The 5 Best Watches of 2024
Plus a Rolex lawsuit, Chrono24 controversy, and two holiday gift ideas, and plenty of honorable mentions.
When I was flying home from New York last week, I sat next to a doctor. He saw me editing photos and asked if I worked in watches, so we got to talking. He was definitely into watches (on wrist: modern Rolex Explorer II). Here’s the question he asked that got me thinking: If you could own two modern Patek Philippe watches, one dress and one sport, which would you choose? It’s a simple but fun prompt and I’m hardly a modern Patek guy, but it got us talking for a bit. My answer in the footnote at the end, but what’s yours?1
In this issue: Berneron Mirage, Chopard L.U.C, Nomos Tangente, Omega Speedmaster, Xhevdet Rexhepi; then, a Rolex lawsuit, Chrono24 petition, Sotheby’s layoffs, two holiday gift ideas, and more of the best watches of 2024.
A few recent newsletters:
The 5 Best Watches of 2024 (Completely Subjective)
While it was a pretty slow year for releases, there are still plenty of solid watches worth celebrating. Before I worked at Hodinkee, I probably rolled my eyes at too many new releases.
Now, I recognize that there is still a ton of exciting stuff happening. It’s important to call out when something sucks or when corners are cut – and hopefully this newsletter will – but the other side of that is to recognize good watches. Since year-end lists are all about The Best, here we go.
I tried to feature watches across price points, ranging from $2,000 to $150,000:
Nomos Tangente 38 Date in 31 Colors
Colors have become something of a trend in the past few years, but most brands are still kind of bad at it. Not Nomos.
To celebrate 175 years of Glashütte watchmaking (and its first Watches & Wonders), Nomos introduced a special run of the Tangente Date 38 in 31 different colors with names like Bubblegum, Dunkelbunt, and Flamingopink. Even better, the limited-edition series also came at a slight discount ($2,310) to the standard Tangente 38.
Watches & Wonders has increasingly become an eggplant-measuring contest full of six-figure complications or record-breaking this or that.
But these Nomos watches were one of the most affordable releases of the entire show. Some colors have sold out, others are still available online or through Nomos retailers. Check ‘em out at Nomos.
Omega Speedmaster ‘First Omega in Space’
The new Speedmaster “First Omega in Space” is the first Omega that’s made me stop and really consider the brand in a while, perhaps since the 1957 Trilogy Series. It pays homage to NASA astronaut Wally Schirra’s personal Speedmaster CK2998 that he wore while orbiting Earth in 1962. The dial is a sunray grey-blue, a reference to the Soleil dials sometimes found in vintage Speedmasters instead of black (Coincidentally, Loupe This sold one right around the time Omega released the FOiS).
The straight lug cases measures 39.7 x 13.4mm and wears perfectly. For me at least, the First Omega in Space is doing the same thing for the Speedmaster that the Black Bay did for the Submariner. Find the Speedmaster FOiS at Omega.
Berneron Mirage 34
I texted a few members of the watch illuminati to ask what their favorite release of the year was, and each text began something like this: “Besides Berneron, were there any releases you liked this year?”
It’s assumed, and rightly so, that the Berneron Mirage is the Watch of the Year. Specifically, the updated Berneron Mirage 34 and its new, smaller caliber and tiger’s eye or lapis lazuli stone dial.
While the Cartier Crash is probably most mentioned in the same breath as the Mirage, Berneron has always felt, to me, more Patek than Cartier. First, the shape doesn’t wear as weird as you might expect, especially at 34mm.
While design and shapes have been the buzzwords for the last few years, most releases have still left me feeling a little cold. That’s because most of these watches start outside and work inward.
But the Berneron Mirage works deliberately inside-out. It started with a simple idea: A movement can achieve more efficient technical performance if you're willing to abandon the traditional round case shape. The asymmetrical case follows from this technical breakthrough.
More than the shape or design or even the stone dials, this ability to think differently sets Berneron apart. Read my review of the Berneron Mirage on Hodinkee.
Chopard L.U.C 1860 Flying Tourbillon
The Chopard L.U.C 1860 in Lucent Steel (2023 review here) is probably my favorite modern watch. This year’s L.U.C 1860 Flying Tourbillon is kind of like the supercar version of that watch, but if a supercar managed to look as restrained as a vintage Patek Philippe.
It’s the same 36.5 x 8.2mm as the original 1860, but features a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Not only does this make it the smallest flying tourbillon in the world, it’s also the only one that’s a Geneva Seal and COSC certified. The yellow gold case matches the gold dial, giving the watch a warmth typically reserved for vintage doré dials from Patek and the like.
The L.U.C collection is a bastion of fine, in-house watchmaking that lives inside a larger luxury watches and jewelry house. Natural constraints on movement production mean Chopard produces only a few thousand L.U.C watches per year – a number much closer to Lange than, say, Patek or Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Chopard made the Flying Tourbillon in just 10 numbered pieces (MSRP: ~$150,000). Here’s my review on Hodinkee or more at Chopard.
Xhevdet Rexhepi Minute Inerte
One of my most enjoyable visits this year was to Xhevdet Rehxepi’s workshop in downtown Geneva. It’s where a few young and mostly tattooed watchmakers work on finishing and assembly of the Minute Inerte, the first watch from Xhevdet. Inspired by Swiss railway clocks, the second hand pauses for two seconds every minute before the minute hand ticks forward. It’s a deeply satisfying thing to watch:
Xhevdet did his first interview with me back at the beginning of 2023. Development of the Minute Inerte has been a long and winding road since, but it was exciting to see a working prototype. He’s producing 50 pieces in two dial colors – a soft green or blue.
Honorable Mention
That’s the top five. Here are a few other favorites – surely I missed a bunch of others:
Swatch released the MoonSwatch Mission to the Moonphase series, complete with Snoopy on the dial. I also like the Swatch Neon collection.
The Longines Legend Diver 39 wears great, different enough from the Black Bay 58 – and a good bit cheaper – worth a look for anyone that wants an accessible diver.
I’m intrigued by the “imaginary vintage” approach of Albishorn Watches and its introductory collab with Massena Lab, the Maxigraph. Albishorn was founded by Sellita technical director Sebastien Chaulmontet, who also came on the Hodinkee podcast earlier this year.
The new Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso Monoface is the best Reverso in years. Faithful to the traditional size and not terribly overpriced.
The Zenith Chronomaster Triple Calendar Chronograph is a nice mash-up of complications.
The Laurent Ferrier Classic Moon has me paying attention to LF again.
In the affordable category (~$500), a couple more favorites are the Paulin Modul Quartz, the accessible sister brand of AnOrdain, and the Casiotron, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original Casio watch.
Finally, every Kollokium project is very cool.
The world of high-end watchmaking is full of innovation – from Lederer to Tixier to Kazuo Maeda – but that almost feels like a separate year-end recap.
AROUND THE CLOCK
News Update
I plan to do more news round-ups like this, so let me know if you like the format, and what it should focus on. Releases, business news, auctions, or perhaps the analysis of whatever’s happening is the most important part?
Rolex wins a counterfeiting case against customized watches (The Fashion Law). Rolex won a lawsuit against Jewelry Unlimited, a retailer in Atlanta that sold modified Rolex watches with replaced dials, bezels, bracelets, and lots and lots of after-market diamonds. BUT, the watches still had Rolex’s logo and branding, and JU would advertise them as “100% authentic,” just with various aftermarket components. The court said these disclosures were inadequate and confusing, deciding in favor of Rolex. It’s confusing to me at least – it seems like a contradiction in terms that something could at once be 100% authentic but also aftermarket – Schrodinger’s Sub, perhaps – and the court said the disclosures were a good example of what not to do. It also referenced the old Hamilton and Vortic case as an example of good disclosure practices if you’re selling mods. Some of these watches Jewelry Unlimited is selling should be a crime.
Sotheby’s laid off more than 100 staffers in New York last week (New York Times). I’ve been told the watch department wasn’t affected. In fact, it sounds like the auction house’s strategy might be explicitly leaning into watches and other luxury departments after taking on a $100m investment from the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund earlier this year. As it sheds staff, Sotheby’s is also investing heavily in real estate and branding. It spent about $100m on a new New York HQ set to open in late 2024, leaving the Upper East Side location it’s called home since 1980.
Every auction house is increasingly emphasizing year-round boutique-style sales. Right now, you could, if for some reason you wanted, buy a Le Mans Daytona at Sotheby’s for $264k. According to the NY Times, these luxury departments can be higher margin than art sales. But, as any decent AD knows, location, location, location is everything.
“Auction houses have been selling luxury objects, like handbags and jewelry, for years,” Natasha Degen, chair of art market studies, told the Times. “But this side of the business is becoming increasingly pronounced. For now, fine art remains these houses’ bread and butter, but they see the future elsewhere.”
Pateks over Picassos - we love to hear it!
Chrono24 dealers’ petition. Dealers are still mad at Chrono24. In September, Chrono24 significantly raised fees on its 40k+ professional dealers, who have been complaining ever since. They’ve said the market platform is significantly increasing fees, while (rightly) pointing out that the C24 website still looks like it’s from 2006. The fee increases also come after a couple of rounds of layoffs at Chrono24.
Now, a petition is going around that some dealers are signing with a list of demands. These include decreases and caps on fees, more transparent pricing, addressing procurement dealers, and a few others.
I sympathize with some of the dealers’ demands. Some of the problems they point out have made Chrono24 worse for consumers. Procurement dealers – listing a watch that the dealers don’t physically stock – are a real problem. And the website experience isn’t good. But, also: You can’t build a business entirely reliant on another tech platform. It’s the same lesson media companies have learned by being overly reliant on Google, Meta, etc. You have to (cringe) – build your own brand. And all the best dealers have.
Somehow, the act of searching for a watch has become more difficult over the past few years. A few startups that have launched in the past few years feel more like solutions in search of a problem, instead of thinking from a consumer-first POV about what problem actually needs solving.
There are also more projects in development – I’ve heard about a few – perhaps from those sensing an opportunity as Chrono24 stumbles. The simplicity of Mike Nouveau’s Pushers.io is a decent idea, like a simple RSS reader for watches. So many of these tech companies overcomplicate things when all I want is an easy way to scroll through cool watches for sale from good dealers.
Chronext Acquired (JCK). Speaking of failed businesses. Chronext was – I think – the first advertiser this newsletter ever had way back in 2021 or so. After $110m of funding, the German ecommerce company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. It’s now been acquired The Platform Group, a non-descript German software company. Like a few other companies, it’s an example of taking on too much money way too fast. I’m mostly glad that this money is getting flushed out of watches. I’m not sure watches are fundamentally a “scale business.” It takes time to grow organically and do things right.
🎁 Two Random Gift Ideas
I was ill-prepared for the phenomenon that is the modern Gift Guide, but I have two gift ideas for the holiday season.
Vintage Magazine Ads. Nick from Ad Patina sells original vintage advertisements. While he started by focusing on vintage watch ads, he’s expanded into other areas – cars, travel, design, and more. I like the ads from some of these other verticals more than the watches. It’s almost like these ad agencies in the ‘50s would use up all their good ideas before getting to the Rolex or Omega account at about 4:56pm, when they’d throw together something quick before their 5 o’clock martini.2 Anyway, all of Nick’s ads are great.
The Best Book About Watches. For vintage collectors, The Dial: The Face of The Wristwatch In The 20th Century is essential on the bookshelf. It's written by Dr. Helmut Crott, a medical doctor turned watch collector, and eventually, one of the first auctioneers dedicated to wristwatches.
At $400, it’s not cheap, which is why it’s the perfect gift. Something they’d never buy for themselves. The Dial has three parts: (1) the history of dial maker Stern Frères, (2) a comprehensive explainer on dialmaking, and (3) a detailed reference of some of the best watch dials of the 20th century. It’s way more than a coffee table book, though the hardcover volume looks nice there, too.
Jealousy List
Finally, I’m putting together my annual “Jealousy List,” an idea I lifted from Bloomberg a few years ago. It’s an annual tradition where I illustrate that most delicious of cardinal sins – envy – and feature some of my favorite watch journalism from other publications and creators. Here’s the 2023 Jealousy List, along with 2021 and 2020. Anything great you listened to, watched, or read this year? Let me know.
If you’ve made it this far, please tap the heart or leave a comment. Thanks for reading.
-Tony
5935A World Time Flyback and 5164G Aquanaut Travel Time. So I guess my dress watch is steel and my sports watch is gold? Maybe I should try this again next week…
“It’s after 6, what am I, a farmer?”
Of course I’m going to ask for more coverage on how the sausage gets made in this industry 😃
Excellent choices for best watches of the year Tony, I can't disagree with any of them (though personally I love the original Mirage with the very clever and elegant custom numerals).
Something that I think has gone under the radar, and I don't see being talked about very much in the end of year conversations (which have maybe been dominated by shaped watches and stone dials), are the hand wound hi-beat SLGW Grand Seikos. The SLGW002 and 003 are the nicest and best-wearing birch dial / Evo9 GSs yet, and the movement is really attractive and quite a rare thing - who else makes an entirely in-house hand-wound hi-beat with an 80 hour power reserve and a proprietary escapement design, let alone at the asking price?
The SLGW005 was the one I went for in the end as it's the truly modern 44GS-adjacent watch I always wanted them to make, but I still covet the 003.