After its debut last year, Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023 opened on 27 March, and closed on 2 April with record figures, including 43,000 unique visitors (doubled from 2022) over the whole week, from 125 nationalities. Close to 50 brands presented their impressive line-up of novelties, many of which were featured on our Instagram account during the week of the exhibition.
Here, we have handpicked eight of our “Hero models”, all of which created significant buzz during this year’s Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023. Which ones are your favourite?
Tudor Black Bay 54
Tudor has expanded its Black Bay line with a new watch. The Black Bay 54 pays tribute to the Oyster Prince Submariner reference 7922, Tudor’s first-ever dive watch introduced in 1954.
Back then, it was first issued primarily to the French and American Navy but later used by civilian divers. The new Black Bay 54 is powered by a Tudor manufacture movement, calibre MT5400, and is water-resistant to 200 metres.
Design-wise, the Black Bay 54 remains faithful to the original style in several aspects: The bezel follows the style of vintage Tudors without crown guards and has been reworked with a coin-edge profile that is also seen on vintage Tudors. The hands have also been tweaked, with the original square-tipped second hand replaced with a round lollipop hand. The hands are also “pinched” at the base to replicate the design from 1954.
This timepiece is sized at an elegant diameter of 37mm and is 11.24 mm thick. Sophisticated yet simple, it maintains the utilitarian styling that has made the line-up popular through the years and is sure to please lovers of dive watches who are seeking slimmer models that are more wearable on smaller wrists.
Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver White Bronze
This new addition to the BR 03-92 Diver Bronze family has been updated with a new opaline silver dial. The watch is visually appealing thanks to a combination of colours. The bronze case and bezel are complemented by rose gold-plated indices enhanced with Super-LumiNova inserts for superb readability in the dark.
If you are new to dive watches, it certainly helps to know that achieving water resistance in a square watch case is more complex than in a round one – and Bell & Ross is probably one of the very few watchmakers on the market that are able to create fully functional square dive watches. BR 03-92 Diver was the brand’s first square dive watch, launched in 2017.
The BR 03-92 Diver White Bronze is a certified dive watch compliant with international standard ISO-6425 and is powered by a self-winding movement BR-CAL 302. It has a screw-down crown, a sapphire glass with an anti-reflective coating and serves its purpose even at depths of up to 300m.
The timepiece is sold with an interchangeable brown calfskin leather strap and a woven black rubber strap. Only 999 pieces have been produced, and being encased in CuSn8 alloy composed of 92% copper and 8% tin, they will acquire a distinctive patina over time, making each piece unique.
Cartier Privé Tank Normale
For the seventh series of its Privé collection, Cartier puts its focus on the Tank Normale. The new Privé Tank Normale was a highly anticipated model, thanks to its simplicity and classic design, as well as the fact that the very first Tank model that was created by Louis Cartier in 1917 (the word ‘Normale’ was supposedly added after the Tank Louis Cartier was launched in 1922) has been missing from Cartier’s line-up for a long time.
This new version is available in six distinct designs, with the most talked-about being braceleted versions in yellow gold and platinum.
The dial of the Privé Tank Normale features the collection’s signature Roman numerals and the signature railroad minute track. Its case has been scaled up to meet modern preferences and measures 32.6 mm x 25.7 mm. The caseback of the Privé Normale is brushed, and a blue sapphire cabochon is set on the crown of the yellow gold model, while the platinum version has one in ruby.
Another exciting element would be the bracelet. This is the first time a timepiece from the Privé collection has been offered on a bracelet.
The 7-link bracelet features a seamless design with no visible pushers at the closure. It is orchestrated by the manual-winding Cal. 070 MC movement. 100 pieces each of the yellow gold and platinum bracelet models have been made.
Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 XPS
Chopard’s well-received Alpine Eagle collection welcomes its newest member of the family -the Alpine Eagle 41 XPS.
Like the other steel models in the series, the XPS is made from Lucent Steel A223, an innovative and proprietary steel alloy made from 85% recycled material. This alloy is prized for its anti-allergenic qualities, brilliance produced by the recasting process, and its responsible origins.
The case has a familiar shape with distinguishing flanks, a bezel with eight functioning screws, an engraved crown, and its dial is textured with a radiating pattern in “Monte Rosa Pink”. For this new extra flat model, the sides of the bezel have been slightly trimmed to balance the proportions in line with the slim and stylish profile of the watch. The thickness of the case measures just 8mm, allowing it to sit comfortably even on a slender wrist despite its 41mm diameter.
Powering the watch is an automatic L.U.C 96.40-L movement with central hours and minutes, small seconds, and a stop-second function for precise time-setting. Two stacked barrels guarantee a 65-hour power reserve. The calibre is also decorated with Côtes de Genève on the bridges, with other components finished to satisfy the Poinçon de Genève requirements. It is also COSC-certified.
Come discover the best of contemporary horology at our boutiques. Check out the watch collections at Cortina Watch today.
