From

the sneak preview we were given of Vacheron

Constantin’s Watches and Wonders releases, it seems fair to say the maison is leaning hard on the retrograde date complication, trying to make it something of a signifier for the brand as a whole. To that end, the stainlesssteel Overseas is issued with a retrograde date – an arc-shaped display whose needle, when it reaches the end of the month, flies back to 1 to start all over again. Watchmakers view retrograde mechanisms with caution, because they entail allowing energy to build up and release explosively, over and over again, rather than running along nice and steady. So leaning into it is kind of a flex, albeit a highly nerdy watchmaking flex that only other watch cognoscenti will appreciate. How very appropriate.

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Overseas Self-Winding in 34.5mm and 35mm Also adding to the Overseas collection, the Maison has debuted four new references constructed of steel and 18-carat 5N pink gold. The introduction of these new pieces also sees the premiere of new case sizes and silhouettes that caters to the wrists of all genders. Three of the new models are graced with a sunburst blue lacquered dial, while the fourth features a gem-set bezel and pink-colored dial. Beating inside these new timepieces are the mechanical self-winging 1088/1 calibre, which offers up to 40 hours of power reserve. Similar to the Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date, these new references are paired with either a matching steel bracelet, calfskin leather strap, or a rubber band.

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Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date (Left, Page 4)

Starring a minimalist design inspired by retrograde displays in the ‘20s and ‘30s, the Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date is a display of equilibrium between traditional watchmaking elegance and modern simplicity. Coming in a 42.5mm case made of 950 platinum, the piece frames a salmonhued and sunburst-patterned dial with date, day, and time indications. Visible through its caseback, the watch utilizes the Maison’s own 2460 R31R7/3 self-winding calibre, which beats an astounding rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour with up to 40 hours of power reserve. Completing the piece is a dark blue Mississippiensis alligator leather strap, which comes with a calf inner shell and tonal stitch details. Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Fate Openface (Right, Page 4) An embodiment of the Maison’s watchmaking heritage and vision for contemporary design, this 41mm timepiece is built with an 18-carat 5N pink gold case. As an addition to the Traditionanelle collection, this tourbillon also demonstrates many defining attributes of the series, from the fluted caseback, railway minute-track, bi-facetted Dauphine hands, slim bezel, baton-type hour-markers, to the stepped round case and lugs. Its in-house 2162 R31 self-winding movement is in clear view via its striking yet open-worked sapphire dial. Upon closer inspection, guilloché segments can be spotted across the slated gray dial, alongside other complex yet refined touches such as the handbeveled carriage, and hand-polished cone-shaped transversal bar.

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The

great watch designer Mr Gerald Genta

created the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 1976, and to judge by its success today, could justifiably have taken the rest of that year off. In fact, in the same year he also created a revamp of IWC’s Ingenieur, which debuted as the Ingenieur SL. It didn’t take the world by storm, selling just over a thousand pieces, but has been the inspiration for various successor designs down the years. For 2023, IWC has redesigned the Ingenieur collection once more to align it more closely than ever with Genta’s overlooked classic. It retains elements of the last generation Ingenieur – such as the crown guards – but is elevated by a finer dial execution and a sleeker, sharper finish to the case and bracelet.

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Utility is one of the main words which come to mind when analysing the IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41, as it appears that every aspect of its design contributes towards punchy legibility as well as wearability. The Arabic numerals are printed with crisp contrast at an eye-friendly size, with the iconic triangle marker at 12 o’clock providing you with luminous orientation after dark. The asymmetrical chronograph subdials use bold sword hands to point to their respective tracks, and the day/date display gives you all of the information you need at a glance. The 41mm diameter may not make for the most compact case ever with a lug-to-lug length of 50.8mm, but it’s a great compromise between the legendary plus-size cases of military Pilot’s Watches and modern-day comfort.

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The IWC Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar has its origins in the 1980s with legendary designer Kurt Klaus, now powered by the inhouse calibre 52615 that covers a moonphase, day, date, month, year, leap year, and a mammoth 7-day power reserve. The stainless steel case brings out the lighter tones of the racing green dial, making for a sporty and sophisticated behemoth at 46.2mm on-wrist.

The IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN takes its military roots much more seriously than its civilian-oriented counterpart, so you shouldn’t be expecting too much in terms of whimsical or summer-fun colours. The ceramic cases, which are somewhat sneakily upsized to 41.9mm in diameter, are now available in Jet black for a versatile and stealthy look or Oceana blue, inspired by the U.S. Navy’s work overalls. Both are paired with rubber straps, but the Oceana model also has a denim-style inlay.

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Tank Normale When the first watch addicts beep through the turnstiles of Watches and Wonders on day one, they make a beeline for Rolex and Patek Philippe, to know what the two most-discussed brands in the industry have created. These days, there’s a third stop on the gotta-see-it-first sprint: Cartier. The king of jewellers has been riding a wave lately, and this year’s additions are sure to further fuel the hype. There are several standout pieces, but our pick is this Tank Normale with a platinum case and bracelet. As the name implies, it was the very first Tank design, but the original existed only in small numbers before giving way to myriad iterations. This year, Cartier inducts it into its Privé collection with a series of limited editions. We are just in love with that slinky, heavy platinum bracelet.

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Each

year, a rare watch is added to

the Cartier Private Collection (the gathering place for collectors who celebrate and explore the Maison’s iconic watch models through limited edition launches). During Watches & Wonders, Cartier Privé unveils the 7th copy: the Tank Normale. This year, Cartier is launching an hour/minute version of the celebrated Tank, borrowing the proportions and bevelled sapphire crystal of the original. Available in yellow gold on a brown alligator strap and in platinum on a black alligator strap. Cartier is also launching a version with a skeleton movement, in combination with a 24-hour complication marked by a sun and a crescent moon. To symbolize the transition from day to night, the timepiece features a gradation of shades that adorn the two halves of the dial. This Skeleton Tank is available in a limited edition of 50 numbered watches. A version set with brilliant-cut diamonds completes the set, in a limited edition of 20 numbered pieces, with an alligator strap in two shades of blue and a brilliant-cut diamond on the winding crown.

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Cartier Santos-Dumont The curvy and sporty-yet-sophisticated silhouette that is the Santos, and its slimmed-down cousin the SantosDumont are also getting their time in the sun, and it’s easy to see why. We get five new Santos Dumont models, three in the XL size, and two in the Large. The XL pieces in yellow and rose gold, as well as platinum, have colourful Roman numerals (and matching straps) as well as the gorgeous apple-shaped hands. The other two models are more subdued, a steel and gold piece with grey sunray dial and an elegant yellow gold reference with dark blue sunray dial.

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Skeletons Cartier are acknowledged as having mastered the art of the skeleton, and this year sees the Maison flex its muscles in this space. Not only are we treated to the wonder that is a fully set Santos de Cartier Skeleton and a rose gold Pasha Skeleton, we also get three Skeleton takes on the SantosDumont. In yellow gold with blue lacquer highlights limited to 150 pieces, as well as regular production pieces in steel and red gold. All three are powered by the new 9629 automatic skeleton calibre. A particularly nice touch is that the miniaturised oscillating weight is in the shape of Alberto Santos-Dumont’s famous flyer, the Demoiselle. In case you needed even two grand complication pocket watches which, aside from being tremendously complex, bridge the divide between jewellery and watchmaking.

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Cartier Santos-Dumont Skeleton in yellow gold

The

Tank Louis Cartier is a

collection that has been hot property thanks to the stripped-back, colourful designs. Well, 2023 shows that the temperatures are set to keep rising. In addition to two new yellow gold manually wound versions with burgundy or green dials, we get two special, and frankly stunning, dial variations with bold graphic motifs that play homage to gold, as well as to Tank Must models from the 1970s. The yellow gold model has a tri-gold finished dial that resembles a mosaic pattern, while the rose gold has a grid-like appearance. These will be hard to find, mark my words.

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Of

course, Cartier is unique for its ability to meld a high

jewelry sensibility with its watchmaking know-how, resulting in some truly inspired creations. Clash [Un]limited is an incredible example of this fusion. Part timepiece, part bracelet and part sculpture, this new high jewelry expression, full of facets and bevelled edges is being released in five versions, including a colorful model set with an impressive number of diamonds and semi-precious stones like coral and chrysoprase, and gold versions with an unusual ‘purple’ gold, that has to be seen to be truly appreciated.

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Clash [Un]limited

La Panthère de Saving one of the most iconic pieces for the last, Cartier’s Panthère magnetizes the Maison’s new range of jewellry watches with a black lacquer dial enclosed in the sculptural head of the panther. Available in yellow or rose gold speckled with black lacquer and tsavorite eyes or in diamond-paved white gold with emerald eyes, the new La Panthère models are designed in three-dimension visible through the nose, cheeks, eyes, and pointed ears of the panther.

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Reverso Tribute Chronograph marries tradition with modern aesthetics The Reverso Tribute Chronograph pays homage to the seminal Reverso Chronographe from 1996. With its baton hour markers, Dauphine hands, and peripheral chemin de fer minutes track, the watch’s front dial bears all of the hallmarks of the Reverso Tribute line. The sunraybrushed surface conceals the mechanical complexity that lies within; the presence of chronograph pushers on either side of the winding crown is the only hint that there is much more to this timepiece. The Reverso Tribute Chronograph is available in steel and pink gold, with a blue-grey dial – a sophisticated colour achieved by the innovative ADL (atomic layer deposit) process which deposits ultra-thin layers of titanium oxide. The beautifully crafted chronograph mechanism on the reverse side, a new fully integrated hand-wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 860 chronograph movement, is revealed when the watch case is turned over. An elegant and creative solution to the challenge of housing circular chronograph timing indications within a rectangular case, the dial is entirely skeletonised to highlight the fascinating animation of the chronograph and the full complexity of the movement, the bridges are decorated with Côtes de Genève to create visual unity, and the chronograph seconds and minute tracks are highlighted in black to maximise legibility.

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REVERSO HYBRIS ARTISTICACALIBRE 179 The Reverso Hybris Artistica Calibre 179 marries the technical tour-de-force of the Maison’s signature multi-axis tourbillon to the finest of artistic craftsmanship, harnessing the skills of the Manufacture’s Métiers Rares® (Rare Handcrafts) artisans to elevate this exceptional timepiece to a new level. THE MECHANICAL INGENUITY Representing mechanical sophistication to reach the utmost timekeeping precision, Calibre 179 features the innovative multi-axis tourbillon. Associated with the Duoface complication, it displays a different time zone on each dial as well as a 24-hour indicator for the second time zone on the reverse dial. BEATING PRECISION The Manufacture’s engineers have created an hemispherical balance spring – which expands and contracts like a beating heart-, adding aesthetic refinement at the heart of the Gyrotourbillon, as well as being highly efficient. THE FASTEST GYROTOURBILLON Visually enthralling to observe as it pirouettes around its twin axes, the Gyrotourbillon is a highly complex structure of 123 components. Fastest ever, the inner tourbillon cage rotates 360 degrees every 16 seconds and the peripheral movement makes a full rotation once per minute.

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INSPIRED BY ITS GEOMETRIC SPIRIT Art Deco brought about an elegance that emphasised clean and strong lines as an organising principle. It is this design language that the talented artisans of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s in-house Métiers Rares® atelier have translated for the Reverso One Precious Colours, creating a geometric pattern that covers the entire case-back and wraps around the case sides to frame the dial.

MODERN GEOMETRIC PATTERN The Art Deco inspired geometric pattern on the verso of the timepiece is executed in miniature-painted grand feu enamel with diamond-set accents, creating an optical illusion of depth and movement. MOTHER-OF-PEARL DIAL With the front dial facing outwards, the Reverso One Precious Colours has a rich and elegant presence, its white mother-of-pearl dial contrasting with the vivid colours of its enamelled frame and the sparkle of the diamond-set gadroons and lugs.

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Alpine Eagle 41 XPS Expanding Chopard’s sporty-chic Alpine Eagle range is this whole-new watch featuring an ultra-thin body with small seconds indication. It measures just 3.3mm in thickness, while still housing the incredible mechanical L.U.C 96.40-L movement that boasts chronometer-certified accuracy and 65 hours of power reserve. The new time-teller is crafted from the Maison’s exclusive Lucent Steel™ for remarkable shine and resistance, while a Poinçon de Genève certified “Monte Rosa Pink” dial elegantly adorns the watch face.

Alpine Eagle Cadence 8HF Amalgamating style, precision, and sportiness, the Cadence 8HF is the second high-frequency model from the Alpine Eagle lineup. Its 41mm case and tapering bracelet are both made of grade 5 titanium, which bestows the timepiece robustness while also being incredibly light to wear on the wrists. It’s equipped with Chopard’s chronometer-certified 01.12-C calibre, which beats at 47,600 vibrations per hour. The dial is doused in a pitch black that draws inspiration from the intense darkness of nighttime in the mountains. This is further accentuated with an allover “eagle iris” pattern that nods to the collection’s inspiration. On top of that, a bright orange arrow-shaped sweep-seconds hand and feather-shaped counterweight offer a vivid touch to the dark dial.

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Panerai has really focused on its Luminor collection the past few years, as well as

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establishing the more hardcore Submersible diver as a range in its own right. The original Panerai shape, the Radiomir, has been somewhat overlooked. Now, that all changes, with a whole new suite of Radiomirs being unveiled. This style of numeral arrangement, combining Roman and Arabic numerals and named in honour of the Californian jeweller who popularised them, is a bit of a Panerai calling card, and it’s great to see it make an appearance among the new Radiomir collection.

The case of the Radimor Annual Calendar & Radiomir Annual Calendar Experience Edition The two new calendar watches are available in two case versions, one using a gold alloy and the other in platinum (Ref. PAM01363 & Ref. PAM01432). The gold case is another Panerai innovation: it is the first case to use a gold alloy with copper and platinum components (GoldtechTM) and showcases a particularly red hue. In contrast to the innovations, however, Panerai has retained several classic features. One example is the corrector on the left side of the case, which not only allows the month to be set, but also the day, thus underlining the originally functional character of the Radiomir collection. In addition to the cushion-shaped case with a diameter of 45 mm, other elements of the Panerai DNA can be found in the design with typical Radiomir details on the dial. The Dial This includes the sandwich dial, which graduates from the inside outwards with a sunburst finish, as well as Arabic numerals with a Super-LumiNova coating and the retained conical crown. The months, days and the name of the annual calendar complication (Calendario Annuale) are indicated in Italian on both versions. The Radiomir Annual Calendar has a blue dial, while the Radiomir Annual Calendar Experience Edition has a red dial. On both versions, the small second is at 9 o’clock, with the date and day of the week opposite at 3 o’clock. Next to it, also at 3 o’clock, a triangular marker also indicates the month via a moveable rhombus (raised rim on the dial). Switching between 30-day and 31-day months is automatic, following being set manually once a year, at the end of February. The Movement Both annual calendars are powered by the automatic calibre P.9010/AC, which is visible via the sapphire crystal caseback, and offers a power reserve of three days while beating at a frequency of 4 Hz. Both versions are waterresistant to 100 m.

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Ressence Type 1° Round in Night Blue

Sitting on a leather strap, the new Type 1° Round comes equipped with the patented ROCS 1.3 - Ressence Orbital Convex System - module driven by the minute axle of a customised 2892 base calibre. The self-winding movement offers a power reserve of 36 hours. The convex dial is available in German silver with 3 eccentric biaxial satellites that have been simplified with indexes every 10 minutes and a weekday dial that subtly unites the 2 nonworking days of the week with a touch of colour. The Second and Weekday hands are larger for improved reading.

Ressence Type 8S Sage Green

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This display includes rotating discs set into the same plane as the dial offering a new ever-changing look with each glance. The main dial rotates to indicate the minutes and within it lies a smaller dial that rotates to mark the hours. The hand, hour, and minute scales come coated in SuperLuminova® for better night-time legibility. The sage green beauty comes with a titanium case back that intuitively rotates to set the time, while simultaneously winding the patented ROCS 8 – Ressence Orbital Convex System – movement. The self-winding movement is based on a specially customised and reinforced ETA calibre 2892/2 and houses a 36-hour power reserve.

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