Watches & Wonders 2023: Top Trends And Our Favorite Timepieces

Every year, the humongous Palexpo center in Geneva opens its doors to journalists and retailers from around the world for a weeklong horological jamboree called Watches & Wonders. The ultimate place to discover wrist tech, this trade show expanded its reach with city-wide events this year. Besides the last two days of the exhibition which were open to the public, the extravaganza included guided tours of watchmaking landmarks within Geneva, a QR code rally to win entries to the fair and an electrifying performance by DJ The Avener on the Quai Général Guisan.

The show recorded an overall attendance of  43,000 unique visitors, almost double from last year. Interestingly, around 25% of the tickets sold to the general public were bought by those under 25. As compared to last year, this edition also witnessed over 50% more journalists, thanks to the return of the Asian markets to the expo.

Walking through the hallowed halls of Watches and Wonders is a splendid experience. With nearly 50 brands exhibiting in extraordinarily creative settings – think of enchanted forests, whimsical flying installations, hypercars and more – this was no ordinary trade show. Those in luck this year also happened to spot celebrities like Julia Roberts, David Beckham and Roger Federer marveling at wrist candies across brands.

Besides the usual line-up of complicated timepieces, some brands also dared to get playful this year. The most unexpected surprise came from none other than Rolex, which enthralled enthusiasts with a new Day-Date 36 model featuring a colorful jigsaw motif on the dial and a burst of lacquered bubbles on the latest Oyster Perpetual.

From classic models with salmon dials to chic sports watches in steel, here are a few trends that popped up at the latest edition of Watches and Wonders.

Shrinking Dials

With collectors increasingly chasing watches with slimmer and smaller dials, more and more brands are now introducing timepieces in 37mm or 39mm. At Watches and Wonders, we saw them in plenty — right from Vacheron Constantin to TAG Heuer and Tudor. Even brands like Bell & Ross and Panerai, which have always been known for wristwatches in 42mm plus sizes, are now introducing pieces that are aimed for smaller wrists. We particularly loved the 37mm Tudor Black Bay 54, the hot pink Carrera in 36 mm and all of the teeny tiny Cartiers — the baby Baignoire in particular!

Lighthearted Watchmaking

It was an absolutely refreshing sight to see watch brands having some fun this year. On day one, Rolex delighted enthusiasts with two unexpectedly bright and witty timepieces — the Day-Date 36 model featuring a colorful jigsaw motif and the new Oyster Perpetual with lacquered bubbles on the dial. The Day-Date model is a real eye-catcher with inspirational words — Happy,  Gratitude, Peace, Faith, Love, Eternity and Hope — replacing the traditional day of the week in the arc-shaped aperture at 12 o’clock and a range of emojis popping in the date window at 3 o’clock.

Oris unveiled a playful Pro Pilot X Caliber 4000 “Kermit” that brings up a smiling Muppet face in the date window on the first day of every month. While Cartier launched an array of Tank Louis timepieces in patterned dials and lively shades, we also noticed varying shades of cherry being favored by watchmakers like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe and Roger Dubuis.

New Materials

While one always expects the big-wigs to be innovating with new materials, this year we were thrilled to see Hermès pushing the envelope with its new H08 watches crafted out of a material called “Composite”. Made of aluminized glass fiber and slate powder, this light and sturdy material lends a striking contrast to the black ceramic bezel and bright rubber straps in blue, yellow or green. 

Chopard, however, made the biggest headlines in new materials with its classic L.U.C. 1860 now available in ‘Lucent Steel’. While the brand has been using ethical gold for its watches and jewelry since 2018, Lucent steel – made of 70 per cent recycled steel –  is Chopard’s big contribution to sustainability within the luxury watch industry in recent months. While the brand has been championing the use of ethical gold in its watches and jewelry since 2018, it will now work with recycled steel across all its production.

Besides the daring Daytonas with display casebacks and the Day-Dates with emojis, Rolex launched their second-ever titanium watch at Watches & Wonders this year. Their first was the Deep Sea Special introduced last year and now we have the  Yacht-Master 42 — unbelievably light and refined.

Taking its obsession with lab grown diamonds to the next level this year, TAG Heuer introduced the Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde Chronograph Tourbillon in 44mm. While last year’s Carrera Plasma had these diamonds all over the dial, the latest novelty has them studded on the case, bezel as well as the bracelet.

It would be unfair to not mention Chanel here, which had one of the most striking range of watches across categories. The master of ceramics presented the J12 “Cybernatic” this year, an amazingly creative timepiece with a round dial and pixelated bezel on one side. Undoubtedly, the best use of ceramics in dial design, we say!

Steel Sports Watches with Complications

It seems the craze for steel sports watches will continue to dominate the market in the coming years and the brands are more than happy to oblige collectors with new models with complications. Until a few years ago, one would see high-end chronograph movements only in watches made out of precious metals but now with Patek Philippe, MB&F, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet favoring steel for their haute horlogerie offerings, A. Lange & Söhne has unveiled its first self-winding chronograph  in steel. Powered by Caliber L951.5, seen in the 1815 Chronograph, the new Odysseus Chronograph is a culmination of six years of development. The watch offers a dynamic reset-to-zero function and new fields of application for the chronograph.

It’s the year of the retrograde at Vacheron Constantin, which presented a slew of new watches — the Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date, the Traditionnelle Tourbillon Retrograde Date Openface and Overseas Moonphase Retrograde Date. While we have seen this signature complication in other collections previously, this is the first time it has been used in the Overseas. Presented on a lustrous blue lacquered dial, the retrograde date is featured in the top half, while the bottom half displays the moon phase aperture along with the age of the moon.

It’s interesting to see a classic complication in a sports watch from Vacheron Constantin, can’t wait to see how this novelty fares in the market!

Secret Timepieces

Concealed within sparkling diamond brooches, snuff boxes and long sautoir necklaces, secret watches were a rage in the 19th century. Though not a functional tool these days, these timepieces are still favored for their sense of mystery and ingenious creativity. Masquerading as intricate pieces of jewelry, these watches hidden in animal motifs and gem-studded ribbons have made a huge comeback this year. Right from Chanel to Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, a bunch of brands at Watches and Wonders presented these sautoir-styled pendant watches that make for a unique and elegant style statement.