Interesting Pieces from Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025
While there are entirely too many debuts to discuss here, I've listed some of my favorite pieces.
Each spring, companies, timepiece experts, content creators, and watch aficionados alike descend onto Geneva. Rolex, Patek Philippe, and The Richemont Group came together just three years ago to create the Watches and Wonders Foundation. In just a few years it has become the preeminent global watch convention with nearly 50,000 people in attendance last year. Brands have used this opportunity to debut their latest pieces to generate buzz and PR opportunities. While I didn’t get a chance to attend this year, I’m aiming to get to the fall’s conference in Shanghai this August, so stay tuned for that. Until then, let’s dive into some of my favorite watches that premiered last week.
Fair warning: I will not be mentioning the Rolex Land Dweller in this list. When the teaser video first dropped I was very excited about it, but the more I looked at it, the more I thought it was way too close to the Tissot PRX that has a similar colorway. Beautiful watch, but not high on my list compared to what follows.
Tag Heuer F1 Solargraph
Retail Price: $1,800
Tag Heuer is getting back to its roots within the racing world. A few months ago it was announced that they’d be returning to their role as F1’s official timekeeper for the 2025 season. They were the first luxury brand to have their logo featured on an F1 racecar in 1969 and debut their original F1 watch a decade later. The updated models come with a 38mm case and a quartz movement. You can select watches that have either the steel bracelet or rubber straps of various colors. Different colors will be released during different times of the year depending on the upcoming race - black, white and red will go on sale in time for the Miami GP while black and yellow will be available just in time for Mexico’s race. Included in your purchase is a travel kit, which might come in handy if that’s the only watch you’re traveling with, but personally I prefer to have the larger cases that can hold three to four at a time. Not pictured, but they also made a similar version of this watch for a partnership with Kith and the clothing brand’s founder Ronnie Fieg. This team has clearly been busy as of late.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40 (18K Gold)
Retail Price: $46,600
IWC’s Ingenieur was originally released in 1955 and later reformatted by Gérald Genta in 1979 to directly compete with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Patek Philippe’s Nautilus at a lower price point. While they released a host of watches in this collection with various dial colors, materials, and features, this one in particular caught my eye. It has a 40mm case but is still thin so as to appeal to a wider audience of various wrist sizes. It’s made of 75% pure gold with an alloy mix of silver and copper, allowing it to combine a luxury look and feel while still maintaining durability. It has a 32111 automatic movement movement (a non-COSC version the movement in other Richemont Group watches), and a power reserve of 120 hours. It’s important to note that the other Ingenieur models come in at tens of thousands of dollars cheaper, so it’ll be interesting to see if IWC’s brand is strong enough to compete with other companies at higher price points.
Cartier Privé Tank a Guichets
Retail Price: Unavailable
Cartier first introduced the tank model in 1917 and has been producing different versions of it ever since. Even though it doesn’t have an electronic screen like you’d see on an Apple Watch, this is considered a digital watch because of how the time is displayed with numbers instead of a dial. This was popularized in the 1930s during the Tank a Guichets initial release because people were simply moving faster in their everyday lives and wanted a different means of telling time. For Cartier fans, you might have a slightly better chance of getting one of the three above. Traditionally these models have only been released over the years in small quantities (usually never more than 200 at a time). There are plenty of people in the watch community and outside of it that simply do not like this version. I, on the other hand, really like it because of how different it is and the fact that it’s similar to its vintage predecessor.
Hermès Arceau Le Temps Suspendu
Retail Price: Unavailable
Most people think about the Birkin when they hear Hermes, and there are plenty of watch critics who think they’re just a fashion brand that happens to make watches. But they’ve been producing timepieces for over a century, and while not every release is a huge hit, they definitely know what they’re doing. This particular piece is a reinterpretation of a 2011 release. The phrase Le Temps Suspendu in english translates to “suspended time.” This watch incorporates a feature where you can press the left button and the minute and hour hands will immediately go to 12 and stay there until you press the button again, when the watch will catch up to the current time. Philippe Delhotal, Hermès’ creative director of watchmaking, says they wanted to make their mark on the industry by creating something that felt like you could stop time and enjoy the company of your friends, read a book, etc without constantly looking at your watch. The case size is 42mm with an alligator/calfskin blend for the strap. They also made sure that the dial color matched the strap color, and you’ll see this with the other watches in this collection as well.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Enamel ‘Shahnameh’
Retail Price: $142,000
For those who aren’t familiar with the reverso, it’s a specific kind of watch that’s able to flip onto its face. Jaeger-LeCoultre was the first brand to come out with this type of watch in 1931. The design came from a businessman named César de Trey, who had the idea while watching a group of British officers play polo. Their watches were constantly getting damaged during the match and they needed a solution without having to take them off. This design quickly rose to fame and has been copied by several brands in all price categories, but people specifically think of JLC when a reverso comes up in conversation. This new model references a Persian poem and artwork about polo players. Gold flakes are scattered throughout and it takes the painter roughly three weeks to recreate this tiny bit of art. It commands a high price, and given how detailed the watch is, only 10 will be produced in the world.