H. Moser & Cie: Behind the Irreverence Lies Serious Watchmaking

H. Moser & Cie manufacture facade

What does a manufacture that makes watches out of cheese look like…or maybe that should be what could it possibly taste like, never mind how it smells! What if the same manufacture also made a watch out of plants, which were literally alive on the case so it was less a watch than the world’s first and only wrist garden?

We might also wonder about the smell of such a watch, but we digress… Of course, the benefit of making a watch case out of dairy and one that is alive (affectionately dubbed Moser Nature) is that you automatically know which watchmaker we are discussing…if the pictures and description did not spoil it.

The irony is that H. Moser & Cie’s manufacture at Neuhausen am Rheinfall looks pretty much any other contemporary watch manufacturing facility, minus the bombast of some. In many ways, it is the not-perfect- but-just-right expression of a family-owned brand that is steadfast in its independence. H. Moser & Cie., under the quietly defiant stewardship of the Meylan family, has cultivated a reputation for being technically masterful, audaciously creative and, at its best, unexpectedly funny. It is a brand that honours tradition by tastefully (sometimes) breaking its rules, proving that true luxury is, above all, rare. Alright, that is a bit much, even if it is true. Allow us to back all this up, without the help of any one H. Moser & Cie watch…

From Imperial Russia With Love

Endeavour Perpetual Calendar with smoked salmon dial

In the spirit of irreverence, let us say that the story begins not in Switzerland, but in St. Petersburg in 1828, where founder (the properly Swiss and Schaffhausen- born) Heinrich Moser established a brand that would become a favourite of the Romanov court.

An astute industrialist as well as a master watchmaker, Moser later returned to Schaffhausen, where he harnessed the power of the Rhine Falls to build a dam, powering the region’s industrial growth.

Despite the auspicious beginnings, with the brand’s museum estimating that Moser made hundreds of thousands of watches, history had other plans here. Obviously, we need not explain about the Romanovs (it did not end well) and the Swiss operations faded through a series of ownership changes in the 20th century.

For decades, the name was little more than a footnote in the history of watchmaking until 2002, when it was formally revived. The true turning point came in 2012 when the Meylan family, through their holding company MELB, acquired the brand.

Led by the charismatic Edouard Meylan, H. Moser & Cie. was reborn with a new philosophy: to be “Very Rare.” This is not just a marketing slogan; it is a mission statement reflecting its limited annual production of around 4,000 watches, its mastery of approximately 20 in-house calibres, and a proudly contrarian spirit.

A group of watchmakers with traditional and contemporary tools

This boldness has produced some of the most talked-about timepieces in recent memory, from the “Swiss Alp Watch,” a mechanical middle finger to the smartwatch craze, to timepieces made of the aforementioned Swiss cheese (the Swiss Mad watch, which was a powerful commentary on the legally protected Swiss Made standard and remarkably prescient about broader global manufacturing concerns). Yet, beneath the wit lies a deep reverence for aesthetic purity.

Moser’s signature is the fumé (smoked) dial—a stunning gradient of colour that darkens towards the edges, often left completely sterile, free of logos or unnecessary text. The brand’s design philosophy is one of elegant reductionism, perhaps best exemplified by its perpetual calendar, which cleverly uses a small central arrow and the 12 hour indices to indicate the month, decluttering the dial in an act of horological genius.

Engineering Independence

This creative freedom is powered by profound technical independence. At the heart of the Neuhausen am Rheinfall manufacture is its sister company, Precision Engineering AG (PEAG).

This specialist firm is dedicated to producing the most critical components of a watch movement: the balance wheel and, most importantly, the hairspring. PEAG might also manufacture other escapement components, such as the pallet fork and the escape wheel, but we did not see this ourselves.

The tool for getting the hairspring in shape

The hairspring, a minuscule, spiralled wire, is the regulating organ of a watch—its beating heart, as we have sometimes waxed lyrical about. Its quality dictates the timepiece’s accuracy, yet its production is so specialised that only a handful of companies in the world have mastered it. PEAG is one of them.

The process is a marvel of patience and precision, beginning with a 0.6 mm wire of a proprietary alloy named PE5000 (which is as different to Nivarox as Nivachron is to silicon) that is painstakingly drawn over two weeks to a thickness of just 0.01 mm (we are rounding up so you will have to imagine that it is even thinner, if you can).

This wire is then flattened to be finer than a human hair (0.07 mm, if you are counting) before being meticulously hand-coiled – with the help of special tool, as shown in the images – into a perfect spiral. PEAG not only supplies Moser but also a select group of other high- end independent brands, producing up to 800 of these vital components daily.

Streamlined Production

On this note, even a dedicated maker of watches like H. Moser & Cie cannot claim to make everything. The scale simply does not match up, which is evident when you consider how many hairsprings PEAG can make.

Moser says it makes 80 per cent of its calibres,with the remainder produced by Agenhor and Vaucher. These producers, likewise are intertwined with each other, with Moser owning a minority stake in Agenhor. For its cases, Moser relies on the facilities of a Vaucher sister firm, Les Artisans Boitiers, which you can read more about in our revisit of the Parmigiani Fleurier manufacturing sites.

Another stage of hairspring work

Returning to PEAG, among its innovations is the Straumann Double Hairspring®, where two identical hairsprings (a challenge to find!) are paired and set to oscillate in opposite directions. This ingenious system averages out errors in timekeeping rates, achieving a level of precision comparable to a tourbillon but without its complexity or fragility. Moser also has a modular escapement, where the entire regulating organ can be removed as a single unit for servicing. This is a practical innovation, also seen at other more contemporary watchmakers, that streamlines maintenance without compromising performance.

We have spent quite a bit of time on hairsprings and the like but it should be remembered that it is not only PEAG doing the work of making components. The rest of the bridges, plates, pinions and gears are made in-house at Moser, which also shares its capabilities and capacities with Hautlence, another sister company. Like many other manufactures, there are CNC machines, computers and more traditional lathes and the like. Basically, everything you expect from T1 and T2 stage manufacturing is accounted for.

Arguably, all this is not enough to make a manufacture, and H. Moser & Cie gets the idea that people are at the centre of watchmaking. As it happens, for its anniversary this year, Moser has released a series of videos starring its own watchmakers, machine operators and museum curator.

Reimagining Complications

Streamliner Chronograph with funky blue dial

Moser applies its own brand of pragmatism and creativity to high horology. Minute repeaters are engineered with gongs and hammers on the dial side, not hidden within the movement, even if that might be more in tune with the H. Moser & Cie ethos.

Chronographs have been designed with the winding rotor placed on dial side, ensuring that the intricate beauty of the calibre, with its column wheels and levers, is fully visible through the caseback. On the other hand, chronographs have also been made to be to be completely centralised in display style, which is very much in keeping with the Moser way.

Each complication is reconsidered not just for function, but for aesthetic and emotional impact, reflecting the aforementioned ethos: to master time, not just measure it. This commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. Moser has earned prestigious accolades, including the Tourbillon Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. In 2026, it will graduate from the incubator section of the Watches & Wonders fair to the main hall, a move that signals its arrival as a major force in independent watchmaking.

With its current facility at capacity, a new manufacture is already under construction, set to be completed in 2028. If you do visit, we recommend not skipping the museum, where the aforementioned curator will delight in telling you about the fantastic history of the Mosers. You cannot make this stuff up, but we had to skip it here, for brevity.

Parmigiani Fleurier Rewards a Closer Look

*Application of the Geneva stripes at Parmigiani Fleurier*

We go once more into the breach at Parmigiani Fleurier, this time as part of a guided tour with other Asian press. Our last story on this most amazing of watchmaking nodes – the brand itself is just one part of the set-up – covered all the basics of all the constituent parts of what is known as the Parmigiani Watchmaking Centre.

For this run, we are once more not visiting Atokalpa and Elwin, unfortunately, and we acknowledge that these remain significant gaps in our otherwise extensive coverage. Nevertheless, we did get an in-depth rundown on what happens at the aforementioned sites and dutifully sum it up here.

Of course, if you are already relatively familiar with Parmigiani Fleurier, or have read our story from three years ago (it lives on online), nothing has changed at all. We have made an effort to spruce things up with commentary on each of the production sites, based on what might make them valuable…

On that note, the biggest update at Parmigiani Fleurier in the last few years is the news that the entire Parmigiani Watchmaking Centre (PWC), including the brand Parmigiani Fleurier, was and might still be in search of a new owner.

Currently, the whole show is still under the stewardship of the Sandoz Family Foundation. This news (still) offers us another angle to present the information about PWC in a different light, and that is just what we have done.

We begin therefore with the very short list of what Parmigiani Fleurier, which we might use interchangeably with PWC, cannot do. It is really just five items… Parmigiani Fleurier does not make sapphire crystals, synthetic rubies, leather straps, bracelets and mainsprings.

Given that the brand is going great guns with sales of the Tonda PF, which Bloomberg says accounted for an incredible 98 percent of the brand’s sales in 2023, we imagine that plans must be afoot to add bracelet production to the capabilities of Les Artisans Boitiers, or else make a strategic acquisition. The short of it is that there is nothing to report, yet, and nothing rises above the level of rank speculation.

A Foundation In Restoration

*Final stages in checking an assembled watch*

The story of Parmigiani Fleurier is inextricably linked to its founder, Michel Parmigiani. In the heart of the Quartz Crisis of the 1970s, when the Swiss watch industry was wobbling precariously, Michel (whom we address by his first name for clarity) established a workshop dedicated to the near-lost art of restoring antique timepieces.

His extraordinary talent for breathing life back into historical marvels earned him an elite clientele, including the Patek Philippe Museum and, crucially, the Sandoz Family Foundation. To wit, Parmigiani Fleurier CEO Guido Terreni often says Michel has a black belt in watchmaking, thanks to his prowess in restoration.

The foundation, built on the fortune of the Novartis pharmaceutical company, entrusted Michel with maintaining its vast and priceless collection of historical clocks and automata.

This relationship blossomed, and with the foundation’s backing, the Parmigiani Fleurier brand was officially launched in 1996. Its first creation, the Toric QP Rétrograde, immediately established the brand’s identity with its distinctive knurled bezel inspired by classical architecture and its complex, beautifully finished movement.

For Michel himself, restoration is a way to return life to mechanical wonders, without altering the character of the original. This deep understanding of historical mechanics and distinct absence of egotism became the brand’s unshakable foundation.

Manufacturing Powerhouse

*Tonda PF Sport Chronograph No Date in Ultra-Cermet*

To realize this vision of uncompromising quality, Michel and the foundation embarked on an ambitious project: building a vertically integrated industrial hub around Parmigiani Fleurier. This Parmigiani Watchmaking Centre is a constellation of specialist companies, each a master in its own right, giving the brand a level of self- sufficiency that few can claim.

Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier (VMF): The heart of the operation, VMF develops and produces high-end movements for Parmigiani Fleurier. It also supplies a select list of prestigious clients, including Hermès (which owns a 25% stake) and Richard Mille. It is the brand’s central nervous system, handling everything from R&D to final movement assembly and finishing. TAG Heuer’s Movement Strategy Director Carole Forestier-Kasapi calls Vaucher one of the best in the trade; VMF works with TAG Heuer to produce the brand’s split-seconds chronograph movement.

Atokalpa & Elwin: These firms produce the virtually microscopic, high-precision components that are the building blocks of a movement. Atokalpa is a specialist in the regulating organ—the escapement, balance wheel, and even the hairspring—a capability possessed by only a handful of manufactures worldwide. Elwin excels in bar turning, creating a vast array of tiny screws, pinions, and spindles with micron-level precision.

Quadrance & Habillage: This is the dial-making expert. From intricate hand-turned guillochage to the delicate grained finish of the Tonda PF dials—achieved by manually rubbing silver powder onto a brass plate—this is where the face of the watch is given its soul.

Les Artisans Boitiers (LAB): The casemaker, LAB masters both modern CNC machining and traditional hand-craftsmanship. It is responsible for the elegant, ergonomic cases of the Tonda PF as well as extraordinary one-off creations like the white gold double hunter case of the La Rose Carrée pocket watch. This integrated structure means that Parmigiani Fleurier produces virtually everything in-house, from the most complex calibre to the smallest screw, and is able to create virtually any complication it wants.

Silent Luxury

For much of its history, Parmigiani Fleurier was a brand for those in the know, including King Charles III, who famously wore a Toric Chronograph for years, even when he was the Prince of Wales. However, the appointment of Guido Terreni as CEO in 2021 marked a pivotal moment. Terreni, the man behind the phenomenal success of Bvlgari’s Octo Finissimo, brought a new vision of “silent luxury” to the brand.

This was crystalized in the Tonda PF collection. Launched in late 2021, it was an instant sensation, and that is no exaggeration. The Tonda PF distilled the brand’s essence into a clean, refined, and incredibly sophisticated sports elegance watch. Its design is a study in subtlety: the fine knurled bezel, the intricate guilloché dial, the elegantly integrated bracelet, and the minimalist “PF” logo. It was a watch that did not shout; it whispered. Terreni noted was only possible because of the incredible depth of in-house expertise and capacity at PWC.

The success of the Tonda PF has propelled the brand to new heights, with turnover reportedly surging, according to Bloomberg. The collection has expanded to include innovative complications such as the GMT Rattrapante (see our note on this in the Moser story) and simple models, such as a celebrated no-date Micro-Rotor watch. Simultaneously, the brand continues to honour its classical roots with a revival of the Toric collection, now featuring exquisite perpetual calendars and chronographs with solid gold movements, with gold dials to match.

In a world of hype, Parmigiani Fleurier stands apart. It is a brand built on the quiet confidence of a master restorer and powered by one of the most comprehensive manufacturing hubs in Switzerland. With Terreni’s refined vision, it has found the perfect harmony between its rich heritage and a compelling, modern voice, proving that true legacy is not just about preserving the past, but artfully reinventing it for the future. The collection was developed in under a year, a feat Terreni noted was only possible because of the incredible depth of in-house expertise and capacity at PWC.

The success of the Tonda PF has propelled the brand to new heights, with turnover reportedly surging, according to Bloomberg. The collection has expanded to include innovative complications such as the GMT Rattrapante (see our note on this in the Moser story) and simple models, such as a celebrated no-date Micro- Rotor watch. Simultaneously, the brand continues to honour its classical roots with a revival of the Toric collection, now featuring exquisite perpetual calendars and chronographs with solid gold movements, with gold dials to match.

Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie Rings It in Twice

Without beating around the bush needlessly, a chiming or striking watch is a rarity in watchmaking. A genuine one. The rarest of these types of watches is a grand and petite sonnerie, with many specialists having decades of experience probably only ever experiencing a handful. Basically, this is the very pinnacle of watchmaking, from which you can look down and just about make out the minute repeater. Well, Blancpain has gone one better with its latest superwatch, the Grande Double Sonnerie Ref 15GSQ, a watch that adds a compelling new chapter to the story of fine watchmaking.

To celebrate this incredible milestone, Blancpain did the unthinkable: invite the aforementioned specialist press for an exclusive preview. The editors of WOW Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand thus all got together at the Blancpain facility at Le Brassus to discover this watch, which is the first in the world to have two selectable ways to sound the time. To be able to learn about Ref. 15GSQ from the people who made it themselves, ahead of the watch’s public debut, is invaluable.

*The Grande Double Sonnerie will be presented in this special box*

As befits such a momentous occasion, the editors devote a great deal of attention in the story that follows to how the Grande Double Sonnerie works, including a brief primer on the grande sonnerie in general. Ahead of that, here are some details on Ref. 15GSQ, of which there are two versions – one in red gold and one in white gold. This also means that the mainplate and bridges of the integrated calibre (also named 15GSQ) are executed in the matching gold. In addition to the aforementioned grande and petite sonneries, the watch also features a minute repeater; a 4 Hz flying tourbillon with silicon balance spring; a retrograde perpetual calendar; and power reserve indicators for both the chiming mechanism and the movement overall.

Daniel Goh (DG): Greetings from Malaysia! I hope everyone is well rested and acclimatised from our very secret, and at least for me quite brisk trip, to Le Brassus for a first look at this insane project from Blancpain. I think we mentioned in our last Tick Talk segment that this trip was the first time where the editors of WOW Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia were on the same press trip. And this affords us a very special opportunity to have a spirited discussion about the watch in question.

We saw the watch precisely two weeks ago and I am glad we are getting to this discussion so soon because the amount of information we received about the piece was staggering to say the least. So I think it is best we put our thoughts down on paper, while all of it is still fresh in our minds.

Ashok Soman (AS): It is certainly the first time I recall all editions being in the same presentation, outside of a watch fair! We have been at the same event or something, but not all together for just one watch. As you say, it was one heck of a watch that came with a tonne of information…and a pair of drumsticks. It was like, “What just happened…” I was tickled though that the NDA we all had to sign had the name of the watch as its title!

Ruckdee Chotjinda (RC): Grande Double Sonnerie … How about we start this article from here? Can I please have a refresher on what a sonnerie is, to begin with?

AS: Happily, Blancpain anticipated that very question and provided a neat answer, and from the watchmakers who developed the world’s first double sonnerie. So, I guess we should begin by addressing the type of watch, which is of the striking variety; it sounds out the time, basically. It is part of a grand tradition of what we in the trade call striking or chiming watches and represents the very pinnacle of fine watchmaking.

This is no overstatement. A chiming watch is at least an order of magnitude more challenging to execute than a tourbillon. A watchmaker typically can start working on tourbillons years before he or she can attempt a chiming watch. The orders of magnitude go up as you move up the scale, from minute repeaters to grande sonneries. That last was the peak, until now. What Blancpain has done here is nothing less than finding a new highest point, but I am getting ahead of myself! Let me say that the Grande Double Sonnerie sounds out the time, meaning the hours and quarters, both on demand and automatically. It also sounds out the minutes, like a minute repeater, on demand. Blancpain added a twist here, which is what elevates the watch, by giving the lucky owner not one but two musical phrases to choose from: the standard Westminster chime or a Blancpain tune!

DG: For me it was fascinating to learn that there were no wristwatch grande sonneries until 1992. This style of chiming has existed for centuries on the massive tower clocks and subsequently pendulum clocks so it was surprising that they didn’t or maybe couldn’t include this complication within the compact confines of a wristwatch until that year. One would have thought that someone would have attempted it earlier.

So basically, until 1992, all chiming coming out from a wristwatch was done via a minute repeater complication. And the difference is that a minute repeater is activated via a slide that also provides the energy required for the chiming mechanism while the sonnerie, both grande and petite, gets its energy from a mainspring within the movement. And from what we have been told from the many master watchmakers at Blancpain, the sonnerie, although similar in functionality to the minute repeater, is much more complicated to produce.

RC: Hmmm … I’m glad I asked for the refresher because striking watches have never been my forte. They account for a very small percentage of watches I see each year. I think that goes to show how rare the complication is in terms of quantity in relation to other, more common mechanisms out there. I even had to look up the difference between a petite sonnerie and a grande sonnerie before my outbound journey to Le Brassus, just to make sure that I have my facts right.

So, for the completeness of the refresher provided above by my esteemed colleagues, let me add a bit of information. Both petite sonnerie and grande sonnerie strike the hours at the top of each hour. The difference is at the quarters where a petite sonnerie would strike only the quarters while a grande sonnerie goes on to strike both the hours and the quarters. The action is autonomous (or “en passant”, as the term is often used in horological literature), unlike a minute repeater that is activated on demand. A sonnerie watch would have a selector for the owner to put it in either petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie or silent mode. The same is true for this Blancpain Grande Double Sonnerie with the “Ps-Gs-Sil” selector on the case band on the 9 o’clock side.

DG: And it is not just about the mechanical complexity with a sonnerie right, there are so many other intangible qualities to a chiming watch. The tonality, quality, and strength of the sound produced add to the appreciation of the watch, which all need exceptional fine-tuning from very experienced ears. This makes Blancpain’s Grande Double Sonnerie all the more special right? Double the sonnerie means double the effort!

AS: We often say that a chiming watch is like having Big Ben on your wrist, as a sort of shorthand explanation. That is where the whole Westminster chimes reference comes from. With the Grande Double Sonnerie, we effectively get two clocktowers in one wristwatch. The second one is a tower of rock though because the tune was composed by drummer Eric Singer of Kiss fame. If that is not enough, most sonneries use just two notes but Blancpain doubled that too, with four notes here! And it is those four notes that form both the Singer-penned melody and the Westminster chime. As you might imagine, this means there are parallel tracks in the mechanical system tied to each melody. Crazy stuff but I will take a breath now before I race ahead of myself yet again…

DG: Can I just also add that while going from a traditional two-note to a four-note chiming mechanism may sound like a simple thing but as with most things in watchmaking, it is most definitely not. Four notes mean that the watch sounds a melody and with something as recognisable as a Westminster chime, you need to nail the pitch and tempo spot on because if not our ears would immediately be able to sense that something is off, and make the chiming unpleasant to hear. The adjustment for the tempo alone was crazy, we are talking about shaving off microns from the teeth of the pièce des quarts that controls the timing of the sonnerie, testing and then adjusting until it is perfect. It isn’t surprising at all that with work like this, Blancpain is only able to make two of these each year.

AS: Since we are in the spirit of chiming in here, let me also add that in terms of those microns Daniel mentioned, these are filled off with special tools that Blancpain developed just for this. And if the watchmaker shaves too much off, they have to throw away this piece. It takes days just for this part, on average, apparently, and there is a lot of trial and error to nail down the process. This is perhaps unsurprising given that Blancpain is reengineering the sound, even if it is not recreating the whole sonnerie mechanism.

RC: And then you have the important matter of the power reserve … or power reserves in this case, as there are two separate barrels: one for the regular timekeeping and another for the striking mechanism. Both are wound by turning the crown (i.e. counterclockwise for the former and clockwise for the latter). I noticed when reading the specifications though that there is a vast difference of eight times between the 96 hours of the regular running train and the 12 hours of the sonnerie and the minute repeater, if the watch is set in the grande sonnerie mode where energy consumption is highest. So during my interview with Mr. Marc A. Hayek, I asked if it would have been technically possible for the striking mechanism to have a 24-hour reserve if the running time of the other is reduced to 48 hours, for example. The answer was no.

Given the amount of energy used by the grande sonnerie, even if they were to reduce the power reserve of the timekeeping by half, they would have gained only two to three hours more for the striking mechanism. Also, the 12-hour reserve should suffice in real life as the use of striking mechanism is expected only during waking hours. Besides, despite the privileged luxury of having a sonnerie watch, a person is unlikely to have the complication turned on for the whole day because the chimes at every quarter can be excessive.

My conclusion: the current setup is ideal and most practical, especially considering the important fact that the Grande Double Sonnerie features a perpetual calendar complication as well, and with a retrograde date hand to boot!

AS: Power reserve and amplitude questions are key for sonneries, for the reasons you note, it also helps that calibre 15GSQ is integrated, not modular, so everything can be optimised for the specific needs of the Grande Double Sonnerie. This also plays into how the watch wears, since we are on a slightly more practical train here, as you might think that the watch will be monstrous on the wrist. The dimensions are 47mm (diameter) and 14.50mm (thickness) so not a small watch by any stretch but also not overwhelming. The movement itself is 35.8mm in diameter and 8.5mm thick, with 1,053 components for the movement.

DG: Speaking of optimised, I like how even though the complications are integrated, they each have their own little space within the movement. I often forget, because the double sonnerie is so interesting, that the watch is also a grande complication. It has a perpetual calendar and a flying tourbillon and each occupy roughly one third of the movement. This was the reason one of the watchmakers mentioned that they had to go with a retrograde perpetual calendar as it was the only way to fit. And this probably helped them keep the dimensions to a much more wearable size.

Marc A. Hayek was adamant that even though they were making a grande complication he didn’t want the watch to just sit in a safe somewhere, he wanted it to be worn and with these dimensions I think the watch is highly wearable. Okay, it probably won’t fit under the sleeve of a shirt anytime soon, but with a watch like this you probably wouldn’t want to hide it anyway. You probably want to take it out and show off the watch because the finishing on this thing is absolutely insane as well.

*the famed underlug correctors for Blancpain's perpetual calendar complication*

RC: I wish though that it was possible for us to try the watch on fully strapped. That would have given me an even clearer comparison with similarly large watches. Since this article is dedicated to Blancpain, I will refrain from bringing up model names belonging to other brands. But I will say that, if you can wear the Fifty Fathoms in the 45 mm size, then chances are that you can wear this masterpiece. At 15.5 mm, the Fifty Fathoms is even 1 mm thicker than the Grande Double Sonnerie. I hope this bit of comparison helps, dear readers.

AS: I very much like that this watch is not meant to be a safe queen; it is also water-resistant to 10 metres, which is better than most such watches. Chiming watches are about as water-resistant as sponges. That commitment to wearability is also why Blancpain will make (roughly) two a year, which is an astonishing commitment. When we visited, the watchmakers explained that all the work, in terms of fine finishing, is shared in the high complications workshop between artisans who are also working on other movements.

*A watchmaker working on one of the gongs*

RC: Well, according to the press release, there are 26 bridges on this movement, and these, together with the mainplate, are crafted from 18K gold. You can expect to see their unrestrained use of traditional hand-finishing techniques on both visible and hidden surfaces. Anglage is particularly mentioned during the presentation. There are 135 inward angles across all bridges, and they were executed at a 30° angle instead of the regular 45° angle in order to maximise reflection of light with the upward surfaces.

AS: The logistics of making the Grande Double Sonnerie are very impressive indeed because I imagined that the brand would need to dedicate watchmakers exclusively for this. On that note, there are two watchmakers involved here, from start to finish, and they get the honour of adding their names in the secret style. On the back of the gold Blancpain plaque, you will find ‘Romain’ or ‘Yoann’ engraved there, although the only way you will find this information is by disassembling the movement, which we do not recommend! Maybe buy two if you want to pursue that… Seriously though, I was deeply impressed that Blancpain is putting the watchmakers forward like this because the practice of big brands relegating their watchmakers to being faceless grunts has been heavily criticised by collectors. If you own this watch, you will no doubt imagine Romain or Yoann working diligently on some delicate bit of anglage that you can appreciate with your loupe. There is a certain degree of satisfaction in knowing that human story, I think – even beyond that new 30° milestone, which we heard may well become the new standard at Blancpain.

*The painstaking process of adjusting the tempo for the striking mechanism*

DG: Another interesting tidbit I learned while on this trip was that the Grande Double Sonnerie was also double assembled. Unlike some brands that assemble unfinished components first to adjust everything before disassembling and finishing the pieces, Blancpain starts even the first assembly with some finished pieces. Considering the amount of painstaking hand finishing, I would imagine this would be quite daunting for the watchmakers. But apparently this is necessary because for components like the pièce des quarts which was mentioned earlier, the process of adjusting the teeth can take quite a fair bit of time. To prevent dust from entering the movement, it is only after all the fine adjustments are made that the watch is disassembled so that the final assembly can happen in a dedicated clean room.

RC: I must have been paying not enough attention to this part of the tour. Was this mentioned in the presentation lab downstairs? Or later when we were in the assembly room upstairs?

*Gentian wood used in the process of decorating the movement*

DG: This was in the assembly room upstairs among the master watchmakers quietly and diligently working on their crafts. It is easy to get distracted by gentian wood used in some of the finishing work. Or maybe it was the stacks of technical documents on the Grande Double Sonnerie just casually laid out on the table.

RC: Yes, yes, yes. I must have been too distracted upon learning that the wood they use in the bevelling work is from the same gentian tree whose roots are used to make that clear liquor served as an aperitif or digestif … which was also appropriately served at our lunch at the manufacture.

AS: I almost got lost in the technical details because the 21 patents for the movement were laid out before us, ever so invitingly, in folders but I held myself back. This was especially tough because everyone else ignored them! But if I started with the patents, I would have never left. And if I did that, I would have missed all the craftspeople doing the handwork that really makes a difference here. As you guys noted, they even developed special tools and techniques to work on the bridges, plates, wheels and so on of calibre 15GSQ. This is only to be expected at this level of watchmaking because to get the quality you need, each artisan needs very specific tools. Happily, they did not introduce the woody digestif till later or I definitely would have been super distracted. It is not a taste that works easily for everyone’s palette, and on that note…

DG: And after learning all that, it blew me away when Mr Hayek just casually mentions that for these pieces, they will be open to customer personalisation! I mean usually, when it comes to chiming watches, brands are very adamant that this material and design configuration makes the best sound and that’s that. But Blancpain is open to working with clients to make the watch that the clients want, and would be most likely to take out of the safe and wear. I mean to hear Hayek say he is curious how the watch would sound if a client wants the case in titanium…or with a dial…that was quite special.

*The watchmakers Romain and Yoann who will dedicate a considerable amount of their time to this project*

RC: Oh, I thank you for bringing this up because I learned something very special from the interview, that is not mentioned in the press release for the Grande Double Sonnerie. You can, if you are willing to spend, personalise even the melodies!

Hayek did say that this watch is about “the person, the emotion, the story”. So if the client is willing to invest the time and the money or maybe has a friend who is a musician or a composer, Blancpain is happy to personalise the melodies for your unique experience, provided that they fall within the constraints of the four notes.

Ok. It has been two hours of flat-out writing and I don’t know how many pages this will result in. Let me ask you both for a closing remark on either this entire Grande Double Sonnerie unveiling experience or the importance this significant timepiece carries in terms of the direction in which Blancpain is going.

AS: I do not know about directions but you opt for a good word there: timepiece. Most other watches are just that – watches. This one is different and you do not need to master all the technical details to appreciate it. If looking at the exacting finishing touches does not quite do it, listening to the melodies will. So, you can both see and hear to believe! Far too many so-called special watches are just checking boxes and waving bona fides aggressively. The Grande Double Sonnerie is the real deal, and I suppose that says something about Blancpain.

DG: I too can’t speak about where Blancpain is headed. But what I can speak about is that they absolutely chose the correct method to unveil this timepiece, which is at their manufacture, amongst the people that dedicated countless hours (eight years) to make this watch happen. This is a timepiece that needs to be experienced to be understood. Its price tag is hefty, but it is only when you see all the work that went into making it (the research, the fine tuning, the assembly, the finishing, and so many other invisible functions) that you look at the price tag and say, sounds about right.

RC: You both have covered very well the exaltedness of this Grande Double Sonnerie. Let me add that I take this well-planned release as a departure from the confusion left in my heart by some of the novelties released in the last years of Baselworld. Several watch models were introduced at the time, most of them in the Villeret collection, with sufficient details but absolutely inadequate visuals and almost zero promotion afterwards. They did not even stay long in the collection and that made me sad because they were different from the offerings of the other brands at the same price level.

With this Grande Double Sonnerie, the visuals are superb in that they illustrate very well the intricacy and the soulfulness of a handcrafted product that will stay with you for a lifetime. While I don’t expect Blancpain to have this same in-person presentation treatment for other, more accessible novelties in the future, I would at least hope for similar beauty shots and perhaps know-how shots every now and then. Having said that, I think we started to see this important improvement already earlier this year with the photographs that accompanied the releases of the new 42mm Fifty Fathom in stainless steel, the new Fifty Fathoms Tech in the permanent collection, and, most recently, the new Golden Hour-themed Villeret watches. This is the most effective way to inspire buyers, if you ask me.

So, to our dear readers, we hope you enjoyed the unique way in which we bring this Grande Double Sonnerie watch to your attention. And, to the fine people of Blancpain in Le Brassus, in Paudex, in Singapore and in Bangkok, we thank you for letting us discover the Grande Double Sonnerie in this most insightful manner. We are sure that this marks the beginning of an important decade leading up to the brand’s grand celebration of the 300th anniversary in 2035!

The TOP GUN Miramar Marks a First for IWC

*Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Miramar*

When we write about IWC’s TOP GUN range, it is typically a salute to clever materials and bold colours and that is partly the case (pun ever-so-slightly-intended) here. The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Miramar presents itself in a delightful shade of called (no prizes for guessing) TOP GUN Miramar. Your eyes do not deceive you; it is indeed a sort of light blue that is reportedly inspired by the tees worn by the US Navy Fighter Weapons School instructors (under their flight suits). These are, of course, the best of the best and they work on training the next generation of the same. That is not a trivial detail for anyone who might be interested in this version of the Pilot’s chronograph, and neither is the fact that the colour was developed in collaboration with Pantone, the industrial titan of production colours.

The Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN Miramar, which we will address for the rest of this story as the TOP GUN Miramar, is also distinguished by a first. While the Pantone partnership has been limited to watches with ceramic cases so far, IWC is offering a steel version this time, with the dial and rubber strap in the signature light blue; getting steel to feature colour that goes beyond the surface is currently beyond the ability of the experts. In any case, Ref. IW388117 is a significant model thanks to its material. The ceramic version features case, dial and strap in TOP GUN Miramar, paired with SuperLuminova-coated blue hands; the steel variant has SuperLuminova-filled hands, which are rhodium-plated. Both models wear tall, at 15.5mm.

The 41mm TOP GUN Miramar watches are both powered by the automatic IWC calibre 69380, with column wheel and oscillating pinion clutch. The ceramic version in particular is a tribute to IWC’s material expertise. The brand was one of the first to experiment with this material in the 1980s, as far as Swiss high-end makers of mechanical watches go. This know-how is what allows IWC engineers to create precision Pantone colours. Only the steel model has an exhibition caseback, with the Ref. IW389409 model having a closed caseback in titanium (engraved with the Top Gun logo) and a soft iron inner case to protect the movement from magnetic forces.

Both watches are also equipped with IWC’s own interchangeable strap system, EasX-CHANGE system, which is reportedly quick and easy (as advertised), with no additional tools required.

Bvlgari's New Thin King: Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon

For its first-ever showing as part of Watches and Wonders Geneva, Bvlgari delivered a biting two-pronged offensive with the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon and the Serpenti Aeterna. The new Ultra is undisputedly the world’s slimmest tourbillon wristwatch (at just 1.85mm thin, it is 0.5mm thinner than last year’s top dog, the Piaget Altiplano Concept Tourbillon) while the Serpenti Aeterna is now, in our opinion, the world’s most elegant bangle watch. It was a fitting debut, which we covered briefly in our report on the recently concluded fair, though we only noted that Bvlgari delivered good cheer in the Palexpo. That is an understatement that we will rectify.

Elegance is entirely subjective, so we will begin with the Ultra, which, though more complicated, earns its stripes by dint of prowess and ambition. The high-complication department of Bvlgari’s watchmaking division has been chasing down records for more than 10 years now, and the thin chic war has raised watchmaking to new heights. To speak as plainly as possible, a mechanical movement is built up in layers of springs and gears. To make the thinnest watch, the goal is always to try bringing everything onto a single plane, as far as possible. That is the long and short of it, and it leads to spectacular architecture in movement design. It is not for everyone, but this is a limited edition of 20, so that is a given.

In the Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon, calibre BVF 900 adopts the extreme strategy of dispensing with a base plate altogether. Instead, it integrates the caseback as one of its components – this is a leading strategy in this style of watchmaking. Dial-side (although this nomenclature is quite unsuitable for something like the Ultra), what would normally be dominated by the motionworks is also now a showcase for the gear train and the mainspring (obviously, the tourbillon too). As with previous Ultra models, there is no standard crown here. Instead, two effectively exposed gears (one at 8 o’clock and one at 3 o’clock) wind the watch and set the time, respectively. Again, these functions are now on the same plane, which is not the case in a standard movement.

Now, we will dispense with the many other details that go into making the Ultra a magnificent machine, although we may yet decide to dive deep (ahem) into the world of ultra-thin watchmaking soon(ish). We must close here with at least a few words on that Serpenti Aeterna, which is just a joy to wear.

The most streamlined Serpenti yet, this one leans hard into graphics – it does not even look much like a watch. Most of the time, we take a dim view of that, but not here. To match our simplified take on the Ultra, consider the Serpenti Aeterna as the sort of watch you might wear purely for decorative reasons. Note that the specifications here are for the Ultra only.

The Conversation: Engineering Success

Watches often evolve in unpredictable ways, especially if they were made to fulfil some kind of need or requirement. If said needs and requirements change, so too does the watch, or watches, in question. Take for example the IWC Ingenieur, which is experiencing a major revival at the moment that is very far removed from its debut 70 years ago.

That original Ingenieur watch was designed to meet the emerging challenge of navigating magnetic fields, alongside a host of other such watches. Watchmakers perceived a threat to the running of their creations from these fields, which would in fact go on to dominate our work and home environments. Hence, IWC introduced the Ingenieur with an automatic movement and an inner soft iron shell that would function as a Faraday cage. In 1955.

Even as the model went through a variety of changes, these elements remained consistent…until now that is. The editors of WOW Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand saw all the new models at Watches and Wonders Geneva this year; the Ingenieur in particular drew their attention. The collection, inspired not by the 1955 original but the 1976 Ingenieur SL imagined by the famed Gerald Genta, sparked their first discussion centred not on broad topics but on just one subject.

RC: Guys, we are at the beginning of something new: a brand-specific discussion among the editors!

AS: It is indeed a brand new day…in a manner of speaking. And, we’re also going collection specific. So, are we ready for the IWC Ingenieur of 2025?

RC: Presently, of all five collections listed on the IWC web site, “Ingenieur” is one of the two families named after a profession, with the other being “Pilot’s Watches”. And that reflects the focused nature or objective with which the watch was developed in the first place.

DG: I have a feeling that with such focused attention on one collection, things are about to get extremely nerdy…

AS: Nerdy? Funnily enough, we have an odd question to ponder: where to begin… The Ingenieur has had quite a number of lives and, as Ruckdee noted, it remains only the second such model (named for and aimed at a specific profession) in the brand’s history. Why is it a watch for engineers? Well, from what the brand says, it all comes down to the antimagnetic properties of the watch. The Ingenieur was literally engineered to face the challenges of an electronic world.

DG: It has such a fascinating back story. But let’s not forget, IWC is in Schaffhausen which is nearer to the German side of the Swiss border and you know the reputation that the Germans have for their engineering. It makes sense that way back when, IWC probably thought that hey, there are a lot of engineers around here; they need to tell time; magnetic inference is a problem; and we have a brilliant solution!

RC: Good point made there, Daniel. I first discovered IWC as a resolutely sober, white and black brand, with a heightened sense of engineering, and no obvious partnership or celebrity endorsement. Having said that, I have a confession to make. When I was much younger, I didn’t know that the very first Ingenieur was round! At the time, I thought the Ingenieur SL designed by Gerald Genta in 1976 was already the beginning of the collection. Then I discovered that I was not sufficiently educated, because the very first Ingenieur was in fact a round watch known as Ref. 666 in 1955 or exactly 70 years ago.

AS: IWC is very Teutonic, that is true, and it was a champion of tool watches. Still is, in important ways that are today most evident in both this collection and the Aquatimer. Where water-resistance is the name of the game in dive watches, IWC foresaw that mechanical watches needed protection from the magnetic fields of the electronic devices that were becoming ubiquitous in the second half of the 20th century. That is where the story from the original from the 1950s still plays a part, although I join Ruckdee in only recalling the 1976 Ingenieur SL.

DG: I wonder what it was that made the watch unsuccessful when it was launched in the late 1970s? Officially they say the design was too visionary, but I suppose there should be more factors in play here as well right? Could it have been the quartz watches that were probably gaining momentum around the same time? Or maybe even the asking price was too high? Does anybody know what the Ref. 1832 cost at the time it was made?

RC: No, I don’t know the original retail price of the Ingenieur SL. But I think I know why it is so collectible right now: not so many pieces were made! IWC’s latest information notes, and I quote, “With the modesty and sobriety of a tool watch manufacturer, IWC chose a different approach and marketed the Ingenieur SL exclusively to engineers in the years to come. However, for this target group, Genta’s design was simply too bold and too visionary. And so, between 1976 and 1983, only 598 pieces were produced and sold.”

AS: There are boons to making only a very limited number of pieces, especially to collectors. Now, aside from being a famous maker of tool watches, IWC is a brand that wants to sell a lot of pieces so it is perhaps unsurprising that the Ingenieur’s first run ended in the 1980s. However, there was clearly a tonne of unrealised potential in the collection as the brand returned it to the lineup as the mechanical watch revival got underway at the start of the 21st century. To be clear, the collection was quite respected when it came back but IWC has fiddled with the design a number of times before hitting its stride in 2023, when the first four models appeared in the current style.

RC: I was not a fan of contemporary, round Ingenieur watches when they made brief resurgences during that fiddling phase. So, I was very pleased in 2023 when IWC did what they did: formally re-establishing the collection on the aesthetic basis of the Genta-designed Ingenieur SL. The size is also good and safe at 40mm.

“When I was younger, I didn’t know that the first Ingenieur was a round watch known as Ref. 666 in 1955” said by Ruckdee Chotjinda, Editor-in-Chief, WOW Thailand.

AS: There are some characteristics that define the Ingenieur, particularly the Genta-era Ingenieur SL that Ruckdee referenced there. The integrated bracelet form is, of course, a key part of the winning formula, but so is the industrial vibe of the bezel and the dial. For the longest time, and until this year, it was also the presence of the soft-iron inner case that marked the Ingenieur; that was the Faraday cage, of a sort, that gave the watch its impressive antimagnetic credentials.

RC: I don’t know the average magnetic levels in our daily life or around specific devices, but the standard Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel with the said soft-iron inner case offers magnetic resistance to the level of 40,000 A/M, whereas the ISO standard requires a dive watch to be magnetic resistant to only 4,800 A/M. More superficially, I was thrilled to see how they brought back the “grid” dial of the Ingenieur SL. I think it gives yet another important signature to this highly technical collection of timepieces.

AS: Moving right along, after those four watches from 2023, the brand found its footing and decided to go all-in here. There are now 12 models in the Ingenieur collection, including its first-ever perpetual calendar model and an incredible ceramic model. Sizes now range from 42mm to 35mm, with that perpetual calendar model coming in at a unique 41mm.

DG: I am not at all surprised that IWC decided to add a ceramic model to its collection; the material is gaining traction in the industry and has been doing so in the last couple of years. What did surprise me, however, was IWC’s heritage with this material. The brand made the first zirconium oxide black ceramic case in 1986. And apparently there was also another Pilot’s watch in black ceramic in 1994. All of these were before my time covering watches but these days, I think IWC is investing heavily in developing ceramic materials. The firm has Ceralume, which successfully integrates Super-LumiNova® pigments into ceramic, and the collaboration it did with the German Aerospace centre introduced fibre-reinforced ceramic as a viable material. So, I think it was only natural that IWC brought its expertise with ceramic to the Ingenieur collection. And I suppose with ceramic being a non-magnetic material, this fits into the whole antimagnetic ethos of the Ingenieur.

Stylised view of the principal components of the Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic

AS: You know, people do say it is all about details in fine watchmaking, which is what IWC does these days, and the new ceramic Ingenieur gets it right. I was surprised to learn that the crown and crown guards are also in ceramic, and so is the caseback. As you know, although we did not say it properly for the record, the five screws visible on the bezel are functional, connecting the three parts of the case to each other. The Ingenieur has only featured this as a key element now, with the 1976 debut going with a different case structure, and it is important to the feel of the reimagined watch. This sort of thing is part of the reason that ceramic watches often do not have ceramic casebacks. I presume this is something IWC wanted to figure out before getting into ceramic here because Daniel is right to note the general proficiency the brand has demonstrated with ceramic (since 1986 with reference 3755 in fact but we will get to that shortly).

RC: One thing caught me by surprise, though, and that is the size of the new ceramic Ingenieur. Unlike the Ingenieur Perpetual Calendar 41 with extra indications to display, the Ingenieur Automatic 42 in ceramic is a three-hander so, at first, I didn’t know why it had to be 42mm when it could have been in the same 40mm size as the models in stainless steel and titanium. My initial guess was that it was due to complications with the case construction and ceramic parts and all. But then I looked closer and discovered that a totally different movement was used! The Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic is powered by the larger Calibre 82110, which is also visible through the tinted sapphire crystal caseback. The Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel or titanium is equipped with Calibre 32111, which belongs to a totally different IWC movement lineage, not hidden behind the closed case back.

DG: You know you still could be right. It could be due to the complications with the case construction that they have to use a different movement. Additionally, it could also be that because the ceramic is in black, they needed to use a larger case to give the watch the intended appearance on the wrist. Maybe a fully black 40mm watch would look closer to a 38mm on the wrist?

“I think it was only natural that IWC brought its expertise with ceramic to the Ingenieur collection. After all, it is a non-magnetic material”— Daniel Goh, Editor-in-Chief, World of Watches, Malaysia

RC: This is why I like chatting with you guys. You expand my perspectives! While we won’t know for sure until we ask IWC what its intentions or constraints were with regard to the ceramic Ingenieur being larger than the rest, it is cool to ponder at the possible reasons and the effects they bring. I, for example, didn’t think about the effect where a black ceramic 40mm watch has the potential to look smaller than its measured size. But I agree that, as things stand now, the current Ingenieur watches in different materials look appropriate for their respective persona. Ashok, what do you think?

AS: I like the story of the ceramic model, and how IWC had to come up with neat engineering solutions to make the case construction work. Also, the little things such as the aforementioned crown and guards – having these made in matching black ceramic is going the extra mile. You only need to imagine how specific this process is – only this model uses such components, in the entire IWC range. This kind of production fastidiousness (and ultimately, exclusivity) is what fine watchmaking is all about. If you really consider it, the case (and components) of this 42mm watch is worth an entire article, and we did toy with that idea right here before going in this direction. As for the size, I think it was the decision to use the Calibre 82110 movement that defined it, and probably some sort of consideration on minimum sizes for water-resistance and perhaps even those little components! Truth be told, integrated watches wear a bit bigger than you might expect so I would love it if there was a 40mm version but, on the other hand, some differentiation is very desirable. To finish here, I wish that the dial was also in ceramic, with this same design (i.e. the grid pattern) of course! Something to look forward to perhaps, and more realistic (maybe) than a smaller size…

DG: I second that idea for a dial in ceramic. IWC, if you are reading this…

RC: It’s not a must for me. But if they can make a ceramic dial without losing the grid pattern then I am in, otherwise I would prefer for the dial to stay as is. So what is your favourite, current model Ingenieur then? Daniel? I do like the new Ingenieur Automatic 42 in black ceramic and my wrist can take the size, but I am still partial towards the Ingenieur Automatic 40 in stainless steel with Aqua dial which I find to be quite refreshing – it is not too green and already not blue.

DG: Anyone who knows me will know that although I love the technical complexities of making a material like ceramic (pressure and fire, what’s not to like?) I think the size will be a tad bit big for my personal tastes. So, for that reason, I think the new 35mm Ingenieur is a pretty compelling release from the brand this year. And if we are talking full fantasy, how about that 35mm Ingenieur in full 18K 5N gold. How baller is that?!

AS: I do like the smaller releases here, again mainly because of that whole integrated bracelet thing. Also, great that IWC went with yet another movement for the smaller models, Calibre 47110; this does wonders for that model differentiation that I keep harping on. All too often, brands will just go with one movement in cases of multiple sizes and that irks me, as it does Ruckdee too! I think the decision to have every size and specification (the ceramic model and the perpetual calendar) in the new Ingenieur range have its own movement is a deft touch, even if it probably was not decided in this way.

“I applaud the decision to equip every size and specification in the Ingenieur range with distinct movements” — Ashok Soman, Editor-in-Chief, WOW Singapore

RC: Oh, don’t get me started on an open case back with a much smaller movement than case. We don’t have the pages for my rant. But where the Ingenieur is concerned, so far everything is proportionate and well-thought-out to me. They have regular, smaller and larger case sizes. They have steel, performance materials and noble metal. And, with the perpetual calendar being added this year, even before there is a chronograph, we can anticipate the latter next year, perhaps.

AS: I am pretty sure that we can expect more in ceramic from the Ingenieur, given the history of material innovation at IWC. Not at all a stretch to see a perpetual calendar in the mix, especially since IWC introduced ceramic to watchmaking with a perpetual calendar in 1986, although in the Da Vinci line. And the brand does have some expertise in making complicated watches in materials such as ceramic, and of course hybrids, including Ceratanium. Honestly, the Ingenieur collection is just brimming with potential on the material front. And yes, the thought of IWC introducing a chronograph with ceramic pushers did occur to me too, mostly because the Pilot’s Watch Performance Chronograph Perpetual Calendar Digital Date-Month already has such a thing, but in Ceratanium!

DG: It is exciting, isn’t it, when a brand introduces a new collection, especially one with such a cool origin story and more importantly, with a design that can speak to contemporary tastes. The expansion of the line has already begun and I am sure if you look at IWC’s playbook, the gears are already churning for the next few releases. Predictably we will probably see line extensions for the newly launched references in the coming years but I am pretty sure that there will still be a few surprises up IWC’s sleeve. I wish IWC would do a limited-edition reissue of the original SL reference 1832 but it seems highly unlikely. Even the watch they put on Brad Pitt’s wrist for the shooting of the film – F1 – was apparently a modified version of an original watch. But, one can dream right? In any case, it is great to see the positive reception of the Ingenieur and I am definitely looking forward to covering its future.

This story was first seen as part of the World of Watches Malaysia Summer 2025 issue

Highlights from Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025

Watch fairs like Watches and Wonders Geneva (WWG) are built around a measure of secrecy that can be difficult to understand but this year was a little different. Since there was an unprecedented leak from Rolex on most of its novelties, including the deeply consequential Oyster Perpetual Land-Dweller, plans for grand reveals went up like smoke – minus the fireworks. Brands flooded everyone’s inboxes with their news by midnight on day one of WWG 2025, with only a few staying their hands, notably Patek Philippe and Bulgari. We are not sure about the value of preserving mystique and the like, but one of the joys of a show like WWG is discovering watches for the first time on day one. It can even influence decisions on which brands to see first next time. On that note, the top dog of this fair was Rolex, leaks notwithstanding.

It is certainly a rare vintage year for the jolly green giant of Geneva watchmaking, with not only new models and new dials but also two new bracelets – just one of those would have been remarkable enough. Needless to say, when you throw the new calibre 7135 into the mix, this spells domination (in our opinion). With the Land-Dweller, Rolex has the most important watch of 2025. Yes, that means the entire year and includes all brands, not just Swiss ones and not just the 60 or so brands exhibiting within the Palexpo. The only brand that could challenge Rolex is Rolex, and that would indeed be something. With the world as it is, we are lucky in watchmaking that the most powerful force is indeed a force for good. We have it on good authority that the Land-Dweller is coming to stores soon, and it will not be limited to Bucherer, to cite just one example.

Overall, the fair was abuzz with good cheer from A. Lange & Sohne, Bulgari, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith and Patek Philippe. Since we gave over our entire first day coverage to Rolex, with the aforementioned watch, we shall lead here with Patek Philippe. Of course, we noted the new sizes for the Cubitus on social media but this is hardly the story at the great Geneva brand. Instead, what seems to have grabbed the most attention is Ref. 6196P, which is a successor of sorts to the discontinued Ref. 5196. For anyone who appreciates the Calatrava, this new model will be essential. The brand’s continuing commitment to good timekeeping principles is evident in the calibre 30-255 PS (new for this reference but introduced in 2021).

Patek Philippe Quadruple Complication ref. 5308G-001

For something more complicated, there is a new split-seconds chronograph built into an existing calibre in ref. 5308G that features two special features. The first is an anti-backlash wheel to tackle friction when the chronograph wheel engages with the seconds wheel; the second is an isolation system that prevents energy consumption when the split seconds mechanism is stopped. If that sounds prosaic, that is because these are functional improvements that will not be immediately evident. This is because this reference is a quadruple complication, with minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and instantaneous perpetual calendar. One reason that the new technical features will make themselves felt here is that the split-seconds chronograph is new – it was previously a mere chronograph.

Les Cabinotiers ‘Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’

For cynics and realists alike, there is every chance that Patek Philippe is saving something for later in the year. This does not matter that much for this story because there are plenty of great watches fighting for your very valuable attention at WWG. Key amongst those will be the Vacheron Constantin Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication, which now has the honour of being the world’s most complicated watch (by number of functions at 41, if not the 1,521 component count) as well as the first grand complication to crown itself with the ‘ultra’ designation. We especially like that the watch manages to cram all of this horological excellence into a case clocking in at just 14.99mm thick (it is 45mm in diameter and has two faces, but this is irrelevant).

Vacheron Constantin Le Cabinotiers Tour de l’Île

Interestingly, the Solaria Ultra was made by just one master watchmaker, whose identity has not been disclosed, much as the old standards were. Unusually, this watchmaker worked with the designer on the case; normally, aesthetics are a domain that does not concern the movement developer and thus we wonder if there is a secret signature somewhere here that points to the identity of the maker, just as was the case for Jean-Marc Vacheron back in the day. Yes, the Solaria Ultra might be the most sought-after yet completely inaccessible watch of its kind. It certainly helps that Vacheron Constantin is making just one of this model, although we fully expect that it will be hugely consequential for releases in the coming years. For evidence, just look to the 250^th anniversary watch and what happened there.

From the supremely complicated, we move to a simple expression of precision with the Zenith GFJ. Clearly, another anniversary we are paying attention to is over at Zenith, which celebrates its 160^th birthday this year with the aforementioned new GFJ model. Just as the Skyline was at its debut, this is now the only full collection that exists with pure time-only properties. Collectors will no doubt hanker for a chronograph and it may already be on the way but for now, we get to enjoy this new collection as pure tribute to precision timekeeping. Calling attention to itself with a massive balance wheel, the reissue of the manual-winding Calibre 135 looks like a straight recreation but it is anything but. The unique brick-style decoration on the movement plates indicates that much, and it will only be in play for this anniversary edition. A key technical feature of the GFJ is its 72-hour power reserve, which is highly contemporary (and an improvement over the original’s 40-hour or so rating). What is the accuracy of this tribute to on-point timekeeping then? The brand says it is chronometer-level, meaning +/-2 seconds per day.

Looking at broader trends and the like, it is probably best to wait a few weeks to digest all the information. For those who insist on gleaning whatever they can, we will simply say that case sizes continue to become more demure even as dials embrace all manner of novel decorations, materials and colours. If you thought we hit peak colour with the bold Rolex Oyster Perpetuals of a few years ago, well think again. Even Chanel is joining in, with its advertising reading “It’s not black; it’s not white. It’s Bleu.” We will be brining you more on this front and the remarkable J12 Bleu soon but we must return to those broad strokes we mentioned. To avoid ending on a sour note, we will sneak in a reference to the ongoing tariff wars, which of course impact watchmaking too.

To be blunt, there are much more important consequences to the tariffs than will be felt in Swiss watchmaking at all levels. The US is an important market for Swiss watches – the number one market in fact – so there are likely to be shocks but it is the wild west out there and no one knows how this will pan out. Uncertainty is the new normal as the stock market presents the cash-rich youth with opportunities to build wealth like their parents did. In fact, this should read ‘stock markets’ because there is hardly one that has not taken a dive.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Minute Repeater

We will end, for now, with a note about the watch industry’s commitment to making every shape possible, so long as those shapes are round. WWG 25 did not reveal any changes here, nor did it indicate that brands were in the mood to experiment with forms. The most exciting form watches this year are still from brands with established legitimacy here, including Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Bulgari, which is a fresh entrant in the Palexpo. Of the bold bunch, led as always by Hublot, things were quiet as far as new developments go but there is optimism aplenty in the messaging. For the 20^th anniversary of the Big Bang, there are a lot of special editions to choose from, and every indication that the brand is holding back on a surprise or two. And that, we predict, is all we can expect from the world of watches in the second half of 2025: surprises.

Bell & Ross BR-03 Astro Charts a New Course in Timekeeping

If nothing else, Bell & Ross should be commended for its commitment to audacity, which it demonstrates again with the BR-03 Astro. While the Franco-Swiss watchmaker is best known for its circle-within-a-square aesthetic, it also likes to surprise with telling challenges to conventional timekeeping. Late last year, Bell & Ross unveiled the BR-03 Horizon, a watch that proposed a slightly different way to read time; the new 41mm BR-03 Astro in black ceramic builds on this. Simply put, you are looking at three cosmic bodies that you no doubt can easily identify but we shall spell it out here since they do play the time display role that hands normally would.

The Earth, in its decidedly non-Copernican central place, remains still while the other elements perform the dance of time around it. Mars tracks the hours; the moon tracks the minutes; and the satellite tracks the seconds. Bell & Ross is being somewhat coy with its description of the mobile elements but it seems a fetching mystery. All those elements must move across the aventurine dial without disrupting its purity and the images here no doubt make you wonder how exactly this works. If so, then consider the representation of the Earth, which is actually carved into the sapphire crystal.

The brand says it is a “spherical cap” showcasing our home planet in relief. In other words, the Earth is recessed into the sapphire crystal that covers the dial. This must count as one of the most intriguing uses of this design element, which is otherwise meant to protect the dial and not get in the way of reading the time – it still boasts anti-reflective coating, which is a nice touch. In case you missed it, this use of the sapphire crystal is the audacity we speak of. What brought about this fresh take on time and craft?

“The Cupola, the observation dome of the International Space Station (ISS), inspired this watch, which acts as a kind of porthole opening onto the planets,” said Bruno Belamich, Creative Director and co-founder of Bell & Ross. “I imagined Earth seen from space in symbolic alignment with the Moon and Mars. The magic of this watch lies in its display—not as a technical interpretation of an instrument watch but, for once, in an imaginative dimension.” So, in its own standout way, the BR-03 Astro remains devoted to the aviation domain. We salute Belamich and company for their creative thinking here.

In terms of the basics, the BR-03 Astro is powered by the automatic BR-CAL.327, which is based on the Sellita SW300 movement, just as the Horizon was. The power reserve is given as 54 hours. The case, as noted above, is in micro-blasted black ceramic (making this a not so shine-happy piece), has a stated thickness of 11.5mm and is water-resistant to 100m. The strap is a combination of black rubber and black fabric. The BR-03 Astro is limited to 999 pieces.

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