The first Geneva Watch Days exhibition occured under harrowing circumstances in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had upended the standard calendar for the major Swiss trade shows, forcing both SIHH/Watches & Wonders and Baselworld to cancel.
Geneva Watch Days was the only significant multi-brand showcase to take place in Switzerland that year, thanks to a small group of companies – led by Breitling, Bulgari, De Bethune, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie, MB&F, Ulysse Nardin, and Urwerk – who created a plan with the full support of the City of Geneva and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services (CCIG) that allowed them to welcome European press and retailers to the city in August 2020. You can read more about the history of Geneva Watch Days in Arthur Touchot's recent in-depth retrospective right here.
It's difficult, now, four years after the fact, to remember that Geneva Watch Days was originally founded under such distress. The event has blossomed, and the 2023 edition was the largest and most succesful edition yet.
Nearly 40 brands took part in the official event, with many more traveling to Geneva to take additional meetings with attendees. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo even hosted a Charity Auction in partnership with Geneva Watch Days on the second night of the show, resulting in more than CHF 100,000 being raised in support of l’École d'Horlogerie de Genève, Geneva's local watchmaking school.
And then there were the new watches. The presenting brands showcased their latest and greatest releases over the fair's five full days. Here are a few of our team's favorite debuts, fresh from Geneva, with their personal commentary.
The Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto 40
Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant
What happens to you if you are a child of the 1970s, grew up with Scandinavian design such as oval, cushion-shaped (or sometimes even asymmetrical!) dining and coffee tables – not to mention the typical, bold colours of the period – while being the son of a retired race driver and thus a petrol head with a weakness for all things with flat-six engines coming from Zuffenhausen?
And what if your vision is softly but gradually weakening – so you appreciate strong contrasts and good legibility – and you have a weakness for watches that could be described as “SUVs for the wrist”, or, in today’s jargon, luxury sports watches that can be worn formally or casually, at home or in the jungle?
If that all sounds like you, then I guess you simply scream “Wow – me want” when Laurent Ferrier launches a new variant of its popular Sport Auto in titanium – a more affordable (perhaps, “less costly”) version of the incredibly handsome Grand Sport Tourbillon (subtract the Tourbillon, add the date indication, resulting in a 70 percent decrease in price).
The real highlight for me is the dial: While the Sport Auto was launched with a blue dégradé dial, this limited-edition “40” pays tribute to the insanely cool colors of the Porsche 935, number 40 (I think it was a K2 from Kremer Racing), that Laurent Ferrier and his business partner François Servanin very successfully competed in the 1979 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The sea green dial with a purple crosshair and the strong orange lume used on the hour markers and hands all references the Porsche 935 driven by Ferrier and Servanin.
All this is paired with a light and very comfortable titanium case and bracelet, good proportions, and consequently comfortable weight distribution, a screw-down crown, and the proven in-house self-winding LF270.01 caliber.
With my personal history with Laurent Ferrier (two collaborations in seven years, both with the man himself and the manufacturer), all of the above makes it my next can’t-wait-to-have-it watch.
The Laurent Ferrier Sport Auto 40 is priced at CHF 51,000; learn more here.
The Sylvain Pinaud × Massena LAB Chronograph Monopoussoir
Alexandre Ghotbi, Head Of Watches, Continental Europe And EMEA
In 2019 Sylvain Pinaud won the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France prize (France’s Best Craftsman) in the watchmaking category for his superb single-button chronograph. Three years later, in 2022, he presented the Origine, a time-only watch with incredible charisma that won him the Revelation prize at that year's Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
This year he teamed up with the industry old-timer, collector, and scholar William Massena for a redesigned version of his chronograph. Whereas the original chronograph had an unusual sandwich case, the new Massena collaboration provides a more classical approach. The design is now more mature and, to me, is more “finished.”
The movement is the same as in the original watch but is now finished to the nth degree. The architecture is flipped so the chronograph mechanism appears on the dial-side, giving the watch extra dynamism and visual appeal, especially when using the chronograph function. The start-stop-reset ability feels like silk; you just want to press the pusher continuously. What I particularly like about Pinaud, and this piece in particular, is how he works with traditional tools. A large portion of the components are fully handmade, but the design of the watch and the architecture of the movement are fully rooted in the 21st century, proving that tradition and modernity can go hand-in-hand.
It’s a shame only 10 examples will be made. Pinaud has a small team of only five people (including himself), and considering the amount of handwork that goes into each watch, it's understandable it will take over three years to complete all 10.
The Sylvain Pinaud × Massena LAB Chronograph Monopoussoir is priced at CHF 130,000; learn more here.
The De Bethune DB28XP 'Kind of Blue'
Arthur Touchot, International Head Of Digital Strategy, Specialist
Denis Flageollet has previously used music to describe his unique style of watchmaking. A master of his craft, he interprets the lessons of previous legends (Christiaan Huygens, Jean-Antoine Lépine, and Breguet to name a few) to create pieces that epitomize his own era, much like a virtuoso composes using the conventions of classical music.
Here, though, Flageollet embraces a different role and remixes two of his greatest hits: the DB28 “Kind of Blue,” a watch from 2016 that was the first to be made almost entirely out of heat-blued titanium; and the DB28XP, a 2020 release that introduced ultra-slim case designs to the De Bethune collection.
The result is an absolute banger. Unlike the original “Kind of Blue,” this one doesn’t feature a spherical moonphase at six o'clock, but it has plenty to offer, including a tighter package (the case’s thickness is down from 9.20mm to just 8.5mm), a longer power reserve, and a more affordable price point. I’ll concede that it might not be for everyone – it’s still an extremely bold and colorful watch – but if it were a song it would be my summertime anthem.
The De Bethune DB28XP "Kind of Blue" is a limited edition of 25 watches priced with pricing available on request; you can learn more at De Bethune online.
The Oris Divers Sixty-Five 'Cotton Candy' In Stainless Steel
Lucie Delaporte, Social Media Manager
Although it was introduced earlier this summer, our meeting with Oris during Geneva Watch Days was the first time I was able to see these new additions to the popular Divers Sixty-Five "Cotton Candy" collection. Previously only available in bronze, these three new watches utilize 38mm stainless steel cases, but they retain the fun, colorful, and straightforward look of the original 2021 release.
Among the three delightful dial color options, including pink and wild green, the baby blue dial paired with the stainless-steel bracelet stands out as a personal favorite. However, when matched up with the recycled perlon strap Oris provides, it becomes the perfect retro watch for summer. You can’t go wrong.
The Oris Divers Sixty-Five Cotton Candy in stainless steel is priced between CHF 2,150 and CHF 2,350; learn more here.
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic And Perpetual Calendar In Carbongold
Marcello de Marco, Specialist, Business Development Associate
In the ten short years it has been present on the market, the Octo Finissimo has managed to assert itself – and Bulgari – as a force to be reckoned with in the watchmaking world. Fabrizio Buonamassa’s design manages to check all the boxes: It is immediately recognisable, iconic, flamboyant but still very elegant. It's tuned to a modern aesthetic sensibility yet timeless timeless.
Starting as a simple time-only watch, the line has since embraced all the most notable complications, from chronographs to perpetual calendars and world-time pieces, not to mention the production of what was, at the time, the thinnest wristwatch in the world. Of course, such technological achievements are notable (understatement of the week) on themselves, but even more telltale is the market feedback that has been obtained by the Octo Finissimo in such a short time, indicating that we're in the presence of an instant classic.
The two watches launched this week further expand Bulgari’s horological journey with the introduction of a forged carbon case with a self-winding movement using 18k red gold bridges gold plates. While the resulting aesthetic effect is absolutely mind-blowing – I am completely captivated by the contrast of the case and movement – I also appreciate the engineering effort that went into adapting these new materials to the Octo Finissimo. Most notably, realizing a case as complex as the Octo’s in a material as notoriously hard-to-work-with as carbon truly is remarkable. I find the “marbled” effect of the material to be fascinating.
You can find out more about the Octo Finissimo Automatic Carbongold (€29,000) and Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Carbongold (€100,000) by visiting Bulgari online.
The Czapek & Cie. Place Vendôme Complicité
Logan Baker, Senior Editorial Manager
The most exciting watch of this year’s show for me was a collaboration between Czapek & Cie., one of the most exciting upstart brands of the 2010s, and Bernhard Lederer, one of independent watchmaking’s most brilliant technical minds.
The new Place Vendôme Complicité brings together a pair of dueling escapements and balance wheels connected via a differential gear that averages out any rate variations. The team at Czapek had apparently spent years conceptualizing a watch with twin regulators, but they were unable to execute the movement until Czapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel and Lederer met completely by chance; some of their children attend the same school in Neuchâtel.
Lederer, who was also present at Geneva Watch Days with the latest versions of his impressive Central Impulse Chronometer, was more than happy to take on the challenge. Based on a concept and blueprint developed by Czapek’s designers and engineers, Lederer was able to bring the Place Vendôme Complicité's movement to life at his Saint-Blaise-based movement workshop, Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie et Micromécanique (MHM).
The watch and movement were designed to showcase both regulating organs and the differential, with the entire process playing out on the dial-side of the watch. Sapphire crystal bridges are even used to allow a complete view of the differential at work. The result is a captivating horological orchestra that brings together a few of my favorite things in the watch world: fascinating chronometric solutions, visible mechanics, and good-spirited collaborations.
The Czapek Place Vendôme Complicité is a limited edition of 50 pieces each, in 18k white gold and red gold. Price: CHF 85,000. For more information, visit Czapek.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
Recommended Reading
The Geneva Watch Days: The Brief History Of A Young Fair Heading Toward Maturity
Phillips Raises Over CHF 100,000 For Charity During Geneva Watch Days Auction