In Switzerland for the fourth incarnation of Geneva Watch Days (GWD, until 2 September), a grassroots (if you can have such a thing in the watch world) mini fair that showcases mostly smaller boutique makers, there’s an energetic buzz in the air with everyone bringing their best beach tans to the party. It’s a heterodox gathering that takes in pure horology, design-led brands, the ultra-traditional and the achingly avant-garde. And supporting the whole enterprise are a handful of more recognisable names, including Breitling, Bulgari, Girard-Perregaux, Oris and Ulysse Nardin.
GWD caters to a sector that’s still enjoying its Covid bounce (as work from home merged seamlessly into shop from home) and that was evident in the sheer creativity on show. The following five are just a taster of what the 40 or so brands taking part had to show.
Geneva Watch Days 2023 highlights
Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic
Bulgari’s transformation over the past 20 years into fully fledged watchmaker has been astonishing; only Cartier now comes close to rivalling the brand’s volume, range and depth. The new version of the Octo Finissimo, a perpetual calendar in ‘Carbon Gold’ is horological magic – the whole watch is a bare 2.75mm in profile and is cased in carbon fibre, while the movement bridges visible through the back are in rose gold.
£25,000, bulgari.com
H Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack
H Moser & Cie has acquired a fast-growing legion of followers by combining studiously traditional watchmaking values with a contemporary aesthetic and clever tech. The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack matches a reworked tourbillon movement with a dial in Vantablack, the ultra-low reflective surface coating associated with Anish Kapoor.
£75,000, h-moser.com
Singer Reimagined 1969 Timer
Singer Reimagined grew out of a partnership between famed Californian Porsche specialist Singer Vehicle Design and Marco Borraccino, an Italian watch designer (and lecturer at Geneva’s HEAD). The result is a series of watches built around the most advanced chronograph movement on the market that have a unique look with plenty of motorsport cues as in the tonneau-cased 1969.
CHF29,900 (€31,000), singerreimagined.com
Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Marquetry
In a competitive field, Ulysse Nardin can lay claim to being the single most revolutionary watchmaker over the last 20 years. It’s a position they balance with being a more or less traditional watchmaker. Blast Free Wheel Marquetry lives up to the revolution side with a movement that’s all technical fireworks, from the silicon ‘flying anchor’ to the laser-etched dial.
£120,670, ulysse-nardin.com
Ressence Type 3 EE
Ressence designs watches that show time through concentric discs, a seemingly ultra-modern concept that has its roots in clockmaking from the 17th century. With all the gearing hidden beneath the surface, the design of the Type 3 EE favours colour over detail, though the new watch debuts a number typeface that allows deeper a SuperLuminova fill.
CHF38,200 (€40,000), ressencewatches.com
-
Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai‘Unearthing’ at Dubai’s Gallery Collectional sees Ewe Studio designers Manu Bañó and Héctor Esrawe celebrate Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary forms
-
At The Manner, New York has a highly fashionable new living roomThe Manner, a new hopsitality experience by Standard International in the heart of SoHo, triples up as a hotel, private residence, and members’ club
-
First look – Bottega Veneta and Flos release a special edition of the Model 600Gino Sarfatti’s fan favourite from 1966 is born again with Bottega Veneta’s signature treatments gracing its leather base
-
Take a look at the big winners of the watch world OscarsThe Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is the Oscars for the watch world – get all the news on the 2024 event here
-
What are the must-see watch releases at Geneva Watch Days 2024?Get up close and personal with Swiss haute horlogerie at Geneva Watch Days 2024, until 2 September 2024
-
Sotheby’s vintage watch sale of 24 spectacular avant-garde designs sells out in one hourPatek Philppe's crazy-paved cuff and Audemars Piguet's emerald car are the star lots, pointing towards a new era of idiosyncratic opulence in watch design
-
Watches and Wonders 2024: all the highlights from the Geneva eventDiscover the watches at the year's biggest watch event, Watches and Wonders
-
This watch heals itself: is Regenerative Carbon the future of watchmaking?ID Genève and CompPair reveal the first self-healing watch, using Regenerative Carbon
-
Geneva Watch Days 2023 standouts: from Trilobe to Louis ErardJames Gurney reviews more Geneva Watch Days 2023 standouts, spanning ambitiously avant-garde designs and cool collaborations from brands that share a watch insider’s sensibility
-
A new gem show entices the cream of contemporary jewellers to GenevaGemGenève opens its gilded doors in Geneva tomorrow. The brainchild of an elite band of industry dealers and collectors, it promises to be a curated gem of a trade show offering a fresh perspective on today’s high jewellery world – an elite universe where collectors, experts, clients and connoisseurs converge. ‘We want GemGenève to become not only a vibrant trading place, but also an educational experience, a place where, each year, people come to discover new talents, new stories and undiscovered treasures,’ says Ida Faerber of the Faerber family, the renowned antique jewellery experts who lend to museums and galleries across the world and who spurred the show’s creation. From diamond and fine-pearl merchants to antique jewellery dealers and uniquely skilled craftsmen, GemGenève is designed to be as elegant and refined as you’d expect, but with an eye on the best in modern jewellery design too. Here’s our preview of the Contemporary Designer Showcase curated by jewellery historian and author Vivienne Becker:
