Watches & Wonders’ Top 10 Novelties for 2023

It wasn’t easy to choose from last week’s W&W Fair, but we managed to pick ten pieces that stood out to us for a variety of reasons.

Impossible to miss the sleuth of the new watches on display at the Watches & Wonders show last week. 2023 is the biggest watch-related event of the year, showcasing many exciting new watches. We’ve done our best to bring you as much content as possible, but there’s a lot more we haven’t covered yet. But what is the absolute best watch? It’s a tough question to ask, with more than 50 brands on display, all bringing new models or adaptations of existing ones. However, the MONOCHROME editorial team has cast a vote to determine what we consider to be the top ten novelties showcased within the confines of the Palexpo showroom in Geneva last week, and here’s a rundown of them at random.

IWC Ingenieur Automatic 40
We won’t be talking about the elephant in the room (price), but embracing the fact that the legendary Gérald Genta-designed IWC engineer is finally back! Available in stainless steel with a black, white or aqua blue dial, or titanium with a light gray dial and black hands, both feature a beautifully textured dial, a cool take on the original IWC Ingenieur SL Jumbo from 1976 int.

Cartier PRIVÉ TANK NORMALE
The Cartier Tank is an absolute icon, and this year the brand released a fitting homage to the very first Tank from 1917. This new Cartier Privé Tank Normale looks the part, especially in the all-platinum set. The silver-gray satin-finished dial has not lost any of its magic even after more than a century.

A. LANGE & SÖHNE ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH
The only new watch from AL&S but what a watch it is! This is the first time an Odysseus has increased its complication and added a central chronograph minute and seconds hand. The zero reset function is really cool, plus you can adjust the date while the chronograph is running! Amazing stuff!

Seiko ELEGANCE HANA-IKADA SBGY026
One of our favorites all week, the Grand Seiko Hana-Ikada SBGY026 comes in a delicate rose gold case with a gorgeous light pink dial inspired by the cherry blossom tree. The clean dial is spectacular, set atop a hand-wound in-house caliber 9R31 Spring Drive.

TAG Heuer CARRERA Chronograph GLASSBOX REVERSE Panda
On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Calera Chronograph, TAG Heuer has launched a cool Glassbox iteration. A domed sapphire crystal sits on a black and silvery-white dial with a curved tachymeter scale. With a diameter of 39 mm, it fits perfectly on the wrist and is equipped with the new Caliber TH20-00 automatic integrated chronograph.

Tudor BLACK BAY 54 REF. 79000N
The Tudor Black Bay 54 is a cool, minimal interpretation of the Black Bay concept, inspired by the first dive watch Tudor made in 1954. Its compact 37mm case is topped with a rotating bezel that features a 5 minute dive scale with no minute graduations, cool!

Jaeger-LeCoultre REVERSO TRIBUTE Chronograph
The talk of the town is the new Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Chronograph, a handsome-looking adaptation of the 1996 Reverso Chronograph. Available in steel or gold, it looks great with a blue gray or black dial! Best of all, the chronograph side now also shows the time!

Rolex YACHT-MASTER 42 RLX Titanium 226627
We could have chosen several new Rolex models, but the new Yacht-Master 42 RLX Titanium 226627 is one of Crown’s best 2023 models. Obviously, it’s super light and has a very tactile brushed finish. The deep black dial is complemented by the familiar bezel with raised numerals and hour markers. it

Chopard LUC 1860 Lang Lang steel
Chopard’s LUC collection continues to amaze us, especially this gorgeous LUC 1860 salmon watch. The guilloché dial is absolutely stunning and is housed in a very slim 36.5mm Lucent Steel A223 case. It is powered by Caliber 1.96, a micro-rotor movement finished according to Poinçon de Genève standards.

Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot’s Travel Chronograph 5924G
Two things have always been very important to Patek Philippe; travel complications and chronographs, preferably flybacks. The new Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph 5924G combines both in one impressive vintage-inspired timepiece. Available in modern blue or green, both adhere to the classic Calatrava Pilot code and feature Nautilus’ in-house Caliber CH 28-250 C FUS.