The 2024 edition of the Watches & Wonders Salon ended on Monday 15 April, after a week of strong visitor attendance and social media engagement that exceeded the expectations of the organizers and the attendance levels achieved in 2023.

Fifty-four brands exhibited at Watches & Wonders this year, at the Palexpo in Geneva. Six more than last year. They presented their innovations, their ingenuity, and their métiers d’arts amidst large hallways with grand, at times extravagant, choreographies.

The Salon is a trend-setting event for the watchmaking industry. This year too, it has confirmed some existing trends and revealed a few interesting novelties. For example, several brands launched new timepieces which combined beautiful dark blue dials with charming moon phase complications. Others presented entire collections that featured exotic or pastel colorations.

The chronograph continues to be a market favorite due to its practicality, simplicity, and appealing design. Technical materials such as titanium and ceramic also continue to be favored for the construction of cases and bracelets, and for their lightness and resistance to scratches.

Finally, several brands engaged in the creation of innovative or pluri-complicated timepieces, including the tourbillon – the queen of complications – as well as timepieces with complex artistic compositions.

Choosing ten favorites amongst the novelties presented at the Salon is a reflection of personal taste. And it is limiting. The list that follows is only the tip of the iceberg. The choice of ten was based on the emotional reaction these timepieces have sparked in the author.

The Classic Moon Blue presented by Laurent Ferrier can be singled out as the timepiece with the most elegance and harmony. It features a beautiful combination of dimensions, lines and shapes, and savoir faire, all dressed in a vibrant dark blue.

The Tangent 38 Date Sportbunt, by Nomos Glashutte, is one of a collection with clean and organized dials presented in 31 different attractive coloring schemes.

Angelus and Gronefeld presented the Instrument de Vitesse and the 1941 Grönograaf Stainless Steel, respectively, which captivate the attention of the wearer with their ingenious technical solutions in well designed timepieces, with good legibility and wearability.

The Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon by Piaget, the Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton, by H. Moser & Cie, and the Purity Stairway To Heaven Steelby ArtyA Watches are simply mesmerizing. They are awesome for their simplicity, elegance, and level of craftsmanship.

The timepieces presented by Raymond Weil, the Millesime Automatic Moon Phase Midnight Blue, by Hermes, theHermès Cut, and by Zenith, the Defy Skyline Chronograph strike the observer as having a timeless design owing to an intelligent choice of of colors, lines and shapes, and dimensions.

My top ten picks are:

Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Blue

The Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Blue presents a harmonious blend of refinement and innovation: an elegant annual calendar, complemented by the horological marvel of the moon phase complication, presented on a gray-blue opaline dial.

Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Blue

The case is in steel with a diameter of 40mm and a thickness of 12.90mm. The movement is an in-house manual mechanical movement.
Price: 70,00- Swiss francs (excluding taxes)

For more information, please visit https://laurentferrier.ch/products/classic-moon-blue

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