Launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Geneva Watch Days (4-7 September) was the brainchild of Bulgari’s Jean-Christophe Babin, with early backing from Breitling, Bulgari and independents like MB&F. Conceived as an agile, open-air response to the dying behemoth Baselworld, it transformed the city into a stage, scattering launches across hotels, boutiques and galleries. What began as a necessity has set the tone for a decentralised, collaborative, and refreshingly open event.
Now in its fifth year, the roster has swelled to include both heavyweight maisons and niche indies, as well as the founding independents. This year, newcomers like TAG Heuer and Bremont share the spotlight with acclaimed independents such as H. Moser & Cie, Ulysse Nardin and Czapek. The result is a unique alchemy of global giants, avant-garde independents and enthusiastic collectors.
From classic to avant-garde: five highlights from Geneva Watch Days
Zenith x USM Chronomaster Revival
Zenith x USM Chronomaster Revival
Zenith has collaborated with modular furniture brand USM on the Zenith x USM Chronomaster Revival. The company launched its distinctive Haller system, using a ball-joint connector, in 1965, the same year as the El Primero movement was unveiled. It is a shared history acknowledged in retro details including the warm yellow dial and a strong, graphic silhouette.
Renaud Tixier Monday Organica
Dominique Renaud is known as an alchemist of horology; an inventor, rather than a watchmaker, demonstrated in the debut watch from his brand, Renaud Tixier. The Monday Organica offers a duality of mechanical craft and métiers d’art. Powered by Renaud’s RVI2023 Calibre, a highly innovative micro-rotor movement, the 7 pieces that will be produced all feature an intricate dial with blue tones by Olivier Vaucher. Each dial is the result of 112 hours of work that combines multi-level hand engraving, grand feu enamel, and textural effects that transform the surface into a miniature landscape. The enigmatic dial is housed in a hand-engraved scalloped 40.8mm platinum case with a thickness of 12.6mm, including a domed sapphire crystal.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Crystalium
The Freak watch is 24 years old this year, and Ulysse Nardin marks the anniversary with an embrace of glittering decorative arts. Framed in a black DLC suit, at the core of the Crystalium disc is ruthenium, a platinum-group metal which over days undergoes a slow, controlled vapour-deposition crystallisation process. The Crystalium hour disc, with its pointer positioned beneath the movement, serves as the hour hand, a subtle, continuous motion that fuses engineering and aesthetics. Due do the complexity of the Crystalium manufacturing process, it is only made in an edition of 50 watches.
Laurent Ferrier Classic Tourbillon Teal Serie Atelier
Laurent Ferrier is the epitome of quietly spoken classicism, with no blustering or avant-garde flash. Instead, Laurent and a team that includes his son, Christian, have carefully honed a brand that represents a minimalist purity. Each case in the Classic collection is as smooth - and exhibits the same organic balance - as the pebble it takes inspiration from, this time rendered in 950 platinum. The distinctive lustre of weighty platinum frames a dark teal dial in grand feu enamel on a white gold base with the slimmest of Roman numeral markers. Only five pieces will be made, featuring the same LF619.01 calibre that won Laurent Ferrier a GPHG on its debut back in 2010, here in a more contemporary finish, with its beguiling tourbillon visible only to the owner.
Furlan Marri Disco Volante Onyx
A highlight of Geneva Watch Days is the chance to discover small brands like Furlan Marri, know for their sub-£1K watches. The big retro wave might be less of a tsunami than five years ago, but last year’s trend of stone dials and shaped cases remain strong. Furlan Marri’s new Disco Volante takes its cues from Audemars Piguet UFO-shaped watches of the Fifties, with an organically layered look that frames a polished black Onyx dial. Underlining its dressy nature are baguette-cut lab grown diamonds for markers, and the slinky weave of a milanaise bracelet.
Geneva Watch Days from 4-7 September
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