Best in Show: My Top 10 Watches from Windup Watch Fair 2024

Well, the New York edition of the Windup Watch Fair for 2024 is done and dusted, and as per usual, I have opinions. This year's fair featured more than 130 brands, sprawling across a space five times the size of last year's, and still, the venue seemed to be bursting at the seams with eager enthusiasts salivating over the watch world’s latest and greatest. This really is the Super Bowl for micro and indie brands, with strong showings too numerous to list, but I’ll do my level best, in alphabetical order, to spotlight ten of my (highly subjective) standouts. Time to get wound up, my friends.

Airain

If you want to get technical, the Airain Sous-Marine re-edition was launched in 2023, but, as with many of the brands on display at Windup, this was my first opportunity to handle one, and I was not disappointed. A classic skin diver in a vintage-correct size will always rev my throttle, and Airain has tattooed my mind with its gradient dial executions. Within that note-perfect 37.5mm case, you’ll find blue, teal, tropic brown, and faded black variants (along with a solid black version) that are all positively swoon-worthy. Airain has done the 1962 original proud, offering vintage swagger without the inauthenticity that kneecaps so many other retro attempts. The AM5 movement is based on a La Joux-Perret G100 that boasts a 68-hour reserve, whirring away inside a 12.77mm-tall case (including the domed sapphire crystal). Two hundred meters of water resistance, a roulette date wheel, and the inclusion of both a Fixoflex bracelet and a tropic-style strap add up to an unapologetic return to the glory days of tool watches. $2,100, Airain

Doxa

I’m a longtime fan of the history of undersea exploration, and fondly remember watching reruns of The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau as a junior frogman. Sadly, my own derring-do bears a closer resemblance to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, but I digress. Cousteau was an early adopter of Doxa, wearing the Sub 300 Sharkhunter, a real-deal tool watch if ever there were one. And even though the Doxa Sub pulls off the feat of a big watch wearing smaller than its diameter (hello, Seiko Turtle), the 300 and 300T can overwhelm an average wrist. But fear not: Doxa recently dropped the new 200T, a brand new 39mm model you’d swear was vintage. It’s a slimmed-down take on the iconic Sub profile, and although it features a new case size, this might be the Doxa for people who thought they could never wear the brand. The 200T is Sellita-powered and shark-proof to 200 meters, but most of all, it’s just so easy to wear. It’s also available in a huge array of colorways (including seven new sunray dials), so now there really is something for everyone when it comes to the Doxa Sub. In fact, it fits me so well, it now resides in my own collection, currently taking up an outsized percentage of wrist time. $1,590, DOXA

Echo/Neutra

I’ll be honest: I had a bit of a heads-up when it comes to this next one, but I was in no way prepared for what I saw once I arrived at the echo/neutra booth. I’ve been a fan of the brand’s retro/modern aesthetic for some time, but its brutalist take on a tank-style watch blew me away, and by the size of the crowds around the new Italian-designed, Swiss-made Rivanera, I wasn’t alone. The blasted titanium case features a touch of glam by way of its polished case edges, but the pair of dial variants, in black and gray, are two sides of the same monochromatic coin. Polished black hands and indexes, along with deco dial markings and minimal branding frame a small seconds display, and the overall effect is at once dazzling and discreet. A manual ETA Caliber 7001 provides the power within the ultra-slim 5.9mm case, making for a sleek wearing experience, and this stealth tank is one of the most surprising drops of the entire fair. $1,490, echo/neutra

Lorca

Jesse Marchant has come up with another winning hand with his newest release, the lovely Lorca Model No.2 Chronograph. Sequels are always tough, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at Lorca’s latest, such is its vintage-inspired beauty. A 37mm case diameter (38 with the bezel), a trim 11.6mm case height (not counting the retrolicious 2.8mm double-domed sapphire crystal), and a compact 46mm lug-to-lug make the No.2 Chronograph an easy wear for most wrists. A manually-wound Elaboré Grade Sellita SW510 M movement with 63 hour power reserve, 100 meters of water resistance, and Swiss Super-LumiNova lume complete a well-specced checklist, but it’s all about the aesthetic mixology in this martini. The 12-hour, 120-click bidirectional guilloché bezel is as gorgeous as it sounds, the three dials on offer are lush in their understatement, and that luxurious multi-link bracelet is pure poetry, in both feel and finish. The result is one perfect cocktail of a watch, one that’s sure to stir the souls of classic midcentury chronograph fans, and a worthy sequel to Lorca’s Model No.1 GMT that struck such a chord among vintage connoisseurs. $2,650, Lorca Watches

Marin

I’m a fan of the purity of the Marin style, with the brand’s Skin-Diver series paring back to the essentials of tool-watch design. The flat cases and ideal dimensions (39mm x 11.5m x 48mm) wear incredibly well, and the “Standard black” and “Polar white” dials are super-legible, with ultra-bold white or black hands, and indices that feature gobs of lume. A vibrant slash of orange accents the seconds tip on the OS models, and a Swiss Sellita SW200-1 movement keeps the whole show running on time. The watches come with both integrated rubber and  Maratac fabric straps, and the whole package is beautifully minimalist to the max. As an added bonus, you can request your Skin-Diver in a black PVD finish for a $100 upcharge, for those killer ‘80s Heuer tool-watch vibes. From $1,050, MARIN INSTRUMENTS

Prevail

Prevail characterizes its new timepiece as “the military field watch, redefined,” and that’s not an exaggeration. It’s so unbelievably rare in the watch space to stumble across a truly original design, and when you do, it’s often a visual trainwreck. Not so with the Prevail Onward Future Field Watch, which boasts a case that resembles some industrial bit of set design out of a lost Ridley Scott sci-fi epic. The passion project of Hassan Madras, an Air Force Reserve judge advocate, and watch design star Matt Smith-Johnson (Vero, Seals, Laco) — whose goal was to create a tough, accessible field watch that looked like nothing else, while raising funds to benefit veteran’s health initiatives — the watch succeeds on every level. The octagonal, matte stainless-steel case features 200 meters of water resistance and fixed lugs, with hearty lume, a recessed sapphire crystal, and a reliable, hassle-free Ronda quartz movement inside. Available with smooth “Explorer” and turret-like “Tactical” bezel styles, there are three colorways and two dial layouts, and the watches come standard with color-matched pass-through nylon straps. The best bit? The price, a very approachable $275, with 10% going to The Heart and Armor Foundation. $275, Prevail Watches

Serica

I’m a diehard fan of French microbrand Serica and its mid-century Continental cool, having recently acquired the 5303-3 COSC Diving Chronometer in Bleu Cristallin, so I’m always primed for whatever Gallic goodness the brand has up its well-turned sleeve. And at this edition of Windup, I wasn’t disappointed. Serica has remastered its broad-bezeled 6190 Field Chronometer, forgoing the established military vibe of that model’s numeric dial for a new, jazzier option. Applied indices seem to shoot toward the center of the dial to meet the broad-arrow hour hand, with tails evoking comets hurtling toward a Space Age future. The new dials are available in enameled black, white, and a lovely Storm Grey, my pick of the litter. A high-beat Swiss Soprod movement, choice of standard or destro crown, and 200 meters of water resistance round out a confident, compelling package. $1,169.65, Serica 

Timex

I realize Timex isn’t a microbrand, with history dating back more than 170 years and a market presence as ubiquitous as that of any brand you can name, but someone at the company is paying attention to the enthusiast community, bigtime. I mean, Timex has been absolutely slaying it the last few years, and its designers are not taking their foot off the pedal. Ever since the stroke of genius that was the Marlin reissue, Timex has raided its back catalog of classics more often than the Rolling Stones, pumping out watches that are all killer and no filler. I saw plenty of Q Timex reissues, each one more striking than the last, along with an ultra-chic 34mm TV-cased automatic based on the company’s 1983 E-Line, but it’s Timex’s new titanium tool watches that are causing the biggest ruckus. The Expedition GMT Titanium Automatic brings vintage Rolex “McQueen” Explorer II vibes for a mere $549, and the new Deepwater Reef 200 Titanium Automatic diver has prompted some to dub it the “budget Pelagos”, with a retail of just $479. For your hard-earned ducats, you’ll get a 41mm titanium case with 200 meters of water resistance, a Miyota movement, and brilliant blocks of lume not unlike its Tudor doppelganger. Timex, please give your product development team a raise, because I’m loving this new direction. $479, Timex

Xeric

Xeric always shows up with some of the most outrageous pieces of the fair, but this year, it has come up with a new design that’s eminently wearable as well. In addition to the its rotating cast of wandering-hour wonders (see what I did there?), the brand showcased prototypes for its new Timeline double retrograde series, and they really stuck the landing. The TV-style case and broad range of colorways were a hit with attendants, and the double retrograde display is the first of its kind in half a century. The dial is highly legible, paying tribute to vintage Lip and Wittnauer references, and the Timeline cleverly makes use of a Miyota 9000 series base with a custom module for the double retrograde complication. My personal pick? The John Player Special vibes of the full-gold version conjure visions of sipping Veuve Clicquot among the ‘70s glitterati at the Monaco Grand Prix. $1,200, available 2025, Xeric Watches

Zodiac

The Zodiac aesthetic has always been a favorite of mine, with its bold use of color and unique designs once again on display at Windup. You can always count on a new Super Sea Wolf (or three) with a carefree, colorful flair, and for 2024, the brand has some real stunners. There are two new stone-dialed Compression Diver variants available now, a stainless and blue version with a gorgeous lapis lazuli dial, and a sinuous black DLC model featuring a face rendered in deep green malachite. Both feature a ceramic bezel, an upgraded STP 1-21 movement, and a five-link bracelet. There’s even an 18K yellow gold-plated version with a deep blue dial that gives a gold Sub a run for its bouillon. But my pick of the fair has to be the Super Sea Wolf Ref. 691, a 37mm callback to the brand’s earliest models. A 37mm case with 200 meters of water resistance, a steel countdown bezel, and a manual-winding movement all conspire to keep things properly vintage. And if you want to mix things up, Craft + Tailored is offering a limited run of 100 with a creamy white dial and gold indices. $1,695, Zodiac Watches