This year, the Watches & Wonders Geneva trade show is once again an online event — only this time, it includes brands such as Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe and more. Check back here often for our coverage of this horological mega-show to see all the latest watches.
Ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were strong and wide-ranging. First, Watches & Wonders Geneva (previously SIHH) was canceled as an in-person event and moved online. Shortly afterward, Baselworld was also canceled and moved online. However, following Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chopard and Chanel’s announcement that they were leaving in favor of joining W&W in Geneva, Baselworld ultimately collapsed. Suddenly, the century-old trade show was no more (though a future trade show in Basel, called HourVerse, was announced), and W&W became the world’s horological lodestone, both for Richemont-owned brands and others.
None of this is particular important for the consumer, of course, and matters more to members of the press and retailers. A race to catch up with e-commerce and an interruption to the regular product cycle probably have more of an impact upon the watch-buying public. However, these developments in the trade show world bring us to the current moment: this April, the great majority of the famed, old Swiss watchmakers will be releasing their flagship products for 2021 — all at once. So for the first time ever, you’ll be getting your new IWCs and JLCs dropping alongside your new Rollies and Pateks. Kind of an interesting moment in watches.
This makes for quite a lot of watches to talk about, and naturally, we can’t talk about them all at once. Here, however, we aim to bring you some of the standouts of the year, beginning with the newest models from Watches & Wonders 2021. Hopefully you’ll find something you like, and maybe even something to gift yourself (or someone else!) to cap off a year of quarantine, just in time for the world to begin reopening.
Editor’s Note: These watches are organized by alphabetical order and not according to any sort of superlatives — we love ’em all. We’ll update this page throughout the show and throughout the year, so be sure to check back often.
A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar
Believe it or not, what you’re looking at is the first Lange 1 perpetual calendar…full stop. Like, without a chronograph or a tourbillon or a whiriygig or a whosamawhatsit. Ain’t she purdy? It comes in two versions: white gold (limited to 150 pieces) and pink gold (unlimited), and both cost a smidge over $100k. At 41.9mm, this is no small watch, but considering the amount of information displayed, it’s damn remarkable (time, digital jumping date, day, month, moon phase, layered leap year and day/night indicator). This is the type of watchmaking Lange is already known for, but to integrate it unburdened by another complication into the Lange 1 platform has been a long time coming.
Notable Features: Perpetual calendar and day/night indicator; two metal choices
Winding: Automatic
Price: $104,500 (pink gold); $116,000 (white gold LE)
LEARN MORE
Breitling Premier Heritage B09 Chronograph 40
Breitling released a new Premier Heritage collection featuring several different chronograph watches (each in a couple versions), all with a captivating 1940s aesthetic based on vintage examples. We love the complicated chronos in the collection with fancy complications such as split seconds and annual calendars, but the model known as the B09 Chronograph 40 has an appeal all its own. While it “only” features a chronograph and is offered in steel to keep it “relatively” affordable, it’s the steel version’s dial that grabs your attention. It’s in a shade of green the company calls “pistachio,” and it’s fair to say it looks pretty unique and unlike any watch from the 1940s — or from today, for that matter.
Notable Features: “Pistachio” green dial; in-house movement; 40mm case
Winding: Manual
Price: $8,400
LEARN MORE
Bulgari Octo Perpetual Calendar
Bulgari has already set multiple records for the thinnest watches in various categories. Their latest is a perpetual calendar housed in the brand’s distinctive Octo case, which was famously designed by Gerald Genta. Despite its mechanically accounting for every irregularity of the Gregorian calendar — including the different days in the months and even leap years — Bulgari managed to fit all the complicated clockwork required into a 5.8mm thick case in titanium or platinum, with movement only 2.75mm thick! The dial’s layout and retrograde displays seem to draw on the aesthetics of Genta’s retrograde watches, and the aggregate effect of all this masterful design and technical achievement is captivating.
Notable Features: Perpetual calendar; retrograde displays; 5.8mm thick case; titanium & platinum versions
Winding: Manual
Price: TBD
LEARN MORE
Cartier Ballon Bleu 40mm
If there’s a sweet spot for watch sizes, 40mm is probably it for a lot of people. Previously only available in 42mm or 36mm and smaller, a new version of the well-known Cartier Ballon Bleu slides right into that glaringly open space and will make its distinctive design instantly more wearable for a wider audience. It’s essentially the same highly original, elegant design with Cartier’s seal of prestige, and (as in other core collections) it’s powered by the brand’s in-house 1847 MC automatic workhorse movement. Available in different case materials and blue, gray or classic silver dial colors, each has (integrated) bracelet or strap options with a quick-change system.
Notable Features: 40mm diameter; in-house automatic movement; quick-change straps
Winding: Automatic
Price: $5,800+
LEARN MORE
Chopard L.U.C QF Jubilee
Chopard’s L.U.C range is the best-kept secret in watchmaking. There it is, I said it, the secret’s out…but it’s likely to remain under-the-radar and a strong value anyway. The brand’s newest watch is no exception to the understated but high-level craftsmanship, refinement and design that characterizes L.U.C. The QF in the name refers to the Fleurier Quality certification that’s comparable to the more famous Geneva Seal found on some of the most prestigious watches from the likes of Vacheron Constantin and others. The L.U.C QF Jubilee has a simple sector-style dial, the in-house manually wound movement is visible through the back, and it’s all housed in a 39mm steel case.
Notable Features: Fleurier Quality certification; in-house movement
Winding: Manual
Price: TBD
LEARN MORE
H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Centre Seconds Mega Cool
H. Moser & Cie. is known for several things: its exquisite movements, its eye-catching dials and its occasionally cheeky attitude. The brand’s new “Mega Cool” watch has all of that. With a turquoise dial in the brand’s signature sunbrushed fumé (smoked) style, it joins the Pioneer Centre Seconds collection, which is already full of colorful watches. The cheekiness comes in with the name and what at first appears to be no branding on the dial — in fact, the logo is rendered in a transparent lacquer at 12 o’clock. Though elegant in style, the Pioneer collection has a sporty case design, Super-LumiNova lume and offers 120m of water resistance — and this is true even of the new tourbillon-equipped version..
Notable Features: “Blue Lagoon” fumé dial; in-house automatic movement, 120m water resistance
Winding: Automatic
Price: $15,300
LEARN MORE
Hermès H08
Though better known for its leather products, Hermès every so often comes out with a aesthetically striking and technically impressive watch — and many watch snobs are reminded that the French brand is indeed a bonafide watchmaker on par with many of Switzerland’s finest. The newest is simply called the H08, and it features a unique look with a cushion-like case, round dial and a distinctive style of Arabic numerals. It’s powered by the brand’s own in-house movement and comes in cases made of titanium or a black, carbon-based material called graphene.
Notable Features: In-house movement; titanium and graphene case options
Winding: Automatic
Price: $5,500-$8,900
LEARN MORE
IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Edition “Mojave Desert”
The sand-colored”Mojave” ceramic treatment remains one of IWC’s coolest. The previous version was a chronograph and this year also sees a Mojave perpetual calendar, but the time-only simplicity of the Big Pilot’s Watch allows the focus to remain on the materials, textures and colors. The entire watch, from the case to the dial to the hands, is matte-finished, which should make for strong legibility. Further making it easy to read (if less easy to wear) is its 46mm diameter — which only whets our appetites for the possibility of something like, say, a smaller Spitfire Automatic with the same treatment somewhere down the line.
Notable Features: Ceramic case; power reserve indicator
Winding: Automatic
Price: $14,800
LEARN MORE
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Hybris Mechanica Calibre 185 Quadriptyque
Forget about the absurdly long name for a second. Just think about the following: this is the most complicated Reverso ever. It’s the first wristwatch ever with four faces. (That’s, like, three more faces than normal.) It took six years to develop. It features three displays of lunar information, including the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle. (I don’t know what any of those are, but I think the middle one tells you how many dragons emerge from hibernation per month.) It’s got 11 complications, including a perpetual calendar and a minute repeater. It required 12 patents to be filed. It’s made of white gold and limited to 10 pieces. It costs 1.35 million EUR. It’s freakin’ DOPE.
Notable Features: First wristwatch with four dials; 11 complications; 12 patents
Winding: Manual
Price: ~$1.6M
LEARN MORE
Montblanc Star Legacy Metamorphosis LE 8
Montblanc’s crazy-complicated watches like the Star Legacy Metamorphosis are meant as a showcase and reminder of the brand’s impressive capabilities. With the press of a button and slide of a lever, the watch transforms between two different faces with a mechanical animation: The subdial at 6 o’clock displays world time with a rotating globe motif, but then it splits in half to open like shutters, revealing a three-dimensional moon in an aventurine sky. The balance wheel is visible at 12 o’clock all times, but when the shutters are opened, the entire tourbillon structure is revealed. The whole watch comprises over 718 tiny components, all handcrafted by Montblanc in its specialized facilities.
Notable Features: Transforming dial; tourbillon; world time; moon phases
Winding: Manual
Price: $253,500
LEARN MORE
Oris Divers Sixty-Five “Cotton Candy” 38mm
A new dial color: big whoop, right? Well, nobody will be yawning at Oris’s unique and striking new “Cotton Candy” colorway for its Divers Sixty-Five collection. Paired to bronze, retro-styled dive watch cases, the pale tones of blue, green and pink are unexpected but feel fresh and positive. They also feel unisex, with potentially feminine colors and 38mm sizes — but these watches are all about how you wear them. They come on bronze bracelets or brown leather straps and are powered by automatic movements.
Notable Features: Bronze case; unique colors
Winding: Automatic
Price: ~$2,335-$2,650
LEARN MORE
Panerai Submersible e-LAB ID
Panerai’s ties to the ocean — they’re a famed dive watch manufacturer, after all — mean that they take more than just a passing notice of the environment and the need to care for it. Their new Submersible e-LAB ID aims to take the concept of a “recycled” watch to its logical extreme: roughly 98.6% of its weight comes from “materials integrating a high rate of recycled elements.” Panerai even put together a sort of consortium of companies to produce many of the watch’s components, which includes titanium, luminous material and strap manufacturers. It doesn’t hurt that the watch itself is pretty darn cool-looking: manufactured from recycled EcoTitanium, it’s powered by an automatic movement housed in a 44mm case.
Notable Features: Recycled components; open-source manufacturing
Winding: Automatic
Price: ~$71,235
LEARN MORE
TAG Heuer Aquaracer 300
The latest generation of TAG Heuer’s Aquaracer dive watch introduces a range of tweaks while remaining recognizable. The changes incorporate multiple subtle improvements to ergonomics and user experience, and these notably include an overall thinner and lighter case. The most visually obvious changes are the bezel’s now grippier texture — which is in line with that of typical modern dive watches — and the 6 o’clock date display topped with a circular magnifier (“cyclops”) lens. The seven new versions include 43mm and 36mm variants, and a couple of notable models are in titanium” one with a green dial/bezel and one with a retro/military dial evoking that of the Aquaracer from 1978, the ref. 844.
Notable Features: Thinner case; titanium editions
Winding: Automatic
Price: $2,800-$4,350
LEARN MORE
Ulysse Nardin UFO Clock
I know what you’re thinking: Today is Wednesday. But you’re also thinking that this is not a watch. And you’d be right. But contemplate with us for a moment just how darn cool this clock is: Built from 663 components and boasting an incredible one year of power reserve from six extra-large barrels, UN’s UFO clock can display three time zones simultaneously. It takes inspiration — like many of Ulysse Nardin’s pieces — from the ocean, and the gentle swaying of the waves. To that end, the clock’s bottom is rounded and actually swings back and forth up to 60 degrees from its axis due to a tungsten mass built into the base. If it weren’t limited to just 75 pieces at a price of $41,100, I’d buy two.
Notable Features: One-year power reserve; three time zones; unique balancing base
Winding: Manual
Price: $41,100
LEARN MORE
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Split-Seconds Ultra-Thin
There are chronographs, and then there are chronographs — this is the latter. The Traditionelle Split-Seconds Chronograph Ultra-Thin Collection Excellence Platine (we actually shit you not) is so refined it’s almost silly, and it’s probably why the maison is only making 15 of them. Crafted almost entirely from platinum — down to the threading in the leather strap — this 42.5mm beauty celebrates Vacheron’s 260th anniversary and includes a split seconds mechanism, which allows the wearer to time two events simultaneously. Due to the ultra-thin design of the in-house caliber 3500, the watch is amazingly only 10.72mm thick despite automatic winding.
Notable Features: Platinum construction; split-seconds chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Price: TBD
LEARN MORE