Watches with investment potential: novelties from Geneva.

 

The watch industry's biggest trade show Watches and Wonders ran from April 9-15 this year, where participants were treated to a wealth of extremely interesting novelties. As per tradition, we've compiled a list of the six watches with the greatest potential for collectors and investors on our point of view.

 

The event showed little sign of the biggest decline in Swiss watch exports in four years, recorded just ahead of the trade show, nor were there any visible manifestations of the alarming announcements made by heads of major companies signaling tough times ahead.

 

But grandiose events like this one are usually held without any glances over shoulders at what goes on outside the Palexpo exhibition center. The only thing that many visitors noticed at Watches and Wonders 2024 was that there were almost no representatives of the Asian markets.

 

The watch industry's own players are partially to blame for this. Watch and jewelry manufacturers used to present 99 percent of their novelties at trade shows that were held at the same time in Basel and Geneva. Now the introductions are spaced out over the entire year.

 

Sometimes you get to see up to half of the year's novelties at Watches and Wonders, which has replaced BaselWorld and the Genevan SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) as the major event in the watch industry's calendar.

 

But there's also the Watch & Wonders Shanghai event in fall, where watchmakers not only take the pieces presented in Geneva, but also bring a range of novelties saved for the end of the year. But now let's get to the editor's choice of novelties, which the experts at Qlekta have dedicated this article to.

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers The Berkley Grand Complication Ref. 9901C/000G-B472

 

Vacheron Constantin's Traditionnelle Tourbillon Chronograph Collection Excellence Platine Ref. 5100T/000P-H041 was also unveiled here as a limited edition of just 50 wristwatches for order in their single-brand boutiques, and it sure is flawlessly beautiful.

 

But this watch and probably all other novelties at W&W 2024 pale in comparison to the world's most complicated pocket watch, which we described last month. It was created by Vacheron Constantin's Les Cabinotiers department for a commission by the American finance mogul William R.  Berkley.

 

This is more than just a watch — future generations will judge the level of technological progress and engineering at the turn of the millennium by this piece. The unique model combines a record 63 complications (the previous record-holding Vacheron Constantin Ref. 57260 from 2015 housed 57 complications).

 

Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication
Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers - The Berkley Grand Complication

Its full list of functions takes up almost three pages, so we'll focus on the main premier— the world's first Chinese perpetual calendar, which is also accompanied by a Gregorian perpetual calendar, astronomical indications, and a business calendar compliant with the calendar-and-clock format standard ISO 8601.

 

The main challenge for the masters at Vacheron Constantin was to show the complicated Chinese system based on the 19-year Metonic cycle, where the length of months and years is determined by the movements of the Sun and Moon.

 

For example, the Chinese lunisolar calendar needs the addition of an intercalary or embolismic month every two to three years. They're calculated using a 60-year sexagesimal cycle, and the famous 12 Chinese zodiac signs are just one of the calendar's functions. 

Chinese New Year falls on different dates each year. And that's another challenge that William R. Berkley (or most likely his heirs) will need to visit Vacheron Constantin once every twenty years to have a new New Year disk fitted. And as you've probably guessed, that doesn't cancel out February 29 once every four years.

 

The hand-wound caliber 3752 with a 60-hour power reserve which evolved from the previous record-breaking Ref. 57260 comprises 2877 components (it required 245 jewels alone). On top of that, 31 hands and 9 disk indications were also needed for the 63 complications.

 

The movement was developed and assembled by three watchmakers over an eleven-year period.  It's also worth mentioning that the watch has a carillon Westminster chiming function with five gongs and five hammers, alarms, a split-seconds chronograph, and a spherical armillary tourbillon.

 

The chart on the dial doesn't map the sky New York, it depicts the starry sky over Shanghai. The watch case measures 98 mm in diameter and 50.55 mm in height. It's made of white gold. No official price has been revealed, but it's rumored to be in the range of the USD 10 million mark.


Patek Philippe World Time with Date Ref. 5330G-001


Strictly speaking, this model debuted last summer, when Patek Philippe held their "Watch Art" grand exhibition in Tokyo. The watch was welcomed into the Rare Handcrafts collection. It was given a unique dial with quite a rare "carbon motif" form of guilloché engraving.

 

Collectors who appreciate watches by Patek Philippe won't need any further explanation. The main technical novelty here is a clever date system. It's integrated into Louis Cottier's good old world-time mechanism, which allows globetrotters to easily set the local time on their travels using the 24-hour scale and ring of cities.

 

Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5330G-001
Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5330G-001

Now if you adjust the time, pass midnight, or cross the International Date Line (middle of the Pacific Ocean) from west to east, the date hand is automatically indexed to display the correct date. And that's not as simple as it sounds.

 

In order to achieve this, the masters at Patek Philippe had to invent an extra mechanism with a differential to perform this synchronizing switch.

 

By the way, the calendar hand has also been made of glass for the first time in this watchmaker's history. No limits have been set for this model yet: place an order, and it's yours. That is if you can put down a solid USD 76,590.


Rolex Perpetual 1908 Ref. 52506

The platinum Perpetual 1908 watch in 39-mm case was the biggest sensation from this industry giant, and not the GMT-Master II "Gris Noir" or the all yellow-gold Deepsea. This model was given a fairly frosty reception when it debuted last year.

 

Fans of the brand were left scratching their heads, wondering why the watchmaker had suddenly decided to enter the market for classic black-tie watches. Was it to compete with Patek Philippe's Calatrava or Vacheron Constantin's Patrimony?

 

But the designers at Rolex had worked hard on this version of the model, filling the empty space on the dial blank with a guilloché rice-grain motif, encircling the traditional "chemin de fer" minute track in rings of guilloché, and making the watch look a new type of perfection. This particularly sets off the ice blue dial Rolex traditionally uses on their platinum models.

 

Rolex Perpetual 1908 Ref. 52506
Rolex Perpetual 1908 Ref. 52506

At the same time, Rolex describes the most traditional way they've chosen to decorate the dials: the dials are engine turned, similar to the way watchmakers in the 18th century would configure a graver on a typical lathe, then manually set it in motion.

 

Introduced last year, caliber 7140 was the first to combine the trademark Syloxi silicon hairspring with a patented Chronergy escapement. The resulting "Superlative Chronometer" movement runs at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph) with a 66-hour power reserve.

 

But the price of the platinum novelty makes it even more astonishing: USD 30,900. In other words, it must have been intentionally lowered: the Tudor Black Bay 58 that also debuted at Watches and Wonders in a gold case is more expensive: USD 32,100.

When has a watch by Rolex ever been cheaper than a watch by Tudor? But ultimately, what we have here is the most attractive watch in every sense of the word, and a fresh piece on the dress-watch market. Moreover, the price isn't the only reason why this watch is worth buying. The Perpetual 1908 Ref. 52506 will grow more valuable over time as the premier Rolex guilloché dial.

 

Voutilainen Tourbillon 20th Anniversary

 

This magnificent steel tourbillon has been described as this year's top new release by an independent watchmaker. The watchmaker has dedicated it to the 20th anniversary of his small company.

 

And it's inspired by Kari Voutilainen's very first pocket watch tourbillon, which also marks a milestone 30th anniversary this year. The novelty exhibits all the traits that make this Finnish watchmaker a favorite on the pre-owned watch market.

An aesthetic design, the TBL22 movement's flawlessly reliable construction around double barrels, and captivating decoration rendered by hand. The model is limited to 61 pieces: 20 in platinum, white-gold, or rose-gold cases measuring 39.5mm in diameter, plus just one in steel.

 

Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon – Blue Dial


This watchmaker who has devoted much of his life to the grand maison of Patek Philippe continues to develop his eponymous brand with resounding success. Now Laurent Ferrier has introduced his first watch with an annual calendar and moon-phase display.

 

A quick reminder: an annual calendar is one that only needs to be adjusted once a year at the end of February, and can remember whether all the rest of the months have 30 or 31 days on its own. But the big debut for this watchmaker is the moon-phase display, which is why it's foregrounded in the name of the watch.

 

Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Blue
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Blue
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver
Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon Silver

The hand-wound Caliber LF126.02 he has created has a balance frequency of 3 Hz, and an 80-hour power reserve. The annual calendar indicates the day with a hand, which can be adjusted using the pusher on the side at 10 o'clock.

 

Readings on the moon-phase display for two hemispheres can be adjusted using the pusher positioned between 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock, while the remaining indications can be adjusted with the winding crown. Needless to say, the caliber has been finished and decorated by hand to the watchmaker's well-known highest standards of quality.

 

Laurent Ferrier isn't taking any orders yet, but we suggest you hurry if you want to get your hands on one, because as soon as the watchmaker feels he's made enough of them, he'll stop taking orders.

The version of the model in a steel case measuring 40 mm in diameter and 12.9 mm in height with a light gray opaline dial and white-gold hands is very popular. The watchmaker has priced it at CHF 70,000 excluding taxes. But there's also another version of Laurent Ferrier's Classic Moon in red gold with a silver eggshell-colored dial. It's CHF 10,000 dearer.

 

Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II With Ruby Indices

 

A hot favorite among collectors at the auctions, Rexhep Rexhepi has launched another version of his wonderful chronometer. Now it comes in a rose-gold case that measures 38 mm in diameter and 8.75 mm in height.

 

Novelty got an ivory-colored Grand Feu enamel dial and large stretched-out indices made of trapezoidal rubies at ten-minute intervals apart from the 6 o'clock mark, where the small seconds dial can be found. For some reason, this model has been met with more excitement than the platinum one.

 

Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II With Ruby Indices
Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II With Ruby Indices
Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II With Ruby Indices
Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II With Ruby Indices

Casemaking has also been overseen by the famous 84-year-old master Jean-Pierre Hagmann, which is confirmed by the "JP" hallmark stamped on the lugs securing the strap. It still houses the same manually wound RRCC II movement—magnificent both in terms of how it has been constructed and finished.

 

It has a balance frequency of 21,600 vph and a 82-hour power reserve. We'll refrain from using titles like "best watch of our time", although many have already proclaimed creations by this Geneva-based watchmaker of Albanian descent as such.

 

But we agree that his pieces are some of the best. The model will be launched as a limited edition of 10 pieces priced around CHF 100,000 a pop. In summary, we can say that we viewed the novelties of 2024 with interest.

Of course, there were other worthy contenders, such as A.  Lange and Söhne's Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold "Lumen", Piaget's Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, which is the world's thinnest tourbillon, the truly timeless IWC Portugieser Eternal Calendar, the new version of the Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-Force Tourbillon...

 

But we see one obvious drawback: we'd like to see these manufacturers conduct a clearer auction policy. Then we'd be delighted to add their premiers to our shortlist for long-term investment.

 

Credits taken from: www.watchesandwonders.com, www.hodinkee.com and official websites of manufacturers