Jorg’s Top 10 Best Watches Of The Geneva Watch Days 2021
With Geneva Watch Days 2021 coming to an end, it’s time to line up the best releases we have seen this week. We will be covering more of the releases in-depth here at Fratello in the upcoming days and weeks. But for now, we have lined up the most spectacular ten watches of the Geneva Watch Days. The selection criteria? It’s simple, really: the wow factor!
Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney
Talk about the wow factor! The Gérald Genta Arena Retro Mickey Mouse Disney made me smile the moment I saw it. It brings back memories to my own childhood and the 1980s and 1990s when Gérald Genta surprised us with a series of Disney character watches. One of his creations in the ’90s was a Mickey Mouse retrograde watch that this new watch was based on. It’s awesome to see the return of this iconic Genta Disney partnership. As Mike explained in his introduction article, it’s a breath of fresh air in the often very serious world of watchmaking.
Czapek Antarctique Rattrapante
It’s no secret that we are big fans of Czapek’s Antarctique series of watches, resulting in our collaborative effort with the brand just a couple of months ago. But the brand keeps on surprising us all with the evolution of the Antarctique series. Czapek’s newest creation is their Antarctique Rattrapante that combines all the basic aesthetics that we have come to know from the Antarctique and combines it with a brilliant move of showing the rattrapante chronograph mechanism on the dial-side of the watch. It’s a stroke of brilliance that helps make it one of the most stunning pieces we have seen recently. As Rob perfectly explained in his article: besides the technical powerplay that Czapek pulls off, it’s fascinating to see how great of a canvas the design of the Antarctique is for this technical wizardry.
Urwerk UR-100 Electrum
Urwerk’s brilliant UR-100 in itself is nothing new. For me personally, it’s the most fascinating and brilliant timepieces the brand makes. So even though the UR-100 Electrum “only” delivers a new case material, you know this was going to be special. When it arrived in our offices, that excitement turned into sheer admiration for what the guys at Urwerk had come up with. As Dave explained, the first association with the word electrum is not one of a special alloy. But the organic gold and palladium Electrum alloy is the star of the show. With gold as the dominant element, it works wonders in combination with the overall futuristic design of the UR-100. The story of the alloy is one heavily rooted in tradition making this a true statement of the past and the future.
Ulysse Nardin Marine Torpilleur Panda
When Ulysse Narding unveiled the Marine Torpilleur line, the Torpilleur Tourbillon Grand Feu immediately caught my eye. I mean, how could it not? The combination of classic looks with the spectacular UN-128 caliber is a perfect example of what makes Ulysse Nardin such a special brand. But the more I looked at all the seven releases in the new Marine Torpilleuer collection, the more the basic Marine Torpilleur Panda stood out. You don’t usually see a classical silhouette like this with a panda dial. But the white varnished dial with blue sub-dials and gold elements works very well. Even a couple of days after it was announced, I keep coming back to it, and that’s always a good sign.
DOXA Sub 600T Pacific Limited Edition
The DOXA Sub 600T Pacific Limited Edition has probably been one of the best surprises to come out of the Geneva Watch Days. I was born in the late 1970s but grew up in the eighties. I fought it for a long time, but there is no denying that the decade had a huge influence on my tastes in music, art, and design. Writing a series of articles discussing the best of the decade has only solidified that fact. That’s why it’s great to see DOXA come up with a re-issue of one of their 1980s models. As Mike explained, this new Sub 600T was inspired by the 1980s 600T Divingstar. I love the new case shape, the dial design, and the use of colors. For this new Sub 600T Pacific, Doxa collaborated with our friends from Time+Tide. All 200 pieces have already sold out, but I can’t wait for what is to come next for this new DOXA Sub 600T line.
Moser & Cie. Streamliner Perpetual Calendar
I have to confess something. In our March Madness battle, when “my” Czapek Antarctique Terre de Adélie battled it out with Balazs’ Streamliner Flyback Chronograph, I might have been tough on the Streamliner, without actually meaning it. Let’s call it the heat of the moment. I actually love what Moser & Cie. have done with their Streamliner collection. Their latest addition is the brilliant Streamliner Perpetual Calendar. The overall design, the bracelet, the dial, those incredible hands, as a fan of design, there is hardly anything not to like. But while we had the watch in our HQ for review, it spent quite a lot of time off the wrist. As Rob explained, the reason is the incredible HMC 812 Manufacture caliber. It’s the perfect amalgamation of modern design and artisanal watchmaking.
Bvlgari Octo Roma Worldtimer
I was pleasantly surprised with the new additions to Bvlgari’s Octo collection. The brand has been releasing many different Octo Finissimo models quickly after each other with the risk of Octo Finissimo overkill. That’s why it has been great to see the brand focus on the Octo Roma models. Especially because it sparked an interest in the non-Octo Finissimo models, this Octo Roma Worldtimer is the perfect proof that there is more to the Octo collection than the Octo Finissimo models. The watch combines the characteristic Octo design trades with a great world timer function. The in-house developed BVL257 caliber lets you instantly read the time in all 24 cities indicated on the dial, making it a brilliant traveler’s watch no matter where you are in the world.
Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer
Would it be blasphemy to wear a watch backwards? Because if you think the dial side of Bernhard Lederer’s Impulse Chronometer looks impressive, head over to Lex’s article about the watch to see the mind-blowing technical wizardry visible through the full sapphire case back. Lederer based the idea of his movement for the watch on the ultimate in timekeeping precision. But the movement with its two remontoir d’egalité constant force mechanisms is also an absolute feast for the eyes. It’s one of those movements you want to look at constantly, and why I think it would be perfectly sane to wear it movement-side up from time to time!
Ferdinand Berthoud FB-T.FC-RS
The combination of greatly designed angular modern cases with stunning movements is definitely a recurring theme. Next in line is the Ferdinand Berthoud FB-T.FC-RS with tourbillon and fusée-and-chain transmission. As Lex explained, this doesn’t just come with the octagonal case. You actually get a choice of a round or an octagonal case. While the round-shaped case is definitely nice, the octagonal case executed in carburized steel takes the top spot for me. If you then zoom in on the movement, that’s where it becomes even more impressive. The regulator-style watch has central seconds powered directly by the tourbillon at 6 o’clock. Additionally, it displays the minutes traditionally and hours digitally, creating a brilliant contrast of styles. Turn the watch around, and the magic continues. The fusee-and-chain transmission is a thing of beauty that will tempt you not to wear the watch at all and simply let it sit and admire it.
Sinn 103 Classic 12 Reverse Panda Chronograph
To close out this list, I picked a watch to return to reality. Not an over-the-top statement of Haute Horlogerie, but an actually affordable timepiece. The Sinn 103 Classic 12 Reverse Panda Chronograph celebrates the brand’s 60th anniversary. On top of that, it’s also a great statement of the brand’s great past. As Robert-Jan explained, the 103 is the brand’s most iconic model, but none of the regular models comes even close to this retro-inspired beauty. Out of all the watches on this list, this would be my pick. The Sinn 103 Classic 12 takes us back to the 1970s when Sinn released many brilliant variations of the 103. If you don’t know what I am talking about, read about the great story of the 103. You will understand that this is more than just another addition to Sinn’s collection.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, my list of the ten best new releases from the Geneva Watch Days 2021. Keep an eye out for more in-depth coverage in the upcoming days. In the meantime, let us know what your favorite GWD 2021 releases are in the comment section below.
