Watch Brands We’re Watching In 2024
As expected, the year is off to a roaring start in the world of luxury watchmaking. We’ve already seen a few launches hit the market, and we’re eager to see what’s to come at this year’s Watches And Wonders in Geneva. This is the time when anticipation builds, and where many in the industry start speculating on what the various brands will be unveiling in 2024. At SHARP, we’ve decided to take a slightly different approach. Rather than concocting a wishlist of what we think/hope brands may launch, we’re looking a bit more “big picture”, discussing what brands we’ll be keeping close tabs on this year.
Piaget
This Swiss brand is off to a running start with the relaunch of the Polo 79, but that’s likely just the beginning of what’s in store for 2024. Anniversaries are a big deal for watch brands, and we have every reason to expect big things from Piaget as it marks its 150th this year. The Polo 79, a throwback to the brand’s best-selling piece of the 1980s, comes just in time to ride the wave of enthusiasm for the expressive styles of that decade, and there’s much more where that came from. In addition to many more vintage-inspired Polo styles, we’re hoping to see Piaget get back into colourful stone dials — another mainstay of the brand’s 1970s watches — in a big way.
Rado
Rado caught a bit of hype with the re-release of its Captain Cook line of dive watches a few years ago and these, along with the vintage-inspired Golden Horse line, continues to impress. The recent re-release of the Anatom — a watch we’re currently reviewing — plays into the growing enthusiasm for 1980s design and sets Rado up to capitalize on some of its other strengths in the year ahead. As the enthusiasm for steel sports watches from the 1960s and 1970s starts to wane, collectors are increasingly looking for shaped cases, new materials, and unusual designs — all of which Rado does exceptionally well. We’re looking forward to seeing how they seize this opportunity in 2024.
H. Moser & Cie.
Moser has a knack for being a little unpredictable, and their latest bit of news — becoming a sponsor of the BWT Alpine F1 Team — further cements that. The last few years at Moser have been centered around their cleverly designed Streamliner, however our chats with their team during Dubai Watch Week painted an interesting picture of what’s to come. Not wanting to get too caught up in one specific reference, the brand acknowledged a need to maintain diversity, meaning that there are likely additions to the Endeavour or Pioneer collections coming before long.
Tudor
There are few surprises from Tudor, but that’s a good thing. Instead, the brand continues to steadily build on its strengths with new additions to the Black Bay and Pelagos families of dive watches and well-considered re-launches of select historic models. Last year it was the covetable Black Bay GMT with a crisp white dial, the vintage-inspired Black Bay 54 with its midsized 37mm case, and the military-inspired Pelagos FXD. The smart money is on more of the same this year, though we won’t overlook the possibility of a curveball; becoming a sponsor of the F1 team RB (formerly AlphaTauri, and now sporting the full name of Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team) makes us think that a relaunch of the Tudor Big Block Chronograph could be in the cards.
Sylvain Pinaud
On the very “indie” side of things, Sylvain Pinaud caught many people’s attention when he unveiled his Origine timepiece — a watch we were very lucky to preview in April of 2022, and that subsequently won the GPHG award for Horological Revelation. This wasn’t his first success, mind you, as his manually-wound monopusher chronograph led him to be awarded as one of few Meilleurs Ouvriers de France recipients in 2019. We’re curious to see what he might cook up next, though given the increased demand for his work since the GPHG news, it’s up in the air as to whether or not he’s working on something new at the moment.
Frederique Constant
Frederique Constant may never gain the same name recognition as the world’s biggest watch brands, but this scrappy Swiss independent continues to earn the respect of serious watch fans with its innovative designs priced well below those made by the big boys. In recent years, this has included a mechanical regatta timer, the revolutionary Slimline Monolithic, the beautiful (and incredibly well-priced) Classic Power Reserve Big Date Manufacture, and last year’s stunning Frederique Constant x Christiaan van der Klaauw Tourbillon Planetarium for Only Watch. While there’s no telling what 2024 will hold for Frederique Constant, you can bet it will combine an in-house calibre with refined looks and unbeatable value (and possibly a tiny planetarium).
Daniel Roth
Last year saw the formal reintroduction of the Daniel Roth brand with the financial backing of La Fabrique Du Temps — Louis Vuitton’s high watchmaking division — which was a welcome sight to all who appreciate high level watchmaking. Of course, Daniel Roth himself was the man who was solely responsible for the rebirth of Breguet in the ’80s, eventually setting up shop under his own name by 1988. Roth was “indie watchmaking” before it was anywhere near as popular as it is now, and though he’s no longer behind the workbench, his name and vision carry plenty of weight. The Tourbillon Souscription was a rousing success in 2023, with far more demand than the firm is capable or willing to deliver, so we’re curious to see the brand’s next steps forward.
Sarpaneva
There’s a bit of a personal connection to this additions, as Justin (our Digital Content Director) has been working on something special with Sarpaneva over the course of the last couple of years that’s finally inching towards completion. That little tidbit will be a very limited “on order” offering, but beyond that the Finnish maker has a few more tricks up his sleeve that are due to be unveiled over the course of the year. Coming on the heels of a launch of a design collaboration with F1 racer Valtteri Bottas, and the outrageous success of two limited-run series of watches celebrating the Finnish comic book series Moomin, it’s hard to speculate what direction his next unveilings might take.
Citizen
The North American launch last year of the Tsuyosa, an everyday sports watch with an integrated bracelet and automatic movement for under $600, was a turning point of sorts for this longstanding Japanese brand. Citizen has long been an innovator of both materials (titanium) and movement technology (Eco-Drive, atomic timekeeping), and it still does both of those things exceptionally well. Recent releases like the Tsuyosa, the Sport Automatic, Promaster Air GMT, however, show it has begun to broaden the scope of its designs to great effect, and there’s surely more in store this year.
Arcanaut
What happens when a Canadian-turned-Swede jewelry maker with past dabblings in watchmaking teams up with an Irish watch industry expert in Germany, and a Danish designer to form an independent Scandinavian watch brand? Things get weird, in the best way possible. From Scandinavian slate, ground up in a coffee grinder, to Fordite — a material coming from residual lumps of paint in automotive paint booths, to mussel shells (no, really, we mean it), Arcanaut‘s watches are truly unique and experimental in a way that never compromises design for the sake of its weirdness. They’re never shy on curveballs, so we’re eager to see what comes next.
Bulgari
After an early set of launches at LVMH Watch Week, we’ve got a bit of an idea of the tone of the year from Bulgari. Yellow gold is in again, and the brand is already starting to lean in on the Bulgari Bulgari model’s 50th anniversary that doesn’t come until next year. That said, two questions remain. Will the brand try to diversify further and make further additions to the Octo Roma collection, and will there be yet another world record breaking release for the Octo Finissimo collection for 2024? Our instinct leans more towards the former, but we’ve been proven wrong before.
Kollokium
About as IYKYK as it gets these days, this project was spun up in 2020 by Manuel Emch, Barth Nussbaumer and Amr Sindi, all of whom have lived and breathed the watchmaking world for several decades. What the trio define as Neubrutalist Horology, the Projekt 01 release was a “friends and family” offering with the promise of a later series coming in 2024. Using an intentionally rough die cast steel case and wild multi-level lumed indices, encased under a boxed sapphire crystal that feels like more display case than watch, the watch is a proper breath of fresh air that kicks the industry’s desperate trend-chasing to the curb. And with pricing under 3,000 Swiss Francs, it’s not especially pricey either. The question will be how fast these all sell out.
Isotope
On the more playful and affordable end of the spectrum, the small independent English firm has seen some solid successes with its chunky Hydrium Pro dive watch variants, but it has a couple tricks up its sleeve for the coming year. We know that a unique integrated bracelet chronograph is destined to appear sometime later in the year, but Isotope Watches founder José Miranda has been teasing a very unique jumping hour reference named the OVNI that we’re incredibly eager to see in person. Definitely something we’re keeping an eye out for in 2024.
Louis Vuitton
With last year’s complete overhaul of the brand’s famed Tambour watch collection, there’s a lot of buzz around Louis Vuitton‘s watchmaking division in 2024. They’ve just unveiled a series of high watchmaking novelties that lean into traditional craft, as well a stellar sapphire-cased beauty that was designed in collaboration with architect Frank Gehry. One thing is for certain, the brand is really doubling down on its watchmaking efforts, leading us to believe there’s even more to come later in 2024.
Minase
When we think of Japanese luxury watchmaking Grand Seiko comes to mind first, but since its inception in 2005, Minase has been rapidly carving out its own niche in the category. Producing unique and beautifully finished watches in the Akita Prefecture, the brand remains quite small, with an output of less than 500 pieces per year. Though they rely on supplied Swiss movements from ETA, what the brand is capable of in terms of dial, hand, and case production in-house is quite impressive. As drive and desire for exclusivity keeps ramping up, it’s time for brands like Minase to shine.
Sartory Billard
A lot of watch brands like to talk about bespoke offerings, but no one really comes close to Sartory Billard in that respect. There is no “core collection”, nor is there anything on offer that’s off-the-shelf, so to speak. Each piece is crafted by commission, with the buyer choosing materials, finishes, indices, hands… The list goes on. It’s a brand that’s been on our radar for quite some time, and one that continues to grow in popularity — rightfully so. The last masterpiece was a flying tourbillon, commissioned in an order of 30 for a watch collecting club from Madrid, which through this commission means that a bespoke flying tourbillon reference can be ordered now as well. You never really know what kind of wild designs Sartory Billard will cook up next, why we’ll have eyes on the brand again this year.
Czapek
Another brand that’s on a hot streak lately, the success of the Czapek Antarctique collection proved to be further affirmation that the market craving for integrated sports watches is still alive and well. From day one, the brand has been successfully managing a balancing act between heritage and modern horology. A series of smart decisions has helped maintain that balance, including the selection of a high spec Vaucher Manufacture caliber to go into its first chronograph, the choice to launch an openworked rattrapante as the first complication for the Antarctique line, and their lofty goal of buildng a modern interpretation of an old Czapek pocketwatch movement from 1850 that has since been used in a core collection wristwatch. Its output is consistently impressive, and we doubt that 2024 will be any different.
Horage
Of this motley crew of brands, Horage might just be the biggest sleeper of them all. Born in Biel/Bienne in 2007, the project was the brainchild of a husband and wife duo who dreamed of a Swiss watch brand that could be fully independent of the major groups that dominate the industry. Through slow and consistent progression, engineering, sourcing, logistics, design, production and marketing are all in-house today, supported remotely by additional team members globally. 2015 marked the arrival of the brand’s first fully in-house manufacture watch and movement, and it’s been a steady progression ever since. An all-new micro-rotor tourbillon — the K-TMR, in brand speak — is in the thick of development, though it’s likely to be ready for delivery in a little under a year. For the time being, The Autark Small Seconds — a slender titanium integrated bracelet sports watch using a non-tourbillon micro-rotor caliber — is due out later this year.
Jacques Bianchi Marseille
It’s sometimes surprising how much buzz can build around a small brand, and that’s exactly what has happened with Jacques Bianchi Marseille. The brand is a reboot of a popular French dive watch brand from the early ’80s, founded by a watchmaker whose workshop overlooked the port of Marseille. With four limited edition references in the books, each one seemed to sell out faster than the last. A simple, practical Destro-cased diver — so called for its left-sided crown — newer references have seen upgrades to a Swiss Soprod-supplied movement. Considering how close it runs in design to other dive watches, and the fact that there are so many dive watches in the market now, the watch is really a testament to how much little details matter. A clean case, a clever “vintage adjacent” design, a reliable movement, great bezel action, bright glowing lume, and finally a rather reasonable price considering its specifications. Keep them in mind; we don’t doubt another reference is coming this year.
Bamford London / Bamford Watch Department
If for some strange reason you’re still not familiar with the works of George Bamford, consider this your wake-up call. Bamford has been in the industry for ages now, evolving from a modifier of Rolex watches, to an official partner and official custom house for several watch brands including TAG Heuer, Zenith, Bulgari, and others. With Bamford London, the offering expands to an affordable house brand with a handful of customizable models on offer. The latest “Glow” Edition of the B347 monopusher chronograph got ample attention upon launch at the start of the year, but we expect more from George around Watches & Wonders this year.
Christopher Ward
Though they’ve been around a while, Christopher Ward drew a ton of attention in late 2022 with the launch of the C1 Bel Canto — a sharply designed timepiece with an ingenious hour chime complication built into the dial side of the watch. Being honest with ourselves, it has big MB&F energy, yet with a sticker price that drops one or two zeros off the end of it. You see, the brand has long been known as a solid value offering, with prices running between $1,000 and $3,000 (aside from the $5,075 Bel Canto). Its hero reference aside, the overall design and quality of the brand’s watches continue to improve, earning them a spot on our watch list for 2024.
Arken Watch Company
As a final mention, we’ve been hugely impressed with another more entry-level brand that’s just recently entered the market. It’s quite rare these days to see something new that doesn’t feel derivative or striving to be the “next best” to other entries in its category. Not only did Arken arrive with its own distinct personality and design ethos straight out of the gate; it went a step further. With the Instrumentum, Arken decided it was necesary to find a manufacturer capable of producing a one-piece titanium dive bezel that could match a 60-minute alignment perfectly. That might sound simple, but it’s really not. With its sophomore entry, the development of the Alterum involved the build of a custom movement module to allow for the display of a 12-hour GMT hand and day/night indication. For the industry’s big guns to do this wouldn’t be that huge of an ordeal, but for a new brand, and a new brand founder with limited experience in the industry it must have at times felt insurmountable. The fact that the Alterum comes in just north of $1,000 Canadian makes it that much more impressive. The bar has been set as far as what level of innovation to expect with the brand’s next release, and we’re not mad about it.
