Time’s up: Watches & Wonders 2023’s hottest timepieces

GENEVA – From annual calendars to flyback chronographs, Watches & Wonders 2023 – which ran at the Palexpo convention centre in Geneva from March 27 to April 2 – offered a veritable smorgasbord of marvellous timepieces for horology lovers.

Boasting 49 exhibitors, the world’s largest watch trade show was an unqualified success, attracting a record attendance of 43,000 visitors, including nearly 1,500 journalists and more than 5,400 retailers from 125 countries. The fair was open to the public on the last two days, with all 12,000 tickets sold.

The range unveiled was mind-boggling, but here are 10 of the attention-grabbing timepieces at the event.

Cartier Tank Normale

For years, watch fans have been wondering when the Tank Normale will make it into Cartier’s Prive Collection, where the French maison revisits some of its most iconic designs and produces them in limited runs.

Their impatience is understandable. The Tank – designed by Louis Cartier in 1917 and inspired by the Renault FT 17 tanks used during World War I – has been described by writer and historian Franco Cologni as a VIO (Very Important Object). Over the decades, there have been Tanks in different shapes and sizes, but the Normale holds the distinction of being the original.

This new Prive collection comprises six new Tank Normale designs, but the most exciting ones are the two bracelet versions: one in platinum and the other in yellow gold.

Fitted with the handwound calibre 070, these timepieces sport Roman numeral dials, and satin-brushed and polished cases measuring 32.6mm by 25.7mm. The gold version ($66,500) has “blued” hands and a sapphire cabochon, while the platinum model ($76,500) has hands of polished grey steel and a ruby cabochon. Both editions are limited to 100 pieces each and are numbered.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar

Patek Philippe releases some of the most talked-about watches each year, and 2023 is no different. Of the hundreds of timepieces the 49 exhibitors unveiled at the show, the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar is one of my favourites.

Almost as coveted as its older sibling, the Nautilus, the Aquanaut was launched in 1997. The Luce line came in 2004, ostensibly targeting women with its smaller cases and, in many instances, gem settings.

Recognising that many women who love watches are also into movements, Patek has in recent years dropped several models with complications. The Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar has joined their ranks, and what a show-stopper it is.

At 39.9mm – a size extremely fashionable with both sexes now – this timepiece has an 18K rose-gold case in which ticks the watchmaker’s patented Annual Calendar: a complete day/date/month calendar requiring only one manual correction a year, at the end of February. The intricacy of this 319-part movement can be admired through the transparent caseback.

Fitted with the distinctively patterned Aquanaut strap, the watch has a captivating blue-grey dial with the moon phase display at 12 o’clock, and two subdials beneath it. It may be aimed at women, but the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar ($81,900) is definitely singing to the men too.

Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Retrograde Day-date

For Watches & Wonders 2023, Vacheron Constantin has paid special attention to the retrograde date – and why not? The Swiss watchmaker was the first to incorporate the function in a wristwatch in 1920. Timepieces with a retrograde display have hands which move across a scale and, at the end of the track, snap back to zero.

Among the three retrograde-inspired novelties Vacheron has dropped is the 42.5mm Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date, which has a swoon-worthy sunburst salmon-coloured dial.

Fashioned from 950 platinum, this model (€70,000 or S$101,690) charms with its gorgeous dial design, which has a semicircle of blue numerals on top, balanced out by an arc of spelt-out days – also in blue – below. The Maltese cross, the brand’s symbol, sits majestically just below the 12 o’clock marker.

The heart of this beauty is Vacheron’s self-winding calibre 2460 R31R7/3, which boasts an open-worked oscillating weight and a 40-hour power reserve.

Tag Heuer Carrera 36mm

Tag Heuer’s iconic model, the Carrera, is 60 this year and the watchmaker is celebrating the milestone with new models.

Since Rolex started the ball rolling with its range of eye-catching Oyster Perpetuals in 2020, snazzily coloured dials have become highly popular.

Tag has now done the same and dropped four new 36mm Carrera models in vivid hues: warm silver, signature blue, pastel green and vibrant pink. The last, with its snailed finish, is especially attractive.

Boasting unisex appeal because of the case size, this stainless-steel range ($4,550) is more streamlined than its predecessor, with a tapered bracelet, new lug-to-lug measurements (43.55mm instead of 41.6mm) and a thinner case (10mm instead of 12mm).

The dial is classy, with tasteful 8K 5N rose gold-plated accents on the indices and hands. It has also been fitted with a new movement, the Caliber 7, which is visible through the transparent caseback and boasts a 56-hour power reserve.

Zenith Pilot Automatic 

Did you know that Zenith, and not IWC or Breitling, owns the trademark to use the word “pilot” on its watch dials? That is because the brand’s founder Georges Favre-Jacot, an aviation enthusiast, had the foresight to register the French word “pilote” in 1888 and the Anglicised version in 1904.

Determined to revive its storied aviation heritage, the Swiss watchmaker has launched a new generation of Pilot watches. A standout among these designs is the 40mm Pilot Automatic, with a case crafted from black ceramic which has been microblasted for a matt finish.

Flaunting an oversized crown, the handsome model has a black opaline dial with horizontal grooves reminiscent of the corrugated metal once used to make aircraft fuselages.

Since legibility is key for aviation watches, it also boasts large, Super-LumiNova-coated Arabic numerals which are applied instead of imprinted. Delivered with interchangeable black and khaki cordura-effect straps, the Zenith Pilot Automatic ($14,000) is powered by the El Primero 3620 movement, which has a power reserve of 60 hours.

Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS

This is a new iteration of the Alpine Eagle, one of Chopard’s most distinctive sports watches.

Fashioned from the family-owned brand’s much-touted Lucent Steel A223 – made from 85 per cent recycled steel – it has an alluring Monte Rosa pink dial, so named because it is inspired by the pinkish shimmer of the second-highest mountain in the Alps. The colour beautifully highlights the dial’s stunning pattern, reminiscent of an eagle’s iris.

Fitted with an integrated bracelet, this 41mm watch is also ultra-thin, with a thickness of just 8mm. Powering the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS ($32,500) is the chronometer-certified L.U.C 96.40-L movement, visible through the timepiece’s transparent caseback.

Boasting 65 hours of power reserve, the movement’s finishing has earned it the Poincon de Geneve seal, a certificate given to timepieces with remarkable finishes and decorative details.

Montblanc 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date With Grey Dial

Riding on the popularity of the 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date it launched in 2022, Montblanc has unveiled a new iteration with a grey dial.

Like its black, blue and green predecessors, the dial boasts a pattern inspired by the glacial Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, around the Mont Blanc massif (mountain mass) in south-eastern France. To add depth and texture, the pattern is realised by a technique called gratte-boise, which involves using a wooden tool to scrape the surface.

Among other impressive credentials, the 41mm diver’s watch is ISO 6245-certified and has passed the Montblanc Laboratory 500 Hours test, which has stringent requirements pertaining to, among others, shock resistance, magnetism and depth.

The hands, indexes and dots at 12 o’clock on the bezel are coated with Super-LumiNova and glow a beautiful blue in the dark. It features a 3D engraving of an iceberg and a scuba diver exploring the glacial waters on the caseback, as well as a unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel on which the first 15 minutes are colour-coded.

The 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date comes with either a stainless-steel bracelet ($4,900) or rubber strap ($4,600).

Bell & Ross BR 05 Green Gold

French watchmaker Bell & Ross, in its debut at Watches & Wonders 2023, released three new watches at the fair and will drop several more over the course of the year.

Among the trio is a new gold edition of its popular BR 05 model. Sporting an integrated case and bracelet, the 40mm piece is fashioned from 18K rose gold with a verdant green dial. To achieve the hue, the dial is given multiple coats of tinted varnish before being radially brushed.

The aesthetics are winningly simple: date window at 3 o’clock and C3 Super-LumiNova baton indices. Powered by a self-winding movement (the BR-CAL.321) with a 360-degree rotor made from 18K gold, the BR 05 Green Gold comes with either a satin-brushed gold bracelet ($49,000) or an alligator leather strap ($33,000).

Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar

This is the Italian watchmaker’s first annual calendar, a fact it proudly trumpets with the phrase “calendario annuale” on the dial.

The 45mm watch comes in two versions. The first has a Radiomir cushion-shaped case fashioned from Goldtech – made with a percentage of copper that gives the material a rich red hue – and a mesmerising blue dial with a sunburst finish.

The other is crafted from Platinumtech, a Panerai alloy which is sturdier and stronger than conventional platinum, and has a vibrant burgundy dial.

The dial design is clean and attractive, with the day-date apertures at 3 o’clock and a clever month indicator – rendered in Italian – which follows the chapter ring of the dial.

It is fitted with the automatic P9010/AC Caliber, visible though the open caseback, which has a power reserve of up to three days. The Goldtech version is priced at $57,100 and the Platinumtech one at $84,200.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Precious Colours

The brand’s focus for 2023 is on its Reverso collection. Created more than 90 years ago, the wristwatch with the swivelling case, conceived to withstand the rigours of polo games, has become a style icon.

The slate of Reverso models unveiled at Watches & Wonders 2023 include the Reverso One Precious Colours collection, stunning jewellery watches which showcase the maison’s expertise in decorative arts and gem-setting techniques.

A homage to the geometry of Art Deco, these rectangular novelties are available in two colour variations: blue with black on a pink-gold background, or green on a white-gold background.

Boasting Dauphine hands and applied numerals, the mother-of-pearl dial is decorated with gold brackets at each corner, the colours contrasting beautifully with the enamelled frame and the diamond-set gadroons and lugs.

The reverse side of the case is richly decorated, with geometric patterns executed in miniature painted grand-feu enamel and diamond-set accents. When turned over, the piece doubles as an eye-catching bracelet.

The blue version is priced at $179,000 and the green one at $186,000.