Watches & Wonders 2023: Highlights from Patek Philippe, Tudor and more on Day 3

Direct from Geneva, the latest horological news from Tatler Asia’s watch editors attending the international luxury watch trade show

We’ve officially made it to the halfway mark of Watches and Wonders, the most anticipated watch fair of the year. Together with the many other watch enthusiasts who attended Day 3 of the trade show, Tatler Asia’s watch editors have been sniffing out innovations, movements and experiences that will make your heart race.

Roger Dubuis pushes boundaries with a new concept watch. Patek Philippe introduces an Annual Calendar complication to its beloved Aquanaut collection for the first time—in a women’s model no less. And Tudor expands its Black Bay line with the most true-to-form rendition of the brand’s first dive watch.

Read on to discover these and more of our top picks from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Patek Philippe

Above Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar Reference 5261R-001

For the first time, Patek Philippe has introduced the Annual Calendar into the Aquanaut collection and has notably chosen to do so in a ladies’ watch. Women want more complications, says Patek Philippe, and the brand is meeting this demand with the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar Reference 5261R-001, which is equipped with the new self-winding 26-330 S QA LU caliber. Crafted in rose gold with a blue-grey dial, it is the first Aquanaut Luce not set with any gems; it features an inverted display for the day at 3 o’clock, the month at 9 o’clock, and the moon phase at 12 o’clock. While it is part of the ladies’ collection, at 39.9mm, the Aquanaut Luce Annual Calendar possesses a unisex appeal.

Baume & Mercier

Above Baume & Mercier Riviera Azur 300m

Baume & Mercier's new Riviera Azur 300m is its take on a sports watch. Equipped with a unidirectional rotating bezel in polished and sun-satin stainless steel, it features a blue or black lacquered treatment on the bezel that marks the gradation of the first 15 minutes. Its luminescent indexes are coated in SuperLuminova to improve visibility underwater.

Hautlence

Above Hautlence Vagabonde x Black Badger

The new Vagabonde X Black Badger focuses on the tension between contrasting colours, and the use of positive and negative space. A four-handed wandering hours model lets the hours play hide and seek on a clean dial with a glowing maze-like pattern for a vintage arcade game look.

Roger Dubuis

Above Roger Dubuis Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph

For a very long time, watchmakers have been coming up with ways to eliminate the negative effects the gravity can have on the performance of a watch. But Roger Dubuis was thinking differently; it wanted to harness the power of the gravity to make the watch more efficient. That idea is now realised in the Monovortex Split-Seconds Chronograph concept watch that features a cylindrical oscillating weight called the Turborotor, which is positioned at 12 o'clock, that keeps the winding of the watch efficient by embracing gravity.

The watchmaker didn't stop there. This patent-pending breakthrough is paired with the Conical Monovortex Tourbillon that has a 360-degree trajectory that cancels the negative effects of gravity. Rounding out the complicated profile is a split-second chronograph with a unique rotating 30-minute counter in isotoxal shape housing a tripartite hand carrying the numerals 0, 1 and 2, that accurately rotates along the 0-9 digits on the right.

Zenith

Above Zenith Defy Revival Shadow

A reinterpretation of the first Defy in 1969, it replaces the original polished and satin-brushed surfaces with titanium with the 14-sided bezel entirely micro-blasted for a matte finish to emphasise the dark grey of the metal. The standout "ladder" bracelet is also in titanium. Incredibly lightweight yet durable, the overall result is a vintage-looking timepiece with very modern qualities, which include rhodium-finished hour markers for optimal legibility, a water-depth resistance of up to 300m, and the Elite 670 manufacture movement that beats at 4Hz frequency with a power reserve of 50 hours.

Tudor

Above Tudor Black Bay GMT

Tudor Black Bay GMT Pepsi fans, this one’s for you. The popular, visually striking watch now comes in a new opaline dial that adds a sophisticated contrast to the watch’s distinctive burgundy and blue bezel. Made in a 41mm steel case, this Black Bay GMT model is waterproof to 200m, with a new winding crown tube in satin-brushed steel.

Above Tudor Black Bay 54

While Tudor’s Black Bay line has always featured signature elements of the brand’s earlier dive watches—namely the Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922 from 1954—the new Black Bay 54 is the closest modern take on the original so far. Compared to recent Black Bay models, the Black Bay 54 is smaller at 37mm, and new design details like a shoulder-less crown, snowflake hands, and spring bar holes that pass through the lugs.

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Topics

Watches & Wonders 2023 Luxury Watches Haute Horology Patek Philippe Tudor

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