Every year, right as winter turns to spring, the watch industry gathers in Geneva for Watches & Wonders. The largest show for luxury watches, we had the pleasure of visiting again for the week this year, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. While the show tends to skew toward large, mainstream brands (especially in the main halls of Palexpo Exhibition Center), independent watchmakers often gather across the city in different hotels and lounges to showcase their latest creations. From seeing tons of new and exciting timepieces over the week, we chatted with some of Esperluxe’s closest friends, as well as teammates, to gather the picks for “best in show.”
Omar Traboulsi (@thewrongwrist) | Watch Collector and Enthusiast
Choice: De Bethune DB28GS “Swordfish”
“Everything about this watch screams non-diver from its design, case, skeletonized dial, yet it’s a brilliantly executed sports watch with technical innovation not seen anywhere else.”
One of our favorites from Watches & Wonders, the DB28GS “Swordfish” is another striking timepiece in De Bethune’s catalog. A masterclass in both technical innovation and finishing, it’s not your typical diver’s watch. It’s much more elevated and technically complex with its mechanical lighting system, iconic articulated lug case, and variety of shiny, matte, and glossy finishes on the black zirconium and black brushed stainless steel case.
@NYCWatchGuy
Choice: Hazemann & Monnin’s AH.02
“My pick is Hazeman’s AH.02 because it’s an extremely unique design, and the guys built a new movement from the ground up in record time.”
Part of the new generation of extremely young indie watchmakers, Hazeman arrived on the scene with the AH.02. Developed at watchmaking school in Morteau, France, the 42mm timepiece features openworked mechanisms for a jumping hour as well as a rather remarkable chiming hour complication. A huge swing for a “school watch,” Hazeman and his classmate, Victor Monnin (creator of another exquisite chiming hour timepiece), have joined forces and are working together now. Both watchmakers to keep an eye on over the next 5-7 years.
Ray Chay (@Jardin_des_Rois) | Founder of Alex Crown bespoke straps
Choice: Chopard L.U.C Quattro Spirit 25 – Straw Marquetry Edition
“The Jump Hour was already a great watch in enamel, and the straw marquetry just takes it up another level. The green is my personal favorite!”
Chopard L.U.C. is Chopard’s high-end watchmaking manufacture and it’s exceptional in its capabilities and catalog. The Quattro Spirit 25 – Straw Marquetry Edition is an all new “metiers d’arts” model, showcasing Chopard L.U.C.’s ability to go above and beyond. The star of the show, the dial is crafted out of actual straw and dyed this vibrant shade of green. Each individual piece of straw is split by a fingernail, flattened by a tool, cut by a scalpel, and then carefully glued to a rose gold plate in the hexagonal pattern. True craftsmanship, it’s one of the most striking dials from the entire show.
Marko Koncina (@Swisswatchgang) | Collector and YouTube personality
Choice: Bovet Récital 30 World Timer
“Bovet is really creating unique watches, with lots of details, finishing- and decoration techniques. The world time indication is very interesting, featuring 28 singular rollers, which rotate all at once, at the press of a button, which is remarkable. It reminds me of the fun Harry Winston Opus times, where we saw complex movements and new shapes of components used in indie watches. It also brings the price down if you want the watch for the complication. From the CHF 500k+ (on the Récital 28) down to CHF 68k, in a slimmer, more wearable every day case execution.”
Marko says it, not much for us to add. Bovet’s Récital 30 World Timer is an impressive, complicated timepiece for globetrotting collectors. Much more accessible than its previous world time watch, the Récital 28, it’s a serious piece of complicated watchmaking at that price point.
Mike Ortolano (Editor at Esperluxe)
Choice: Urwerk’s UR-101 T-Rex
“I’ve always been a huge fan of Urwerk’s ‘T-Rex” timepieces. The new UR-101 T-Rex is warmly welcomed by me. It’s such a thoroughly ‘Urwerk’ aesthetic, and really interesting as a concept. Martin and Felix wanted to blow up traditional guillochage and use the macro-sized grooves on cases to further protect their watches from shocks, everyday wear and tear. Only the third T-Rex timepiece in the catalog, it has lost none of its novelty over the years.”
Chris Daaboul (@christopher.daaboul) | Founder of Esperluxe
Choice: Armin Strom Dual Time GMT Resonance Manufacture Edition & Arnold & Son Constant Tourbillon 11
“I’m cheating by picking two, but I have to. For the first, the Dual Time is simply exceptional value for what it is – ultra-high complication, superbly finished. For the second, Arnold & Son Constant Tourbillon 11 is such a great story – the friendship of John Arnold and AL Breguet. It’s also quite difficult to resurrect a timepiece like that and package it so beautifully with the grand feu enamel dial and amazing movement.”
CJ Mihedji (@watch.cjm) | Director of Client Experience at EsperLuxe
Choice: Kudoke K5
“Huge fan of the boldness of the dial and the updated case of Kudoke’s new K5. The 24hr display with the massive, hand-engraved day-night indicator is really beautiful.”
Compared to earlier timepieces in the HANDwerk collection, the K5 features a freshly designed case – slimmer 38mm diameter and perceived case height of a mere 7mm. The dome of the sapphire crystal adds an additional 5mm to the height, a facet of the case that accentuates the massive domed celestial disk. This is the most three-dimensional watch in KUDOKE’s catalog, popping off the wrist.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their picks! Comment your best in show from Watches & Wonders 2025 on our Instagram, and to stay up-to-date on all of the latest independent watchmaking news by signing up for our newsletter below.