chimes out the hours and minutes using miniature gongs; on the Arceau Duc Attelé, Hermès shaped the mallets into tiny horse heads. That gets an enormous yes from me. —CW
Oris Aquis Date
Oris didn’t simply put out a new Aquis—it completely redefined the line. Every detail of the diver was reconsidered, right down to the newly developed typography used on the dial. My favorite of the bunch finds Oris doing what it does best: leveraging big color to make a statement. This one mixes blues, purples, and white for a watercolor effect. Even better is that this is one of Oris’s upcycled dials, meaning it’s made of recycled plastic. —CW
Gerald Charles Masterlink
I spotted one gentleman walking around Watches & Wonder in an “I MISS GERALD GENTA” T-shirt. If you happen to share that sentiment, I’m happy to report that the legendary designer’s work is alive and well at Gerald Charles. With its smile design feature at six o’clock, the brand’s new Masterlink collection just upped the ante in the integrated bracelet game. —MC
Chanel J12 Automaton Caliber 6
An unpopular truth, but very few brands can put their hands up and say they’ve delivered any unadulterated fun this year. Patek put a surfboard on a dial, IWC made a watch that’s accurate for 45 million years, and there’s of course Hermès’s aforementioned horse-shaped minute repeater. Beyond that, it’s only really Chanel who have really caught our imaginations with the new J12, which features a cartoonesque Gabrielle Chanel doing a bit of dressmaking on the dial with scissors, measuring tapes, thimbles et al. Beneath the hood, it’s powered by a new Caliber 6 and 355 components that comprise the famous mademoiselle. —MC
Gucci G-Flat
Following the whimsical dials of the Alessandro Michele era, Gucci’s current creative director Sabato De Sarno has kicked off his run with a classic ’70s dress watch. The brutalism of the octagon bolted onto a square dial projects very different vibes than Michele’s bees and snakes, while the Roman numerals at 12 and 6 o’clock serve as a reminder of Gucci’s Italiness—as if you could forget. Gucci’s fine watchmaking division is only four years old, which is easy to forget, especially when you see its first-ever minute repeater on the house’s newInterlocking Jumping Hour Flying Tourbillon. —MC
F.P. Journe Élégante Gino’s Dream
Dedicated to his friend and cofounder Serge Cukrowicz, watchmaker François-Paul Journe debuted this 10th anniversary edition of the impossible-to-get Élégante. The Élégante is something of an oddball in the luxury watch world: a quartz watch that is as desirable (and expensive) as any of its mechanical counterparts. The quartz is used to make a delightful mechanism that uses a motion detector. When the watch is left unworn it goes to sleep, but pick it up and the hands come to life and spin into the correct time. This one comes with a rainbow of glass stones in rainbow hues on the bezel. —CW
Nomos Glashuette Tangente 38mm Flamingopink
The new, slimmer Nomos Tangente just dropped in 31 colorways, but none are more cheery and fun than the “Flamingopink” version. Clinically good Bauhaus design to celebrate 175 years of clinically good watches. —MC
Hublot Big Bang Integrated Time Only 38mm
Just what the Hublot collection needed. The new Big Bang with an integrated bracelet sits neatly next to the brand’s typically chunky and fabulously colorful pieces. Even the most ardent Hublot collectors must wake up some days looking to wear something a little less splashy. This new Big Bang, which is perfectly sized at just 38 millimeters, is just the ticket. —CW
Panerai Submersible Tourbillon GMT Luna Rossa Experience Edition
This piece makes me feel like Bob Barker, because I get to announce it also comes with a trip to Barcelona. That’s right! This Tourbillon GMT is the showcase! Panerai’s “experience” watches are paired with… well, you can guess. Some grant you the chance to undergo Navy Seal training or rock climb with Jimmy Chin. This watch comes with something much more leisurely: a trip to Barcelona where Paneristi will immerse themselves with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team before the next edition of the America’s Cup sailing competition. —CW
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC
This edition of Watches & Wonders was filled with numerous record-shattering releases, as Piaget and Bulgari continue to duke it out for the title of slimmest mechanical watch ever. Piaget landed an uppercut (its new Altiplano is a technical marvel and the thinnest tourbillon in the world) but Bulgari walked away with the major victory. The maison’s new Ultra is an optical illusion, nearly disappearing when turned to the side. At a scant 1.7 millimeters, it’s wispier than the average blade of grass but still keeps excellent time. —CW
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”
Of Lange’s many signatures—the Up/Down power reserve function, the Datograph watches, the wide-eyed date windows—none perk me up quite like the Lumen. The watch earns its name through the use of a semi-transparent dial and enough luminous material to recreate the Green Lantern suit. When hit with a UV light (or after transitioning from daylight to darkness) the entire watch lights up. And I mean the entire watch: Lange even puts lume on the date wheels, which are typically hidden underneath the dial. It can all be yours for a reported price of around $620,000. —CW
Originally Appeared on GQ
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