Imagine being amid 60 outstanding watchmaking brands, launching at least one new novelty each at Watches and Wonders Geneva, the world’s most significant watch fair, and choosing which ones to feature first. It’s not easy. Thankfully, a handful of brands released their news early, under embargo, so I can share some of my favourites.
First up is Czapek & Cie, which unveils the Antarctique Tourbillon, powered by the new in-house Calibre 9 with a flying tourbillon regulator. This release marks the 10th anniversary of Czapek & Cie’s revival, aligning with the 180th anniversary of the original maison, founded in 1845 by François Czapek – whose visionary spirit remains at the brand’s heart.
The Antarctique is the ultimate modern sporty-chic timepiece – an ever-evolving canvas for creativity and reinvention. “Our pursuit of aesthetics drives us to create mechanical beauty,” says Czapek CEO Xavier de Roquemaurel. “It’s an iterative process, where changing a line [affects] both mechanics and aesthetics, which can lead to an intense ping-pong between the constructor-engineer and the designer-artist… with me playing the wild card in the middle.”
I love the bold new guilloché dial pattern – the ‘Singularité’ and eye-catching architectural design, which makes it appear concave in the centre. Despite its seemingly simple design, the Singularité guilloché pattern is complex to execute, requiring a shifting starting point for each lathe pass.
The movement’s three key elements – the tourbillon, gear train, and barrel – are displayed on the dial side in perfect vertical alignment, creating a sense of lightness and transparency. The flying tourbillon seemingly hovers between the main plate and dial, linked to the gear train in the centre, beneath a gracefully curved minutes bridge. Above, the barrel is suspended in an open-worked aperture, adding to the airy aesthetic.
The Calibre 9 is Czapek’s first movement designed, developed, and largely machined in-house. However, Xavier emphasises that this does not signal full vertical integration. Czapek remains committed to the établissage tradition, valuing both in-house capabilities and collaborations with the finest specialists to maintain creative freedom and excellence.
The Antarctique Tourbillon is available in steel and Glacier Blue, as well as Photon Sphere (a 5N gold hue) or the grey Secret Alloy, the latter of which is limited to 50 pieces.
Meanwhile, Arnold & Son introduces the HM Steel Amber, a striking timepiece limited to 38 pieces, showcasing the rare beauty of Baltic amber, a fossilised resin formed over millions of years. Chosen for its pale yellow heart, the distinctive shade selected by Arnold & Son, this exceptional material adorns the dial, framed by an ultra-thin 39.5mm steel case.
Sourcing the amber was a challenge – the house secured a 1.6kg block fossilised over 30 million years ago, carefully extracting and refining cylinders to meet the highest standards of solidity and appearance. Each dial is unique, with its streaked patterns and warm golden tones complementing an ‘imperial green’ alligator leather strap.
At the heart of the HM Steel Amber is the ultra-thin A&S1001 calibre, fully developed in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Measuring just 2.7mm thick, it allows for an elegantly slim 7.82mm deep case while delivering an impressive 90-hour power reserve at 3 Hz. The movement’s case back features radiating Côtes de Genève stripes, enhancing its artisanal refinement.
Another striking design is evident in Trilobe’s Une Folle Journée collection, with three new editions reaffirming its signature avant-garde approach to time. With an instantly recognisable suspended mechanism, these timepieces introduce a refined rhodium-plated finish that enhances the movement’s architecture. It plays with light and depth to create a captivating three-dimensional effect.
Time no longer points – it flows. Instead of traditional hands, three rotating titanium rings rising 10.2mm in height display the passage of hours, minutes, and seconds. They are supported by an aerial structure comprising nine precision-engineered columns, achieving balance and technical mastery. A minimalist pointer enables immediate time reading.
Each ring is an engineering feat, crafted from titanium-aluminium-vanadium, a lightweight yet highly challenging material to shape and polish. This meticulous construction yields an exceptional finish, further enhanced by a sapphire dome fused by flame, made in Japan and finished in Switzerland for absolute transparency and durability.
The dial, open for the first time, provides a view of the technical motor assembly. The X-Centric calibre powers the watch. It is an automatic movement designed and developed by Trilobe but revisited for the Une Folle Journée collection. Joining the existing blue, black, and Dune editions, these latest interpretations push the boundaries of contemporary watchmaking – defying gravity and redefining time itself.
Wrapping up this overview is the Chronoswiss Q-Repeater. Talk about attention-grabbing. With these creations, you don’t just see the time – you hear it. At the heart of these two timepieces is a legacy movement, envisioned by Chronoswiss founder Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in the 1990s, restored and reimagined in Atelier Lucerne.
Defying tradition, the Q-Repeater Scream is a bold, electrifying spectacle – not your grandfather’s repeater, according to the brand. Its skeletonised, multi-level dial doubles as part of the movement, featuring CVD-coated bridges in electric blue, orange, and purple. At 1 o’clock, the striking hammers take centre stage, releasing a “mechanical rock concert” at the press of a button. You’ll notice the hand-guilloché bridges and the glowing Super-LumiNova blocks, which the Lucerne watchmakers refer to as “chicken heads”, a nod to the amplifier knobs found on rock concert stages. Limited to just 25 pieces, this titanium-cased marvel may mark the final encore for Chronoswiss’s historic movement.
For those who favour refined harmony, the Q-Repeater Blue Note takes its name from the distinctive “blue note” (altered pitch) in music and channels the soulful depth of jazz and blues. Its navy-blue CVD-coated skeletonised dial, paired with a silver hour ring and luminous markers, creates a composition of mechanical precision and artistic expression.
Together, these timepieces reaffirm the industry’s relentless pursuit of craftsmanship, creativity, and the art of timekeeping at its most daring. Stay tuned for more stories about the latest watch releases throughout the year.
