Another year, another edition of Watches & Wonders in the books. The 2024 iteration of the industry’s biggest (and arguably most important fair) whizzed by as these relentless tests of emotional and physical constitutions often do. What seemed like a mountain to climb at the start of the week, staring down over 70 meetings in a five-day stretch, was summited and descended simply by placing one foot in front of the other, as is always the best way.
Brand New Tudor Releases for 2024 - Credit Rob Nudds
But which of the many brands I visited this week took more than steps towards their goal? Which brands took leaps and bounds towards a glorious future? And which brands stumbled, tripping over their feet and landing on their knees, looking up at the giants of the past and the present, wondering how on Earth they muster the necessary grit to clamber back to their feet and try again?
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about having boots on the ground at an event week like this, is being able to meet (and interrogate) first-hand, the people whose decisions will shape the next few years of watchmaking and beyond. One can better ascertain a sense of a brand and its trajectory by sitting down with the folks behind it. New releases only tell half the story. The rest has to be felt. How ready is a brand to forge ahead? How bold are they willing to be? Where do they see the market going and what plan (if any) do they have to survive in the onrushing conditions?
Grand Seiko releases for Watches and Wonders - Credit Rob Nudds
Watches and Wonders is no longer (nor has ever really been) solely about the brands exhibiting at the fair itself. Held in the Palexpo — a gargantuan event space so close to Geneva Airport it actually looks like it’s part of it from some angles — the Fondation Haute Horlogerie now plays host to 54 separate maisons, whose wares are displayed across a variety of areas and with variable degrees of impact. However, the Hotel Beau Rivage (which is perhaps best known in watchmaking circles as the home of Geneva Watch Days), has now fully embraced the opportunity to double up its watchmaking calendar and take bookings from more brands than ever before, hoping to take advantage of the presence of the watch world’s leading retailers and journalists that would otherwise have had just one location to visit.
Tutima Releases - Credit Rob Nudds
This year, 48 brands exhibited at the Beau Rivage. That’s easily the most ever. In fact, it might remain a record for quite some time as the hotel was entirely booked out (and has been for months). Several brands, who camped out in either the lobby or the bar, commandeering chairs and table space that itself did not come for free, told me that they’d tried to book a suite of their own weeks ago, only to be told there was no room at the inn. This is remarkable. If there was any lingering concern that the slightly depressing end of 2023 and downright rotten start to 2024 might have made brands more averse to shelling out to attend events, it seems to have been wholly dispelled. Moreover, it seems likely brands see these kind of expenditures as evermore important to their continued success (or survival, as is the case for some).
Roughly between the two main event locations is a third, entirely separate event. Held at HEAD Genève, the school of art and design that was once the stomping ground of Singer Reimagined co-founder and chief designer Marco Borraccino (who held the position of Chair in Watch Design at the college), the (pretty awfully named) Time to Watches event plays out. Here, you will find the up-and-comers, the small independents, the micro-brands, and…Sinn.
Sinn 556 - Credit WatchGecko
While it’s arguable Sinn is way too big and established to rub shoulders with a lot of the smaller and newer brands here, HEAD Genève is actually the best fit for it. The beloved German tool watch maker doesn’t have the luxury vibe that suits Palexpo, nor the unbridled (often unhinged) creativity for which most of the Beau Rivage brands are known. It sits quite comfortably alongside the worker bees of the industry that are bonded to one another by a shared understanding of just how hard it is to make hay when the sun is all too often hidden behind the cloud of smoke generated by the upper echelons of the industry.
So which of the 100+ brands exhibiting during this wild and wonderful week won out and which lost ground? In general, it was a quiet fair. That is true in terms of releases and the sheer number of visitors that seemed markedly lower than 2023. Despite this, several brands stood out for the mature additions or improvements made to their current offering.
Ulysse Nardin Releases - Credit Rob Nudds
From the big boys, it was Ulysse Nardin that impressed me the most. Yes, IWC’s Eternal Calendar has to be mentioned as perhaps the most academically interesting novelty (and it is really very well done), but it didn’t move me emotionally in the same way as the UN Freak S Nomad did.
And it almost moved me to tears. The Freak is an icon of our industry. It deserves all the plaudits it gets. I honestly believe its release in 2000 was a turning point for the industry. It was (and remains) the best example of why luxury watches exist at all.
The S Nomad blends traditional finishing techniques with a rotating space age movement that itself indicates the time without the need for traditional hands. The 45 mm diameter may not sound small, but the stout lugs and considerate case profile make it easily wearable (and very comfortable) on my 16.5 cm wrist.
When it comes to long-established luxury brands operating at a lower price point, the runaway winner (to my surprise), was Alpina.
Alpina 2024 Seastrong Diver - Credit Alpina
Prior to attending the fair, I’d seen renders of the now-released Seastrong 39 mm diver. I’d thought it an attractive upgrade to the current version, reducing the size and adding a ceramic bezel as it did. However, what I didn’t appreciate enough until I got these new models on my wrist was how good the execution was going to be (for under £2,000, by the way).
And it wasn’t just the Seastrong. It was everything. Every new(ish) model is great value and everything (even the Heritage models which I’d seriously doubted from press imagery alone) looked amazing in real life. If you haven’t had the chance to get Alpina on your wrist, I’d recommend the experience. Now, is a very good time to start discovering the brand.
Alpina did what every maison should have been trying to do. It evolved its collection by adding tangible value for the consumer without fudging the price. It was peerless ship steering from brand captain Oliver Van Lanschot Hubrecht. Kudos. This is how it should be done and other brands in the same price point should take note.
Gerald Charles releases at the Beau Rivage - Credit Rob Nudds
The best of the Beau Rivage is tough to choose due to the wide range of brands being presented, but Atelier Wen, Singer Reimagined, ID Geneve, and Mauron Musy impressed as usual. I’d put HYT’s course correction at the very top, however. New CEO Vahe Vartzbed has a potential winner on his hands with the new, more compact case shape.
Lastly, one brand to watch that showed its wares (and progress) at Time to Watches (the name of that event is still weird) is Beaubleu. Owned by the dashing Nicolas Ducoudert-Pham, the strong visual concept punches well above its price point in terms of interest and wearability.
I first met Nicolas a year ago and to see the progress he and the company have made in one year (and what they have on the horizon) is heartening. There is still a healthy space for newcomers to enjoy as long as they put significant time, energy, and money into ensuring excellent quality and a strong concept, at accessible prices.
