Czapek & Cie. Passage de Drake
The “Stairway to Heaven” pattern of the Passage de Drake’s flinqué dial is one of the best modern dial canvases going. With the addition of the longer indices that were originally the preserve of the inaugural Terre Adelie model (until a certain Czapek obsessive got their hands on the design for the creation of the viridian green edition released with Fratello in 2021), the format reached new heights (in my not-at-all-unbiased opinion).
Since the Fratello limited edition of 50 pieces sold out (in 37 minutes, no less), Czapek has gone on to release multiple colour variations, with the Glacier Blue a personal favourite of mine.
Long may this continue. We’re long overdue for a purple model and maybe something even wilder like a dark burgundy, brought to life by flashes of neon orange… Now I think of it, maybe it’s time to give Czapek a call...
IWC Ingenieur
IWC Ingenieur - Credit IWC
It may not have the artisanal appeal of the dials yet to feature on this list, but you can’t deny that IWC smashed the re-release of its Ingenieur line out of the park with these satisfying dial designs (especially the teal model featured here).
If the pricing of this show-stopping drop had been a little more palatable I might have bumped it up by one or maybe even two spots, but considering the whole package, this is as high as I can bring myself to rank the Ingeniuer.
However, despite my gripes with its positioning, it thoroughly deserves a mention here and even more attention now that secondary market prices are dropping down to more reasonable levels (which means you might be able to pick up one of these for a better price in a year or two).
Grand Seiko White Birch
Grand Seiko White Birch - Credit Grand Seiko
Low-hanging fruit? Yes. But delicious nonetheless. The White Birch was one of Grand Seiko’s most communicated releases of recent years and builds on its already robust legacy as a master of texture.
It’s a very cool watch, but, you might find yourself asking, is it as good as its famous forerunner, the cutely dubbed “Snowflake”? The answer, to be frank, is probably no. But since the Snowflake was too affordable to include on this list, the White Birch took its place as the best representative of the brand over 10k.
But if you really want to spend 10,000+, you could always buy two Snowflakes and give one to your best (or very soon-to-be best) friend. That would be a nice thing to do.
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Enamel
H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Enamel - Credit H.Moser & Cie
I am rarely left speechless by a watch. Rarer still is it that I am genuinely moved to tears. The first time I saw the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Enamel, I choked up. My colleague and co-host of The Real Time Show podcast Alon Ben Joseph, who had been sitting across the table from me at the time thought I was joking, hamming it up for the Moser’s head of communications, perhaps trying to wangle a freebie or at least a second inflatable Streamliner lilo (which happened to be the giveaway of last year’s Geneva Watch Days). But I wasn’t putting it on. My reaction was genuine. And there was a very good reason for it that goes back all the way to Moser’s very first Streamliner.
As soon as the Streamliner debuted, I dubbed it a classic. It came during a particularly strong and memorable period for luxury sports watch design. Along with the Czapek Antarctique and Bvlgari Octo Finissimo, the Streamliner represented the third and final member of my own self-anointed “modern holy trinity” — the natural (albeit long overdue) successors to the Patek Philippe Nautilus, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, and Vacheron Constantin Overseas (or the 222 if you, like me, prefer the latter).
But unlike the other two, I didn’t want one for myself.
I could see how important it was for the brand and the industry en masse. I could appreciate how it was clearly a modern classic (and very likely to become an all-timer). It was patently obvious that something special, something that had the potential to grow beyond its brand, had emerged. But despite all that, it wasn’t for me.
For one thing, it was too big for my liking. But more than that, the dials never hit home. Here was a case and bracelet combo that demanded the very best. Finally, with the implementation of the enamelling techniques with which Moser had experimented on the Endeavour, and a reduced case size, the Streamliner was a model for me.
Now all I need to do is find a spare 27k to make it mine…
Simon Brette
Simon Brette - Credit L-X-Moulin
Topping the list is one of the stars from last year’s GPHG awards, the skyrocketing Simon Brette. Touted as one of watchmaking’s up-and-coming superstars, and seen as a man who might very well find himself sitting close to the top of the pile for decades to come, Brette’s first self-signed piece is a tour-de-force of finishes, front and back.
While the movement itself looks hewn by the hands of God, it is the stunning dial that has, for most observers, stolen the show (and many headlines in the process).
The dial is dominated by a partially cut-away disc of multi-faceted gold. While it does photograph surprisingly well for such an artisanal piece (with the majesty of many such creations hard to appreciate on-screen), it bursts into life in the hand. The visual depth and depth of interest truly wows when seen in natural light, with the dial shifting in tone and character throughout the day.
The effect is enhanced by the apertures in the main display that reveal portions of the expertly finished movement behind it. For me personally, this aspect was revelatory. I have never particularly enjoyed open-heart, open-work, or even skeletonised dials, but in this case, I was forced to doff my cap to what Brette has achieved.
It is a near-perfect execution of the concept. Considering how much is being asked of the dial, the stakes were ambitiously high. However, the balance of elements, both aesthetic and technical, is deft. It takes a keen hand to mix these elements successfully, but an even keener mind to conceive such a challenge. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this design is the creative courage to see it through to completion.
I must admit, prior to seeing the watch in real life, I was sceptical. I was deeply unsure of its potential to leave me as wide-eyed and slack-jawed as it seemed to have left several colleagues, who returned from handling the piece singing songs about Brette’s achievement. Having now had a chance to wear the watch, I can confirm that not a single one of them was exaggerating. It is that good. And while the initial run of this inaugural model is long since sold out, its success and popularity as trained the spotlight firmly on its maker and set tongues wagging over what he might attempt to do next.
Whatever it is, don’t be surprised to see the follow-up pop up on a list like this, whenever it hits the market in the future.
It’s not often one gets to say such a thing, but after this release from a watchmaker so young, standing now on the cusp of a career that could eventually see his name mentioned in the same breath as those of the greats, the future of haute horlogerie is most certainly in very good hands.
