There was no shortage of sensational watches at the Genevan Watches & Wonders trade show, but we're bringing you our pick of the ones that are the most promising from a long-term investment point of view.
Rolex GMT-Master II Ref. 126720VTNR
This latest Rolex is exceptional for a number of its specs. For the first time in the manufacturer's history, Rolex is releasing a model for lefties with the winding crown on the left-hand side. This is also the first bezel decorated with a green and black color combo in Rolex history.
Fans in the Rolex community quickly dubbed it "Sprite" in line with the same system used to name the red and blue "Pepsi" bezel, although the new nicknamed hasn't stuck yet. Last but not least, for the first time in history of the GMT-Master, the automatic manufacture 3285 movement features.
As the conventional hour, minute and central seconds hands, central 24-hour hand for a second time zone, instantaneous date, a frequency of 4 Hz and a 70-hour power reserve. The GMT-Master II for lefties is CHF 500 more expensive. The watch on an Oyster bracelet is priced at CHF 10,500, while the one on a Jubilee bracelet is CHF 10,700. It remains to be seen how long it stays in Rolex's production line.
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5226G
Ref. 5270 is the collector's Holy Grail, both beautiful and farsighted, yet still "only" a further development of the watch which debuted eleven years ago. That's why the overview should note that this seems to be the novelty Patek Philippe was intent on replacing the steel Nautilus with — the bestselling watch in recent years.
Calatrava Ref. 5226G in its 40 mm case which offers a relatively shallow water resistance of 30 m runs on the same automatic manufacture movement as Nautilus: 26-330 S C. Its design leans towards that of a sports watch and it has an unconventional textured charcoal gray dial. Hands, indexes and applied gold numerals have a generous coating of lume.
The watch also comes with a polished bezel tilted at an angle of almost 45 degrees and has the Clous de Paris guilloché pattern around its caseband. The letter "G" for gold will probably only be in the reference temporarily. There'll soon be a version released with the letter "A" for "steel" (acier in French), and it'll probably be an even bigger hit with fans of the brand.
Let's not forget the reason Nautilus was discontinued — President Thierry Stern didn't want the great Patek Philippe & Co. to become a one-hit wonder for simple steel sports watches. As a matter of fact, it would actually be better for the watchmaker to be associated with the no less iconic Calatrava.
Vacheron Constantin 222
Almost all of Vacheron Constantin's novelties are worthy of collector's attention. But the one which is bound to be this year's leader is a remake of the 222 model that turned heads in 1977. It was designed by a young Jorg Hysek as Vacheron's answer to Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe's Nautilus.
The current watch with its standard tonneau-shaped case, round notched bezel and integrated bracelet differs from the original in that it’s easier to read and has a new movement. Replacing the legendary ultra-thin VC 1120, it now houses the new automatic manufacture Cal. 2455/2 which measures 3.6 mm in height and beats at a frequency of 28 800 vph.
The 37 mm case has stood the test of time. It’ll go on sale in September this year and will only be available at Vacheron Constantin boutiques. The 222 belongs to the sport de luxe watch category, like the current bestselling Overseas with a wait list that stretches as far as mid-2025.
That's why it's more than likely the manufacture will release a few 222 watches in limited quantities over the next two to three years before discontinuing it, which will make the current release one of the most coveted rarities of our time.
Cartier Masse Mystérieuse
This is probably the most unusual mechanical watch of the year. It fuses two unique ideas from the iconic Parisian Maison: the magical transparent Secret Watch and ingenious Astrotourbillon.
The watch movement is itself enclosed in the rotor, which fulfils its basic function of automatic winding while simultaneously compensating the effect gravity has on timekeeping accuracy like a tourbillon.
The automatic manufacture Caliber 9801 MC is the most complicated movement in Cartier's history — it took eight years to create. It fits into a case which is 43.5 mm in diameter and 12.64 mm in height. Only 30 of these models will be available with the price at launch of EUR 250,000 a pop. Given that this is a revolutionary watch in every sense of the word, collectors shouldn't need to think twice about whether it's worth investing in.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Caliber 948
Over the last 20 years, the Grande Maison has regularly delighted with watches setting world records for complications which are both technically advanced and perfected from an aesthetic point of view. A significant number of these functions have now been brought together in the Master Grande Tradition Calibre 948.
This is where the current best one-minute tourbillon with its signature crystal gongs and trebuchet hammers meets the outstanding orbital flying tourbillon with its sophisticated World Time indication, and the finest astronomical and zodiac calendar with the most reliable sidereal time indication.
And we haven't even gotten to the design! This is the first time the dial that has been decorated with grisaille enamel, which requires many hours of the most painstaking work. Oh, yes! And this watch paired with another called Hybris Artistica Caliber 945 make up a collector's set.
The model in a 43 mm pink-gold case measuring 14.13 in height is called Galaxia, while the one in white gold is called Atomium. Only 20 of these models will be available for USD 227,000.