Watches inform us concerning the current or the previous; the long run is mostly out of attain, besides at a good just like the lately concluded Watches and Wonders Geneva. You may need caught a few of our favourites and highlights over the past week, and doubtless caught up on all of the information wherever you get your horological repair. So, what does all of it say concerning the 12 months of watchmaking that’s to come back? In 2024, the reply is easy: high-value treasured steel fashions.
Gold is king at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024 and right here we are going to danger repeating ourselves as a result of Rolex and Patek Philippe distinguished themselves with a big majority of novelties within the treasured stuff. If one provides platinum into the combo, then treasured metals dominate. The dominant market power and essentially the most distinguished status participant have however one new chrome steel mannequin between them. We might by no means have imagined typing that sentence earlier than the honest began and it nonetheless feels unbelievable. And but it’s merely a reality. Make no mistake although, it’s nonetheless the period of sports activities class however maybe we will name this sports activities class elevated (SEE).
This isn’t solely concerning the crimson gold TAG Heuer Skipper, the complete gold Tudor Black Bay 58 and the Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono Gray Metal and Gold but additionally the all-gold Parmigiani Fleurier Toric the place dials and calibres are additionally in gold. We may go on and listing extra, and we are going to. Each of the novelties at A. Lange & Sohne are in treasured metals and so is the only real Ulysse Nardin Freak S Nomad, clearly. At IWC, all the new Portogieser Horizon Blue variant is just in white gold whereas the brand new Duometre watches at Jaeger-LeCoultre are completely in gold, besides the chrome steel Quatieme Lunaire. Evidently, the Piaget Polo 79 is a giant previous gold brick, whereas nearly all of Cartier’s 66 novelties this 12 months are in treasured metals, and that goes as much as 100% at Van Cleef & Arpels.
In case your first thought in listening to all that is that issues are going to get costly, you might be after all appropriate. It’s not a response to rising wealth on the earth. You may need observed from current information studies on Swiss watchmaking exports that issues are hardly trying up. Fairly the alternative. It might be although that demand for the costliest types of watches is extra resilient (as historical past demonstrates), so the attraction for watchmakers is evident. As well as, margins are higher within the treasured metals recreation (although not essentially in problems however that’s one other matter) and firms reminiscent of Rolex and Patek Philippe wish to reward their retail companions. Just a few that we spoke with agreed.
To make sure, that is one interpretation of the novelties of 2024 however we really feel assured that it’s a very apparent one. Additionally it is of apparent concern for collectors and fanatics, who’ve been primarily involved in metal watches – it’s downright ominous for followers of bronze and different novelty supplies. Rolex didn’t even introduce extra fashions in titanium however possibly it should dedicate a whole 12 months for this, simply because it did with treasured metals in 2024.
For extra on the luxurious watch reads and the newest in Watches and Wonders Geneva 2024, click on right here.