With Watches and Wonders , the world's premier watch fair, taking place in Geneva at the beginning of April, we've now seen most of the new watches from the first half of the year. We've already given you our thoughts on the show, but we thought we'd make it public to see what our fellow writers, collectors, and style gurus think. With big names such as Rolex , Tudor , and Patek Philippe joining the usual Watches and Wonders lineup (which is no shortage of stars, with IWC Schaffhausen , Panerai , Cartier , and Vacheron Constantin , along with over 30 others), it was a real chance to get a sense of the industry as a whole. Was the mood upbeat? Were the year's launches brave? Which watches really impressed the experts? If the photo above hasn't already told you, one watch stood out from all the others and was chosen by those in the know.
01. George Bamford , collector and founder, Bamford Watch Department
IWC Lake Tahoe in white ceramic
It's clear that amazing things are happening in the industry, especially with new materials. After a two-year absence, being at Watches and Wonders showed that we still need a big event like this, as it was a great showcase and it was really great to see everyone together.
TAG Heuer had a fantastic event, launching their new dive watch, the Aquaracer Superdiver , which I think is a beautiful design. TAG Heuer surprised me with their brand new Carrera Plasma Tourbillon watch—the world's first watch to use lab-grown diamonds as decoration, not only on the dial but also all around the case—which I think is incredible. They really dropped the mic with this watch.
The IWC Lake Tahoe and Mojave Desert ceramic pilot chronographs were the highlights of this exhibition. I loved the Pantone monochrome style. And of course, the Vacheron Constantin 222. I could also talk about the Grand Seiko , but these are the watches that stood out to me the most, and if I had to choose just one, the Vacheron Constantin 222 really stood out.
02. Ming Liu , journalist and author
Hermès Arceau Time Travel
What really stood out at Watches and Wonders 2022 was that some watchmakers and designers had truly dreamed big during lockdown and executed their visions with flair and verve. Creativity was particularly overflowing at Cartier , epitomized primarily by a trippy, bold, and unexpected Crash Tigrée Métier d'Art number.
Travel was also an emerging trend, which isn't surprising after being grounded for two years. I really like the new Hermès Arceau Le Temps Voyager , a sort of hybrid GMT and world timer watch, but done in true Hermès style, with a fantastical, entirely imagined equestrian world map. Oh, and the French house's Kelly model, fully paved with diamonds and featuring a charm lock, is now on my wish list.
03. William Massena , collector and founder, Massena LAB
Ressence Type 8C
I don't think 2022 will be considered a great vintage, but it's a solid year. The watch industry has done its homework, and brands remain focused on what collectors want. The surprise for me was the Cartier Masse Mystérieuse , a beautiful watch that sees Cartier again taking bold risks, alongside many much safer bets. Another complex piece that impressed, with its skeletonized movement, cylindrical mainspring, and flying tourbillon, is the Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon Skeleton from H. Moser & Cie . Its funky, off-center fumé blue dial, dotted with prominent luminescent hour markers, combines characteristic eccentricity with this imposing tourbillon at an exceptional price. In short, it's very Moser .
The minimalist Ressence gave birth to an even more minimalist watch, the Type 8C . With a stunning cobalt blue dial, luminous engravings that seem to rotate and turn on their own, and an ambidextrous titanium case with no lugs or crown, it looked like nothing else on the Palexpo floor this year. In hindsight, it's possible this watch came from the future—the complete opposite of my latest crush. Vacheron Constantin 's Les Historiques 222 watch in yellow gold is a powerful throwback to the 1970s cult classic. With a gorgeous integrated bracelet, which feels organic in this beautiful yellow gold, and a case shape reminiscent of many current collectible offerings from Vacheron Constantin's contemporaries, Les Historiques 222 is sure to be a commercial triumph for the house, if it isn't already.
04. Justin Hast , collector and content creator
Chopard LUC Full Strike Tourbillon 42.5 mm and LUC Strike One 43 mm
Watches are made for people, and the best part of Watches and Wonders was seeing all the industry players back under one roof. The atmosphere was so dynamic after a year of exceptional sales. What struck me was the shift away from the green dial craze of 2021 in favor of smaller cases and more innovative materials. The Indians are still on fire, with Laurent Ferrier 's stunning titanium-cased Blue Origin and the stripped-down purity of the Ressence Type 8 .
I thought Chopard had impressed with their high-end chiming watches, including a dress watch in an all-sapphire case. Another big surprise was the new titanium Odysseus from A. Lange & Söhne . I never thought I'd hear Lange and titanium in the same sentence. IWC nailed it with the green [ Woodland ] and white [ Lake Tahoe ] ceramic pilot's chronographs. I think the new 41mm ceramic Pilot's Chronograph is going to be a big hit as well. The star of the show? I might not be alone in saying this, but it has to be the Vacheron Constantin 222. I like the boldness of going with a 37mm case and keeping it in yellow gold. For me, it wears and looks better than the original.
05. Ms Tracey Llewellyn , Watch Editor, The Telegraph
Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante
There may have been fewer fireworks than at previous Baselworld and SIHH events—with the exception of the latest installment in Roger Dubuis 's Knights of the Round Table saga—but that was more likely due to market forces than a resurgence by the brands themselves. With around 50 new launches, Cartier shone across the board. Its century-old tributes to the Coussin flexible mesh and the Tank Chinoise are sure to sell out in record time, while the trio of Santos-Dumont limited editions in steel, yellow gold, and platinum were miniature lacquered marvels at prices that were hard to beat.
There are two other models that immediately caught my eye. Unsurprisingly, the faithful reissue of the Vacheron Constantin 222 was a universal triumph and, in my opinion, an improvement on the 1977 original thanks to its reworked, super-flexible strap.
The Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda PF GMT Rattrapante is the epitome of simplicity and elegance, and such a joy to use that it makes you wonder why no one has ever used this complication, usually reserved for a split-seconds chronograph, in a GMT. While some have criticized the watch's lack of a date indicator, I was hooked as soon as the reference hour hand was described to me by the company's CEO: "We made this hand in gold because the reference hour is gold."
06. Charlie Teasdale , Style Director, Esquire UK
Vacheron Constantin The Historical 222
The most notable watches for me were at opposite ends of the price spectrum. I love Tudor 's new Black Bay Pro , especially on the black and yellow fabric strap. I prefer smaller watches, so the 39mm case is perfect, and I love the numerals on the fixed bezel, which give it a 1990s diver feel. And with a GMT movement, at just under CHF 3,490, it's a steal.
At the other extreme, I loved Vacheron Constantin 's 222 , which is probably the most mega thing I've seen all year. Its origins lie in the incredible watch design boom of the 1970s ( Patek 's Nautilus , Audemars Piguet 's Royal Oak ), and the new 222 is simply imbued with the spirit of that era. It's utterly luxurious yet quite austere for an all-gold watch, and I can't think of much else at the show that would more clearly indicate that the wearer has impeccable taste.
Honorable mention must go to Zenith for the new Chronomaster Sport , a piece of mid-century macho beauty.
07. Arthur Touchot , Head of Digital Strategy, Phillips
Cartier Santos-Dumont
This year's Watches and Wonders show—and the watches launched by other brands around the show—showcased the industry's level of confidence. With watches such as Vacheron Constantin 's 222 , Bulgari 's Octo Finissimo 10th Anniversary Sketch , and H. Moser 's Streamliner Chronograph Blacker Than Black , it was clear that brands were proud to express their distinct personalities.
Cartier demonstrated this perfectly, in my opinion. There were no new shapes this year. Instead, Cartier found joy in exploring beloved shapes like the Santos, Tank , and Crash and creating tension between shapes we recognize and materials we don't associate with them. Take the Tank Chinoise , a watch that has always been an elegant dress watch. The new Tank Privé Chinoise collection continues this tradition with several pieces crafted exclusively from precious metals and featuring openworked dials. But Cartier also introduced a combination of polished and horizontally brushed surfaces, typically associated with sportier models, that transforms the expression of the watch.
The new Santos-Dumont triptych goes in the opposite direction. Cartier has softened the angular shape of the case and added a layer of colored lacquer that alters the watch's interaction with light. My favorite is the rose gold edition, limited to 250 pieces, which combines a rose gold case with beige lacquer.
08. Carson Chan , Ambassador of the Academy of the Haute Horlogerie Foundation
H. Moser 's Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon
I don't know if it was the two-year absence that influenced my opinion or the fact that I was cooped up for so long, but this year's show seemed absolutely wonderful, from the stand design to the products, which I thought were probably the best in recent years. Therefore, my list of highlights is long.
First up, Van Cleef & Arpels ' Heures Florales . Everything about this watch is a fairy tale, from the aesthetics to the mechanics. You want to look at it every hour, just to enjoy watching the flowers bloom. A. Lange & Söhne's Odysseus may be the first watch made in Germany, but Vacheron Constantin 's 222 reissue is just as brilliant. It's not a limited edition, but it won't be easy to acquire. Nor will Cartier 's Masse Mystérieuse , a model that encapsulates the brand's ideology in a single watch. The form, the intrigue, and the technical prowess required—it's no simple task to build the movement into the rotor itself.
H. Moser 's Pioneer Cylindrical Tourbillon may be another high-end piece produced in very small numbers, but it's significant in that it shows that Moser can compete with the big boys. There aren't many players in the industry capable of producing such technical pieces in-house. Finally, Chopard 's Full Strike was already, in my eyes, the best minute repeater, and this year's sapphire model simply blows me away. The videos don't do it justice. I've never heard this level of crystal-clear sound and warmth in a minute repeater.
Text by Mr Chris Hall
