Watches & Wonders 2024 – My Top 10 Choices
Well, it’s been over 2 months since Watches and Wonders 2024, where we witnessed some of the new releases for the year. As everyone knows, it was not as exciting as the previous edition, but there were some really interesting watch releases. Yes, I am late to the party in sharing my Top 10 but made sense to get my hands on some of them, before giving my verdict. So here comes my 10 choices….
- 25
years after the original launch of the Datograph, this new Datograph
Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold ‘Lumen’ from A. Lange & Sohne is
epic. Limited to 50 pieces, this complicated timepiece combines a flyback
chronograph, jumping minute counter, perpetual calendar and tourbillon with
stop-seconds mechanism. Of course, the highlight is the transparent dial which
lights up with a luminous glow in the dark – Definitely, a visual treat. The 18-carat
honey gold watch comes in a 41.5mm case and thickness of 14.6mm. The case
houses the in-house calibre movement L952.4 which is manually wound and offers
50 hours of power reserve. The price is upon request, however speculated to be
over US$ 600,000.
- Something
that I always look for in new releases is vintage vibe and the one that spoke
vintage to me was the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse. This monopusher
chronograph resembles the dashboard of a vintage GT car and comes in two
colours – Ebony Black and Ivory White. The case is 39mm (for me, the perfect
size) and enclosed is the calibre A5000 movement. Both colours are aptly
matched with calf-skin leather strap and both models are limited to 25 pieces.
- Beauregard
collaborated with Vianney Halter to create this piece of art, the Beauregard
Ulysee. The dial is pretty much a stained-glass window made up of precious
stones and the lead has been replaced with gold. The case is 41mm, 18K rose
gold and powered by the famous ‘Vianney Halter’ mysterious automatic movement.
This timepiece is limited to 10 pieces.
- While
Cartier had quite a few releases, the one that caught my attention was the Santos
De Cartier Dual Time. This watch comes in a 40.2mm case, 10.1mm thickness
and the most striking feature is the anthracite grey dial with the dual time
complication at the 6 o’clock position. The watch has been finished with
typical sapphire crystal and blue spinel cabochon in the crown. The whole watch
is seamless in its design even with the dual time complication. This watch is
priced at US$ 9,150.
- Cyrus
Geneve presents the Etheral Twin Orbital Tourbillon which was actually 6 years
in the making and in two words, “Visual Bonanza”, especially with the two
flying tourbillons and jumping hour display. This watch is made of rose gold
and the case is 44mm in size with 2 crowns (one at 3 o’clock and one at 9
o'clock’). The watch is powered by the in-house movement calibre CYR518-E which
offers 72 hours of power reserve. This sophisticated timepiece is completed
with black alligator straps that brings out the rose gold colour of the watch.
This Cyrus Geneve model is limited to 18 pieces.
- What
can I say about the next one? – IWC hit it out of the park with the Portugieser
Eternal Calendar and for me, this is the release of W&W 2024. This
timepiece automatically accounts for leap year over a period of 400 years and
the moonphase will only deviate by one day after 45 million years; this is the
reason that this model from IWC recently received the title of the most precise
lunar phase watch. Would I use all the complications on this watch? No, of
course not, but who cares, this is absolutely cool!! That’s it! The watch comes
in a 44.4mm platinum case which houses the 52640 calibre that provides 168
hours of power oeserve. The watch displays time (Of course), date, day, month,
year, eternal moonphase and power reserve. The watch is priced at US$ 160,000.
- If you want a watch that offers many colour variations, then check out
the Nomos Glashutte Tangente 38 Date. This is a stainless-steel
watch that comes with a case size of 37.5mm and thickness of 6.8mm. The date
and seconds-hand complications are both at the 6 o’clock, and somehow, the
whole design works well. This watch is simple in design, but bursts with energy
and flamboyance at the same time. With a price tag of US$ 2310, it is relatively
affordable compared to some other brands/models in this list. On my first look,
my heart went out to the Sportbunt model with its orange, blue and white
combination (you wouldn't find it in the picture, that's homework for you to go and look at it on the website 😉.
- Here
we go with the thinnest watch in the list, and at W&W 2024 – The Piaget
Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon. This is watchmaking at its best and of
course, pushing boundaries to create a 2mm think watch that houses a
tourbillon. The picture below says it all…….
It comes in a case with 41.5mm size and while it may currently be the thinnest watch, it also looks the part of being elegant as well as sophisticated. The case is a blue PVD-treated cobalt alloy and the case is supplemented with a perfectly integrated crown which may not be seen unless you look closer. Price is upon request, but previous models were priced over US$ 400,000. - Raymond
Weil has released a stunner with the Millesime Automatic Moonphase Midnight
Blue and this is probably my favourite out of the W&W 2024 releases. There
is a certain balance with the dial shape, colour, moonphase and overall simplicity.
The standout feature is the smiling moon in the moonphase complication and
somehow, it gives the watch an edge. The watch will come in two colours (silver
and blue) and expected to be released to the public in October 2024. It comes
in a 39.5mm case, approximately 10mm thickness and carries the in-house RW4280
movement that provides 38 hours of power reserve. The glass-box sapphire
crystal adds to the allure of the dial. This piece is priced between US$ 2225 –
2325.
- Finally, the model that
received the most attention in this year’s W&W, the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
2024 which is also on my to-buy list. The black, burgundy and gold absolutely
works for me and I am sure it also does for a lot of other people. This one
comes in the 39mm steel case, black and burgundy bezel with gold gilts and as
with Tudor’s latest trend, this watch is COSC-certified. It is waterproof up to
200m (600ft), anti-magnetic and has a 65-hours power reserve. The dial is
stocked with the extra GMT-hand and a date complication at 3 o’clock. The watch
comes in either the steel bracelet or rubber strap, and both variations look
good.
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