At the world’s most important watch trade show, Watches and Wonders in Geneva, the exhibitors were not stingy with exciting innovations in 2024 – we present some of the most outstanding new models from top watch and jewellery houses.
A. Lange & Söhne
25 years after the launch of the Datograph, A. Lange & Söhne presents a new interpretation: the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen. At Watches & Wonders 2024, the sophisticated timepiece, which combines a flyback chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter, a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon with a stop-seconds mechanism, was presented for the first time in Lange-exclusive honey gold and as a Lumen version limited to 50 pieces. The latter means that the entire watch shines in the dark thanks to a special luminous material.
Cartier
The Cartier Privé Tortue Monopoussoir is limited to 200 pieces. A monopusher chronograph, here in the yellow gold version, whose name – »Tortue« means »tortoise« – derives from its special shape. This extraordinary design is one of the Maison’s oldest. The Cartier Tortue was first created in 1912.
Chanel
Inspired by Gabrielle Chanel and her couture atelier in Rue Cambon, the French luxury brand Chanel presents the J12 Couture Workshop Automation Caliber 6. A charmingly playful homage to the legendary founder of the luxury label that brings the figure of Mademoiselle Chanel, her scissors and her dressmaker’s dummy to life on the dial. An exceptional watch set with diamonds, equipped with Caliber 6 and featuring the new movement developed and assembled by the CHANEL Manufacture in Switzerland.
Hermès
The simple but unmistakable Arceau Duc Attelé from Hermès offers a novel combination of complications in which a central tourbillon with three axes and a minute repeater in the shape of a tuning fork beat harmoniously to the rhythm of a high-frequency movement. The horse-shaped hammers strike the hours, quarters and minutes on the branches of the long gong, whose tones are reminiscent of the chimes of a cathedral.
Hublot
A Clockwork Orange. Hublot scored with bold colors: The Big Bang Orange Ceramic is presented in a new ceramic color. A bright orange that is the result of what we call an »alchemical« process. Inside it ticks the HUB1280 Unico caliber, an automatic manufacture chronograph movement with flyback function and column wheel.
IWC Schaffhausen
2024 is a leap year. February 29 may already be over, but the next one is sure to come. And that is 2028. But there are also (mathematical) leap years without a leap day. Thanks to the built-in secular perpetual calendar, the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar from IWC Schaffhausen takes these exceptions to the Gregorian calendar into account. He omits three leap years over a period of 400 years. Moreover, its moon phase is so precise that it only deviates by one day after 45 million years.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
Over the course of almost two centuries, Jaeger-LeCoultre has distinguished itself by developing ever more sophisticated tourbillons that contribute to maximum precision. This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre combines its tourbillon expertise with the Duometre mechanism to create the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual. The new Caliber 388 sets new standards in terms of inventiveness and features a completely new tourbillon construction: a tourbillon that rotates on three axes, creating a gyroscopic effect. The caliber 388 operates at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 revolutions per hour) to further improve chronometry and also features a perpetual calendar with a large date display.
Nomos Glashütte
One of 31: Nomos Glashütte was one of the debutants at this year’s Watches & Wonders and presented its classic, the Tangente 38 Date, in 31 different color combinations.
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe launches the new world time watch 5330G-001, which features a patented world first: the automatic caliber 240 HU C with an innovative differential system for controlling the local time and date. The entire mechanism consists of 70 components. The opaline blue-grey dial has a carbon pattern in the middle. A red dot between Auckland and Midway marks the date line on the city disk.
Rolex
With its latest creations, Rolex is giving some of its most iconic models a new look. Like this original version of the Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea. The diver’s watch is presented for the first time in 18-carat yellow gold and features a bezel with 60-minute graduations in blue ceramic. The Rolex Deepsea is equipped with the 3235 caliber.
Vacheron Constantin
Things get really complicated at the end of this exhibition: Vacheron Constantin presented the world’s most complicated timepiece at the world’s most important watch fair. With 63 horological complications and 2,877 components, it surpasses the record already held by the Maison with the reference 57260 . This world first is characterized by the fact that it is equipped with a genuine Chinese perpetual calendar. Given the special features of this lunisolar calendar, which is characterized by a complex and irregular cycle, the mechanical programming of the in-house calibre 3752 to 2200 is a watchmaking masterpiece. The Berkley Grand Complication from Les Cabinotiers is the result of eleven years of development, one year of which was devoted entirely to assembly. [MM]
