Editors’ Picks: Our Favorite Watches from Geneva Watch Days 2024
Last week, a handful of Hodinkee editors flew to Switzerland to experience Geneva Watch Days, an annual fair held at the end of April that includes a wide array of brands and their most recent releases – many of which you can find here. After several days on the scene in Geneva, and with the rest of the edit team closely watching Instagram and email for the latest announcements, below are our favorite releases from Geneva’s summer show.
And a video bonus: here’s a look at the team on ground in Geneva, and what they saw…
Ben Clymer: Berneron 34mm Tiger’s Eye
I have something to admit – I have never been to Geneva Watch Days. I don’t know why – I guess it’s just always fallen at a tough time of the year for me – but I always keep an eye out for what’s new because, well, that’s my job. This year we had four editors on the ground, and I have to say, this year’s iteration was STRONG.
IMHO, nothing was more strong than William Massena’s new collab (Jonathan’s pick), the Daniel Roth Tourbillon (Tony’s pick), and Sylvain Berneron’s latest creation: a 34mm iteration of his already awesome Mirage watch with brand new caliber and stunning tiger eye dial. Now I want to be clear – we haven’t written about this watch here because it technically doesn’t launch until next week – but the watch is here and there on social media and I asked for specific permission to include it in this report. He obliged.
Berneron and his first batch of Mirage watches is already a darling of some of the most tasteful collectors in the world (ranging from him to her), but this second release has got me really excited. It’s smaller, with an entirely new caliber, and with stone dials. The new caliber is called 215, is very thin, and allows for a full three-day power reserve. Like its predecessor, the caliber itself mimics the asymmetrical case shape, which Berneron says actually allows for greater performance than a traditional round movement in the same dimensional footprint.
That’s all well and good, and actually means a lot to someone like me who, you know, cares about how watches are made, but what really sets things off here are the more proportional cases (34mm, but wear like 36-37 imho), and the incredible stone dials. They are doing white gold with lapis lazuli (from Afghanistan), and yellow gold with tiger eye (from South Africa), which is my personal favorite. The wild thing about this is the small second register is sculpted by hand from a single piece of stone. Traditionally, registers in stone dials are cut separately. This is insanely cool – and delicate – and beautiful.
I do believe Berneron has already started taking orders for the Mirage 34mm in both white and yellow gold, and they will run CHF 48,000 with deliveries beginning in Q4 2025. Just an insanely cool, beautiful thing.
We’ll have more photos from Mark and a story to come from Tony very soon.
Jonathan McWhorter: Albishorn x Massena Lab Maxigraph
The Maxigraph is an attempt to answer the question of how a modern regatta timer might have looked in the 1930s (when the first yacht race was held on Lake Geneva). Here, we have a 39mm steel case with a concave steel bezel that is friction-fit for bi-directionality. The case has been finished beautifully with polished chamfers at seemingly every edge, including the inside edges of the lugs, which makes for a very premium feel. This attention to detail extends to the sapphire crystal, which has been precisely machined so there isn’t any apparent distortion at the edge where the surface curves down to the case. Albishorn wanted the look and feel of an acrylic crystal with the benefits of sapphire – all without the typical white ring that appears with sapphire.
Inside is an automatic proprietary caliber with a unique regatta timer operated by a red anodized monopusher at nine o’clock, which is supposed to be the optimal position for a pusher (to be actuated with the thumb). The same goes for the crown position, which is said to be a convenient place to use the crown while on-wrist, yet still out of the way. After having a chance to briefly wear the watch in Geneva, I will co-sign those claims. During operation, the retrograde regatta timer actually disengages once the countdown has reached zero, yet still allows the seconds hand to continue running instead of perpetually resetting the timer. When you’re not actively timing, there is an indicator at four o’clock to show that the watch is running.
This watch stole my heart. In my humble opinion, it is “vintage inspired” done right. There’s not any one particular detail or another that won me over, just the overall perspective that Albishorn has of their design process. I am a sucker for purposeful design choices, and the Maxigraph has that in spades. You really get the sense that every aspect of the watch was carefully considered. They call it “imaginary vintage,” as if there was an alternative history where watches were slightly different. It sounds whimsical, but I think they nailed it with thoughtful decisions and interesting watchmaking to back it up. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention: all of this, in small batch production, can be yours for less than $5,000.
TanTan Wang: Oris Divers Sixty-Five LFP Limited Edition
Maybe it’s too easy of a cop-out to just pick something that I wrote about already, but there’s very much a reason I specifically asked for a sample so that I could do a hands-on with the Oris Divers 65 LFP Limited Edition. I don’t want to spoil it too much, since I want you to go ahead and read the article, but I think Oris shines best when it doubles down on the fun. In addition, the LFP limited edition is just a perfect end-of-summer release.
I know the concept of handwriting on a dial isn’t necessarily new, but I think the way they handle it on this watch is just so, so good. It’s whimsical without being obnoxious, and I love the commitment to the design from the brand by making their logo in the matching script as well. Sometimes, design departments at brands will protect their graphic identity at all costs, but I think it shows that Oris doesn’t take itself too seriously. Best of all, it’s done with a good cause in mind.
Mark Kauzlarich: M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S
The new M.A.D.Editions M.A.D.1S is exactly the kind of watch you’d want to see come out from something like Geneva Watch Days. The event is more community-oriented and more open to the public, and the M.A.D.1 itself is a watch that fits the same mantra. It’s not exactly an MB&F, but it’s a way to thank the friends, fans, and supporters (even those who can’t afford a “proper” MB&F). If they had left it at what they’d made already, that would have been fine – but they made it better: slimmer, refined, and with a Swiss-made movement. And it’s still a ton of fun. These are all things that make me feel like MB&F and M.A.D.Editions really understand and appreciate the community.
I already wrote a lot about the watch this week, but if I can wax poetic for a moment, I’m very lucky. At Hodinkee, it’s all about the watches, but one of the best parts of the job is forming relationships with brands we either care about, are curious about, or are even skeptical about. Sometimes, you’re meeting one face in a big corporate monolith, but other times, it means getting to know the watchmakers or designers behind the brand.
I don’t know how I fell into having a closer connection with MB&F than with most other brands, but after getting to know the team – and Max – it’s something I’ve appreciated. With someone like Max, you can talk about everything that isn’t the watch and feel you know why they do what they do even better. My passion for watches is story-driven – though the product has to be good. This special new release has all of the above.
Malaika Crawford: Bulgari Serpenti Pallini
Another Serpenti for yours truly. How… predictable? I like to call it fiercely loyal. Whatever you may think of my gem-set, coil-shaped mania, it’s a straight-up bonafide obsession. I think about Serpenti most days. I can spend whole afternoons scrolling through pictures of vintage enamel Serpentis and carved coral-colored Serpentis, Serpentis with emeralds for eyes, or teeny tiny diamond-set tourbillon movements.
The yellow gold Pallini is on the gem-laden side of the Serpenti spectrum: diamonds on the head and tail; pear-shaped emeralds for the eyes. Its scales are composed of small gold beads, which remind me of a Cabasa (wooden percussion instrument with tiny beads), and tremble ever so slightly when you move. The Pallini also comes equipped with the manual wound Piccolissimo caliber. Still waiting for all Serpentis to be mechanical!
The yellow Pallini collection may have to be filed under “watches to lust over in my perfect imaginary dream world.” It’s a world where I wouldn’t have to sell my entire collection of vintage early aughts Prada (and then some) for a vintage enamel Serpenti. But that’s okay because you don’t need to own a watch for it to be a glamorous mental escape.
On a more emotional note, Diana Vreeland once said, “Talking about marvelous-looking young girls is the only thing to talk about in fashion because as soon as you’re older, it’s no longer fashion – it’s suitable.” But A Serpenti, well, that exists well outside of any prescribed age bracket suitability mandate.
A Serpenti is a glamorous object that molds to the shape and bends to the style of its owner. It exists outside of age parameters, which is what makes it so glamorous. It’s a forever object. I’d wear a Pallini, my mother would wear a Pallini and my very fashionable 85-year-old grandmother would wear it too.
Tony Traina: Daniel Roth Tourbillon In Rose Gold
I’m still not quite sure if Daniel Roth is my vibe. In fact, I might’ve even been skeptical of the whole relaunch project. But after seeing the brand’s new tourbillons in person for the first time, I have to admit: it’s an extremely impressive display of watchmaking. The new rose gold version makes some small tweaks to last year’s Souscription for a better overall package. The movement is visible through a sapphire caseback, putting the cotes de Geneve and black polish on full display.
Meanwhile, the rose gold case and matching dial are much warmer. Also, while it’s mostly the same as the original DR Tourbillons, the case is a good 2mm thinner, making it more wearable. Daniel Roth has clearly shown that they can apply fine watchmaking to improve an existing design; after seeing the Tourbillon in person, I want to see if they can make something genuinely new.
James Stacey: Urwerk EMC SR-71
If you’re going to spend big money on a watch, I hope it at least feels special. With the recently announced Urwerk EMC SR-71, this always-exciting brand has upped the ante of an already-special watch (the standard EMC, now more than a decade old) by incorporating material from an actual SR-71. For those out of the loop, the SR-71 is an iconic reconnaissance plane and one of the coolest things humans have ever created. I recommend following @romig21 on Instagram; he was involved in making the EMC SR-71 possible, and his account is excellent. Back to the watch, both the crown and the winding crank handle on this version are made from recovered SR-71 Blackbird material. As something of a nerd for the SR-71, this watch speaks my language.
While I highly recommend you read Mark’s story for the EMC SR-71, in short, it’s a 10-piece limited edition of a unique concept in watches, and it has a matching price tag of 150,000 CHF. EMC stands for Electro-Mechanical Control, and the watch actually has an optical sensor to measure the balance wheel’s rate against the standard set by an electronic oscillator. So, you can actually press a button on the case to get an indication of the precision of the watch. Combine all that tech with a splash of SR-71 and styling that feels like a tacti-cool take on a Vianney Halter Antiqua, and you’ve got my attention. But hey, I know what you’re thinking: “Wow, he didn’t pick a Doxa.”
Rich Fordon: Laurent Ferrier Série Atelier Classic Auto ‘Sandstone’
Quiet luxury before it was a TikTok trend, Laurent Ferrier may not be for everyone, but it is certainly consistent. Consistent in aesthetic, yes. Consistently well finished, yes. And consistent in its strong pricing, also yes. The new Classic Auto is a merger of two successful Laurent Ferrier product lines, the Classic and Sport Auto. See what they did there? I wrote up my full thoughts last week, but during the madness of a new-watch-release-watch-fair, you may not have clicked on it. That’s part of Laurent Ferrier’s magic – you might scroll right past, but to many collectors, this is far and away the best watch of the week.
Of course, you must now read the Introducing post but a little bird told me Mark has a Hands-On coming as well – full of live photos and, to sum it up, just more and more Laurent Ferrier. I can’t get enough – hope you feel the same way, too.
Hodinkee