Mind you, the press pictures I had received from Breguet couldn’t have been of a better quality, but they just did not show the, for the lack of a better word, “full picture,” which includes so much more than one photo can transport. Thankfully, I know that very well by now, which is another reason why I always try to take hands-on photos and videos for my articles. More importantly, I have a rule to never judge a watch before I have seen it the flesh. Or even better, have worn it, ideally over a couple of days, should I intend to do a review. The same rule applies when buying a watch: watches tend to look different in real life, and, quite often, some releases also grow on me over time: When I first saw the Bathyscaphe from Blancpain in Basel ten years ago, for example, I wasn’t blown away. Now guess which watch has not only become one of Blancpain’s bestsellers, but also been on top of my list for the last eight years? – Exactly (still undecided between the chronograph with “tropical green” dial, the 1315-powered titanium version with brushed dial or the automatic with a black ceramic case). A new design requires time to be appreciated and explored, and quite often, that process starts with a bit of friction.

If you ask a representative of a watch company how much time they spent on the development of a new watch, you usually get a number between two and five years, depending on the complexity of the project (and we’re obviously not talking about a new dial color here). Sometimes, launches are postponed, shuffled around to be aligned with an anniversary or milestone, or even get cancelled, be it because of changing market situations, lack of production capabilities, or simply because of problems with a new complication or material. In short: the product management of a watch company, not unlike that of a car manufacturer, often works with timelines that can span over decades. And even when a watch finally gets released, collectors often have to wait a couple of months longer until they, too, finally get to see the watches in real life, while journalists and retailers were able to at least briefly see and touch them at trade shows or brand events.

In the case of Breguet’s new Type XX, the brand stated that “four years of preparation preceded the arrival of the new generation of iconic Type XX,” mostly because of the development of the new self-winding Calibre 728 for the civilian version and Calibre 7281 for the military version. With the two unique watches made for Only Watch, the Type XX Only Watch 2021 (Ref. 2065ST/Z5/398) and the Type 20 Only Watch 2019 (Ref. 2055ST/Z5/398), both powered by restored Valjoux 235 movements, Breguet thankfully gave us a rare glimpse of what was to become a celebration of the anniversary of the Type XX’s “almost 70 years” with the release of the aforementioned 2067 and 2057 this week. Which means that a number of employees at Breguet started working on the new Type XX, even before the first human cases of COVID-19 had been identified. In other words: while the average watch collector has had a couple of days to learn about the latest novelties from Breguet by now, others have already spent years going over every detail, and, ultimately, getting accustomed to the final design of the watch. As a result, brands, retailers, journalists and customers often have very different timelines. The same applies when you switch roles: If a watch was, let’s say, on the market for two years, and didn’t meet the management’s expectations, the same executives may have had already six years with that watch when they consider pulling it, while potential customers still contemplate about what watch might have to go to fund it. Give it time.

Good thing is that I have about four more weeks until I plan to hand in my Type XX article for the upcoming issue, and there is a real chance you, too, will have been able to see these two watches at selected retails partners of Breguet by then, since the brand made sure to already deliver the first watches (or you’ll see them at WatchTime New York in October). I’m curious to see how my last paragraph will turn out.

Looks are only part of the equation, as wearing comfort is another. When a strap doesn’t sit comfortably around your wrist, it reflects on the watch as a whole. What often happens is that you simply wear it less, even when the watch itself is great. A mere strap change can make a difference. While I am an avid advocate of buying quality, getting the right strap doesn’t always have to cost an arm and a leg. In particular, when looking for a rubber or NATO strap, many cost-effective examples can be found that won’t disappoint.

If you want to ensure that you get it right, a custom-made strap might be the way to go. While this sound expensive, in my experience, the cost is not much higher than if you would buy a strap from one of the well-known Swiss brands, with the advantage that now, you are in the driver’s seat. You are in command of the type of leather, the color of stitching, and the thickness and material used for the lining. It often results in a strap that matches your taste and usually also elevates the way the watch looks. This will increase the wearing comfort as well as the pleasure you get from your watch.

How did you elevate your wrist game by changing the strap? Tell us in the comments

Realizing that the right watches leave you enamored can also lead to some confronting conclusions. Many years ago, I bought an Omega Speedmaster Professional. An impressive watch by all means, and I was very excited to get it. Unfortunately, when on the wrist, there was no magic. When I checked to see the time, that was exactly what I did and nothing more. This doesn’t say anything about the Speedmaster, but more about me, and that this Omega simply wasn’t my watch. Through this experience, I learned that I am more of a Seamaster and Constellation kind of guy, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I even made a deal with myself that whenever I don’t have the look twice experience with a watch in my collection, it has to go. This is quite a thing, as some watches I have admired for years, are considered icons or took a long time to get, only get to enjoy a short stay with me. Despite all this, and while they are great watches in their own right, when they are not great watches on my wrist, it was simply not meant to be. The upside is that you get a collection that makes you smile and where the watches also get worn. The downside is that you might have to look twice at them to know the time.

Which watch makes you have to look twice? Tell us in the comments!

“Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 closed with record figures, with 43,000 unique visitors (22,000 in 2022) over the whole week, 5,400 retailers, 125 nationalities, and 35,000 overnight stays, while the number of end-consumers doubled during the first five days.”

Watches and Wonders Geneva 2023 Closing Press Release

The good news first: in my opinion, the show was as great as it was impressive:

Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Roger Ruegger (@rruegger)

On top of that, the Swiss watch exports had just risen to a very high level (2.2 billion francs), people were visibly optimistic and happy to reconnect, and a majority of the new releases can perhaps best be described as crowd-pleasers.

Some of the watches that caught my eye are quickly summarized here:

Needless to say, most of the WatchTime team was on site to cover the show (and will continue to introduce you to new releases in the coming days), and we will start soon with in-depth coverage for the upcoming print edition. Right now, my guess is that most of the team members still have to process both the event and the transatlantic flight back to the U.S., and also get some well-deserved sleep.

Meanwhile, here are some personal observations:

• Same same, but different: From 2022 to 2023, Watches & Wonders went from 38 to 48 participating brands. While the main exhibition space with Rolex, Tudor, Patek and Chopard hadn’t really changed, what was different, however, was the number of visitors: Compared to 2022, and with travel bans and restrictions having been lifted almost everywhere, the show was much more packed (the word “shattered” was more than once used when comparing last year’s numbers of overall attendance and impressions with 2023). The result: Watches & Wonders 2023 was significantly busier and more crowded. Quite often, visitors had to wait quite a bit in line to get through security in the morning, usually having a negative impact on product presentation schedules.
• Geneva, we need to talk: People used to make fun of the veal sausage sold in front of Baselworld. With a price tag of CHF 8.50, the famous white St. Galler Bratwurst quickly became a symbol of how insanely expensive everything around the show had become. Meanwhile in Geneva, a Diet Pepsi at the President Wilson hotel set you back CHF 12.50, a (btw fantastic!) hamburger at the Beau Rivage cost CHF 38, or CHF 50 when you wanted a carbonated soft drink and fries with it. Even at Five Guys in front of Cornavin train station, a cheeseburger costs a whopping CHF 18.50 (compared to $10.99 in New York). Which brings me to the real issue: The proverbial take-away is that there are almost no hotel rooms for mere mortals available, and – you’ve guessed right – accommodation in general doesn’t come cheap. As a result, some people had to stay in hotels as far away as Lausanne (44-min by train), in order to have a place to sleep. The good news, however, taxi fares seemed almost ridiculously low in comparison (and believe me, Switzerland is not known for cheap taxi fares). Should Watches & Wonders (or Time to Watches, Geneva Watch Days etc.) continue to grow (which is to be expected), Geneva has to become more accessible, manageable and affordable for visitors.
• 2024, the year of the Submariner: With the 60th anniversary of both the Daytona and Carrera taking place in 2023, the launch of the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph, Grand Seiko’s Tentagraph, the new Reverso Tribute Chronograph from Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek’s Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Chronograph or Montblanc’s 1858 The Unveiled Timekeeper Minerva Limited Edition (a chronograph without pushers), it is safe to say that chronographs took center stage this year. Which also means that we can most likely expect to see a lot more Submariner releases in 2024, since the model’s 70th anniversary didn’t result in the introduction of the next evolution of the famous dive watch in Geneva (as a consolidation, the Yacht-Master in titanium, however, looked absolutely stunning).
• Uniting the watch industry apparently is as difficult as assembling a Grand Complication while blindfolded: Audemars Piguet and Richard Mille announced in 2018 that they would end the collaboration with SIHH (Watches & Wonders’ predecessor) after 2019. Swatch Group pulled out of Baselworld in the same year, Breitling decided in 2019, not to return to Baselworld for the (then cancelled) 2020 show, shortly followed by Bulgari (which explains why I didn’t list the new Octo Roma Chronograph above). All those industry giants have in common that they’re currently not directly participating in any of the larger shows in Switzerland, same goes for MB&F, Greubel Forsey or Moser. Which is good for the success of international shows like Dubai Watch Week, but not necessarily for a country that sees itself a driving force in watchmaking.
• Crossing the finish line: obviously, a display caseback shouldn’t be the big news of a show like this. If, on the other hand, said display caseback was introduced by the most well-known and best-selling luxury watch brand in the world, things are a bit different. Rolex is traditionally focused on producing reliable luxury watches on an industrial scale, and thus on reducing tolerances whenever possible. Having opted to a) decorate and b) showcase their brand new 4131 movement with a display caseback for the first time, the often silent giant of the watch industry obviously did something that is not directly linked purely to the function or reliability of the watch. Same goes with the new (and stunning) 1908, or even the Day-Date with emojis and inspirational words instead of the day and date. In short: It appears Rolex is becoming less conservative these days.

Follow this link for more Watches & Wonders coverage.

Many still think that the tourbillon is a complication. While it is most certainly complex to make, it is an addition to the escapement of the watch. As this is an essential piece of a mechanical watch, it doesn’t count as a complication. In this same light is also a remontoire, or the co-axial escapement invented by George Daniels, not a complication, while they do require considerable expertise to make.

This brings up the question of what is a complication? The answer to that depends on who you are asking. A purist might say anything but the hour hand. Early clocks had only a single hand to tell the time. However, as we are talking here about wristwatches, the most widely accepted consensus on this matter is that any added function to a watch beyond the display of hours, minutes, and seconds counts as a complication. So even when a 60-seconds tourbillon doubles as a seconds hand, it still doesn’t make the cut.

Do you have any questions you want the answer to? Ask us in the comment box below, and we might feature it in an upcoming edition of “Did you know that….”