Geneva Watch Days opened last Thursday with a slew of new introductions that added substance and excitement to the weekend of events seminars, roundtables and events focused on the world of luxury watches. The show, now in its sixth year, has become an important date on the calendar for watch lovers and the trade alike, and stands as the most inclusive show based on new introductions from the 66 participating brands. Here are just a few of the launches that happened in Geneva over the weekend.
Gerald Genta Minute Repeater
A pure minute repeater - without other high watchmaking functions as part of a grand-complication package - is a rare thing. Even rarer these days is a repeater that does not show its gongs and hammers on the dial side. This minimalist repeater in vintage-y yellow gold appears in a cushion case - a first for the brand - and a glossy onyx dial. Only 10 pieces a year will be made. Fun fact: the strap is black sheep leather.
Massena LAB/ Modello Quattro U4S‑T‑SPW
This is the last in a trilogy that celebrates NASA space exploration, and as such, it has an exotic meteorite dial. The titanium case is unusual in that it has something called a Cerakote H140 coating, which gives it a bright white glow. Limited to 60 pieces. Fun fact: The caseback is engraved with a meteor comparison chart (explains the difference between an asteroid, a meteoroid, a meteor, fireball and meteorite, in case you've always wondered.)
H. Moser & Cie Pioneer Flying Hours
The flying hours concept works like a jump hour, with the hour appearing in a window at 12 o'clock. At each new hour, the numeral jumps into place. is powered by three fixed discs, each rotating on its own axis, arranged in orbit around a central minutes disc. The minutes are shown on a 120-degree arc. There are two versions: one with a steel case and white fumé dial and the other in a pink gold and DLC titanium case with an aventurine dial. Fun fact: The type of aventurine used here is not a natural mineral but a man-made glass infused with flakes of copper oxide that appear as flecks of silver or gold.
Oris Big Crown Caliber 113
The Big Crown hails from the era of legacy tool watchmaking. It was launched in 1938 as a precision timekeeping instrument for gloved airmen - hence the oversized crown and the pointer date function. The in-house caliber 113, a hand-wound movement with a 10-day power reserve, also drives a patented nonlinear power reserve indicator that appears to slow down as the time to wind approaches. Fun fact: This watch also has a function that is quite rare in watchmaking today: it's a weekly calendar, a useful function for those needing to keep track not just of the day, date and month of the year, but also the weeks. The watch has a 52-week scale around the dial, with the week indicated by a central pointer hand.
Ulysse Nardin Freak X Crystalium
The brand's ongoing Freak series, first launched in 2001, is notable for its no-hands approach to timekeeping: The entire escapement (balance wheel and hairspring) rotate around the dial every hour to tell the time. On the GWD version, the dial is made of crystalium, made of ruthenium that undergoes a slow, controlled vapour-deposition crystallisation process, creating fractal-like crystal structures. It is then it is treated with a warm rose gold PVD finish and subtle black shading, hand-applied with fine varnish. 50 pieces. Fun fact: Ulysse Nardin was the first brand to use silicium in its movements, in 2001.
Zenith Defy USM
This unlikely collaboration with Swiss furniture brand USM Haller is a tribute to the era when both companies made a name for themselves: Zenith with its high-frequency movement, the El Primero; and USM with its modern modular furniture concept. The resulting capsule collection of colorful watches is "what might have happened had their [the two brands'] creative paths crossed at that pivotal moment," says Zenith. Fun fact: The watches, in USM Green, USM Pure Orange, USM Golden Yellow, and USM Gentian Blue, come in a custom-designed USM Haller timepiece chest created specifically for this edition.