What went down at Watches and Wonders 2024, the world’s largest luxury watch trade show

As the dust settles from the whirlwind that was Watches and Wonders 2024, we’re finally stepping back to take stock of what went down at the world’s largest luxury watch trade show. Together with my colleagues from the Tatler GMT team around the region, I was in the thick of the action at the fair in Geneva, Switzerland; scuttling from one appointment to the next and from one end of the exhibition hall to the other, seeing firsthand the many exciting technological and design innovations from some 54 participating brands. 

The most talked-about novelties this year were certainly the ultra-technical pieces; the watches that broke boundaries and smashed records with crazy complications and almost unthinkable proportions. Vacheron Constantin’s Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication takes the cake as the most complicated watch ever made with 63 complications, while Piaget debuted the world’s thinnest tourbillon at just 2mm-thick, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon. 

Other trends that stood out were more watches in smaller case sizes; full yellow gold timepieces; and the persistent popularity of green, blue and even sand dials. On top of the wonderful timepieces, there were also several celebrities like Gisele Bündchen, Lee Jun-Ho, Kylian Mbappe and more who made special appearances, creating even more buzz at the fair and on social media. 

But in case you missed it, check out the Tatler GMT team’s daily Watches and Wonders 2024 highlights here, starting from day one. On the fourth and final day of the fair, we also named our personal favourite tickers (yes, it was hard to choose) from what we saw, which you can find linked below.

Until the next Watches and Wonders, enjoy the read!

Annabel Tan
Editor, Tatler GMT Singapore

The Tatler GMT team spent four days Watches and Wonders 2024, where we saw hundreds of new watches, all vying for attention. From mind blowing innovations to subtle design updates, there was something for every kind of enthusiast and collector. So, it was no easy feat for our Tatler GMT Singapore editor Annabel Tan to whittle her favourites down to just the top 10. Below, she shares some of her favourites.

“Personally, I went with the watches that did not just impress me, but spoke to me. These are the timepieces that elicited gasps from me during the presentations, and ones that I find myself fondly revisiting my wrist shots of.

The list is in no particular order, but it should be noted that for the second year running, a Chanel J12 makes it to my top picks from Watches and Wonders (perhaps it is time to finally bite the bullet and buy one). I love this novelty for a simple reason: it’s pink. The maison has never been afraid to have fun and fashionable takes on its haute horlogerie pieces and this year, it has dressed the J12 up in a soft pink sapphire crystal case and bracelet with beige gold details and 46 baguette-cut pink sapphires.

The sapphire crystal’s shade of pink was a specific one that Chanel’s Watchmaking Creation Studio director Arnaud Chastaingt wanted, and it was made specially for the maison. Limited to 12 numbered pieces, the J12 X-Ray Pink Edition watch is not just a pretty face; it is powered by the Calibre 3.1 manual-winding manufacture movement.”

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From among the expansive slate of new references of familiar models at Watches and Wonders 2024, a handful delivered the wow factor. IWC Schaffhausen, for instance, was already generating buzz before the event when it previewed to the media its Portugieser Eternal Calendar. The complication not only automatically corrects the peculiarity of the Gregorian complex leap-year exception rule by skipping three leap years over the next four centuries, it also features perhaps the most precise moon phase yet, deviating from the moon's orbit by only one day after 45 million years. 

Over at Vacheron Constantin was the most complicated watch ever made— the Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication with 63 complications, surpassing its record of 57 complications for Reference 57260. 

Created for a VIP client, the one-of-a-kind Berkley Grand Complication pocket watch took 11 years to complete and features the world's first Chinese perpetual calendar that is correct until 2200. The Chinese calendar is based on the lunar and solar cycles, making it one of the most complex to interpret mechanically. While others have created Chinese calendar watches, this is the first to appear in the form of a perpetual calendar. 

The watch is also endowed with a Gregorian perpetual calendar with retrograde date, a grand sonnerie with Westminster Carillon chiming, a triple-axis tourbillon, and a split-seconds chronograph, among many others. 

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This year’s Watches and Wonders, the annual horology event at Geneva where the crème de la crème of the watch world gather, chose to spotlight an array of jewellery watches that have transcended the utilitarian aspect of time-telling to become objets d’art. Timepieces from leading brands such as Chopard, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier took the centrestage—Tatler GMT brings you a glimpse of six such stellar jewellery watches that dazzled with their elegance and craftsmanship.

High jewellery and watchmaking meet harmoniously in Reflection de Cartier. As its name suggests, the timepiece plays with reflections; on one end of the architectural open bracelet is the dial covered with gem-like bevelled glass, which reflects a mirror image onto the other polished gold end. Reflection de Cartier is available in several versions: yellow and rose gold, one in diamond-set white gold and two in white gold paved with coloured stones.

Another standout novelty comes from Van Cleef & Arpels. Encased in a 41-mm white gold frame set with diamonds, the Lady Arpels Nuit Enchantée stands out for its use of interesting materials and craftsmanship. The dial is a panoramic tableau crafted from white gold, rose gold, sapphires and rock crystal, each element meticulously placed to narrate a celestial fairy tale. The fairy, depicted in white gold, rests in a sapphire cave, her wings crafted from plique-à-jour enamel creating a luminescent pearlescent effect. This, combined with the façonné and grisaille enamel techniques, brings the night sky and its twinkling stars to life on the watch’s surface.

Each component on the dial has been thoughtfully integrated, with fancy-cut sapphires enhancing the depth and allure of the scene, mirroring the natural ruggedness of a cave. The watch’s self-interchangeable alligator leather bracelet adds a practical touch of luxury, allowing the wearer to customise its appearance. The movement is a traditional manual-winding mechanical type, emphasising the classic watchmaking elements embraced by Van Cleef & Arpels.

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Chopard chose an unusual location to launch its new watch, the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph JX7. A converted barn 40 minutes from Geneva, this countryside setting is a far cry from the world of glittering luxury the brand is associated with. Yet, as Tatler GMT attended the launch, we found the reason for this choice—the transformed tractor barn at this country home belongs to the brother-in-law of Chopard co-president Karl Friedrich Scheufele. However, this was not the only connection the brand is celebrating through this new timepiece, it also honours the bond between Scheufele and the legendary motor racing icon Jacky Ickx.

For the event, the barn was turned into an evocative gallery adorned with moments, stories and objects from Ickx’s illustrious career. The setting for the evening was a charmingly arranged family-style dinner, where the camaraderie felt almost tangible amid the rustic, elegant decor. At the start of the dinner, we had anticipated formal speeches and a ceremonial unveiling of the watch as that’s usually how watch launch events unfold, but again Chopard subverted all expectations. What took place instead felt like a gathering of close friends fondly reminiscing about cherished moments shared together.

It's all quite fitting, given that Scheufele and Ickx’s friendship started with a serendipitous meeting at a Chopard boutique, where Ickx had come to get a piece of jewellery repaired. This chance encounter blossomed over the years into a lasting friendship, with Ickx integrating seamlessly into the Chopard family. It’s this bond that the Mille Miglia Classic Chronograph JX7 pays homage to.

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