Like most journalists who swarmed the booths at Watches and Wonders earlier this month, I saw about a thousand watches in five days. Most were amazing and surprising, some were forgettable, and others stand out as faves.

Below is my completely subjective top ten list. Not all of them are watches that I would actually wear, mostly because they’re too big, but I appreciate all of them despite that, either from a design, technical or historical point of view.

Zenith G.F.J.

The Zenith G.F.J., along with the Rolex Land-Dweller, was the most talked about launch of the fair.

Its appeal lies in the fact that even though it’s a fairly simple design (bright but not flashy) it has something for everyone to admire, including: a great lapis and mother-of-pearl dial at a time when stone dials are experiencing a huge revival; a storied movement, the caliber 135; a platinum case, which along with the movement and the limited number (166) makes it collectable; and it’s a very wearable 39 mm diameter in size.

G.F.J. stands for Georges Favre-Jacot, who founded Zenith in 1865. In his endeavor to create “the perfect watch,” Favre-Jacot developed movements that over the years won a total of 2,333 chronometry prizes, more than any other brand. Zenith’s caliber 135 was the star of the 1950s, the golden years of observatory chronometer competitons, with five consecutive first prizes and 235 prizes altogether, a record in the history of watchmaking.

So, a nice little story to go with a watch that people would surely ask about after spotting it on your wrist.

Price: $49,900

For more information, please visit www.zenith-watches.com/en_us/product/gfj-calibre-135-40-1865-0135-51-c200

Hermès Temps Suspendu Cut

It seems like yesterday (2011) that Hermes introduced the Temps Suspendu in the Arceau model, and it won the prize for the best men’s watch at the GPHG. I remember running into a well-known fashion editor who attended the Basel fair for the first time that year, and after seeing this watch concluded that covering the watch market wasn’t for him because it was too “weird” (this from a guy who regularly attended New York Fashion Week).

It is a bit weird, I guess, to develop a movement that creates the illusion of suspending time in order to savor the present moment, but it’s a nice weird. To me it was further proof that couture fashion brands turned watchmakers (like Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermès) had a better sense of whimsy than the traditional brands, while at the same time mastering the art of complicated watchmaking (the movement was developed with Jean-Marc Wiederrecht of Agenhor).

Fourteen years later, it reappears in the Cut collection, in a 39mm (with diamonds) or 42mm case. It’s unlikely to win another GPHG, since the sentiment on the panel now is not to vote for re-issues, unless it’s a true icon, but it’s nice to see it back, especially in the Cut.

Price: $31,870 on strap.

Further reading: Hermès Watches: Why they are Worth Seriously Considering

For more information, please visit www.hermes.com/

Arnold & Son Constant Force Tourbillon 11

I think we all need periodic need refreshers on the founders of heritage brands, since none are still living. Most, like John Arnold, made lasting contributions to the world of watchmaking, so it’s worth revisiting their foundational creations.

This example is commemorative of the friendship and collaboration between two great 18^th century watchmakers: Abraham Louis Breguet and Englishman John Arnold.

The architecture of the movement in the Constant Force Tourbillon 11 is inspired by the movement of the first tourbillon created by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1808, which was partly based on a chronometer movement designed by John Arnold.

Breguet patented his tourbillon escapement two years after Arnold’s death, and to honor the memory of his friend, gave his first tourbillon watch to Arnold’s son, John Roger Arnold (it resides in the British Museum).

The bridge was engraved: “The first tourbillon regulator by Breguet incorporated in one of the first works of Arnold. Breguet’s homage to the revered memory of Arnold.

Presented to his son in 1808.”  Arnold & Son’s tribute piece commemorates that watch, with the engraving: “To the revered memory of John Arnold and Abraham-Louis Breguet. Friends in their time, legendary watchmakers always.”

The watch itself is beautiful, with a creamy white grand feu enamel dial, yellow gold case, a constant force mechanism visible on the dial, along with a hacking seconds indicated by a blued anchor.

Price: $135,000

For more information, please visit www.arnoldandson.com/collections/constant-force/1fcbj-e01a-c246j/

Patek Philippe Ref. 7340 Twenty~4 Perpetual Calendar

Patek Philippe was the first brand to take seriously the concept of not just mechanical but complicated watches for women. It’s first ladies’ annual calendar Ref. 4936 was not a one-off; it was immediately part of the catalogue, and has been since it was introduced in 2005 (under various reference numbers).

By contrast, the Twenty~4, launched in 1999 remained a quartz line up until 2018, when it was relaunched with an automatic option in a round case. Now, with Ref.7340, the Twenty~4 isenriched with a perpetual calendar, the collection’s first complication.

It comes in a 36mm x 9.95mm case, with the ultra-thin automatic caliber caliber 240 Q, in a rose gold case. The dial is pure Patek Philippe, with calendar indications in three subdials and an aperture for the moon phase, one of the most recognizable of the brand’s perpetual-calendar faces.

This is the first round Twenty~4 that is not gem-set, and frankly, it could easily be a men’s watch. There are two dial versions: white with a satin-brushed vertical and horizontal pattern meant to resemble shantung silk, or an olive-green sunburst.

So few other brands make a ladies’ perpetual calendar (Vacheron Constantin comes to mind), which makes this doubly special and important.

Price: $120,190

For more information, please visit www.patek.com/en/collection/twenty4/7340-1R-001

Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets

The Cartier Privé Tank à Guichets is a standout for its design (inspired, I hear by the cutouts in the glass at a ticket window counter), its historic significance and its relative accessibility compared to the other many special editions at the fair. (With the exception of one platinum model, the new Tank à Guichets are not limited).

The Tank à Guichets was first introduced in 1928, still looks fresh a century after it was created, and that is the genius of Cartier: it’s all about design.

The remake was issued as one of the brand’s Privé historical pieces, which celebrate the timeless appeal of Cartier vintage designs. There is a clear separation between these pieces and both its jewelry watches and its more commercial collections, and it’s an important part of Cartier that keeps collectors engaged at a time when high watchmaking is no longer a brand priority.

The mechanical digital time display is the same as the original, but it is powered by a new hand wound movement, the 9755 MC, with a jumping hour and a dragging minute display.

Price: $47,700 in pink gold; $55,500 in platinum.

For more information, please visit https://www.cartier.com/en-us/watches/collections/tank/

Patek Philippe Ref. 5308G Quadruple Calendar

The Patek Philippe Ref. 5308G has a minute repeater, split seconds chronograph and perpetual calendar, three complications that really define Patek Philippe. This modernized version of a dial that displays the QP and chrono represents a nice balance between contemporary and tradition.

The dial architecture of the iconic Patek Philippe chronograph/perpetual calendar was established in 1941 with the famous Ref. 1518, and stayed much the same right up to its current model, the Ref. 5720. The 5308G is different. It modernizes the way we read those functions, with day, date and month set in windows that form an arc at the top of the dial.

The chronograph minutes and hour counters occupy the 3 and 9 positions, but in reverse, and with a modern font, and the ice blue dial (the year’s strongest trend) gives it a 2025 vibe.

The 5308G also has a state-of-the-art movement with several patents, and because it adds a split seconds function to the chronograph, Patek counts that as a fourth complication. It is not limited, but it is expensive. Very expensive.

Price: CHF 1,050,000.

For more information, please visit www.patek.com/en/collection/grand-complications/5308G-001

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Grande Complication

The Roger Dubuis is another version of a grand complication that is even more aggressively modern than the Patek 5308G, but also steeped in tradition. The first watch Roger Dubuis produced when he started his brand in 1995 was a a bi-retrograde perpetual calendar, the first time anyone had designed a perpetual calendar that way.

The new Roger Dubuis Excalibur Grande Complication brings the signature bi-retrograde display back, and adds a flying tourbillon and a minute repeater for a full-on high-watchmaking spectacle. The dial is openworked, not just for a modern aesthetic, but to demonstrate its high-watchmaking finish: it is made to Geneva Seal standards, which means every inch is finished and decorated in some way – with brushed surfaces, polished chamfers and coin rentrants, meaning that inner angles of the bridges are beveled and hand polished to perfection, a task that takes years of training.

Flip the watch over, where the finish is just as perfect, and you can see the gong and hammers of the minute repeater. It will be made in a limited edition of eight pieces.

Price: $691,000.

For more information, please visit www.rogerdubuis.com/watches/excalibur/grande-complication-45mm-rddbex1174

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller

As a companion title to the Sea-Dweller and Sky-Dweller lines, the Land-Dweller completes the triumvirate, in a less sporty, dressier way than the other two.

The Land-Dweller is a master class in gender-neutral design, with enough edge and technical prowess to make it masculine, and a size (there is a 36 mm option, in addition to the 40 mm size) and a dash of elegance that will appeal to women.

The integrated bracelet, a restyled Jubilee design with flatter links, and a honeycomb-motif on the dial give it a sport/dress aesthetic that leans toward the dress. The fluted bezel on a 40 mm model keeps it sporty, but the optional diamond bezel 36 mm makes it the perfect ladies’ watch. The new movement, the brand’s first in-house high-frequency caliber, running at 36,000 vph (5 Hz), is outstanding.

Because a higher frequency can also cause wear, high-beat movements usually contain wear-resistant silicon components, and caliber 7135 has something called a Dynapulse escapement, an alternative to the traditional Swiss lever escapement that is made mainly with silicon components, which make it lightweight, energy efficient and insensitive to magnetic fields.

A ceramic balance staff and Paraflex shock absorbers make the movement even more robust despite its slim proportions (the watch, cased, is only 9.8 mm thick).  It holds 16 patents.

Price:: 36 mm steel and white gold, $13,900 or 40 mm $14,900; 36 mm Everose gold with diamonds, $88,300; 40 mm platinum, $63,500.

For more information, please visit www.rolex.com/watches/land-dweller

JLC Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds in pink gold with matching milanese bracelet

The Milanese link bracelet on this watch is epic. It clings to the wrist like a bracelet or like fabric, so it feels good, and it fits: the Reverso is a vertical style that can wear big, north to south, on a small wrist, and the Milano bracelet makes it so much more wearable, especially with the adjustable sliding clasp.

The bracelet is made using 16 meters of pink gold threads, in a fabric-like structure known as pezza, a technique originally used to make chain mail in 13^th-century Milan. Trying it on feels like putting on a piece of finely made jewelry, except that there is an iconic, prestigious watch attached to it (powered by the hand-wound caliber 822, with a 42-hour power reserve).

It’s slightly glamorous, with all that gold, but somehow not obnoxious because the matte finish on the grained gold colored dial keeps it from being too flashy (only the applied gold indexes are polished), and the Art Deco case is so elegant. It’s one of those perfectly gender-neutral watches that looks good on anyone.

Price: 44,800- euros

For more information, please visit www.jaeger-lecoultre.com/eu-en/watches/reverso/reverso-tribute/reverso-tribute-monoface-small-seconds-q713216j

Patek Philippe Handcrafts Collection 2025

The entire collection of 78 watches, pocket watches and clocks is outstanding, as usual. Every one of them is breathtaking in some way, with metiers that include grand feu cloisonne enamel, miniature painting on enamel, grisaille enamel, flinqué enamel, paillonné enamel, Fauré enamel, hand engraving, hand-executed guilloché work, and gemsetting.

The Patek Philippe Handcrafts Collection 2025 was on view to the public from April 5 to 26. All are for sale. The sheer number of pieces in this annual collection and the exceptional level creativity and inventiveness of the designs are next level. It includes 23 dome table clocks and small dome table clocks, one desk clock, 10 pocket watches and 44 Calatrava and Golden Ellipse wristwatches.

The collection also showcase several new techniques, including longwy enamel on faience (glazed pottery and wood micro-marquetry – this year applied to a dome table clock for the first time.

Highlights include a large gallery of bird portraits – including the Golden Ellipse wristwatch Ref. 5738/50J-011 “Yellow-Crested Cockatoo,” with a dial in cloisonné enamel enriched with miniature painting on enamel.

There is also a selection of pieces themed around legendary examples of human endeavor, from painting, music, literature, architecture and sport. Notable among them is the dome table clock Reference 20191M-001 “Skiing in Days Gone By,” in cloisonné enamel and miniature painting on enamel.

Prices: on request

For more information, please visit www.patek.com/en/company/news/rare-handcrafts-2025-exhibition-geneva

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