Watches and Wonders 2023: 8 Extraordinary timepieces showcased this year
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All eyes are on Switzerland as Watches and Wonders 2023 takes place in Geneva, with 48 leading Maisons exhibiting their latest releases for the year. It is an exciting time for watch enthusiasts as this is when creativity, new technology and innovation are exhibited throughout the week-long event through panel discussions and keynote sessions, earning hundreds of thousands of views on social media. Read on to find out which timepieces from the world’s largest watchmaking summit piqued our interest.
Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor
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This year, Cartier elevates the iconic Santos-Dumont with a new micro-rotor calibre—9629 MC automatic skeleton calibre—that took over two years to develop and has 212 components. The skeleton movement pays tribute to the aviator with a small functional oscillating weight that resembles the shape of the Demoiselle, an ultralight aircraft designed in 1907. To amplify its sophistication, this watch comes in yellow gold and navy lacquer, with all the details applied delicately by hand.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon
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Inspired by the first tourbillon wristwatch released thirty years ago, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface Tourbillon boasts two dials presented in two contrasting looks. The silver sunray-brushed front dial emanates refinement, while the black sunray-brushed reverse dial reflects a bolder character, with the second time zone marked by golden hands and indexes. Not to be overlooked is the gold bridge, which matches the gold with textured guilloché and blued screws.
Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar
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Introducing the Annual Calendar, a brand-new addition to the legendary Radiomir collection. Housed in a cushion-shaped case, this timepiece is powered by the automatic P.9010/AC calibre and boasts a sapphire crystal open-back displaying a fascinating complication—reflecting the essence of Panerai in crafting complications. Other details to admire about the watch are the clean dial with dates displayed at the 3 o’clock position as well as the months and the name of the watch written in Italian.
Patek Philippe Calatrava 24-hour Display Travel Time
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The Swiss luxury watch brand unveiled seventeen watches, but one that caught our eye was a Calatrava with a 24-hour display and a Travel Time function for displaying a second time zone. Housed in a rose gold case, this understated watch sports a blue dial with intricate finishing touches, including hand-applied rose gold hour markings, numerals, and five-minute cabochons. Additionally, what makes it stand out from the crowd is the new calibre 31-260 PS FUS 24H self-winding movement and the patented system that corrects local time via the crown.
Roger Dubuis Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph
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Roger Dubuis continues to innovate with the Mono Vortex Split-Seconds Chronograph. At the 9 o’clock position, the Conical Monovortex Tourbillon has a 360-degree trajectory to protect the accuracy of the timepiece regardless of the wearer’s wrist position. Meanwhile, the Turborotor Cylindrical Oscillating Weight is at the 12 o’clock position so that the full force of gravity presses down on the design like a spinning barrel. The Swiss watchmaker also did not disappoint in other areas, like the way the Split-Seconds chronograph made a comeback with a double-column wheel system and how the energetic red colour complemented the pink gold.
Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback
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The Pilot Big Date Flyback is a testament that the sky’s the limit for Zenith. Crafted in a black ceramic case, this watch boasts a utilitarian look with luminescent white hands and markers that stand out sharply against the opaline black corrugated dial. Spotted on the same dial is a large date display that features a cutting-edge patented compliant mechanism and the flyback function, which enables the chronograph function to be reset to zero and restarted with a single push of a button. Another prominent detail is the El Primero 3652 calibre, which is visible through the display back and offers a power reserve of 60 hours when fully wound.
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Féerie Or Rose
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Van Cleef & Arpels has always been fascinated by the beauty of fairies, and for this year’s Watches and Wonders, the Maison presents a fresh take on its Lady Féerie watch, entirely in pink shades. As seen on the dial, the fairy marks the passing hours with its magic wand in the soft light of dusk under the curved sapphire glass, which accommodates a three-dimensional fairy while optimising light entrance. Other than that, the self-winding watch is enhanced with retrograde minutes and leaping hours to ensure that such complex movement can occur in the 33m Lady case.
Bell & Ross BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze
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Bell & Ross revives the Skull trend with the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze, which blends avant-garde design with evolving alloy. With sharp edges and bevelled corners, this timepiece sports a gold-coloured skull fitted between two sapphire crystal plates and appears to be floating in the centre. Powered by the BR-CAL.210 calibre, it is also the first to feature an automaton animation and is only available in a limited edition of 500 pieces.
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