A Watches & Wonders 2024 to forget
Daniel PintoWatches & Wonders 2024 brings together more than 1,500 journalists and 50,000 participants. Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, and Tudor present outstanding new releases, while Rolex and Patek Philippe disappoint. Independents like Rexhepi and François-Paul Journe shine with their creativity.
The highlights, good and bad
A new edition of the world's most important watchmaking fair has just concluded. The modems are finally cooling off, the champagne is going off, and the most famous bloggers are returning home on their only first-class flight of the year. Geneva welcomed more than 1,500 journalists and nearly 50,000 participants in total, with more than a hundred brands exhibiting both in and around Palexpo. Very much in line with the general cooling off in watch sales and a weakening global economy, the new releases at this edition were generally subdued, in some cases boring, and in others downright nonexistent.
While we saw some truly elaborate and magical complications again (congratulations to IWC and JLC), the overall mood was one of caution, and major launches of new families were conspicuously absent. Here at LOFT, we're here to recap the highs, lows, and entertaining moments of the past week, bringing you a distillation ready for immediate consumption.
Let's start with the high points
The brands that brought something new, or at least very beautiful, to the table. We have to start with the fashion brand, the brand that brought back classics, timeless elegance, and gold (lots of gold). This year, Cartier didn't disappoint, presenting a refreshed version of the famous Tortue in three-hand and chronograph versions, both in gold and platinum. A truly delightful watch, thanks to its proportions, its guilloche dial, the details of its crown that hides a push-button, and its monopulse chronograph movement.
The Cartier stand is always the most visited, as there's a lot to see between jewelry and watches, but this was undoubtedly the star new product of this version.
Very close to Cartier we find their cousins at Vacheron Constantin, who while they amazed us by bringing the most complicated watch in history, which looked more like a melon from Calamari (including a Chinese perpetual calendar, to make their target audience very clear), they also surprised us with a truly delicious variant of their flagship model: the Overseas . Yellow gold with a subtle green dial in all sizes and versions to continue cementing this collection's position as a true contender in the very high-end integrated bracelet sports watch segment.
In the mid-range segment, our winners were two tool watches. Robust, honest, and ready for action. On one hand, the new Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, with its nods to the vintage Rolex GMTs, a Bakelite bezel, and a perfect size. All of this is built on the latest Kenissi movement technology and the tolerances and finishes we're accustomed to from its bigger brother. A product that's hard to beat in this price range.
On the other hand, TAG Heuer seems to be getting back on track, with a surprising launch of the Glassbox Panda as a watch that, while not new, in this new version seems to come as close as possible to its ancestors and capture that mystique with which the brand became an object of desire among 20th-century pilots. Honorable mention to IWC and its Portuguese Eternal Calendar, a watch that is both technically dazzling and captivating for the simplicity and beauty of its execution.
As in every show, there were also disappointments.
Rolex's move was expected given the great year they had in 2023. We weren't expecting big fireworks or balloon-shaped dials. Since they can't increase their production numbers, we know the logical step for growth is to increase the value of the products sold. This explains the strategy of launching almost exclusively new models in gold cases and generally with diamonds. A small oasis was the new "Bruce Wayne" GMT, which, while pleasing, wasn't the Coca-Cola we were all hoping for. Let's not even talk about Explorers and others.
Patek tried to disguise a denim-print strap as a new release, and while the dial colors look spectacular, we couldn't call this a major innovation. Perhaps it's just as well, since their real release, their retrograde perpetual calendar with a hand-engraved case, strikes us as hideous, both in its appearance and its giant logo engraved on the back. As if to cap off the LVMH group's poor year in its watch division, Zenith brought us the dive watch that no one had asked for. An exaggerated, colorful version of their wonderful Defy with a price tag that's hard to swallow and a look that seems like the illegitimate child of a Royal Oak and a Hublot.
Long live the independents!
Things were looking much better outside Palexpo, where independents were at their best. Rexhepi worked his magic with his new ruby creation (limited to 10 pieces) and François-Paul Journe brightened up the already ultra-popular Elegante in honor of his longtime partner. This is where we saw the greatest boldness and creativity, a category that has been growing ahead of the larger watchmaking groups over the last decade.
In short, Watches & Wonders continues to be the industry standard, the key week for understanding the market's temperature and feelings about what's coming for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, this year's thermometers didn't stay more than lukewarm.
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