Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. MONOCHROME’s Top Ten Novelties From Watches & Wonders 2023
It's not easy to make a selection from last week's W&W fair, but we managed to vote on ten pieces that stood out to us for various reasons.
It was impossible to miss the sleuth of new watches presented during last week’s Watches & Wonders fair. The 2023 edition of what is now the biggest watch-related event of the year saw many new and very exciting new watches being presented. We tried to bring you as much as possible already, but there is still much more to come that we haven’t been able to cover yet. But what are the absolute best watches? This is a tough question to ask, with over 50 brands on display, all bringing new models or adaptations of existing ones to the table. The MONOCHROME Editorial Team has taken a vote though, to pinpoint what we think are the Top Ten novelties presented in the confines of Geneva’s Palexpo halls last week, and here’s the rundown, in completely random order.
IWC Ingenieur AUTOMATIC 40
We’re not going to talk about the elephant in the room (the price) but rather embrace the fact the legendary Gérald Genta-designed IWC Ingenieur finally makes a return! Available in steel with black, white or aqua blue dials or titanium with a light grey dial and blackened hands, all with nicely textured dials, it’s a very cool take on the original IWC Ingenieur SL Jumbo from 1976.
For more information, please read our story here.
Cartier Privé Tank Normale
The Cartier Tank is an absolute icon, and this year the Maison released a fitting tribute to the very first one from 1917. This new Cartier Privé Tank Normale looks the part, especially in the full platinum suite. The silvery-grey satin-finished dial hasn’t lost any of its magic, even after more than a century. It’s limited to 100 pieces and costs EUR 41,800.
For more information, please read our story here.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph
The only new watch presented by AL&S, but what a watch it is! It’s the very first level-up in complexity for the Odysseus and adds a central chronograph minutes and seconds hand. The reset-to-zero function is really cool, as well as the fact you can adjust the date while the chronograph is running! Amazing stuff! Lange doesn’t communicate the price but expect something around 135-145k before taxes.
For more information, please read our story here.
Grand Seiko Elegance Hana-Ikada sbgy026
One of our favourite releases of the entire week, the Grand Seiko Hana-Ikada SBGY026 pairs a refined rose gold case with at gorgeous light-pink dial inspired by cherry blossom trees. The clean dial is just spectacular and sits on top of the manually wound in-house calibre 9R31 Spring Drive. Only 100 will be made at a price of EUR 28,900.
For more information, please read our story here.
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph GlassBox Reverse panda
Completing the 60th anniversary of the Carrera Chronograph, TAG Heuer introduced the cool Glassbox iteration. The domed sapphire crystal sits over a black and silver-white dial with a curved tachymeter scale. At 39mm in diameter, it sits perfectly on the wrist, and it comes with the new Calibre TH20-00 automatic integrated chronograph. The price is EUR 6,500.
For more information, please read our story here.
Tudor Black Bay 54 Ref. 79000N
The Tudor Black Bay 54 is a cool, minimalistic take on the Black Bay concept and is inspired by the first dive watch made by Tudor back in 1954. Its compact 37mm case is topped with a rotating bezel that has a 5-minute diving scale without a minute graduation, very cool! At EUR 3,450 on a rubber strap or EUR 3,650 on the steel bracelet, it’s not overly expensive either!
For more information, please read our story here.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph
The new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph was the talk of the town and is a brilliant-looking adaptation of the Reverso Chronograph from 1996. Available in steel or gold, with blue-grey or black dials, it looks amazing! And best of all, the chronograph side now also tells time! It’s priced at EUR 24.200 in steel or EUR 42,400 in red gold.
For more information, please read our story here.
Rolex Yacht-Master 42 RLX Titanium 226627
We could have gone for several new Rolex models, but the new Yacht-Master 42 RLX Titanium 226627 is one of the best from the Crown for 2023. It’s superlight, obviously, and has a very tactile brushed finish. The intense black dial is paired with the familiar bezel with raised numerals and indices. It comes with Rolex’s Calibre 3235 and retails for CHF 13,400.
For more information, please read our story here.
Chopard L.U.C. 1860 lucent steel
The L.U.C. line by Chopard continues to amaze us, especially with watches like this gorgeous L.U.C. 1860 in salmon. The guilloché dial is absolutely mesmerizing, and is put in a very slender 36.5mm Lucent Steel A223 case. It’s driven by the Calibre 1.96, a micro-rotor movement finished to Poinçon de Genève standards. The price is USD 23,200.
For more information, please read our story here.
Patek Philippe Calatrava pilot travel time chronograph 5924G
Two things have always been very important to Patek Philippe; travel complications and chronographs, preferably flyback. The new Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph 5924G pairs the two in a very impressive vintage-inspired watch. Available in contemporary blue or green, both uphold the classic Calatrava Pilot codes and are fitted with the in-house Calibre CH 28-250 C FUS from the Nautilus. They retail for EUR 72,870.
For more information, please read our story here.
7 responses
It’s funny to see how badly the watches are worn in the picrtures. A watch is always worn above the ulna. It also gives an idea of how it will be worn in real life. Otherwise, the best is to photograph it without wearing it!
The ones I appreciate the most: Parmigiani Tonda Minute Rattrapante, Lange Oddyseeus Chrono (even though I am not a fan of neither of the watch families).
The ones like most: Chopard LUC Lucent, Rolex 1908, Grand Seiko 026, Carrera Glassbox.
The best of the show: Minerva skeleton chrono… although the price makes it ridiculous….
Disappointed with GS Chrono and Oris for not bringing anything as cool as they did for the last two years…
Also disappointed with Rolex killing the Milgauss, Zenith killing the vintage Pilots and IWCs Ingenieur beingjust a design style, not a modern im engineer’s tool, and being ridiculously expensive.
Some are rather nice, but these prices are stoopit.
Surprisingly all watches have gone up in MSRP.
Of those only the Rolex would get any wrist time, but not at that price. I could afford it if. But it would need something other than “Rolex” on the dial
The only reason people wear watches on their forearm as suppose to the wrist is because of the trend for bigger watches. Above ulna is not wrist.
Second , article’s main picture again like many others is displaying a Rolex, by no mean that brand had the most interesting, innovative, or significant watch at the show.