Watches and Wonders 2024 kicked off this week in Geneva, Switzerland, starting strong with releases from the most innovative names in luxury watchmaking. Formerly known as the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, SIHH, the tradeshow began in 1991 as an exclusive event to showcase the height of luxury watchmaking. Today, the event invites over 50 brands to present their latest creations. The exhibition includes in-person and digital events that invite the watch-obsessed public to take part in the festivities. The multi-day trade fair opened on April 9th and will continue until April 15th. For up-to-date coverage of new releases and exciting news, you can follow Tourneau | Bucherer's live coverage on Instagram or TikTok.

Exciting New Releases from Esteemed Brands

As the largest exhibition of watchmaking in the world, Watches and Wonders is where the industry leaders debut their latest creations. It's a chance to display artistry and craftsmanship and hint at the future endeavors of each brand. Some of the most significant disruptions in modern watchmaking have been released during this exhibition, and 2024's events have already provided exciting new releases:

H. Moser & Cie. New Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton

H. Moser & Cie. has had a big year for its Streamliner collection. It continues with the crown jewel, a completely skeletonized version of the Streamliner, complete with a Tourbillon complication. Encased in stainless steel, the case shares the familiar Streamliner shape, a cushion-shaped silhouette that tapers into the bracelet, all in the same finish.

The real star of the timepiece is H. Moser & Cie.'s skeletonized movement, a first for the Streamliner collection. H. Moser & Cie. has pioneered minimalism in the luxury watch space, often removing even the indices from the dial to create timepieces free of all unnecessary elements that exude elegance and beauty. This Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton watch takes the minimalist ethos to the next level, stripping away everything and leaving only the unparalleled mechanical brilliance of the flying tourbillon movement as its visual.

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Ulysse Nardin FREAK S NOMAD

Ulysse Nardin has returned its focus to the FREAK, a style that first made an impression on the horological community in 2001. The FREAK is a unique watchmaking feat known for forgoing the dial and using the watch's movement to display the time. This year, Ulysse Nardin introduces the next chapter in the story of this historic watch with the FREAK S NOMAD. This style combines the brand's innovative horology and love of métiers d’art and the rare handcrafts finishing techniques, as evidenced by the hour disc behind the movement that features a diamond guilloché pattern finishing.

The movement itself, the NOMAD Manufacture Movement, is made in-house at Ulysse Nardin. It features a double oscillator with silicon balance wheels and escapements coated in DIAMonSIL, a diamond-coated silicon. Shaped like a spaceship, the movement floats over the dune-colored hour disc, moving freely and inspiring the name NOMAD.

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Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection

For the Evolution 9 collection, Grand Seiko has revisited a hand-wound high-beat mechanical movement for the first time in 50 years. In the 1960s and '70s, Grand Seiko pursued better rate stability and higher precision with the manually wound 10-beat movements. This new high-beat movement is called the Caliber 9SA4 and features a power reserve of 80 hours with 15% fewer crown rotations.

The design elements of the collection befit a luxury manual dress watch. The case and clasp are made of Grand Seiko's Brilliant Hard Titanium, an alloy both brighter and more durable than traditional titanium. As always, Grand Seiko finishes its gorgeous designs with inspiration taken from nature. The dial pattern evokes the wood grain of northern Japan's slender white birch trees. This manual dress watch is a beautiful combination of technical brilliance and natural beauty, creating a stunning dress watch that is both timeless and contemporary.

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Emerging Watch Trends from Watches and Wonders 2024

In addition to the new releases, the biggest trade show for luxury watchmaking is the perfect place to predict rising trends in luxury watchmaking. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, here are some emerging trends during the first half of Watches and Wonders 2024.

Show Off with the Tourbillon Complication

Multiple releases featured this impressive complication, initially pioneered by Breguet in the 1800s. The complication was originally used to improve accuracy. Today, it serves as an uncompromising sign of superior precision and craftsmanship. Grand Seiko released a new version of the Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon, initially released in 2022. The SLGT005 evokes daybreak as light and shadow play off the polished Platinum 950 components visible through the skeleton case. H. Moser & Cie.'s Streamliner Tourbillon Skeleton also features a skeletonized tourbillion movement, introducing an additional level of difficulty and beauty to the decadent complication.

Vintage Sensibilities Improve Contemporary Watch Styles

Everything old is new again as classic styles are revisited for Watches and Wonders 2024. Multiple brands have reintroduced styles from previous centuries to establish a sense of legacy with new releases. For example, Grand Seiko revisits vintage mainstays with its return to the hand-wound movement, Caliber 9SA4, reintroducing simple pleasures to the high-tech landscape of modern watchmaking. Other brands take a different approach and revisit more recent history. Ulysses Nardin revisits the FREAK, its signature watch, with a revamped movement that continues to push the boundaries of timekeeping.

Take Your Style Inspiration from Nature

Earthy greens and blues have been a trend for the past year, and this year's showings at Watches and Wonders 2024 seem only to cement the motif's popularity. Some brands have incorporated natural phenomena as design inspiration for their collections. Grand Seiko, as always, continues to take style cues from the stunning landscape surrounding their manufacture, with the newest Titanium Hi-Beat featuring the birch bark wood pattern in a light and bright titanium alloy. Other brands have followed their example, like the IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendars, inspired by the colors of the setting sun.

Watches and Wonders 2024 always promises to provide exciting insights into the future of horology, and this year's event is off to a good start. Stay tuned to Tourneau | Bucherer for up-to-date information about the exhibition's new releases and exciting developments as the week continues.