April 4, 2023

Highlights: Watches and Wonders 2023

Undoubtedly the most important event for the watch industry, Watches and Wonders, will take place in Geneva from March 27th to April 2nd, 2023. About 50 watchmakers and brands from around the globe, including names like Roger Dubuis, Cartier, and Piaget, will be showcased this year. The conference also provides attendees with the chance to hear from and learn from industry leaders. The organizers of Watches and Wonders have prepared a packed schedule of seminars and discussion panels for the general public, spanning topics as diverse as current watch fashions, vintage timepiece collections, and cutting-edge technologies like the metaverse, NFTs, and blockchain. Here are a few of the year’s most anticipated highlights.

A. Lange & Sohne

A. Lange & Söhne’s Odysseus Chronograph, revealed at Watches and Wonders 2023, is their first self-winding chronograph. The case is made of stainless steel and features a 42.5 mm diameter, making it a great choice for those who prefer dressier watches. The black dial is adorned with Roman numerals with a date window at the 3 o’clock position. At the heart of the Odysseus Chronograph is the A. Lange & Söhne Calibre L156.1 self-winding movement that has a power reserve of 50 hours, and features a central chrono seconds hand and a 60-minute counter.

Bell & Ross

Bell & Ross has unveiled the BR 05 Green Gold, a fresh addition to the BR 05 family. This watch was crafted with urban explorers in mind and features an 18–carat 5N gold case and bracelet, a luminous, sparkling green dial, and polished edges. The automatic BR–CAL.321 mechanism includes a gold oscillating weight and C3 superluminova for improved legibility in dim light. It also comes in an alligator-leather strap, making the first BR 05 to feature a leather strap.

Cartier

Cartier has released multiple new collections of watches this year, including the Tank Normale, Tank Américaine, Pasha, Baignoire, Panthère, and Santos de Cartier watches. The Clash [Un]limited watch stands out for its creative fusion of Cartier’s aesthetic heritage and modern design, combining brushed and satin–finish gold with a new, shimmering violet gold tone. Variations of the watch are available in diamond–paved yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold, or with stones such as onyx, black spinels, obsidian, diamonds, coral, chrysoprase, and tsavorites.

CHANEL

The CHANEL J12 Cybernetic is a limited edition watch with a unique and futuristic design. It features a white pixelated motif on a black lacquered dial and has a black highly resistant ceramic and steel case. The watch is powered by the caliber 12.1 self-winding movement, is chronometer-certified by the COSC, has a power reserve of 70 hours, and is water-resistant up to 50 meters. The watch has a diameter of 38 mm and comes with a black highly resistant ceramic bracelet with a steel triple-folding buckle.

Chopard

With a Pitch Black dial and subtle orange accents, the Chopard Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF is a luxury titanium watch that exudes style and sophistication. Its Chopard 01.12-C high-frequency escapement movement beats at a frequency of 57,600 vibrations per hour (8 Hz) and has a power reserve of 60 hours. The self-winding mechanical movement is entirely developed, produced, and assembled in Chopard’s workshops, and is chronometer-certified by the COSC. With a 41mm titanium case, screw-down crown, and see-through sapphire crystal case-back, this watch is water-resistant up to 100 meters. It features rhodium-plated Roman numerals and hour-markers coated with Super-LumiNova, and is complemented by a folding clasp.

Grand Seiko

Grand Seiko has introduced a limited edition watch, named ‘Hana-Ikada’ Spring Drive, which is available globally in a quantity of only 100 pieces. The dial of the watch is inspired by Sakura blossoms, emphasizing the Japanese nature’s beauty. The watch is powered by the Spring Drive Calibre 9R31, which is manually-wound and developed in-house. It has a precision of ±1 seconds per day, and its power reserve lasts up to 72 hours. The watch’s second hand moves smoothly and silently, and it has a dual-curved sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. The case is made of 18K Rose Gold, and the watch has a crocodile leather strap/bracelet. The watch’s dimensions are 38.5mm in diameter and 10.18mm in thickness, and it is splash-resistant.

Hermès

Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director of Hermès Horloger, created the Hermès H08 Chronograph watch in 2021 featuring a blend of originality and discipline. With its sporty and elegant personality, the watch is all about equilibrium and contrast. The watch’s cushion-shaped case is made of multilayered composite, a high-performance substance made of carbon fiber and graphene powder. The black dial features two chronograph counters, a cushion-shaped date, black-gold hands, and luminescent applied numbers and hour markers. The watch is driven by a Hermès H1837 mechanical self-winding movement with a chronograph module, and it comes with an orange rubber strap with a Hermès weaving structure.

IWC Schaffhausen

In a new line of colored ceramic watches, IWC Schaffhausen has unveiled its 41mm ceramic Pilot’s Chronographs. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN “Oceana” boasts a blue ceramic case, co-developed with Pantone®, and runs on IWC’s in-house 69380 calibre. The chronograph has a vertical dial layout, date and day display, and the blue “Oceana” variant comes with a matching blue rubber strap with denim inlay. The watches are waterproof up to 10 bar, have a diameter of 41.9mm, and a height of 15.5mm.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Jaeger-LeCoultre introduces the Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon watch in pink gold, which pays tribute to its first tourbillon watch introduced in 1993, the Reverso Tourbillon. The watch features a dual time-zone display and a day-night indicator on the reverse dial. The movement is ultra-thin and hand-wound, measuring 3.9mm thick with 254 components. The Duoface concept allows the watch to display both local and home time on the front and reverse dials, respectively. The front dial has a minimalist appearance, while the reverse dial has a bolder character. The watch is a testament to Jaeger-LeCoultre’s mastery of the regulating mechanism, demonstrated by the Calibre 847.

Montblanc

Montblanc revealed their latest 41mm 1858 Iced Sea Automatic Date watch that has a grey glacier pattern dial achieved through an ancestral technique called gratté-boisé. It comes with a stainless steel interchangeable bracelet and black rubber strap with grey outline. The watch has a water resistance of 300 metres and conforms to the ISO 6425 norm for scuba diving. The watch is powered by the automatic, self-winding MB 24.17 movement with 26 jewels and a flat hairspring. The case is made of stainless steel, and the watch has a unidirectional rotating bezel with a black color. The watch has luminescent markings and rhodium-coated Arabic numerals and indexes.

Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe has recently expanded its Calatrava collection with the addition of three new white gold timepieces. Among them, the Patek Philippe Calatrava White Gold 6007G has an ebony black dial with a central embossed “carbon” pattern, gold applied numerals, and three color options (red, yellow and sky blue) for the counters, seconds hands, and straps. The watch has a 40mm diameter, is water-resistant up to 30 meters, and is powered by the self-winding caliber 26-330 S C movement with a minimum power reserve of 35 hours and a maximum of 45 hours.

Piaget

Piaget launches the new Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin watch at Watches and Wonders 2023. The watch features a silver obsidian dial with an iridescent quality and natural inclusions, paired with a deep blue sapphire bezel. The watch is made with rhodium finish 18K white gold and an interchangeable blue alligator strap. The perpetual calendar complication adds a technical element to the watch’s design. The watch is powered by the Manufacture Piaget 1255P ultra-thin automatic mechanical Perpetual Calendar movement with hours, minutes, and moon phases. This watch pays homage to Piaget’s love of ornamental stones, particularly colored ones.

Roger Dubuis

The Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph by Roger Dubuis is a groundbreaking watch that reimagines the tourbillon and the oscillating mass in combination with a Split-Seconds Chronograph. It utilizes gravity to ensure accuracy with a Conical Monovortex Tourbillon at 9 o’clock and a Turborotor Cylindrical Oscillating Weight at 12 o’clock. The Split-Seconds Chronograph includes a double column wheel system and a rattrapante, as well as a Rotating Minute Counter (120° RMC) that rotates when the chronograph is engaged. The hyper-tech MCF case is 13% lighter than carbon and 60% lighter than ceramic, and is available in a rare red shade.

TAG Heuer

TAG Heuer has unveiled a reinterpretation of the iconic Heuer Carrera chronograph watch with bold technical additions. The watch features a domed sapphire crystal for ultra-precise readability, ergonomic lugs, and a steel case with a matching screw-down sapphire case back that reveals the Calibre TH20-00 automatic movement. With a water resistance of 100 meters, the watch boasts an 80-hour power reserve and a balance frequency of 28800 (4Hz). The chronograph features 1/4 second, 30 minutes counter, 12 hours counter, and a date function. The watch is a statement of classic elegance with remarkable clarity and technical advancements.

Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels’s Ludo Secret watches, available in rose gold with diamonds or pink sapphires, boast a flexible brick-pattern meshwork that resembles a belt. The mesh links are meticulously assembled by hand to ensure optimal articulation and flexibility. The watches feature a guilloché white mother-of-pearl dial that can be concealed behind a gold brick-pattern motif, providing discretion when needed. The Ludo Secret watches are part of the Couture collection, which captures the sophistication and refinement of the couture world. Crafted from 18K rose gold and adorned with round pink sapphires, the watch’s case incorporates a triple folding buckle and Swiss quartz movement. Additionally, the Ludo Secret watch is water-resistant up to a depth of 3 meters.

Zenith

New this year is the Zenith Defy Skyline Skeleton in Ceramic, which features a 41mm black ceramic octagonal case with a faceted bezel, powered by the El Primero 3620 SK high-frequency automatic manufacture skeleton movement. The watch also includes an interchangeable ceramic bracelet and black patterned rubber strap, with a second strap provided. The watch has 163 movement components, a 36,000 VpH frequency, and a 55-hour power reserve. The dial is openworked, with hours and minutes in the center and a 1/10th of a second counter at 6 o’clock. The watch is water-resistant up to 10 ATM.

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