Watches & Wonders, the most prestigious watches fair in the world in Geneva, in eleven watch trends.
By Anja Van Der Borght
1. Wine Red
From Mulberry red to wine red; bordeaux was absolutely the trend color during the last edition of Watches & Wonders. Tudor dressed its Black Bay 58, the popular model from the collection, with a dial with a satin finish and a matching bezel in a bordeaux red inspired by the color of a prototype from the ’90s.
Tudor Black Bay 58 (39 mm) in steel, automatic movement, available with three different straps. From €4,330.
Nomos Glashütte Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer is the thinnest automatic worldtimer on the market. Limited to 175 pieces per color configuration. €3,940.
Pequignet Royale Paris (36 mm) in steel, automatic movement. €3,500.
TAG Heuer Carrera Day-Date (41 mm) in steel, automatic movement. €4,150.
2. Lilac Purple Prestige
Both Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Chopard drew inspiration this year from the beautiful lilac of the hyacinth fields and introduced soft purple as another new trend color. While Jaeger-LeCoultre opted for miniature in Grand Feu enamel, Chopard went in search of a lilac-colored natural stone and ended up with lepidolite. In contrast to malachite, turquoise, and lapis lazuli, this purple stone is only rarely used for dials.
Chopard Happy Sport 33 in rose gold with a lepidolite dial, automatic movement with a power reserve of 42 hours. Limited Edition of only 25 pieces. €31,900.
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403 (40 mm) in steel with automatic movement. €3,800.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso One Precious Colours (40 x 20 mm) in white gold features a miniature painting in Grand Feu enamel, with a manual movement. Limited to ten pieces. €134,000.
3. Pistachio
After the trend of green watches, many watch brands such as Parmigiani and Oris are introducing a very special green in their collections this year, namely pistachio. Pistachio green is one of those colours that immediately brings a smile. It evokes sunny spring days, Italian ice cream, and retro design from the 1960s — soft and fresh at the same time. Just eye-catching enough to show character, but subtle enough to remain stylish.
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Calibre 403 (40 mm) in steel with automatic movement and brown sustainable deer leather strap. €3,600.
4. The Tourbillon, The Must-Have Complication
The chronograph is without a doubt one of the most popular complications but this year the focus was mainly on the tourbillon. Bulgari, that made its entry at Watches & Wonders, broke all records again with the thinnest tourbillon in the world, only 1.85 mm thin and a tourbillon cage of only 1.18 mm.
Bulgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon (40 mm) in titanium with ultra-thin manual tourbillon movement. Limited edition of only twenty pieces. €750,000.
5. State-Of-The-Art Materials
Ultra-Cermet combines the hardness and heat resistance of ceramic with the lightness and ductility of metal, resulting in a scratch-resistant and durable finish. It is as precious as gold and changes color – for example, from green to grey – as you move the watch. This year, Parmigiani introduced for the first time a watch made entirely (case, bezel, crown, pushers, and buckle) from Ultra-Cermet.
The Parmigiani Tonda PF Sport Chronograph Ultra-Cermet (42.5 mm) is available with a London Grey or Milano Blue dial and comes with a matching rubber strap. Price: €45,000.
6. Blue Ceramics
While Hublot released several special editions for the 20th anniversary of its Big Bang, including the Red Magic model in hard-to-create red ceramic, both Zenith (for its 160th anniversary) and Chanel (for the 25th anniversary of the J12) have been challenging themselves in recent years to create the perfect shade of blue ceramic.
Three of the most emblematic Zenith chronographs are now available in a monochrome blue ceramic, specially developed for the anniversary of the house: a Chronomaster Sport (€23,800), a Defy Skyline Chronograph (€24,700) and a Pilot Chronograph (€16,500). Each model is available in an exclusively limited edition of 160 pieces, separately for sale or together in a special anniversary box.
7. Full Titanium
Panerai already used Grade 5 titanium in 1985 for its diving watches, because of the excellent corrosion resistance and suitability for use in or around water. This material is also 40 percent lighter and 60 percent harder than steel. What is new, however, is that more and more brands – such as Pequignet – are now expanding watches entirely in titanium, including a titanium bracelet.
Panerai Luminor Marina Titanio PAM03325 (44 mm) in titanium, automatic movement. €9,900.
Ressence TYPE 7 XV Aquamarine (41 mm) in titanium with unique ROCS movement (Ressence Orbital Convex System). Limited to 80 pieces. €47,500
8. (Yellow)Gold Fever
The yellow gold fever holds strong. This year too, numerous brands are introducing new and daring versions in yellow gold, such as this Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with turquoise blue dial. This model is exclusively available in a yellow gold version with an Oysterflex strap and a yellow gold Oysterclasp clasp.
Vacheron Constantin celebrates its 270th anniversary with a re-edition of the iconic 222 Historique (37 mm) in yellow gold with automatic movement and date display. €81,500.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Honeygold with a honey gold case (40.5 mm), automatic movement with day and date display, and small seconds at 6 o’clock. Limited to 100 pieces. Price on request.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (40 mm) automatic chronograph movement. €37,700.
9. Montre-Bijou
Inspired by the colorful and bold spirit of the late sixties — a period in which Piaget redefined the boundaries of luxury and feminine watchmaking — the new Sixtie watch collection embodies a modern interpretation of this creative freedom. Sixtie is more than a watch: it is a jewel, a style statement. With its characteristic trapezoidal shape, Sixtie combines harmonious geometry and refinement, once again affirming its reputation as a pioneer in blending watchmaking and jewelry art.
Piaget Sixtie in rose gold (29 mm x 25.3 mm), quartz movement, price €40,000.
The panel-shaped Tressage by Cartier combines yellow gold, striking volumes, and contrasting materials to create a true horological sculpture. The dial is surrounded by two graduated bands of alternating rectangular diamonds, bezel-set with snow-set diamonds. And as one can change the strap, the yellow gold and pavé-set diamonds can be alternated, while on the other side, the sleek lines of contrasting materials from various brands provide contrast.
Tressage by Cartier in yellow gold with black leather strap (56.2 mm x 25.7 mm) quartz movement, €43,600.
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10. Fun Watches
The unexpected, like a sticking-out tongue at Hermès or a couple kissing twice a day at noon on a bridge for Van Cleef & Arpels, is to be expected from fun watches. With the playful animation of a horse sticking out its tongue, engraving, miniature painting, and colorful stripes in horsehair marquetry, the dial of the Hermès Arceau watch reinterprets the mischievous horse that Dimitri Rybaltchenko designed for the Rocabar de rire silk scarf. Powered by a spring mechanism connected to a pusher at 9 o’clock, the cheeky horse sticks out its tongue.
Hermès Arceau Rocabar de rire in white gold (26 mm) with automatic movement. Limited and numbered edition of 12 pieces. €168,000.
11. Unisex
The duosets with a model for him and her, which are still eagerly sold mainly on the Asian market, are losing popularity. Watches are reappearing – now that the sizes are getting smaller – as unisex models. This Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding from Alpina, the first reissue of a model from 1965, is a fine example of this. The ‘Tropic-Proof’ label refers to a specific type of construction of the watch with a screw-down case back.
Alpina Heritage Tropic-Proof Handwinding (34 mm) in steel, manual movement. €1,795.
