Discoveries from the Geneva Watch Days

The Geneva Watch Days (GWD) took place in Geneva for the fifth time. They were launched in 2020 as a temporary solution after both the Geneva Salon Watches and Wonders (then still SIHH) and Baselworld were cancelled due to Covid. The alternative event, which takes place in hotels and boutiques instead of an exhibition hall, was originally initiated by Bulgari and Breitling. It attracted a lot of smaller brands and independent watchmakers.

The decentralized trade fair has grown every year and is already extending its reach into German-speaking Switzerland. Who knows, perhaps there will be a branch in Zurich in the foreseeable future?

We show the most interesting new watches of the season. Some brands did not take part in the GWD, but used the opportunity to launch new products.

Diving watches are enjoying a real revival this summer, and not just any diving watches, but those from the golden age of diving. That was in the sixties and seventies, when people like Hans Hass and Jacques-Yves Cousteau introduced television audiences to the underwater world. As the name suggests, the Ocean Star Decompression Timer's predecessor dates back to 1961.

The colorful dial looks cheerful, but has a serious background: its scales show the decompression times that must be observed in order to emerge safely from the depths. The black steel watch with automatic movement is water-resistant up to 20 bar and comes with three different straps.

Bulgari is paying tribute to the American guitar maker on the 54th anniversary of the legendary Stratocaster, a design-defining instrument. The “Bulgari Aluminium” with an aluminium case and rubber strap, introduced in 1998, honors the electric guitar with a dial in Fender's typical “sunburst” color gradient. Brown rubber elements are reminiscent of the guitar wood, double indices reflect the frets wider, and the Fender logo can be seen on the case back. 1200 pieces of this special model will be produced, powered by an automatic movement with GMT function.

The collaboration between two watch brands is one of the latest developments in the watch sector. For once, the result was not one joint watch, but two models with similar design features but in different price ranges. To design the watches, Edouard Meylan, CEO of H. Moser & Cie., teamed up with Richard Benc, the founder and CEO of the English manufacturer Studio Underdog, whose watches are known for their cheerful colors and retro design.

The result is two watches with dials in the colors of a sliced ​​passion fruit, dark yellow in the middle and with a purple edge. The watch by H. Moser & Cie is based on the perpetual calendar with a large date, while the one by Studio Underd0g is a chronograph with a pusher. Limited to 100 pairs, available as a set.

The Angelus brand can look back on a long history and expertise in the construction of chronographs. The “Chronodate” model is so named because this chronograph displays the date so discreetly that it is almost overlooked: with a hand on the edge of the dial. The sporty watch with an automatic manufacture caliber from La Joux-Perret in a titanium case is completely black and silver. Small red accents on the pushers, the tips of the date hand and stopwatch, as well as the small minute hand of the totalizer.

The automatic movement with column wheel control of the chronograph can be seen through the sapphire case back. The oscillating weight is in the shape of the old Angelus logo, a bell in the shape of an A. In addition to the black rubber strap, the watch is also available with a titanium link bracelet.

The watch brand Panerai, with its Florentine roots, has made a name for itself with diving watches and highly luminous elements on the dials. Every few years, the brand presented a concept watch, similar to what is common in the automobile industry, to demonstrate the latest state of the art in a unique, unsaleable piece. Now there is such a concept watch, which is even available for purchase in a small edition.

The futuristic model draws attention with its lighting elements that are electrically operated. The watch also contains a tiny generator and another spring barrel that supplies the power for the lighting at the push of a button when needed and can also be stopped to turn off the lighting and save energy. Apart from the tiny electrics, the impressive watch with its diameter of 49 millimeters contains only mechanical components – and above all, no battery.

Since the time of Abraham Louis Breguet, watchmakers have been looking for alternatives to the lever escapement, which is found in almost all mechanical watches. Despite all its advantages, the lever escapement also has disadvantages in that it wastes a lot of energy in the form of friction. The German-born watchmaker Bernhard Lederer, who works near Neuchâtel, has succeeded in developing an escapement whose performance is similar to that of a chronometer escapement, but works in a wristwatch.

The highlight of this watch is the elaborately constructed and decorated movement. The hand-crafted dial made of solid silver is also a feast for the eyes. Everything has its price. But in the world of watches there are much more expensive watches that make you wonder how they got to that price. Not so with this work of art.