Watchonista Staff Picks: Our Daily Wears from Watches and Wonders 2024

Now that Watches and Wonders is over, I am once again faced with the question: Which release was my favorite? Unfortunately, answering this question was made all the harder this year because, as the lovely and talented Rhonda Riche explained at the top of her “Rare Birds” article, at first blush, this year’s releases felt “turned down.”

But, as Rhonda pointed out, that is an unfair assessment.

Many brands did fun and exciting things, and just because most of these were done using existing collections, that doesn’t mean they can be shrugged off. The best example of this is NOMOS Glashütte’s Tangente 38 Date collection (see Rhonda’s pick for more details).
 

However, there was one brand that, at least in my opinion, won the show because it bucked this trend in a big way by release a whole new line of watches. That brand is, of course, Raymond Weil (with Hermès being a close second).

While it’s true Raymond Weil’s new Millesime collection is based on the brand’s GPHG-award-winning watch, that was ONE watch. At Watches and Wonders, the brand debuted ELEVEN.
 

And I’m not the only one smitten with the brand’s latest releases. As you will read below, my colleagues Ash Longet and Cait Bazemore also chose Raymond Weil models; however, while they fell in love with the Millesime Moon Phase, I am a devotee of the 39.5mm Millesime Small Seconds.

I love both the black and silver-dialed versions. I love them so much, in fact, that I WILL purchase one of them very soon. I just can’t decide which.

Full Disclosure: Since buying my first Tetra after meeting with the brand at Baselworld in 2018, I’ve been a dedicated NOMOS Glashütte disciple. So the fact that I had the same need-to-have feeling upon seeing the brand’s Tangente 38 Date collection featuring thirty-one (31!) different dials in an array of striking color combinations at Watches and Wonders this year isn’t the biggest surprise.
 

It speaks to the strength of the Tangente’s design. Specifically, this collection proves that the Tangente can be remixed in many different ways, with each version projecting a distinct personality. I’m a Schlossgrün-kinda-gal, in case you were wondering.
 

The Schlossgrün variation is limited to just 175 pieces (in honor of the over 175 years of watchmaking tradition in Glashütte, Germany), so I’ll have to pull the trigger fast, though it helps that it’s priced at $2,310.

I definitely want to add the new Millesime Automatic Moon Phase from Raymond Weil to my collection. From its refined sectored dial (which was popular in the 1930s for enhanced readability) to its deep midnight blue hue and the circular moon phase indication portrayed by a human face amidst planets and stars, this watch inspires dreams and invites contemplation of every detail.
 

Playing around with this watch evokes a sense of returning to childhood, where simple things never ceased to amaze. That’s what the new Raymond Weil Millesime Automatic Moon Phase is all about.

When I think of an aspirational, yet semi-affordable, “everyday” watch, I am pulled between the familiar competing forces of timeless classics (i.e., Cartier, Panerai, Rolex) and something more contemporary and out of the ordinary.

In the end, the new 36mm Hermès Cut was the answer to my conundrum.
 

Three years in the making, the Cut’s design catches the eye with its geometric tension, placing a crisp, circular dial in a rounded, pebble-shaped case with the crown unconventionally positioned at 1 o’clock. The unique font of its applied gray-PVD-treated Arabic hour markers and its gray and orange-accented central minutes track enhances its modernist appeal.
 

The deal is sealed with the sapphire crystal caseback revealing the automatic Manufacture Hermès H1912 movement finished with a circular-grained and snailed main plate, satin-brushed bridges and oscillating weight, and the brand’s signature sprinkling of Hs. With that, my substance-meets-style desires are more than satisfied.

If I had to choose a watch that has an incredible design, an affordable price, and makes me think, “Oh yeah, of course,” all at once, I’d have to go with the new Speake-Marin Ripples Infinity Date. It is one of my favorite discoveries at Watches and Wonders this year.
 

It is worth noting the rarity of seeing an Oyster-style bracelet on an integrated bracelet sports watch, especially considering the three-link design seen on the 40.3mm Ripples Infinity Date. Plus, equipped with a micro-rotor, the in-house manufacture self-winding calibre SMA03-TD inside the Ripples Infinity Date ensures a power reserve of up to 52 hours when fully wound.
 

Priced at CHF 23,900, the Ripples Infinity Date is definitely a watch I want in my collection.

I once owned a Tudor Black Bay GMT 41mm with the burgundy and blue “Pepsi” color scheme, introduced back in 2018. It served as my go-to travel companion, dominating my wrist time until I gifted it to my older son upon his high school graduation and departure for college. And while it was an excellent timepiece, if I had to nitpick, the watch felt a bit thick at 14.6mm.
 

Luckily, at this year’s Watches and Wonders, Tudor answered the prayers of many watch enthusiasts, including mine, and unveiled a new addition: the Black Bay 58 GMT.

With a 39mm case diameter and slimmer 12.6mm thickness, the aluminum disc over the steel bezel now sports a burgundy and black “Coke” colorway. As a result, the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT exudes a stunning vintage aesthetic while being notably sleeker compared to its “Pepsi” sibling. Yet, it maintains the same impeccable build quality and technical specifications.
 

Priced at $4,600, it has won my vote as the standout “Daily Wear” from the show. I’m looking forward to the day when I can sport this watch and snap a twinning wristshot with my son.

I don’t think there was anybody more surprised by the gender-neutral appeal of the new Hermès Cut than me. The 36mm timepiece reads as a modern sports watch for anyone, especially in its unadorned steel-on-steel bracelet and steel and rose gold bi-color executions.
 

However, it still has enough interesting and stylish details to tempt even a more traditional sports watch fan to go a little rakish for their next timepiece. For instance, while its cool jet-set-meets-Deco dial font was created specifically for this watch, it looks like it could have come straight from the house’s estimable archive of artful watch fonts.
 

There are loads more examples like the one above, but suffice it to say that the Hermès Cut (which starts at $6,725) is not quite like anything else you’ve ever seen. And with a smallish 36mm diameter, it rides well even on fairly large wrists like mine.

My pick is the Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind. I just love the idea of time moving backward. It creates in me a sense of wonder and makes me feel grateful for the experiences that have led me to where I am today.
 

I have found myself immersed in this watch because of the luxurious nature of its platinum case and carnelian dial hands, as well as its mechanical movement with reversed manual winding (the calibre 320 MC) so that its apple-shaped hands move counterclockwise. In short, this classy yet quirky watch is all I could ever want or need in an everyday timepiece.