It’s customary to start watch truthful protection with Rolex, and we will oblige for Watches and Wonders 2023, despite the fact that our personal appointment with the large of Swiss watchmaking is tomorrow — the truth is, tomorrow (right now for you) is the large one for our two go-to Geneva watchmakers, Rolex and Patek Philippe. The large information after all is that titanium is lastly a part of the usual assortment, as foreshadowed by the Deepsea mannequin final 12 months. This 12 months, the Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Grasp 42 will get the RLX titanium remedy, which is one more signal that titanium is lastly taking centre stage at Rolex.  

The opposite huge information is on the traditional aspect of issues — the dressier little bit of the Rolex story. It appears the Cellini assortment has been remodeled into one thing fairly completely different, which is known as the 1908. We thought this was only one watch, however a fast scan of the Rolex web site exhibits that the Cellini fashions of current instances are nowhere to be discovered (the web site additionally has a brand new configuration, on a aspect observe), with the brand new 1908 forming a whole household of watches. One would possibly suppose this a storm in a teacup, however this new collection arrives with a full set of variants and exhibition casebacks (which showcase calibres with Syloxi hairsprings)…we will extra to say about this shortly. 

Shifting on to watches we truly touched and felt, to make use of the standard Watches and Wonders Geneva terminology, we reserve the best reward for the A. Lange & Sohne Odysseus Chronograph, which dares to think about the favored complication in utterly new phrases. You could recall that the Odysseus has day and date indicators which might be adjusted by pushers — those self same pushers now pull double obligation as chronograph pushers. The show of data can also be fully completely different to what would possibly usually contemplate commonplace for chronographs, and but studying timing indications stays fully logical.

Shifting on, Cartier impresses this 12 months with great type watches, together with the Tank Amercaine and the Santos-Dumont Skeleton. There are many little touches throughout the complete vary of choices, together with a brand new gold alloy (violet gold), a number of new bracelets, new clasp methods, and dial decorations. We could have extra to say on particular collections within the weeks and months to return. 

We shut on the model we began our Watches and Wonders Geneva expertise with, Parmigiani Fleurier. This 12 months, the manufacture follows up on the PF GMT Ratrappante with a complication that each emulates it, but is wholly new in conventional watchmaking. The Tonda PF Minute Rattrapante gives a singular indication of elapsed minutes, which can enable for brand spanking new methods of measuring time. For now, we go away it at this, however we are going to return to this new watch in the end. Though our first day included a variety of different manufacturers, together with Chopard, Zenith and Bell & Ross, we should name it quits right here. By the point you learn this, we might want to replace for extra particulars on Rolex and Patek Philippe, and we are going to return to the opposite manufacturers at that time.  

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