Watches and Wonders, our 10 favorite watches - Part II

As you know, we strolled among all these magnificent timepieces, and some of them have caught our attention a little more. We present you our last 5 favorites of this 2023 edition. 

Laurent Ferrier, a shared passion

It all started with the meeting of a man, Laurent Ferrier, who had made a career in a prestigious Geneva watchmaking company, and his accomplice, François Servanin, who shared a passion for cars. The former hoped one day to create his own timepiece. The latter gave him the opportunity to make his dream come true. This is how the Laurent Ferrier brand was born, with models inspired by motor racing.

The latest addition ? The Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit. A watch with a surprising salmon-pink dial (which may come as a surprise for a 44mm diameter watch), reminiscent of the sunrise during the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race, according to its creators. And what about its movement? It is a high-level in-house caliber with a tourbillon visible only on the back (one is either a purist or not). The brand dares an ambitious piece with a strong personality. We are told through the headset (earpiece?) that only 15 pieces are produced each year. 

 

Chopard, such a beautiful tribute

This year, salmon seems to be in vogue. Of course, we're not talking about the great migratory fish with pink flesh that swims upstream. Rather, we are talking about Chopard's L.U.C 1860 watch, which is inspired by the very first timepiece produced in this collection. This watch combines a solid gold salmon-colored guilloché dial with the excellence of the L.U.C 96.40-L caliber, certified as a chronometer, wound by a gold micro-rotor and equipped with the two barrels of Chopard Twin technology.

Moreover, the Poinçon de Genève has made its appearance and salutes the meticulous finishing of this pure wonder. There's even a bonus for you if you have an environmentally conscious soul - the 36.6mm case is made of Lucent™ steel, Chopard's exclusive recycled steel. This watch is a real gem! And perhaps, our favorite of this edition (but shh!).

 

Jaeger-LeCoultre and its beautiful Reverso

Its well known that the Vallée de Joux watch manufacturer and its iconic model have a long love affair dating back to 1931. So, to spoil it and pay tribute to it, the brand has decided this year to equip it with the sporty complication par excellence : the chronograph. This new caliber 860 combines a chronograph with a double-sided time display.

This means that there is a synchronized display of the time on both dials. This also implies that one of the dials is essentially running backwards. Specifically, the movement activates two sets of hands that must move in opposite directions to indicate the time in a clockwise direction. Crazy, isn't it? And because beauty isn’t just inside, its aesthetics are reminiscent of the much-loved Tribute models with a steel version and a rose gold version with black and gold accents. The rectangular movement fits into a case less than 10mm thick and the skeletonised dial gives the timepiece a powerful appeal.

 

When Oris takes the stage

This new timepiece is, without going too far, very green. And it's not just any green! It's the color of Kermit the Frog that appears on the dial (bright green, as you may have guessed) of the ProPilot X Calibre 400. This watch features a titanium case and a fairly minimal style, if we ignore the dial color, of course. What is paritcularly amusing is to see Kermit, all smiles, on the first day of each month under the date display at 6 o'clock.

Furthermore, this model is powered by a brilliant movement, the automatic caliber 400, which displays a precision in accordance with the COSC parameters. The case design is quite interesting with a knurled bezel. But it seems to us that the primary function of this watch is simple : to bring joy to the wearer. And isn't that the most important thing?

 

ZENITH, to new heights

The Pilot Big Date Flyback has landed at Watches and Wonders, to the delight of aviation enthusiasts. Whatever the distance or altitude, this model is a call to pursue one's dreams. On the performance side, the new El Primero 3652 caliber, a high-frequency automatic chronograph, offers several new functions. These include an oversized date display with a patented new-generation mechanism that advances and stabilizes the two large date wheels in less than 0.03 seconds.

There is also a flyback function, which allows for consecutive times to be recorded without stopping. The black ceramic version adopts a "black and white" look with white luminescent indexes and hands that constrasts sharply with the black opaline wavy dial. ZENITH has always sought to capture the spirit of aviation pioneers and to see far beyond the horizon. With this timepiece, let's not hesitate: the sky is the limit.

That's it, it's (already) over. The 2023 edition of Watches and Wonders was a great success, and we definitely agree with that. The brands were able to reinvent themselves (not all of them, we admit) by proposing striking and slightly offbeat models for the greatest pleasure of our eyes. While waiting for next year, we will continue to follow watchmaking news and especially to dream !