As the end of every summer rolls around, so does Geneva Watch Days. Our favorite industry event of the year, it’s overwhelmingly focused on independent watchmaking and the most casual, fun gathering of industry professionals and collectors. We were fortunate to attend again this year, seeing many of our partners and friends as well as tons of fantastic new releases. We’re recapping some of the timepieces that stood out from the show from all our favorite indies.

De Bethune, the two, new DB28xs timepieces

Denis Flageollet wants to bring the De Bethune catalog forward, revisiting and modernizing some of the classics with new solutions gathered throughout the watchmaker’s journey. This is why we’ve witnessed the recent releases of “xs” timepieces – ”extra small” – from the ultra-vibrant DB28xs Purple Rain to this year’s releases at Geneva Watch Days – the DB28xs Steel Wheels and DB28xs Aérolite. When a watch is miniaturized, it often comes with significant sacrifice. A thinner, smaller movement is usually not a movement that has a larger power reserve. Here, we see movements with a 20% increase in power reserve, now lasting a full six days. A higher quality movement with a more ergonomic wear at 39mm in diameter, both these timepieces are stunning on the level of design and finish.

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Red Gold

Arnold & Son has based its identity on the ability to create fine watchmaking complications that are linked to the maritime heritage of John Arnold. An 18th century visionary focused on creating true chronometers, modern Arnold & Son timepieces include complications like the dead-beat seconds, dual time zones, 8-day power reserves. For Geneva Watch Days 2024, the brand brings two new editions of the Perpetual Moon 38 in rose gold featuring blue aventurine and cliff gray dials. Both vibrant dials showcase the brand’s mastery of color, sense of texture and taste for rare materials. With in-house caliber A&S1612, we see a moon disc almost as large as the movement itself. With a 90 hour power reserve, this manual-wind timepiece ensures that the moon-phase complication will remain accurate for 122 years.

Urwerk EMC SR-71

We covered the EMC recently as one of the most innovative and generally spectacular movements in modern independent watchmaking. For Geneva Watch Days 2024, Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner, the duo behind Urwerk, bring the EMC back to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a special SR-71 edition. Featuring pieces of a SR-71 Blackbird’s actual fuselage, this piece of ultra-rare material was melted down and reincarnated in the EMC’s screw-on bezel and charging crank. Something about the overlap between the ultra-engineered, new-age EMC and a stealth aircraft works perfectly. In large part, this is due to the timepiece’s dial layout – it has such a strong resemblance to cockpit instruments.

Angelus Chronodate Titanium, Magnetic Silver Edition

Inspired by the brand’s legendary Chronodato, the first chronograph with integrated annual calendar function, the Chronodate brings a modern twist to the classic when it first released a few years ago. Nods to the vintage timepiece carry over to this modern wonder, especially in the date indication on the chapter ring, bicompax subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock, and applied Arabic numerals. This year, Angelus unveiled a new colorway – the Chronodate Titanium, Magnetic Silver Edition – at Geneva Watch Days. The silver-gray colorway creates a monochrome effect across the titanium case, titanium bracelet or black rubber strap, rhodium-plated hands and the dial surface. A note here, the Chronodate’s case is truly exceptional. Thoroughly modern and sporty in its shape, there are six main components that bring the case middle and lugs into a single line and houses the bezel marked with twelve notches. Alongside its hefty, carbon composite pushers, the Chronodate is a well-crafted redux of the brand’s classic chronograph.

MB&F x L’Epée Albatross

No new watch from MB&F for this year’s show (that is coming in the not distant future). In lieu though, we have one of the most spectacular clocks that we’ve ever seen. In collaboration with L’Epée, the ultra-innovative fine clockmaker in Jura, the Albatross is composed of a whopping 1520 components, The clock features a striking hour function – chiming both the specific hours on the hour and a single strike on the half-hour – and a very unusual automaton composed of 16 pairs of propellers that launch into action every hour. Roughly 15lbs, 2 ft long by 2 ft high and 1ft wide, the aircraft springs into action as the clock strikes the hours and prepares for take-off with its 32 rotating propellers that whirl for about seven seconds. The brainchild of designer Eric Meyer, this is the first ever “propeller hour” clock, further establishing L’Epée’s position as the king of ultra-creative mechanical automatons in timekeeping. With every L’Epée x MB&F creation, we see an inventiveness in the mechanics of each clock that is simply so playful.

Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance

It’s been a good few years for Armin Strom. The Biel-based brand has released some phenomenal new timepieces from the Orbit to the revitalized One Week Manufacture Edition. This year for GWD, Armin Strom flexes its technical capabilities by conquering one of most complex complications in watchmaking: resonance. The Dual Time GMT Resonance is beyond exceptional – the symmetrical dial and movement as well as the ingenuity of the patented, built-for-purpose suspension system known as a “clutch spring.” This innovation acts as a vibrational intermediary between the balance wheels, avoiding the challenge of dissipation into the baseplate and oscillation errors due to movement on the wrist, temperature changes, and gravity. This is a resonance complication timepiece built for everyday wear and tear, and a beauty for the eyes on top of its superb functionality.

We don’t officially partner with any of these brands, but Konstantin Chaykin (one Night Joker is available pre-loved), Haute Rive, and Kallinnich Claeys stood out for their exceptional inventiveness. Chaykin broke the record for the world’s smallest watch – the ThinKing – and honestly, it’s a huge surprise. This wasn’t something that we would have seen coming, but there is some precedence given the master watchmaker’s vast collection of horological patents in his name. There is a strong case to be made that Chaykin is one of the most technically brilliant watchmakers of his time.

Haute Rive and Kallinnich Claeys, both relatively new on the indie scene, showcased simply beautiful watches. Haute Rive’s Honoris 1 boasts a … 1000 hour power reserve. That alone is difficult to imagine. Coupled with the fact that the Honoris 1 is wearable at 42mm in diameter and 12mm in thickness, this is a genuine spectacle in watchmaking. Amazing to see, nothing to say beyond it was impressive.

Founded Johannes Kallinich und Thibault Claeys after leaving A. Lange & Söhne, Kallinich Claeys visited the show with their first timepiece – the Einser. One thing that struck us with the timepiece, it feels very much like both watchmakers are trying to push German watchmaking into the future. The movement is clearly inspired by their time a Lange (a huge compliment), while it possesses a level of their own style – especially noticeable in the differential and second bridges. It’s an extremely impressive first timepiece for the duo, and we’re sure that there’s a lot more to come from the young brand.

A closing note here on the overall vibe of Geneva Watch Days. When we spoke with Paul Boutrous of Phillips earlier in the year, we covered some of his thoughts on the general market slowdown. Without any doubt, we have entered a different phase of the market, coming off an extremely hot period from 2021-2023. We weren’t exactly sure how the mood would be this year, given the different market. What we found though, the general mood was very upbeat. Something we’ve noticed over the years is that the macroeconomic environment plays a less significant role in small to medium businesses – on this layer of the independent layer of the industry. It’s the behemoth brands that feel market slowdowns much more. And there’s always opportunities for small(er) businesses to still grow – good market, average market, bad market, all alike. That feeling, that there is a lot of opportunity in creating exceptional, indie timepieces, dominated the show. Excited again to return next year. If you’re a collector or enthusiast of independent watchmaking, we strongly recommend visiting – it’s as relaxed and fun as any trade show can be.

Recapping Geneva Watch Days 2024