Watches & Wonders and Geneva 2025: Thoughts from a Guy Who Was Not There!
Photo from Sartory Billard & Studio Underd0g
SKIP THESE FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS IF YOU’RE DELICATE
Ughhhhh. I suppose that for someone with their own watch publication site, it’s my duty to weigh in on the happenings in Switzerland and the watch world this past week. So, here it is — TARRIFFS. Okay, peace, I’m out.
Gotcha! Although my home country is experiencing an unprecedented and unsettling crisis, I’d prefer not to delve into the chaotic global economic situation that may arise if these tariffs persist (lots of people will lose their jobs, small and large companies will go out of business, and the most vulnerable people on earth will suffer more all because some orange leather bag’s dad didn’t hug him enough, and he’s found himself in the position to make a power grab to compensate for a microd… woooosahhhh, Chris, wooosahhh). Anyway, I’ll leave the economic deep dives to others. If you want a fantastic video about the micro-level impact on watches, watch this excellent video from Marc at LongIslandWatch.com.
START HERE, YA BEAUTIFUL FLOWER :-)
Alas, this past week was Watches & Wonders 2025, along with all the happenings around Geneva, such as the gathering of independent brands at the Beau Rivage and the Time to Watches event (give me a moment…my whole body convulses every time I say or type “Time to Watches”). …………alright, I’m better now.
Anyway, like many of you, I look forward to this time of year, so I can gawk at all the new things I want while my bank account responds with a hearty, “ha ha ha, fuck you.”
So, what were my favorites I’ve seen through all my doom-scrolling and heavy breathing?
I’ll begin with the watches I consider the “Best in Show.” My scientific criteria for “Best in Show” are two-fold: 1. I must find the watch awesome, and 2. It must be a watch that a normal human being can afford (pre-tariff) with a reasonable time to save. Sorry, Vacheron Les Cabinet Full of Complications, you don’t qualify (but you are still awesome; I’ll get to you later).
Best in Show Awards - It’s a Tie!
Photo from Sartory Billard & Studio Underd0g
Everything Richard Benc from Studio Underd0g touches usually turns into something edible and then into gold, but this time he focused his whimsy on summertime flora. In the hands of Armand Billard of Sartory Billard, the idea reached a level that even I, as a fan of both brands, couldn’t fathom. The stunning guilloche dial patterns mixed with the unmistakable colors of a sunflower evoked memories of walking by summer gardens and seeing the huge, overhanging sunflowers. Perhaps my favorite detail of this watch is something you'd have to lean in to see — the handset. The hour and minute hands feature a green bead-blasted base reaching out to spear hands with polished tips and a fluted spine. This is one of the most beautiful handsets I’ve ever seen, and I’m genuinely pissed I didn’t get to see them in person. Unfortunately for me, this piece is limited to 10 units, and to no ones surprise, it sold out in minutes. But if you’re one of the lucky 10 able to snag one…please send me your address and leave your back door unlocked.
NOMOS - Club Sport Neomatik Worldtimer:
Leave it to Nomos to merge one of their most beloved model lines with one of the most popular complications in a fun and interesting way. This is made possible by a brand new movement from Nomos. The DUW 3202 is beautiful and slim, keeping the overall case of the watch at just under 10mm. The watch features a small seconds subdial and a 24-hour subdial at 3 o’clock, indicating local time with day/night color markings based on the dial color. A pusher at 2 o'clock allows the wearer to rotate the city ring and advance the hour hand by one hour for quick adjustment when traveling, while a recessed pusher at 8 o'clock resets the local time in the 24-hour subdial. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to the release of a watch as part of a brand’s core lineup, Nomos has won the show.
While the Worldtimer is available in several funky limited edition colors, which I would usually prefer, it’s actually the standard edition silver dial that I find to be by far the most beautiful in the lineup.
Photo from Nomos Glashütte
It’s No Surprise at All Award
H. Moser & Cie. - Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Purple:
It’s no surprise at all that H. Moser & Cie. released a ton of shit that I want and aspire to one day own. At first, I was skeptical because it looked like they were sipping Nomos’ Kool-Aid with the brand’s new Pop Collection. A cacophony of dissonant colors loudly banging into one another, and somehow, like Nomos the year before, they were able to wrangle the rainbow and harmonize. But, they kicked it up a notch in that all of these colors are actual stones. I don’t know why they named it the Pop Collection when that literally fucking rocks!
Photo from H. Moser & Cie.
Yet, the watch that made my heart pop was not from the Pop Rock Collection; rather, it was the Endeavour Centre Seconds Concept Purple Enamel that awakened my inner Jimi Hendrix. I busted out my “wah” pedal to cry real, reverberating rock' n’ roll tears because it channels so much heavy metal gorgeousness, and my bank account is so light.
Photo from H. Moser & Cie.
The brilliant purple enamel dial is jaw-dropping. It is achieved by an artisan taking a white gold dial base, engraving a hammered texture to manipulate light, and then handing it off to a master enameller. This person crushes six different enamel pigments and applies the powder to the dial in gradation for the fumé effect. The dial is then fired multiple times to draw the brilliant Purple Haze. Each time the dial is fired, it risks cracking and starting the process all over again.
Shocker of the Show Award
Photo from Bremont
I want to give a special shoutout to a watch from a brand I had never personally connected with. Bremont has drawn the ire of many watch enthusiasts over the past year with its controversial rebranding. While their original styling was never something I would classify as being for me, I agree with the Bremont die-hards that the rebranding sucked the soul right out of what made their watches special to those who bought them. However, this year, they released a limited edition Terra Nova Jumping Hour Bronze on a bronze bracelet, and holy moly, I am enamored by that watch.
Anniversaries: How I Know Time Moves More Slowly in Horology
As humans, it’s often noted that we reach adulthood at 18, but I’d argue that we attain actual maturity by 35 (and in my case, I’m still waiting). However, in watches, that level of total distinction arrives much later. You see, watches evolve slowly. It might take decades before a model gets an upgrade, and decades more before a brand presents us with a new model to lust after or point at and say, “Hey, that’s a PRX.”
This year, there were a few notable brand anniversaries. The ones I’d like to point out to illustrate my thoughts on this topic are Vacheron Constantin, which celebrates its 270th anniversary this year, and Zenith, finally entering its angsty teenage years at a cool 160.
So, how did the two brands choose to celebrate these milestones on the largest stage in all of watchdom? Well, Vacheron decided to gather all their collective minds, sift through every spare part in the warehouse, and create the ultimate unobtainium by serving up the most complicated wristwatch ever made — something that would make Antoine-Louis Breguet go from six to midnight. And Zenith…well, Zenith decided to take their lineup of watches and make them look like the toys found at the bottom of a box of lucky charms. Once you wipe the cereal dust off them you might be a little stunned to discover that they’re all blue — the color of melancholy that Aaron Rogers turns when someone forces him to get a vaccine.
Photo from Zenith
Vacheron Constantin - Les Cabinotiers ‘Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’:
Last year, Vacheron released a pocket watch the size of a baseball (only a slight exaggeration), which was the most complicated watch of all time, featuring 63 complications! This year, they decided to introduce the most complicated wristwatch ever…you know, for someone to theoretically wear. Fresh with 41 complications and 13 new potential patents, the calibre 3655 movement measures 36mm in diameter and 10.96mm in thickness, containing 1521 components and 204 jewels. This results in a watch with a diameter of only 45mm and a thickness of 14.99mm. While that is certainly not small, for comparison, last year Rolex released a solid gold version of their Deepsea, which measured 44mm in diameter and 17.7mm thick, and whose only complication was highlighting the ultimate douche wearing it.
If you want to check out a list of all the complications, this Fratello article does a great job of laying it all out in a consumable way.
Photo from Vacheron Constantin
Final Thoughts
Photo from Oris
There were many noteworthy (and meh) watches released. Cartier reintroduced some stunning jump hour pieces that nobody can get. Chopard eliminated the hideous date wheel in the Alpine Eagle (but only in platinum or steel with a tourbillon). Oris refreshed the Big Crown Pointer Date in a delightful manner, showcasing some beautiful colors.
The brands we all hope would come out swinging every year with watches that are within reach for the masses (after a bit of saving) released nothing that deserves our kudos. I saw a lot of “Hey, look, it’s a different color,” “How would you like to spend $2000 on plastic,” and one funny asfuq “69” dial (I swear, every team needs someone with my level of ADHD to point out shit like this before they send it to market). I think 2025 was the Year of the Underdog, one of which I mean literally. Perhaps these are the brands we should give more air time to in the future, as they seem to deserve a crown a bit more than the ones wearing it.
REMEMBER, nerds…., to keep the comments clean. Please don’t make me pull out ole Antoine-Louis here.
