The Best Watches of 2024 (So Far)
Collage: Gabe Conte
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If you were playing Watch Industry Bingo this year, you’d already be pretty close to winning. A hotshot new brand entered the market with a watch that sold out instantaneously. A luxury brand enlisted a major celebrity for an epic collaboration. And more than one brand revived a well-loved archival model that was garnering present-day hype (a move I haven’t tired of yet, as you’ll see below).
I don’t say this as a dig at this year’s releases. Taken together, they feel like listening to a really good pop song: I’m familiar with all the melodies and hooks, even as they’re shaped into something new. These are my favorite watches of 2024 so far.
Best Debut: Toledano and Chan B/1
No doubt the most exciting debut of the year. The B/1 is inspired by Brutalist architecture—specifically a window on the Breuer building in New York City. And despite borrowing a few design cues from Rolex’s ’60s-era King Midas, the watch looks like nothing else on the market today. Co-founders Alfred Chan and Phil Toledano, a well-known collector, launched the piece in May and it sold out instantly. The watch retailed for $4,000, but it’s so hot right now that a pièce unique version made from carbon just sold at Sotheby’s for $24,000.
Best Turtle-Inspired Watch: Cartier Tortue (Time-Only)
I’m such a sucker for Cartier’s classic shapes. This year, the house brought the curvy Tortue back from its archives. The watch is Cartier at its best: an incredibly simple, very pretty watch molded into a slightly silly shape. If a timepiece inspired by a tank isn’t your thing, how about one that mimics the humble tortuga?
Best Retro Dive Watch: Zenith 1969 Defy Diver
There’s a lot I like from Zenith this year. The brand’s gem-set Chronomaster was a favorite from LVMH Watch Week, but this revival is the new release I can’t stop thinking about. Zenith decked out this sporty 1969 model with wacky orange accents, which just look right on a dive watch.
Best Modern Classic (Made Even More Classic): The Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain II
Rexhepi may be a relative youngin in the watch industry, but he knows old-guard tricks. The watchmaker is in a constant pursuit of perfection. So how do you take one of the best and most desirable modern watches in the world and upgrade it? A few ruby indices certainly did the trick for this CCII, limited to just 10 pieces.
Best MoonSwatch Ever: Omega x Swatch Mission to the Moonphase “Snoopy”
It wasn’t just the hype talking. I stand by what I wrote in March: This is hands-down the best release of the entire MoonSwatch line. The all-white model would already be a winner, but the addition of a moonphase complication starring a snoozing Snoopy really elevates this piece to another tier entirely.
Best Splash of Color: Tudor Black Bay Chrono “Pink”
Tudor has done a masterful job of shock-dropping new releases timed to big events. The brand deployed this strategy recently for Inter Milan’s latest championship and the Miami Grand Prix, but used it most successfully to announce an official partnership with David Beckham’s MLS squad Inter Miami. To celebrate its new union, the brand adopted the club’s signature flamingo pink for a sexy version of its otherwise serious Black Bay Chronograph.
Best Minimalist Masterpiece: Parmigiani Fleurier PF Toric Petite Seconde
The best dress watch of the year so far comes from Parmigiani Fleurier. The brand’s new Toric is minimalism at its absolute best. This can be a hard trick to pull off when there’s nothing to hide behind. This works in the Toric’s favor, though, as it allows that hand-grained pistachio dial to take center stage.
Best Bracelet: Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse
Patek Philippe never took its egg-shaped Ellipse out of the catalog, but it’s been several years since the maker released it on a bracelet. The bracelet is like the leather jacket of the watch world—it just makes everything look cooler. It doesn’t hurt that this particular bracelet looks phenomenal: Patek made it in full rose gold and stacked the links in intricate rows that resemble a chain bracelet.
Best Revival: Piaget Polo 79
You might be noticing a pattern here: Watch brands are still hitting reliable home runs by dipping into their archives. This solid-gold version of the Polo was a no-brainer for Piaget to bring back, especially as vintage versions of the piece were catching fire on social media.
Best Value: Christopher Ward The Twelve X (Ti)
Christopher Ward continues to put out shockingly good watches at shockingly affordable prices. Last year’s C1 Bel Canto set a new low—in a good way— for a minute repeater. In April, the brand announced another take on a feature that we typically only see from the elite Swiss luxury brands. The Twelve X (Ti) is a skeletonized watch that looks like it costs ten times as much as its $4,865 price.
Best Collab: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “John Mayer”
Maybe I’m Piguet-pilled and Mayer-maxxing but I genuinely think this is a great watch—with or without the musician’s name attached to it. Any perpetual calendar Royal Oak already has my attention, but the grand complication steers the luxury-sport watch firmly into caviar category. I really like the Crystal Sky dial that Mayer and AP dreamt up, too. Its sparkle hypnotizes me whenever I see photos of the watch on folks like Mayer or Ed Sheeran.
Best Sleeper Hit: Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Chronograph Calendar
This JLC release has flown under the radar, but it’s a great sport watch from a brand that’s made its bones with highly-complicated, super-fine pieces. This Master Control bridges both those worlds, with luxury functions like the calendar and moonphase complications tucked inside of a stainless steel case.
Originally Appeared on GQ
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