September 05
Our Four Favorite Releases from Geneva Watch Days 2022
After a long two years of interruptions to the watch industry due to the global pandemic, things have finally begun to get back to normal as we once again embrace the traditional trade show.
Since we had Watches and Wonders earlier in the year, this year’s Geneva Watch Days will see brands expand upon the novelties they introduced earlier in the year and solidify the changes they made to their catalogs. As such, it was always going to be an important event for a lot of the exhibiting brands, and we can certainly say we haven’t been let down by an of the novelties this year.
So, that begs the question, what releases are our favorites from Geneva Watch Days 2022?
The Tudor Pelagos
Perhaps the most popular launch of the novelty season is Tudor’s brand new Pelagos ref. M25407N. A favorite of ours here at Horus, just because of how good it looks on our premium rubber straps, the Pelagos has always had a place in our hearts. While we haven’t had a chance to see the new Pelagos on our Pelagos straps, it looks excellent on Tudor’s rubber strap while also being available with a titanium bracelet to match its construction.
Perhaps the most significant change from its older sibling is its new construction. Downsizing from 42mm to 39mm, the new Pelagos retains a titanium case and bracelet but loses its helium escape valve, the Pelagos’ unique diving clasp, its matte dial, and its date indicator. However, with these trade-offs come some benefits.
For a start, due to the change of movement and lack of helium escape valve, the Pelagos has gone down from 14.3mm thick to just 11.8mm – a substantial drop. In addition, in lieu of its matte black dial, the new Pelagos 39 features a black sunburst dial and matching black sunburst ceramic bezel, which we think adds a beautiful pop of exuberance to the collection as it was previously rigid in its utilitarian design language.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Blue Ceramic
Arguably one of the hottest watches in the world, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is a timepiece that just about every watch aficionado has lusted over, whether they want to admit it or not. However, AP have released what can only be described as one of the most visually unique variants of the Royal Oak in a very long time, which will undoubtedly split opinion, and we love it. Made of blue ceramic, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar ref. 26579CS.OO.1225CS.01 is a new variant of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in white ceramic that they launched in 2017.
Powered by the same ultra-thin automatic cal. 5134 and fitted to the Royal Oak’s iconic bracelet (which is also in blue ceramic), it is a timepiece that many of AP’s VIP clients will be familiar with. Still, with its electric blue construction and matching Petite Tapisserie dial, this is quite the looker indeed.
Measuring 41mm in diameter, it will undoubtedly be a big watch given the Royal Oak’s tonneau-shaped case and integrated bracelet, like any other Royal Oak variant, but with a ceramic construction, it should be nice and light on the wrist.
You may like our AP rubber straps collection.
BVLGARI Octo Finissimo Sejima
Heading from one visually unique timepiece to another, we land on one of BVLGARI’s most iconic and sought-after timepieces, the Octo Finissimo. With a growing crowd of admirers, the Octo Finissimo has finally garnered the attention it deserves as it extends BVLGARI into the realm of high-end watchmaking.
Typically utilized by BVLGARI as a vehicle to demonstrate their watchmaking prowess, the Octo Finissimo has been the vessel through which BVLGARI has produced some world-record-breaking thin watches, but this new watch is a feat of pure design that extends aesthetic boundaries.
While the Octo Finissimo has provided the blank slate for collaborators to design beautiful limited editions with BVLGARI in the past, like the Tadao Ando variant, the new Sejima limited edition variant blows them all out of the water, in our opinion.
Featuring an entirely-polished construction, the Octo Finissimo Sejima is the result of a collaboration with famed Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima. Limited to just 360 pieces, the Octo Finissimo Sejima reflects its designer’s unique design language and DNA, with a high-speed bullet train and the Sumida Hokusai Museum as two of her most famed pieces of design.
Furthermore, with its entirely polished construction, the Octo Finissimo Sejima removes the interplay between brushed and polished surfaces that usually hint at a high-end watch.
Furthermore, the Octo Finissimo Sejima features a mirror-polished dial with no landmarks like branding, hour markers, or inscriptions and is obscured with a metallic sheet perforated to provide an obscured view of the hour, minutes, and off-center seconds hand. All in all, the Octo Finissimo Sejima is a beautiful expression of unbridled design, and we love it.
Oris’s Divers Sixty-Five
Taking things from the outrageous and unique to a somewhat more normal launch brings us to Oris’ latest Divers Sixty-Five, the ref. 01 400 7772 4054-07 5 20 82 and its leather-strapped compatriot, the ref. 01 400 7772 4054-07 5 20 18. The very first serially produced Divers Sixty-Five to be powered by Oris’ rather impressive cal. 400 movement, this new release marks the beginning of Oris’ official foray into the market share of brands that were previously thought to be out of their league.
Featuring a 40mm stainless steel construction, a Tudor-esque riveted bracelet, a sandblasted black dial with a matching 12-hour bidirectional black aluminum bezel, and an exhibition caseback, the new Diver Sixty-Five does all of the simple things correctly. With its in-house movement and beautifully contrasting polished and brushed surfaces, this new no-nonsense timepiece is quite the bargain at $3700 for the bracelet version, with the leather strapped variant priced at $3500.
While both variants are great value, we recommend getting the bracelet version as you will always have the option of putting your Diver’s Sixty-Five on one of our 20mm lug width straps.
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