Day One, Tuesday:
Watches and Wonders 2024 Event. Credit: Watches and Wonders Geneva.
The day started off with two big surprises. Firstly, the snake-like queues to get in from last year had gone, replaced with a wonderfully efficient system whereby you simply register everything in advance, get issued with a QR code that sits on your phone, and that’s it – you just scan it and are admitted into the theatre of dreams that is Watches and Wonders. Why on earth didn’t they do that before?
Bremont’s New Identity
The second big surprise (actually not much of a surprise, as I’d read about in a press release issued earlier) was a new identity for Bremont: the first appointment of the day.
Bremont Booth. Credit: Watches and Wonders Geneva.
There’s a new font, and new logo that they call the Wayfinder. It’s made up of a few ideas: a propeller, to keep the aviation identity. Then you have a nautical compass overlaid on it, and also the lines of the Union flag. Put those together, and you end up with a strong visual statement, which is also embossed on the crown of their new watches.
The fresh identity is part of recently arrived CEO Davide Cerrato’s plan to put everything in order. From now on, all products will fit into one of three silos – land, sea, and air – to give more structure and clarity to customers. The recently-revealed watches for land and sea will carry this new identity, while aviation keeps Bremont’s legacy branding (for now) with an untouched range – although we suspect that this will be next on Cerrato’s list.
Bremont Terra Nova 40.5 Date. Credit: Bremont.
With competitive pricing and a strong brand, Bremont will undoubtedly do very well. The fact that they are at the Geneva show for the first time, with a very prominent stand close to the entrance, is a strong statement of intent in itself.
TAG Heuer’s Novelties
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph. Credit: TAG Heuer.
On next to TAG Heuer where CEO Julien Tornare presented two big novelties: the silver and black Carrera, which is essentially a copy of a design first released by Jack Heuer himself, and a new Monaco to celebrate 55 years since the iconic square watch was first seen. While the new Split Seconds Chronograph certainly looks like a Monaco, it’s almost an all-new design, reworked to fit as ergonomically onto the wrist as possible.
TAG Heuer Monaca Split-Seconds Chronograph. Credit: TAG Heuer.
Tornare called it: “a new approach; the most wearable Monaco ever.” This rattrapante version is definitely complex and eye-catching, but the star for me was that silver and black panda Carrera, which reflects 1960s fashions even more effectively than bell bottom flares – and certainly a lot more elegantly.
Tudor Black Bay Releases
And then it was Tudor time. Opinions will be divided over the full gold Black Bay (appearing on an 18-carat gold bracelet for the first time) but personally I think it’s rather magnificent, albeit in a slightly retro way.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, there’s a new series of monochrome Black Bays that make you wonder why exactly you’d need a Submariner now: the inescapable conclusion being that you probably don’t. These look very convincing, and the new GMT was definitely a highlight from Tudor as well. More so than the offerings from Rolex, which to be honest were slightly underwhelming.
Tudor Novelties 2024. Credit: Tudor.
Just across the corridor from the Rolex stand, staring them down, was Patek Philippe: I loved the new white gold Aquanaut Travel Time, probably the clearest way of displaying two time zones that I have ever seen. Like many watches, it looks even better in the metal than it does in photos. Especially my photos.
Zenith Elevate the DEFY Skyline
Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph. Credit: Zenith.
I ended the day with a visit to Zenith, which was perhaps the only brand that started their presentation by showing a watch from 1969: the original Defy, with its 14-sided bezel. That was the clear inspiration behind the similarly shaped Skyline Chronograph, with an impressively easy to operate quick-release strap (unlike some other straps that I saw, which were definite nail-breakers).
Then there was the Extreme Diver and of course the colourful Revival, which brings the total up to three genuinely new reincarnations of the Defy. It felt like there was a lot of energy behind Zenith this year, thanks to the company successfully combining modernity with a real connection to their illustrious history.
Day Two, Wednesday:
IWC’s Eternal Calendar
Once fortified with breakfast, I felt just about ready to fight my way through the crowds to IWC for the first appointment of the day, on what felt like the busiest stand of the show. It was also one of the most star-studded, where the epitome of nerd chic, celebrity physicist Brian Cox was the protagonist of a video that invited us to explore the very nature of time.
“What is time?” he asked. “To Einstein, it’s more like a distance. What is eternity? A place of no time? Humans have tried to structure time as a way of bringing order to chaos. So here we have a tribute to eternity.”
IWC Booth. Credit: Watches and Wonders Geneva.
With that, the IWC Eternal Calendar was revealed, a breath-taking piece of craftsmanship that features a ‘400-year gear’ to consider the fact that the calendar skips three leap years every 400 years. As a feat of engineering prowess, it’s second to none – a shame though that nobody is going to stick around long enough to find out if it works or not. So, we’ll have to take their word for it.
IWC Perpetual Calendar. Credit: IWC Schaffhausen.
For me, the joy of watches is how they make you feel, and with statistics being floated around such as ‘one day deviation in 45 million years’, how this watch made me feel was simply humble. There’s nothing like unfathomably big numbers and incomprehensible spans of time to make you realise just how small your place is in the world. So that’s why the ‘tribute to eternity’ slogan was particularly apt, as these watches really do remind you of these mind-bending concepts every time you look at them.
Visually, the new IWC watches, which focus on the famous Portugieser range this year, were some of the most stunning of the entire show, thanks to the evocative dial shades inspired by different times of day – Horizon Blue, Dune, Obsidian, and Silver Moon – encased within a TAG Heuer style ‘glassbox’. The perfection of the dials was just a whole new level, making IWC probably my personal star of the show. You could call it ‘the thinking man’s Rolex’.
Oris’ Aquis Expansion
From there it was onto Oris. Last year, they were all about Kermit the Frog, this time there were no muppets in evidence and instead the brand focussed on its best-seller: the Aquis.
Oris Aquis Date Upcycle. Credit: WatchGecko.
These models are of primordial importance to Oris, and they come complete with a new in-house Oris 400 movement, which delivers a five-day power reserve. There’s a new slimmer case, more streamlined quick-adjust straps, and more refined finishing.
Of course, the company has made a mission out of sustainability and a key element of the new releases they exhibited were some upcycled PET dials made out of reclaimed plastic sea refuge, melted down and sliced into thin layers to create attractive multicoloured faces, each one being unique.
Fit for a King: Parmigiani Fleurier
And in many ways, I saved the best until last, with a trip to Parmigiani Fleurier. Their stand is very much like the brand itself, discreet - you almost walk straight past it - and with a subtle exterior that belies the richness within.
Parmigiani Booth. Credit: Watches and Wonders Geneva.
You’ve probably heard the stories about King Charles and his first series Toric Chrono a lot, but it cropped up in conversation many times with Parmigiani: it’s an association they can’t really talk about but are very proud of.
Toric Petite Seconde. Credit: Parmigiani Fleurier.
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The standout new release was the Siena Tonda no date: an absolutely stunning piece thanks to its understated simplicity yet strikingly elegant peach coloured dial. This is really a watch you could see yourself owning for life. By all accounts most owners do, and here’s a really striking fact to wrap up Day One: since 2020, Parmigiani production has increased three-fold, but revenues have increased five-fold.
Day Three, Thursday:
Thursday would be my final day at Watches and Wonders, split between the Palexpo and the city centre, where all sorts of other watch-related events were going on.
NOMOS gets colourful
NOMOS Tangente 38 Date. Credit: NOMOS.
First things first, I made my way over to the NOMOS stand, where a total of 31 different coloured watches were on display as part of their new collection that showcases colour in a series of combinations that you will have never seen before. The base model for these creations is the well-known Tangente, which has always been renowned as a sober watch – right up until now, when they got a little bit Jackson Pollock with the colour palette.
The names were as funky as all the different shades. My personal favourite being ‘Chilli’ but there are all sorts of other nomenclatures such as ‘katzengolde’, which literally translates as ‘gold cat’ but in actual fact means something like the equivalent of ‘fool’s gold’ in German.
Gerald Charles makes their debut
Gerald Charles Masterlink. Credit: Gerald Charles.
From there I had a taste of real watchmaking aristocracy in the form of Gerald Charles. This brand of course is named after Gerald Charles Genta: its original founder. Since the maestro died, the company has gone through all sorts of different incarnations, but his legacy remains with a series of beautifully crafted watches. This was actually the first time that the current company has exhibited at Watches and Wonders and the amount of interest around their stand underlines how powerful the Genta name still is.
Grand Seiko combine simplicity with beauty
Perhaps saving the best for last at the Geneva show, my final appointment was with Grand Seiko: a brand that has (almost without exception) come out with a series of stunning releases in recent years, and this year was absolutely no exception. Unusually there were none of the deep blue watches that the company often specialises in, however there was a series of new ‘white birch’ watches whose finish took your breath away. Interestingly, these were mainly hand-wound watches, with the Japanese firm as enthusiastic as ever about its heritage and traditional engineering techniques.
Grand Seiko Birch Bark. Credit: Grand Seiko.
Hopefully all this gives a taste of what it’s like to visit Watches and Wonders. Far more happened than I can ever contemplate writing about (and even if I did, I would lose even the readers who have gallantly made it this far). Suffice to say that Watches and Wonders is the greatest show in the world and always will be.
We can’t wait for next year already and we hope to see you there!
