For the past few years, LVMH has gathered watch and luxury journalists together to debut its latest models in January, a few months ahead of the major trade shows. This year, the luxury group decamped to Miami, where it set up shop in South Beach and dazzled watch writers with shiny Octo Finissimos, sport Carrera Chronographs, and much more. The four watch brands beneath the LVMH — not counting Louis Vuitton itself, that is, which is creating stunning pieces in its own right, and is currently revamping the Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta names as well — offer a wide range of watches in different price categories, from sub-$10,000 to, well…use your imagination. For our picks of the best debuts of the year (so far), read on…
TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph DATO
If you’re a fan of the Carrera — and what self-respecting watch nerd isn’t?! — you’re probably aware that its almost laughably clean design was born in 1963 without a date window. However, by 1966, Heuer had added one at 12 o’clock, creating the first “Dato” variant of the famed racing chronograph. Then, in 1968, the design was altered once more, with the window taking up residence at 9 o’clock, and a single, 45-minute chronograph totalizer appearing at 3 o’clock. This unconventional arrangement later inspired the brand’s 2021 collab with HODINKEE in the form of a similar model, albeit with a 30-minute totalizer. For 2024, Heuer is carting the “Dato 45” arrangement over to its newer “Glassbox” Carrera case, offering a model with a striking teal-green racing dial and a crystal that curves completely over the inner 1/5th-seconds flange. The result, as with any Glassbox Carrera watch, is tidy, handsome, and contemporary feeling — albeit with a spot of vintage flair. (There’s also a tourbillon-equipped version available for the haute horlogerie fans out there.)
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre TH20-07 Automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Key Feature: Date at 9 o’clock; single chronograph totalizer
- Price: $6,550
TAG Heuer Carrera Date Plasma Diamant D’avant Garde
Maybe diamond-studded timepieces aren’t your thing — and that’s totally fine. But it behooves you to pay attention to what TAG Heuer is doing within the realm of lab-grown diamonds, creating mind-blowing watches integrating stones in truly innovative ways. While some of these creations are on the larger side, the newer series of 36mm Carrera watches is much more wearable. Joining the first launch in the sub-collection with its pink diamond crown and shield is a new iteration in yellow: Housed in a 36mm white gold case, it features 4.8 carats of lab-grown diamonds, with 1.4 carats of yellow diamonds taking pride of place. A sparkling, 2.9-carat polycrystalline dial features baguette-cut diamond indices and a beautiful, yellow diamond TAG Heuer shield logo, which is joined by a positively enormous 1.3-carat yellow diamond crown. Utilizing Chemical Vapor Deposition technology — which TAG Heuer calls “Plasma” — the company is able to achieve beautiful shades of uniform color. The results, which speak for themselves, are truly beautiful.
- Diameter: 39mm
- Movement: TAG Heuer Calibre 7 Automatic
- Water Resistance: TBD
- Key Feature: Lab-grown diamond components; polycrystalline dial
- Price: TBD
Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar
Here’s a bit of watch lore this author was unaware of until recently: It seems that when Zenith was developing the groundbreaking El Primero automatic chronograph movement, it designed the original calibre to accommodate triple date/moonphase functionality, building 25 prototypes housed in the round A386 case. However, these watches never received a commercial launch, and the complication only saw the light of day later in the ‘70s in the more futuristic A781 and similar cases. Now, Zenith is resurrecting this most useful of complications in the form of the Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar. Available in three iterations on either a steel three-link bracelet or a calfskin strap, it features a 38mm A386-style case with either a silver-white opaline, slate-grey opaline, or sunburst olive green dial (boutique only) with a triple-register chronograph display; day and month apertures at 10 and 2 o’clock; a date display at 4:30; and a moon phase display integrated into the running seconds display at 6 o’clock. Water resistant to 50m, this perhaps isn’t the chronograph one takes into the pool, but for dressier applications or travel, it’s a handsome, compelling new offering from a storied maison.
- Diameter: 38mm
- Movement: Zenith El Pimero Calibre 3600 automatic
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Key Feature: Complete calendar with moonphase display
- Price: $13,400-$13,900
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Zenith Chronomaster Sport
Ever since its launch in 2021, Zenith’s Chronomaster Sport has done two things exceedingly well: 1) Provide an alternative aesthetic/use case for the brand’s envelope-pushing, hi-beat El Primero automatic chronograph movement; 2) Provide watch buyers an alternative to the near impossible-to-buy Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. While some in the watch community will rail incessantly against the model’s similarity to that most famous of chronographs, it’s tough to deny that the Chronomaster Sport is a good-looking, versatile model perfect for everyday wear. And while the latest iteration of the complicated, robust watch is only going to help bolster the “Daytona Derivative” crowd, many Zenith die-hards out there will inevitably rejoice at the news that there’s now a precious-metal, gem-set reference available. Housed in an 18-carat rose gold case with a matching bracelet, its bezel features colored sapphires, diamonds and spinels, while its meteorite dial features the El Primero’s signature tri-color, triple-register chronograph layout. Paired to a matching gold bracelet, this is one hell of a statement piece — and admittedly provides a fine alternative to a certain “Rainbow” watch we all know and love…
- Diameter: 41mm
- Movement: Zenith El Primero 3600 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Key Feature: Fully gold case and bracelet; gem-set bezel; meteorite dial
- Price: $98,600
Hublot MP-10 Tourbillon Weight Energy System Titanium
Hublot is among the more inventive maisons in the haute horlogerie space, constantly pushing the boundaries of what constitutes a wristwatch. In its new MP-10, it takes on the challenge of rethinking the common horological paradigm entirely, offering something more akin to an MB&F-ish, science fiction-esque, wrist-worn instrument than a conventional timepiece. The MP-10 consists not of a round, flat case with a flat dial and simple bracelet, but a sophisticated, cylindrical enclosure crafted from titanium that resembles the engine in an F1 vehicle. Within said enclosure, there is no conventional dial — rather, there are multiple rotating discs that indicate the hours; minutes; power reserve; and seconds. (The seconds are printed on a tourbillon, constructed of monobloc aluminum, rotated 35 degrees from the rest of the display.) Meanwhile, dual white gold oscillating weights either side of the “dial” travel along a vertical axis to wind the watch, which is wound via a crown atop the hours/minutes display, and set via the caseback. Limited to 50 pieces, this extraordinary timekeeper is aimed at serious Hublot collectors, but can — and should — be admired by the rest of us.
- Diameter: 41.5mm
- Movement: Hublot HUB9013 Manufacture automatic
- Water Resistance: 30m
- Key Feature: Unique rotating time displays; tourbillon; titanium/aluminum construction
- Price: CHF 250,000
Hublot Big Bang Unico Green SAXEM
It’s hard to miss Hublot’s brightly colored Big Bang Unico SAXEM watches. Generally measuring somewhere in the neighborhood of 42-44mm and constructed from transparent SAXEM material — more on that in a moment — they’re eye-catching, sophisticated, and unique. Speaking of that “SAXEM” stuff: It’s sort of like regular-ole sapphire, but in this case, aluminum oxide is mixed with rare earth elements to achieve wild colors and a four-sided structure. Rather than simply add a new color to an older model, the Swiss brand from Nyon has outfitted its new Green model with the MHUB1280 UNICO 2, an in-house, automatic chronograph movement with flyback capability and column wheel operation. Finished in black PVD, the movement’s components are visible via the SAXEM material and transparent dial, while the lume used on the indices and hands has been color-matched to the case. Limited to 100 pieces, this is most certainly not a watch that’s gonna fly under the radar…but we dare say that that’s not exactly the point of any Hublot!
- Diameter: 42mm
- Movement: Hublot MHUB1280 UNICO 2 automatic
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Key Feature: Green SAXEM case; flyback-equipped chronograph
- Price: TBD
Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tuscan Copper
Launched in 2014, the Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo collection would go on to take the watch world by storm, securing eight records for slimness in just eight years. Its purest expression, the Octo Finissimo Automatic, measures just 2.33mm thick, and has been recast in multiple iterations since its launch in 2017 — including in a recent yellow gold version with a shimmering blue dial. New for 2024 is a reference crafted from 904L stainless steel featuring a beautiful “Tuscan copper” dial, a riff on the ever-popular “salmon” color that’s taken the watch world by storm over the past five years. Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, the brand’s Product Creation Executive Director, took inspiration from his study of 16th-century Mannerism — particularly the painter Jacopo da Pontormo, who was known for his use of vivid, metallic hues. Powered by the in-house Bulgari BVL 138 movement, it features an impressive power reserve of 60 hours.
- Diameter: 40mm
- Movement: Bulgari Caliber BVL 138 automatic
- Water Resistance: 100m
- Key Feature: Copper-colored dial; ultra-thin automatic movement
- Price: TBD
Bulgari Bulgari
Launching just shy of 50 years since the debut of the original, the new Bulgari Bulgari watch celebrates star designer Gérald Genta’s original creation, which itself took inspiration from ancient Roman coins. Twice signed with the Bulgari wordmark around the bezel, the original was an 18K yellow gold digital watch given to the firm’s best clients as a gift — however, the design proved so popular that the maison was compelled to put it into production. This year, Bulgari is relaunching the collection in two forms: a 38mm yellow gold version with a black dial or rose gold version with a white dial, both powered by automatic movements; or a 26mm version in both color combinations, powered by a quartz movement and measuring just 6.35mm thick. Fairly reserved with the exception of the numismatically-inspired bezel, they successfully adapt a watch born in the Quartz Crisis to modern tastes and sensibilities.
- Diameter: 38mm; 26mm
- Movement: Bulgari Caliber BVL191 automatic; quartz movement
- Water Resistance: 50m
- Key Feature: Signed bezel
- Price: TBD
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