Watches and Wonders, Geneva 2022: Our Exclusive Picks Among the Big Launches

Watches & Wonders is the largest watch and jewellery industry trade show in the world. It is organised by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) and takes place at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland. For Watches & Wonders 2022, there were a total of 38 exhibitors and it was the first major trade show that the watch industry has attended in three years. This year’s show featured an interesting mix of simple and classic timepieces with time only function and some elaborate masterpieces in horological fashion which had complex mechanisms that track multiple time zones, calendar information and more.

We bring to you some of the models that stood apart in the launch and caught our attention.

Grand Seiko Kodo Constant-force Tourbillon

This is the brand’s first mechanical complication watch. Its innovative movement delivers stable accuracy by combining a tourbillon and a constant-force mechanism as one unit on a single axis for the very first time in horological history. The way this integration is done to allow the creation of over-all design is harmonious with the values of Grand Seiko to a high degree of technical brilliance. The watch is named Kodo which is the Japanese word for heartbeat. With its unique appearance when in motion and with its carefully designed sound, this revolutionary watch reveals its vitality both audibly and visually, thanks to the open-work design and the sapphire case back. It is a watch of great elegance and wearability. It is powered by the 340-component, 44-jewel, manual Caliber 9ST, running at 28,800 vibrations per hour (eight beats per second) and is accurate to +5 to -3 seconds per day. The mainspring has a power reserve of 72 hours.

Grand Seiko Spring Drive Diver Ref.SLGA015

Another Grand Seiko that got unveiled was the diver watch which offers an accuracy rate of ±10 seconds per month and a five-day power reserve. The Spring Drive Diver range has been an integral part of Grand Seiko's Sport Collection for over a decade.  The model has a new Spring Drive calibre 9RA5, arriving in a high-intensity titanium case that makes use of the new Grand Seiko Evolution 9. Silhouette. High-intensity Titanium, as a material, is 30% lighter than stainless steel and even more impervious to scratches and corrosion. To further enhance its durability, the rotating bezel is in ceramic to protect the watch from being scratched. Grand Seiko has done up this new timepiece with a truly stunning dial that features a Black Stream dial texture that is inspired by the Kuroshio Current. It has a water resistance of up to 200 metres.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Air-King

The Air-king symbolises the relationship between Rolex and flying during the golden age of aviation in 1930’s. The name ‘Air-King’ has featured on the dial since its launch in 1958, in lettering. The Air-King has had a distinctive black dial with a combination of large 3, 6 and 9 numerals marking the hours and a prominent minutes scale for optimal navigational time readings. The 2022 model of the Air-King has a more legible and harmoniously balanced dial due to the addition of a “0” before the “5” on the minutes scale, which puts double digits between each five-minute interval. This creates an aesthetic uniformity to the model. An optimised Chromalight display betters the readability in darker conditions, as does the addition of a new luminescent material on the hands and triangular hour marker at 12 o’clock. A crown guard and straight sides are the new charming additions. The proportions of the bracelet’s proportions have been changed slightly, its centre link is broadened and an Oysterlock safety clasp added for the first time.

Rolex GMT Master II

It is a model Designed as a navigation aid for professionals on the move globally and is the watch of choice for travellers. It has a unique design with a bidirectional rotatable bezel and a 24-hour graduated insert, which has been made available in various dual-colour combinations with the lower half symbolising daytime and the upper half signalling night-time. Single colour versions are available as well. In the 2022 update, the crown and crown guard have been placed on the left side of the case while the date aperture and the Cyclops lens now nestle beside them at 9 o’clock. A left-handed Rolex is indeed an exciting and unexpected addition especially since it comes in the GMT Master ll series. When a right-handed wearer wears it on his or her left hand, the crown won’t dig in, as it’s placed on the left side of the case. The changes in terms of movement, new colour pairing and chronometer certification are exemplary.

TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde

The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma Diamant d’Avant-Garde, powered by the Heuer 02 Tourbillon Nanograph movement, has Diamant d’Avant-Garde lab-grown diamonds set in the case, and features embellished indexes. It is an engineering masterpiece that showcases impressive aesthetics and technical excellence.  It is also the most expensive watch the brand has ever produced. To push the boundaries further the model also has a spectacular crown at 3 o'clock entirely done in diamond. The 44 mm watch case of the TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma is predominantly made of sandblasted anodized aluminium, which ends up as a perfect complement to the lightness and colour of the material and the strength and purity of the diamond. The TAG Heuer Carrera Plasma comes with an elegant black leather strap with black stitching and a black titanium grade 2 ADLC-treated clasp for an even bolder look.

Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic

While the market has seen newer materials used, Hublot maintains a class of its own when it comes to high performance case and bracelet materials. Colored sapphires, scratch proof gold, and uniquely hued ceramics are top in their repertoire of models. The latest Hublot Big Bang Integral Ceramic is a 2022 luxury watch novelty. Hublot produces ceramic that’s colored all the way through the material and colored to extremely saturated, rich colours. There is a range of saturated purple-blue, baby blue, military green, or sand with a 42mm case and all-ceramic bracelet. The movement is a smaller UNICO, the brand’s in-house chronograph. The UNICO 2 calibre is designed to equip smaller chronographs. The power reserve is for 72 hours and clasp comes as a titanium deployant buckle.

Ulysse Nardin Freak S  

The New York Times said "The Freak is one of the ten watches that have revolutionised watchmaking over the course of the last twenty years ". It undoubtedly is so with the expression of contemporary luxury masterfully manifested in an avantgarde watchmaking design. The Freak S has the very first automatic double oscillator with differential automatic winding, made possible by the “Grinder” system. The Grinder is twice as efficient as a classical automatic winding system since its energy transmission is twice as efficient as that of existing systems. It uses the smallest of wrist movements. The silicium components of the escapement of the Freak S have been coated with a layer of artificial diamond which optimises its performance and its resistance. It has a titanium gold or ceramic case sapphire glass with a 45 mm dimension. It has a baguette movement with Double balance-wheel in silicium with inertia-blocks and a leather strap.

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