The Best of Geneva Watch Days, According to 8 Experts
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We recently reported on how 13 watch-industry leaders would compare their watches to cars, as well as some other playful questions for this typically reserved crowd. Now its time to turn to the experts for comment on the timepieces that made a splash at Geneva Watch Days.
We spoke to a cohort of dealers, collectors, and tastemakers about the models that caught their eyes—and stole their hearts—at the decentralized event, which took place Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 in locations throughout Geneva. Sylvain Berneron’s Daliesque Mirage model—especially in its new 34 mm stone-dial iteration—earned several mentions, as did De Bethune’s DB28xs Aérolite, the pink gold tourbillon from Daniel Roth and the groundbreaking ThinKing prototype from the Russian watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin.
But in keeping with the “come one, come all” spirit of the event, Geneva Watch Days served up timepieces for every taste. Here’s what the experts thought of the releases.
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Mike Nouveau, dealer and influencer
“Probably the most fascinating watch of the week was Konstantin Chaykin’s new record-breaking ThinKing watch, which beats all previous thinness records at an impossibly thin 1.65 mm. However, the watch that really had me up at night was Sylvain Berneron’s new smaller sized Mirage, in both lapis and tiger-eye stone dials.”
Phil Toledano, collector and cofounder of Toledano & Chan
“Geneva was a weapons-grade snoozefest. Maybe something is wrong with me. I see so many watches that I call ‘70 percent watches’ because they only get 70 percent of the way there, like a beautiful paragraph with misplaced punctuation. There are so few original ideas, so few people trying to develop a language of their own.
“I really admire Sylvain Berneron [and his new shaped watch, the Mirage]. I get there’s a connection to the [Cartier] Crash, but the stone-dial watches he’s come out with represent a refreshing new design language. As an aesthetics-driven person, it’s the thing that seems most original and most wholly balanced. I feel like a lot of things are off balance, not literally but poetically. [The Mirage] is harmonious. A lot of watch design is not harmonious—it hasn’t been thought through all the way.”
William Massena, founder, Massena LAB
“The most ‘left field’ and unexpected [introduction] for me was the H. Moser x Studio Underd0g collab, which was a fun last cocktail to end the month of August. Also, Konstantin Chaykin’s new ThinKing watch, now most likely the thinnest mechanical watch [prototype], was shocking. The fact that a tiny independent watchmaker went head-to-head with the likes of Piaget, Bulgari, and Richard Mille demonstrates that high horology and independent watchmaking are not done amazing us.”
Roni Madhvani, collector
“As a collector of design genre watches for over three decades, [I think it’s] wonderful to see this category getting mainstream attention and recognition. Innovative design is absolutely a key part of our lives, and the ability to push this envelope forward is important in horology and beyond. The crown deservedly goes to Sylvain Berneron—his Mirage has a permanent position in the pantheon of watch design. A special mention goes to Matteo [Violet-Vianello] for his more affordable and unique Anoma watch.
Mark Cho, cofounder, the Armoury
“There were so many great watches to come out of Geneva Watch Days, my favorite would be the [Albishorn x Massena LAB] Maxigraph. There are so many wonderful things to behold on this watch. From the colorful and well-laid-out typography to the significant improvements to the workhorse ETA 7750 chronograph movement, it’s a very fresh take on the classic sports chronograph. Hats off to the team who put it together, really great work.”
Asher Rapkin, cofounder, Collective Horology
“Several watches caught me by surprise at Geneva Watch Days this year. I’m biased as a retailer of the brand, but I’m deeply in love with the new Speake Marin Ripples Skeleton. At 6.33 mm in thickness, the watch is breathtakingly thin, with a brand-new calibre all its own and a phenomenal wrist presence. The trend of risk tasking and innovative design came to life across multiple brands: I was taken by the new HYT T1, Code41’s Mecascape, the Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing, and the Daniel Roth Tourbillon.”
Chris Daaboul, founder, EsperLuxe
“The Dual Time GMT Resonance from Armin Strom has to be a candidate for best in show. It has a new movement, and it’s 39 mm now in a white-gold case. Armin Strom uses this really innovative and different approach to resonance than [F.P.] Journe or other people do. They use a clutch spring where the vibrations from both balance wheels are contributing to the accuracy rather than the mainplate of the watch itself.
“But what tends to get lost is how fantastic their finishing is. I think they’re on par with some of the best Swiss watchmaking when it comes to finishing, and the new Resonance watch is a great example of that. The entire bridge for the balance wheels is black polished. Then you have the anglage, the beveling for all the different angles. You’ve got two different finishes on the case plate in the back and then you have this beautiful ice-blue grenage dial for this first edition. I think they’re highly underrated.”
“Another favorite was L’Epée and MB&F’s Albatross clock. Leave it to the oldest clockmaker in Switzerland and one of the most creative minds, Max Büsser, to come up with something like this.
“Finally, De Bethune with their two releases, the DB28xs Steel Wheels and DB28xs Aérolite, further expanding on their XS platform, their 39 mm DB28 model. We’re definitely seeing a move forward on smaller case sizings. The Aérolite has that meteorite guilloche dial, which is just wild. And they thermally heat it so it’s flame-fired to turn a purplish-blue. And before they do that, it’s guilloched in their wabi sabi random guilloche pattern. It’s mind-blowing. Its counterpart, the DB28xs Steel Wheels, is basically their take on an openworked watch, now in 39 mm, with articulated lugs.”
Giovanni Prigigallo, cofounder, EveryWatch
“The Daniel Roth Tourbillon in rose gold was amazing, although I still prefer the yellow-gold version that came out a few months ago. It’s thinner than the original, and the sapphire caseback lets you see the beautiful movement inside.
“The De Bethune DB28xs Aérolite really impressed me with how its dial changes colors depending on the light. It’s slim and very easy to wear. Fleming’s Series 1 in tantalum fit perfectly on the wrist, with great proportions—bravo to the team for this first edition!”
Furlan Marri’s Disco Volante, now with a stainless-steel mesh bracelet, looks fantastic and is great value. Last but not least, Sotheby’s Treasure of Time collection was unbelievable, especially the Patek Philippe 1563 split-seconds chronograph, which was the star of the show.”
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