Looking for a new timepiece? Here is a round-up of all the best watches released at Geneva Watch Days 2023.
Bulgari
Bulgari
Bulgari unveiled three key novelties at the recent Geneva Watch Days. Starting with the Monete Secret Watches, the new Monete Catene Dual Time watch evokes the legendary couple formed by Emperor Septimus Severus and his empress Julia Domna, revered as a goddess. The Monete Catene watch features a single denarius, a silver coin with the effigy of formidable Emperor Caracalla. Monete Catene, made of gold and diamonds, demonstrates sophistication and aesthetic mastery, showcasing exceptional antique treasures of Ancient Rome and Greece. The Octo Finissimo story continues with new materials in the form of carbon and gold. Two Automatic models and the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar are now clad in the anthracite hues of high-tech carbon, contrasted with the luminous brilliance of gold. Thirdly, Bulgari’s Piccolissimo BVL 100 round miniature mechanical movement, the smallest on the market, marks the mystique of mechanical time in High Jewellery, true to the spirit of secret jewellery watches. Here, two new models come to the fore: the Serpenti Misteriosi in white gold set with over 33 carats of diamonds and the Serpenti Misteriosi in rose gold with black lacquer and navette-cut diamonds.
De Bethune
The DB28XP Kind of Blue is the result of a combination of characteristics of two of the brand’s iconic timepieces: the proven elegance of the DB28XP and the timeless charm of the DB28 Kind of Blue, offering watch enthusiasts an exceptional piece that harmoniously combines tradition and innovation. The new limited edition timepiece features a full blue version of the DB28XP, inspired by the DB28 Kind of Blue and bearing the Manufacture’s signature. Crafted from blued titanium, the watch reveals an architectural fusion of space, time, and light at first glance. Its deep and luminous blue is achieved through the natural oxidation of the material, making each watch a unique work of art. The dial, entirely made of Microlight, reimagines and modernises the traditional guilloché technique.
Arnold & Son
The new Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite is inspired by the sky, fire and the stars. Its three-dimensional moon-phase complication gives it an astronomical feel. At the same time, the 44mm red gold case highlights the terrestrial influence, and the blue PVD-treated meteorite dial offers a stellar dimension. The subdial displaying the hours and minutes has a milky, almost lunar sheen thanks to its surface in opal, a semiprecious stone prized for its white colour, whose delicacy perfectly complements the unique complication of the Luna Magna Red Gold Meteorite. The spacious dial, freed up by the structure of this display, is made from a large disc of ferrous meteorite-coloured blue using the PVD process. The warm glow of the red gold, which contrasts with the midnight-blue dial, completes the precious and understated look of this limited edition of 38 pieces.
Girard-Perregaux
The new Laureato Absolute 8Tech, the latest addition to Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato Absolute collection, draws on the Manufacture’s amassed knowledge in tech and materials. Using 8Tech, a ground-breaking technique, the case is formed of octagonal carbon parts, creating a random structural pattern. The 44mm dial is featherlight, meaning maximum comfort. The case material comprises unidirectional, non-braided and pre-impregnated carbon fibres combined with lightweight titanium powder to form extremely thin layers measuring just 0.05mm in thickness. These layers are superimposed upon one another, each orientated differently to form ‘stacks’, which are then cut into octagons, an industry first. The dial incorporates three sandblasted counters along with a date display positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock. A baton-type hour and minute hands, presented in a grey titanium hue, are lined with luminescent material. The Laureato 8Tech is presented on a black rubber strap featuring a fabric-effect look and incorporating grey stitching
H Moser & Cie
Moser & Cie. combines radiant red gold with the absolute black of Vantablack® for two striking new timepieces the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack® and Endeavour Centre Seconds Vantablack®. These two timeless designs offer a perfect marriage between tradition and nanotechnology. The flamboyant warmth of the 40 mm-diameter case and hands in red gold contrasts with the endless abyss of a dial in Vantablack®, an ultra-black coating recognised as the darkest substance in the world. Composed of carbon nanostructures, this innovative material was developed for astrophysics and is used in telescopes and by the army to increase the stealth level of certain equipment. When a photon hits Vantablack®, this material absorbs 99.965% of the light. As our eyes need reflected light to perceive what we are looking at, Vantablack® is perceived as the absence of matter, a black hole.
Meanwhile, the Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack®, H. Moser & Cie. is writing an ode to minimalism. Positioned at 6 o’clock, the one-minute flying tourbillon seems literally to float in the centre of a black hole, with no reflection and without indices or logo by way of distraction. A marvel of ingenuity, the self-winding HMC 804 calibre which drives this model is equipped with a double hairspring designed and produced in-house. Thanks to this pair of matched hairsprings, the movement of the point of gravity on each spring, when it expands, is corrected, and the effect of friction is reduced, significantly improving accuracy and isochronism in the continual pursuit of perfection.
Jacob & Co
“The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone watch is a tribute to an Arabov family heirloom, inspired by a double time zone watch that Jacob Arabov received at the age of 13, from his father, Nison Arabov. A timepiece so special in his eyes that it gave him the desire and the determination to one day create his own timepieces. It is the original spark that inspired every single Jacob & Co. timepiece. This watch is still in the family, waiting to be passed on to the next generation. While waiting, it became the inspiration for The World Is Yours Dual Time Zone. Creation is a personal, emotional process for Jacob Arabo. And in this case, one that rings closest to the heart. So “The World Is Yours” Dual Time Zone is more than a two-timezone watch, with independent hours and minutes. It’s more than a piece of beautiful craft, with a great domed dial featuring the Earth as seen from the sky.
Maurice Lacroix
Maurice Lacroix embraces the urban landscape and takes inspiration from the tall architectural buildings that endow a city with its unique skyline. The new Aikon Skeleton Urban Tribe is another daring creation from Maurice Lacroix, subscribing to the Urban Tribe design but presented in skeleton form. The brand has worked closely with movement specialist Sellita to produce the exclusive Automatic ML135 (base SW200). Similar to some of the most interesting buildings, this movement plays with transparency, allowing light to pass through various openings, thereby illuminating a myriad of parts. The oscillating weight is customised and sports sandblasted and sunbrushed decoration. Furthermore, the movement is endowed with circular graining and colimaçon.
The hour and minute hands are facetted and lined with Super-LumiNova®, while the dial is framed with luminescent indexes and a dark grey flange. Housed in a 39mm stainless steel case, the exterior of the AIKON Skeleton Urban Tribe is laser engraved with an intricate motif. The various patterns have been inspired by the concrete, glass and steel structures which have come to define the avenues and boulevards populating the world’s most vibrant cities. Fitted with an integrated bracelet, this new watch, in common with all AIKON models, proffers peerless wearer comfort.
MB&F
First presented in 2018, Horological Machine N°9 – nicknamed HM9 ‘Flow’ – was a tribute to the extraordinary automotive and aeronautic designs of the 1940s and 50s. Today, the watch is presented in a new sapphire version. The HM9’ Sapphire Vision’ editions (HM9-SV) features an outer hull of sapphire crystal and precious metal, curved and bubbled and precisely fitted together in three parts, and sealed with a proprietary combination of patented three-dimensional gasket and high-tech compound bonding process. Two fully independent cantilevered balances channel data into a differential that turns two heartbeats into one coherent time pulse. Ultra-precise conical gears efficiently turn the engine’s energy and information current through a 90° angle to feed the time display on a sapphire crystal dial, marked with Super-LumiNova. On the reverse, co-axial beneath each of the balances are propellers: twin turbines that spin freely as an element of pure visual interest, waiting for someone to begin a new type of exploration.
BYRNE
The ZERO Pink Gold is a blend of sophistication and industrial aesthetic, with a stunning pink gold dial. The precious metal’s silky sparkling effect contrasts with the watch’s industrial aesthetic to create a stylish yet robust design. True to its unique original watch concept, the ZERO Pink Gold changes its dial every day, at midnight or noon, as the four cardinal indexes at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock pivot in a flash to reveal a different face, transforming the appearance of the whole in the spirit of the brand’s motto: One watch, Four faces. Sleek and elegant at the same time, the watch profoundly embodies the brand’s values, presenting all the essential assets of a Byrne watch, combining elegant design and singular complication, legibility, precision, reliability and craftsmanship.
