The trip to Geneva was short and compressed this year. In three days I visited 16 brands, all located in or in the proximity of the Beau Rivage hotel. When I look at my social media timelines the talking pieces this year are the Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing, with 1.65mm the thinnest mechanical wristwatch ever, and the Moser x Studio Underdog, bringing us a fruitful set of watches. But there is more, much more. Here’s an glimpse of some of the novelties that met our camera in the past days.
Breitling 140th Anniversary trio
To celebrate the brands 140th anniversary, Breitling surprised with a pure gold trilogy honouring their most important collections. The Super Chronomat (shown here), the Navitimer and the Datora are presented in pure gold and fitted with the new B19 calibre, a perpetual calendar. Impressive pieces in size and weight, each watch is limited to 140 pieces and comes at a price of €55,000 each. A hefty book with the specific watch on the cover will be offered to each buyer.
Frederique Constant Classic Moonphase Date and Classic Tourbillon Manufacture
When it comes to in-house calibres Frederique Constant has a lot to choose from. More than 30 different calibres were developed since the mid-2000’s, and this week the brand takes the Moonphase Date and Tourbillon, both in the Classic case model, and add an exotic dial to each. The Classic Tourbillon has a glittering bleu aventurine dial and comes in 36 pieces, while the Moonphase (in white gold) has a fantastic green malachite dial. A fantastic looking watch from every angle.
Gerald Charles Maestro 4.0 Ducati 30 Anniversario 916
Octavio Garcia, chief designer of the ambitious Gerald Charles, took inspiration from the Ducati 916 motorbike, the bike that changed the game of motor design 30 years ago. In collaboration with Ducati this has resulted in a new iteration of the Maestro. It revives the jumping hour complication and in combination with the red accents and the marbled-black forged carbon case it makes a completely new watch. Only 250 will be made.
Microbrand tip: Depancel
During my trip I was introduced to Depancel, a young French brand with a fresh collection of affordable sport chronographs. All inspired by autosports and attractively priced, this is a brand to look at!
So far for only a small glimpse of the Geneva Watch Days novelties. Stay tuned!
