Watches and Wonders 2024 has emerged as a significant milestone in the world of horology, showcasing an array of exceptional timepieces while setting new standards for innovation and craftsmanship. This year’s event in Geneva has garnered substantial attention from enthusiasts and industry professionals.

Watches and Wonders 2024 brings together established luxury brands and emerging talents, with renowned watchmakers and artisans unveiling their latest creations. Each timepiece exemplifies precision in engineering and design, with a strong emphasis on technological advancements integrated into traditional watchmaking at this year’s showcase.

Displayed at the Patek Philippe Salons is the Rare Handcrafts 2024 collection, featuring 82 pieces across various categories, including dome clocks, small dome clocks, table clocks, pocket watches, and wristwatches.

Artisans have utilized centuries-old methods in crafting these timepieces, including Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, miniature painting on enamel, grisaille enamel, flinqué enamel, paillonné enamel, champlevé enamel, hand engraving, hand-executed guilloché work, and gem setting.

A focal point of the exhibition features 12 Calatrava wristwatches, each adorned with intricate decorations representing zodiac constellations in grisaille enamel, Grand Feu cloisonné enamel, and paillonné enamel.

Another section of the exhibit pays homage to nature’s flora, fauna, and landscapes. Motifs include birds depicted through various techniques, such as wood marquetry and scenic depictions of world-renowned gardens and aquatic landscapes.

Courtesy: Patek Philippe Salons

The exhibition concludes by celebrating human achievements across arts, traditions, and sports. Pieces capture themes such as surfing, American cars of the 1960s, and billiards, showcasing a fusion of techniques and imaginative designs.

Meanwhile, Montblanc unveiled a new chapter in sustainable watchmaking by showcasing the 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen CARBO2 timepiece. This timepiece captures carbon from biogas production and mineral waste generated by recycling factories through calcium dissolution and carbonation. The watch features a case crafted from Montblanc’s innovative CARBO2 durable nano-fibre composite material.

Courtesy: Montblanc

The Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad unveiled for the first time at Watches and Wonders 2024, is a timepiece collection that evokes science fiction and features no dial, hands, or crown. Among its most striking features is the hour disc behind the carousel movement, resembling a spaceship. This disc is intricately decorated with a diamond guilloché pattern and finished in sand-colored CVD, reminiscent of waving sand dunes. The 99-piece limited edition fuses past and future into a contemporary timepiece.

Courtesy: Ulysse Nardin

Rolex introduces two new versions of the Daytona, featuring stone dials that ingeniously recreate the beloved Panda and Reverse Panda dial configurations. Contrasting black and white mother-of-pearl is utilized to captivate the fan base. The bezel of the new timepiece is adorned with 36 diamonds, further enhanced by eight additional diamonds serving as hour indices.

Courtesy: Rolex

Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is coming in strong, which has secured its place as the thinnest tourbillon ever created. What sets the Altiplano apart is its slim profile—a mere 2mm thickness encased in blue PVD-treated cobalt alloy, pushing the boundaries of innovation in horology.

Meanwhile, IWC Schaffhausen showcases one of its most iconic models, the Portugieser collection. The unveiling includes four new versions of the Portugieser, featuring two models in white gold with striking blue and sand-colored dials and two in Armor Gold with elegant black and silver dials. However, these updates go beyond just ornamental upgrades.

The perpetual calendar complication stands out as a hallmark feature across all of IWC’s collections, owing much to the pioneering module developed by Kurt Klaus in the 1980s. This module embodies the essence of IWC’s engineering ethos, offering exceptional autonomy and reliability while comprising a surprisingly modest number of parts for a perpetual calendar mechanism.

Courtesy: IWC Schaffhausen

Another innovation is the patented Double Moon display, which accurately depicts the moon’s phase in the northern and southern hemispheres.

Overall, Watches and Wonders 2024 reaffirms its position as a premier platform for celebrating horological excellence and pushing the boundaries of watchmaking. The event leaves a lasting impression on the industry and inspires a new wave of appreciation for the art of timekeeping.

The Innovation By Design Summit is in Doha on April 24. Attendance at the summit is by invitation only. Delegates can register here to receive their exclusive invite.