2024 has been an amazing year for watches, but horrible for my bank account. And it seems Watches and Wonders 2024 is going to make things even more complicated. As expected, the biggest watch event of the year has the world of watches and the artisans leading the industry showing out with the latest and greatest from their storied workshops. Whether you are a veteran in horology or simply a casual fan, I feel you’ll be very happy with what the watch tradeshow has to offer this year.
Exploring new materials for cases and straps, more playful and sustainable designs, god-tier complications, and re-releasing updated classics, watchmakers are not only pushing the boundaries of watchmaking but also more receptive to fans than ever before. We are getting new cult classics and watch-grails, quite literally every day.
Today and the following days we are going to highlight some of our favorite drops from Watches and Wonders 2024 — watches that embody the best modern watch-making has to offer.
Explore the best watches of Watches and Wonders 2024
IWC at Watches and Wonders 2024
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar
Starting off strong, IWC dropped one of the most showstopping watches at the Geneva event this year. There are a host of watches worth mentioning from the brand, but the pièce de résistance has to be the Portugieser Eternal Calendar. For the uninitiated, perpetual calendars are one of the most mechanically sophisticated complications you can put in a watch case.
In the most broad sense, a perpetual calendar is designed to showcase the day, date, and year correctly until the year 2100. No batteries or electronics. Just mechanical components and damn good watchmaking.
The Portugieser Eternal Calendar takes this a step further, culminating in a watch that is able to remain accurate for 400 years. However, that is not even the wildest feature. The moon phase — a complication that highlights the daily phases of the moon — boasts an accuracy of 45 million years. Your great great great great great great grandkids could probably wear this when they vacation at Earth’s second lunar colony.
All jokes aside, the IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar is a beautiful piece of horology engineering in a stunning and very wearable platinum case. Though this watch will set you back $210,000, I feel that is very reasonable for the amount of wears you will be getting out of the watch.
Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night
Another grail-worthy gem from IWC at Watches and Wonders 2024 has to be the Portugieser Hand-Wound Tourbillon Day & Night. Coming in an 18-carat gold case paired nicely with an Obsidian lacquered dial, gold-plated hands, and gold appliques. Yes, the watch includes an impressive tourbillion complication, but the niftiest feature has to be the Portugieser’s day and night indication, a globe that completes a rotation every 24 hours.
Patek Philippe at Watches and Wonders 2024
Golden Ellipse Ref. 5738/1R
70s and 80s style watches are in high demand — both in the vintage market and across the current industry. Patek is one of the brands that have confirmed my suspicions, dropping what I think is going to be one of my personal favorites from Patek Philippe. A re-release of the 1970s classic, the Patek Golden Ellipse is back with some updated specs. In its slim 5.9 mm rose gold body you’ll find a self-winding Patek 240 caliber movement.
The beloved bracelet on the Golden Ellipse comes in rose gold and is composed of 363 elements including more than 300 links mounted by hand.
Grand Complications Alarm Travel Time Ref. 5520RG
You don’t need a digital watch to have an alarm on your wrist. Patek Phillipe’s Grand Complication Alarm Travel Time quite literally has some of the best bells and whistles you can get your hands on. The rose gold watch is powered by Patek’s patented and monstrously complicated AL 30-660 S C FUS caliber.
This gives the watch a dual-time Travel Time display, a date function that aligns with local time, and a 24-hour alarm with a gong chime loud enough to wake up even the deepest sleepers. Would I wear this to bed? No. But, who I am to tell you what to do with your hundred-thousand-dollar watch?
Nautilus Flyback Chronograph Ref. 5980/60G
Everyone’s favorite Nautilus is back with a beautiful blue-gray denim-patterned calfskin strap to go alongside its white gold case body. An opaline blue-gray dial brings all of the elements together creating one of the most striking Nautilus Flybacks I have come across in years.
A quick side note: I am seeing a lot of denim straps at Watches and Wonders 2024 — a strap material not commonly used in ultra-luxury watches. But, I am here for it. Maybe one day we will get a Visvim denim and Grand Seiko collab in the future.
Bovet at Watches and Wonders 2024
The Récital 28 Prowess 1
Bovet makes some of the most exquisite complications in Swiss watchmaking — with deep references that call back to horolgy’s rich history. The premiere Récital 28 Prowess from the brand is a shining example of that. But, to appreciate this watch you should understand one of my favorite complications, the world timer.
At its core, a world timer can display the time in multiple time zones simultaneously, the perfect watch for travelers. However, one big issue with world timers is that they do not account for Day Light Savings Time. The Récital 28 Prowess 1 fixes that.
A first in the industry, the Récital 28 Prowess 1 can adjust to DST changes thanks to its mindblowing roller system. At just the touch of a button, the watch can be set to show UTC, AST, EAS, or EWT, with any of the 24 time zones represented on the dial by 24 rollers. On top of that impressive feat, the Récital 28 Prowess 1 comes with a tourbillion and a perpetual calendar.
Montblanc at Watches and Wonders 2024.
1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO2
Montblanc is one of the few brands leading the charge in sustainable watch-making without compromising watch engineering or design. The 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO2 echoes this sentiment. The watch case is made from the brand’s CARBO₂ durable nano-fiber, composite material. In short, CARBO₂ is a process that captures CO₂ from biogas production and mineral wastes from recycling factories.
As for the rest of the specs, the Geosphere comes complete with an MB 29.25 automatic movement with Montblanc’s Manufacture world-time complication, which includes rotating Northern and Southern Hemisphere globes, a 24-hour scale, Day & Night indications, dual time display, and a date.
All for under 10K? It’s one of the best value propositions from Watches and Wonders 2024.
Vacheron Constantin at Watches and Wonders 2024
Vacheron Constantin Overseas "Sunburst Green" Collection
I am still reeling from Vacheron’s 222 release — a watch I consider one of my all-time favorite timepieces (*wink *wink Vacheron). However, this year’s new series might have me reconsidering a few things. For the first time ever, the watchmaker released a new wave of Overseas watches in sunburst green, and boy do they look good.
With all iterations of the watch coming in pink gold, the green dial and crispy white indices contrast beautifully with their precious metal bodies. All of the watches feature sapphire crystal case backs and boast a water resistance of 150m, due to Vacheron’s screw-down crown.
Of course, with each of the variants, you will get different complications and specs. The watch sporting the new form green and pink fold form factor includes the Overseas Chronograph 42.5mm ref. 5520v/210r-b966, Overseas Dual Time 41mm ref. 7920v/210r-b965, Overseas Self-Winding 41mm ref. 4520v/210r-b967, and the Overseas Self-Winding 35mm ref. 4605v/200r-b969.
Rolex at Watches and Wonders 2024
Le Mans Daytona in Yellow Gold (Rumor)
Now, we already covered some of our favorite watches from Rolex’s 2024 novelties this year — viral hits like the new Perpetual 1908 and the new GMT on a jubilee bracelet. However, some of the biggest news is that Rolex has discontinued its white gold 'Le Mans'. Last year Rolex released the Le Mans Daytona in honor of the 100th year of the 24 Hours of Le Mans annual automotive endurance race. This watch was, and still is one of the most coveted watches in the world of horology.
If you, were planning to get your hands on one of these at retail, you are no longer in luck and be prepared to fork out well over 100k above its initial price. Nonetheless, there. In replacement, Rolex has launched a Le Mans Daytona in yellow gold. Though it has not been officially announced by Rolex online, the watch has made an appearance at Watches and Wonders.
There is a good chance that this may be the most coveted watch coming out of Geneva this year.
Cartier at Watches and Wonders 2024
Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph
I am a proud Cartier fanboy and this watch makes me so happy. The watchmaker has revived a classic in their catalog, its coveted Tortue Monopoussoir silhouette. Look at it. It’s the perfect dress watch from the brand beating out the Dumont and Santos by a long shot. The Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir Chronograph includes a Journe-Flageollet-Halter movement and comes in two iterations, platinum, and yellow gold.
The only downside here is that the watch is going to be limited to 200 pieces per variant.
Piaget at Watches and Wonders 2024
Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon
Piaget is definitely coming for Bulgari’s neck. The Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon will currently go down in watchmaking history as the thinnest tourbillion. Mind you, the tourbillion is already one of the most complicated complications a watchmaker can produce. Putting that in a 2mm thin blue PVD-treated cobalt alloy case, the Altiplano is absurd in the best possible way.
Think of it like this, Piaget had to rethink 90 percent of the components included in this watch as well as the machinery to actually create the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon. It’s a testament to Piaget’s often underappreciated watch-making skills.
Jaeger-LeCoultre at Watches and Wonders 2024
Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual
Jaeger-LeCoultre has given us a few horology masterpieces this year, but the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual is what has truly caught my eye. Featuring an all-new manual Calibre 388 by Jaeger-LeCoultre, the watch dawns a striking tourbillon design — one of the best I’ve seen from a perpetual calendar across. The design itself is a reinterpretation of 19th-century savonette pocket watches.
Hublot at Watches and Wonders 2024
Big Bang MP-11 14-Day Power Reserve Water Blue Sapphire
Hublot's extensive experience with experimental materials and new techniques always leads to the creation of something unprecedented in the watch world. Hublot has its critics but the LVMH-owned brand has consistently pushed the boundaries of watch-making — garnering a lot of firsts under its belt.
The MP-11 is a prime example of this with Hublot adding a new colorway to the highly coveted watch for Watches and Wonders 2024. The MP-11 has come in ceramic, SAXEM, Magic Gold, and 3D carbon, but sapphire is still its case of choice.
That's right this MP-11 is made from "Water Blue" sapphire. Aside from being 100% resistant to knocks and scratches, the watch has an impressive set of internals. It is equipped with a sculptural 7-barrel movement and has a 14-day power reserve. This might just be the most striking watch in Geneva this year.
Eager to check out the latest and greatest in the watch world? Be sure to stop by our Highsnobiety Watch Guide or pick up a few watches in our Highsnobiety shop. In the meantime, have you seen Rolex's 2024 novelties?
