Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023: Our Top 20 New Watches

Watches & Wonders 2023, the world's largest international trade fair devoted to fine watches, wrapped up last weekend in Geneva, Switzerland, after a very successful and well-attended outing after several years of travel-restricted crowds and scaled-back events. Like last year's W&W, the show featured a plethora of new timepiece releases from an all-star assemblage of nearly 50 watch brands, from industry titans to ambitious independents. Also like last year, Teddy and I, along with our small team of ultra-talented photographers and videographers, were on the ground in Geneva for the event and went hands-on with some of the finest and most intriguing new timepieces unveiled there. Read on to discover the top 20 new watches we discovered there. 

A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph (approx. 135,000 euros)

Germany’s most prestigious high-horology purveyor left no doubt as to what its headliner is for 2023: the new Odysseus Chronograph, outfitted with (no kidding) the very first self-winding chronograph movement that Lange has ever produced, was the only new timepiece the Saxon manufacture presented at Watches & Wonders, and for most observers, it was more than enough. Inside the 42.5mm stainless steel case is the newly developed L156.1 caliber, endowed with a number of clever mechanical innovations that are played out on the black, textured-surface dial: both chronograph counter hands (seconds and minutes) are center-mounted, allowing the designers to do away with the usual subdial counters which would otherwise displace the parallel day and date apertures that are a signature of the Odysseus line. Additionally, the 4 o’clock zero-reset button, when it’s activated after a time measurement, allows both hands to snap back to the starting position along the quickest possible path: counterclockwise if the minute hand has yet to reach 30 minutes, clockwise if the tally is past 30 minutes. The push-buttons that operate the stopwatch are also designed to be dual-function: when the crown is pulled, they can also be used to quickly set the day and date. As is typical of Lange, both the case and the movement, the latter visible through a sapphire back, boast an elite level of finishing. The Odysseus Chronograph will be limited to 100 pieces and is expected to reach the market by early 2024 (which doesn’t mean they might not all be pre-sold by then). 

Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon Gold ($72,700)

Watchmaker and inventor John Arnold (1736-1799), who gave us the modern definition of the term “chronometer,” was English, not Swiss, but his remarkable horological innovations in the 18th century live on today in the company that bears his name, based in the Swiss watch hub of La Chaux-de-Fonds and owned by Japan’s Citizen Group. Arnold & Son makes high-end mechanical watches, all with in-house-made, highly decorated movements, whose designs hearken to the marine chronometers that John Arnold made for the British navy. In 2013, Arnold & Son’s Ultra Thin Tourbillon (UTT) briefly held the title of the world’s thinnest tourbillon watch and it remains a paragon of understated elegance and technical complexity, including in its newest iteration, with a 41.5mm rose gold case, just 8.3mm thick. The watch’s wide, silver-toned opaline dial features a harmoniously balanced arrangement of an opal subdial for hours and minutes and a gold-rimmed aperture to view the one-minute-rotating tourbillon. The new Caliber A&S8300 retains its predecessor’s ultra-slim profile of 2.97mm while expanding the power reserve from an already respectable 90 hours to an even more impressive 100 hours, and sporting a redesigned tourbillon carriage that evokes John Arnold’s contributions to nautical navigation: a triangular shape echoing that of a sextant and a double-arrow counterpoise that resembles an anchor. Limited to 88 pieces, the Ultrathin Tourbillon Gold comes with a hand-stitched alligator strap with a titanium-and-gold clasp.

Baume & Mercier Riviera Azur ($4,250)

Baume & Mercier has been leaning heavily into its recently revived (and updated) Riviera collection in recent years and the trend continued in 2023 with the somewhat unexpected launch of the first purpose-built divers’ watch in the expanding sport-luxury family, called the Riviera Azur (azur, of course, being a reference to France’s côte d’azur, aka the French Riviera that lends the series its name). Available initially in two versions in steel, both watches feature a new, diving-friendly version of the Riviera’s emblematic 12-sided bezel, an element that has defined the model since its debut in the 1970s. In contrast to the stationary bezels with visible screws of previous Riviera watches, the bezels of the Azur models rotate in one direction with a series of clicks for a diver to set the time for an underwater excursion; the first 15-minute segment of the bezel’s 60-minute dive scale is delineated in either blue or black to match the dial. Baume & Mercier has outfitted the Azur with its Baumatic self-winding caliber, which holds an impressive five-day power reserve and can be glimpsed both through the translucent, smoke-effect dial and the sapphire exhibition caseback. Despite the presence of the latter element, the watch maintains a professional-grade water resistance rating of 300 meters.

Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton Micro-Rotor ($30,000 - $40,000)

The Cartier Santos-Dumont is recognized worldwide as a style icon among timepieces. What often gets lost, however, is that it is also, by definition, the first wristwatch for pilots — originally made to order by Louis Cartier for Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed a watch on which he could read the time while still keeping both hands on the controls of his early flying machines. With this new version of the Santos-Dumont, sporting an eye-catching skeleton movement and specially designed microrotor, Cartier pays the most direct visual tribute yet to the model’s aviation origins. The classic design codes established way back in 1904 are still present on the new models, whose softly squared cases come in steel, yellow gold, or rose-gold: visible screws on the bezel, sword hands for hours and minutes, a beaded crown with a blue cabochon. What distinguishes the newest versions from previous Santos-Dumont Skeletons is the intricately sculpted microrotor that winds the new Caliber 9629 MC; visible from the front side through the sapphire dial, it is designed to replicate the Demoiselle, an early airplane that Santos-Dumont invented in 1907, flying over a globe. The yellow-gold edition features a blue lacquer on the bezel and movement bridges and is limited to 150 pieces.

Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Tentagraph ($13,700)

For those of us who have been waiting patiently for Grand Seiko to deliver an honest-to-gosh mechanical automatic chronograph — no quartz or Spring Drive — our wait is finally over. The Tentagraph is powered by the newly developed high-beat Caliber 9SC5, with a column wheel, a vertical clutch, and a dual-impulse escapement that transfers energy indirectly through the pallet fork, and directly through the balance wheel, to the free-sprung balance. The name “Tentagraph” derives from the model’s array of attributes: TEN beats per second, i.e., the frequency of 36,600 vph; Three days, i.e. the power reserve; and Automatic chronoGRAPH. It makes its debut in a 43.2mm case (15.3mm thick) made of Grand Seiko’s high-intensity titanium, with the same material used for the bracelet. The blue dial bears the classical tricompax chronograph arrangement — 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock, running seconds at 3 o’clock, plus a date window at 4:30 — and sports the “Mount Iwate” pattern first used by Grand Seiko in 2006 as an outward indication of the high watchmaking savoir faire within. A box-shaped sapphire crystal covers the dial, whose central chronograph seconds hand is gently curved toward its surface so that its tip points as closely to the indexes as possible for a legible reading of elapsed times. The tachymeter scale bezel is made of ceramic, and a clear sapphire caseback showcases the new automatic movement, with its beautiful finishing and openworked, decorated rotor. The Tentagraph is expected to hit the market in June 2023.

Hermès H08 Chronograph ($16,190)

Hermès has made a name for itself in recent years not just for its handbags and scarves, but also for its distinctively designed timepieces, outfitted with proprietary Swiss-made movements from its partner firm Vaucher. The brand’s sportiest collection is the H08, which launched in 2019. At Watches & Wonders 2023, Hermès added the H08 Chronograph, equipped with arguably the sportiest of complications. Like its three-handed predecessors, the Chronograph has a cushion-shaped, supple-curved, square case, here made of a strong but lightweight composite material that melds carbon fiber with graphene powder. The bezel is made of polished and satin-brushed titanium, while the case middle hosts an orange-rimmed button that serves as the single pusher for the built-in chronograph’s stop, start, and reset functions. The black dial’s hour numerals are in a specially designed font exclusive to Hermès, and the chronograph subdials echo the cushion shape of the case. The proprietary movement inside holds a 46-hour power reserve; the strap is made of orange rubber to harmonize with the dial details. 

Hublot Big Bang Integrated Tourbillon Automatic Full Texalium Carbon ($127,000)

The name of Hublot’s most attention-grabbing new model is a mouthful, but that’s because it’s got so much going on, both from a materials and mechanics perspective. The familiar Big Bang case of this 50-piece limited edition is made from an inner core of carbon fiber and overlaid with a layer of Texalium, a proprietary amalgamation of fiberglass and aluminum, for additional robustness; the fusion of the materials, which are also used for the signature integrated bracelet, makes for a watch that is exceptionally lightweight despite its size, durability, and technical complexity: just 42 grams, with the bracelet accounting for 26 grams. The inner heart of the watch, which is on glorious display through the open dial thanks to its meticulous skeletonization, is Hublot Caliber HUB6035, the brand’s first self-winding tourbillon caliber, which achieves its three days (72 hours) of running autonomy via a 22k gold micro-rotor, placed unconventionally at 12 o’clock on the dial side and thus in full view on the wrist. Equipped with ceramic ball bearings and enhanced with high-horology finishes including beveling, sunray brushing, and sandblasting, the movement’s symmetrical architecture positions the microrotor, with its openworked “Hublot” logo, directly above the one-minute rotating tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock. The bracelet is worthy of note, and admiration, for its individually machined links, made of materials that are extremely challenging to chamfer, cut, and achieve a consistent surface texture.  

IWC Ingenieur Automatic ($11,700 in steel, approx. $14,000 in titanium)

The original IWC Ingenieur, Ref. 666, launched in 1955 as a watch aimed at professionals who worked in fields that exposed them to high levels of magnetic fields, such as doctors, pilots, scientists, and engineers (hence the model’s Francophone name). In 1976, IWC hired legendary watch design guru Gerald Genta (of Royal Oak and Nautilus fame)  to produce a newer, bolder version of the Ingenieur that would be even more robust, with a built-in shock protection system, the now-famous and very collectible Ingenieur SL Ref. 1832. After many different versions of the Ingenieur in the decades following, IWC this year brought the model back to the spirit of the seventies. It has reworked the Ingenieur case down to the smallest detail in an effort to pay homage to Genta’s classic design, with new proportions, an emphasis on ergonomics, an array of aesthetic details and finishing on an haute horologerie level, and (of course) a thoroughly modern and high-tech movement. The round bezel sports the five visible — and functional — polygonal screws that defined the original, while the soft-iron dial (in black, silver, or a very fetching aqua blue) now features an attractive, grid-like textured pattern, a structural design that balances the smooth curves of the case.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph ($21,400)

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s signature dress watch, the Reverso, was originally designed as a sports watch, its reversible swiveling case making it a practical timekeeper for the polo players who wore it during a match to protect the crystal from being struck by errant mallets and balls. In production since 1931, the Reverso is now available in numerous variations and sub-families, including the Reverso Tribute, which most closely replicates the classical Art Deco look of its ancestor. At Watches & Wonders 2023, JLC unveiled the Reverso Tribute Chronograph, which impressed attendees with its eye-catching horological combo: an elegantly understated sunburst blue with three-hand time display on its front face and a fully skeletonized multifunctional display on its rear side, which combines a subdial revealing a second time zone that appears to float above the mechanism; a central chronograph seconds hand activated by the two side-mounted pushers on the case; and a retrograde hand with a 30-minute scale to tally chronograph minutes. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s all-new manually winding Caliber 860 — shaped, like all Reverso calibers, to fit perfectly inside the rectangular case — is the high-horology movement that makes all of this possible, including powering the two sets of hands that accurately display the time in opposite directions on both dial sides. The movement’s 300 components include a column-wheel mechanism and vertical clutch for the chronograph and the entire ensemble fits within the 12mm thickness of the Reverso case, here offered in either steel or rose gold. Both are mounted on leather straps from Argentinean polo bootmaker Casa Fagliano.

Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition ($4,600)

In only its second year as a Watches & Wonders exhibitor, value-oriented Oris kept impressive pace with the big boys in the news cycle, and did so not with an attention-riveting complication but with a simple and smile-inducing version of its 39mm ProPilot X developed in cooperation with Disney’s Muppets franchise. The ProPilot X Kermit Edition features a bright green, three-hand dial with a subtle yet playful addition in the date window: a smiling emoji of Kermit the Frog, which appears on the first day of every month — a date dubbed “Kermit Day” by Oris, which is meant to remind the wearer to “not take life so seriously.” The watch features the ProPilot family’s stylish, aviation-inspired details, like the coin-edge textured motif on the sides, designed to resemble a jet’s turbines, and the large, fluted, screw-down crown reminiscent of those on early early pilots’ watches. Like its predecessors in the 39mm ProPilot X series, the watch is equipped with the Oris’ in-house Caliber 400, which among its various features includes a 120-hour (5-day) power reserve, an antimagnetic structure, and a COSC chronometer certification.

Panerai Radiomir Annual Calendar ($39,200 in Goldtech, $88,100 for "Experience Edition" in Platinumtech)

Panerai trained its focus on its oldest and most historically significant collection, the Radiomir, in 2023, releasing a slew of new colorways and sizes and even a model with a vintage-look, logo-less California dial that almost made the cut for this list. Our headliner, though, is the first annual calendar from the Florentine brand, offered in two executions, one in a case of Panerai’s proprietary Goldtech material with a gradient navy blue dial, the other in even-more-exclusive Platinumtech, with a gradient burgundy dial (the latter of which is accompanied by an in-person “experience” upon purchasing). The classic cushion-shaped Radiomir case measures 45mm and has a polished finish and the retro-style wire lugs that evoke those of the earliest Panerai wristwatches. Inside, the new automatic Caliber P.9010/AC drives the watch’s array of functions, displayed on the dial: central hour and minute hands, day and date in separate windows at 3 o’clock, and the indication of the month (in abbreviated Italian, a nod to Panerai’s origins) on a rotating outer disk that lines up with a stationary arrow at 3 o’clock. Like all annual calendars, this one’s mechanism compensates for the length of every month except February, so will only need to be adjusted once per year. The Goldtech version comes on a dark blue alligator strap with a Goldtech buckle.

Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante ($30,600)

At last year’s Watches & Wonders, Parmigiani Fleurier launched a world’s-first complication in its Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante; not to be outdone, the high-luxury maison unveils yet another horolgical world-premiere this year, with an aesthetically similar look but a distinctly different practical application. Instead of an additional jumping hour hand that indicates a second time zone, the Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante features a second jumping minute hand that essentially serves the purpose of a bezel with a graduated scale. Here’s how it works: the dial has an hour hand and two superimposed minutes hands; the lower minute hand, in 18k rose gold, can be moved either in five-minute increments by a pusher at 8 ‘clock or in one-minute increments by the pusher at 10 o’clock. The second minute hand can be used in this manner as a reminder of a pre-set appointment, event, or deadline. After the upper minute hand, in rhodium-plated white gold, catches up to the lower minute hand — i.e., when real time reaches appointment time — the rose-gold hand can be returned to its concealed position with a press of the pusher in the crown, similarly to a counter hand in a split-seconds chronograph, hence the term “Rattrapante” in the model’s name. This clever and subtle function resides in the new, self-winding PF052 caliber, which beats inside a 40mm stainless steel case with the hallmark knurled platinum bezel that is emblematic of the Tonda PF, along with the pristinely simple dial, in sober sand-gray with a grain d’orge guilloché pattern. 

Patek Philippe Calatrava 24 Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R-001 ($57,366)

Elite watchmaking manufacture Patek Philippe, for its second year in the Watches & Wonders fold, headlines its 2023 collection with a watch endowed with an entirely new combination of complications. The Calatrava 24 Hour Display Travel Time Ref. 5224R-001 features a rare 24-hour dial with a hand that makes one full rotation (rather than the traditional two) around it per day. This unconventional timekeeping display is paired with Patek’s now-familiar and very user-friendly Travel Time complication, which indicates two time zones via a patented system in which the local-time hour hand can be easily moved in  both directions by a press of the crown. The elegant simplicity of the dial, with noon represented at 12 o’clock with a “12,” and midnight at 6 o’clock with a “24,” allows Patek Philippe to dispense with the usual day-night or AM-PM indicator that one often finds on a dual-time dial. The classical, round Calatrava case — a hallmark of Patek Philippe’s oldest watch collection since its birth in the 1930s — is here made of 18k rose gold and measures 42mm in diameter and just under 10mm thick. Inside, behind a sapphire exhibition caseback, is Patek’s in-house automatic Caliber 31-260 PS FUS 24H, with a 48-hour power reserve. The navy blue dial has a variety of contrasting elegant finishes, a railway style minute track, and applied Arabic numerals and baton markers in rose gold to echo the case. The hands, including both “local” and “home” hour hands, are in the vintage syringe style emblematic of Patek’s Pilot collection and made of rose gold, except for the contrasting sword-shaped seconds hand, which is in white gold. The watch comes on a navy-blue nubuck leather strap.

Roger Dubuis Monovertex Split-Seconds Chronograph (concept watch)

The most unattainable watch at this year’s Geneva fair (literally; it’s a concept watch, not commercially available) comes from the “Hyper Horologists” at Roger Dubuis. The Monovertex Split-Seconds Chronograph packs within its high-tech 47mm case a number of horological innovations (likely to be adapted in some form into commercial pieces at some point, of course) that the Geneva-based maison says are in the service of mastering gravity in the timepiece’s skeletonized movement, Caliber RD114. One is the patent-pending Conical Monovertex Tourbillon, whose conical rotation trajectory of 360 degrees compensates for gravitational pull on any of the movement’s axes. Additionally, the movement includes the new “Turborotor” cylindrical oscillating weight, which swings perpendicularly to its axis rather than horizontally, as would a traditional winding rotor. Roger Dubuis has also installed in the caliber a split-seconds chronograph function controlled by a double column wheel. Displaying the chronograph’s elapsed time is another patent-pending invention, a tripartite minute counter hand that rotates in 120-degree increments; its three arms carry the tens digits while pointing out the corresponding units digits. The case itself is decidedly avant garde in its material composition, combining traditional rose gold with an exclusive Mineral Composite Fiber (MCF) in bright red, made almost entirely from silica in a sheet-molding process, which is sturdy while also being lighter than the carbon material engineered in the same process. The red-and-gold aesthetic of the watch reminded me strongly of high-tech superhero Iron Man, though the Roger Dubuis reps I spoke to swore that was only a coincidence. They also pointed out the number “88” highlighted on the tachymeter scale, said to be the lucky number of the brand’s eponymous founder and also, probably not coincidentally, a lucky number in Chinese and other Asian cultures. The Monovertex Split-Seconds Chronograph is mounted on a bimaterial perforated strap with a quick-change system; the latter element will almost certainly be a feature of Roger Dubuis watches going forward. 

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master Titanium ($14,500)

Rolex released the original Yacht-Master in 1992 as a more luxurious extension of its robust Submariner dive watch and has been building it as a distinct collection of its own ever since. The Yacht-Master launched at Watches and Wonders 2023 sparked intense interest as the first version of Rolex’s nautical icon with a case made of RLX titanium, a strong, corrosion-resistant, and very lightweight alloy, with a technical satin finish that lends it an intriguing, grained texture. The case, milled from a monobloc, also boasts high-sheen and polished finishing on its other facets. The dial is in Rolex’s “intense” black and sports its own intriguing grained texture. The bracelet is made of titanium as well, with ceramic inserts, and is fitted with Rolex’s Easylink extension system for wearing comfort. Inside the watch is an in-house movement with COSC chronometer certification, Rolex Caliber 3235, packing a 72-hour power reserve and all the patented technology that Rolex fans have come to expect and demand.

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Glassbox ($6,450)

TAG Heuer’s iconic racing chronograph, the Carrera, turns 60 years old in 2023, and the brand’s 2023 crop of Watches & Wonders releases were predictably Carrera-heavy, perhaps none more widely appealing than the Carrera Chronograph Glassbox, which derives its name from the vintage-inspired, domed sapphire crystal that rises over the 39mm steel case, evoking the shape of the Hesalite crystals on the 1960s models. The crystal’s prominent curve flows seamlessly over the tachymeter scale at the outer edge of the dial, allowing it it be read legibly in a wider range of angles — an actual benefit if you’re wearing the watch while driving in an automobile race. The case’s pump-style pushers have also been carefully reshaped and repositioned to make them as user-friendly as possible. Also debuting this year, in the Glassbox models as well as several other new Carreras, is the TAG Heuer TH20-00 caliber, a re-engineered version of the ubiquitous Heuer 02 movement with a new bidirectional winding system meant to increase efficiency of the winding and to enable longer periods of running with its maximum 80-hour power reserve. The Carrera Chronograph Glassbox is offered in either a sleek, modern, monochromatic blue colorway, including a blue calfskin leather strap; or a decidedly vintage-look silver-and-white “reverse panda” execution on a perforated strap that evokes classic 1960s references like the Ref. 3147 “Dato 12,” the first Carrera with calendar functions. 

Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Four ($3,625 on strap, $3,850 on bracelet)

In 2018, in response to growing consumer demand both for more modest case sizes and for greater period authenticity in vintage-style timepieces, Tudor introduced the Black Bay Fifty-Eight, named for the year in which Tudor released the Oyster Prince Submariner Ref. 7924, the most clear forerunner to the Black Bay. That watch matched the 39mm case diameter of that vintage model, which became the default case size of the Oyster Prince shortly after the first models were sized at 37mm. Tudor has now resurrected the original 37mm sizing of the original Oyster Prince from 1954 (Ref. 7922) in a new model called — you guessed it — the Black Bay Fifty-Four. At just 11.24mm thick in stainless steel, and topped with a unidirectional bezel sans hash marks — a nod to the early days of SCUBA diving and early watches for divers — Tudor calls it “the purest modern expression of the brand’s first-ever dive watch.” Inside the 200-meter water resistant case beats the automatic Tudor Caliber MT5400, with a COSC chronometer certification and a 70-hour power reserve. Both versions of the watch — on either a riveted bracelet or a rubber strap, feature the “T-Fit” adjustment mechanism.

Ulysse Nardin Freak One ($68,600)

A heritage Swiss watchmaker rooted in the 19th Century and historically renowned as a supplier of marine chronometers, Ulysse Nardin turned the modern watch world on its ear in 2001 with the launch of its most game-changing horological invention, the Freak. The original Freak displayed the time without hands, dial, or crown in the traditional sense, instead using a “flying carousel” system in which a baguette-shaped movement rotates on its own axis with a bridge pointing to the minutes while a mainplate-mounted disk indicated the hours. Ulysse Nardin has subsequently expanded and updated the Freak family of timepieces with new technologies and materials, many of which have found their way into this year’s Freak One, a model intended to bring the family closer to its roots. The watch features the “no hands, no dial, no crown” design of the original, with a 44mm case in rose gold and black-DLC titanium; the case's heavily notched locking bezel is used in place of a crown to set the time, which is revealed by the black sunray-engraved barrel cover that rotates as an hour disk along with the bridge assembly with carousel flying tourbillon that tracks the minutes. The open gear train of the dial-side movement evokes 2013’s Freak Cruiser, while the black and gold aesthetic recalls last year’s Freak S. The movement features the silicon components pioneered by its predecessor as well as a DiamonSil (synthetic diamonds grown on silicon) treatment on the escapement; it’s also equipped with the proprietary “Grinder” winding system, whose four-bladed rotor gathers energy from the slightest motions of the wearer’s wrist. Quite Freaky indeed.

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date (price upon request)

As per custom, Vacheron Constantin unveiled a plethora of new complicated pieces in several of its collections, including a unique Grand Complication in its Les Cabinotiers series and new tourbillons from the Traditionnelle line. Also as per custom, many of us couldn’t help focusing on the latest complication from the manufacture’s sport-luxury Overseas collection, which features not only a high-precision moon-phase display but also the first retrograde function in a Vacheron Constantin sports watch, here devoted to revealing the date via an arrow-tipped hand on an arc-shaped 31-day scale; at the end of each month, the hand jumps back to day one. The 41mm steel case has all the hallmarks of the revamped Overseas collection, including the six-sided bezel evocative of Vacheron’s Maltese Cross emblem, a motif that continues onto the links of the integrated bracelet; the fluted screw-down crown; and sword hour and minute hands. The blue lacquered dial has a satin-finished center and a velvet-finished flange. A new in-house movement, Caliber 2460 R31L/2, beats inside, amassing a 40-hour power reserve with its engraved 22k gold oscillating weight and directing the ultra-accurate moon-phase indication in the aperture at 6 o’clock; the revolutions of the lunar disk corresponds to the actual cycle of the moon, which rotates around the Earth once every 29 days, 12 hours, and 45 minutes. Like all contemporary Overseas models, this watch is equipped with Vacheron’s proprietary quick-change system that allows the wearer to swap the bracelet for a specially designed rubber strap without the need for tools.

Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback Chronograph ($11,500 steel, $13,500 in black microblasted ceramic)

Zenith has devoted the last several years to building up its Chronomaster and Defy collections, but finally returns the spotlight back to its oldest product family, the Pilot (formerly the Pilot Type 20) in 2023. In keeping with current trends, Zenith has streamlined and downsized the watches in the collection, many of which were fairly enormous in diameter to echo the dimensions of their early 20th-century forebears — like the one that Louis Bleriot famously wore for his historic flight over the English Channel in 1909. The new Zenith Pilots are more aviation-styled dress watches than historically inspired tool watches for the cockpit, with 40mm sizing on the Automatic and 42.5mm on the model that most riveted our attention, the Big Date Flyback Chronograph, which contains Caliber 3652, a revamped version of the storied El Primero Caliber 3600. In addition to its high-frequency performance (36,600-vph, resulting in chronograph readings precise to 1/10-second) and the flyback functionality, the movement’s large date indicator, displayed prominently on the dial in twin windows, has a patented mechanism that advances and stabilizes both the date wheels in a fraction of second, allowing quick and easy advancing of the date numerals, much like the updating of flight times on an old-fashioned mechanical arrivals/departures board. The steel version is nicknamed “Rainbow” for the alternating colors of its minutes scale and orange chronograph hands; the black ceramic model offers a monochromatic charm, with white markers and hands against a black corrugated dial.