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Every year, the watchmaking world comes together to release and celebrate its latest creations at Watches and Wonders in Geneva. We had the pleasure of attending the event this year, saw many friends, even more exciting timepieces, and filmed some great videos on our YouTube channel. During the week, social media is bombarded with releases to such an extent that it can feel like a whirlwind for collectors. A week removed from the flurry of new releases, we’re taking a step back to shed a light on some of our favorites from Watches and Wonders 2023.

Urwerk’s UR-102 “Reloaded”

We’re huge fans of Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner’s creativity, leading the charge at Urwerk. It really seems like they cannot miss. Year after year, they expand the brand’s establish aesthetic in novel ways – always adding, going deeper, improving on earlier design and watchmaking concepts. Here, the UR-102 “Reloaded” is a return to the earliest days of the brand with its first timepiece, updated with the knowledge and experience of 25 years of watchmaking. Monet painted at different times of the day to see how lighting impacts the subject. This feels like Martin and Felix’s return to the beginnings to see how time itself impacts the modernization of the brand’s origins. The return and renewal are perfectly “meta” for the conceptual style of watchmaking that Urwerk brings to the table in independent watchmaking. Coupled with the fact that this is the brand’s lowest price release – ~US$31,000 – we know that it will be a huge hit for collectors that want to own a piece of the brand’s corpus.

De Bethune’s DB Eight and DBD “Season 2”

Side by side, the two releases from De Bethune are a perfect representation of the brand. On one hand, the DB Eight is the continuation of Denis Flageollet’s exploration of monopusher chronographs. This is the brand’s second model with that complication. It is modern and innovative while retaining the classical complication and form of what many would consider a “wristwatch.” The DBD “Season 2” is the flip side of classical forms in watchmaking. This is where Denis Flageollet lets loose, allowing for creative madness to overpower classical watchmaking aesthetics and “normal” complications. The case is a highly unusual horseshoe with bullet shaped lugs while the dial features digital time indications and rich, burgundy Côtes de Genève striping. On paper, any description of this timepiece makes it very difficult to imagine with one’s eyes closed. In the metal, it comes together to create a timepiece that meets the level of the Dream Watch 5 Tourbillon “Season 1.” Individually, both timepieces are stunners. Combined, they are proof of the brand’s range in design, aesthetics, and watchmaking.

Arnold & Son Ultrathin Tourbillon

This year, Arnold & Son shed all the adornments on the Ultrathin Tourbillon and pared it back to its purest expression. The timepiece’s vast dial displays an almost lunar silver-toned opaline finish, while the off-centered hours dial is made of genuine white opal. Nothing now distracts the eye from the hypnotic workings of the ultra-thin flying tourbillon. Alongside the Ultrathin Tourbillon Cosmic Green from last year’s Watches and Wonders, the collection is filled more and more with well-executed dress watches.

The Kudoke 3

This year, there was no better release circa $15,000 than the Kudoke K3. An evolutionary step for the brand’s popular HANDwerk collection, this timepiece was a major surprise for many. We applaud Stefan and Ev for delivering something completely unexpected – a fascinating two-layered dial with a novel hour indication of time. Nearly bisected, the lower layer of the dial features a thick, well-made hour plate with time in three scales. A rotating, three-arm hour hand moves smoothly through the scales. It struck us as an extremely novel, larger scale execution of the three-arm second hand on early Daniel Roth tourbillons. Unbeatable at the price point, Kudoke delivers another honest timepiece at honest prices without sacrificing quality.

MB&F’s LM Perpetual Salmon

While MB&F didn’t release a new caliber, we would be remiss to leave out the LM Perpetual with salmon colored dial plate. One of our all time favorite watches, the LM Perpetual is a true grail timepiece for many collectors. It never ceases to blow our minds how the subdials float, resting on hidden studs. It creates a perpetual calendar timepiece with an unmatched layering and three-dimensionality on the dial. Whenever a new iteration of the LM Perpetual releases, we’re happy because that means more collectors will be able to wear and appreciate the brand’s exceptional interpretation of a classical perpetual calendar timepiece.

Angelus’ Chronographe Médical

Created in collaboration with Massena LAB, Angelus caps off our favorites from Watches and Wonders 2023. Though these will probably not be worn by many doctors, it is exciting to see the brand bring back one of its professional chronographs, popular amongst vintage collectors. This timepiece inaugurates the beginning of a new collection, La Fabrique, focused on revitalizing some of the brand’s most iconic historical timepieces. We assume this won’t be the last chronograph in the collection as Angelus has so many exciting chronograph timepieces from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Overall, there is something unapologetically modern about the new Chronographe Médical. The pulsometer and asthmometer scales probably won’t be used by doctors, but they are appreciated aesthetically by those with a taste for professional chronographs and their history in watchmaking.

Fortunately, the landscape of independent watchmakers has grown so large that we won’t have to wait until next year to see more novelties. There will be plenty more later in the year at Geneva Watch Days as well as some of one of our own special projects on the horizon. Stay tuned!

Favorites from Watches and Wonders 2023