Watches and Wonders in Geneva this year showcased an extraordinary array of novelties that left enthusiasts and connoisseurs in awe. From groundbreaking complications to exquisite design innovations, the event featured the best of the best from leading watchmakers around the world. From intricate tourbillons to elegant dress watches, each creation epitomized the pinnacle of craftsmanship and innovation in the horological world. Here is a round up of some timepieces that stood out from the crowd.
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC
The Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC sets a new bar in high-end mechanical watchmaking. Never before has a mechanical watch resistant to shocks and magnetic been made so slim – even thinner than a coin. An achievement that exemplifies Bvlgari’s daring streak and relentless drive to keep pushing boundaries, the benchmark now stands at 1.70 millimeters.
Consider the significance of a 1.70 mm thickness – a ninth world record that introduces a novel standard in watchmaking. This new Octo Finissimo Ultra is not only the thinnest mechanical watch ever produced: it is also the world’s thinnest COSC chronometer. This milestone reflects a rigorous process, underscored by a commitment to reevaluate, and transcend the conventions of traditional high watchmaking, propelling venerable craftsmanship into a contemporary context. As a hallmark of its era, the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC (104081), a new milestone in the history of watchmaking, is being introduced in limited series of 20 pieces.
Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir Choronograph
This new Cartier Privé launch is an opportunity to discover a new complication making its debut in the collection: the single-button chronograph and its Manufacture 1928 MC calibre. First introduced on a Tortue watch in 1928, this complication was notably reinterpreted in 1998 as part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris with the sophisticated details we see today: blued-steel apple-shaped hands, a hollowed-out central seconds hand and triangular motifs on the four corners of the dial.
To enhance the legibility of the dial and make chronographic precision even more accessible,the rail-track has been placed on the outside of the Roman numerals. Free of any additional detail, the entire dial space is devoted to the two counters. Start, stop and reset: the three functions are concentrated in a single push-button integrated into the crown and is activated in a single motion. The movement is 4.3 mm thick, making it the Maison’s thinnest chronograph.
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XP Frozen Summit
With the Alpine Eagle 41 XP Frozen Summit, the collection welcomes a new model combining the Maison’s watchmaking and jewellery expertise, and whose exceptional refinement has been saluted by the Poinçon de Genève. The 41 mm-diameter case, as well as the entire dial, bezel, crown and integrated bracelet in ethical 18-carat white gold, are set with meticulously cut diamonds. This represented a significant challenge, taking the collection to a new jewellery peak and evoking the celestial beauty of stars reflected on glaciers. Making no compromises in terms of technical expertise, this true collector’s timepiece benefits from the watchmaking savoir-faire of Chopard Manufacture embodied in the ultra-thin L.U.C 96.41-L movement, with automatic winding via a micro-rotor ensuring a 65-hour power reserve.
IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar
Drawing on the extensive calendar expertise it has acquired since introducing the perpetual calendar almost four decades ago, IWC now pushes the boundaries once again with its first secular perpetual calendar. In addition to recognising the different lengths of the months and adding a leap day every four years, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar also takes into account the Gregorian calendar’s complex leap-year exception rules.
A newly engineered 400-years gear ensures that the calendar automatically skips three leap years over four centuries – an event which will occur for the first time in the year 2100. Thanks to a newly developed reduction gear, the Double MoonTM phase display will only deviate from the moon’s orbit by one day after 45 million years. The Portugieser Eternal Calendar features an intricately finished platinum case and a black alligator leather strap from Santoni.
Jacob & Co Astronomia Régulateur
Jacob & Co.’s latest release introduces a groundbreaking interpretation of the régulateur watch, featuring a distinctive 3D floating movement housed with a 43mm rose gold case. With separate displays for hours, minutes, and seconds, the timepiece is powered by the innovative caliber JCAM56 and boasts a remarkable 552 components. The vertical movement completes a full rotation every minute, a first in high caliber watchmaking, with the seconds dial spinning counterclockwise alongside a flying tourbillon rotating on two axes. The watch, encased in sapphire, offers a clear view of the translucent blue sub-dials, epitomizing high precision watchmaking while revolutionizing the régulateur display.
The Astronomia Régulateur’s separate display arms spin in sync with the movement’s rotation while a patented constant force device ensures steady energy flow to the intricate movement, enhancing accuracy and performance.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual
Pushing the boundaries of inventiveness further than ever, the new Calibre 388 features an entirely new tourbillon construction: one that spins on three axes to create a ‘spinning top’ effect. Beating at a frequency of 4Hz (28,800 vph) to further enhance chronometry, Calibre 388 also incorporates a perpetual calendar with a grande date indication. Incorporating almost eight decades of accumulated expertise in the tourbillon regulating mechanism, the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual, features a newly developed tourbillon configuration that rotates on three axes. In doing so, it creates a completely new kinematic effect for Jaeger-LeCoultre resembling a spinning top.
Fitted with a cylindrical hairspring, the Heliotourbillon takes this thinking further, with a newly developed construction comprising three titanium cages rotating on three axes. The first cage is set at a 90-degree angle to the balance wheel and rotates perpendicular to it. The second cage is set at 90 degrees to the first (thus, on the same plane as the balance wheel). Together, these two cages are constrained by an axis tilted at 40 degrees and make a full rotation in 30 seconds. The third cage is perpendicular to the second and makes a full rotation in 60 seconds. Supported on ceramic ball bearings to minimise friction, the tourbillon consists of 163 components and weighs less than 0.7 grams.
Montblanc Minerva Monopusher Chronograph
Montblanc returns with a new 1858 Unveiled Minerva Monopusher Chronograph, showcasing more fascinating details to be discovered. This new limited edition sees the addition of five apertures into the case band, allowing light to flood into the hand-finished manually wound movement. Montblanc’s designers have taken a truly architectural approach to the entire timepiece in order to create a play of light and depth flowing through the movement constructed on pillars, so that the wearer can fully admire the 291 components via five different crystal windows. For the delight of those peering into the depths of the movement, this latest limited edition comes with a new movement, the Calibre MB M17.26.
This new limited edition comes in a 43mm stainless steel case with an elegant horizontal satin finishing. It is fitted with a white gold fluted bezel that has been inspired by Minerva’s first fluted bezel dating back to 1927, adding a touch of finesse to the model. Adding another modern twist to the timepiece, the German silver plates and bridges have been colored in a contemporary blue, providing a contrast with the rest of the movement, yet matching the tone of the blue sfumato calf leather strap.
Parmigiani Fleurier Toric
Parmigiani Fleurier not only redefines the time-measuring tool but invites it to dance, free of all constraints. This Toric is not a rebellion, but a gentle revolution, a vital force pushing performance and aesthetics into an unexplored realm of serenity. Refined in its design, it transcends established watchmaking norms, flirting with the boundaries of the possible to outline the contours of an ever-evolving luxury.
With the Toric, Parmigiani Fleurier embraces the colors of the earth and nature, directly drawn from the chromatic universe of Le Corbusier, master of purism. In this collection, Parmigiani Fleurier has orchestrated a dazzlingly unique color palette, playing harmonies with unparalleled finesse. Crafted in rose gold, the movement of the Toric Petite Seconde is entirely new and barely noticeable at first glance. Three large surfaces in 18ct rose gold serve as bridges, arranged in a pure geometric perspective. Only the two barrels and the regulating organ are visible. This development with its unprecedented architecture, with its large bridges decorated with Côtes de Fleurier alternating with a sandblasted plate, references the great tradition of watchmaking in a minimalist and contemporary aesthetic configuration.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas
Intense green has been added to the dials and interchangeable straps of four new Overseas models in pink gold, a first for this collection. In perfect harmony with the spirit of travel, this new hue can now be found on the dials of the 35mm gemset, 41 mm date, 42.5 mm chronograph and 41 mm dual time models. Water-resistant to 150 metres, each of these new timepieces is equipped with a top-quality self-winding calibre featuring meticulous finishing. The movements feature an oscillating weight engraved with the collection’s emblematic compass rose. On these four models, just as on all Overseas watches, the pink gold bracelet with folding clasp is easily adjustable. It can be replaced by a calfskin leather strap or a green rubber strap, each with an interchangeable pin buckle.
Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph
Architectural, geometric and intricately faceted, the DEFY Skyline’s 42mm steel case is a modernized take on the earliest DEFY’s octagonal case with a multi-sided bezel. Retaining the same DNA of robustness and durability as its predecessors while bringing an edgier and more contemporary aesthetic and proportions. In the DEFY Skyline Chronograph, the pushers follow the sharply drawn lines of the case, while the screw-down crown emblazoned with the star emblem helps ensure a water-resistance of 100 metres (10ATM).
Available in metallic black, blue or silver, the DEFY Skyline Chronograph’s dial pairs the collection’s signature starry sky-patterned dial featuring engraved four-pointed stars with the traditional El Primero dial configuration. Three slightly oversized and overlapping counters show the elapsed seconds and minutes of the chronograph, as well as the constant running seconds. The date window – matching the colour of the dial – is positioned at 4:30, another El Primero signature. The flange ring with the 1/10th of a second scale has twelve facets, the form of the dodecagonal bezel and serving as extensions of the hour markers.
