Birds of a Feather: A Round-Up of the Best Small-Batch Releases from Geneva Watch Days 2024, Part 2

Last week, Geneva Watch Days 2024 brought a good kind of chaos to town as the horological cognoscenti navigated their way through the offerings of more than 50 brands and a full slate of panels and parties.

Luckily for attendees, when the information overload became too much for them to process, one could always stroll over to the lake for a quick mental health break, letting the sound of water lapping against the shore and the zen-like sight of the Jet d’Eau provide moments of contemplation. Though, if we’re being honest, observing Lake Geneva’s waterfowl brought us the most peace.
 

From the majestic swans to the colorful pochards, bird watchers could probably check hundreds of species off their life lists in one weekend.

Likewise, watch spotters could learn about many interesting, limited edition, and small production treasures in one fell swoop. We’re talking timepieces that the average enthusiast usually doesn’t get to see in the wild.

Yesterday, we gave you part 1 of this little round-up; today, we bring you three more of our favorites and their specific flights of fancy that captured our attention.

We expected to see something fun and audacious from independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin at Geneva Watch Days. But the world’s thinnest and lightest mechanical timepiece? Who’d have thunk it?
 

After all, the race for the thinnest has been dominated by brands like Piaget (in 2018, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept prototype rocked the watch world with its 2mm-thick case) and Bulgari (with many “thinnest” world records the brand’s belt, in 2022, the Octo Finissimo Ultra, developed in collaboration with the Concepto movement factory, stunned the industry with its 1.8mm-thick case).

Then, only a few months after the unveiling of the Octo Finissimo Ultra, Richard Mille stole everyone’s breath away with the credit card-thin RM UP-01 Ferrari (developed by the AP Renaud & Papi complication factory), which measured only 1.75mm thick. Most recently, Bulgari battled back at Watches and Wonder 2024 with the 1.70mm-thick Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC.
 

That’s it. There can be nothing thinner. Case closed…

…nope! The whole apple cart has once again been upended with Konstantin Chaykin’s new ThinKing, a 1.65mm-thin mechanical wristwatch.
 

Not only is the indie Maison a surprise entrant in the race, but the inspiration for the timepiece is also unusual – an ultra-thin Bagnolet pocket watch calibre with cylinder escapement from the mid-19th century and signed Aug. Golay Leresche à Genève.

“This [pocket watch calibre] is about one millimeter thick, not counting the height of the hour and center wheels,” said Chaykin in the press release for the ThinKing. So, decades later, when a client challenged him to make an ultra-thin watch, the Golay Leresche popped into his imagination.
 

What especially delights us about the ThinKing is that it is also a Wristmon – Chaykin’s best-known model featuring the brand’s smiling signature with separate hour (left) and minute (right) displays still forming the eyes of the character. However, instead of having a moonphase indication create the smile, the brand’s logo is engraved in an arc on the watch’s top cover.
 

Instead of covering the entire dial with sapphire crystal, the displays are protected by 0.35mm-thick sapphire crystals, thus preventing the timepiece from being too ridged. Meanwhile, further protection is provided by the PalanKing carrier case with its built-in mechanisms for the automatic system and for adjusting the time.
 

Even the strap is designed to reduce stress with a pair of flexible titanium supports and two elastic inserts sewn inside to help absorb shocks.

The ThinKing is still only a working prototype, but if you want to learn more and/or stay in the loop, visit the Konstantin Chaykin website.

Like Geneva’s urban birds, watch fans flock to events like Geneva Watch Days to find a community with like-minded souls. And one of the brands we love to visit is Louis Erard because of its elegant yet non-conformist approach to watchmaking.

Well-known for its series of collaborations with creative artisans and artists such as Alain Silberstein, Olivier Mosset, and Sylvie Fleury, for 2024, Louis Erard has partnered with The Horophile, a.k.a. Amr Sindi, an influencer and cheerleader of independent and niche watchmaking, to create the Louis Erard x Horophile Petite Seconde Metropolis Green.
 

Sindi dives deep into his extensive love of horological history with this 39mm stainless-steel timepiece based on Louis Erard’s Neo Deco-inspired Petite Seconde collection. However, the jumping-off point for this Metropolis edition was the typography for the Roman numeral hour markers, with much research done on numbers from museum pieces and architecture of the Deco era.
 

Louis Erard CEO Manuel Emch and the Horophile’s efforts paid off with a design that feels like a welcoming handshake between brand and enthusiast before heading out for a night on the town to talk watches. The metallic green dial and brown calfskin strap are not so nostalgic – pointing more toward the future of watches.

The Louis Erard x Horophile Petite Seconde Metropolis Green is priced at CHF 2,300. To learn more, check out the Louis Erard website.

When De Bethune introduced the DB28xs Purple Rain earlier this year, fans of the indie watchmaker were super chuffed because it encapsulated everything the brand’s master watchmaker Denis Flageollet is celebrated for – a somewhat flashy dial with off-kilter aesthetics.
 

Just because a Maison is a niche, it doesn’t mean they are predictable. At Geneva Watch Days, the watchmaker also threw out a curve ball with two new DB28xs references – the Steel Wheels and the Aérolite.

De Bethune’s commitment to pushing technological envelopes doesn’t get enough credit, but both timepieces are excellent examples of Flageollet’s expertise in both materials and horological innovation.
 

The 38.7mm DB28xs Steel Wheels is a reimagining of the original 43mm DB28 Steel Wheels from 2018. However, the new Steel Wheels is not just an example of shrinking the case architecture.

No, this new reference is fitted with the DB2115V13 calibre that boasts an impressive 6-day power reserve, which is a 20% improvement over the previous generation. It’s also made of Grade 5 titanium and has a navy blue leather strap for a light, comfortable fit.
 

The DB28xs Steel Wheels retails for $90,000.

Inspired by the DB28xs Starry Seas and DB28XP Météorite models, the DB28xs Aérolite is another amazing mix of art and science, getting its power from the meteorite dial encircled by black zirconium.
 

Visually, the shimmering iridescent blue of the Muonionalusta meteorite dial, random guilloché, and white gold “stars” encompass everything beautiful about the mysteries of the cosmos. Yet, at 38.7mm, it does so while using less space.

This smaller diameter is made possible due to the miniaturized DB2005 calibre powering the timepiece. However, despite being smaller, the miniaturized movement still provides a big, six-day power reserve.
 

The DB28xs Aérolite is an annual limited edition and priced at $120,000. For more information, check out the De Bethune website.