Men’s Folio reports live from Geneva, the cradle of fine watchmaking, on the Day 3 highlights of Watches & Wonders. Click here for Watches & Wonders highlights from Day 1, Day 2 or Day 3.
Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT
Fan favourite Tudor Black Bay 58 just got doubly better at this year’s edition of Watches & Wonders. While the collection has taken plaudits over the past few years, its latest iteration is a home run as Tudor presents the Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT, which happens to be Master Chronometer certified, too. Much of the Tudor Black Bay 58’s original blueprint remains the same, with the exception of a bidirectional GMT bezel clad in burgundy and black with gilt accents. An additional fourth hand, the GMT indicator, takes reference from the inimitable Tudor Snowflake hand but in a slimmer profile. The simple additions combine to elevate the dive-ready Tudor Black Bay 58 into an all-conquering timepiece capable of taking on deep oceans and timezone changes. Within the 39mm stainless steel case hums the Tudor Manufacture Calibre MT5450-U, now Master Chronometer certified to deliver greater precision and anti-magnetism to interferences below 15000 gauss. The Tudor Black Bay 58 GMT comes delivered with either a three-link “rivet-style” stainless steel bracelet with polished and satin finishes or a black rubber strap, both fitted with the Tudor “T-fit” clasp.
Vacheron Constantin Patrimony
We cast our eyes on the minimalism of the Vacheron Constantin Patrimony collection at Watches & Wonders 2024. While the collection formally debuted in 2004, it was inspired by an elegant ultra-thin watch rid of superfluous details of the 1950s. This year’s Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Manual-Winding celebrates 20 years of elegance, style and the quintessence of classical watchmaking. Here, the purity of lines, smooth curvature of the circle, stringent proportions and harmonious design allow the fine details to shine amidst a minimal canvas. The Patrimony’s signature convex dial gets an antiqued sunburst silver-tone makeover to exude the right amount of warmth, complementing the 18K 5N pink gold watch hands, hour indices and 48 polished 18K 5N pink gold pearls on the minute track. While the earlier Patrimony models were housed in 40mm watch cases, Vacheron Constantin reduced this year’s diameter to 39mm with a svelte 7.7mm thickness to be more aligned with today’s preferences for low-profile watches. Available in either an 18k white gold or 18K 5N pink gold case, Vacheron Constantin’s razor-thin manual-winding Calibre 1440, measuring 2.6mm thick, powers the watch. All 116 components are also finished in accordance with the Poinçon de Genève.
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection SLGW003 “Birch Bark”
Grand Seiko’s affinity with nature deepens at Watches & Wonders 2024 with the launch of the Grand Seiko Evolution 9 Collection SLGW003 “Birch Bark”. Aesthetically, this release takes a leaf from its other predecessor, the now-emblematic Grand Seiko White Birch. The vertical tree bark-like patterns have been rendered horizontally. Beyond the obvious aesthetical change, other tweaks warrant a double take, the most telling within the Brilliant Hard Titanium case, the newly created Calibre 9SA4. The movement’s slimmer profile and configuration lend the Grand Seiko SLGW003 a dress watch vibe with a 38.6mm and 9.95mm slim profile. Another notable feature is the calibre’s high-frequency operation, allowing for greater timekeeping precision and accuracy. Slimmed down and elongated grooved indexes to the narrower multifaceted lugs are all designed in accordance with a dress watch in mind, giving the watch a touch of elegance. Given that Grand Seiko’s Brilliant Hard Titanium alloy is brighter than traditional titanium, the Japanese watchmaker’s Zaratsu-polished surfaces sparkle more radiantly when contrasted with the soft sheen of satin-finished surfaces.
Stay tuned for more Watches & Wonders 2024 updates in the coming days. Otherwise, click here to catch up with our April 2024 issue.
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